Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

It has to be T.Mac he's been something special this year and considering he was on the scrapheap last year it's a credit to him.

Spargo has to be the next most improved player this year. I've been one of his harshest critics he has been unbelievable a credit to him.

Neal-Bullen has to be next he has lifted to another level.

Rivers has really come on too rising star receiver. I wonder what demonlanders thoughts on him being All Australian I think the half back flank spot is up for grabs and he has been as good as anyone.

What a year it has been we could have 10 All Australian nominees in Gawn, Petracca, Oliver, May, Lever, Salem, Langdon, McDonald, Fritsch and Rivers.

All we need now is for either Weideman or Big Ben Brown to clunk a few and that would be the icing on the cake. I can almost smell that elusive premioership.  

 
 

I think it somewhat depends what you define as improvement.  My take is that pretty much all of those mentioned have more or less recovered form to be playing as what is similar to their previous peak levels of performance.

The real improvement has come in the across the board collective belief, maturity and consistentcy of the team. 

  On 04/06/2021 at 19:46, dee-tox said:

Fair comment.

TMac

ANB

Spargo

Kozzie

Salem (prior to last two games)

Petty 

 

Absolutely.  The stars are great but these players are making a huge difference as well. 
Go Dees !!! 


JJ - gone from depth to so dependable and reliable.

welcome to the wingers club! What a game playing  Ed Langdon’s role. 

This is why we are so good this year, we have so many guys playing career best footy, even our best players have improved.
 

Spargo comes to mind but it’s hard to go past TMac. We tried to shop him off and pay some of his salary yet nobody was interested such was his performances for 2 years.

He has turned several games this year,  and been a match winner, could not be happier for him.

You could make a case for almost every player who played last night , but we are playing so well as a team. Every player is contributing. no Langdon last night , Hunt had one of his quieter games up stepped Brayshaw and Sparrow have no doubts this is why we are top of the ladder. 

Purely based on numbers I’d imagine Gawn and melksham down on last year. Everyone else hitting career highs or close to it.

 

 

That Spargo and Nibbler are making the ‘whipping boy’ brigade look like the mugs they’ve always been brings joy to my heart. They are serious, professional footballers dedicated to playing to their potential in a team that understands the value of such an attitude. Never deserved the garbage so many dish up to them, and last night was the perfect vindication of that. Considering his size, the number of times Spargo not only halves contests he shouldn’t, but does the deft tap, the block, the tackle, and creates opportunity for others, not to mention his vision and ball use, is just special. And yet, just watch the knockers come back when he has a quiet one. ANB just goes and goes, always has, and for someone who has no flash and no tricks, to have found an extra skill level 6 years into his career should impress everyone. And yet......


ANB was this good in 2018.

Spargo has absolutely found another level.

Tmac is the most improved from 2020, but probably not from his previous best. 

I’d almost argue Oliver. Sure he got lot of touches over the last few years but he is utterly dominating games and providing huge drive and damage. Could mount an argument on the same lines for Trac.

Most improved doesn’t always have to be the fringe players. 

  On 04/06/2021 at 16:27, WERRIDEE said:

It has to be T.Mac he's been something special this year and considering he was on the scrapheap last year it's a credit to him.

Spargo has to be the next most improved player this year. I've been one of his harshest critics he has been unbelievable a credit to him.

Neal-Bullen has to be next he has lifted to another level.

Rivers has really come on too rising star receiver. I wonder what demonlanders thoughts on him being All Australian I think the half back flank spot is up for grabs and he has been as good as anyone.

What a year it has been we could have 10 All Australian nominees in Gawn, Petracca, Oliver, May, Lever, Salem, Langdon, McDonald, Fritsch and Rivers.

All we need now is for either Weideman or Big Ben Brown to clunk a few and that would be the icing on the cake. I can almost smell that elusive premioership.  

I’m really pleased for TMac I remember him being interviewed a few years back and I thought at that time he would captain and achieve so much

He has obviously worked incredibly hard over the off season to address areas of his game that weren’t working

He was a critical factor in turning the game around last night - keep up the great work Tom 


TMac has played great footy before so his improvement is more like returning to his best, rather than discovering his best.

Spargo for mine. I have always liked his footy brain, but he just couldn't impact enough. Now he is a serious problem for opposition because of his gut running, in-close skills, precision kicking and off-the-ball defensive stuff. He is everywhere, and continually makes things happen.

Tmac has to win this. He went from “he’s awful we need to recruit a tall forward stat and trade him out” to “sorry tall forward we recruited, you can’t get a game now”. 
Given his foot issues and his age, his form turnaround is remarkable. 
 

Honorable mentions to ANB who I had in the trash pile and couldn’t wait to see delisted. Proved me wrong. 
 

Spargo always had it in him and just needed to find consistency. He is still really inexperienced and had a strong 2018 so I knew he could do it. 

Edited by Jaded

No doubt in my mind, those three ANB, Tmac and Spargo. Stands out they are all now taking First choices pretty well all the time.

And executing it quickly and with confidence.


From an individual perspective it has to TMac. Phenomenal what he has done. 

Collectively our team defense starting with May and Lever through to Spargo, ANB and Kozzie in the forward half has been a revelation for me this year.

  On 05/06/2021 at 00:01, dl4e said:

Petty.

Loving his work.  I have been really happy and impressed by Petty's efforts to step up and into the role played by Tomlinson.  He's not quite a Tomlinson clone, just because of their differing physical attributes, but still contributing to the backline/team defense that's allowed us to maintain such good stability down back.

He looked a little shaky for a few weeks and still has the odd brain faid moment where he shanks it out on the full or something, but overall I think he's brought himself back up to backman at AFL level.

Starting to take some big strong intercept/contested marks and get involved in good chains of play as well.

Spargo struggled to kick over 35 meters a few years back. ANB put up for trade, T Mac put up for trade. What a turn-around. We often talk about first to be selected players, the selectors must take it in turns to put the first name on the board. 

 
  On 04/06/2021 at 22:22, DaveyJones'sLocker said:

You could make a case for almost every player who played last night , but we are playing so well as a team. Every player is contributing. no Langdon last night , Hunt had one of his quieter games up stepped Brayshaw and Sparrow have no doubts this is why we are top of the ladder. 

Purely based on numbers I’d imagine Gawn and melksham down on last year. Everyone else hitting career highs or close to 

No Gawny is playing a much more rounded game in as team orientsted plus handball shirt padding and defending and attacking.

At the moment he is down a little on marks but more up on the 1% ers and his field kicking has improved.

He is a more rounded player and as such useful ( valuable) to  the team.

Brayshaw  is having his most consistent year since 2018 in a reprised defensive wing role so valuable to the team.

And our selfless ethos and team unity are the glue sticking all of it together. 


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

  • 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.

      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    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.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 1 reply
    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?

    • 148 replies
    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?

      • Thanks
    • 563 replies
    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. 

      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    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.

      • Clap
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland