Jump to content


Recommended Posts

Posted

Melksham got the Lumumba vibe going on already it seems, no matter how bad he is, he'll always have his defenders. 

This may just be a 4 game sample size with us, but this is exactly how he was at Essendon. 

If turning the ball over, not tackling and not going hard is playing a role and meeting requirements, sign me up, I'll play for free. 

  • Like 5

Posted

I'm sure there are KPIs we don't know about that players like Smith and JKH are meeting and Kent and Pedersen are not meeting.

But when there are repeated instances in the first 5 selections of a season where large portions of the fanbase are taken by surprise and where decisions don't appear to align with the evidence available, it's wholly unsurprising that the result is a lot of critiquing.

IMO the balance is not yet right (not in terms of talls v smalls or inside v outside, but in terms of personnel).

Posted
3 hours ago, Deestroy All said:

Vince isn't a defenders bootlace, yet he's wasted a season and a bit down there. No reason why Bugg can't be put in Melksham's position to do it just as rubbish or better. 

By the way, you're having a go at old mate Satyricon (which I usually love), but your last few posts have sounded a lot like him. Footy department is king blah blah. 

Hang on. So just because WB doesn't agree with the mindbogglingly idiotic requests from supporters who have no idea about KPIs or any other internal expectations, he's an FD apologist? Come on, mate. There's some grey. 

  • Like 1
Posted
12 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

I was thinking the exact same thing.

Why do you agree?  Was I turning up in threads getting stuck into posters and not offering a respectful point of view?

Most of the posters in here must sound like him too as they generally agree, in this case, with my sentiments.

Posted

Also on the topic of these "KPIs" no one knows about, surely Pedersen, in slimming down considerably over the off season and starting off at Casey winning an absolute stack of the ball must be working on at least two of the "KPIs" the club has set him?

Posted
Just now, A F said:

Hang on. So just because WB doesn't agree with the mindbogglingly idiotic requests from supporters who have no idea about KPIs or any other internal expectations, he's an FD apologist? Come on, mate. There's some grey. 

There are always idiotic requests and what not. Amongst them, some prove right in the end. It annoys me no end when people say I trust the footy department to etc etc.., Yeah, no [censored] the footy department runs the show, it should go without saying on here. What are you going to do if you don't trust them, go down there and tell them the right way?

We could change the name of this place to Agreemonland and just come and agree with the footy department each week. That'll be swell. 

 

As for what you were saying earlier about players that don't play Melksham's role, I skimmed a bit, but in Hibberd out Melksham seems pretty simple. 

Posted
2 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

Also on the topic of these "KPIs" no one knows about, surely Pedersen, in slimming down considerably over the off season and starting off at Casey winning an absolute stack of the ball must be working on at least two of the "KPIs" the club has set him?

Do they think that, with the inclusion of Pedersen, we are going in too tall?  The Tigers have improved largely through the efforts of their small and mid size players and having Pedersen, Hogan and Watts in the same forward line may feel a little tall.  Smith can play the medium forward role and provide the defensive efforts we are after.

Not saying that's right, it's just a thought.

  • Like 2
Posted
30 minutes ago, poita said:

Our balance was pretty good in the first game, even though Smith was injured early. We replaced Smith with a smaller player, then Hogan with another small. It cost us big time against Geelong when Gawn went down and we had nobody to spell Watts in the ruck. Another tall would have been handy against Freo as well. Now we have gone taller again this week, so the balance looks better.

The number of changes made each week suggests that we are still not getting selection right, or the players are not capable of following the coaches instructions. I would prefer a more settled side, rather than dropping blokes and selecting again the following week for no apparent reason. And why Melksham is still in the team is beyond me - there are ten better options at Casey.

I'd agree with this. 2017 was always going to see some teething and exploration of who could play what and how well they could play positions. I don't expect us to get this spot on until 2018ish.

Posted

Jake Melkshams biggest Kpi is that he is Goodwins mate, recruited to be a good kick off half back, only he's not a good kick so really we're paying him 450k a year to be goodys mate

  • Like 1
Posted
19 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

... where large portions of the fanbase ...

Don't kid yourself.

A handful of malcontents on a footy forum is not a large portion of anything.

Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Deestroy All said:

As for what you were saying earlier about players that don't play Melksham's role, I skimmed a bit, but in Hibberd out Melksham seems pretty simple. 

I think it's clear (going by JLT selections) that we want as much run off half back as possible. Hence, selections like Joel Smith, along with Hibberd and Melksham. So I don't think the FD were after a like for like. They want to maximise this, so we need both playing.

For the record, I've never rated Melksham and was gobsmacked when we went after him, but he's with us now and Goody clearly wants him playing a role. His game last week was incipid and he'll have to improve markedly, but he can play a role for us this week and was passable in his first three matches, unlike, say, Kent, who laid two tackles in two games, playing as a pressure half forward.

