Current Team Potentially Best in 50 Years

[Dees2014 2,377]

I know it is early days but l think this team has the potential to be the best dees team in the modern era. It does not really have a weakness plus it has some genuinely champion players on almost every line, plus it is extremely well led and coached. 

The first rounds draft picks we have picked up over the last five years have produced some genuine champions (Petracca, Gawn, Viney, Oliver and potentially Bennell), some extremely good players (TMac, Omac, , Lever, Jetta, Friscke, Salem, May, Vanders, Weid, Hannan) and brilliant youngsters  in Jackson and Kossie. 
 

The challenge now is consistency, but all in all l can’t remember being as excited as l am by the potential of a demon team as l am by this one. It is the most skilled team we have had in my lifetime.

Who agrees? I know there will be many that will think that l am tempting fate. We will see l guess.....
 

 

[Deefiant 441]

Would be wary of a knee jerk reaction. Two weeks ago we'd probably be saying that we have major problems in every line. Still think we have problems with the forward line and I think quick teams will still be able to score easily on the counter. 

[Mel Bourne 4,534]

I like the optimism! And I don't see any reason to strongly disagree when you lay it out like that, BUT, I do think we are lacking the kind of forward line that rivals the the top teams for now. As it stands, we are pinning our hopes on Weid, Fritsch, Kozzie and perhaps Jackson and Sparrow to be that forward line and those targets we are so genuinely lacking right now.  It's a big ask of such a young group, and there are no guarantees they'll all rise to the task. We hope like nothing else they will though.

[Pickett2Jackson 3,904]

Cant remember the last time the club have have had such a powerful trio as Gawn/Trac/Oliver.

We have been starved of truly elite players over the decades, but now we have a few.  The skys the limit if LJ and Pickett become as good as they promise....   but as it always does it will  depend on the coaching staff as to any success we have.

[Sir Why You Little 37,153]

Beat some decent teams consistently before talking like this

I am so tired of potential. The team we beat on sunday have won 12 Flags in 50 years

This team has got the potential to beat Brisbane next week  That is all we should be concentrating on

 

[Pates 9,660]

I feel like we’ve got the pieces of the puzzle to be a competitive club in the top 4, it’s just a matter of whether we can put it all together and whether the game plan (and coach?) holds up. 

[John Demonic 5,855]

Once we knock off Brisbane on the 25th and Port on the 30th, we'll be the best July Demon team of all my 50 July's watching ?

Edited July 21, 2020 by John Demonic

[Nasher 33,617]

I hope you’re right, but as you are also the OP of the Goodwin thread, I think you are riding the roller coaster a bit. I can’t remember the origin of this quote but someone said things in footy are never as bad, or as good, as they seem. 

[The Jackson FIX 3,210]

Not sure ‘best squad in past 50 years’ is a particularly high bar to set but it feels like a very premature comment. We came 17th last year. 2 weeks ago we looked like one of the worst sides in the comp. I’ll happily take the ‘94 and ‘00 squads at this point in time.

[titan_uranus 25,045]

1 hour ago, Nasher said:

I hope you’re right, but as you are also the OP of the Goodwin thread, I think you are riding the roller coaster a bit. I can’t remember the origin of this quote but someone said things in footy are never as bad, or as good, as they seem. 

Leigh Matthews I think.

This is peak Demonland. Two weeks ago we were as bad as the Neeld era. Now we're the best side in 50 years.

Neither of those are true.

[praha 11,240]

On paper, our 1994 team was far and away the best side since our last flag. That team, healthy, would absolutely pummel our current list. Problem was we could never get them all on the park at once, and when we got close to, we would smash teams. Not all the unlike this current crop. Ultimately our issue now is depth. Whenever it's put to the test, we struggle to score. 

I do think we have a very good list atm but it's a combination of structure, coaching and behaviours that still let us down. We're far from perfect but certainly not a 17th-18th team. But we could be. That's the big unknown with this squad.

