Jump to content

Featured Replies

12 hours ago, RyanD said:

Sorry, didn't know where to post this.

 

Coming from Brisbane tomorrow. Will I need a jumper tomorrow night? Keep in mind where I live lol. 

Maybe!! 

 
9 hours ago, John Crow Batty said:

Much talk and had wringing about our defence. I would not be surprised if Tmac get a run down back and Smith up forward if it’s not working. Still our best defenders May, Lever and Salem are all still there.

Too early to tell yet but I rate Bowey too to join that esteemed group and i have great confidence in him for tonight.. Especially as an elite ball user and decision maker.

We'll be fine with May directing traffic but sure there'll be a  few nervous defensive moments. 

13 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

River's for me has that speed and power in being able to play on the likes of Weightman, Hannan and Johanisson. Not only that, we lose his dash and long kicking out of defence. Watch the GF and you'll see he won some very crucial one on one's and also made some critical spoils. Huge loss for our team.

Completely agree with this daz. He has a great balance of defensive accountability and knowing when to run off his player. And I love how he hoof's the ball. Him and Salo on the half back line are a great pairing.

 

May will obviously line up on Naughton. But Petty is the best match up.

Not sure who will line up on English when he is on the forward line. He doesn't pose much of a threat (famous last words!) so perhaps Lever who usually gets one of the weaker forwards, or Smith who can play on talls.

7 minutes ago, Winners at last said:

May will obviously line up on Naughton. But Petty is the best match up.

Not sure who will line up on English when he is on the forward line. He doesn't pose much of a threat (famous last words!) so perhaps Lever who usually gets one of the weaker forwards, or Smith who can play on talls.

Or our resting ruckman sticks to him whether he is on or off the field.

Lots of options :-)


Smith still has a lot of scope for improvement.  He has only ever played half a dozen games in a row. If he can play a full season, he will surprise a few on Demonland. He is one of the most athletic players in the competition and his skills are not as bad as is made out. (Here's hoping my views are the same at 10pm tonight!)

14 hours ago, RyanD said:

Sorry, didn't know where to post this.

 

Coming from Brisbane tomorrow. Will I need a jumper tomorrow night? Keep in mind where I live lol. 

Bearing in mind it’s Melbz, I’d recommend you pack the following (not SOME of the following, ALL of the following):

Tank top, thongs, hand warmers, sunscreen, cardigan, raincoat, sun hat, puffer jacket, thick socks, beanie, sleeveless vest, lightweight shorts, thermal underwear, T-shirt, balaclava, singlet, scarf, sandals, mittens, thick woollen overcoat, sunglasses, rain-proof pants, ugg boots, one of those furry Russian hats, and that should just about cover any possible weather sitch. 

Unrelated: I am SO not getting any work done today 🙃

33 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Or our resting ruckman sticks to him whether he is on or off the field.

Lots of options :-)

I agree. Gawn for me plays down back to help out when their ruck is resting forward. 

Without wanting to jinx us, neither English nor Martin are big goal kickers. The issue for us will continue to be ground level ball. They killed us at ground level entries in the second and third quarter of the GF. This could also be why we've gone with a more agile option in Smith over Tommo. We know they will work hard on getting the ball to ground in their forwardline, because they probably won't get a heap of it in the air, unless Naughton has a massive game.

That is why I worry less about not playing Tommo and more about not having sufficient coverage for Rivers and Hibbo at ground level. Hunt and Smith are very athletic, but they are hit and miss both with game sense and ball use. 

But of course it all starts in the middle. If our mids are loose and let the Dogs sneak forward and kick multiple goals, we will be in trouble either way. 

 

Teams will be looking at ways to disrupt our defensive set-up, and one of the more successful attempts last year was in dragging Lever away from the zone. Hence I imagine Smith's inclusion, due to his better closing speed and aerial ability and the flexibility for a more mobile one-on-one rolling-off system where required. 

On the flip-side, I reckon Goody would have spent a good deal of time planning to negate Caleb Daniel's influence, and I wouldn't be surprised if he deploys Harmes for a forward-tagging role (ignore the team-sheet). Harmes is a proven shut-down player who is also a genuine threat going the other way if given space inside 50. 

