This week’s match preview - the people speak

[Demonland 72,230]

This week, it’s your chance to be part of our match preview for the game v Collingwood.

Tell us in your own words, who will win and why?

 It can be short or long and the best entries make it into our match preview *

Give it a try - you might even influence the result?

* subject to editing if necessary 

[Big Demon 197]

Unfortunately Collingwood will win because they have a lot more to play for. We will be good in parts but really the season is well over so we will have to put up with those belligerent black and white mongrels all day yet again.

[Soidee 1,496]

Sadly it will be another loss for the MFC.  I have watched them closely and a losing culture has set in.  Goodwin refuses to change and he will be better served to just let the team free up and play with freedom over next 3 weeks.  

Collingwood have all to play for, our players are drowning in process and no confidence.  There will be players offloaded in the off season and those who remain will have the hardest pre season in recent history.

Mahoney and Goodwin on their last chance to get it right.  Don’t stuff around, if we have injury prone players then move them on.  We need fit players on our list and need to bring in a power forward and speed in the middle.

 

 

[dl4e 5,851]

We will beat the filth. My senses are telling me.

[Delusional demon 82 1,197]

Reverse of Rd 23 , 2017 ??? Could we actually put a dent in their finals aspirations 

[Vagg 2,439]

5 minutes ago, Delusional demon 82 said:

Reverse of Rd 23 , 2017 ??? Could we actually put a dent in their finals aspirations 

I was thinking the same thing!  Get it done, Dees, and put a dampener on the old enemy's finals campaign!

[beelzebub 23,380]

Bad ol' Collingwood will win , easily by the end...because, well.....

They know how to play the game.........

and I'm far from convinced that we do....

[Mental Demons 136]

Collingwood will win. Goodwin's comments about testing players for versatility and to see what they have for the future is an admission that we don't wan't or care to win. We will be better of with the high draft pick. It also hides our future potential for when we can put out a better team next year. The Demons have a bit of a record of not being good two years in a row.

It has given a chance to have a look at some players who would not have got a look in but for injuries. It has separated a few of the men from the boys. Hore, Petty, Dunkly and Lockhart look to have something to offer. It has also weeded out some of our problems. If we were out to win we would be playing guys who are playing for their careers because their contracts are up. Of this Spargo and O Mac have very misty futures.

It has also highlighted our poor drafting and player management. May is an overpriced crock but is the most secure player on our list, more secure than Max, Oliver, Salem, Harmes, Melksham, in fact everybody. May needs to show some value because his return this year has been terrible. May turns up unfit and struggles to stay on the field. Lever is not as much of a problem as he reads play well and has rebounding skills, he just needs a good run at it and his potential will be shown. Our other management problem players are Weideman (is only really a third tall); Vandenberg(has he played a game since we signed him for 3 years so the Swans would not get him?); Kolodjashnij(has not show any value at Casey); Pruess (immobile and overpriced). 

Pruess was a liability last week and so has not shown we can play him and Max in the same team.To be competitive against the Pies,  we need our quickest team out there. If May is out again we probably need Oscar Mac in, no other tall options. JHK did not do enough last week to be kept on the list next year so another small can have a go in the big league. If Leaver is out, bring in Hore. If Tim Smith is fit we should bring him in. Would be good to have a look at Jordon, and/or Bedford. What have we got to lose except pick 2? 

[RalphiusMaximus 6,076]

We'll crack in at the bounce to create a contest, win our share of the ball, butcher the forward movement and get scored on easily from the intercepts. Not that hard to predict.

[robbiefrom13 887]

Collingwood appear to be physically far stronger than Melbourne, and faster, and unlike us they are playing with confidence - so it's hard to see us getting anywhere near them. 

On the other hand, if Goodwin hasn't lost the players, they - all of them, coaching staff and players - must be highly motivated to prove it and silence the growing rumblings about coach/players "connection".  And Collingwood are presumably at real risk of going into this game overly confident.  Like a team running out for the first time under a new coach, we could surprise the world.  Terribly undermanned, we surprised West Coast a few years ago.  Upsets happen - it's not impossible.  But unless the stories about a breakdown between players and their coaches are wrong, it's not going to happen this week.

So there's the interest - to see if the game departs from the obvious script, even a little bit.  The game itself hardly matters for us, as far as this season is concerned - but the bigger narrative of the state of our club - that does.  We must be getting closer to knowing for sure - so Melbourne supporters may go to the footy focused on a completely different drama to the one Collingwood fans will be there drooling for.  

[deebug 1,754]

2 hours ago, Delusional demon 82 said:

Reverse of Rd 23 , 2017 ??? Could we actually put a dent in their finals aspirations 

Yes we can?

[Diamond_Jim 12,597]

1 hour ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

We'll crack in at the bounce to create a contest, win our share of the ball, butcher the forward movement and get scored on easily from the intercepts. Not that hard to predict.

and of course fall away mid way through the third and go relatively scoreless in the last while Collingwood rest Grundy and Pendlebury from about 15-20 minutes in the last for more important matches.

Plus another financial nail in the proverbial coffin with a  crowd around 45k. (Weather of 12 degrees and rain might even make it lower.)

[In Harmes Way 7,796]

I'll just mark up last week's review from the AFL on the Dees v Tigers.

Where and when: MCG, Saturday August 10, 1.45pm AEST

What it means for Melbourne: With the pressure increasing on both Simon Goodwin and Melbourne's playing list, a top-eight scalp would open the valve somewhat. It would also be only the Demons' third win in their past 12 games.
What it means for Collingwood:  The Pies' percentage took a battering since the two sides met back on  Queen's Birthday but improved on the back of a strong result against the Suns. Saturday could be a chance to boost it further. 

