Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

First up, fairly content with the result today and think there's plenty of upside to come. Although it was not perfect by any means.

But during the game I wondered, who actually is our midfield 'leader'? We have a number of top players and arguably the best ruckman in the league, but as the commentators pointed out, we didn't have an answer to the way Freo setup at stoppages and exploited our midfield. We didn't have a leader that realised this and organised the troops. We have too many players that get  in each others way and do their own thing.   

When I think of most teams I can name a clear midfield leader. Freo has Fyfe for example. Who is ours, or has the potential to be?

Viney perhaps. But does he have a strong enough footy IQ to simultaneously organise the play and be the bull he is? Petracca and Oliver are great players but unfortunately don't seem up to that.

Gawn probably should be. But I get the impression he doesn't always grasp when things need to change and when to take charge.

The backline is our strongest and is partly so due to the leadership and organisation provided by May and Lever. I wish our midfield (and forwardline) operated the same way.

 
 
  • Author
35 minutes ago, Jjrogan said:

Oliver. Close thread. 

He's a freak, but is he a leader that can organise and direct others?

That's what I'm on about. I don't think he can...yet...

  • Author
27 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

from a set up and positioning standpoint, viney

from the best player in the set-up, petracca

for the most consistent, oliver

for the heart, max

Yep, that's what this thread is about. All the other stuff is important, but isn't as relevant to what I'm talking about.

But fair point that it won't take just one, but all to perform their role. 


We don't have one.

Petracca is too busy trying to do everything for us.

Oliver is chasing stats instead of the opposition.

Viney wants to kill everybody.

Gawn is more worried about hitouts than clearances.

Love them all as blokes and players, but not one of them is a 'directional' type leader. Viney isn't a communicator and Gawn still has a bad habit of going for a massive random punch forward when he's frustrated.

Max is the one that needs to add this to his leadership. He's a great front man for our club, a sensational player, but gut feel is he's classed as a leader because he's a great trainer and a great bloke. Not the 'ruthless' leader we really need.

The captain of course

18 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

We don't have one.

Petracca is too busy trying to do everything for us.

Oliver is chasing stats instead of the opposition.

Viney wants to kill everybody.

Gawn is more worried about hitouts than clearances.

Love them all as blokes and players, but not one of them is a 'directional' type leader. Viney isn't a communicator and Gawn still has a bad habit of going for a massive random punch forward when he's frustrated.

Max is the one that needs to add this to his leadership. He's a great front man for our club, a sensational player, but gut feel is he's classed as a leader because he's a great trainer and a great bloke. Not the 'ruthless' leader we really need.

I agree with this.
 

We will always have those whole quarter lapses and opposition teams will always believe they are in games regardless of score line when playing us.

The way the Tigers share the ball around and hit certain spots from areas of the ground is phenomenal. They are extremely well led on and off field.

Initial contest is the focus for us, then after that it is anyone’s guess

Edited by BW511

 

Petracca by the length of the Flemington straight. He is the future of this club.

  • Author
43 minutes ago, bobby1554 said:

Petracca by the length of the Flemington straight. He is the future of this club.

Trac is a ripper, but what makes him a good leader that marshalls the troops and responds in game to opposition tactics?

I feel our group were hurt more by the loss of on-field runners delivering messages. The best teams are well drilled, disciplined and have senior players that are also coaches on the field


1 hour ago, Hellish Inferno said:

Trac is a ripper, but what makes him a good leader that marshalls the troops and responds in game to opposition tactics?

I feel our group were hurt more by the loss of on-field runners delivering messages. The best teams are well drilled, disciplined and have senior players that are also coaches on the field

What makes him a good leader? Because he can do what others can’t 

Midfield leaders. Viney.  Oliver. Petracca. Take your pick. 
 

Matthew Lloyd - new rules won’t suit midfields like Collingwood, Melbourne and Giants.  Melbourne has a big and slow midfield.  
 

