Solid team. ANB & Newton add to the midfield depth. Saints & Bulldogs beat us in the in n under and the backline suffered as a consequence.

Our best Backman comes in, together with a quality mid. The team is evolving in a positive direction, heaps of ball winners and with the leading spread of goal kickers in the AFL we are a massive chance.

This team is eons ahead of the same team we took to the Alice last year both in class, structure, game style, confidence and attitude.

 

i understand the coaches are backing our system/style of play to win, but the whole backline thingy worries me considerably! If that Brisbane nobody could easily pluck contested marks, what is Westhoff and Trengove going to do?

8 hours ago, DemonLad5 said:

I still don't think a lot of us get it. (Admittedly I could too be wrong) our diamond defence means that our defenders guard space, not players. 

Nick Riewoldt loved it.

1 hour ago, Clint Bizkit said:

Nick Riewoldt loved it.

Our midfield were no help which allowed not just Riewoldt to get out the back. As with every week, win the contest, find targets up fwd, without turning it over, and we are a show.

11 hours ago, hells bells said:

Almost get the feeling theres a bit of a "whatever you can kick, we can kick more mentality" it's exciting but it scares the [censored] out of me!!!

Do you prefer we can stop you kicking goals better than you can stop us?

I like it. (When it works)

 

Edit:- If you were Hogan, which philosophy would you prefer?

2 minutes ago, ManDee said:

Do you prefer we can stop you kicking goals better than you can stop us?

I like it. (When it works)

 

Edit:- If you were Hogan, which philosophy would you prefer?

ManDee don't get me wrong I like it a lot.  We're playing great football.  But it does mean i feel like I'm clenching my butt cheeks for the whole game.

11 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

Boolean Algebra doesn't solve everything. Let your instincts run wild and go with an option. Create the logic  later.

That's pretty much what I do anyway. One thing I've learned over the years is that I know bugger all. I can spend valuable brain cycles by trying to work out what's going to happen, but then get it totally wrong or I might fluke it right. Far more fun just to let the emotion take over and run with that.

Well, that's more fun when we're winning anyway.

Isn't this year nice when we can go into any game  with the thought that we should/could win

where in the recent past we were just hoping against the odds

 

10 hours ago, DemonLad5 said:

I still don't think a lot of us get it. (Admittedly I could too be wrong) our diamond defence means that our defenders guard space, not players. It assures that opposition forwards are not getting 1 on 1s and getting space to lead into. Our set-up forces the opposition to bomb it in long, and its pretty hard to mark a high ball with 6 other blokes jumping at it. I know we are very shallow defensively, but it's really not as bad as we make it out to be

hope ya right. Really want to beat Port.

9 hours ago, KrazyJay said:

Standard week for me this season....

Mon - Wed = Full of confidence either that we will bounce back or string another win together

Thurs = Begin to have doubts about selection and the anxiety begins to come in small waves

Fri = Footy weekend begins and generally end up watching a cracking game of footy on TV, albeit not involving Melbourne

Game Day = Stomach in knots, anxiety is more like a tidal wave, borderline myocardial infarction for 3 hours, followed by beers of joy or sorrow

 

Do not forget reading all the selection comments on Demonland, they always have my emotions up and down!

12 hours ago, Nasher said:

Part of me can never but help but feel that the next bitter disappointment is just around the corner, though...

I don't usually leave that part in charge though.  The rest of me tells that part to bugger off and stop ruining my optimism.

It lurks inside every Melbourne supporter. You are not alone.

It is just plain dumb not to go in with a tall on the bench. God forbid if Gawn gets injured in the first quarter. Then what do we do? Watts in the ruck, spelled by Hogan? I can see that ending well for all concerned. Port have gone taller and we should have too.

Still think Dawes will be a late in for Newton or ANB

10 hours ago, bingers said:

Clearly Frosty couldn't be selected in warm conditions. For obvious reasons ...

Yes, cause he's a ranger. That's why Oliver is out. Good get bingers 

18 minutes ago, poita said:

It is just plain dumb not to go in with a tall on the bench. God forbid if Gawn gets injured in the first quarter. Then what do we do? Watts in the ruck, spelled by Hogan? I can see that ending well for all concerned. Port have gone taller and we should have too.

Why? We've been doing it all year and it's worked OK. Port don't have a single player over 199cm.

Who on earth was that Freeman bloke who came in for the Lions last week and was clunking them like Wayne Carey? Luckily he couldn't kick straight. Week after week, opposition tall forwards get a hold of us.

I'm expecting a third stringer like Paul Stewart to have a big one. We really need this defence to start clicking and a lift from TMac, back to last year's form, if we want to play finals this season.

28 minutes ago, Members' Wing said:

Why? We've been doing it all year and it's worked OK. Port don't have a single player over 199cm.

BS, what about Charlie Dixon? And we only have Max Gawn above that. Regardless, I think the point is that it's quality height vs quantity.

big ground, dry track, go in tall?

