CHANGES: Rd 04 vs Port Adelaide

[DistrACTION Jackson 8,749]

It will be interesting to see how Weideman would go with Brown back and TMac out.

He seemed to be playing more the deep forward role, which is what Brown usually plays more of.

Not sure he will have the running power of TMac, so not sure how they will use him.

I really want Weid to succeed, especially given the amount we gave for him. Just think he is a watch still.

[Adam The God 30,266]

On 4/1/2022 at 10:50 PM, Paulo said:

Face palms for anyone that suggests dropping Joel Smith

Really? Directly caused three scoring shots. Two from simple dropped marks, the other from doing his usual running underneath the ball and out positioning himself. He's not a trustworthy defender.

I'd go Brown and Lever in for McDonald and Smith, but they won't. They'll keep Smith in until Petty is fit again.

Edited April 4, 2022 by A F

[Sydney_Demon 1,175]

15 hours ago, CHF said:

At the opening bounce we sometimes see Kossie in there and I like that variation. as another variation I would have Max at ruck with Petracca, Oliver and Jackson at the opening bounce. Max tapping to Luke staying a bit wider with Petracca and Oliver running past.

I like your creative thinking here, and love the idea of maximising the use of Jackson's mobility, but resting either Gawn or Jackson up forwards or on the bench as we currently do still works best I feel. I really don't see Jackson as a competitor with the elite midfielders from opposition sides. Definitely more mobile than opposition rucks and I love his and Max's follow-up work after the ruck contest. 

1 hour ago, David-Demon said:

I would bring BB back, retain The Weed and move T Mc to CHB to strengthen the second string back seven till Lever, Salen, Hibbo and Petty are available then re start our thinking then. Like, push the problem out till we have to make a really hard decision...lol 

I don't really understand your thinking here. It's pretty unkind describing our current Back 7 as second-string and my (admittedly not-particularly-well-informed) analysis is that most of our defensive issues this year have been created by the midfielders not putting enough pressure on upfield. In any case even without Lever I can't see TMac as part of our defensive setup currently. He's either in the side as a Forward or out of the 23 IMO. 

[Deemania since 56 6,651]

19 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Agreed.  He wasn't the same after he had a few games out in early August for back problems. 

And his 2022 games so far haven't been noteworthy.  I wonder if the back is a recurring problem and inhibits his ability to jump for marks or to spoil. 

A good time for Weideman to make his mark.

I think there is something wrong with TMac at the moment, perhaps longer-term relative to recent games performances. TMac just ain't getting off the ground as he used to - he now tends to rely on reach, alone - and this leads him to have his hands somewhere lower in the pack than a few hopeful opposition players who negate him. As a known, elite runner, he is a little too static on the ground these days, as well. Still, he may come good - it's in his nature to compete and win the ball.

[Sydee 4,446]

7 minutes ago, A F said:

Really? Directly caused three scoring shots. Two from simple dropped marks, the other from doing his usual running underneath the ball and out positioning himself. He's not a trustworthy defender.

I'd go Brown and Lever in for McDonald and Smith, but they won't. They'll keep Smith in until Petty is fit again.

I'm not trying to be a Joel Smith defender here but pretty much every player in our team will make some mistakes in every game - such is the nature of the sport

However if you purely focus on the negatives you may lose sight of the positive contributions - and for Joel recently I think there have been quite a few. We all need to remain mindful that he has played less than 30 games of AFL and in the early days these were arguably marred by injury interruptions and not having a clear/specific role

There is absolutely no doubt that he has some special qualities that others do not have - speed, leap, strength, high marking. His skills are not bad in terms of disposal and his decision making seems to be improving with more game time

Will he continue to evolve into a better footballer with consistent game time - personally I believe that is very likely and I believe the coaching group feel the same way. Will he find himself out of the team if he puts in some poor performances - again highly likely as we finally have strong depth and competition for spots all over the ground 

If all our backline players are fit and available I'd argue the first picked would be 

May, Lever, Petty, Bowey, Rivers, Salem (this may depend on specific opposition and getting best match ups)

That leaves no room for any of Tomlinson, Smith, Hibberd or Hunt

In our strongest team these guys are probably going to be hoping to fill an interchange - and imo Smith is the most versatile in that role at least for now 

 

  

[Fat Tony 5,232]

15 hours ago, CHF said:

Going to be a 3 cheese board night at the selection meeting this week and unlike earlier seasons the discussion will not center around selecting for the future and building but how do we fit in the best, in form players that are available.

Very different.

