Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

in 2020 we rolled with a flat Captain/VC set up with no additional support which is quite a ballsy move and is only replicated by Richmond (a side with 22 leaders as they'll tell u) and port. with the whispers around goody and yze/chocco going forward and into '22 i think this year we will see a return to a structured leadership group set up with 2/3 moving into those positions.

Also on the Gus and Gawny poddy this week brayshaw appeared to let slip that lingerz (langdon) was a member of this leadership group. is that the impression everyone else got too? and who else do we see making that step up. for mine its 

Capt: Gawn

VC: Viney

L'ship Group: May, Langdon, Melky 

and my other smokey which i would see as a bad idea at this stage but not opposed to going forward is Trac/Lever. i think both need another season of footy based focussed before they move in

 

Gawn - C - needs to make huge strides but we have to stick with him
May - VC - the best on field leader
Viney - VC - effort is never questioned, hopefully has more levels to develop

Leadership group:
At least one of Oliver/Petracca/Salem - the time is now for them to be given authority, they should all have been given leadership targets over summer to reach in order to be trusted in the group.
Langdon - solid role player and citizen
Lever - take him on trust that his footy will stack up

I like the simplicity of a single Captain, Vice-Captain and a deputy Vice-Captain.

I don't like Leadership Groups because I believe it alienates all those who aren't chosen to be in it thereby causing more harm than good. I know that's how I felt as a schoolboy many, many years ago. (I realise that says more about me and my then fragile ego.)

 

Think it will be the following >

Captain: Gawn

Vice captain: Viney

Leadership group: May, Lever, Petracca

Gawn won’t be dumped as captain, but needs to improve.

Viney won’t be dumped, despite some players not liking him. Coaches and board love him.

May proved himself as a player and leader.

Lever is a born leader that needs to improve further as a player.

All the talk coming out of the club is Petracca is impressing as a leader the last 6-12 months, especially over the offseason. Seems to have matured, as as a gun player last year will likely be added to the leadership group.


What I would like it to be:

C: May, Gawn
VC: Viney
Rest: Trac, Lever

What I think it will be (if they change it to a group again):

C: Gawn, Viney
VC: May, Lever
Rest: Langdon, Melksham

9 minutes ago, Dannyz said:

Trac is in 

Have they already done the vote mate? (Did they even do it that way this year?)

Thanks for the intel.

 
27 minutes ago, Lord Travis said:

Gawn won’t be dumped as captain, but needs to improve.

Not an argument. Genuinely asking. Interested to know why you think this. What did you see him doing wrong last season and what do you think he has to do to improve. 

I don't know how he operates within the playing group but his B & F speech in 2019 was the best speech by an MFC player I've ever heard. Covered the club's history, connections to past players, his journey as a player, current culture and going forward. His commitment to his own improvement and training and playing standards can't be faulted from what I've seen. Seems to have a way more engaging personality one on one than many of the past Captains of the club and an excellent spokesman for the club and media performer. 

Gawn, Viney and May clearly our 3 best leaders. 

2020 proved melksham shouldn’t be anywhere near the LG. Favourite or not he needs to play at the level and chase, then think about leading 


1 hour ago, Turner said:

in 2020 we rolled with a flat Captain/VC set up with no additional support which is quite a ballsy move and is only replicated by Richmond (a side with 22 leaders as they'll tell u) and port. with the whispers around goody and yze/chocco going forward and into '22 i think this year we will see a return to a structured leadership group set up with 2/3 moving into those positions.

Also on the Gus and Gawny poddy this week brayshaw appeared to let slip that lingerz (langdon) was a member of this leadership group. is that the impression everyone else got too? and who else do we see making that step up. for mine its 

Capt: Gawn

VC: Viney

L'ship Group: May, Langdon, Melky 

and my other smokey which i would see as a bad idea at this stage but not opposed to going forward is Trac/Lever. i think both need another season of footy based focussed before they move in

I’m hoping Trac and Clarry are put into the leadership group 

36 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

What I would like it to be:

C: May, Gawn
VC: Viney
Rest: Trac, Lever

What I think it will be (if they change it to a group again):

C: Gawn, Viney
VC: May, Lever
Rest: Langdon, Melksham

Lever just needs to focus on footy and find form again.   I thought he was very disappointing last year 

19 minutes ago, It's Time said:

Not an argument. Genuinely asking. Interested to know why you think this. What did you see him doing wrong last season and what do you think he has to do to improve. 

I don't know how he operates within the playing group but his B & F speech in 2019 was the best speech by an MFC player I've ever heard. Covered the club's history, connections to past players, his journey as a player, current culture and going forward. His commitment to his own improvement and training and playing standards can't be faulted from what I've seen. Seems to have a way more engaging personality one on one than many of the past Captains of the club and an excellent spokesman for the club and media performer. 