Edited by A F
Posted
11 minutes ago, Deestroy All said:

There are always idiotic requests and what not. Amongst them, some prove right in the end.

Coincidence, regression to the mean, etc. etc. A broken clock is right twice a day.

Posted
20 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

Why do you agree?  Was I turning up in threads getting stuck into posters and not offering a respectful point of view?

Most of the posters in here must sound like him too as they generally agree, in this case, with my sentiments.

Wrong, the coach makes the decisions, if you haven't played AFL football who are you to comment on it?

Posted

Very surprised at a couple of things also this year.

The JKH selection after watching the game last weekend. Thought he was very underwhelming. If they wanted a similar role player I would have given it to Ben K who looked a lot more agressive and dangerous.

Also, if im picking a Tim Smith or Bugg I'd be giving them at least two weeks to show there worth unless one came in for a b/22 players who was out for one week.

Its so important for continuity in your game and these 'week in week out' scenarios are ordinary imo

 

Posted
2 minutes ago, deeko said:

Very surprised at a couple of things also this year.

The JKH selection after watching the game last weekend. Thought he was very underwhelming. If they wanted a similar role player I would have given it to Ben K who looked a lot more agressive and dangerous.

Also, if im picking a Tim Smith or Bugg I'd be giving them at least two weeks to show there worth unless one came in for a b/22 players who was out for one week.

Its so important for continuity in your game and these 'week in week out' scenarios are ordinary imo

 

Fair point deeko.  In the past I've been a fan of allowing players to have a fortnight to see how they go in the senior side, but for some it seems that they aren't being afforded this luxury this year.

On the flip side you could argue that players are being told to come in and play their role straight away, otherwise they are out of the side.  It's harsh, but at the same time we're at a different point in our journey than we were 2-3 years ago.  We need to be a little more ruthless to get to where we want to go.

Posted
1 hour ago, Deestroy All said:

There are always idiotic requests and what not. Amongst them, some prove right in the end.

Such as with the collective decisions by only half of the footy departments every weekend. The selection panel may know better than us, but then our opposition selection panel thinks it knows better than them, so it's right for us to question the whole goddamned universe and whether or not there can ever be such a thing as ontological certainty. 

  • Like 1
Posted
5 hours ago, Petraccattack said:

Would take Buggy in the team any day ahead of Melk, and I bet he could play the same role much better.

If Melksham has another poor game and isnt dropped, serious questions will have to be asked.  We will see tomorrow night.

 

 

Have you seen Bugg kick at AFL level? There is a reason when he gets there he has 6 kicks and 16 handballs. I have also never seen him play in the defensive 6. 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
6 hours ago, daisycutter said:

well in the case of neeld it ultimately did turn out that we were the experts - lol

Well we did give him slightly more time to [censored] things up.....

Posted
6 hours ago, Stretch Johnson said:

JKH did well in the JLT games that he played.

He's obviously highly rated and part of our plans.  Not surprised to see him included.

JKH, i think we will find, is in there for a good reason.

Posted
4 hours ago, Deestroy All said:

Melksham got the Lumumba vibe going on already it seems, no matter how bad he is, he'll always have his defenders. 

This may just be a 4 game sample size with us, but this is exactly how he was at Essendon. 

If turning the ball over, not tackling and not going hard is playing a role and meeting requirements, sign me up, I'll play for free. 

Yep, Agree and also think him a protected species! BIG game coming up for him. If he plays poorly tommorrow the Demonland faithful will shout the place down!

Including meek and mild me!:blink:

Posted

I see the logic in not changing the back 6 too much as they need to gel. Maybe that why melsham should is still in. Goody would have expected a slow start from melksham. 

Goody I reckon is a system coach. He will pick poorer players that play the system /structure better then other players getting more disposals for example. Eg kent out. 

Lets see how we go tomorrow before we call for the sack ?

  • Like 3
Posted
5 hours ago, Biffen said:

Agree that Goodwin should have free reign.

His job ,his team and duty to get the four points each week.

Agree,

To get back to the OP as well. There is no harm critiquing selection but at 2 & 2 it's a bit premature.

Maybe if we are 2 - 6 it's the time to start asking serious questons

  • Like 1
Posted

I know how frowned upon evidence is on this site, but Melksham is going at 76% efficiency this year. 11th best in the team and ahead of names such as Watts, Jones, Petracca, Vince, Hunt, Garlett, Hogan, Tyson....... 

  • Like 2
Posted
8 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Pedersen is proven at AFL level. 

He is far from a proven AFL level player.

A 2 club player who hasn't established himself as a regular at either club by the age of 30...

Not knocking him, he is a good depth player who somehow seems to become a better AFL player the more games he doesn't play.

8 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Bring back then Selection Panel with an Independent Chairman  who can overrule the coach when he makes dumb decisions.

