Would like to see Salem on the Wing.  Funny we made the statement last year that we tried 20 odd players on the wing and had no one this is why we drafted Langdon and Tomlinson.  They won't have the courage to move Salem off half back so the Wings will be AVB/Brayshaw/Harmes

 

1 hour ago, cantstandyasam said:

AVB needs to get more of the ball and dispose of it to advantage quicker than he does. He gets caught because he sometimes takes an eternity to kick it.

Are you @samcantstandya's alter ego ??

13 hours ago, Lord Travis said:

Fair call. Everything’s a blur these days. So many years of failure and so few champions or great years. I still remember Nicholson getting toweled up by Matthew Lloyd in the early 2000s.

How about Issac Weetra dominating?!

How about Nicholson getting towelled up by David Hille in the 2004 Elimination Final! (the last time Essendon won a final by the way)

2 hours ago, nosoupforme said:

 17 of the players selected this weeks team played in the 2018 Preliminary finals series.

                                                                 Very -  Interesting.

15? Jones and Smith played but they are emergencies this week

3 hours ago, Redleg said:

Melksham has to be on his last chance this week.

His game was pathetic against the Tigers and worse against the Cats, where he cost us several goals.

He is in on reputation and not form.

He's a mate of Goody's since Essendon days "Citing his friendship with incoming coach, Simon Goodwin, as the key reason for his move to Melbourne" (source wikipedia)

Hibbo is also close mates with Goody. Hibbo took his dropping on the chin and has come back to reward Goody with some fantastic efforts so far.

Melksham, on the other hand, is taking advantage of this friendship and putting in some [censored] poor efforts. Goody needs to drop him and make him earn his spot. 

30 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

How about Nicholson getting towelled up by David Hille in the 2004 Elimination Final! (the last time Essendon won a final by the way)

That was a memorable match for multiple reasons. Nicholson was rubbish that day. Travis stepped up in finals as usual. It had my favorite price of play ever - Whelan bump laying out golden boy Hird and then Travis kicking a goal from boundary line 50 on the run. Beautiful few moments of football.

Umpiring cost us that match at the end!

As for this weekend, I think it’ll be a close match but still have little hope we’ll find form and win. Gold Coast are competent ball winners and cleaner users. Will depend on if our mids can be smarter for once! Hopefully Weid in provides us better structure. Definitely the right In structurally at least.

Edited July 10, 20205 yr by Lord Travis

18 hours ago, MF-C said:

how on earth does AVB stay in ahead of Rivers/Tomlinson? 

 

IMO, he's a much better footballer & impacts the game more than both of these guys put together. (when fully fit)

Rivers will be good in the long term.......My previous posts re Tomlinson will show that this is no surprise.

19 hours ago, MF-C said:

how on earth does AVB stay in ahead of Rivers/Tomlinson? 

 

Hasn't played a lot of footy so I think AVB deserves a few weeks to settle. He is also unafraid of contact and flying into a contest, something Tomlinson seems to avoid. 

whilst Goodwin is there, these changes are like rearranging the titanic's deck chairs

37 minutes ago, Laughing Goat said:

IMO, he's a much better footballer & impacts the game more than both of these guys put together. (when fully fit)

Rivers will be good in the long term.......My previous posts re Tomlinson will show that this is no surprise.

 

26 minutes ago, TickleMeTyson said:

Hasn't played a lot of footy so I think AVB deserves a few weeks to settle. He is also unafraid of contact and flying into a contest, something Tomlinson seems to avoid. 

i hope you're both right and happy to be proven wrong!

I'll watch AVB closely and hopefully he can have an impact

32 minutes ago, Laughing Goat said:

IMO, he's a much better footballer & impacts the game more than both of these guys put together. (when fully fit)

Rivers will be good in the long term.......My previous posts re Tomlinson will show that this is no surprise.

On form, he's the worst of the 3 listed. Due to injury and form, we haven't seen him impact a game since 2018. He, like Melksham and others, shouldn't be given a free ride. It's poor culture. If he's not ready to play, then don't play him. We have a fit list and plenty of better performing and more deserving players. AVB is hardly a superstar. At his peak, he's a battering ram. At present, he's a waste of a rotation and a liability.

Strong culture dictates you perform or you're out. Look at successful clubs like Hawthorn dropping players like Roughhead, Burgoyne, Bruest, Puopolo, Birchall etc when they didn't perform. It doesn't matter what your name or draft pick number was, you need to perform. On form none of AVB, Smith, Melksham, Hunt, Lever, Pickett, Tmac, Tomlinson deserve a game at present. 

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

15? Jones and Smith played but they are emergencies this week

OK I have got it now........Fritta was dropped for Smith. so he didn't play in the Prelim. 

Smith and Jones are our EMGS this game they  were  not added. Fritta didn't play then so that makes it 16. Thanks

Goody is hoping for some 2018 magic so are  most of us l think.  Loyal to the core .

2 minutes ago, Lord Travis said:

On form, he's the worst of the 3 listed. Due to injury and form, we haven't seen him impact a game since 2018. He, like Melksham and others, shouldn't be given a free ride. It's poor culture. If he's not ready to play, then don't play him. We have a fit list and plenty of better performing and more deserving players. AVB is hardly a superstar. At his peak, he's a battering ram. At present, he's a waste of a rotation and a liability.

