Bask in the gloriousness of this article published today in Stats Insider:

https://www.statsinsider.com.au/blog/afl/deemonic-presence-why-melbourne-are-set-for-years-of-contention

Great article, it's what the stats don't say as well as what they do say.

For the moment it seems this team has broken football and the others are looking for a way to survive. 

 

27 minutes ago, layzie said:

Great article, it's what the stats don't say as well as what they do say.

For the moment it seems this team has broken football and the others are looking for a way to survive. 

 

I prefer a more positive analogy. We're the Faberge egg while everyone else is Humpty Dumpty.

25 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I prefer a more positive analogy. We're the Faberge egg while everyone else is Humpty Dumpty.

I'm good with that.

Or:

- We're playing Chess while everyone is paying Checkers

- We're Phar Lap while everyone else is Mr Ed

And so forth..

There's nothing there?

Are we the New York Yankees yet?

Just now, A F said:

There's nothing there?

We've even destroyed the stats insider web site? Maybe we have unleashed something more terrible than we could possibly have imagined.

5 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Bask in the gloriousness of this article published today in Stats Insider:

https://www.statsinsider.com.au/blog/afl/deemonic-presence-why-melbourne-are-set-for-years-of-contention

I've been trawling Statsinsder each day for 5 rounds.... just waiting and lurking for a piece on us! Thanks dude!

Edited April 19, 20223 yr by Engorged Onion

I had just seen the 'nine things we learned' article on the AFL website which talked up the Swans as having the best youngsters. I was expecting this to be a kind of reply to that clearly erroneous point.

I'm not quite sated so I'll just say;

Sparrow, Pickett, Jordon, Rivers, Jackson, Bowey.

Not only are they all quite talented, but they also all stand out for character and commitment. I'd be quite content if you told me that five years from now that would be our best 6.

Having new young players who have rapidly embraced the necessary commitment to effort and to team is just gold. Credit to the development coaches.

Let the AFL web site waffle all they want.

Everyone will get to know our entire team in time. The way I got to know everyone in the 2000 premiers' team, and the 2001-2004 teams. And so on. (Against my will!)

For years oppo fans only knew of "Bruce" and "Green" as MFC players, even after those two had retired.

It's time for our entire list to permeate their brains, and it will happen, but these things can't be rushed. Meanwhile may the waffle continue!

"Luke Jackson’s development means there will always be a third threat in attack with no let-off in the ruck."

 

This is such a key comment. Our ruck division is nearly unstoppable. They are very different beasts and compliment each other, but in Rick craft and forward craft perfectly.

 

Love the quotes and attitude from Goodwin in last week's press conference "we're not looking for perfection, we're just looking to be a really strong footy team ...looking to dominate every week is just not a reality in modern AFL footy.  There's alot of great teams out there and we'll respect every one of them".

Says to me that we value winning consistently more than being show ponies and Fig Jams.  It's that sort of attitude that means we're more likely to be there in September than be March premiers.

Winning ugly beats loosing any day and you can see that Goodwin and the teams attitude is that if there is anything they are about perfecting it's maintaining and tuning a system and team ethos to grind out the wins on a systematic basis.  How many times do you hear opposition supporters these days say that about Melbourne - "they just grind you down and pressure your team into submission" - I love it!!

Edited April 19, 20223 yr by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

9 hours ago, Little Goffy said:

I had just seen the 'nine things we learned' article on the AFL website which talked up the Swans as having the best youngsters. I was expecting this to be a kind of reply to that clearly erroneous point.

I'm not quite sated so I'll just say;

Sparrow, Pickett, Jordon, Rivers, Jackson, Bowey.

Not only are they all quite talented, but they also all stand out for character and commitment. I'd be quite content if you told me that five years from now that would be our best 6.

Having new young players who have rapidly embraced the necessary commitment to effort and to team is just gold. Credit to the development coaches.

Add Petty also!

11 hours ago, layzie said:

I'm good with that.

Or:

- We're playing Chess while everyone is paying Checkers

- We're Phar Lap while everyone else is Mr Ed

And so forth..

We're the Cheese platter to everyone elses Pie with sauce.

This is my favourite bit. I doubted We’d ever be so good as to be feared and hated!  Finally.

“Right now, just like Richmond five years ago, which followed teams like Hawthorn, Geelong and Brisbane, the Demons are clearly the most feared team in the competition.

People want to criticise crowd numbers, just like they want to criticise media performances of players they found entertaining when Melbourne was average, because the team is simply too good on the field.”

*attribution and thanks to Stats Insider.  Great work. 

It's always obvious when a supporter writes an article on their club..