8️⃣ reasons why Melbourne can spring back up the ladder in 2020.

? | Pressure on Demons to Bounce Back

 

Do yourself a favour and don’t read the comments at the end of the article, dumbasses, dumbasses everywhere. 

Reason 9: We can’t do much worse. 

Edited December 29, 20195 yr by Ethan Tremblay

41 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Reason 9: We can’t do much worse. 

?

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

?

Could you imagine?!

Thank fart for The Suns. 

 

Can someone please post the 8 reasons, Haven’t got access to the Herald Sun!

47 minutes ago, D4Life said:

Can someone please post the 8 reasons, Haven’t got access to the Herald Sun!

Go to that SC facebook page and click the link from there, you'll get the full article. 2 of the reasons are our 18yo draftees and Bennell, so they're reaching for reasons lol.

51 minutes ago, TheoX said:

Go to that SC facebook page and click the link from there, you'll get the full article. 2 of the reasons are our 18yo draftees and Bennell, so they're reaching for reasons lol.

I know it's just a puff piece to generate column inches, but the writer didn't think having Max Gawn as one of the two clearly best-in-a-generation ruckmen wasn't worth including?

2 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I know it's just a puff piece to generate column inches, but the writer didn't think having Max Gawn as one of the two clearly best-in-a-generation ruckmen wasn't worth including?

I think we will look back on Gawn's career and say the team didn't really make use of his dominance. Recently I have been asking myself who was the more influential ruckman.. Max or Jeff White... Jeff at his peak rucked superbly, acted as the linkman when the ball was bought into the corridor and could take a wonderful high pack mark up forward. White's tactic f belting the ball forward from the centre bounce was often referred to as being as good as a kick. Okay zoning etc may have made that more difficult but I cannot think of many occasions when's Gawn's dominance has been used in a planned way.

3 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

I think we will look back on Gawn's career and say the team didn't really make use of his dominance. Recently I have been asking myself who was the more influential ruckman.. Max or Jeff White... Jeff at his peak rucked superbly, acted as the linkman when the ball was bought into the corridor and could take a wonderful high pack mark up forward. White's tactic f belting the ball forward from the centre bounce was often referred to as being as good as a kick. Okay zoning etc may have made that more difficult but I cannot think of many occasions when's Gawn's dominance has been used in a planned way.

Jeff White was a very good ruckman but he had hard hands and was a woeful pack mark, it was his greatest weakness and Max kills him in this aspect.  Sure Jeff could occasionally use his great leap and soar up for a chest mark on someone's shoulders.

Credit where it's due, he was a great kick, particularly for a ruckman.

Edited December 30, 20195 yr by Fifty-5

Some of White's rucking performances were so completely dominant across a whole game - I've have seen many highlights reels on DL over the past couple of years where our greatest players reaped the benefits of White's mobility, tapping-thumping skills and sheer nouse as a linkman. Check out the game he played when The Wizard kicked his 9 goals ... perfect example... 

Edited December 30, 20195 yr by Deemania since 56

I'm cautiously optomistic about our 2020 prospects, feeling kinda similar to how I felt heading into 2018. I think the elements for success are there, it's a matter of making them click (again). The players (and coaching staff) need to do all they can to draw on the confidence we had in 2018 and remembering that they have it in them.

All good points in the article, the Harley Bennell call is honestly a case of, "whatever happenes, happens".

11 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

I think we will look back on Strawbs, Jimmy's, Whites, Gawn's Jacksons (?) career and say the team didn't really make use of his dominance.

Familiar story perhaps...

Edited December 30, 20195 yr by John Demonic
Hello MFCSS my old friend...

On 12/29/2019 at 4:35 PM, Diamond_Jim said:

I think we will look back on Gawn's career and say the team didn't really make use of his dominance. Recently I have been asking myself who was the more influential ruckman.. Max or Jeff White... Jeff at his peak rucked superbly, acted as the linkman when the ball was bought into the corridor and could take a wonderful high pack mark up forward. White's tactic f belting the ball forward from the centre bounce was often referred to as being as good as a kick. Okay zoning etc may have made that more difficult but I cannot think of many occasions when's Gawn's dominance has been used in a planned way.

I often wonder when we are getting beaten out of the middle why Max doesn’t belt a few forward and just have our quickest midfielder heading in the direction we are going! Once or twice a quarter could be planned!

Re the 8 reasons, my eight would be:

- Better drawer

- Less off season surgeries 

- Nearly 40 players getting a full pre season

- In particular be great to see midfield of Oliver, Viney, Brayshaw all getting a pre season so they can actually run

- Complemented by new recruits in Langdon and Tomlinson(crap pre season) providing outside run, I also think Harmes could play wing role even if training with half backs

- Backline with May & Lever In it, plus having trained as a back 6-8 will help, add Jetta, Hibberd, OMac, J  Smith all fit must help!