Strong culture dictates you perform or you're out. Look at successful clubs like Hawthorn dropping players like Roughhead, Burgoyne, Bruest, Puopolo, Birchall etc when they didn't perform. It doesn't matter what your name or draft pick number was, you need to perform. On form none of AVB, Smith, Melksham, Hunt, Lever, Pickett, Tmac, Tomlinson deserve a game at present. 

I agree to some extent LT.......

Tomlinson hasn't been setting the world on fire, but he's not the lone ranger, but I would take a Vanders any day of the week ahead of him.....& the reality also is that apart from Max, we aren't blessed with superstars so I would take a battering ram ahead of players that think they are superstars. You say Vanders is a liability? We will have to agree to disagree on this one, but at least he has a go!  

I agree with your comment about culture, however, if you want to build a strong culture, you need to have a strong foundation & a respected coach who has a proven track record.

That seems like a very long way away.

 

I think we are jumping the gun on this so far.  Yes we are 1 and 3 and have not been consistent but there has been some good passages.

Also, we have only played 4 games (1 less than the majority of the comp) and the 3 we lost to have been 3 of the best performing teams of the last 3+ years.  Further if it wasnt for 1 bad quarter in each game we will have had 2 wins, a much better % and games against Richmond and WC would be much closer.  No doubt commentary would be much different.

I see Port starting to cop it today after they lost to Brisbane and the pressure is on if the lose to GWS.  Lets remember they have beaten Adelaide, Freo, Eagles (not the R1 team in Perth) and the Suns (R1).  How fickle it all is.

As a 40+ year supporter and member I too am as frustrated as anyone on the club, players and coach and hope the 2019 year was an aberration, however the next 4-5 weeks will tell where we sit (starting with this week) so I am trying to cool my heels a liitle on determining where we are until we have a better body of work to determine it.

Go Dees! 

Why is it more entertaining reading Demonland than watching the MFC play?

how does melksham still get a game ahead of Tomlinson

 

20 hours ago, ArtificialWisdom said:

Nor have i but i believe he is swinging an axe

He is literally knocking the door down for selection!

21 hours ago, BrisbaneDemon said:

I’ll be very interested to see who replaces Tomlinson on the wing?

OMAC Surely, with his athleticism, skill and pace MUST play on the wing!!  ?

6 hours ago, Lord Nev said:

Let me guess, you don't understand the difference between those things and a selection committee.

Confirmed.

IN: Bennell, Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Weideman

OUT: Tomlinson (Omitted), Hunt (Omitted), Smith (Omitted), 

Rivers (Omitted)

 

Chaotic selection process, just like our game plan

 

Edited July 10, 20205 yr by one_demon

2 hours ago, old dee said:

Why is it more entertaining reading Demonland than watching the MFC play?

Social media gives you the dopamine hit. Our dopey players on the other hand give us very little reward each week!

Edited July 10, 20205 yr by John Demonic

2 hours ago, old dee said:

Why is it more entertaining reading Demonland than watching the MFC play?

It's just as disjointed if you ask me.

2 hours ago, BScotti said:

Further if it wasnt for 1 bad quarter in each game we will have had 2 wins, a much better % and games against Richmond and WC would be much closer.  No doubt commentary would be much different.

I admire your positivity but I feel like it's almost a script we are following; good in patches, really good in patches, absolutely deplorable quarter to the point where it kicks us out of the game.

I do wonder how much different the commentary would've been had Tomlinson's kick against Geelong floated through, but the simple fact is that it didn't and we are 1-3 and pretty much with our season on the line this week. 

Something that is really concerning to me, but I'm hoping will have been addressed this week with selection, is our goalless quarters. 
WC - first quarter, had 4 shots on goal, at least one should have sailed through
Carlton - goalless 2nd HALF, Fritta should've nailed the one at the end
Geelong - first quarter, scored a point
Richmond - 2nd quarter, kicked us out of the game

Even Adelaide, who have been deplorable this year, have only had two goalless quarters. They are becoming a regular part to our game and we will not win anything until this stops.

Edited July 10, 20205 yr by Pates

11 hours ago, dee-tox said:

We'll punch the living suitcases out of Gold Coast this week and win by four goals. 

 

That may be rather difficult. If the Gold Coast Suns are true blue dinky-di  Queenslanders they will not have a suitcase between them. What they will have is ports.

3 hours ago, BScotti said:

I think we are jumping the gun on this so far.  Yes we are 1 and 3 and have not been consistent but there has been some good passages.

Also, we have only played 4 games (1 less than the majority of the comp) and the 3 we lost to have been 3 of the best performing teams of the last 3+ years.  Further if it wasnt for 1 bad quarter in each game we will have had 2 wins, a much better % and games against Richmond and WC would be much closer.  No doubt commentary would be much different.

I see Port starting to cop it today after they lost to Brisbane and the pressure is on if the lose to GWS.  Lets remember they have beaten Adelaide, Freo, Eagles (not the R1 team in Perth) and the Suns (R1).  How fickle it all is.

As a 40+ year supporter and member I too am as frustrated as anyone on the club, players and coach and hope the 2019 year was an aberration, however the next 4-5 weeks will tell where we sit (starting with this week) so I am trying to cool my heels a liitle on determining where we are until we have a better body of work to determine it.

Go Dees! 

Brad.... nice beard... but the season is slipping away, it’s only 17 games.

The bold part... if my grandma had wheels she’d be a wagon. Our % is a true reflection of our standing.