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Must address in pre-season

TGR
in Melbourne Demons

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We need reliable goal kickers in the forward half. Petracca, Spargo, Tyson Gawn, need to not panic with set shots from 20-30 metres from goal. So frustrating..Take a look at Gunston or Ben Brown. If we can improve our team accuracy in front of goal we win those close games.

Edited by Acrossplanet

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    14 minutes ago, dieter said:

    Apparently he had poor pre-season preparation due to injury which meant 2018 was always a behind the 8 ball year.  He does need to get his shite together though, hopefully he turns into a Mihocek, stops playing the list clogger role.

    The set shot stats the commentators kept spouting today about T. Smith were woeful, to top it off he had a pretty gettable one which he missed late also...

    For me this and a fairly shouse year makes it a bit of a surprise he's getting an extension

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    35 minutes ago, Older demon said:

    I believe I read today that Tim Smith has been offered a 1 year contract that is yet to be announced

    I think Tim Smith and Cam Pedersen are pretty similar at AFL level - Smith more capable when the ball is on the ground and Pedersen a much better kick.

    At AFL level they are utility tall backups so not much point having two of them as only one is likely to get a game when first choice players are unavailable.

    I don’t reckon either is a list clogger by themself, but there’s only room for one of those types therefore having two does clog a spot.

    I understand Pedersen is happy to go around another year if offered a contract, and happy to retire if not offered a contract.

    My guess based on that rumour is Tim Smith stays and Pedersen retires.

    The list is in an odd spot where there isn’t really a “clogging” problem because Vince and Balic are gone, King looks a certainty to go and McKenna and Johnstone must be on thin ice too. That’s five easy delists before you even get to considering the status of Bugg, JKH and one of T.Smith or Pedo.

    I’m not sure ~8 primary list changes is on the cards as you need to find 8 more promising players to replace them which is tough.

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    51 minutes ago, Older demon said:

    I believe I read today that Tim Smith has been offered a 1 year contract that is yet to be announced

    I’m bullish on the Smiths.

    I think the Joel selection was going to be accidental brilliance if we won, as he would have taken Mason Cox in the big dance.

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    Just now, big_red_fire_engine said:

     

    Yeah, I got halfway through and then went back to the OP. My bad.

    I still don't think they are wingmen per se, but i think having players that can spread from a contest are important. It's being part of a platoon of midfield runners, rather than separating players into midfielders and wingmen. I don't think the positions are important only the mix of players in the midfield.

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    We need to have an actual second ruck as well. Max was spent. You can’t have your best player spent at the key part of the season. We need to get that sorted. 

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    2 hours ago, Acrossplanet said:

    We need reliable goal kickers in the forward half. Petracca, Spargo, Tyson Gawn, need to not panic with set shots from 20-30 metres from goal. So frustrating..Take a look at Gunston or Ben Brown. If we can improve our team accuracy in front of goal we win those close games.

    Our set shots during the pressure of finals was actually elite IMO.

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    •  
    3 hours ago, Acrossplanet said:

    We need reliable goal kickers in the forward half. Petracca, Spargo, Tyson Gawn, need to not panic with set shots from 20-30 metres from goal. So frustrating..Take a look at Gunston or Ben Brown. If we can improve our team accuracy in front of goal we win those close games.

    Delist Don Tyson please

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    1 hour ago, Jaded said:

    We need to have an actual second ruck as well. Max was spent. You can’t have your best player spent at the key part of the season. We need to get that sorted. 

    Agree. Also he might go missing from injury.

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    • Author
    17 minutes ago, Stormy Dee said:

    Agree. Also he might go missing from injury.

    No faith in Weed and or Joel Smith with more development and body maturity?

    We sold the farm for Lever; and let’s hope we don’t sell the farm for a second ruck.

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    3 minutes ago, TGR said:

    No faith in Weed and or Joel Smith with more development and body maturity?

    We sold the farm for Lever; and let’s hope we don’t sell the farm for a second ruck.

