Jump to content

Featured Replies

With wet weather possible, would think weids stays out for this one.  Don’t think we want to go too tall unless conditions are ideal.  
 

sparrow in for Baker.

petty in for Tomo

jones medical sub

 

70% chance of rain in the afternoon/evening.

Looking forward to some more A+ wet weather footy like the Richmond game.  Still cant believe how well we moved the ball in that one.

I can understand why we went for Brayshaw in the middle last week, with Viney out we've got a young midfield:

https://www.afl.com.au/news/607621/secrets-to-success-every-club-s-cbas-kick-ins-for-r7

Petracca, Oliver, Jordon and we used Brayshaw and Jones

If we go back to Brayshaw on the wing and Jones to sub (because Petty replaces Tomlinson) and bring Sparrow into the middle then we have a pretty young core set-up:

Petracca, Oliver, Jordon, Sparrow ...

I could see Harmes coming in for this reason.

 
On 5/5/2021 at 5:16 PM, Turner said:

i'd still have harmes in ahead of sparrow especially with viney out we really need a presence tackling and speed out of the stoppage and a week in the twos should be plenty for a broken wrist so for me

IN: Petty, Harmes, Chandler

OUT: Tomlinson, Baker, ANB (lay a tackle son its what you're there for)

ANB won't be dropped fir his first real bad one. Fail this game and he is on skid row. 
Sparrow must get a game on form .

Harmes needs to play another Casey game or maybe med iCal sub. 

Petty for Tomlinson is obvious. We need to have a long term solution in that role and Petty needs time to prove he is the man. Aerially he is an upgrade on Tomlinson and he is good by foot. He is not as strong and will need time to understand the role and how to play alongside Lever and May. The criticism of his first half against Hawthorn is a bit unfair given it was his first game in two years and it was only a handful of errors. (Tomlinson was actually worse in that game, being beaten twice in one on one marking contests by O'Brien.)

Brayshaw has been much better on the other wing than any other option over recent years and needs to go back to the role. Baker doesn't make good decisions and his ball use is average and he should be omitted.

This leaves a one starting spot in the midfield for Jones, Sparrow or Harmes and one other spot as the sub. Jones only played around 50% game time last week so I don't think he needs a rest. I would go for Jones to start but can see arguments for the other two and it is pretty even.

Personally I would go for Weideman ahead of Brown but we need to see how Brown goes on the MCG. My biggest concern with Brown is that he gives little when the ball isn't kicked to him one on one. Also, Max has been playing more time at full forward this year and they cannot both sit there.

One other thing I would like to see us trial is Jackson as a midfielder and Max in the ruck. Jackson is great in the contest and this would open up our forward line.


It’ll be Harmes and Petty in

Thommo and Jones out

Chandler the sub 

2 minutes ago, DeeZee said:

It’ll be Harmes and Petty in

Thommo and Jones out

Chandler the sub 

Opinion or inside word?

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Opinion or inside word?

Going by today’s training with the main  group.

I popped by this morning.

 

just need to find a way to get Weid in.  I'd rather invest and support Weid and find a spot elsewhere for TMac (wing or CHB).  I know it wont happen but I think they have played the wrong card here.  Weid in, TMac back, Harmes in for Jones.  perfect opportunity to bring in the Weid.

 

Harmes ahead of Sparrow is not rewarding current form, but hoping Harmes can capture his form from 3 years ago. 

I would be disappointed if that is the call they make. Especially as Sparrow is a much more like for like replacement for Viney.

Baker medical sub to avoid dropping him after 1 game? 


10 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Harmes ahead of Sparrow is not rewarding current form, but hoping Harmes can capture his form from 3 years ago. 

I would be disappointed if that is the call they make. Especially as Sparrow is a much more like for like replacement for Viney.

Baker medical sub to avoid dropping him after 1 game? 

I believe Sparrow has gone past Harmes, would be disappointed if Harmes comes in

Harmes was playing well before he got injured and since playing as a mid is a much better player than last year in defense.

Also has the runs on the board as a tagging mid who can run with Parker or Kennedy.

