Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

It took less than 6 weeks for the St Kilda caretaker coach (and now permanent coach) to publicly proclaim that his team's inability to hit targets and nail goals from directly in front was an absolute killer.  I wonder why our own coach hasn't said the same thing.  To be fair to Goody, he regularly mentioned "basic fundamentals" during press conferences but I'm so sick of watching Melbourne players miss goals, miss handballs and miss kicks.  The success of Hawthorn and West Coast in recent years has been based on many things but in particular their exceptional kicking skills.  Interesting that Ratten has identified it straight away...let's hope our recruiters are thinking the same way instead of recruiting contested bulls who butcher the footy.  I will watch our drafting and trade targets with interest!

 

Why does everything have to be stated publicly these days? I’m sure the coaches are well aware of the issue and it is something that will be rectified (or attempted to be). 

 
14 minutes ago, Glenn Molloy said:

It took less than 6 weeks for the St Kilda caretaker coach (and now permanent coach) to publicly proclaim that his team's inability to hit targets and nail goals from directly in front was an absolute killer.  I wonder why our own coach hasn't said the same thing.

"Goodwin said poor kicking efficiency "killed" the Dees, who were unable to convert strong work around the ball into a winning score"

Source

Not that it actually makes any difference whatsoever.


Our backline recruiting has focused on good ball users - apart from Frosty. A healthy Jake Lever can kick well and is a great handballer, May, Oscar, Hibberd (at least in the past), Jetta, Salem all good kicks.

Mids and forwards not as much although you need ball winners and good athletes in those spots. It's worth questioning the chase of Langdon because he's not a great kick but there's so few good kicking outside runners that I'm not sure it matters, better to get someone than no one.

Goal kicking seemed to be a strength of ours in recent years until all of a sudden it wasn't. 

It's not a strength but if we get back to being able to win the ball, run both ways and create some space with our handballs I think our kicking will take a huge leap forward. The trick of Hawthorn and West Coast is how well they work to get guys clear and easy options to kick to. That's our real deficiency.

5 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

The trick of Hawthorn and West Coast is how well they work to get guys clear and easy options to kick to. That's our real deficiency.

so true

we are so often kicking under pressure to a tight contest.

If you think about it you only need at most 50% of the team to be good kicks and then the odds favour the lesser kicks giving it to those who can.

I believe it's called a gameplan

47 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Our backline recruiting has focused on good ball users - apart from Frosty. A healthy Jake Lever can kick well and is a great handballer, May, Oscar, Hibberd (at least in the past), Jetta, Salem all good kicks.

Mids and forwards not as much although you need ball winners and good athletes in those spots. It's worth questioning the chase of Langdon because he's not a great kick but there's so few good kicking outside runners that I'm not sure it matters, better to get someone than no one.

Goal kicking seemed to be a strength of ours in recent years until all of a sudden it wasn't. 

It's not a strength but if we get back to being able to win the ball, run both ways and create some space with our handballs I think our kicking will take a huge leap forward. The trick of Hawthorn and West Coast is how well they work to get guys clear and easy options to kick to. That's our real deficiency.

Now if we can just add the requirement "FIT" to our recruiting...we might get somewhere

 

Can run all day, neat skills and good footy brain that understands how to implement a game plan and adapt where required.

We have many players that have some of these qualities, but sadly lacking in others...

5 hours ago, Glenn Molloy said:

It took less than 6 weeks for the St Kilda caretaker coach (and now permanent coach) to publicly proclaim that his team's inability to hit targets and nail goals from directly in front was an absolute killer.  I wonder why our own coach hasn't said the same thing.  

Firstly, he can talk about it all he wants.  It won't change their skill level.  What happens on the track and then on gameday is what counts.  Let's see if talking about it has any impact.

Secondly, Goodwin has mentioned it before as someone quoted above.


9 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

Firstly, he can talk about it all he wants.  It won't change their skill level.  What happens on the track and then on gameday is what counts.  Let's see if talking about it has any impact.

Secondly, Goodwin has mentioned it before as someone quoted above.

Goidwin mentions many things...talks a lot...and we play Fugaziball

I rate Ratten above Goodwin.

Going to be an interesting  year...or 6 months

5 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Goidwin mentions many things...talks a lot...and we play Fugaziball

 

How is 'Goidwin' mentioning things any different to Ratten doing it?

4 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

How is 'Goidwin' mentioning things any different to Ratten doing it?

Im referring  to Goody's penchant  for diarrhetic nonsense at pressers. 

Pay attention  and youll find Ratten a lot less Fugazi in his dealings.

We'll  just differ...no need to change now

 

2 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Our backline recruiting has focused on good ball users - apart from Frosty. A healthy Jake Lever can kick well and is a great handballer, May, Oscar, Hibberd (at least in the past), Jetta, Salem all good kicks.

Mids and forwards not as much although you need ball winners and good athletes in those spots. It's worth questioning the chase of Langdon because he's not a great kick but there's so few good kicking outside runners that I'm not sure it matters, better to get someone than no one.