The stat: Final term fade-outs have been a big issue for the Dees recently. Over its past five matches, Melbourne has conceded an average of 26.4 points in the final quarter, while managing an average of just 13.4 itself.

The match-up: Max Gawn v Brodie Grundy

The stats for the two ruckmen are extremely close again in 2019, with Grundy shading Gawn averaging 41.5 hitouts to 39.3 across 2019. Grundy also gets the better of Gawn for disposals (contested and uncontested), although Gawn is stronger on intercept marks and overall metres gained. 

Melbourne, as a team across 2019, have incurred an average 4 more turnovers a game and 5 more clangers than the Pies. Collingwood, with their high possession game, coupled with Melbourne being ranked 14th in the league for tackles, should win fairly easily. Pies by 42.

 

[whatwhat say what 22,783]

1 hour ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

We'll crack in at the bounce to create a contest, win our share of the ball, butcher the forward movement and get scored on easily from the intercepts. Not that hard to predict.

Sadly, this

[frankie_d 1,471]

It will be interesting to see if we can reverse rd 23 2017.

We had all to play for, they had nothing except pride.

It will be VERY telling

 

[Pennant St Dee 13,241]

Outside of Demonland scuttle butt where has the Goodwin has lost the players talk come from 

May have missed it but haven't heard it anywhere in the media 

[Youngwilliam 381]

Melbourne will make a big start and kick the first 3 goals in the first half of the first quarter. Then you will find me in the Bullring for the rest of the game. 

Collingwood by 30+ points.

[John Crow Batty 8,871]

I might bet the house on a Collingwood win. That way I can be sure I am part of the winners circle next weekend. 

[DSP 1,488]

Players are shot

Supporters are shot

Season is shot.

We will play competitively for a half and thats it. Pies by 6 goals +

Cue is firmly in the rack.

[Lord Nev 13,512]

With nothing to play for, a burdened playing group and a totally deflated supporter base... Break the chains, mix it up, load up the forward line and make it fun again!

May forward. Gus forward. Frost to the wing. Trac to the middle. Salem to the middle. Change things up and give them a fresh look. Play on instinct, run forward in numbers, expect sores the other way but don't get down about it.

I know the arguments about consistency and synergy, and I agree to a point, but right now this club is totally weighed down and feels more disinterested in the footy than I can remember, so let's give the supporters something to cheer for and the players something to smile about, even if we (inevitably) lose.

Bring back the fun! We all need it.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,076]

1 hour ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Outside of Demonland scuttle butt where has the Goodwin has lost the players talk come from 

May have missed it but haven't heard it anywhere in the media 

I hadn't heard anything like that. My issue with him is that his gameplan is horrible and he doesn't appear to understand what is going wrong, let alone how to fix it.

[The Third Eye 268]

The Demons are struggling. Of this three is no doubt because our expectations were so high as we went into the preseason before things fell away so badly. 

But I wonder if we’re really that bad. We know the club is running at about ⅔ rat power due to our disastrous injury and fitness injuries but I was bemused by an article in the Herald Sun which waxed eloquent about Carlton’s future after its 24 point loss against the West Coast Eagles who took their feet off the accelerator from at least as early as the start of the final quarter on Sunday. The critics were nowhere near as friendly to Melbourne which lost by 13 points two weeks earlier in a game that could have gone either way. “Off with Goodwin’s head!” they wail.

As for the Magpies, they’ve been up and down in the past month or so while suffering from an injury list that compares with that of the Demons if you believe their supporters. But according to a stat that came up on my Twitter feed that said, “Collingwood averaging 3.7 first 22 players missing per game, Dees 6.9.” Never let it be said that Collingwood folk understand the word “perspective”.

Their team looked pathetic a fortnight ago against the Tigers and they were gorn by half time before their opponents virtually hung up their boots midway through the final term and allowed them to get to within 32 points of their tormentors. Melbourne, on the other hand, stayed up with Richmond for a half and  fell away with the coming of the rain in third quarter to lose by 33 points. 

On that basis, the teams are pretty evenly matched and if the Demons can kick straight for goal, they win. I think they will do it this week - they have absolutely nothing to lose.

[Whispering_Jack 30,239]

5 minutes ago, The Third Eye said:

As for the Magpies, they’ve been up and down in the past month or so while suffering from an injury list that compares with that of the Demons if you believe their supporters. But according to a stat that came up on my Twitter feed that said, “Collingwood averaging 3.7 first 22 players missing per game, Dees 6.9.” Never let it be said that Collingwood folk understand the word “perspective”.

Their fans will still complain. There are reports today that Mason Cox is out the year with a damaged retina, Ben Reid out with soft tissue concerns, Darcy Moore still out and. Jordan De Goey will also miss.

[Deeman 1,497]

2 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Their fans will still complain. There are reports today that Mason Cox is out the year with a damaged retina, Ben Reid out with soft tissue concerns, Darcy Moore still out and. Jordan De Goey will also miss.

Not having Mason Cox will improve the Pies.

[John Demonic 5,816]

12 hours ago, Big Demon said:

Unfortunately Collingwood will win because they have a lot more to play for.

I just wish this logic worked for us in 2017 r23. We have a lot to play for if we can get some revenge for that defeat, and push them down to an away elimination final.

Edited August 5, 2019 by John Demonic