Jump to content

Discussion on recent allegations about the use of illicit drugs in football is forbidden
  • IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

    Posting unsubstantiated rumours on this website is strictly forbidden.

    Demonland has made the difficult decision to not permit this platform to be used to discuss & debate the off-field issues relating to the Melbourne Football Club including matters currently being litigated between the Club & former Board members, board elections, the issue of illicit drugs in footy, the culture at the club & the personal issues & allegations against some of our players & officials ...

    We do not take these issues & this decision lightly & of course we believe that these serious matters affecting the club we love & are so passionate about are worthy of discussion & debate & I wish we could provide a place where these matters can be discussed in a civil & respectful manner.

    However these discussions unfortunately invariably devolve into areas that may be defamatory, libelous, spread unsubstantiated rumours & can effect the mental health of those involved. Even discussion & debate of known facts or media reports can lead to finger pointing, blame & personal attacks.

    The repercussion is that these discussions can open this website, it’s owners & it’s users to legal action & may result in this website being forced to shutdown.

    Our moderating team are all volunteers & cannot moderate the forum 24/7 & as a consequence problematic content that contravenes our rules & standards may go unnoticed for some time before it can be removed.

    We reserve the right to delete posts that offend against our above policy & indeed, to ban posters who are repeat offenders or who breach our code of conduct.

    WE HAVE BUILT A FANTASTIC ONLINE COMMUNITY AT DEMONLAND OVER THE PAST 23 YEARS & WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE CLUB WE LOVE & ARE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT.

    Thank you for your continued support & understanding. Go Dees.


Our game plan


skills32

Recommended Posts

Many people here and in the media talk about game plans.

What I would like to know is; what is a game plan. Is it an algorithm or something?

What is the MFC game plan.  We seem  to play on a lot.  Is that it?- our game plan?  

I have been here for yonks see the phrase 'game plan' and gloss on without thinking about it.  

That stops here. I want to know all about  game plans.                                  

Can some one actually explain to me what a game plan is and why it is important to have one.                                     

PS I played footie for 40 odd years  and  in that time I never  knew I was part of a plan or  that one existed.      

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, old dee said:

Do we have one?

 

38 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

To strangle 17 opposition teams into submission. 
Otherwise it fails

Can you please explain Richmond's game plan for example?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Pollyanna said:

 

Can you please explain Richmond's game plan for example?

I don't watch them I feel ill thinking of the game we tried very hard to lose and they have gone on to win flags and we cannot even get into the top eight most years.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, old dee said:

I don't watch them I feel ill thinking of the game we tried very hard to lose and they have gone on to win flags and we cannot even get into the top eight most years.

Surely you've watched Richmond vs MFC in recent years and saw them in the Grand Final?  I'm keen to understand from you what their premiership winning game plan entails?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, dl4e said:

Skills 101 of AFL game plans.  Kick a higher score than the opposition.

That plan will get you a flag every year. our missing ingredient is we cannot hit targets going forward.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


i would have thought our gameplan was fairly self-evident in the way we have played for several years

  • win stoppages and clearances is the #1 mandate
  • move the ball via overlap run
  • fan wide on the rebound / entering 50
  • clear out / block central corridor and force teams to use the boundary thus theoretically maximising repeat stoppages and limiting oppo run (doesn't work if we don't defend exits effectively)
  • defend maniacally
  • limit turnovers (which can mean we sometimes look overly cautious when in possession)

what i like is that it's not overly complicated, which is genuinely a good guide to the kiss principle; tiggas' game plan to me essentially appears to be defend maniacally, force turnover, run in waves on the rebound

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The game plan has to be built around the players and their capabilities and strengths.  We have suffered too much from seagull football (all midfielders getting drawn into contests like it is a bag of hot chips) and red mist (get ball, get rid of ball any way that I can).

Our game plan has to be fluid and respond to where we are at in the game - we have to smart enough to turn up the gas or to choke the opposition.  Knowing when to go fast or go slow is what we lacked.  When we just banged our heads doing the same stuff all the time, people here complained about no ‘plan B’.

Our game plan needs to be focused around how we can best move the ball and score.  We have failed to do that effectively over the last two seasons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

What purpose does that fulfill?

We need to beat them regularly, that is all that matters 

Well to be honest I don't think you, @old dee or I are qualified to understand what a modern AFL gameplan involves.