- Players able to play in correct positions, e.g. Fritsch thrown all over ground last year to cover for injuries, let him play forward all year will definitely help forward line

- Due to better pre season for nearly 40 players, the team will be fitter and run out games much better, also have gut feeling that due to better fitness base will have less injuries during the year!

Bonus points:
Run, endurance and confidence are three keys to success in AFL, we had none last year, add those three into the mix a bit of luck with injuries and you will see a totally different team in 2020!

Go Demons!!

1. The only way is up - not really a reason, although you can point to 2018 as far better footy clearly
2/3. Tomlinson, Langdon - yep, sure can't hurt!
4/5. May/Lever. Tom Mc - clearly those guys at their best will help
6. The first round draft picks - bit early to say, not entirely convinced they'll help much in 2020 but the talent will be nice
7. The draw - overplayed as a factor, probably 1-2 wins max but you'll take it
8. Bennell - not until we see it.

 

On 12/30/2019 at 10:27 AM, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I know it's just a puff piece to generate column inches, but the writer didn't think having Max Gawn as one of the two clearly best-in-a-generation ruckmen wasn't worth including?

Gawn’s already been making his ongoing contribution, so he’s perhaps not really seen as a reason that they’d ‘spring back in 2020’, unless he takes his game to an even higher level this year, if that’s possible. 

The better way to have phrased point No.1 is that at our 2018 best the MFC has show it's self capable of playing football that is well and truly capable of beating just about any side in the competition and that a return to that level of list fitness, system and confidence should have us right up there again.  We are inherently a much better team than our 17th finish would suggest.

If we are to improve significantly, then I think point No.2 has to be improved game plan and system.  It will be a big test for Simon Goodwin and the coaches.  If we don't improve in this area, then everything else falls down.  I'm backing Goodwin to produce the goods.  In 2018, he took us from a team that defended well, but struggled to attack to the highest scoring team in the comp.  Perhaps there was an over correction towards attacking at the expense of defense and last year we frankly didn't have the troops and it all fell apart, but if Goodwin can coach that change in game style in one direction, I believe he can wind it back the other way as well.  Everything about whom Goody was as a player and his various clean-outs of players who wouldn't commit to me says he has the fortitude and abilities to set expectations and get the team to two way run much better in 2020 - Langdon and Tomlinson should help in this regards as well.  I initially thought Tomlinson could be a lot further down the list of reasons, but this realisation of how important he would be structurally, now makes me think where he is nominated relatively is about right.

Point No.3 or 4 for me would be the age profile and continued natural development of list our with key mids like Oliver, Brayshaw, Trac, Harmes, ANB (perhaps Viney if he can maintain fitness) and other guys guys like Freitch, Salem and to some extent Weid/Petty.  Sure some other clubs could also claim this, but I think with a fit list we are ahead of similar lists like St Kilda, Brisbane & Freo and I expect the age profiles of some clubs up the top like Geelong, WC and Collingwood will have them heading in the opposite direction.

No.9, I would just have as generic 'wild card' factor.  Into this I think you could lump a hoast of players like Jackson, Pickett, Rivers, AVB, Joel Smith, Bennell, Sparrow, Baker, Dunkley and perhaps KK.  There is no certainly that any one of those players in particular will pop up and star, but I think there is a fairly high chance that at least one of them will.  Again I think we have more in this category than other clubs due to a combination of frount loading the draft just gone and our annus horribilis 2019.

I'd probably also add a No.10 point - Depth.  Provided we can keep a fairly fit list up to Rd.1, having players like O Mac, Petty, Pruess, Brown, Hore, Spargo, Hannan, Lockhart, the Wagners and possibly Jordan, Chandler and Bedford as fringe/depth players is a lot better than I suspect a lot of other clubs have.  Sure we looked fairly exposed when we needed to use alot of them all at once last year, but using them more so in isolation to plug holes and maintain selection pressure, I think they are all more than capable of doing a job and some could also develop and get better.

Edited January 1, 20205 yr by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Post script - I think it was rather remiss of the Hun to not mention Jetta in the reasons our backline will improve.  Provided he doesn't drop away as he ages, Nev would have to be right up there with the best small defenders in the comp and we missed him immensely last season.

It could also be noted that we will miss some of the atletisim from Frost, but that could be more than compensated by a fit Steve May and the sounder ball movement that should result through having him and players like Jetta down back.

On 12/30/2019 at 1:58 PM, Fifty-5 said:

Jeff White was a very good ruckman but he had hard hands and was a woeful pack mark, it was his greatest weakness and Max kills him in this aspect.  Sure Jeff could occasionally use his great leap and soar up for a chest mark on someone's shoulders.

Credit where it's due, he was a great kick, particularly for a ruckman.

We haven't really had a dominant midfield for many years. I mean really dominant. We had a good year in 2018 but you have to go back to Todd Viney or greg Wells to find a dominant mid.  We have the makings of our best midfield for many years if they can continue to improve, Oliver can become more damaging, Tracc can impose himself and Viney can return to form.