Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

1810388947_ScreenShot2019-07-24at1_44_57pm.png.03d23a6489f78837175126616f75907d.png

 

A lot has been written about this year being an aberration and there was a variety of opinion on our status on radio yesterday. I decided to look back over the last 9 years at ladder position and who fallaway and how long did it take to rebound. The stats suggest the next few years will not be what we hope for 

In the period 2010 to 2018 the only teams that didn't appear in finals were Brisbane & Gold Coast with the other 16 teams all making an appearance with MFC making it just with one. From 2010 to 16 teams that made the top 4 and fell away and the time to rebound were Bulldogs 2010 missed finals next 4 years. West Coast 2011 missed next 3 years. Adelaide 2012 missed next 2 years. 2014 Geel missed 1 year. 2015 Freo missed the next 3. Lesson to learn, bad years are rarely a 1 year aberration which doesn't augur well for MFC in 2020

Overall the stats for the 16 teams is as follows. Listed are finals appearances over 9 years and largest gap in between finals appearance.

So, Collingwood have 5 finals appearance and a gap of 4 years between finals. Geelong have 8 and missed 1 year. Saints have 2 appearances and 7 years out. Bulldogs have 3 finals appearances and a 4 year maximum gap. Syd have 9 out of 9. Freo have 5 finals appearances and a 3 year gap that is growing. Hawks 8 and missed once. Carlton what a surprise 3 finals appearances but 5 years out and growing. West Coast 6 finals appearances and a 2 year gap out of the 8. Essendon 3 times in the 8 but never out for more than 2 years. North 4 top 8 finishes with a 4 year gap missing the 8. Richmond 5 top 8 finishes and at worst out for 3 years. Adelaide 4 top 8 and out of the 8 for 2 years. Port Adelaide 3 top 8 finishes and out for 3 years. GWS took 6 years to make their first final but have made the top 8 the last 3 years.

The moral is don't expect to return to finals next year because it is rare. The fall is usually for a couple of years.

I don't think our list is as good as we think and we need much more depth so I hope we use the high draft picks wisely. Given the delistings last year and the influx of Sparrow, Jordan, Bedford, Nietschke, Here, Chandler, Lockhart and Dunkley means there is a lot of development needed. I have lowered my expectation for next year as history says only Hawthorn and Geelong have slipped for a year. With the exception of the dogs in 2016 the flag always comes from the top 4.

The top 4 since 2010 has been limited to 9 teams Hawks have 7, Cats 6, Swans 5, Pies 4, Freo & Eagles 3, Crows & GWS 2 with Saints & Dogs 1 each. Port Adelaide is the team stats that most interest as a model for MFC to avoid. In 2014 they came with seconds of knocking off eventual premiers Hawthorn since then they missed finals for 2 years got 5th in 2017 and haven't made finals since.

Edited by Grapeviney

 

I looked at a similar range in another thread, mainly the % decrease in % and how it correlates with ladder position in a year after making finals. Only one team - Richmond in 2017 - with as significant drop as us this year was able to make finals a year after their own similarly major fall from grace.

It is why it is integral the club acknowledges this and makes major changes asap.

So many metrics paint a discouraging picture for 2020 but it's all historical. The odds are against us but we can turn it around. But it will come on the back of change. We won't succeed with the current plan and structure.

Actions (decisions) have information, but have no history.  What this means is that regardless of the historical story, who finished where, when etc, the history has no bearing on the next decision or event.  What matters is that compared to other teams, we need to have the players, the game plan, the luck with injuries and the attitude and culture to win enough games to make the finals next year.  Nothing that happened to other teams before that impacts that outcome.

To play the game, however: the fact that other teams have dropped for one year could suggest that it is possible for us.  That other teams have dropped for longer might talk more to their trajectory, than as a reasonable comparison.  Regardless, I’m glass half full - even what I saw in the game in the Alice was loaded with promise. Go Dees in 2020.

 
7 hours ago, Older demon said:

A lot has been written about this year being an aberration....

Good analysis but am feeling depressed after reading it!


The closest to a counter argument I can make is our decade on the 2000's.  Up and down like the proverbial brides nightie.

The last 5 decades are an aberation

How can a team that plays in a prelim finish 5th? Does that mean the you can win a flag and finish 8th?