Some decisions to be faced..... Defence where we need to get Lever back into the team to rebuild the structure with May and add to the strengths back there and what to do with the forwards?

Personally I would drop Tomlinson and bring lever in. Smith has improved with each game this season and I liked his attack on the ball and confidence out of defence. Until Salem comes back I can see Brayshaw filling in there and rotating to the wing or middle as required. Rivers as the 7th defender. Bowey as the go-too distributer and the ever reliable Postman with his delivery. 

Midfield is the midfield and if they are all fit, leave them to do what they do. I find it interesting to watch the set-ups at stoppages and the variations we employ. The use of Petracca last week was interesting. With the tag he had he looked to me to be setting up more on the attacking side of the stoppages and not getting too involved in the close in grunt work. (small rant..... I hate the way that the director of the game telecasts delay the replay of the goal and minimise the view of the center bounce setup. one thing I enjoy is to see what the interaction is before the bounce.) At the opening bounce we sometimes see Kossie in there and I like that variation. as another variation I would have Max at ruck with Petracca, Oliver and Jackson at the opening bounce. Max tapping to Luke staying a bit wider with Petracca and Oliver running past.

Bloody Wied! Went and kicked 4 and is now a viable options in the forward 50. If Brown is available I think he has to be in the team that will mean that there is not room for both Wied and Tmac, Tmac to miss if that is the case. With Weid and brown in the forwards it will be interesting to see the roles they are given. coaches will need to be very clear in the way they want them to interact.

So, Lever and Brown in with Tomlinson and Tmac making way.

 

 

I think Jackson as a centre bounce midfielder is definitely worth experimenting with. He is big and quick and hard to tackle and has great hands. If he can use these ingredients to become a clearance midfielder and also be a bit more consistent with his marking, he will finish the season as a top 5 player in the game.

[deelusions from afar 1,810]

1 hour ago, A F said:

Really? Directly caused three scoring shots. Two from simple dropped marks, the other from doing his usual running underneath the ball and out positioning himself. He's not a trustworthy defender.

I'd go Brown and Lever in for McDonald and Smith, but they won't. They'll keep Smith in until Petty is fit again.

Each to their own... but I'm fairly sure that once Lever and Petty are back, Smith will still be in the team (unless he gets injured).  Though you might not be a fan, clearly the coaches are.  If not for his injury in the finals he would have stayed in the side for the grand final ahead of Hibbo.  His form has been better so far this year.  So it might be something you have to get your head around.  As others have said, every player makes mistakes... the defender's ones are often more memorable as they are close to the opposition goals.  

[deelusions from afar 1,810]

1 hour ago, Fat Tony said:

I think Jackson as a centre bounce midfielder is definitely worth experimenting with. He is big and quick and hard to tackle and has great hands. If he can use these ingredients to become a clearance midfielder and also be a bit more consistent with his marking, he will finish the season as a top 5 player in the game.

I'd love to see this too.  And just think of the headaches it will cause the opposition with matchups when we've got the ball.  Their ruckman goes to Max and a midfielder goes to Jackson.

[DubDee 25,894]

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1095853/round-4-injury-report-tall-dees-returning-to-action?fbclid=IwAR1H9xgwaHNUfiQw5JWyF2PN1MNPZeklL2eHd6FMNGckpxVQWTLqSGYhmCI

Petty to return for Casey this week too!

We are down to 2 senior players on the injury list

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,846]

I like J Brown's idea of keeping Weid, dropping Tomlinson and putting T Mac back.

I rate T Mac as a better defender than Tomlinson, and lets face it, the only good bit of footy T Mac has played all year was the half he played down back in round 1.

[Diamond_Jim 12,592]

Night game at Williamstown for Petty this Saturday. May not be a great test if windy.

The next game is Coburg at Casey if he's forced to play 2 games.

Tomlinson and Smith will be on edge even more so than this week.

Is JJ safe should Brayshaw move back to the wing. Hibberd being out for another two weeks plus at least one game at Casey limits the flexibility down back.

[DubDee 25,894]

IN - Lever, Ben Brown

OUT - Tomlinson, McDonald

the 22 is starting to shape up nicely!

[David-Demon 567]

1 hour ago, Sydney_Demon said:

I like your creative thinking here, and love the idea of maximising the use of Jackson's mobility, but resting either Gawn or Jackson up forwards or on the bench as we currently do still works best I feel. I really don't see Jackson as a competitor with the elite midfielders from opposition sides. Definitely more mobile than opposition rucks and I love his and Max's follow-up work after the ruck contest. 