    In a AFL article they said Preuss was certain to be a demon and Tim.Smith signed a one year contract.

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    6 hours ago, TGR said:

    1.  Goodwin does not rate leg-speed enough.  This must change.  We have an over-supply of one-paced tractors.  Hunt, Garlett and Frost were stamped for Casey until he had his hand forced with the latter.  Our wings yesterday were Tyson and Jones FCS.  Wingmen surely must be able to cover the ground.  Also Lewis as our +1 in defence slows an already sluggish team.

    2. Due in some small part to factor 1, WE DONT SWITCH EVER.  We predictably kick down the line hoping that Gawn will bring it to ground.  With Frost and Hibberd back we should be switching at least to keep the opposition guessing, and forcing their attack to hang back and leave more room for our mids.

    3. We can’t play tempo at all.  As Roos says, we are 100% ballistic.  We are nervous when we need to control the pill.  The Hawthorn last quarter proved this beyond doubt.

     

     

    Yes, it was a gettable flag, but we have cracks under the wallpaper to patch.  A credit to our players for doing so well despite this.

     

    Nothing in there I’d disagree with. We are definitely one paced which is why when Frost came in and began to use his pace we looked a lot more dangerous. We definitely need some outside pace on the wings and you’ve correctly identified Hunt as one that could come in to fill that hole. 

    Hunt can definitely be anything, he needs to step up in 2019 or he’ll just be known as another flash in the pan. 

    The inability to play tempo footy is something I’ve been willing to forgive with us being a young team but we certainly need to improve that and it needs to be the leaders who drive it particularly when the situation calls for it. 

    This was maybe a getable flag but our performance yesterday showed we weren’t ready. We were cooked and ended up being lambs to the eagles slaughter. 

    Tweaks here and there, and improvements to the mentioned issues will go a long way to us being top 4 contenders next year and for me I feel like that’s the only launching pad to us making a real tilt for the flag. 

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    My view is quite different. I don’t think that pace is the reason we lose games, albeit we have less leg speed than teams like the pies and WCE.

    The games where we have been exposed this year we have been smashed in the contest and no amount of leg speed was ever going to remedy that. Opposition sides talk about how quickly we move the ball when we are winning, much like the Geelong sides of mid 2000s who didn’t have much in the way of genuine pace but moved the ball like lightning.

    In my opinion, out biggest deficiency, and the difference between our side and those Geelong sides, is skill and composure. We need to generate so many more opportunities than our opposition because we are less efficient with the ball. Top of my wish list would be players that fit our “type” but who can hit targets and make good decisions most of the time. Salem is one who is combative and classy but there aren’t too many of those on our list.

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    18 hours ago, dieter said:

    Apparently he had poor pre-season preparation due to injury which meant 2018 was always a behind the 8 ball year.  He does need to get his shite together though, hopefully he turns into a Mihocek, stops playing the list clogger role.

    So a travelling emergency to an Interstate Prelim is a list clogger.....absolutey

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    The thing with our list is most of our stars and best players are so young and still have room to grow. Whereas most teams rely heavily on their aging players. 

     Add Hogan and lever to that team on the weekend and another year of experience our team will go one step further next year. 

    I think having another big defender and back up ruck is vital however. 

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    45 minutes ago, Satyriconhome said:

    So a travelling emergency to an Interstate Prelim is a list clogger.....absolutey

    Please tell me about one good 4 quarter game he has played in 2 years.

    And just because you're on a plane doesn't mean you aren't a list clogger. Look at Tyson.

     

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    1 hour ago, Satyriconhome said:

    So a travelling emergency to an Interstate Prelim is a list clogger.....absolutey

    At the risk of derailing the thread, Smith kicked 12 goals 26 behinds for the VFL year and 5 goals 20 behinds since the start of July. He will be 28 before the start of next season. He is the absolute definition of a list clogger. 

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    I can see a lot of internal improvement from the current list over the pre-season and into next season. 