Wow. Oliver.  Petracca. Viney. Harmes. Brayshaw. Great at the contested footy. But we need another 1-2 fast outside runners.  

On 3/21/2021 at 2:49 AM, Jjrogan said:

Oliver. Close thread. 

Oliver ain't no leader. Being the best isn't being the leader.

On 3/21/2021 at 7:38 AM, Lord Nev said:

We don't have one.

Petracca is too busy trying to do everything for us.

Oliver is chasing stats instead of the opposition.

Viney wants to kill everybody.

Gawn is more worried about hitouts than clearances.

Love them all as blokes and players, but not one of them is a 'directional' type leader. Viney isn't a communicator and Gawn still has a bad habit of going for a massive random punch forward when he's frustrated.

Max is the one that needs to add this to his leadership. He's a great front man for our club, a sensational player, but gut feel is he's classed as a leader because he's a great trainer and a great bloke. Not the 'ruthless' leader we really need.

Spot on


On 3/21/2021 at 12:32 AM, Hellish Inferno said:

First up, fairly content with the result today and think there's plenty of upside to come. Although it was not perfect by any means.

But during the game I wondered, who actually is our midfield 'leader'? We have a number of top players and arguably the best ruckman in the league, but as the commentators pointed out, we didn't have an answer to the way Freo setup at stoppages and exploited our midfield. We didn't have a leader that realised this and organised the troops. We have too many players that get  in each others way and do their own thing.   

When I think of most teams I can name a clear midfield leader. Freo has Fyfe for example. Who is ours, or has the potential to be?

Viney perhaps. But does he have a strong enough footy IQ to simultaneously organise the play and be the bull he is? Petracca and Oliver are great players but unfortunately don't seem up to that.

Gawn probably should be. But I get the impression he doesn't always grasp when things need to change and when to take charge.

The backline is our strongest and is partly so due to the leadership and organisation provided by May and Lever. I wish our midfield (and forwardline) operated the same way.

Ditto ditto ditto 

On 3/21/2021 at 8:38 AM, Lord Nev said:

We don't have one.

Petracca is too busy trying to do everything for us.

Oliver is chasing stats instead of the opposition.

Viney wants to kill everybody.

Gawn is more worried about hitouts than clearances.

Love them all as blokes and players, but not one of them is a 'directional' type leader. Viney isn't a communicator and Gawn still has a bad habit of going for a massive random punch forward when he's frustrated.

Max is the one that needs to add this to his leadership. He's a great front man for our club, a sensational player, but gut feel is he's classed as a leader because he's a great trainer and a great bloke. Not the 'ruthless' leader we really need.

Some interesting observations and not without merit.

A working definition of a leader in the footy world for me is someone who inspires players to give their all as well as being prepared to be selfless for the good of the team. (Like S.May in the backline).

All of the players have the ability to do this but agreed no one really stands out.

I believe Trac is becoming more mature and will be the most likely to perform this role.

 

The fact that one of the pre season themes was to be more 'selfless' as players says it all does it not?

When I think of our midfield, I think of a bunch of individuals with amazing individual potential and talent. 

Directional talk, selfless gives and blocks, sacrificial defensive running etc is not something that comes natural to any of them.

Gawn probably less in that category but the lack of awareness surrounding his tap work and boundary throw in positioning surprises me every game.

Edited by JimmyGadson

 
17 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Um . . . who is our leader full stop?

I think Lever & May are our best on field leaders 

Would like to see Lever as our next skipper

8 hours ago, Billy said:

I think Lever & May are our best on field leaders 

Would like to see Lever as our next skipper

Reckon it should be May.

He is uncompromising in every aspect of his game, he is passionate, he gives his all and demands that others do as well (2019 incident with Frost).

 


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.

      • Thanks
    • 0 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.

      • Thanks
    • 135 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.

      • Thanks
    • 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.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 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? 

      • Thanks
    • 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?

      • Thanks
    • 422 replies