Jump to content

  • IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

    The Demonland Terms of Service, which you have all recently agreed to, strictly prohibit discussions of ongoing legal matters, whether criminal or civil. Please ensure that all discussions on this forum remain focused solely on on-field & football related topics.


Recommended Posts

Posted

Oliver has some great traits, but if he wants to go beyond being a talented player to being a superstar of the competition he has to have more impact on games. He came in all guns blazing year 1 with his work in close and his vision but he has plateaued. He needs to find another gear and greater consistency to be considered the among the best.

  • Like 1

Posted
1 hour ago, Dr.D said:

Gets better? he is an AA and squad member.How about pointing the fingers on players that are actually [censored] like the McDonald brothers or the coach in Goodwin. And if anyone of the stars should be criticised it should be Viney who got caught holding the ball more time than Goodwin says 'learnings' or 'we gotta get better'

I'll reluctantly entertain you on this one Doc (even though I seriously wish you would just [censored] off to big footy, no offence, but please [censored] off to big footy). Do you seriously think Clarry has reached his ceiling? Do you not believe that he has the capacity to get any better?

I'd actually prefer it if you didn't answer and just [censored] off to big footy instead, but I'm sure you will come up with a way to avoid the the question at hand and just keep polluting these boards with your toxic garbage. I hope you feel satisfied with your life in that role. 

  • Haha 2
Posted
54 minutes ago, A F said:

It's not even a discussion for me. The guy is an out and out star. 

Would you trade him to Essendon for Zach Merrett and pick 6?

  • Haha 1
Posted
28 minutes ago, Skuit said:

Don't think that last part is fair at all. I think most of our coaches rate him as the greatest prospect they've ever encountered, according to just about everything I've ever read. But they've been driving him hard since day one, I think starting with McCartney (and to date he has responded well to that). I'll see if I can dig up an old training report - which if my memory is correct Nat Jones and others were tackling him harder and niggling him more than anyone else, trying to [censored] him off and testing his nerve.

He clearly performed better than Viney this year but I think they've set a high bar based on what he is capable of and expecting that he gets better. That's okay: just tell him that. Goodwin recently said he was the hardest working player he's ever come across - and I assume that means both throughout his playing and coaching career. Which is huge.

He was also a staunch defender when Clarry was getting criticized earlier this year. Hardly speaks of our coaches underrating or not appreciating him - just that they're employing tactics for him to get the best out of himself. If he feels that has been too harsh then we pull it in a bit - maybe like Trac - and tell him how important he is to us and what he can do to be better. Then give him that massive contract he wants and deserves. 

But hang on mate. If you agree that he clearly performed better than Viney and yet polled less FD votes, you're essentially backing up what I've said here. The coaches underrated him. McCartney is no longer there. Interesting. And despite Viney having a weaker season, you're saying the coaches still gave him more votes than Oliver because Oliver is capable of more? It doesn't make sense.

24 minutes ago, drdrake said:

I'm not a fan of trading him and I don't think we will, but losing a player isn't life or death of a team.  Buddy Franklin is an absolute super star he was at his peak when he left Hawthorn, he is a once in a generation type player not Oliver, Hawthorn got pick 19 ish for him and went on to win a flag with out him.  Oliver is a good midfielder, no match winner but can impact games, his biggest issue he just doesn't hurt teams by foot.  Doesn't kick goals, doesn't amass a big total of metres gained and I'm sure someone will correct me runs at about 70% handball to kick ratio.  He can be replaced like any other player on our list, we don't have any super stars.

Oliver will be at Melbourne next year. I'm talking about the end of 2021.

And Oliver and Franklin are not comparable. If Hawthorn had lost Sam Mitchell then I'd agree with you. They also wouldn't have won all those flags without him.

This post is an example of how Melbourne fans underrate Oliver. He hasn't missed a match since his first season. If he was out of our midfield, you'd see a distinctly weaker outfit.

25 minutes ago, binman said:

I guess it depends on how you are defining 'best''.

Schwarz was the best player i have seen at the dees outside of Flower, prior to his firsts knee injury. The only player to come close is Trac this year. So i would have Schwarz at the top of my list of bets platers at the dees in the last 33 years.

And even after his two knee injuries he was a star for us. And incredibly consistent. Barely played a poor game. Easy to forget he won the bluey in 1999 in a bloody goody team.