I don't really understand your thinking here. It's pretty unkind describing our current Back 7 as second-string and my (admittedly not-particularly-well-informed) analysis is that most of our defensive issues this year have been created by the midfielders not putting enough pressure on upfield. In any case even without Lever I can't see TMac as part of our defensive setup currently. He's either in the side as a Forward or out of the 23 IMO. 

My point is that Goody did play T Mc at CHB on occasions in round one / two through need and even Goody admits that we have a good second string defense right now but it can only get better with the return of the fab four, and I say that based on the fact that we have Lever, Petty, Salem and Hibbo out so that represents over 70% of our "best" defense in rehab OR not in our "best" Team. e.g. the 2021 GF side. So I still see room for improvement when these guys get into form and return. Maybe all four, maybe just three...That will place pressure on our then Casey list and that's a positive for the year ahead so long as injuries are stable as they were in 2021through 2022.... Right now I feel T Mc has the attributes to assist the back seven given we have an inform Weed and BBB. Versatility with the Team grows  even more so in the year 2022 as Gus did a few weeks ago on the HBF, now on the wing as against the Gliders....( BOG)  Versatility is the name of the game at the Demons in 2021 and through to 2022 and beyond. That is what good sides do. We do it well. But hell what do I know. I am just a passionate supporter like everyone else looking for 2022 glory. We all have our views and we all want the same outcome. 

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,808]

2 hours ago, Sydee said:

 

If all our backline players are fit and available I'd argue the first picked would be 

May, Lever, Petty, Bowey, Rivers, Salem (this may depend on specific opposition and getting best match ups)

That leaves no room for any of Tomlinson, Smith, Hibberd or Hunt

In our strongest team these guys are probably going to be hoping to fill an interchange - and imo Smith is the most versatile in that role at least for now 

 

  

We always play 7 defenders, with one always on the bench. So you have room for one more.

[Sydee 4,446]

1 minute ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

We always play 7 defenders, with one always on the bench. So you have room for one more.

Agree that's why I said the others are fighting for a spot on interchange 

[Fat Tony 5,232]

27 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I like J Brown's idea of keeping Weid, dropping Tomlinson and putting T Mac back.

I rate T Mac as a better defender than Tomlinson, and lets face it, the only good bit of footy T Mac has played all year was the half he played down back in round 1.

Someone has to come out for Lever though and Tomlinson is the likely one out. And Petty is back in the VFL this week, so TMac to defence would only be a stop gap anyway.

[DubDee 25,894]

Port have Gray and Clurey back but won't have Dixon or probably Durrsma

• Aliir Aliir Ankle 2-3 weeks
• Tom Clurey Knee Test
• Charlie Dixon Ankle TBC
• Xavier Duursma Neck Test
• Orazio Fantasia Knee 6-8 weeks
• Robbie Gray H&S Protocols TBC
• Sam Skinner Ankle Test

Gray was close to returning from a knee injury last week only to enter the health and safety protocols and should be out in time for Thursday night's game to be considered for selection, although it's hardly ideal preparation for the veteran. Key defender Skinner was subbed out in the Showdown with an ankle sprain but has been cleared of serious injury and is expected to be available. Clurey has shot into calculations after a minor off-season knee surgery, while Duursma picked up a neck injury playing in the SANFL on the weekend. Spearhead Dixon suffered a setback in his return from ankle surgery and will miss an "extended period". – Ben Somerford

[CHF 2,743]

6 hours ago, Fat Tony said:

I think Jackson as a centre bounce midfielder is definitely worth experimenting with. He is big and quick and hard to tackle and has great hands. If he can use these ingredients to become a clearance midfielder and also be a bit more consistent with his marking, he will finish the season as a top 5 player in the game.

I was not looking at this a a permanent move from ruck to midfield but more a a move to mix things up a bit. We have not worked out center clearances vey wwell and this might just cause a few headaches for the opposition if he has to go there a few times  game. 

[Engorged Onion 10,215]

Errr... didnt know where to put this, and didnt want to start a new thread.

Am I going insane.. was there a Topic called  "When will these Melbourne Demon records be broken?" - where has it gone? Do I have the search terms wrong? Any advice is good advice!

[Bonkers 994]

On 4/3/2022 at 11:49 PM, dee-tox said:

I think Tomlinson is so poor overhead that Petty, Smith and of course Lever are walk up starts in comparison. Last week against the Suns he had six or seven contested marks taken on him. This week he avoided a couple of aerial contests. He's tall but doesn't play tall.

I could be wrong but prior to his knee injury last season I think he had hardly lost a one on one contest. It could be that he is still finding his strength etc after the knee injury. He’s come back pretty soon after injury, I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. If Lever comes back in and replaces him in the meantime whilst Smith gets some game time and Tomlinson builds up his fitness that would be a decent outcome.

