Jump to content

Malthouse's change of heart?

Demonland
Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

Didn't he predict us not to make the 8?

Here he picks us to be one of 4 teams capable of winning the flag but not before doing a hatchet job on us. 

Melbourne could be as good as anyone, but first and foremost it has to get over itself.

Melbourne fails to know how to get the foot to the throat and press down hard. The Demons release the pressure too soon and play like millionaires. This needs to stop.

These are the only four (also West Coast, Collingwood, Richmond) clubs I see capable of winning the flag this year.

Despite this he doesn't believe anyone will challenge West Coast or Collingwood. 

  • Quote
    •  

    I see this as him predicting that we wont change those things he has said. He's saying that if we do, we can win the flag, but he's predicting that we wont.

    Given our record over the past 3+ decades, I dont blame him for thinking that way. We dont know what success is, and we often think we've done enough before the real hard work starts.

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Love 1
     

    As far as opinion from Mick goes, this is about as good as it gets. I don't know about getting over ourselves but we do need to double down on our ruthless side if we want to win finals. I would have agreed with him more strongly but after watching us beat teams by 100+ points multiple times last year, I think we are capable of putting our foot on team's throats and choking the life out of them. I do agree though that we need to do this more consistently and not drop off. I think this is more a function of experience though and hopefully we have that critical mass of games now.

  • Quote
    • Like 5

    2 hours ago, Demonland said:

    Collingwood fails to know how to get the foot to the throat and press down hard. The Pies release the pressure too soon and play like millionaires. This needs to stop.

    ^ define Collingwood's grand final in 5 seconds.

    I don't think Mick is completely wrong but he always seems so selective with this evidence 

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    His comments are in keeping with previous comments. 

    He hasn't predicted we'll make the eight, because we drink our own bath water, but recognises the quality of the list. 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
     
    2 hours ago, The Chazz said:

    I see this as him predicting that we wont change those things he has said. He's saying that if we do, we can win the flag, but he's predicting that we wont.

    Given our record over the past 3+ decades, I dont blame him for thinking that way. We dont know what success is, and we often think we've done enough before the real hard work starts.

    Yep, covering up past verbal/written transgressions so he had to admit a fact this time, begrudgingly, strongly suggesting a bias.

  • Quote

    I think what he wrote was basically fair.

    He said 5 minutes before the bounce off Queen's Birthday (despite tipping us to win rather begrudgingly) that we drank our own bathwater. I think we were probably due for a loss but the first quarter lacksadaical garbage we served up pretty much doomed us.

    Why would he have changed his mind until he saw evidence?

  • Quote

    7 hours ago, Demonland said:

    Didn't he predict us not to make the 8?

    Here he picks us to be one of 4 teams capable of winning the flag but not before doing a hatchet job on us. 

    Melbourne could be as good as anyone, but first and foremost it has to get over itself.

    Melbourne fails to know how to get the foot to the throat and press down hard. The Demons release the pressure too soon and play like millionaires. This needs to stop.

    These are the only four (also West Coast, Collingwood, Richmond) clubs I see capable of winning the flag this year.

    Despite this he doesn't believe anyone will challenge West Coast or Collingwood. 

    I see  Maltenhousen  going for two each-way bets, instead of the Quaddie.   Typical Malthead...   who wanted the 6 man interchange.

  • Quote

    In one respect I’m just like the Carlton list.

    i don’t listen to him either.

  • Quote
    • Haha 3

    Old Mick is not wrong in his comments. 

    We have the talent, but is the attitude right for 25 hard weeks  i sure hope so  

    This is the year that will tell us what we need to know

    From Bartlett to Goodwin to the Players, all have to refuse the easy option and hurt like never before  

     

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
    6 hours ago, FlashInThePan said:

    As far as opinion from Mick goes, this is about as good as it gets. I don't know about getting over ourselves but we do need to double down on our ruthless side if we want to win finals. I would have agreed with him more strongly but after watching us beat teams by 100+ points multiple times last year, I think we are capable of putting our foot on team's throats and choking the life out of them. I do agree though that we need to do this more consistently and not drop off. I think this is more a function of experience though and hopefully we have that critical mass of games now.

