Ok I think it's time to put down the crystal balls and start the footy. 

 

Reaching fever pitch.  Bring on Sunday, can't wait to see how we actually go, rather than how every man and his dog thinks we will go.

"Only Adelaide, Port Adelaide and Sydney won more quarters than the Demons"

Goes to show how much those lapses in games really hurt us!  At times we really looked like a top 4 team, at others we looked like a bottom 4 team.  Hopefully we can bridge that gap and get some consistency.

47 minutes ago, BigFez said:

"Only Adelaide, Port Adelaide and Sydney won more quarters than the Demons"

Goes to show how much those lapses in games really hurt us!  At times we really looked like a top 4 team, at others we looked like a bottom 4 team.  Hopefully we can bridge that gap and get some consistency.

These lapses are the only thing (barring major unforseen incidents) keeping us from becoming a major force. Until then we will be a middle of the road team who can beat anyone and lose to anyone.

Its a marathon not a sprint. Need to perform well. We should win but if we perform well and lose its not the end of the world.

 

33 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Its a marathon not a sprint. Need to perform well. We should win but if we perform well and lose its not the end of the world.

 

A good start to cliche season. Well done.

53 minutes ago, Demonland said:

These lapses are the only thing (barring major unforseen incidents) keeping us from becoming a major force. Until then we will be a middle of the road team who can beat anyone and lose to anyone.

And all teams (particular the lower ranked teams) will think they're a real chance against us and bring their best.  The North Melbournes, Brisbanes, Carltons.  We need to smash these teams off the park so they don't get their confidence up when they play us.  They always seem to be 'on' against us because they know we are gettable.  That needs to change before we are a real threat.  Hopefully this year!

My fear is we do the Cats in a thriller - then drop the Brisbane game

31 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

A good start to cliche season. Well done.

Lets just take it one game at a time.

We have drawn a line in the sand and after the disappointing of how we finished last year the players are ready and raring to go. 

They have been training the house down and now its time to move that training from simulation to gameday. 

 

 

hehehehe

26 minutes ago, radar said:

My fear is we do the Cats in a thriller - then drop the Brisbane game

Massive chance. 

For what it's worth I have Brisbane as the biggest improvers of the season.

Edited March 18, 20187 yr by Jaded

2 hours ago, BigFez said:

"Only Adelaide, Port Adelaide and Sydney won more quarters than the Demons"

Goes to show how much those lapses in games really hurt us!  At times we really looked like a top 4 team, at others we looked like a bottom 4 team.  Hopefully we can bridge that gap and get some consistency.

To combat these dreaded lapses, better use of the filling of the bench and deployment from the bench needs to be made, with almost radical changes across the field of play in where, when and which player is activated onfield outside of bench decisions. TMac moving into the fwd line is such an example but if the opposition's scoring improves in any quarter, move him to his traditional Fullback role.

Such changes (and there are many more possibilities due to our depth and utility of skills development across the past 12 months), can occur simultaneously right across the ground now - throwing opposition certainties into a very stiff breeze.

The ruck needs a change of approach to maximise the Max-factor.  This man must be swung into the play with some 'rest' for recuperation given every game, otherwise his likelihood of injury and fatigue will cruel him. On-ballers, too, need such consideration rather than an expectation of 'burn-out' midway through a series of plays during a match.

Longer-term, these capacities will add a new dynamic to our game style and innovation. The 'fade' that we experience so often - even if only for one part of one quarter - will be tackled head-on and provide far greater utility as a team striving to win convincingly at all times. 

Our other big issue is coming out really flat at start of quarters. It's like we take 10 minutes to switch on, and against good teams, 10 minutes is a long time and you often find yourself 3-4 goals down. Even middle of the road teams will smell blood and take advantage of it (See North game).

Bottom line is, we finally have the list, we finally have on and off field stability, and we finally have a decent game plan. Our last hurdle, which perhaps is the hardest one to fix as it is so intangible, is our mental demons (pardon the pun). I hope we go into every game thinking we can win, but knowing we can lose and make the most of every single minute of every single game. Lets hope that last year has shown our players that sometimes, even 2 minutes, really matter!

just bounce the bloody thing....

10 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Our other big issue is coming out really flat at start of quarters. It's like we take 10 minutes to switch on, and against good teams, 10 minutes is a long time and you often find yourself 3-4 goals down. Even middle of the road teams will smell blood and take advantage of it (See North game).

Bottom line is, we finally have the list, we finally have on and off field stability, and we finally have a decent game plan. Our last hurdle, which perhaps is the hardest one to fix as it is so intangible, is our mental demons (pardon the pun). I hope we go into every game thinking we can win, but knowing we can lose and make the most of every single minute of every single game. Lets hope that last year has shown our players that sometimes, even 2 minutes, really matter!

Spot on.  One game that was overshadowed by the debacle of Round 23 was the Brisbane game. We were flogging them, took the foot off the pedal and ended up scraping home.  If we kept the foot on the throat, we played finals, simple as that.  Hopefully those memories are still fresh in the minds of the players, and they don't switch off for long periods.

and stop giving away the easy goals over the back.

We did it again against the Saints last week in the first quarter ... we kicked 8 but let them kick 4.

The game could have been effectively over in that first quarter.

1 hour ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

A good start to cliche season. Well done.

 

1 hour ago, radar said:

My fear is we do the Cats in a thriller - then drop the Brisbane game

Let’s take it one game at a time. 

1 hour ago, jnrmac said:

Its a marathon not a sprint. Need to perform well. We should win but if we perform well and lose its not the end of the world.

 

Agree. And think it points to the most critical issue we need to address - our inconsistency game to game and within games

2 hours ago, radar said:

My fear is we do the Cats in a thriller - then drop the Brisbane game

SSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 hour ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

 

Let’s take it one game at a time. 

how about one goal at a time, ethan? 

This is a puzzling sentence:

Quote

After so much mediocrity for so long, is Jake Lever the final puzzle piece in Melbourne’s pursuit of finals football and the ultimate prize?

Is that saying Lever or Melbourne has been mediocre?

Edited March 19, 20187 yr by Tony Tea

3 hours ago, jnrmac said:

Its a marathon not a sprint. Need to perform well. We should win but if we perform well and lose its not the end of the world.

 

The very same reason, we should not play players in Rnd 1, who have injuries, or are NQR.

TMc on both fronts, with the toe and the late start to preseason, after both ankles operated on. So fitness can be better, and soreness needs to improve.

Same Viney.

You can't win a final in March; but we can surely wreck our whole season by going in NQR.

 

Edited March 19, 20187 yr by DV8

Being called mediocre pre 2017 would have been a massive compliment. 

just looked into last season and started reliving the season should AFL.com ladder.  

8 wins and 5 losses and we didn't make finals!  ARRGGHH!

on the positive side, we had the second lowest losing margin of anyone above us.  19 points on average over the season is a very good effort and shows our team defence is functioning well.  We still more goals though

2 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

and stop giving away the easy goals over the back.

We did it again against the Saints last week in the first quarter ... we kicked 8 but let them kick 4.

The game could have been effectively over in that first quarter.

Really worried about conceding goals 'over the back'; frequent occurrence, last year.

2 minutes ago, Deemania since 56 said:

Really worried about conceding goals 'over the back'; frequent occurrence, last year.

I wonder, though, whether the club thinks this is considered an "acceptable risk". In other words, the club thinks the attacking gameplan will score more goals than will be given up going the other way. As long as we score more than the opposition, I don't really care how they get their goals.