Jump to content

Featured Replies

19 hours ago, jnrmac said:

Kicked 4 against Essendon a few years back

I think Hunt is a much better player off half back where he can break lines and take field position.  He may have had a few good games up forward but he gets lost there and doesn’t impact enough for mine. 

 

Port & Bulldogs back 6's aren't too big a step up from the VFL I reckon. Undersized and constantly out of position this year. It might be the ample two games to debut JVR 

Edited by John Demonic

3 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

On a forward flank Laurie’s a slower, less fit, less experienced, less combative version of Spargo.

Laurie’s VFL form is very promising for his future as a mid/forward type player with excellent skills. But that’s the future, when he’s developed his tank and his strength to play AFL midfield minutes. He’s barely established his midfield craft at VFL level, he’s a long way off AFL level.

In terms of bringing fresh players in to play half forward I’d still have Chandler and Melksham more impactful at AFL level than Laurie. And Spargo ahead of both. 

How can you say that a player who has yet to debut is less impactful? And how do you assess Laurie's fitness levels?

Spargo averages 72% game time this year compared to Kossies 80%. Only once has Spargo played over 80% game this year. 

Unless Laurie is given a chance, all your statements are pure guesswork or opinions. And we know how often your opinions have been wrong. 

 
10 minutes ago, mo64 said:

How can you say that a player who has yet to debut is less impactful? And how do you assess Laurie's fitness levels?

Spargo averages 72% game time this year compared to Kossies 80%. Only once has Spargo played over 80% game this year. 

Unless Laurie is given a chance, all your statements are pure guesswork or opinions. And we know how often your opinions have been wrong. 

Because I’ve watched the Casey games and Laurie doesn’t motor contest to contest the way our half forwards do at AFL level. He’s also on the slower side for a small, that’s undeniable. Doesn’t do a lot overhead, or with physical aggression. And whilst he’s taken a big stride forward his ball winning is only now getting to a good level for a VFL player, particularly as his midfield minutes increase.

Without open trainings I haven’t really seen how he’s done in fitness stuff but I don’t think it was elite pre draft and he’s in year 2. Spargo is year 5 and a noted runner.

Laurie has a lot of talent and when he physically matures and develops he should be a skilled mid/forward. I just don’t see the need to give him a game now only to prove that he’s off the pace as a half forward.

1 minute ago, DeeSpencer said:

Because I’ve watched the Casey games and Laurie doesn’t motor contest to contest the way our half forwards do at AFL level. He’s also on the slower side for a small, that’s undeniable. Doesn’t do a lot overhead, or with physical aggression. And whilst he’s taken a big stride forward his ball winning is only now getting to a good level for a VFL player, particularly as his midfield minutes increase.

Without open trainings I haven’t really seen how he’s done in fitness stuff but I don’t think it was elite pre draft and he’s in year 2. Spargo is year 5 and a noted runner.

Laurie has a lot of talent and when he physically matures and develops he should be a skilled mid/forward. I just don’t see the need to give him a game now only to prove that he’s off the pace as a half forward.

Laurie was an elite 2km runner..


3 hours ago, Demons11 said:

I think Hunt is a much better player off half back where he can break lines and take field position.  He may have had a few good games up forward but he gets lost there and doesn’t impact enough for mine. 

Dont disagree. I was just rebutting the post saying "Hunt is not a forward"

Interesting stat on On The Couch. For the last 5 weeks:

Petracca:

Kicks I50:   28

Marks from kicks I50: 2

Oliver:

Kicks I50:   18

Marks from kicks I50: 0

So 46 kicks into the forward line but only two of them were marked?

Given all that, not sure if changing forward personnel is going to do much if the way the ball is coming in continues to be so hit and miss (mainly miss).

(Also not sure that other main I50's, e.g. Harmes and ANB, are any better in terms of delivery/accuracy.)

 

6 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Interesting stat on On The Couch. For the last 5 weeks:

Petracca:

Kicks I50:   28

Marks from kicks I50: 2

Oliver:

Kicks I50:   18

Marks from kicks I50: 0

So 46 kicks into the forward line but only two of them were marked?