Goal kicking seemed to be a strength of ours in recent years until all of a sudden it wasn't. 

It's not a strength but if we get back to being able to win the ball, run both ways and create some space with our handballs I think our kicking will take a huge leap forward. The trick of Hawthorn and West Coast is how well they work to get guys clear and easy options to kick to. That's our real deficiency.

I am not sure i really agree with the idea our backline is full of good ball users. I was worried every time lever got the ball as his kicking to team mates was far from good, a lot of turnovers at critical times. Oscar... has to get the ball first before he can kick it. Hibberd's disposal this year has been woeful, far from the player he was last year. And Salem, again another who seemed to turn the ball over far more frequently this year.  May did not give us the drive we expected from the backline. But other than that (Jetta) was pretty good when fit.

Agree Deecisive.

Butchers mostly including Salem.
May is a pretty good kick I thought, see how he goes with a proper pre-season.

 


7 hours ago, Glenn Molloy said:

It took less than 6 weeks for the St Kilda caretaker coach (and now permanent coach) to publicly proclaim that his team's inability to hit targets and nail goals from directly in front was an absolute killer.  I wonder why our own coach hasn't said the same thing.  To be fair to Goody, he regularly mentioned "basic fundamentals" during press conferences but I'm so sick of watching Melbourne players miss goals, miss handballs and miss kicks.  The success of Hawthorn and West Coast in recent years has been based on many things but in particular their exceptional kicking skills.  Interesting that Ratten has identified it straight away...let's hope our recruiters are thinking the same way instead of recruiting contested bulls who butcher the footy.  I will watch our drafting and trade targets with interest!

He did.

56 minutes ago, Deecisive said:

I am not sure i really agree with the idea our backline is full of good ball users. I was worried every time lever got the ball as his kicking to team mates was far from good, a lot of turnovers at critical times. Oscar... has to get the ball first before he can kick it. Hibberd's disposal this year has been woeful, far from the player he was last year. And Salem, again another who seemed to turn the ball over far more frequently this year.  May did not give us the drive we expected from the backline. But other than that (Jetta) was pretty good when fit.

Not fit enough. Kicking under that little extra pressure

Fitness was always the major issue this year. I say that includes attitude as well, it seemed on field there was acceptance that we were under done  

Effort was there, but it was nowhere near high enough

 

We are not drafting players who are worse kicks than other teams.

Game plan, lack of fitness due to interrupted pre-season and poor player development are resulting in our kicking problem.

There has been a clear lack of focus on skills and simple fundamentals under Goodwin.

It’s all been about grunt work and running which can work in short periods but isn’t a sustainable way of winning.

@Deespencer touched on it.   Kicking is a lot easier when you have targets that have worked into space that are confidently demanding the footy. 

I'm not saying that our skills weren't woeful,  but to focus primarily on our kicking would be to oversimplify our general shittness which was complex, deep and varied. 

There is also the psychology behind it.  Our loss of mojo leaked into all facets of our game. 


2 hours ago, Stretch Johnson said:

@Deespencer touched on it.   Kicking is a lot easier when you have targets that have worked into space that are confidently demanding the footy. 

I'm not saying that our skills weren't woeful,  but to focus primarily on our kicking would be to oversimplify our general shittness which was complex, deep and varied. 

There is also the psychology behind it.  Our loss of mojo leaked into all facets of our game. 

 
If you're working hard into space and your teammates are continually butchering the delivery it makes it tough to keep running with confidence that they'll actually reward your effort with a decent disposal.

Double edged sword.

Edited by Fork 'em

7 hours ago, Stretch Johnson said:

@Deespencer touched on it.   Kicking is a lot easier when you have targets that have worked into space that are confidently demanding the footy. 

Run to space, be it frontal, sideways or backward. Anticipate to create. Drop the Jones/Viney/Clarry 'bomb' syndrome.

17 hours ago, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

Not to worry, will be about 6 months until you see a missed kick or goal by us again 

Up until last season, our record of not missing a target in finals was exceptional.

 

We wouldn’t have a team if that were the case. 

 

12 hours ago, Stretch Johnson said:

@Deespencer touched on it.   Kicking is a lot easier when you have targets that have worked into space that are confidently demanding the footy. 

I'm not saying that our skills weren't woeful,  but to focus primarily on our kicking would be to oversimplify our general shittness which was complex, deep and varied. 

There is also the psychology behind it.  Our loss of mojo leaked into all facets of our game. 

 

4 hours ago, Deemania since 56 said:

Run to space, be it frontal, sideways or backward. Anticipate to create. Drop the Jones/Viney/Clarry 'bomb' syndrome.

Not just working into space but making space.

wWhen you handball to another shepherd them to allow them to balance and improve their delivery..

Unless you are included in the offensive phase. Reduce space on your opponents. Back up teamates by being aware of the phase of the game .

If teammate has space recognise that and tighten up the opposition if a rebound or umpire decision occurs.


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.

    • 86 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
    • 316 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