Jump to content

Our Robbo's Blunt Warning to Current Crop

John Crow Batty
John Crow Batty
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

 

i liked it.  Made sense.  Interesting he points out how they achieved what they did without any infrastructure resembling a professional club.  Now we have this, unlike any other time.  Happy days.

  • Quote

    To add to the general theme of this thread:

     

  • Quote
    •  

    4 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

    Won’t open for me JCB

    Same here. 

  • Quote
    •  
    3 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

    Same here. 

    clear your cookies etc if you are on a laptop

  • Quote
    4 minutes ago, Olgreybeard49 said:

    Try this: AFL 2021: ‘Babes in the woods’ - Former Melbourne Demons star Russell Robertson delivers blunt warning (theage.com.au)

    Else I'll happily post the article.

    Thanks for that

    Robbo needs to address the playing group with this. Hopefully he has already done it

  • Quote

    2 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

    Thanks for that

    Robbo needs to address the playing group with this. Hopefully he has already done it

    Robbo and his teammates needed to address this back in '05.
    Lost to bottom side Carlton twice that year.
    Forkin' hopeless.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    6 minutes ago, Fork 'em said:

    Robbo and his teammates needed to address this back in '05.
    Lost to bottom side Carlton twice that year.
    Forkin' hopeless.

    I remember it well

    2004 was very similar 

  • Quote
    19 minutes ago, Olgreybeard49 said:

    James Jordan

    I officially give up.  It's a losing battle.  Nuffies gonna nuff, I guess.

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
    • Haha 7
    • Shocked 1
    • Sad 1

    This crop is nothing like the team of 2005.  Daniher had a terrible defensive structure and teams would easily score against them. 
     

    Before their run of losses that year the conceded: 

    dogs 15.21 round 2

    saints 23 goals round 4

    dockers 22 goals round 6

    hawks 19 goals round 8

    no wonder they lost the next 7 games. As soon as the pressure dropped sides would pile on the goals.


     

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    I sincerely hope we do what Brisbane used to do in their dominant era - have a massively hard training block come June/July in order to be absolutely prime in September. 

     

    We have already earned the chance to manage player load through winter and do some in game experimentation of players in different roles to allow flexibility at the end of the year. 

    We will lose games - happy to do so more on our terms when we are gearing up for our first serious charge in a long time

     

     

     

     

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    I recall thinking at the time that we were a seriously god side, then I had a look at the back end of the year and realised we had an easy first part but there were not many clubs we would be expected to beat in the last part of the season and we didn't.  

    That's why we fell in a heap.

  • Quote
    • Demonland changed the title to Our Robbo's Blunt Warning to Current Crop

    May be deliberate in this case, for all the Johns he gets?...

  • Quote

    Have to agree, with Robbo.

    One thing that stood out for me was not having our own home ground, the club realy needs fix this; i wish we could convince the MCC to allow us to make the MCG our home, to train on and have everything our players need?

  • Quote

    That side had talent no doubt but they were pushed aside under even a little bit of pressure. 

    This year's team will have its slump/s. It will come. Don't be surprised if we lose 3-4 games in a row at some point. A belting or two will definitely come around. 

    But this team is different. We'll be primed for a run late in the season.

  • Quote

    14 hours ago, bandicoot said:

    This crop is nothing like the team of 2005.  Daniher had a terrible defensive structure and teams would easily score against them.

    Before their run of losses that year the conceded: 

    dogs 15.21 round 2

    saints 23 goals round 4

    dockers 22 goals round 6

    hawks 19 goals round 8

    no wonder they lost the next 7 games. As soon as the pressure dropped sides would pile on the goals.

    Robbo was talking about player mind set.   

    It is a timely warning from Robbo - the back half of our season will be a lot harder than the first as we play the better sides and we play interstate every other week.   Injuries are starting to happen.  Youngsters will tire.  Lots of things can derail our season.

    If the right mind set isn't there the team, structures and systems won't protect us.   Players just can't get ahead of themselves.

    Edited by Lucifer's Hero

  • Quote

    I can remember 2 instances of this playing local footy.

    One year we were undefeated on top of the ladder after the first half of the season then couldn't buy a win agains the same teams in the 2nd half and dropped out of the final 4.

    The other one we were comfortable in the 4 and cruising, one of my mates took off on holidays about 4 or 5 weeks before the finals and was due back to play when we made it. He turned up on the Tuesday before with his gear ready to get stripped and train, walked into the rooms and we were all sitting around having a beer. He couldn't believe that we'd dropped out. 

    ...so nothing is a given. I'm comfortable with where we sit but take nothing for granted.

  • Quote

    Hopefully the first half against North is a good reminder we can lose to anyone anytime if our intensity is off. It certainly was for me!

  • Quote
    •  
    15 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

    Thanks for that

    Robbo needs to address the playing group with this. Hopefully he has already done it

    The side issue in Robbo's comments on the histroy is that looking at the games in the season collapse he refers to , Robbo did his bit as a very productive forward in those losses and I wonder if he felt others let him down, or maybe he is emphasising that it can't be left to a few - everyone has to stay contributing to the end.