I believe he is quite polished off field and his natural charisma is good for the public to see.

On field, I’d like to see him take charge when momentum shifts. Get everyone organised and keep them focussed. Or get someone under him that will do that in tandem, my choice would be May

28 minutes ago, Demons11 said:

Lever just needs to focus on footy and find form again.   I thought he was very disappointing last year 

I thought he was quite good in 2020, but we all see it differently I guess.

He definitely has higher levels he should hit, but I think he's a clear leader either way.

It would be a bit of a tall ask (pardon the pun) given his short tenure at the ckub, but I think Big Ben Brown would be someone worth considering.  We could then have leaders at all major parts of the ground:

May back

Brown forward

Max & Viney on ball

Asides from Brown, the forward line is a bit devoid of experienced leadership.  There is possibly Melksham, but he hasn't necessarily impressed on me as a leader from my observations in the stands.  Jones is also the other obvious leader who could spend a lot of time forward, but he might not play all games and I think somewhat by virtue of the position, the full forward should carry the mantle that end of the ground.


Gawn and Viney stay as Captain and VC.

May (has to be in)

Lever (should be in)

Petracca (Has to be in from what i seen and heard of him, come a long way from an excited kid with ADHD, he will drive new standards)

Langdon( Leads by example and deserves to be there)

Ben Brown (humble bloke who will get the forward line organised and working as a group)

Melksham cannot be considered on what he showed all last year (Not leading by example)

Clayton Oliver should be close to leadership group (Needs to get have huge preseason much like Petracca last year.  He has been driving new standards since he got to the Club but can take his game to giddy heights, we all seen it in bits and pieces...When he gets to these new levels he will win games off his actions and could see him easily winning a Norm Smith or Brownlow.

34 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

I thought he was quite good in 2020, but we all see it differently I guess.

He definitely has higher levels he should hit, but I think he's a clear leader either way.

?

If I am honest, I was not overly impressed with Gawn's captaincy  last season. iI my opinion he needs to drive the on field performance  lot more, not just by his actions but also by giving timely, critical feedback to the players. I hope that he is getting guidance in this area.

Having said that, I would still have him as sole captain this season but make sure that he had a strong and clearly defined support group under him.

In some ways I think we have made a rod for our own back by having Viney as a leader so early. It is a difficult thing to demote him without demotivating him. I would have him as a VC but as VC I would also include May. He is a general in defence and was in great form last season.

Three others to round out the formal leadership would be Lever, Langdon and Petracca.

I wouldn’t have May in. It was only 24 months ago he showed up fat and unfit. Let him prove himself a few more seasons before you feel the urge to reward him for his demonstrated leadership. 

1 hour ago, The Jackson 6 said:

I wouldn’t have May in. It was only 24 months ago he showed up fat and unfit. Let him prove himself a few more seasons before you feel the urge to reward him for his demonstrated leadership. 

We wanted to change the way he played if i recall correctly, we wanted a far fitter, more mobile May who was going to get to and impact more contests....he broke down with new loads he was not used to.  He has been the person who i would say shows more leadership than our actual captain, no sleight on Gawn but May is/has been  inspirational. Should have been All Australian last year.  He is an Ex- Captain who is in career best form and he is driven to have success before his career ends.  Why would you wait to have him in leadership group, you'd only be punishing the team!

Who would you have above him in the leadership stakes?


5 minutes ago, NeveroddoreveN said:

We wanted to change the way he played if i recall correctly, we wanted a far fitter, more mobile May who was going to get to and impact more contests....he broke down with new loads he was not used to.  He has been the person who i would say shows more leadership than our actual captain, no sleight on Gawn but May is/has been  inspirational. Should have been All Australian last year.  He is an Ex- Captain who is in career best form and he is driven to have success before his career ends.  Why would you wait to have him in leadership group, you'd only be punishing the team!

Who would you have above him in the leadership stakes?

Yep, thought this one had been put to bed already but apparently not.

GC wanted a big gorilla defender, he rocked up to MFC and they wanted a more lean rebounding one. Pretty hard to instantly change your whole body shape.

May for PM 

seriously he must come into our leadership group 

Gawn captain 

Viney vice captain

Leadership group - May Lever Trac and ...Melksham (Goodys pet)

  • Author
1 hour ago, The Jackson 6 said:

I wouldn’t have May in. It was only 24 months ago he showed up fat and unfit. Let him prove himself a few more seasons before you feel the urge to reward him for his demonstrated leadership. 

if you exclude may who is obviously a strong leader and got past his injuries to play some seriously good footy in 20 then you need to have a next in behind him and from my POV i can't see who that is. lever's form whilst it improved was still patchy and not near what we gave up for him.

