Jump to content

Featured Replies

11 minutes ago, gs77 said:

Base level with plenty of incentives for # games in the 1s.  He's 28 next month, so I'm not sure how many other clubs would be in the market...?

At least 6 clubs would match that easily is my guess.

He'll be going for guarantees. Remember he's now had one full year in a training regime. He's not the unknown risk he was at the end of 2019

 
1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Just hope he's given a contract to prove his worth with a full pre season.

Yeh i hope so as well.

I dont know the situation but afl list cuts and our list cut is going to be very interesting.

 

8 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

At least 6 clubs would match that easily is my guess.

He'll be going for guarantees. Remember he's now had one full year in a training regime. He's not the unknown risk he was at the end of 2019

If it was not for his early record would he have any games this season. I suspect none.

I would want to see a lot more before i offered a contract for next year.

If the rumour is true Then I am on the MFC side. Put up or shut up in the next 3 games.

 
2 minutes ago, old dee said:

If it was not for his early record would he have any games this season. I suspect none.

I would want to see a lot more before i offered a contract for next year.

If the rumour is true Then I am on the MFC side. Put up or shut up in the next 3 games.

Agree.... tough but fair

24 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

This hasn't been confirmed.

In fact Liam Pickering on SEN yesterday thinks there will be no list size cuts as its being left late in the season for that decision. 

 

if no list cuts then that would suggest across the board pay reductions.

guess it all depends on aflpa negotiations, being a choice of smaller lists or pay reductions

if social distancing etc extends into next season as is expected things will get even tougher financially for the afl


I want to see him get another game but I'm leaning towards the club side too. There's clearly a reason he hasn't been in the mix, hope he can do enough for another deal but there's a lot to be done before that.

A tiny, tiny sample which is unfair to draw anything from but it did look like Harley was in second gear in the Collingwood scratch-match footage. I agree that he needs to develop trust in his body - but he also needs to be managed psychologically. I have no doubt that it's a two-way dialogue though and would love to see him have another taste vs. Fremantle. 

On the subject of contract issues - Bennell has earned back a lot of goodwill from the wider AFL community this year. If he ditched us now for a few extra bucks that would evaporate overnight, which could in turn jeopardise ongoing recovery from certain behavioural issues. His manager would be negligent in my opinion. The pay-day will come if he makes it back to best 22.   

44 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

This hasn't been confirmed.

In fact Liam Pickering on SEN yesterday thinks there will be no list size cuts as its being left late in the season for that decision. 

 

Have read somewhere (can't remember where) that list cuts may be put off til 2022, just to help clubs that already have too many players contracted.

Would make sense and still assist with cutting some of the running costs for clubs without unduly impacting clubs with contract payouts.

 
1 hour ago, Diamond_Jim said:

so what contract do you offer him remembering list sizes are being cut and his manager will be shopping him around

Shopping him around?

After everything we did to rehab him and get him back to playing?

Despite the obviously strong relationship he has with May and, it seems, with Goodwin (possibly/probably Burgess too)?

No way.

IMO Bennell's issue is intensity - he hasn't been sprinting or chasing hard enough when he's been in the side. If that's because he's fearful of injuring himself, that's something he has to work on. But I've seen enough to believe he still has the desire to make it, and the talent to be a best 22 player for us. After putting all this work in, I cannot imagine we'd be giving up now.

2 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

Shopping him around?

After everything we did to rehab him and get him back to playing?

Despite the obviously strong relationship he has with May and, it seems, with Goodwin (possibly/probably Burgess too)?

No way.

IMO Bennell's issue is intensity - he hasn't been sprinting or chasing hard enough when he's been in the side. If that's because he's fearful of injuring himself, that's something he has to work on. But I've seen enough to believe he still has the desire to make it, and the talent to be a best 22 player for us. After putting all this work in, I cannot imagine we'd be giving up now.

His intensity isn't much different from Fritsch's all year, and Melksham struggles with intensity too. 


2 hours ago, A F said:

His intensity isn't much different from Fritsch's all year, and Melksham struggles with intensity too. 

