Jump to content

Featured Replies

11 hours ago, Skuit said:

Poor man's Frost.

So I was kidding, in part, but Hibberd has always had a bit of headless chook about him as well - run and break the lines first and then work out what to do with the pill. I don't think he has the same natural spacial awareness as say Jetta or Salem. If he's down a yard on pace, and the outlet options aren't presenting, then he's going to struggle to find the space to run and the kick is going to be under much greater pressure. Never been the greatest aerial defender either.

Still, we have such an acutely balanced defensive game-plan, that the (relatively) poor form of Oscar and Frost and the introduction of May, Hore, Wagner, whoever, will ultimately disrupt that mix - and it ripples down the chain. Both he and Lever even struggled when first thrown in together, and unfortunately we're a long way from our best back six finding some cohesion. Would love to see a win-loss or points conceded graph as measured against our number of weekly back-line changes.

 

What's the old saying: Father time is undefeated?

Hibbo was huge for us in 2017 but it would be a bit much to ask him to replicate that form with another 2 years of tread of the tyres at the tail end of his career. He is in our best 22, and probably holds that spot this season. Next season is his last contracted season, and his position in the side depends on the development of other players around him and his ability to hold off decline in his game.

He will pick up his form this season, but the 2017 form is probably unattainable for him so we need to keep our expectations in check.

14 hours ago, beelzebub said:

There's a universe...but is it 'organised' ?

Organised requires a construct and design. Unless you wish to invoke the God-clause ?? I don't think there's a master plan .

Actually if you watch simulations of the universe expanding and the big bang you will see chaos but also organisation. thus, organised chaos. the formation of a star or a planet for example is chaotic but it's still organised. the universe is bound by both laws of science and theory but also randonmess. 

Anyway I think Hibberd will find form.

 

I remember his debut match for Melbourne when we played Richmond on Anzac Eve on wet conditions. He played so well and made it look so easy. Hopefully we can recapture his form in 2017.

On 4/8/2019 at 12:53 PM, phuket demon said:

Jones could play the defensive forward pocket role

Yes been hoping that might happen since around this time last year.  Goody says  he's much more valuable off a wing though ?

Edited by Rusty Nails


On 4/8/2019 at 12:24 PM, DeeSpencer said:

Spot on.

If I had a major concern about our training - apart from the injuries - it would be that we did far less ball movement / decision making drills this year from what I saw.

It was a lot of skill development ‘craft’ stuff, plus running, plus match simulation. 

I think we missed a step that we used to do a lot of under Roos which is drills that emphasise 2 way pressure and pressure release. Drills that teach players how to cover off opponents as a team and at the same time teach guys to release team mates in to space. 

According to Champion Data we were the number 1 pressure team last year.  You might be on to a significant part of why we've dropped so far this year DS.  Allowing much more space / time to our opponent?  Forgetting the reason why we got to where we were last year and instead just focussing on manic ball movement foward maybe at the expense structure and 2 way running?

When you say we did alot more "skill development craft stuff" would you mind expanding on what you mean pls?

 

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...

Featured Content

  • NON-MFC: Round 13

    Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demons’ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

      • Like
    • 131 replies
  • PREVIEW: Collingwood

    Having convincingly defeated last year’s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Club’s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak. Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Let’s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the team’s neck.

    • 1 reply
  • CASEY: Sydney

    The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution.

    • 1 reply
  • REPORT: St. Kilda

    Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterday’s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourne’s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldn’t get any worse. Well, it did. And what’s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasn’t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. Ross Lyon’s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourne’s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourne’s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterday’s 7 goals 21 behinds. 
    This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. I’ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards? Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre? 

    • 4 replies
  • PREGAME: Collingwood

    After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Like
    • 381 replies
  • PODCAST: St. Kilda

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs.
    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/

      • Like
    • 47 replies