Maybe you are?  Surely Richmond has a well defined and successful one and you can explain it to me.

I think this may be what @skills32 is pointing to in the OP

Edited by Pollyanna
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Understanding a game plan should not be difficult. However, unless you are at the ground and observing from a reasonable height, it is difficult if not impossible to watch where the players run to receive the ball relative to their team mates and opponents.

A game plan should comprise instructions on where to run, when to crowd and when to open up, how many at the ball, a consistent and planned approach to clearing the ball from defence and a structured path to goal. Not an accident waiting to happen.

MFC in 2018 exhibited a successful game plan (chaos ball and players at the ball) and the tiggas have developed a manic running plan that suits their playing group. The dorks used to play Mitchell at the back of the ;pack as a distributor and everyone knew what to do when they won the ball.

It must cater to, and offer support to, the skills and abilities of the players so that a particular game plan might take several years to become apparent whilst the playing squad is assembled.

If the players do not match, either the playing group or the game plan must be altered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


1 hour ago, Pollyanna said:

Well to be honest I don't think you, @old dee or I are qualified to understand what a modern AFL gameplan involves.

Maybe you are?  Surely Richmond has a well defined and successful one and you can explain it to me.

I think this may be what @skills32 is pointing to in the OP

Richmond seem to have specific jobs for certain players and they stick to it. Difficult to see exactly from a TV Screen. 
personally i think “Gameplan” is a word journalists and commentators use in the media to take up space. 
inside a football club i would think looking at the opposition list each week would be more useful, each team is different  

Kicking, Handballing and Marking efficiently should be a standard of any AFL side. Not a luxury of good teams

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, skills32 said:

Many people here and in the media talk about game plans.

What I would like to know is; what is a game plan. Is it an algorithm or something?

What is the MFC game plan.  We seem  to play on a lot.  Is that it?- our game plan?  

I have been here for yonks see the phrase 'game plan' and gloss on without thinking about it.  

That stops here. I want to know all about  game plans.                                  

Can some one actually explain to me what a game plan is and why it is important to have one.                                     

PS I played footie for 40 odd years  and  in that time I never  knew I was part of a plan or  that one existed.      

THE GAME PLAN    HMMM ! this is what l think ,  Get the ball to Big Ben as quickly as possible and if he doesn't get it then the crumbers have a chance if it hits the ground or the Weid and LJ could chip in for a mark. It is Simple just get the ball deep into the forward line. 

If that doesn't work then there is no game plan. The Game plan is get it to big Ben ! 

Edited by nosoupforme
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll have a go.

The midfield run as a pack, defensively and in attack.They get possession by pressuring the opposition or getting to the ball first. They move it around to find an open corridor (centre, centre wing or boundary) to the forward line by spread, switches and run.

Sometimes they get it forward as quickly as possible, (the chaos balls). 

The forwards all work together in a small area. Getting mismatches or causing separation by running around in a “ring-a-ring-a-rosey” pattern.

Other patterns include:

Clearing out to the 50 m arc leaving one on one or two on two in the scoring area.

Lining up in the central area with some spacing down the line, then, leading laterally.

The standard positions, allowing the smalls to get under the pack.

Defensively we seem to gut run, filling zones, while the backs coordinate who picks up whom. When they gain possession they spread and create a mark.

We used to go all out, but I noticed we were now occasionally controlling the tempo.

Hold the ball in an area. Used to be, hold it in the forward zone now they hold it a bit more at half-back (attacking from there).

Get repeated 50 entries by having a loose player, a kick and a bit back from play.

Break through the lines with run and quick ball use.

Edited by kev martin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Vineytime said:

2018 we had a clear game plan. 
Since then, we haven’t. 

We didnt even have one in 2018.  We won through sheer weight of numbers by dominating clearances and getting an ungodly amount of inside 50's

West Coast showed in the prelim final how easy we were to beat.  Now they had a gameplan.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was an excellent interview on SENile with Wayne Campbell in the last couple of months, where he was asked to articulate Richmond's success, starting with their first premiership. I happened to listen to it at the time and highly recommend it. It's particularly insightful as he looks at it from an ex-Richmond player perspective and as the opposition (GWS)

He emphasised how it was a club wide metamorphoses and went into some detail across all facets of the club. I could see many parallels with the MFC.

