Jump to content

Featured Replies

A massive coaching blunder on so many levels.

Is there another story.. who knows

The only saving grace is that we come out of it square. Funnily enough if we had played him in a more successful finals team we may have come out ahead.

(Schache... in front of Grundy... smells to high heaven)

 
7 hours ago, Undeeterred said:

An explanation as to what exactly? 
Is it not being run to your satisfaction?

Not on this aspect, no

Decision making process and governance for the recruitment 

same for both finals re selection 

could have neutralised Cox and freed max up

why not v Carlton - absolutely bizarre 

Go well and good luck Brodie. 

I personally think you did your level best in the circumstances.  I also believe the club totally stuffed this up from day one...and right through.  Not Melbourne's finest hour(s).

This could have played out much better.

Certainly shows which camp has no capacity for lateral thinking.

We're not that clever at times...especially when we think we are.

 
7 hours ago, jnrmac said:

So now if max goes down we will ruck with ????.?

This week? Probably go in with Briggs against Coll.

On 9/13/2023 at 4:46 PM, Super Sub Schache said:

Trust Sydney to turn him back into an All-Australian ruck again.

They will have him and Hickey working together like a well-oiled machine.

Isn't Hickey retiring ? Opening up this trade skirmish. 


8 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

A massive coaching blunder on so many levels.

Is there another story.. who knows

The only saving grace is that we come out of it square. Funnily enough if we had played him in a more successful finals team we may have come out ahead.

(Schache... in front of Grundy... smells to high heaven)

Agree, Grundy should have been picked ahead of Schache. Goodwins post game press conference was bizarre. Schache picked for insurance for Max. Left TMac on in last 1/4 because they wanted a big body out there. Brodie Grundy says hello to both and would have solved both those issues. 
Finally what type of message does this send to Josh Schache, an unused sub. How many times was a sub not used at all this year. Poor management and decision making on all levels.

Edited by Dee Viney Intervention

1 hour ago, Superunknown said:

Not on this aspect, no

Decision making process and governance for the recruitment 

same for both finals re selection 

could have neutralised Cox and freed max up

why not v Carlton - absolutely bizarre 

Sorry, to be clear, you’re asking for the club to make a public statement on these things to satisfy your urge for what? Relieving frustration? 

1 hour ago, Undeeterred said:

Sorry, to be clear, you’re asking for the club to make a public statement on these things to satisfy your urge for what? Relieving frustration? 

No to the bold.

 
3 hours ago, 58er said:

Isn't Hickey retiring ? Opening up this trade skirmish. 

Yes, he is. 

2 hours ago, Undeeterred said:

Sorry, to be clear, you’re asking for the club to make a public statement on these things to satisfy your urge for what? Relieving frustration? 

I reckon you made your point with the first comment. 

It’s just a comment on a supporter forum.  Honestly, this whole “never question the club” attitude that some people here embrace is so sycophantic, bordering on idolisation. Goodwin and his selectors mystified a lot of people who support them financially. An explanation as to why it was an non-activated Schache on our bench, and not an All Australian ruckman, is not unwarranted. 

Edited by Mel Bourne


There’s got to be more to the story…no one in their right mind picks Schache ahead of Grundy. For mine we should have used Gawn forward  and doing all the forward ruckwork with Grundy rucking around the ground. Then sub Grundy off for some run in the third and let Max roam. Surely that’s how we should have played it? We would have won both those games. 

The Problem is Goodwin he wont  listen to others is pig headed makes huge errors during games  he Needs to go 

5 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

There’s got to be more to the story…no one in their right mind picks Schache ahead of Grundy. For mine we should have used Gawn forward  and doing all the forward ruckwork with Grundy rucking around the ground. Then sub Grundy off for some run in the third and let Max roam. Surely that’s how we should have played it? We would have won both those games. 

If there isn’t more to the story, then it’s just basic stupidity. So you either make your reasoning clear, or let your supporters just assume the worst. 

2 minutes ago, Ferghus31 said:

The Problem is Goodwin he wont  listen to others is pig headed makes huge errors during games  he Needs to go 

love it when 31 post recent joiners come up with something as stupid as this so early in their demonland posting history

kudos to you

6 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

There’s got to be more to the story…no one in their right mind picks Schache ahead of Grundy. For mine we should have used Gawn forward  and doing all the forward ruckwork with Grundy rucking around the ground. Then sub Grundy off for some run in the third and let Max roam. Surely that’s how we should have played it? We would have won both those games. 

I can sort of see the rationale in picking Schache. We went a bit smaller against Carlton so the height as the sub made sense. You'd have to assume internally they rate Josh as the better forward. Is he more mobile?  They've seemingly drawn a line through either Max and/or Grundy as a forward for anything more than a slight rest. 

To me the confusing part was not activating the sub when there were candidates and opportunity for the change.

Know it's not really the thread for it, but the sub in the first final was ineffective and the sub in the second final wasn't used. Seems we haven't mastered this fully.


We have to have faith in the coach and the decisions he and he's team make, but christ they are making it hard to do so. Grundy's fail game for Casey almost demanded a game in the finals even more so if lined up against Schache in the same game. 

10 minutes ago, Ferghus31 said:

The Problem is Goodwin he wont  listen to others is pig headed makes huge errors during games  he Needs to go 

You are going to continue to be disappointed. My tip for the day; go purchase some plastic sheet to put down over the floor.

Is it possible Grundy and the FC came to a mutual agreement not to play once it was clear he was going to play elsewhere next season?

Risk of injury etc. 

5 minutes ago, SthSea22 said:

Is it possible Grundy and the FC came to a mutual agreement not to play once it was clear he was going to play elsewhere next season?