    Wied - A few more kg of muscle and a bigger tank and he'll be even better than the last 5 weeks.

    Gawn - We just need backup so he is not spent at the end of September.

    Viney - A full season to get back on track.

    Oliver - Bit more upper body strength if he needs it.  For our team balance does he need to develop into an elite outside mid.  Would be far more damaging than Jones and has the speed and skills.

    Jones - Won't get better but I'd like to see him playing in his natural position which is as an inside mid.  He is still best 22 but perhaps not when on a wing.

    Brayshaw - Should become more composed by foot with more experience next year.

    AVB - Improve composure by foot with more game time.  He has been good considering 2 years out.

    ANB - Improve disposal with experience.

    Lever - Will make a huge difference when fit.

    Hogan - Only thing he needs to work on is inside 50 pressure when he doesn't have it.  Is not as bad as some posters claim, but not in Kennedy or Buddy's league .  Hopefully he will learn that pressure results in turnovers that results in easy goals sometimes to him.

    Harmes - A full season like his last 8 weeks.

    Spargo - Strength and endurance will improve with another full pre-season.

    Frost/OMac/Smith - All will improve again.

    Salem - Another year building on this years.  Will benefit with Lever down back.

    Jetta - Same again please.

    I could go on. 

    Game plan wise, not much to change.  Just need to improve execution and execute for longer over games.  The two main things to tinker are better quality inside 50s, and improve further on shutting down rebounds out of our forward 50.

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    9 hours ago, Radar Detector said:

    My view is quite different. I don’t think that pace is the reason we lose games, albeit we have less leg speed than teams like the pies and WCE.

    The games where we have been exposed this year we have been smashed in the contest and no amount of leg speed was ever going to remedy that. Opposition sides talk about how quickly we move the ball when we are winning, much like the Geelong sides of mid 2000s who didn’t have much in the way of genuine pace but moved the ball like lightning.

    In my opinion, out biggest deficiency, and the difference between our side and those Geelong sides, is skill and composure. We need to generate so many more opportunities than our opposition because we are less efficient with the ball. Top of my wish list would be players that fit our “type” but who can hit targets and make good decisions most of the time. Salem is one who is combative and classy but there aren’t too many of those on our list.

     

    Word.

    Great post, agree wholeheartedly.

    On a side note, if our supporters and footy debt truly believe that Oscar and Frost playing in a down-to-the wire final together as our key defenders will help us get over the line, we can kiss our chances of a flag goodbye. 

    It's one or the other, not both.

    Development is one thing and yeh yeh yeh Oscar is developing etc. But it should be blatantly obvious after that prelim that we need a serious physical presence in our defensive half and if we lose May to Collingwood who already took Dunn from us after we off-loaded him, I'll be sick. Oscar will never be 'physical' enough and Frost will always possess brain fade moments. Not ideal traits to have going into a finals series.

    Collingwood are the definition of living in the 'now' and we need to take a leaf when it comes to targeting players for the 'now' whilst keeping an eye on the future. We were one win away from a Grand Final birth and there are zero guarantees going into next year. Regardless of the fact that we have a strong core that should improve. Every club's young players will improve.

    I'm really bullish about us going forward, but I also want to see us get aggressive at the trade table this year. Give me a Steven May at full back with Oscar in a pocket and Lever as an intercept mark. Frost as depth, Keilty and Petty as developing young players. That's what key position depth looks like.

    Either that or Jesse needs to be moved back to what I would call his natural position. AA CHB for WA back in his under 18 year.

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    3 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

    Report card from The Age

    https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-end-of-season-report-card-melbourne-20180924-p505mn.html

    Not a bad analysis but I would probably give our season an 8/10 (A-) as we should have made top 4.

    We may have been enjoying another game to preview.

     

     

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    • Love 1

    Must get Oliver's shoulders 100% over pre-season.  Bl#%#%dy hell.  Double shoulder reco.

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