[BW511 2,688]

Not knocking you @Dees2014, but this is part of the problem with the MFC.

Having our best side on paper in 50 years is exciting, but it has to amount to something. We need to be better, even if this is the best we have had

[ManDee 7,222]

9 hours ago, Dees2014 said:

I know it is early days but l think this team has the potential to be the best dees team in the modern era. It does not really have a weakness plus it has some genuinely champion players on almost every line, plus it is extremely well led and coached. 

The first rounds draft picks we have picked up over the last five years have produced some genuine champions (Petracca, Gawn, Viney, Oliver and potentially Bennell), some extremely good players (TMac, Omac, , Lever, Jetta, Friscke, Salem, May, Vanders, Weid, Hannan) and brilliant youngsters  in Jackson and Kossie. 
 

The challenge now is consistency, but all in all l can’t remember being as excited as l am by the potential of a demon team as l am by this one. It is the most skilled team we have had in my lifetime.

Who agrees? I know there will be many that will think that l am tempting fate. We will see l guess.....
 

 

Only Oliver & maybe Weideman fit that criteria.  And as you say Jackson & Pickett, who show potential.

Edited July 21, 2020 by ManDee

[Wiseblood 24,637]

Last 50 years? 

Nah.  Best since 1858.  Let's do this right.

[FlashInThePan 1,893]

Like many, I need to see a body of evidence before I am piling credit on this list. What I can say though, after watching the replay again last night, is that the hawthorn game was probably the most complete performance I have seen from this team. We literally dominated every phase of the game from contest to defence to marks in forward 50 to forward half pressure to defensive structure. Every part of the game. The next thing we need to master is consistency.

I'm as up this week as I was down after the Tigers game. I'd like to see us cement this level of play, confidence is a wonderful thing for a team (and a supporter). If they can nail a few in a row like the Hawks they will bring confidence and belief into every action.

On a side note - how good was Langdon?! That bloke can seriously run all day, he was everywhere, providing an outlet, blocking up holes. he is like ANB but with skills and excellent instincts.

[DeePressed 114]

Love the optimism. 

How many of the 22 from Sunday would get a game in 94 or 00? 4 at best.

Team was full of footballers back then.

If by the end of the year the gap between our best and worst reduces I could start to buy in

[old55 23,709]

18 minutes ago, DeePressed said:

Love the optimism. 

How many of the 22 from Sunday would get a game in 94 or 00? 4 at best.

Team was full of footballers back then.

If by the end of the year the gap between our best and worst reduces I could start to buy in

You mean like

1994: Jeff Hilton. Paul Hopgood, Dean Irving and Jason Norrish

2000: Daniel Ward, Alistair Nicholson, Matthew Collins, Brent Grgic and Ben Beames

 

 

 

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

We have a talented list, the most such in many a year, but the missing ingredient is the inner toughness as a group to win week in and week out. (It wasn't very long ago that 3 wins in a row was a monumental achievement. Three entire wins!)

Not even the Northey era (short on talent but long on G&D) could manage that. Key losses at important times. Daniher era, entire seasons went missing.

I want to see an MFC side that squeezes the life out of the oppo week after week, home or away, rain hail or shine, like the great Swans sides, Bears of '01-'03, or (shudder) Hawks.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Mazer Rackham

[dpositive 1,699]

11 hours ago, Dees2014 said:

I know it is early days but l think this team has the potential to be the best dees team in the modern era. It does not really have a weakness plus it has some genuinely champion players on almost every line, plus it is extremely well led and coached. 

The first rounds draft picks we have picked up over the last five years have produced some genuine champions (Petracca, Gawn, Viney, Oliver and potentially Bennell), some extremely good players (TMac, Omac, , Lever, Jetta, Friscke, Salem, May, Vanders, Weid, Hannan) and brilliant youngsters  in Jackson and Kossie. 
 