Harmes averaged 24.5 possessions a game in 2019. (His last season as an onballer/tagger.)

Sparrow's best AFL game was 17 possessions.

I am not saying possessions are everything, Harmes does not need to improve his disposal, or Sparrow has not improved, but the numbers are pretty clear cut and so I can understand if Harmes gets the nod.

2 minutes ago, DeeZee said:

Harmes was playing well before he got injured and since playing as a mid is a much better player than last year in defense.

Also has the runs on the board as a tagging mid who can run with Parker or Kennedy.

No he wasn't.  He was poor all pre season and poor again against Fremantle.  Not only that his game against North last week selfish, lazy and poor.

I'm disappointed to hear that Sparrow has been left out in the expense of Harmes. Sparrow was a CLEAR best on ground by an absolute mile.

It’s also about experience over youth.

We already have some good young players in the team like Kozzie, Jacko and Rivers.

The more senior player that’s been there done that is being picked ahead of more youth.

Ben Brown ahead of Weed

Harmes ahead of Sparrow.

Unfortunately we can’t fit them all in, and it just underlines our depth of talent.


3 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

No he wasn't.  He was poor all pre season and poor again against Fremantle.  Not only that his game against North last week selfish, lazy and poor.

I'm disappointed to hear that Sparrow has been left out in the expense of Harmes. Sparrow was a CLEAR best on ground by an absolute mile.

Sides haven't been listed yet, according to the AFL site.

1 minute ago, ManDee said:

Sides haven't been listed yet, according to the AFL site.

Captains run is usually a good indication though mate..

Harmes throws our midfield balance off and he cant play any other position . Sparrow can play as a pressure forward and go in the midfield when needed and dominated the VFL last week.

Sparrow in before Harmes, surely.

Sydney midfield last week was Kennedy, Parker, Rowbottom (20), Warner (19), Florent (22)

https://www.afl.com.au/news/607621/secrets-to-success-every-club-s-cbas-kick-ins-for-r7

We'll have Petracca, Oliver, Jordon (20) - then you can add in your 2 preferred from Brayshaw, Jones, Harmes, Sparrow but note only 1 of those 4 were in the starting 22 last week.  Someone has to go out and that could be Baker but then you've got to fill his wing spot so you're still only left with 4 primary mids in the rotation.  Melksham, Pickett and ANB did cameos in there.

I'd be going with Harmes and Brayshaw back to the wing. I could go with a midfield rotation of Petracca, Oliver, Jordon and Harmes.

I'm just not comfortable with a midfield rotation of Petracca, Oliver, Jordon and Sparrow - there needs to be one more because of the inexperience and that would mean someone else has to miss. There'll be a significant number of combos where Jordon and Sparrow both have to be in there.

Edited by Pollyanna


30 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I'm disappointed to hear that Sparrow has been left out in the expense of Harmes. Sparrow was a CLEAR best on ground by an absolute mile.

As much as I like James Harmes circa 2018, and want him to get back those levels, I agree with @dazzledavey36's assessment of last weeks game - Sparrow more deserving of a call-up.

3 minutes ago, TRIGON said:

As much as I like James Harmes circa 2018, and want him to get back those levels, I agree with @dazzledavey36's assessment of last weeks game - Sparrow more deserving of a call-up.

Me too

 
1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

No he wasn't.  He was poor all pre season and poor again against Fremantle.  Not only that his game against North last week selfish, lazy and poor.

I'm disappointed to hear that Sparrow has been left out in the expense of Harmes. Sparrow was a CLEAR best on ground by an absolute mile.

Jeez don't like Harmes do you ? Actually last week he started off a bit rusty & tentative but finished the game pretty well & was one of Casey's better players.

I’m not bothered with hand wringing about changes whilst the winning formula continues. Once we lose a game or further injuries others will get their chance. 

Edited by John Crow Batty


Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

Featured Content

  • 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
    • 92 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
    • 353 replies
  • PODCAST: St. Kilda

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs.
    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.
    Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

      • Thanks
    • 47 replies