Risk of injury etc. 

No or at least I would hope not.You win first discuss later. You pick your best team to win finals……we didn’t. 

Edited by Dee Viney Intervention

6 minutes ago, Dee Viney Intervention said:

No or at least I would hope not.You win first discuss later. You pick your best team to win finals……we didn’t. 

I just have a gut feeling the reason why he didn't play was to avoid any risk of injury which could harm his chances moving

We already made it clear we wouldn't stop him from leaving 


2 minutes ago, YearOfTheDees said:

We have to have faith in the coach and the decisions he and he's team make, but christ they are making it hard to do so. Grundy's fail game for Casey almost demanded a game in the finals even more so if lined up against Schache in the same game. 

Why? Because we have no choice?

It wasn’t even the Schache/Grundy selection that made me ask questions. The decision to field Tom MacDonald a second time (or even at all) was even more “faith-killing” for me. Bringing Hibberd into the team and replacing TMac with Smith would have given us an extra player. I guess the reasoning was that Tmac would “come good”. But based on what? He was ineffective all year. 

1 minute ago, Mel Bourne said:

Why? Because we have no choice?

It wasn’t even the Schache/Grundy selection that made me ask questions. The decision to field Tom MacDonald a second time (or even at all) was even more “faith-killing” for me. Bringing Hibberd into the team and replacing TMac with Smith would have given us an extra player. I guess the reasoning was that Tmac would “come good”. But based on what? He was ineffective all year. 

Maybe highlight the second part as well. 

The sooner we can move on from this debacle, the better. Nobody has won out of this (except possibly Collingwood), and nobody comes out smelling of roses. Grundy is ultimately most at fault because he has tethered himself to a contract under which he hasn't come close to fulfilling his end of the bargain at two clubs now.

I never liked the idea of tying so much of the salary cap in two aging ruckmen, but the signs from the pre season games were good. Grundy generally performed well in Gawn's absence in the early rounds, but his form and impact declined massively through the middle of the year. I called for him to be dropped weeks before it actually happened, and was not surprised that both Gawn and the forward structure performed better in Grundy's absence. However, circumstances changed and he clearly should have been selected for both finals, ideally starting but as sub at the very least. To think that either Laurie (QF) or Schache (SF) were ever going to contribute more than Grundy is just laughable.

I hope a fair deal can be struck on the opening day of the trade period to get Grundy to Sydney, and we can then focus on finding Max a backup / succession plan. There are plenty of options out there, but it needs to be someone willing to bide their time and learn from Gawn for 1 - 2 years. 

 
19 minutes ago, YearOfTheDees said:

Maybe highlight the second part as well. 

I only highlighted the first part because it’s something that’s accepted as a truth by many (your second part was more a personal take, which I happen to concur with) and indeed was by myself for a period. I think that period of blind-faith is over for me. 
 

 

44 minutes ago, SthSea22 said:

Is it possible Grundy and the FC came to a mutual agreement not to play once it was clear he was going to play elsewhere next season?

Risk of injury etc. 

That's where my thoughts are.


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

  • PREVIEW: Port Adelaide

    With both sides precariously positioned ahead of the run home to the finals, only one team involved in Sunday’s clash at the Adelaide Oval between the Power and the Demons will remain a contender when it’s over.  On current form, that one team has to be Melbourne which narrowly missed out on defeating the competition’s power house Collingwood on King's Birthday and also recently overpowered both 2024 Grand Finalists. Conversely, Port Adelaide snapped out of a four-game losing streak with a win against the Giants in Canberra. Although they will be rejuvenated following that victory, their performances during that run of losses were sub par and resulted in some embarrassing blow out defeats.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 1 reply
  • NON-MFC: Round 14

    Round 14 is upon us and there's plenty at stake across the rest of the competition. As Melbourne heads to Adelaide, it's time to turn our attention to the other matches of the Round. Which teams are you tipping this week? And which results would be most favourable for the Demons’ finals tilt? Follow all the non-Melbourne games here and join the conversation as the ladder continues to take shape.

      • Thanks
    • 30 replies
  • REPORT: Collingwood

    The media focus on the fiery interaction between Max Gawn and Steven May at the end of the game was unfortunate because it took away the gloss from Melbourne’s performance in winning almost everywhere but on the scoreboard in its Kings Birthday clash with Collingwood at the MCG. It was a real battle reminiscent of the good old days when the rivalry between the two clubs was at its height and a fitting contest to celebrate the 2025 Australian of the Year, Neale Daniher and his superb work to bring the campaign to raise funds for motor neurone disease awareness to the forefront. Notwithstanding the fact that the Magpies snatched a one point victory from his old club, Daniher would be proud of the fact that his Demons fought tooth and nail to win the keenly contested game in front of 77,761 fans.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 1 reply
  • PREGAME: Port Adelaide

    The Demons are set to embark on a four-week road trip that takes them across the country, with two games in Adelaide and a clash on the Gold Coast, broken up by a mid-season bye. Next up is a meeting with the inconsistent Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. Who comes in and who goes out?

    • 152 replies
  • PODCAST: Collingwood

    I have something on tomorrow night so Podcast will be Wednesday night. The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Wednesday, 11th June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees heartbreaking 1 point loss to the Magpies on King's Birthday 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/

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 37 replies
  • POSTGAME: Collingwood

    Despite effectively playing against four extra opponents, the Dees controlled much of the match. However, their inaccuracy in front of goal and inability to convert dominance in clearances and inside 50s ultimately cost them dearly, falling to a heartbreaking one-point loss on King’s Birthday.

      • Sad
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 529 replies