Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

Does our game plan bring the best out of our list? 

This press trying to keep the ball in our attacking half to create forward half turnovers isn't working for us, it creates congestion helping the opposition defend. Our talls think bringing the ball to ground is a "win" then we get smashed at the ground ball. Quick turnovers against us and we are out of position, the opposition score easily.

With the best ruckman in the comp. A young talented midfield group, and a back 6 as good as any we should be spreading the ground making it hard for opposition to score and opening up our forward line especially considering we have injuries to key talls.

Put Trac in the goal square open up the 50 with Fritsch and a rotating Gawn and Jackson leading into space and we can kick a score in the early rounds.

I fear if Goody is stubborn on his Game plan especially with a underdone midfield we will at best be 1 and 4 season over by round 5. He has to adapt to whose available I can just see it loose to Freo first up and the wheels will fall off. 

 

yeah lets hope so. The quickest way to get Goodwin sacked is a win for the club. If that's a 1-4 start then so be it. 

 

Wait and see when we get a full list on the park, before seeing if Goodwin keeps his job, or not??

I just hope we see something much better, on field this year, then we have been in past seasons.

I tend to agree that the press doesn't help us at all.

We can win contested ball in the middle, but the important first or second disposal is a real weakness.

This is compounded in the forward half when we have 80% of our players in there. We don't have the players capable of kicking flukey goals, yet that's how we plan on kicking them

Edited by BW511


No game plan will matter if we can't keep the football.  We don't have a contested marking forward means we need to hit up players on leads.  We don't move the ball clean enough and will turn it over that will lead to opposition scoring.

Until we can get out disposal up to scratch we will not be contenders.

We can keep composure for small parts of the game, but like the third quarter yesterday as soon as we lose it, bad kicking spreads like Co-Vid through our side everybody starts missing targets.

  • Author
12 minutes ago, deebug said:

Wait and see when we get a full list on the park, before seeing if Goodwin keeps his job, or not??

I just hope we see something much better, on field this year, then we have been in past seasons.

We had our 'full list' for all off last year, I have never really bought into Goodwin as a coach I just hope I'm wrong because this club needs stability to thrive.

I think he is coaching to save his job rather then take a risk, where has the forward thinking gone, didn't he invent the diamond wings running through the middle before 6.6.6. Was introduced. We need something of a similar nature to spark the group 

  • Author
12 minutes ago, drdrake said:

No game plan will matter if we can't keep the football.  We don't have a contested marking forward means we need to hit up players on leads.  We don't move the ball clean enough and will turn it over that will lead to opposition scoring.

Until we can get out disposal up to scratch we will not be contenders.

We can keep composure for small parts of the game, but like the third quarter yesterday as soon as we lose it, bad kicking spreads like Co-Vid through our side everybody starts missing targets.

That's definitely been the case for a long time and hasn't been fixed we can all see it, who's responsible? AFL players should be able to hit targets even under pressure. as you say we have no one taking contested grabs so we congest our forward half making it harder to mark. We need to create space for leads

 
39 minutes ago, Rednblueriseing said:

With the best ruckman in the comp. A young talented midfield group, and a back 6 as good as any we should be spreading the ground making it hard for opposition to score and opening up our forward line especially considering we have injuries to key talls.

Put Trac in the goal square open up the 50 with Fritsch and a rotating Gawn and Jackson leading into space and we can kick a score in the early rounds.

 

We play an opposition not just circle work. You can’t simply ‘open the forward line’. Move the ball slowly and the forward line will congest.

In fact a big problem is we spread a lot and try to get forwards deep and then turn the ball over between the lines.

And we don’t play the aggressive defensive press any more where every defender starts equal or forward of their men. We start behind and drop May and Lever in to gaps. 

Our ball movement was dreadful yesterday. Slow to react. Very little risk and creativity yet somehow also reluctant to go into a switching model which is the way to get around the dogs assertive press.

But against the Tigers we moved the ball fairly well. Clearly we missed Salem and the confidence the experienced mids give to run and draw the footy. We have to hope it was more of a bad day than a sign of things to come. 

  • Author
3 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

We play an opposition not just circle work. You can’t simply ‘open the forward line’. Move the ball slowly and the forward line will congest.