I wont pretend to understand our or any club's game plan, other than the nutshell analysis that chaos ball strategy worked well for us in 2018, but we've struggled to evolve from that. I'm reasonably confident that chaos ball wins finals (in the current climate), but you need to be able to switch in and out of it, which Richmond can and we can't. Yes, there are endless other variables and considerations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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  

    DEPTH CHARGE by Whispering Jack

    The jubilation on the coach’s face as he danced a celebratory jig by the playing bench after the final siren sounded to record his team’s four-point victory over the Demons when the teams last met, said it all.    On that rainy Friday night at the Adelaide Oval, Ken Hinkley’s young midfield secured much more than four points on offer. The victory over one of the big dogs of the competition after a succession of wins over some of its lesser lights gave his team respect and validation fo

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 5

    TRAINING: Monday 25th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Demon Dynasty & Kev Martin were trackside at Gosch's Paddock today to bring you their observations from training. DEMON DYNASTY'S TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Kade Chandler's left knee heavily strapped. BBB, Spargs & Jake Lever also in rehab group. Jake Bowey solo running separate kicking/sprint/agility drills. Super fine morning / early arvo at Gosch's for the boys to blow out some cobwebs. Choco initially had the light duties / rehab group

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    HIBERNATING by KC from Casey

    When they locked up the rooms for summer at the end of last year’s football season, the rooms gathered cobwebs, the atmosphere became dense and the place developed a sleepy feel. They opened up the rooms to let Casey out to play on Sunday but the team was still hibernating and they missed the bulk of the opening quarter. By the time they worked out it was game on, their opponents from Box Hill had accumulated five goals and, if the game wasn’t over, it might as well have been. For a se

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Casey Articles

    A FORK IN THE HAWK by George on the Outer

    For too long in the past, Demon fans became habitually sick and tired of watching the Hawks hand out thrashings to their side. But Melbourne’s empahtic 55-point win at the MCG on Saturday has truly put a fork in the Hawk and turned that history well and truly on its head. The Demons have now won nine of their last ten encounters with the other result, a draw.     And like a fork, it was the multi-pronged options that Melbourne had all across the ground.  It certainly helped that Hawthorn

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports 8

    PREGAME: Rd 03 vs Port Adelaide

    The Demons head on the road for the next 2 weeks as they travel to Adelaide to play Port on Saturday and then have a 5 Day break before facing the Crows in the Gather Round. With injuries to May and Lever who comes in and who goes out?

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 262

    PODCAST: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 25th March @ 8:30pm. Join George, Binman & I as we analyse the Demons victory at the MCG against the Hawks in the Round 02. You 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. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human. Listen & Chat

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 46

    VOTES: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    Last week Steven May took the lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award from Jack Viney. Clayton Oliver & Max Gawn round out the Top 4. Your votes for the win/loss against/to the Hawks. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 50

    POSTGAME: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demons cruised to an easy 55 point win over the Hawks at the MCG but but paid a heavy toll on the injury front with Steven May & Jake Lever possibly sidelined for a number of weeks.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 357

    GAMEDAY: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    It's Game Day and after mixed results in the first two weeks of the season the Demons have the opportunity to capitalise on their good form last week when they take on the Hawks at the MCG today.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 437
  • Tell a friend

    Love Demonland? Tell a friend!
  • Podcast 

  • Podcast 

  • Podcast Stream 


    Open Stream in
    New Window
        TuneIn    Opens in New Tab
  • Support Demonland  



  • 2021 Premiership  

  • Social Media 

  • Non MFC Games  

    NON-MFC: Round 03

    Discussion of all the other games that don't involve the Demons in Round 03 ... READ MORE

    Demonland | Round 03

  • Match Preview      

    DEPTH CHARGE by Whispering Jack

    The jubilation on the coach’s face as he danced a celebratory jig by the playing bench after the final siren sounded to record his team’s four-point victory over the Demons when the teams last met, said it all ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 27

  • Latest Podcast      

    PODCAST: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The boys dissected the clinical thrashing of Hawks praising the immense performance of Christian Petracca whilst lamenting the injury toll to our defensive unit ... LISTEN

    Demonland | March 26

  • Training  

    Monday, 25th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Demon Dynasty & Kev Martin were trackside at Gosch's Paddock today to bring you their observations from training ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 25