Given all that, not sure if changing forward personnel is going to do much if the way the ball is coming in continues to be so hit and miss (mainly miss).

(Also not sure that other main I50's, e.g. Harmes and ANB, are any better in terms of delivery/accuracy.)

 

It's not all the mids fault. As already spoken about in this thread, the forward structure and leading has been horrendous this year. Ben Brown has 1 mark from 45 one on ones, I find it hard to believe the 1 mark was the lone half decent kick. He was outmarked 8 times among that number too. He's our number 1 most targeted player inside 50.

The whole narrative of 'the mids just bomb it, it's their fault' falls apart pretty quickly once you go to a few games and see the lack of leading and efforts from the tall forwards.

Clearly something needs to change - the disconnect is a worry - but these stats miss the bigger picture.

 

Alot of this has to do with game style, you can see Trac and Oliver are told to get the ball in deep as quickly as possible, trouble is they then miss free players i50

Edited by Rednblueriseing

31 minutes ago, Rednblueriseing said:

Alot of this has to do with game style, you can see Trac and Oliver are told to get the ball in deep as quickly as possible, trouble is they then miss free players i50

Yep. And floating mongrel punts become the order of the day. I'd hate to be a forward in our setup.


55 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

It's not all the mids fault. As already spoken about in this thread, the forward structure and leading has been horrendous this year. Ben Brown has 1 mark from 45 one on ones, I find it hard to believe the 1 mark was the lone half decent kick. He was outmarked 8 times among that number too. He's our number 1 most targeted player inside 50.

The whole narrative of 'the mids just bomb it, it's their fault' falls apart pretty quickly once you go to a few games and see the lack of leading and efforts from the tall forwards.

Clearly something needs to change - the disconnect is a worry - but these stats miss the bigger picture.

It's clearly both.

We know Brown's failing to mark the ball too much (of those 8, I reckon 4 of them were vs Harris Andrews alone), and whether it's B Brown, M Brown, Weideman or Fritsch (pretty much everyone except TMac this year), our forwards are often in the wrong spot or, when in the right spot, get beaten.

But we also know the kicking is poor. Everyone sees it every game. On Fox they've been showing from the Geelong game the footage of Fritsch streaming into the left-hand forward 50 (2nd quarter I think?), missing/ignoring a wide open Petracca and going longer and deeper to a non-advantageous contest. Then later, going to the right of screen, Petracca picks it up and kicks to a loose Geelong player when he had time to steady and at least target the one-on-one.

How many times does our kick inside 50 go to the advantage of our opponent? i.e. into space beautifully, but the space on the opponents' side of the contest, not our forward's? I suspect more often than not that's the kicker's fault, but the entire process of moving the ball from the back half into our forward 50 is in need of work. 

Oliver out, Sparrow to midfield, Hunt in to cover Sparrows role.

Out: Oliver

In: Hunt

On 7/10/2022 at 6:30 PM, Demons11 said:

Hunt is not a forward

He is more a forward than Spargo or Bedford!

5 minutes ago, picket fence said:

He is more a forward than Spargo or Bedford!

Not really only in bursts and when 9 and 12 play well they get or are involved in goals. 
Hunty is s nearly player and is very unlucky and probably should be our med  sub. 

9 hours ago, SFebes said:

Oliver out, Sparrow to midfield, Hunt in to cover Sparrows role.

Out: Oliver

In: Hunt

IN Dunstan, Laurie in, Tommo in and( Petty to CHF )

possibly Rivers  to give run and drive off HBF.

OUT  Clarry inj Bedford omit manage (rest ) Bowey for a game to freshen up. 

Sparrow needs  more time  on ball. 

Need to try changes at this stage against  Dogs and Power. 

Maybe  run Salem on ball for few mins each quarter or get him up forward. 


Well Dlanders my wife and I are about to board our flight to Uluṟu and heading to the game in Alice on Sunday so dearly hope that the Dees are on fire on Sunday. It’ll be a sad flight home on Monday otherwise.!!!