    Last year we were generally very good at beating the sides below us that we should and stepping on the throat of them.  I think we need to do it against good sides and consistently over the whole season.  We simply must stand up and win the big games against good teams more consistently than not. 

    Would like to see us beat Richmond, Collingwood and West Coast in our home and away games this year.  Call me a harsh critic, but I was disappointed that we didn't totally put Geelong and Hawthorn to the sword in finals much earlier in those games.  We did make some big statements with those games, but we also kept them in the game far longer than they deserved to be.

    I don't care if we loose a few in a upsets this year, so long as we have enough buffer on our ladder position and are able to flick the switch against the sides we really need to beat.

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    7 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

    ...Call me a harsh critic, but I was disappointed that we didn't totally put Geelong and Hawthorn to the sword in finals much earlier in those games.  We did make some big statements with those games, but we also kept them in the game far longer than they deserved to be.

    ....

    I'll call it - you are to harsh.   I'd expect teams like Geelong & Hawthorn to hang on desperately in finals elimination games, so not surprised we weren't able to put them away earlier.  Would have liked to of course to preserve the old ticker.

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    24 minutes ago, sue said:

    I'll call it - you are to harsh.   I'd expect teams like Geelong & Hawthorn to hang on desperately in finals elimination games, so not surprised we weren't able to put them away earlier.  Would have liked to of course to preserve the old ticker.

    won't they also both the biggest winning margins of each weekend of their finals?

    obviously we were involved in the biggest margin in the third weekend too, sigh

    i don't disagree with mick, although i think it's less about drinking own bathwater and more that we seem to go into 'coasting' mode when we're on top, which allows good teams to come back at us, and then when we do get beaten we have a tendency (hawthorn, richmond, pies on qb etc.) to turn up our toes and just look like we aren't interested

    i also would hazard a guess that the only games mick watched us in last year was queen's birthday walloping and then three finals

  • Quote
    • Thanks 1
    36 minutes ago, sue said:

    I'll call it - you are to harsh.   I'd expect teams like Geelong & Hawthorn to hang on desperately in finals elimination games, so not surprised we weren't able to put them away earlier.  Would have liked to of course to preserve the old ticker.

    My recollection was that the Hawthorn game they had the better of the play, just failed to convert in front of goal.  Thus I wasn't surprised at all when a fresh West Coast did the job on us they did.

    Geelong and Hawthorn are both puss football sides these days.  Dangerfield and Selwood are past it.  Hawthorn have (had) one good onballer and a bunch of old geriatrics.  Game against Geelong should have been over at half time with the gap we put on them in the first quarter, but then we choked up and barely kicked a goal for a quarter and a half and let them back in a game they should never have been in.  Need to put sides to the sword in these situations.

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Love 1
    3 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

    My recollection was that the Hawthorn game they had the better of the play, just failed to convert in front of goal.  Thus I wasn't surprised at all when a fresh West Coast did the job on us they did.

    Geelong and Hawthorn are both puss football sides these days.  Dangerfield and Selwood are past it.  Hawthorn have (had) one good onballer and a bunch of old geriatrics.  Game against Geelong should have been over at half time with the gap we put on them in the first quarter, but then we choked up and barely kicked a goal for a quarter and a half and let them back in a game they should never have been in.  Need to put sides to the sword in these situations.

    I agree that the danger signs were there in the Hawthorn match that we'd be clobbered against WCE.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Furthermore, if we had have beaten Geelong and Hawthorn like we should have during the home and away season, then we probably wouldn't have even played them in finals.  Geelong wouldn't have made the top 8 and Hawthorn wouldn't have made the top 4 and probably would have been bundled out in the fist week, whilst we would have benifited from having finished top 4.

    Our performances last year were quite understandable for a youngish side making it's way and establishing experience in big games and establishing beleif in themselves.