Turning into a pearler of a day. Rain cleared, sun coming out

I reckon the Queenslanders can start taking off their jackets and gloves! 😂


1 hour ago, Skuit said:

Teams will be looking at ways to disrupt our defensive set-up, and one of the more successful attempts last year was in dragging Lever away from the zone. Hence I imagine Smith's inclusion, due to his better closing speed and aerial ability and the flexibility for a more mobile one-on-one rolling-off system where required. 

On the flip-side, I reckon Goody would have spent a good deal of time planning to negate Caleb Daniel's influence, and I wouldn't be surprised if he deploys Harmes for a forward-tagging role (ignore the team-sheet). Harmes is a proven shut-down player who is also a genuine threat going the other way if given space inside 50. 

Harmesy is a wonderful pest.

Geez I'm leaving soon. I can't take anymore waiting around.

Edited by Longsufferingnomore

I don't like Harmes as a HB because 2 years ago they tried this experiment and it failed because Harmes is a natural attacking player but gets lost when to defend and when to attack which means he loses his creativity and becomes a liability rather than an asset.

I hope I am wrong but this may become a weakness in the defensive structure.

I am expecting Brayshaw to play in defence, Jordon on the defensive wing and Harmes as the fourth midfielder. It will be a big game for Jordon to show he can break into the best 22.

18 hours ago, Billy said:

Everyone seems to have forgotten that Hunt had a good season & played 20 games before getting injured just before the finals.

Would’ve been a premiership player if didn’t get injured 

Some people have very long memories and very rigid mindsets.  And seem to be unaware players can improve.

3 hours ago, Winners at last said:

May will obviously line up on Naughton. But Petty is the best match up.

Not sure who will line up on English when he is on the forward line. He doesn't pose much of a threat (famous last words!) so perhaps Lever who usually gets one of the weaker forwards, or Smith who can play on talls.

Didn't May have Naughton for most of the GF, even with Petty in the team?


17 hours ago, Turner said:

as soon as the carlton game finished i said to dad, and posted in the post game thread smith was in our top 4 or 5 on the ground, generally looked hungry in the tackle and combative in the air and i said tomlinson looked like he was protecting his knee when turning or slowing down just a little bit too

i rkn this is one of the biggest myths in footy, why? because they look similar? they both wear long sleeves? hunt repeatedly gets run down (strange situation to find yourself in when you're the quickest bloke on the park supposedly) and doesn't necessarily improve langdons game any more than anyone else does, if anything he's more likely to hinder it by taking kicks off him and being a poorer distributer or simply skipping him altogether with his 60m roosts to contest

you're wrong dazzle, no one needs to play on hannan 

isn't this the entire reason why we are tinkering? obviously if we had our best players available then we wouldn't but we dont therefore we must change something so we still have the best side we can out there and clearly jordon is a stronger candidate than turner, dsmith or HBBaker 

Tinkering with personnel due to injury is different to tinkering with our structure I think. Moving Brayshaw to half back impacts our wings as well rather than just bringing in another defender.

Jordan will likely get a run at Half back with Harmes or Brayshaw to swap back as the break glass in case of emergency situation.

2 hours ago, Fat Tony said:

I am expecting Brayshaw to play in defence, Jordon on the defensive wing and Harmes as the fourth midfielder. It will be a big game for Jordon to show he can break into the best 22.

That makes sense to me - Brayshaw has trained in defence for this very situation and Jordon  showed last year he is able to do the job on the wing.  Harmes got tried there a few seasons back - never again.  Is a very handy second string midfielder!

7 minutes ago, demon3165 said:

Don't know if true but someone posted Lever out tommo in on Melbourne fan Facebook site 

Lever ‘late test’ I saw on Twitter. Not a great sign 


The bottom line is that now four Grand Final defenders are out, but...they've been replaced by three dudes who could have played in the Grand had they not been injured: Smith, Hunt and Tomlinson.

Still, it does make it tough.

Then again, as Mister Spargo put it, one in, one out...

21 hours ago, John Crow Batty said:

Much talk and had wringing about our defence. I would not be surprised if Tmac get a run down back and Smith up forward if it’s not working. Still our best defenders May, Lever and Salem are all still there.

 

15 hours ago, rpfc said:

Not in round 1.

Maybe in Round 1…

Although we were down to May when Lever and Salem were down.

He did well.

 

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

  • 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.

      • Haha
      • Like
    • 133 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?

      • Like
    • 385 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/

      • Shocked
      • Clap
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 47 replies