Don't get me wrong i agree Oliver is a star but personally i have Stynes, Nieta and max ahead of Oliver too and to be honest also, after this year Tracc too. That was the best season of football from a dees player since Nieta's in 1995.

Each to their own, mate. As I've said above, you'll notice how good Oliver is when he's not there, but because he plays every match, it's pretty hard to see.

I loved Schwarta. A unique talent, but I rate midfielders higher. Midfielders win premierships.

22 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I'm not reading every post in here but have I missed something? What has Viney said (or are you referring to the comments made when he re-signed about the players needing to get the best out of themselves?)

Yep, that's what I'm referring to. He said "just because of the way I have played my football and I suppose my attitude towards team-first football I have always been drawn to performing team roles." He might think it's team first to play rugby and Goodwin may love it, but 8 years in the system and still making our midfield run into each other.

Posted

Look everyone's tradable.

My starting position is Cripps, Weitering, McKay, Walsh, pick 7 and 2021 1st rounder.  Every day they don't accept add another player.

Am i doing it right Adrian?

  • Like 3
  • Haha 10
Posted

Midfielders collectively win premierships. 

Players like dusty and trac win grand finals.

If the club had no choice but to trade on of Oliver or trac who do you think they would trade?

Posted
16 minutes ago, Better days ahead said:

Would you trade him to Essendon for Zach Merrett and pick 6?

No, no I wouldn't.

  • Like 4
Posted
3 minutes ago, A F said:

 

Oliver will be at Melbourne next year. I'm talking about the end of 2021.

And Oliver and Franklin are not comparable. If Hawthorn had lost Sam Mitchell then I'd agree with you. They also wouldn't have won all those flags without him.

This post is an example of how Melbourne fans underrate Oliver. He hasn't missed a match since his first season. If he was out of our midfield, you'd see a distinctly weaker outfit.

Do you know what the difference between Mitchell and Oliver is, one can kick, one can't.

Buddy was an absolute superstar, all im highlighting is you can lose your stars and get over it.

Give me Buddy Franklin over any midfielder any day of the week.  

Posted
9 minutes ago, drdrake said:

Do you know what the difference between Mitchell and Oliver is, one can kick, one can't.

Buddy was an absolute superstar, all im highlighting is you can lose your stars and get over it.

Give me Buddy Franklin over any midfielder any day of the week.  

We'll agree to disagree then.

  • Like 1
Posted

The issue with Oliver is the way he takes the ball stationary or going backwards and gives off a 1m handball to a flat footed player actually hurts the team.

He has to improve his fundamentals - using his legs to drive forward, lifting his arms and drawing tackles before disposing, handballing to space and knowing when to kick and take ground.

He hasn’t been developed properly. So instead of becoming a superstar he’s just a solid A grade mid. It’s not too late to fix it, but it needs buy in from everyone involved. 

  • Like 2
Posted
4 minutes ago, A F said:

But hang on mate. If you agree that he clearly performed better than Viney and yet polled less FD votes, you're essentially backing up what I've said here. The coaches underrated him. McCartney is no longer there. Interesting. And despite Viney having a weaker season, you're saying the coaches still gave him more votes than Oliver because Oliver is capable of more? It doesn't make sense.

Not like that at all mate. Just saying they likely set a higher bar for Clarry and expect more. Coaches put it on him and then judge his performance accordingly (I would probably be [censored] too, being held to a higher standard).

Though we all do the exact same thing on here - just check the D'land votes throughout the year (and also my advocacy of Clarry when he doesn't get a mention - clearly ahead of those getting votes). Viney does what he is capable of with in line with direct orders and gets the votes.

Clayton is capable of much much more than Jack and is being encouraged to reach his potential. It makes sense to me, especially in terms of our bnf voting system, where each player is awarded points out of ten for each game. 

Posted
26 minutes ago, Skuit said:

Not like that at all mate. Just saying they likely set a higher bar for Clarry and expect more. Coaches put it on him and then judge his performance accordingly (I would probably be [censored] too, being held to a higher standard).

Though we all do the exact same thing on here - just check the D'land votes throughout the year (and also my advocacy of Clarry when he doesn't get a mention - clearly ahead of those getting votes). Viney does what he is capable of with in line with direct orders and gets the votes.

Clayton is capable of much much more than Jack and is being encouraged to reach his potential. It makes sense to me, especially in terms of our bnf voting system, where each player is awarded points out of ten for each game. 