  • Casey Report      

    HIBERNATING by KC from Casey

    When they locked up the rooms for summer at the end of last year’s football season, the rooms gathered cobwebs, the atmosphere became dense and the place developed a sleepy feel. They opened up the rooms to let Casey out to play on Sunday but the team was still hibernating and they missed the bulk of the opening quarter ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 25

  • PreGame      

    PREGAME: Rd 03 vs Port Adelaide

    The Demons head out on the road for the next 2 weeks as they travel to Adelaide to play Port on Saturday and then have a 5 Day break before facing the Crows in Gather Round. With injuries to May and Lever who comes in and who goes out? ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 28

  • Match Report      

    A FORK IN THE HAWK by George on the Outer

    For too long in the past, Demon fans became habitually sick and tired of watching the Hawks hand out thrashings to their side. But Melbourne’s empahtic 55-point win at the MCG on Saturday has truly put a fork in the Hawk and turned that history well and truly on its head ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Post Game      

    POSTGAME: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demons cruised to an easy 55 point win over the Hawks at the MCG but but paid a heavy toll on the injury front with Steven May & Jake Lever possibly sidelined for a number of weeks ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Votes      

    VOTES: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    Last week Steven May took the lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award from Jack Viney. Clayton Oliver & Max Gawn round out the Top 4. Your votes for the win/loss against/to the Hawks. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Game Day      

    GAMEDAY: Round 02 vs Hawthorn

    It's Game Day and after mixed results in the first two weeks of the season the Demons have the opportunity to capitalise on their good form last week when they take on the Hawks at the MCG today ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Training  

    Friday, 22nd March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatcher Kev Martin and I attended the Captain's Run at Gosch's Paddock on this lovely sunny morning to bring you the following observations from the training session ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 22

  • Training  

    Tuesday, 19th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Kev Martin & Walking Civil War attended Tuesday morning's training session at Gosch's Paddock to bring you the following observations ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 19

  • Training  

    Saturday, 16th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Kev Martin and Dee Zephyr wandered down to Gosch's Paddock on Saturday morning to bring you their observations from the Captain's Run in the lead up to Sunday's Round One match against the Bulldogs ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 16

  • Farewell  

    Angus Brayshaw Retires

    After 167 games including the drought breaking Premiership Angus Brayshaw has made the heart breaking decision to medically retire from football as a result of a series of serious head knocks over his nearly decade of footy. We wish Gus all the best and he'll always be a hero at Demonland ... READ MORE

    Demonland | February 22

  • Latest Podcast  

    PODCAST: Koltyn Tholstrup Interview

    I interview the Melbourne Football Club’s newest recruit Koltyn Tholstrup to have a chat about his journey from the farm to the Demons, his first few weeks of preseason training, which Dees have impressed him on the track and his aspirations of playing Round 1 ... LISTEN

    Demonland | December 14

  • Latest Podcast  

    PODCAST: Jason Taylor Interview

    I interview the Melbourne Football Club's National Recruitment Manager Jason Taylor to have a chat about our Trade and Draft period, our newest recruits, our recent recruits who have yet to debut as well as those father son prospects on the horizon ... LISTEN

    Demonland | November 27

  • Next Match 

    .

    Round 03

       vs   

    Saturday 30th March 2024
    @ 07:30pm (AO)

  • MFC Forum  

  • Match Previews & Reports  

  • Training Forum  

  • AFLW Forum  

  • 2024 Player Sponsorship

  • Topics

  • Injury List  


      PLAYER INJURY LENGTH
    Jake Lever Knee Test
    Clayton Oliver Hand Test
    Oliver Sestan Concussion Test
    Steven May Ribs 1 Week
    Lachie Hunter Calf 1 Week
    Daniel Turner Hip 2-3 Weeks
    Charlie Spargo Achilles 2-4 Weeks
    Shane McAdam Hamstring 3-5 Weeks
    Jake Bowey Shoulder 7 Weeks
    Jake Melksham ACL 12-14 Weeks
    Joel Smith Suspension TBA

  • Player of the Year  


        PLAYER VOTES
    1 Christian Petracca 27
    2 Steven May 25
    3 Max Gawn 21
    4 Jack Viney 20
    5 Bayley Fritsch 19
    6 Clayton Oliver 18
    7 Christian Salem 12
    8 Blake Howes 11
    9 Jack Billings 10
    9 Alex Neal-Bullen 10

        FULL TABLE
  • Demonland Interviews 



  • Upcoming Events 

×
×
  • Create New...