Harley at 80% has them both covered, just need to get him there

Edited by BW511

Get him in.

If Goodwin justifys having that ghost in Melksham prance around doing sweet [censored] all and not laying any defensive pressure, then Bennell should be taking his spot.

8 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Get him in.

If Goodwin justifys having that ghost in Melksham prance around doing sweet [censored] all and not laying any defensive pressure, then Bennell should be taking his spot.

Gee, Fritsch gets off lightly...

1 minute ago, A F said:

Gee, Fritsch gets off lightly...

Yeah he was pissweak. 

I'm dead set over him. Week after week he's let us down with poor kicking for goal.

Now finals are almost certainly out of the question why not give him a few games to set him up for next year. Nothing to lose now. 


1 minute ago, It's Time said:

Now finals are almost certainly out of the question why not give him a few games to set him up for next year. Nothing to lose now. 

Yep! He couldn't make us any worse than we were today

Certainly can't argue that the forwards tonight were operating at a level of intensity that Bennell can't produce.

I still think Bennell needs to improve that part of his game but I'm more than happy to let him have a crack instead of watching Melksham fail again.

I'd like to see Bennell play a few more games, especially given his winning % for the team, but if he doesn't that's cool.  He's still not there with his body.  Needs to put on a bit more muscle and get more miles into his legs.  The fat that he's been playing as much as he has this year is a great sign. 

Also, His physicality and defensive pressure is a complete non-issue for me.  Sure, it would be great if he was a tackling machine, but that's not what he was drafted for and it's not what we need him for.  He's on the list because he's a great ball-user and a smooth outside runner.  He's the creative cog we're missing.  Why try to make him into something he's not?  Just use the player he is. 

He should play against the Dockers we need his class. No one has class in the side.

6 hours ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

Also, His physicality and defensive pressure is a complete non-issue for me.  Sure, it would be great if he was a tackling machine, but that's not what he was drafted for and it's not what we need him for.  He's on the list because he's a great ball-user and a smooth outside runner.  He's the creative cog we're missing.  Why try to make him into something he's not?  Just use the player he is. 

This is one of my pet hates, we need different types all across the ground, not robots cut from the same mould in different heights and weight.

Goodwin is particularly fond of the boring inside types and we play a style of footy that reflects it. Aside from Petracca occasionally, who else can break a game open with creativity and flair alone? 

in the period where Goodwin is coaching, any individual excitement has been coached out of our players and it is so sad to watch.

We make the game so bloody difficult, so a half-fit Harley getting 15 high quality touches could be the only that gives supporters a reason to tune in next year.

 

 

 


1 hour ago, BW511 said:

This is one of my pet hates, we need different types all across the ground, not robots cut from the same mould in different heights and weight.

Goodwin is particularly fond of the boring inside types and we play a style of footy that reflects it. Aside from Petracca occasionally, who else can break a game open with creativity and flair alone? 

in the period where Goodwin is coaching, any individual excitement has been coached out of our players and it is so sad to watch.

We make the game so bloody difficult, so a half-fit Harley getting 15 high quality touches could be the only that gives supporters a reason to tune in next year.

The suggestion isn't that Bennell needs to become a CP/clearance-winning bull.

It's that he needs to be capable of, and willing to, defend.

He has to chase and tackle when the opposition has the ball.

We saw yesterday that when forward half players don't do that (e.g. Melksham and Fritsch), we look terrible and we struggle to score.

1 hour ago, titan_uranus said:

The suggestion isn't that Bennell needs to become a CP/clearance-winning bull.

It's that he needs to be capable of, and willing to, defend.

He has to chase and tackle when the opposition has the ball.

We saw yesterday that when forward half players don't do that (e.g. Melksham and Fritsch), we look terrible and we struggle to score.

Understand that completely, but both of Fritsch and Melksham don’t do it and they don’t seem to be judged on that alone
 

 

20 hours ago, PaulRB said:

I'd not play him again this year.

Needs to build his confidence in body as others have said.

He also needs to build trust and his brand around his contested and defensive intensity/commitment.

Club need to play those players who may contribute to high intensity finals footy, and Harley appears well off that level.

