IT'S THE MIDFIELD STUPID by Whispering Jack 

The AFL's JLT Series isn't all about winning games. There's no ladder or table to tell you where your team's at and there's no finals series or premiership cup for your captain or captains to hold up at the end of it all. In fact, it's nothing more than a glorified practice match schedule dressed up for television, running side by side with the women's competition and a handful of other sports that vie for our attention at this time of the year.

While it's always better to come out of it with a win or at least a decent performance (especially against the stronger sides) and without any serious injuries to your playing list, the series is really about testing out your players (especially your newcomers), your systems and style of play and preparing your team for the long arduous season ahead. In that regard, Melbourne fans could come away from the game at Whitten Oval knowing that most of the boxes were ticked (Josh Wagner's injury is said to be not as bad as it looked) and importantly, a very seriously good midfield is emerging - and we all know it's the midfield that underpins the success of a club.

The extra numbers that play in these games afforded new coach Simon Goodwin the opportunity to test forgotten man Jake Spencer in the ruck and give his All Australian Max Gawn an easier day at the office with less on ball work and more time up forward. That seemed to work and even if the plan won't always be adopted in the regular season, the option is always there. It's clear though that with no third men up Gawn is set to give his on ball division an armchair ride this season - and it will be a different, more varied and younger brigade this year than it was under Paul Roos and significantly better than the third world model that was in place when the list was in such poor shape five years and more ago.

Against the reigning premier on their home patch in their first post flag game, the Demons' rucks allowed the likes of Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Christian Salem to win more clearances, control of the ball in the middle and ultimately a winning edge in inside 50 numbers. Those players are all young and they have the experience of Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince and Hawthorn's gift to the club Jordan Lewis around with the luxury of having them patrol the half back line in games such as these. And there's a bit of run about the place with Jayden Hunt and Billy Stretch. 

The media pack were raving about Travis Cloke's impact on the Bulldogs and his supergoal was a ripper but it was Jesse Hogan who picked up four and took some great clunking marks to suggest he will improve his goal kicking record further in 2017. He had a great foil in Sam Weideman who, for the record, matched Cloke's haul and should have kicked at least one other after he marked strongly in the second quarter and missed a relatively easy shot. Tom Bugg was his usual pesky self and also bobbed around goal.

Another plus for the Demons was the first up appearance of Category B recruit Joel Smith who showed a great deal of promise, particularly early in the game. He definitely has the makings of a player.

If there was a downside, it was the two glaring lapses late in the second quarter and again late in the last when the team gave away goals too easily and allowed the Doggies back into the game both times. In a seven or eight minute period before half time, the intensity dropped, the defence went missing and a 22 point lead was squandered. Weideman's goal just before the siren to restore the lead to three points was all that enabled the team to go into the sheds at the break with their heads up high. 

A similar fade out occurred late in the game after the Dees had led by 25 points at one stage well beyond the halfway mark of the final term. The club could do with the steadiness of Nev Jetta and the rebounding work of Michael Hibberd in its defence to halt these lapses in games.

The signs are good after one practice match and next week's another game but what really impresses me is the fact that Melbourne is developing a strong young midfield engine room and that is where games are ultimately won and lost when premiership points and the big prizes are at stake.

Melbourne 0.4.2.26  0.8.3.51 0.12.5.77  0.14.8.92

Western Bulldogs 0.2.0.12  1.6.3.48 1.8.4.61 2.9.14.86

Nine pointers

Melbourne Nil

Western Bulldogs Cloke Johannissen

Goals

Melbourne Hogan 4 Weideman 2 Brayshaw Bugg Garlett Gawn Jones Neal-Bullen Petracca Viney

Western Bulldogs Dahlhaus Hunter 2 Cloke Dale Lynch Daniel McLean

Best

Melbourne Hogan Viney Lewis Salem Brayshaw Gawn O McDonald

Western Bulldogs Dahlhaus Liberatore Cloke Hunter McLean Johannisen

Injuries

Melbourne Wagner (dislocated fibula)

Western Bulldogs Roughead (right knee)

Reports Nil

Umpires Williamson Dalgleish Rosebury Margetts

Official crowd 7,581 at Whitten Oval

I really don't think the AFL community have quite realised how good Jordan Lewis is going to be for us. While the talking point of the day for the commentators was the recruitment of Cloke, the ex Hawthorn player picked up a team high 28 disposals for the Dees. Did he miss a target all day? He must have but all I remember is him hitting players by both hand and foot. And then, of course, there he was bobbing up in the final few minutes in defence exactly where he was needed. 