Skuit, by all means encourage Viney but I'm not quite sure when the B & F at a footy club became an encouragement award

 

Posted
56 minutes ago, A F said:

No, no I wouldn't.

I would. If Carlton or any other team make a silly offer we should listen.

I think it’s dangerous for a club to think someone is untradable. Leads to poor list management decisions. I bet Collingwood wish they could have their time over again with Grundy. 7 years on big coin. He’s had a pretty indifferent season and now it looks like they’ll have to shed one of De Goey or Treloar because of cap issues when they could have had 2 first round picks from Adelaide. Same with Daniher last year. Absolute stupidity by Essendon not to trade him.

Clayton is a super player no question and I’d hate to lose him but he finished 5th in the BnF. He hasn’t had a great year by his standards and I don’t think that’s just because of coaching (although it definitely plays a part).

I’d offer him 3 years on top dollar. If we’re successful in that time he’ll re-sign and if we’re not then we should accommodate his wishes and allow him to find a new home if that’s what he wants to do.

  • Like 1
Posted
1 hour ago, Demon Disciple said:

Neither would I. Clarry is on the verge of becoming an absolute A-grader. Keeping him is simply non-negotiable

He's not on the verge of becoming an A grader. He is an A grader. He's elite in all the categories that matter for an inside mid.

  • Like 3
Posted
56 minutes ago, Skuit said:

Not like that at all mate. Just saying they likely set a higher bar for Clarry and expect more. Coaches put it on him and then judge his performance accordingly (I would probably be [censored] too, being held to a higher standard).

Though we all do the exact same thing on here - just check the D'land votes throughout the year (and also my advocacy of Clarry when he doesn't get a mention - clearly ahead of those getting votes). Viney does what he is capable of with in line with direct orders and gets the votes.

Clayton is capable of much much more than Jack and is being encouraged to reach his potential. It makes sense to me, especially in terms of our bnf voting system, where each player is awarded points out of ten for each game. 

I don't think rating him differently to others despite providing a better output is the way to get the best results out of players. That's just my opinion though.

Posted
13 minutes ago, Better days ahead said:

I would. If Carlton or any other team make a silly offer we should listen.

I think it’s dangerous for a club to think someone is untradable. Leads to poor list management decisions. I bet Collingwood wish they could have their time over again with Grundy. 7 years on big coin. He’s had a pretty indifferent season and now it looks like they’ll have to shed one of De Goey or Treloar because of cap issues when they could have had 2 first round picks from Adelaide. Same with Daniher last year. Absolute stupidity by Essendon not to trade him.

Clayton is a super player no question and I’d hate to lose him but he finished 5th in the BnF. He hasn’t had a great year by his standards and I don’t think that’s just because of coaching (although it definitely plays a part).

I’d offer him 3 years on top dollar. If we’re successful in that time he’ll re-sign and if we’re not then we should accommodate his wishes and allow him to find a new home if that’s what he wants to do.

Oliver is a better player than Merrett. So let's just start with that.

As for the idea that no player is untradeable. Sure, every player is tradeable then, but if you want to win flags you can't be trading away your very best players.

Midfielders are vital to winning premierships, so I don't particularly rate the idea that Franklin leaving Hawthorn didn't impact on their flag successes. Well, great, but he's not a midfielder. Franklin wouldn't get it without Sam Mitchell extracting. 

  • Like 1
Posted
16 minutes ago, A F said:

I don't think rating him differently to others despite providing a better output is the way to get the best results out of players. That's just my opinion though.

I don't agree or disagree. But it's a fact of life that we're all judged according to what we're capable of, rather than in exact comparison to our peers. A couple university degrees taught me this pretty quickly, and I had to work much harder than most to maintain my grades. 

  • Like 1
Posted
1 hour ago, Better days ahead said:

Would you trade him to Essendon for Zach Merrett and pick 6?