    Looking for us to be that next step further along in our development this year, to start off where we left off towards the end of last year, but to be solid as rock, ruthless, and professionally/mechanically asert our dominance on the competition.  I think this is the Goodwin way and hoping it will become know as the Melbourne way sooner rather than later.

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    • Love 1

    2 hours ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

    My recollection was that the Hawthorn game they had the better of the play, just failed to convert in front of goal.  Thus I wasn't surprised at all when a fresh West Coast did the job on us they did.

    Geelong and Hawthorn are both puss football sides these days.  Dangerfield and Selwood are past it.  Hawthorn have (had) one good onballer and a bunch of old geriatrics.  Game against Geelong should have been over at half time with the gap we put on them in the first quarter, but then we choked up and barely kicked a goal for a quarter and a half and let them back in a game they should never have been in.  Need to put sides to the sword in these situations.

    Dangerfield past it? Its only my opinion and it don't count for much but the guy might be a donkey but he's an afL jet still.

  • Quote

    Don't like Mick at the moment, but i reckon he's spot on and i also think the first game will tell us a lot about whether he is right or not. I therefore will stick to my prediction on Port/MFC Game as being a blowout 7goal plus win for us.

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    45 minutes ago, 4_Kent_Watts said:

    Dangerfield past it? Its only my opinion and it don't count for much but the guy might be a donkey but he's an afL jet still.

    He's overrated sooky la la and we have got his measure.

    Probably the key thing about Geelong is that they don't have many the quality players around to support him any more.  Too many frount runners and they aren't a frount running team any more.

  • Quote
    •  
    11 hours ago, brendan said:

    But he didn’t even have us in his top 8, now we are 1 of 4 that can win it ?‍♀️

    I was travelling back from Perth today, and the Sunday Times has the same article as above, but 2 pages later had all the writers predictions and Mick still had us missing the 8.  Only other pundit that had us missing the 8 was our now good friend Karl Langdon.

  • Quote
    5 hours ago, sue said:

    I'll call it - you are to harsh.   I'd expect teams like Geelong & Hawthorn to hang on desperately in finals elimination games, so not surprised we weren't able to put them away earlier.  Would have liked to of course to preserve the old ticker.

    yes its is harsh. I wanted to put them away, but Hawthorn took it to Richmond as well in the finals. They played better than the quality of their list and have some old warriors. they also top up all the time which helps them be competitive.

  • 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: Essendon

      As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie? 
      Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG. Unfortunately, performances like these went against the grain of what Melbourne has been producing from virtually midway through 2024 and extending right through to the present day. This is a game between two clubs who have faltered over the past couple of years because their disposal efficiency is appalling. Neither of them can hit the side of a barn door but history tells us that every once in a while such teams have their lucky days or come up against an opponent in even worse shape and hence, one of them will come up trumps in this match.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Essendon

      Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

        • Thanks
      • 258 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 05

      Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

        • Thanks
      • 17 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Geelong

      There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Geelong

      I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 04

      Round 4 kicks off with a blockbuster on Thursday night as traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton clash at the MCG, with the Magpies looking to assert themselves as early-season contenders and the Blues seeking their first win of the season. Saturday opens with Gold Coast hosting Adelaide, a key test for the Suns as they aim to back up their big win last week, while the Crows will be looking to keep their perfect record intact. Reigning wooden spooners Richmond have the daunting task of facing reigning premiers Brisbane at the ‘G and the Lions will be eager to reaffirm their premiership credentials after a patchy start. Saturday night sees North Melbourne take on Sydney at Marvel Stadium, with the Swans looking to build on their first win of the season last week against a rebuilding Roos outfit. Sunday’s action begins with GWS hosting West Coast at ENGIE Stadium, a game that could get ugly very early for the visitors. Port Adelaide vs St Kilda at Adelaide Oval looms as a interesting clash, with both clubs form being very hard to read. The round wraps up with Fremantle taking on the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in what could be a fierce contest between two sides with top-eight ambitions. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

        • Thanks
      • 273 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All