Big call but I reckon he could make us a better team by two or three wins this year. Recruit of the year. 

I think the other item which has been understated is that our biggest weapon in Gawn dominated yet only played 58% game time. It was very rare he and Spencer were both on the ground at the same time. That for me says this is about getting minutes into Jake and building the load on Max rather than potentially playing the two in tandem.  

That Clayton Oliver goes alright doesn't he?

I saw him at the Family Day today and he looks taller and finer than he appears on the screen.

4 hours ago, Demonland said:

IT'S THE MIDFIELD STUPID by Whispering Jack 

...

The extra numbers that play in these games afforded new coach Simon Goodwin the opportunity to test forgotten man Jake Spencer in the ruck and give his All Australian Max Gawn an easier day at the office with less on ball work and more time up forward. That seemed to work and even if the plan won't always be adopted in the regular season, the option is always there.

...

 

If there was a downside, it was the two glaring lapses late in the second quarter and again late in the last when the team gave away goals too easily and allowed the Doggies back into the game both times. In a seven or eight minute period before half time, the intensity dropped, the defence went missing and a 22 point lead was squandered. Weideman's goal just before the siren to restore the lead to three points was all that enabled the team to go into the sheds at the break with their heads up high. 

A similar fade out occurred late in the game after the Dees had led by 25 points at one stage well beyond the halfway mark of the final term. The club could do with the steadiness of Nev Jetta and the rebounding work of Michael Hibberd in its defence to halt these lapses in games.

...

Great review as always. Just wanted to pick up these two points.

The most important outcome of the Gawn / Spencer thing is that "the option is always there" to play them both, and much more so this year with the no-third-man-up rule. If the other team has a great ruckman (Sandi, Goldstein, Mumford, NicNat) we will need to use Gawn for most of the game and a fill-in for the rest. If the other team has a dangerous midfield but both Gawn and Spencil have their rucks covered (Dogs being a great example, but perhaps Hawks & Cats are others) playing them both can maximise their impact and help our midfield to stay on top. 

For the 2nd & 4th quarter fade-outs (Dogs actually only got 4 goals in the rest of the game), could our rucks only playing half a game each have meant that it was too much game time for their teammates to make up? Just wondering.

Great Match overview. Modern footy is midfield footy and after a decade of watching midfield annihiliation, we finally have a group of players whose bodies are AFL ready, whose fitness is up with the best, and whose midfield skill and awareness makes most contests 50/50.

It is only a practice match, and gun midfields like Sydney, GWS, Geelong etc... will still push us, but it appears that we might be able to compete in every contest, and in every game, without that horrible feeling in your guts of knowing our players aren't up to it.

 

2 hours ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

I think the other item which has been understated is that our biggest weapon in Gawn dominated yet only played 58% game time. It was very rare he and Spencer were both on the ground at the same time. That for me says this is about getting minutes into Jake and building the load on Max rather than potentially playing the two in tandem.  

Perhaps but Jake's form yesterday might have caused a rethink.  It will be interesting to see if they are both played on the ground much in the next two games.

Injuries

Melbourne Wagner (dislocated fibula)

Dislocated fibula??

Never heard of this. Top end, or bottom end (= ankle)??

I wonder if we're so used to thinking of older players as being in the 'will be gone by the time we play finals' category that there's a kind of subliminal lack of realisation of just how valuable Lewis can be.

His game yesterday was, y'know, normal, for him, for the last three years. Which also raises the interesting point that after an excellent first nine years, his most recent three have been a step up on even that.

He is only 30, his form has improved with age, signed a 3-year deal, and would reasonably be aiming to score a fifth premiership, keeping up his ratio of premierships/years.

I also wonder how it is affecting the other older players. Will the recruitment of Lewis mark the turning point where older players, even if they are there as depth, start to think 'if I am in the team now, it means I'm in the team during the attack on a premiership', instead of just thinking they are there to babysit and then be forcibly retired.

 

The other thing that intrigues me is this Gawn-Spencer relationship. Both had a good day, with good numbers (particularly given both played under 60% game time), but there's still a question on whether they really fit out there at the same time. It's unfortunate that the primary ruck, Gawn, is also the more versatile of the two. If only Spencer could contribute more around the ground or as a forward option!

2 hours ago, Vogon Poetry said:

Perhaps but Jake's form yesterday might have caused a rethink.  It will be interesting to see if they are both played on the ground much in the next two games.