In fact a big problem is we spread a lot and try to get forwards deep and then turn the ball over between the lines.

And we don’t play the aggressive defensive press any more where every defender starts equal or forward of their men. We start behind and drop May and Lever in to gaps. 

Our ball movement was dreadful yesterday. Slow to react. Very little risk and creativity yet somehow also reluctant to go into a switching model which is the way to get around the dogs assertive press.

But against the Tigers we moved the ball fairly well. Clearly we missed Salem and the confidence the experienced mids give to run and draw the footy. We have to hope it was more of a bad day than a sign of things to come. 

I have to disagree if your a forward say a half forward and push to 60 meters out your opponent can sit back in the hole and leave you free, or man you up leaving a gap for a forward to lead into. it's basic, creating space and every other team do it


We are on the decline IMO. I can’t see us improving at the rate needed to keep up with the competition. Beyond our inconsistent A graders we are far too vulnerable. Whether this is more a list problem or a coaching problem I’m not sure. I worry it’s both. I can’t see us scaring the eight this year and I don’t think we have the skill set to not need a clean out. Our flaws look to be continuing year on year. There is an apparent issue with the mental side of things and the skill execution area. Beyond Gawn, Petracca, may and possibly lever and Oliver what do we have? Oliver has gone backwards and lever needs a consistent run at it but I think he’ll be ok. Brown may help...

it could be a very long year.

I think if you look at preseason form the last 5-10 years you'll find it's generally not a good guide for how teams go throughout the season.

The Bulldogs midfield (inside and outside) towelled us up last year and it will be even better this year - I rate them highly and would not be surprised to see them in the top 4.  They reportedly set themselves for the game.

We played them missing half our forward line (Brown, Weid, Kozzie) and half our midfield (Viney, Brayshaw, Oliver) so I don't think we need to read too much into it.  Even at full strength I would think the Bulldogs would be better than us at the moment so the loss cannot be a huge surprise.

Its disappointing that our second string midfielders (Sparrow, Jordan, Baker etc) did not go up a gear but I don't think we can expect these guys to carry the load - but they will be useful when they have some more experience and muscle around them.  My biggest concern is that we still seem to be unsure about who will play the other wing.

The biggest positive is the form of May and Lever - they look set for big seasons.  If they can keep up that form, that will keep us in a lot of games while we sort out our issues forward of the ball - fingers crossed its not far away from clicking when our prime movers return.

Trust me, I’ve got my knives sharpened for Goodwin, but I think it’s premature to pass verdict based on a pre-season game where our second string got towelled up by a full-strength doggies side. Let’s give it 4 or 5 games to see if we’ve addressed the flaws in our game before passing judgment. If we’re 1-4 then by all means release the hounds.

I think you are being reasonable @Better days ahead, but also feel like we are always waiting 4-5 games for things to gel/address a weakness/make a change/come into form/get back from injury/find a home base etc etc

 


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

  • CASEY: Collingwood

    It was freezing cold at Mission Whitten Stadium where only the brave came out in the rain to watch a game that turned out to be as miserable as the weather.
    The Casey Demons secured their third consecutive victory, earning the four premiership points and credit for defeating a highly regarded Collingwood side, but achieved little else. Apart perhaps from setting the scene for Monday’s big game at the MCG and the Ice Challenge that precedes it.
    Neither team showcased significant skill in the bleak and greasy conditions, at a location that was far from either’s home territory. Even the field umpires forgot where they were and experienced a challenging evening, but no further comment is necessary.

    • 4 replies
  • NON-MFC: Round 13

    Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demons’ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

      • Clap
      • Like
    • 216 replies
  • PREVIEW: Collingwood

    Having convincingly defeated last year’s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Club’s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak. Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Let’s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the team’s neck.

    • 1 reply
  • CASEY: Sydney

    The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution.

    • 1 reply
  • REPORT: St. Kilda

    Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterday’s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourne’s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldn’t get any worse. Well, it did. And what’s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasn’t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. Ross Lyon’s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourne’s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourne’s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterday’s 7 goals 21 behinds. 
    This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. I’ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards? Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre? 

    • 4 replies
  • PREGAME: Collingwood

    After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

    • 527 replies