Lineup looks electric and well suited for the task.. Go Dees! 

No point reverting to man on man in defence against Westhoff and Dixon. It will just confuse the McDonald boys trying to work out which hipster is which.

 

4 minutes ago, Forest Demon said:

Who on earth was that Freeman bloke who came in for the Lions last week and was clunking them like Wayne Carey? Luckily he couldn't kick straight. Week after week, opposition tall forwards get a hold of us.

It's been a mixed bag so far with opposition tall forwards, the issue for me is we need a second  strong tall defender who can cover the likes of Membrey, Redpath, Vickery and Wright while Tom McDonald takes their main forward.

 

Round 1: Lobb (2.3)

Round 2: Daniher (2.4) and Brown (2.0)

Round 3: Waite (4.2) and Petrie (2.1)

Round 4: Cloke (2.0) and Moore (1.0)

Round 5: Riewoldt (3.2), Vickery (3.1) and Chaplin (1.0)

Round 6: Membrey (5.1), Bruce (3.0) and Riewoldt (3.2)

Round 7: Lynch (4.0) and Wright (2.0)

Round 8: Redpath (3.1)

Round 9: Freeman (1.2)

 

 

48 minutes ago, 3Dee said:

big ground, dry track, go in tall?

Lineup looks electric and well suited for the task.. Go Dees! 

Yup, we have selected the right team for the task.  Bringing in Dawes for a runner will be a bad idea.

12 hours ago, Deespicable said:

I just hope that people realise that we have taken a few huge gambles by going so small at selection again.

Last week we decided to go small, except for our defence, and thankfully against a young side like Brisbane with inexperienced tall forwards it did not come back to bite us.

This week we stayed loyal to this small side - Michie being omitted because presumably they felt there was no clear match-up - Neade and Impey being small but quick livewires and probably more easily matched by Hunt and Kennedy.

But to go with so much youth and a small forward line again is either courageous or stupid and we will find out on Saturday.

If conditions are good then Dawes should be playing - apart from Jones, he is the most experienced player on our list and we have decided to bank on no injuries to our talls - god help us if Gawn goes down. 

Then there's the decision to play Newton again ahead of Grimes. If ever there is a player who has been hard done by, it's Grimes.

He was pushed out early last year and came back and played decent football - yes I know he's not a thumping kick or huge mark or mega quick, but he's bloody fit (second to only T-Mac pre-season time trials, he's been playing huge games in the VFL and he's been 23rd man on three occasions and then had to watch as that honour amounts to nothing, whereas all other 23rd men have eventually got games.

Last year he was generally told to play left side half-back because we had no decent left footers once Salem was out and he coped - sure he wasn't a star, but he was serviceable.

This year he's been told that he has to go to the wing and he's proved he can be a reliable linkman. He was useful pre-season in that role, scored the odd goal (unlike Matt Jones) and then he's had to watch on as virtually every possible midfielder other than Jack Trengove has got a shot before him.

I get that Paul Roos doesn't rate him that highly, but to treat him like this is disgraceful. He is a senior player who plays the percentages and does team things. He creates space and he's selfless. I get that we want speed, but please don't try and tell me that Newton or Michie or Neal-Bullen add speed. They don't. They have their own strengths but speed isn't one of them.

Thankfully Port are at a lowpoint at the moment and, as with Brisbane, our confidence and intensity around the stoppages may be enough to get us across the line.

But you can't buy experience and Hawthorn, the tall Pies and Sydney are just ahead. Let's see if our youth can buy us a win.

 

 

 

 

  

I tend to agree with this, but they really do have an eye on the future now. Dunn is the same, but yes, Grimes isn't getting the same treatment as others playing well in the VFL. 

He'll leave at the end of the year and, really, our response will be 'Meh'. Such a shame - classic victim of the Schwab/Neeld era.

27 minutes ago, Undeeterred said:

I tend to agree with this, but they really do have an eye on the future now. Dunn is the same, but yes, Grimes isn't getting the same treatment as others playing well in the VFL. 

He'll leave at the end of the year and, really, our response will be 'Meh'. Such a shame - classic victim of the Schwab/Neeld era.

No he's a victim of the Paul Roos era - Neeld made him captain and never dropped him - and DL's derision of almost anyone who plays in defence.

He'll go to the Tigers next year and sadly I expect he'll prove to be a very handy role player - he's never going to be a star, but you don't want 22 stars, you want a mix of stars and role players.

14 hours ago, hells bells said:

Almost get the feeling theres a bit of a "whatever you can kick, we can kick more mentality" it's exciting but it scares the [censored] out of me!!!

Yeah I'm tipping the overs for this game (191.5 I think)

15 hours ago, faultydet said:

Beat Hawthorn

- Since 1980: 59 games, 14 wins, 45 losses

Wow, I knew our record against them was bad but I never imagined anything like that!