The challenge now is consistency, but all in all l can’t remember being as excited as l am by the potential of a demon team as l am by this one. It is the most skilled team we have had in my lifetime.

Who agrees? I know there will be many that will think that l am tempting fate. We will see l guess.....
 

 

Agree wholeheartedly. Have been promoting through various threads and have noted the cumulative effects.

Have probably driven people mad by indicating this is a squad matter not just a team.

We have replacement and reserves for most positions and we should be rotating the squad to mach a variety of structures and a variety of systems.

we can select squads to mach and exploit opposition variety.

Its now n the coach to get the total team including psychological and fitness members to perform and win.

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,510]

35 minutes ago, DeePressed said:

Love the optimism. 

How many of the 22 from Sunday would get a game in 94 or 00? 4 at best.

Team was full of footballers back then.

If by the end of the year the gap between our best and worst reduces I could start to buy in

I think it's a matter of talent vs team or, dare I say, team of champions vs champion team.

There's an awful lot of talent in the current line-up, but we are not playing as well collectively as the 2000 team.

There was a stack of talent in the '94 team, but there was not an even spread across the park - namely the defense and midfield were significantly weaker talent-wise that the forward line.  Let's not forget, for all it's talent and enthusiasm, that team only made the finals after beating Sydney in the final round.  Lose that and the '94 team finishes outside the 8 and is not talked about again.

From the weekend, you could find a role for:

Gawn

Oliver

Petracca

May 

Viney

Langdon

Salem

Harmes

Hibberd

 

Mostly midfield and defenders and, on current form, you'd probably consider Lever and Oscar too.  
Our starting tall backs in the 2000 grand final were: Ingerson, Nicholson and Collins; good honest footballers who could play a role, but certainly not incredible players.

Again, a starting midfield of White, Rigoni, Leoncelli and Woewodin were playing very well collectively in 2000, but I would have my money on Gawn, Oliver, Petracca and Viney to be getting the ball out of the middle ahead of them.

 

 

[Neil Crompton 5,666]

Mods, please close this thread before our season - and probably the next 10 - disintegrates. 

[Willmoy1947 4,140]

At least we are going to get exposure all around the country, so good time to be up and about playing well i hope...

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

We've beaten 7th, 11th and 14th on the ladder so far.

 

[The Chazz 4,077]

Obviously this year is a strange year.  Period.  But what I think it is showing is that some of the sides that have had an extensive period of sustained success, ie Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney, and to some degree St Kilda, they are at the end of their era, and the years of being up at the top and not bringing if top end talent, as well as trying to plug gaps with older players to keep them up there, is finally starting to bite them.

GWS, Collingwood and West Coast haven't really brought anyone in to keep them up there, and their list has enough quality on it to keep them dangerous.  That said, their respective lists are starting to age.  These clubs are approaching an interesting time - do they keep topping up (like the teams in the first paragraph), or do they have a 2-3 year mini-rebuild and launch again?  I can't see Collingwood doing that.

A side like North is showing that they, like many other clubs, have been desperate to show some success, and have also tried to plug gaps with established players from other clubs.  All that has done is kept them in that "around the mark" area of the finals race, meaning they have also not bottomed out and picked up those high draft picks.  Fremantle are probably in this boat too.

You look at sides like Carlton, Brisbane, Gold Coast and us who have been down the bottom for a long time, built lists with top draft picks, and now are starting to see how those kids are stacking up.  That's not to say us, or any of those teams I mentioned, are going to be powerhouses, but if any of them got their list management and development right, it's a perfect time to be coming in to the start of that famous "premiership window".

While I'm not as positive as the OP just quite yet, I am confident that if we have got things right, that we will have an extended period of finals footy, where we regularly finish in the Top 4.  Time will tell.

 

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,943]

I can see this thread being brought up next Thursday night if we're 3-5.

Next 2 weeks will sort out if we're any good or not.