I doubt it and truthfully I really hope we don't mess with the strategy of how we use our most powerful advantage. All Jake did for me yesterday is prove that if we need to give Max a rest this year or if we come across a team that plays two legitimate ruck options then I would have confidence in him stepping up and playing his role.

If we were to want to trial them in tandem I would want to see Spencer played as the second tall forward this week and the following as he will need to prove he can add value there whilst Gawn takes majority of the primary ruck role and he give him a 30% chop out. 

41 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

I wonder if we're so used to thinking of older players as being in the 'will be gone by the time we play finals' category that there's a kind of subliminal lack of realisation of just how valuable Lewis can be.

His game yesterday was, y'know, normal, for him, for the last three years. Which also raises the interesting point that after an excellent first nine years, his most recent three have been a step up on even that.

He is only 30, his form has improved with age, signed a 3-year deal, and would reasonably be aiming to score a fifth premiership, keeping up his ratio of premierships/years.k

I also wonder how it is affecting the other older players. Will the recruitment of Lewis mark the turning point where older players, even if they are there as depth, start to think 'if I am in the team now, it means I'm in the team during the attack on a premiership', instead of just thinking they are there to babysit and then be forcibly retired.

 

The other thing that intrigues me is this Gawn-Spencer relationship. Both had a good day, with good numbers (particularly given both played under 60% game time), but there's still a question on whether they really fit out there at the same time. It's unfortunate that the primary ruck, Gawn, is also the more versatile of the two. If only Spencer could contribute more around the ground or as a forward option!

I don't think he needs to. His strengths are his hit outs, his intensity around the ball, his engine and occasional marking. All key areas of on the ball ruckman and features that many other teams would envy. 

Max is a once in a generation big man, good at all the above, but an outstanding mark and not a bad kick, as well as being very mobile for such a big bloke. As such, not only is he the best ruckman in the competition, but also has the potential to be one of the best big forwards. If you like, our modern day Paul Salmon. We would be silly not to use him as both. The argument on here about whether we should have both on the field at the same time misses the point: in my view when spencil is on the field he is in the ruck and Max plays forward. When max is in the ruck, spencil is on the bench. 

There will be very few sides with the weapons to mind max, jesse, Watts and occasionally the Weed up forward. It is an advantage  we should exploit as I think Goodwin will. 

Edited February 19, 20178 yr by Dees2014

Another thing to take out of yesterday was the return of Garlett as a crumbling forward. His goal assists in the early game were very unselfish and he could just as easily slotted a few more himself rather than giving them off. I enjoy having him in the forward line and feel that we are much more formidable to play against than when we lack his creativity (unpredictability)!

Interesting that so many AFL promotional articles discount our midfield and forward structure when in reality they will be our greatest strengths this year.

2 hours ago, Dees2014 said:

I don't think he needs to. His strengths are his hit outs, his intensity around the ball, his engine and occasional marking. All key areas of on the ball ruckman and features that many other teams would envy.

I actually agree. I've always had patience with Spencer, partly because he is an absolutely necessary backup, partly because of bonus marks for attitude and the often-overlooked tackling effort, and partly in hope that we could one day have the 2-ruck formation that would let both rucks perform at top potency, rather than facing attrition.

The only question is whether a team can afford to share the ruck role between multiple players when only one of them is able to play other roles, and it is the one you'd want in the ruck most often. I just don't think you can have a player out there who is only getting 50-60% game time.

That said, if Gawn turns into a 50-goal a year contested marking goliath who also can smash the ruck anytime he feels like it, and Spencer lifts to be a consistent bullocking brute ruck in his own right, then I wont be complaining!

 

Got me thinking - conventional thinking has Watts returning, probably Pederson as well and Spencer goes out with young Weed to allow the mature body shapes in and have Pedders snd Watts do the chop out ruck. I'm now thinking after the weekend its only Watts for Weed. Spencer stays if his form stays and it works with Maxy 'resting' forward (hardly a rest but then again he rucks a whole game anyway) when Spencer is on. We are then a reliant on the mid sized Petracca, vanders and Brayshaw types to clunk a few as well - doesn't seem to be an issue atm though

Just watching on tv i think the Weed needs to get hungry, just seems not quite ready to own a patch of the 50. More bulk more aggression and more hunger and he'll get there and dominate.

However the brains trust end up working the wonderful dilemma of fitting blokes in is going to be interesting to say the least. Going to be some very good footballers playing VFL this year. Is this what they mean as..... depth?? If it is i like it