You just brought up a very interesting point which from game ONE this season and sadly i would not need to get to my toes.....

 

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

  • PREVIEW: Gold Coast

    The Gold Coast Suns find themselves outside of the top eight for the first time since Round 1 with pressure is mounting on the entire organisation. Their coach Damien Hardwick expressed his frustration at his team’s condition last week by making a middle-finger gesture on television that earned him a fine for his troubles. He showed his desperation by claiming that Fox should pick up the tab.  There’s little doubt the Suns have shown improvement in 2025, and their position on the ladder is influenced to some extent by having played fewer games than their rivals for a playoff role at the end of the season, courtesy of the disruption caused by Cyclone Alfred in March.  However, they are following the same trajectory that hindered the club in past years whenever they appeared to be nearing their potential. As a consequence, that Hardwick gesture should be considered as more than a mere behavioral lapse. It’s a distress signal that does not bode well for the Queenslanders. While the Suns are eager to remain in contention with the top eight, Melbourne faces its own crisis, which is similarly deep-seated but in a much different way. After recovering from a disappointing start to the season and nearing a return to respectability among its peer clubs, the Demons have experienced a decline in status, driven by the fact that while their form has been reasonable (see their performance against the ladder leader in the Kings Birthday match), their conversion in front of goal is poor enough to rank last in the competition. Furthermore, their opponents find them exceptionally easy to score against. As a result, they have effectively eliminated themselves from the finals race and are again positioned to finish in the bottom half of the ladder.

    • 4 replies
  • NON-MFC: Round 15

    As the Demons head into their Bye Round, it's time to turn our attention to the other matches being played. Which teams are you tipping this week? And which results would be most favourable for the Demons if we can manage to turn our season around? Follow all the non-Melbourne games here and join the conversation as the ladder continues to take shape.

      • Thanks
    • 285 replies
  • REPORT: Port Adelaide

    Of course, it’s not the backline, you might argue and you would probably be right. It’s the boot studder (do they still have them?), the midfield, the recruiting staff, the forward line, the kicking coach, the Board, the interchange bench, the supporters, the folk at Casey, the head coach and the club psychologist  It’s all of them and all of us for having expectations that were sufficiently high to have believed three weeks ago that a restoration of the Melbourne team to a position where we might still be in contention for a finals berth when the time for the midseason bye arrived. Now let’s look at what happened over the period of time since Melbourne overwhelmed the Sydney Swans at the MCG in late May when it kicked 8.2 to 5.3 in the final quarter (and that was after scoring 3.8 to two straight goals in the second term). 

    • 3 replies
  • CASEY: Essendon

    Casey’s unbeaten run was extended for at least another fortnight after the Demons overran a persistent Essendon line up by 29 points at ETU Stadium in Port Melbourne last night. After conceding the first goal of the evening, Casey went on a scoring spree from about ten minutes in, with five unanswered majors with its fleet of midsized runners headed by the much improved Paddy Cross who kicked two in quick succession and livewire Ricky Mentha who also kicked an early goal. Leading the charge was recruit of the year, Riley Bonner while Bailey Laurie continued his impressive vein of form. With Tom Campbell missing from the lineup, Will Verrall stepped up to the plate demonstrating his improvement under the veteran ruckman’s tutelage. The Demons were looking comfortable for much of the second quarter and held a 25-point lead until the Bombers struck back with two goals in the shadows of half time. On the other side of the main break their revival continued with first three goals of the half. Harry Sharp, who had been quiet scrambled in the Demons’ first score of the third term to bring the margin back to a single point at the 17 minute mark and the game became an arm-wrestle for the remainder of the quarter and into the final moments of the last.

    • 0 replies
  • PREGAME: Gold Coast

    The Demons have the Bye next week but then are on the road once again when they come up against the Gold Coast Suns on the Gold Coast in what could be a last ditch effort to salvage their season. Who comes in and who comes out?

      • Haha
    • 317 replies
  • PODCAST: Port Adelaide

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 16th June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees disappointing loss to the Power.
    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/

    • 33 replies