29 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

Well Dlanders my wife and I are about to board our flight to Uluṟu and heading to the game in Alice on Sunday so dearly hope that the Dees are on fire on Sunday. It’ll be a sad flight home on Monday otherwise.!!!

Have a great trip!

41 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

 hope that the Dees are on fire on Sunday. 

I feel confident that will b e the case, half arrrsed play against Geelong and we were still there half way in the ladst,  couple of extra days to freshen,  We will win   Go Dees

2 hours ago, DeeZone said:

Well Dlanders my wife and I are about to board our flight to Uluṟu and heading to the game in Alice on Sunday so dearly hope that the Dees are on fire on Sunday. It’ll be a sad flight home on Monday otherwise.!!!

Enjoy the trip and Game DZ.👍🇱🇮

13 hours ago, bing181 said:

Interesting stat on On The Couch. For the last 5 weeks:

Petracca:

Kicks I50:   28

Marks from kicks I50: 2

Oliver:

Kicks I50:   18

Marks from kicks I50: 0

So 46 kicks into the forward line but only two of them were marked?

Given all that, not sure if changing forward personnel is going to do much if the way the ball is coming in continues to be so hit and miss (mainly miss).

(Also not sure that other main I50's, e.g. Harmes and ANB, are any better in terms of delivery/accuracy.)

 

Incredible stat. Would think it be hard to do that if you tried. Surely out of 46 kicks, a few even fortunately hit a target they weren’t aiming for. 

Equal top of ladder, and our 2 best players are hitting an inside 50 target 2% of the time :- The upside is enormous! 
 


Something fishy about that stat almost leading up to game plan change??

3 hours ago, picket fence said:

He is more a forward than Spargo or Bedford!

I agree, though they won't use him forward. Has a beautiful long kick so can lead towards the 50 arc in order to kick scores, loves a big hanger, with his speed can easily work up the field and now has some learnt defensive ability.

Spargo is there for his defensive/pressure ability and connection. Needs to start scoring more.

Bedford is still learning the craft, I believe he has the most potential given his speed and evasive ability. Loves working with Pickett and can see that duo, going forward as match winners.

Just a couple of cautionary tales about Laurie and Van Rooyen.

Laurie probably shouldn't debut this week. He reminds me of Brock McLean who was also slow but had very good games on wet decks. The only proviso to this is if the game in the heat slows down. But early on the game will be too quick for him. Just a note on this . The medi-sub becomes very important up in Alice and should be chosen and used wisely.

Van Rooyen who I'm a huge fan of was possibly earmarked for an earlier debut but played in the early game at the 'G' against the Swans and fair dinkum hardly touched it. Was hugely dissapointing. Given that he is just a kid, that is entirely excusable, but I think he was pumped up for a big game, seemed to be played as the key forward and the coaches looked at that and thought he needed a fair bit more time in the VFL, maybe even the rest of the year. 

Happy for either to debut but they are both players that need and should be given circumstances as much in their favor as possible. Someone suggested that Port and Dogs have weakish back line talls so this may be a good week for Van Rooyen but I'd rather see us in winning form and they force their way in as opposed to when we have come off a loss and just want to see something different.

 
14 hours ago, Rednblueriseing said:

Alot of this has to do with game style, you can see Trac and Oliver are told to get the ball in deep as quickly as possible, trouble is they then miss free players i50

Yes too many dump kicks from those two

4 hours ago, 58er said:

IN Dunstan, Laurie in, Tommo in and( Petty to CHF )

possibly Rivers  to give run and drive off HBF.

OUT  Clarry inj Bedford omit manage (rest ) Bowey for a game to freshen up. 

Sparrow needs  more time  on ball. 

Need to try changes at this stage against  Dogs and Power. 

Maybe  run Salem on ball for few mins each quarter or get him up forward. 

The idea of playing Petty at CHF is exciting, but based on what we've seen of Tommo at VFL and AFL level this year, he's not the player to fill Petty's spot. Barring another horrific run with injuries to our key backs, we shouldn't be seeing Tomlinson in the AFL again this year.


Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

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.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 39 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
    • 262 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/

      • Clap
    • 47 replies