Jump to content

Does Height matter that much?

DubDee
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

For a team that prizes the contest we we woeful at the aerial contest in 2017, particularly with Max out injured or out of form.  Any kick down the line was a mark against us.

We made some big improvements in that area in 2018 and I think we can make further improvements in 2019.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    I'm not sure of the logic behind Preuss coming in to enable Max to spend more time up forward. 

    Max is the best ruck in the league. Why would anyone want to change that? When Preuss is in the side, I would expect him (Preuss) to be the one up forward to a) provide another tall target, b) provide ruck relief and, c) act as ruck in the forward half (or third) to reduce the amount of ground coverage required by Gawn. It's not like Max is a goal kicker* and I'd still expect him to spend time resting in the forward line.

    *It remains to be seen whether Preuss is a better or worse in front of the big sticks.

     

  • Quote

    I reckon there’s a “ conventional wisdom” about full forwards that is misleading.

    Everyone wants a tall full forward who ideally can ride someone’s back and take screamers  then kick goals.

    How often does that happen??? Rarely.

    Most goals from full forwards are from well-timed leads,a good pass, and a chest mark.( McKenna  and Dunstall being classic examples.)

    So I contend that the most important facet of a FF is speed on the lead, and the football nous of knowing when to lead.

    Obviously there are times when there’s no time to pass, or space to lead, and a long kick comes into the pack in the goalsquare. If the FF isn’t tall, and the tall ruckman isn’t there, the kick should not be a high one to the pack, but a low scrubber that favours the pacy crumber.

    Fullbacks are always tall, so the tendency is to put  similar players on each otherJust imagine a tall fullback( let’s use Fletcher as an example),with a tall Ff on him. A high kick comes in, and all he has to do is spoil, while the forward tries to mark. You’d back Fletcher to win. BUT, just imagine if , say, Garlett was somehow left “ one out “ with him, and a deliberate low bouncing kick came in. The smaller play would run rings around him( perhaps a Fletcher is a poor example, since he was so versatile, )

    My point is that height should not necessarily be a desirable feature of a potential full forward.

    ps....I’m very happy with TMac, though he’s tall, he times his leads well.

  • Quote
    •  

    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...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Gold Coast

      The Gold Coast Suns find themselves outside of the top eight for the first time since Round 1 with pressure is mounting on the entire organisation. Their coach Damien Hardwick expressed his frustration at his team’s condition last week by making a middle-finger gesture on television that earned him a fine for his troubles. He showed his desperation by claiming that Fox should pick up the tab.  There’s little doubt the Suns have shown improvement in 2025, and their position on the ladder is influenced to some extent by having played fewer games than their rivals for a playoff role at the end of the season, courtesy of the disruption caused by Cyclone Alfred in March.  However, they are following the same trajectory that hindered the club in past years whenever they appeared to be nearing their potential. As a consequence, that Hardwick gesture should be considered as more than a mere behavioral lapse. It’s a distress signal that does not bode well for the Queenslanders. While the Suns are eager to remain in contention with the top eight, Melbourne faces its own crisis, which is similarly deep-seated but in a much different way. After recovering from a disappointing start to the season and nearing a return to respectability among its peer clubs, the Demons have experienced a decline in status, driven by the fact that while their form has been reasonable (see their performance against the ladder leader in the Kings Birthday match), their conversion in front of goal is poor enough to rank last in the competition. Furthermore, their opponents find them exceptionally easy to score against. As a result, they have effectively eliminated themselves from the finals race and are again positioned to finish in the bottom half of the ladder.

      • 4 replies
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 15

      As the Demons head into their Bye Round, it's time to turn our attention to the other matches being played. Which teams are you tipping this week? And which results would be most favourable for the Demons if we can manage to turn our season around? Follow all the non-Melbourne games here and join the conversation as the ladder continues to take shape.

        • Clap
        • Haha
      • 287 replies
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Port Adelaide

      Of course, it’s not the backline, you might argue and you would probably be right. It’s the boot studder (do they still have them?), the midfield, the recruiting staff, the forward line, the kicking coach, the Board, the interchange bench, the supporters, the folk at Casey, the head coach and the club psychologist  It’s all of them and all of us for having expectations that were sufficiently high to have believed three weeks ago that a restoration of the Melbourne team to a position where we might still be in contention for a finals berth when the time for the midseason bye arrived. Now let’s look at what happened over the period of time since Melbourne overwhelmed the Sydney Swans at the MCG in late May when it kicked 8.2 to 5.3 in the final quarter (and that was after scoring 3.8 to two straight goals in the second term). 

      • 3 replies
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Essendon

      Casey’s unbeaten run was extended for at least another fortnight after the Demons overran a persistent Essendon line up by 29 points at ETU Stadium in Port Melbourne last night. After conceding the first goal of the evening, Casey went on a scoring spree from about ten minutes in, with five unanswered majors with its fleet of midsized runners headed by the much improved Paddy Cross who kicked two in quick succession and livewire Ricky Mentha who also kicked an early goal. Leading the charge was recruit of the year, Riley Bonner while Bailey Laurie continued his impressive vein of form. With Tom Campbell missing from the lineup, Will Verrall stepped up to the plate demonstrating his improvement under the veteran ruckman’s tutelage. The Demons were looking comfortable for much of the second quarter and held a 25-point lead until the Bombers struck back with two goals in the shadows of half time. On the other side of the main break their revival continued with first three goals of the half. Harry Sharp, who had been quiet scrambled in the Demons’ first score of the third term to bring the margin back to a single point at the 17 minute mark and the game became an arm-wrestle for the remainder of the quarter and into the final moments of the last.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Gold Coast

      The Demons have the Bye next week but then are on the road once again when they come up against the Gold Coast Suns on the Gold Coast in what could be a last ditch effort to salvage their season. Who comes in and who comes out?

        • Like
      • 372 replies
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Port Adelaide

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 16th June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees disappointing loss to the Power.
      Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
      Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

        • Thanks
      • 33 replies
      Demonland
    View All