 

 
  • Author
3 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

May for PM 

seriously he must come into our leadership group 

Gawn captain 

Viney vice captain

Leadership group - May Lever Trac and ...Melksham (Goodys pet)

only one more year at best SONS! 

if the goody rumour mill is to be believed

Good leaders are those who can lead by bringing players with them by offering direction and encouragement when needed on field.

Whilst Maxie is a great figurehead for the club off the field,  I don't recall him offering the sort of leadership required on the filed. Neither has Viney.

The players who seem to offer on field leadership are Trac and May. Safe and steady when the team is under pressure and able to direct their teammates when needed and lead by example.

I keep coming back to the best leadership examples of recent years - they were not generally the most charismatic or best players but rather those who contributed in many ways such as Maxwell, Cotchin, Harley, Wood who are all premiership captains.


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: Fremantle

    A month is a long time in AFL football. The proof of this is in the current state of the two teams contesting against each other early this Saturday afternoon at the MCG. It’s hard to fathom that when Melbourne and Fremantle kicked off the 2025 season, the former looked like being a major player in this year’s competition after it came close to beating one of the favourites in the GWS Giants while the latter was smashed by Geelong to the tune of 78 points and looked like rubbish. Fast forward to today and the Demons are low on confidence and appear panic stricken as their winless streak heads towards an even half dozen and pressure mounts on the coach and team leadership.  Meanwhile, the Dockers have recovered their composure and now sit in the top eight. They are definitely on the up and up and look most likely winners this weekend against a team which they have recently dominated and which struggles to find enough passages to the goals to trouble the scorers. And with that, Fremantle will head to the MCG, feeling very good about itself after demolishing Richmond in the Barossa Valley with Josh Treacy coming off a six goal haul and facing up to a Melbourne defence already without Jake Lever and a shaky Steven May needing to pass a fitness test just to make it onto the field of play. 

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 06

    The Easter Round kicks off in style with a Thursday night showdown between Brisbane and Collingwood, as both sides look to solidify their spots inside the Top 4 early in the season. Good Friday brings a double-header, with Carlton out to claim consecutive wins when they face the struggling Kangaroos, while later that night the Eagles host the Bombers in Perth, still chasing their first victory of the year. Saturday features another marquee clash as the resurgent Crows look to rebound from back-to-back losses against a formidable GWS outfit. That evening, all eyes will be on Marvel Stadium where Damien Hardwick returns to face his old side—the Tigers—coaching the Suns at a ground he's never hidden his disdain for. Sunday offers two crucial contests where the prize is keeping touch with the Top 8. First, Sydney and Port Adelaide go head-to-head, followed by a fierce battle between the Bulldogs and the Saints. Then, Easter Monday delivers the traditional clash between two bitter rivals, both desperate for a win to stay in touch with the top end of the ladder. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

      • Thanks
    • 173 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Essendon

    What were they thinking? I mean by “they” the coaching panel and team selectors who chose the team to play against an opponent who, like Melbourne, had made a poor start to the season and who they appeared perfectly capable of beating in what was possibly the last chance to turn the season around.It’s no secret that the Demons’ forward line is totally dysfunctional, having opened the season barely able to average sixty points per game which means there has been no semblance of any system from the team going forward into attack. Nevertheless, on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval in one of the Gather Round showcase games, Melbourne, with Max Gawn dominating the hit outs against a depleted Essendon ruck resulting from Nick Bryan’s early exit, finished just ahead in clearances won and found itself inside the 50 metre arc 51 times to 43. The end result was a final score that had the Bombers winning 15.6 (96) to 8.9 (57). On balance, one could expect this to result in a two or three goal win, but in this case, it translated into a six and a half goal defeat because they only managed to convert eight times or 11.68% of their entries. The Bombers more than doubled that. On Thursday night at the same ground, the losing team Adelaide managed to score 100 points from almost the same number of times inside 50.

      • Sad
      • Clap
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Essendon

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th April @ the all new time of 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect another Demons loss at Kardinia Park to the Cats in the Round 04. 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. 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.

      • Thanks
    • 63 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Fremantle

    The Demons return home to the MCG in search of their first win for the 2025 Premiership season when they take on the Fremantle Dockers on Saturday afternoon. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 463 replies
    Demonland
  • VOTES: Essendon

    Max Gawn leads the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler and Jake Bowey. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

      • Thanks
    • 24 replies
    Demonland