An outdated concept from when the game was a part time affair and the players had a few snags and a beer after training on Thursday night.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Demonland Forums  

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles  

    TRAINING: Wednesday 19th February 2025

    Demonlander The Analyser was the sole Trackwatcher out at Casey Fields today to bring you the following observations from this mornings preseason training session. Training  was at Casey today. It consisted of a match simulation for one half  and then a free choice activity time. Activities included kicking for goal,  aerial , contest work etc. I noticed the following players not in match simulation Jack Viney  running laps and looks fine for round one . I think Kolt looks like he’s im

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 1

    TRAINING: Monday 17th February 2025

    Demonland Trackwatchers were on hand at Monday morning's preseason training at Gosch's Paddock to bring you their brief observations of the session. HARVEY WALLBANGER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Gentle flush session at Gosch's this morning. Absent: May, Pickett (All Stars) McVee, McAdam. Rehabbing: Great to see Kentfield back (much slimmer), walking with Tholstrup, TMac (suspect just a management thing), Viney (still being cautious with that rib cartilage?), Melksham (

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    MATCH SIM: Friday 14th February 2025

    A couple of Demonland Trackwatchers made their way out to Casey Field's for the Melbourne Football Club's Family Series day to bring you their observations on the Match Simulation. HARVEY WALLBANGER'S MATCH SIMULATION OBSERVATIONS Absent: May, Pickett (All Stars), McVee, Windor, Kentfield, Mentha Present but not playing: Petracca, Viney, Spargo, Tholstrup, Melksham Starting Blue 18 (+ just 2 interchange): B: Petty, TMac, Lever, Howes, Bowey Salem M: Gawn, Oliver, La

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Wednesday 12th February 2025

    Demonland Trackwatchers braved the scorching morning heat to bring you the following observations of Wednesday's preseason training session from Gosch's Paddock. HARVEY WALLBANGER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Absent: Salem, Windsor (word is a foot rash going around), Viney, Bowey and Kentfield Train ons: Roy George, no Culley today. Firstly the bad news - McVee went down late, which does look like a bad hammy - towards the end of match sim, as he kicked the ball. Had to

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    MATCH SIM: Friday 7th February 2025

    Demonland Trackwatcher Gator ventured down the freeway to bring you his observations from Friday morning's Match Simulation out at Casey Fields. Rehab: Jake Lever and Charlie Spargo running laps.  Lever was running short distances at a fast click as well as having kick to kick with a trainer. He seems unimpeded. Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler, Shane McAdam and Tom Fullarton doing non-contact kicking and handball drills on the adjacent oval.  All moving freely at pace.  I didn’

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 2

    TRAINING: Wednesday 5th February 2025

    Demonland Trackwatchers were out in force as the Demons returned to Gosch's Paddock for preseason training on Wednesday morning. GHOSTWRITER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Kozzie a no show. Tommy Sparrow was here last week in civvies and wearing sunnies. He didn’t train. Today he’s training but he’s wearing goggles so he’s likely got an eye injury. There’s a drill where Selwyn literally lies on top of Tracc, a trainer dribbles the ball towards them and Tracc has to g

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS: 2024

    Whichever way you look at it, the Melbourne Football Club’s 2024 season can only be characterized as the year of its fall from grace. Whispering Jack looks back at the season from hell that was. After its 2021 benchmark premiership triumph, the men’s team still managed top four finishes in the next two seasons but straight sets finals losses consigned them to sixth place in both years. The big fall came in 2024 with a collapse into the bottom six and a 14th placing. At Casey, the 2022 VFL p

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Special Features

    MATCH SIM: Friday 31st January 2025

    Veteran Demonland Trackwatcher Picket Fence ventured down to Casey Fields to bring you his observations from Friday's Match Simulation. Greetings Demonlanders, beautiful Day at training and the boys were hard at it, here is my report. NO SHOWS: Luker Kentfield (recovering from pneumonia in WA), also not sure I noticed Melky (Hamstring) or Will Verrall?? MODIFIED DUTIES (No Contact): Sparrow, McVee (foot), Tracc (ribs), Chandler, (AC Joint), Fullarton Noticeable events (I’ll s

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 2

    TRAINING: Wednesday 29th January 2025

    A number of Demonland Trackwatchers swooped on Gosch's Paddock to bring you their observations from this morning's Preseason Training Session. DEMON JACK'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Beautiful morning at Gosch's Paddock. Very healthy crowd so far.  REHAB: Fullerton, Spargo, Tholstrup, McVee Viney running laps. EDIT: JV looks to be back with the main group. Trac, Sparrow, Chandler and Verrell also training away from the main group. Currently kicking to each other ins

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 1
  • Tell a friend

    Love Demonland? Tell a friend!

×
×
  • Create New...