 

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

  • GAMEDAY: Hawthorn

    It’s game day and the Demons are chasing a fourth straight win as we take on the high flying Hawks at the G. After decades of being tormented by the Hawks the Dees will be keen to extend their 7 year dominance over Hawthorn.

      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 189 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 09

    Round 9 kicks off out west with the Dockers hosting a Collingwood side resting several stars. Fremantle need to make a statement on their home deck after some disappointing form on the road, while the Magpies will be keen to maintain their Top 2 position. Friday night sees a must-win clash between two sides desperate to stay in touch with the eight. St Kilda have shown glimpses while Carlton are clinging to relevance after a flat start to the season. Saturday’s twilight game at Marvel pits the Bombers against a struggling Sydney outfit. Essendon can’t afford another close match against a lower-ranked side, while the Swans risk sliding down the ladder even further. Up in Darwin, the fourth-placed Suns will look to extend their stay in the top four. The Bulldogs have hit their stride with three big wins on the trot and will be very keen to consolidate on their momentum. The always fiery Showdown looms as pivotal for both clubs. Adelaide are eyeing a spot in the Top 4 with a win, while Port Adelaide’s season could slip away if they drop another game and fall further behind the pack. Sunday begins with a yawn fest between Richmond and West Coast. The Tigers need to bank the points to stay clear of the bottom two, while the Eagles are still chasing their first win of the year. The Giants face one of the league’s toughest road trips as they travel to GMHBA Stadium to face the Cats. With GWS at risk of a third straight loss, Geelong will be eager to consolidate their position inside the eight and start their climb up the ladder. The round wraps up with the top-of-the-table Lions heading to Ninja Stadium to take on the second-last Roos. The Lions should easily take care of the struggling Roos who might be powerless against the best in the comp. Who are you tipping and what are the best results for the Demons?

      • Clap
      • Haha
      • Like
    • 142 replies
    Demonland
  • PREVIEW: Hawthorn

    Melbourne and Hawthorn who face off against each other this week have more in common than having once almost merged and about to wear a blue jumper with a red v triangle and an embroidered picture of a bird on the front. They also share the MCG as their main home ground, their supporters are associated with the leafy suburbs of Melbourne and in recent times, James Frawley graced the colours of both teams. Even more recently, both have bounced back from disastrous five game losing streaks to start off a season. Of course, the Hawks turned their bounce into a successful leap from the bottom of the ladder into a finals appearance, making it to the semifinals in 2024 and this year, they’re riding high in third place on the AFL table. The Demons are just three games into their 2025 bounce back, and are yet to climb their way out of the bottom four although they are sitting a game and percentage out of the top eight. However, with the current sportsbet odds of $3.90 to win this week’s encounter, it seems a forlorn hope that their upward progression will continue much longer.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Harvey Langford Interview

    On Wednesday I'll be interviewing the Melbourne Football Club's first pick in the 2024 National Draft and pick number 6 overall Harvey Langford. If you have any questions you want asked let me know. I will release the interview on Wednesday afternoon.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 35 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: West Coast

    On a night of counting, Melbourne captain Max Gawn made sure that his contribution counted. He was at his best and superb in the the ruck from the very start of the election night game against the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium, but after watching his dominance of the first quarter and a half of the clash evaporate into nothing as the Eagles booted four goals in the last ten minutes of the opening half, he turned the game on its head, with a ruckman’s masterclass in the second half.  No superlatives would be sufficient to describe the enormity of the skipper’s performance starting with his 47 hit outs, a career-high 35 possessions (22 of them contested), nine clearances, 12 score involvements and, after messing up an attempt or two, finally capping off one of the greatest rucking performances of all time, with a goal of own in the final quarter not long after he delivered a right angled pass into the arms of Daniel Turner who also goaled from a pocket (will we ever know if the pass is what was intended). That was enough to overturn a 12 point deficit after the Eagles scored the first goal of the second half into a 29 point lead at the last break and a winning final quarter (at last) for the Demons who decided not to rest their champion ruckman at the end this time around. 

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Hawthorn

    The Demons return to the MCG to take on the High Flying Hawks on Saturday Afternoon. Hawthorn will be aiming to consolidate a position in the Top 4 whilst the Dees will be looking to take a scalp and make it four wins in a row. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thumb Down
      • Like
    • 334 replies
    Demonland