Well no, but yes

  • Like 1

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...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Demonland Forums  

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles  

    TRAINING: Friday 14th February 2025

    A couple of Demonland Trackwatchers made their way out to Casey Field's for the Melbourne Football Club's Family Series day to bring you their observations on the Match Simulation. HARVEY WALLBANGER'S MATCH SIMULATION OBSERVATIONS Absent: May, Pickett (All Stars), McVee, Windor, Kentfield, Mentha Present but not playing: Petracca, Viney, Spargo, Tholstrup, Melksham Starting Blue 18 (+ just 2 interchange): B: Petty, TMac, Lever, Howes, Bowey Salem M: Gawn, Oliver, La

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Wednesday 12th February 2025

    Demonland Trackwatchers braved the scorching morning heat to bring you the following observations of Wednesday's preseason training session from Gosch's Paddock. HARVEY WALLBANGER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Absent: Salem, Windsor (word is a foot rash going around), Viney, Bowey and Kentfield Train ons: Roy George, no Culley today. Firstly the bad news - McVee went down late, which does look like a bad hammy - towards the end of match sim, as he kicked the ball. Had to

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    MATCH SIM: Friday 7th February 2025

    Demonland Trackwatcher Gator ventured down the freeway to bring you his observations from Friday morning's Match Simulation out at Casey Fields. Rehab: Jake Lever and Charlie Spargo running laps.  Lever was running short distances at a fast click as well as having kick to kick with a trainer. He seems unimpeded. Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler, Shane McAdam and Tom Fullarton doing non-contact kicking and handball drills on the adjacent oval.  All moving freely at pace.  I didn’

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 2

    TRAINING: Wednesday 5th February 2025

    Demonland Trackwatchers were out in force as the Demons returned to Gosch's Paddock for preseason training on Wednesday morning. GHOSTWRITER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Kozzie a no show. Tommy Sparrow was here last week in civvies and wearing sunnies. He didn’t train. Today he’s training but he’s wearing goggles so he’s likely got an eye injury. There’s a drill where Selwyn literally lies on top of Tracc, a trainer dribbles the ball towards them and Tracc has to g

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS: 2024

    Whichever way you look at it, the Melbourne Football Club’s 2024 season can only be characterized as the year of its fall from grace. Whispering Jack looks back at the season from hell that was. After its 2021 benchmark premiership triumph, the men’s team still managed top four finishes in the next two seasons but straight sets finals losses consigned them to sixth place in both years. The big fall came in 2024 with a collapse into the bottom six and a 14th placing. At Casey, the 2022 VFL p

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Special Features

    MATCH SIM: Friday 31st January 2025

    Veteran Demonland Trackwatcher Picket Fence ventured down to Casey Fields to bring you his observations from Friday's Match Simulation. Greetings Demonlanders, beautiful Day at training and the boys were hard at it, here is my report. NO SHOWS: Luker Kentfield (recovering from pneumonia in WA), also not sure I noticed Melky (Hamstring) or Will Verrall?? MODIFIED DUTIES (No Contact): Sparrow, McVee (foot), Tracc (ribs), Chandler, (AC Joint), Fullarton Noticeable events (I’ll s

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 2

    TRAINING: Wednesday 29th January 2025

    A number of Demonland Trackwatchers swooped on Gosch's Paddock to bring you their observations from this morning's Preseason Training Session. DEMON JACK'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Beautiful morning at Gosch's Paddock. Very healthy crowd so far.  REHAB: Fullerton, Spargo, Tholstrup, McVee Viney running laps. EDIT: JV looks to be back with the main group. Trac, Sparrow, Chandler and Verrell also training away from the main group. Currently kicking to each other ins

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 1

    TRAINING: Wednesday 22nd January 2025

    Demonland Trackwatchers were out in force for training at Gosch's Paddock on Wednesday morning for the MFC's School Holidays Open Training Session. DEMONLAND'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS REHAB: TMac, Chandler, McVee, Tholstrup, Brown, Spargo Brown might have passed his fitness test as he’s back out with the main group.  Sparrow not present. Kozzy not present either.  Mini Rehab group has broken off from the match sim (contact) group: Max, Trac, Lever, Fullarton

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Monday 20th January 2025

    Demonland Trackwatcher Gator attended training out at Casey Fields to bring you the following observations from Preseason Training. GATOR'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS There were 5 in the main rehab group, namely Gawn, Petracca, Fullarton, Woewodin and Lever.  Laurie was running laps by himself, as was Jefferson.  Chandler, as has been reported, had his arm in a sling.  Lindsay did a bit of lap running later on. Some of the ''rehab 5'' participated in non contact drills and b

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports
  • Tell a friend

    Love Demonland? Tell a friend!

×
×
  • Create New...