[Demonstone 22,573]

12 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

Any advice is good advice!

Top of the board,  bloated bulb.  

[Sydney_Demon 1,175]

8 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I like J Brown's idea of keeping Weid, dropping Tomlinson and putting T Mac back.

I rate T Mac as a better defender than Tomlinson, and lets face it, the only good bit of footy T Mac has played all year was the half he played down back in round 1.

Petty will be back next week or the week after since he's playing for Casey on Saturday. Lever's back on Thursday. TMac might be a better defender than Tomlinson (I'm doubtful) but IMO he's not a better defender than Petty. Why would you contemplate making further disruption to the backline just to keep TMac in the side for a week or two at best? Now if Lever doesn't start on Thursday and one of our other tall defenders drops out then maybe they could consider this option. 

8 hours ago, Sydee said:

Agree that's why I said the others are fighting for a spot on interchange 

You don't fight for a spot on the interchange. Being on the interchange is exactly the same as being in the starting side. It's not an 18, it's a 22. We normally play 7 defenders and it doesn't matter which 6 you name in the defensive starting positions and which one is on the interchange. The 7 are all equal.

6 hours ago, DubDee said:

Port have Gray and Clurey back but won't have Dixon or probably Durrsma

• Aliir Aliir Ankle 2-3 weeks
• Tom Clurey Knee Test
• Charlie Dixon Ankle TBC
• Xavier Duursma Neck Test
• Orazio Fantasia Knee 6-8 weeks
• Robbie Gray H&S Protocols TBC
• Sam Skinner Ankle Test

Gray was close to returning from a knee injury last week only to enter the health and safety protocols and should be out in time for Thursday night's game to be considered for selection, although it's hardly ideal preparation for the veteran. Key defender Skinner was subbed out in the Showdown with an ankle sprain but has been cleared of serious injury and is expected to be available. Clurey has shot into calculations after a minor off-season knee surgery, while Duursma picked up a neck injury playing in the SANFL on the weekend. Spearhead Dixon suffered a setback in his return from ankle surgery and will miss an "extended period". – Ben Somerford

It sounds like any of the Port injured who do make it back are likely to be underprepared. Why would they consider Duursma given he got dropped the previous week and he's suffered at least a minor injury? Aliir, Dixon & Fantasia are obviously all big outs.

[DistrACTION Jackson 8,749]

14 hours ago, Engorged Onion said:

Errr... didnt know where to put this, and didnt want to start a new thread.

Am I going insane.. was there a Topic called  "When will these Melbourne Demon records be broken?" - where has it gone? Do I have the search terms wrong? Any advice is good advice!

They were all broken.....

[Vipercrunch 2,827]

Just because Lever is coming in, doesn't mean we have to omit a known defender.  I would have thought the obvious thing to do would be to bring Lever in and move Brayshaw back to the wing.

This brings us back to our normal 7 defenders in the team (May, Lever, Smith, Bowey, Hunt, Tomlinson and Rivers).

My suspicion is that when fit and ready, Petty will replace Tomlinson and Salem will push out Hunt, and that will then be our coaches best 7 defenders in the team (no Hibbo, Hunt or Tomlinson).

With Brayshaw returning to the wing, I think the decision then becomes who out of Jordan and Sparrow is the medical sub.

As far as the forwards go, when Brown returns (not 100% they play him after missing a week of training), I think they'll have a good look (3-4 weeks at least) of how things gel with BBB and Weeds as the KPF while TMac bides his time at Casey.

[David-Demon 567]

8 minutes ago, Vipercrunch said:

Just because Lever is coming in, doesn't mean we have to omit a known defender.  I would have thought the obvious thing to do would be to bring Lever in and move Brayshaw back to the wing.

This brings us back to our normal 7 defenders in the team (May, Lever, Smith, Bowey, Hunt, Tomlinson and Rivers).

My suspicion is that when fit and ready, Petty will replace Tomlinson and Salem will push out Hunt, and that will then be our coaches best 7 defenders in the team (no Hibbo, Hunt or Tomlinson).

With Brayshaw returning to the wing, I think the decision then becomes who out of Jordan and Sparrow is the medical sub.

As far as the forwards go, when Brown returns (not 100% they play him after missing a week of training), I think they'll have a good look (3-4 weeks at least) of how things gel with BBB and Weeds as the KPF while TMac bides his time at Casey.

You make a lot of sense but frankly I cannot see T Mac being dropped.