    A timely contribution by the great man.

  • Quote

    I think someone mentioned it this week but up until the Tiges game we've had a honeymoon run. Kudos to the fitness staff to have us up and going.

    From here on in it gets hard. We've already lost our gun defensive mid (Viney). We've lost a great one on one defender in Tomlinson. Fritta has been rubbed out for a week. What impact will further injuries have?

    Opposition teams are targetting Gawn, Oliver and Petracca. Some of the tactics used against Gawn were downright thuggish on Sunday.

    We're top of the ladder. Everyone is gunning for us. Our game plan will be examined thoroughly with the slightest chinks in our armour tested thoroughly.

    Will be interesting to see if we can withstand the pressure from here on in.

    Up till now the way we've gelled as a team has been outstanding.

    Edited by dee-tox

  • Quote

    • 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...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • FEATURE: 1925

      A hundred years ago today, on 2 May 1925, Melbourne kicked off the new season with a 47 point victory over St Kilda to take top place on the VFL ladder after the opening round of the new season.  Top place was a relatively unknown position for the team then known as the “Fuchsias.” They had finished last in 1923 and rose by only one place in the following year although the final home and away round heralded a promise of things to come when they surprised the eventual premiers Essendon. That victory set the stage for more improvement and it came rapidly. In this series, I will tell the story of how the 1925 season unfolded for the Melbourne Football Club and how it made the VFL finals for the first time in a decade on the way to the ultimate triumph a year later.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: West Coast

      Saturday’s election night game in Perth between the West Coast Eagles and Melbourne represents 18th vs 15th which makes it a tough decision as to which party to favour. The Eagles have yet to break the ice under their new coach in Andrew McQualter who is the second understudy in a row to confront Demon Coach Simon Goodwin who was also winless until a fortnight ago. On that basis, many punters might be considering to go with the donkey vote but I’ve been assigned with the task of helping readers to come to a considered opinion on this matter of vital importance across the nation. It was almost a year ago that I wrote a preview here of the Demons’ away game against the Eagles (under the name William from Waalitj because it was Indigenous Round).  I issued a warning that it was a danger game, based on my local knowledge that the home team were no longer easybeats and that they possessed a wunderkind generational player in Harley Reid who was capable of producing stellar performances playing among men a decade and more older than he.  At the time, the Eagles already had two wins off the back of a couple of the young man’s masterclasses and they had recently given the Bombers a scare straight after their Anzac Day blockbuster draw against the then reigning premiers.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 08

      Round 08 of the 2025 AFL Season kicks off on Thursday with a must-win game for the Bombers to stay in touch with the top eight, while the struggling Roos seek a morale-boosting upset. Friday sees the Saints desperate for a win as well if they are to stay in finals contention and their opponents the Dockers will be eager to crack in to the Top 8 with a win on the road. Saturday kicks off with a pivotal clash for both sides asthe Bulldogs look to solidify their top-eight spot, while Port seeks to shake their pretender tag. Then the Crows will be looking to steady their topsy turvy season against a resurgent Blues looking to make it 4 wins on the trot. On Election Night a Blockbuster will see the ladder-leading Pies take on the Cats, who are keen to bounce back after a narrow loss. On Sunday the Sydney Derby promises fireworks as the Giants aim to cement their top-eight status, while the Swans fight to keep their season alive. The Hawks, celebrating their centenary, will be looking to easily account for the Tigers who are desperate to halt their slide. The Round concludes on Sunday Night with a top end of the table QClash with significant ladder implications; both Queensland teams are in scintillating form. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

      • 71 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: West Coast

      The Demons hit the road in Round 8, heading to Perth to face the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium. With momentum building, the Dees will be aiming for a third straight victory to keep their season revival on course. Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Haha
        • Like
      • 558 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Richmond

      The fans who turned up to the MCG for Melbourne’s Anzac Day Eve clash against Richmond would have been disappointed if they turned up to see a great spectacle. As much as this was a night for the 71,635 in attendance to commemorate heroes of the nation’s past wars, it was also a time for the Melbourne Football Club to consolidate upon its first win after a horrific start to the 2025 season. On this basis, despite the fact that it was an uninspiring and dour struggle for most of its 100 minutes, the night will be one for the fans to remember. They certainly got value out of the pre match activity honouring those who fought for their country. The MCG and the lights of the city as backdrop was made for nights such as these and, in my view, we received a more inspirational ceremony of Anzac culture than others both here and elsewhere around the country. 

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Richmond

      The match up of teams competing in our great Aussie game at its second highest level is a rarity for a work day Thursday morning but the blustery conditions that met the players at a windswept Casey Fields was something far more commonplace.They turned the opening stanza between the Casey Demons and a somewhat depleted Richmond VFL into a mess of fumbling unforced errors, spilt marks and wasted opportunities for both sides but they did set up a significant win for the home team which is exactly what transpired on this Anzac Day round opener. Casey opened up strong against the breeze with the first goal to Aidan Johnson, the Tigers quickly responded and the game degenerated into a defensive slog and the teams were level when the first siren sounded.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All