Jump to content

CHANGES: Rd 23 vs Brisbane

Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Still questioning the one tall forward but is this a week it might be ok? Let's see what the viewers think.

Edited by layzie

 
40 minutes ago, layzie said:

Still questioning the one tall forward but is this a week it might be ok? Let's see what the viewers think.

Given that we don't really have an option, Melk has become the de facto 2nd tall and he's doing a good job of it.

The FD have been creative with their use of the rucks and Melk.

JVR is not ready, as much as I would have liked him to be...wanting it so doesn't make it so.

Weid has been tried and tried but not the answer.

Smith might have been an answer if injury didn't get in his way yet again, not enough time to make a case I would have thought.

Tommy Mac really isn't a show of being back.

So what we've got is it...Melk and the resting rucks are the 2nd tall, with a bit more Trac time forward.

    • Like 8

    IN: Weideman, Harmes 

    OUT: Spargo, Sparrow 

    MEDI-SUB : Sparrow 

    • Like 1
     

    Before watching the VFL today I thought the one obvious change that would be made was Harmes needing to come in to tag Neale. As a fan of Harmesy I’d still be ok for him to get that role but his VFL game today wasn’t great. He got a huge amount of the ball but kept trying to break tackles, take on too much pressure on the handball and bombed most of his kicks. 

    Meanwhile Bowey was excellent, never wastes a kick, was hard at the tackle, had some brilliant spoils and kicked an important goal. It looked like he was pushing forward more today also, so maybe he’s aiming at Spargo’s spot, although maybe the wet weather just had them all pushing up the ground to lock it in. 

    Sadly today also showed me why JVR is being held back. On a tough day for forwards he was well beaten by Plowman and co and despite trying hard it took throwing him into the ruck for him to have any impact on the game. I see a big future for him but on the first defender being pushed hard he was found wanting a bit today. Meanwhile Weid was excellent. 
     

    Long story short, either Bowey in for Spargo or no change. If we desperately want Harmesy to tag Neale then he comes in, probably for Sparrow.

    • Like 5
    • Thanks 3
    • Sad 1

    The only change we need this week is Harmes in for Sparrow to play a negating role on Neale. Everything else stays the same.

    • Like 3

    3 hours ago, Deenooos_ said:

    The only change we need this week is Harmes in for Sparrow to play a negating role on Neale. Everything else stays the same.

    We don't want to beat Brisbane too well. We want to get that home SCG final remember Deeno! :laugh:

    Just having a laugh, but no doubt I'm sure you saw the Swans performance yesterday with a bit of trepidation!?

    Anyway, Also agree. Harmes for Sparrow

    Edited by John Demonic

    • Haha 1
    9 hours ago, At the break of Gawn said:

    I know at times Brown provided a decent contest but he ran too far under the ball time after time last night. If Weid didn’t get pushed around so easily at times the spot would be his.

    But he does so it isn’t. 

    9 hours ago, Redleg said:

    Can't see Goody playing players on friday, who played the whole game for Casey today. It was a hard slog today.

    That suggests Toby and Kade vying for sub on friday, who both were out for H & S protocols.  

    Depends if Toby and Kade were out because they were contacts it positives.  In the latter case they probably won’t be ready. 

    Harmes must come in to tag Neale, sparrow cant do it

    • Like 3
     
    13 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

    Maybe below par, I thought really about par, but definitely not very very poor.

    Agreed...he picked up his form at the right time of the game too.

    But he's not the bbb of last year for sure.

    But milk wasn't either. Don't no where that's gusto came from but I've questioned milks selection everytime.

    Good thing Goody new what he can still do

    • Like 1
    47 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

    We don't want to beat Brisbane too well. We want to get that home SCG final remember Deeno! :laugh:

    Just having a laugh, but no doubt I'm sure you saw the Swans performance yesterday with a bit of trepidation!?

    Anyway, Also agree. Harmes for Sparrow

    At this point beating Brisbane by 30 points won't be enough for 2nd. Sydney will belt the saints.

    • Like 1

    I was impressed by Weid in the VFL.  Would have him in, and sparrow out.  Rejig the lines (melk to hf).  Bowie is close, Harmes - got a heap of it but looked like he tried to do too much too often.

    On 8/13/2022 at 10:47 PM, DeeSpencer said:

    Will never happen but we’d be no worse with Harmes for Petracca. His defensive work is a joke and he’s not giving much offensively.

    JJ and Sparrow just going about their roles. So they’re the most vulnerable. Gus more wing and Harmes to Neale makes sense.

    Not really his fault but Spargo struggling. Bedford and Chandler managed this week from VFL

    The problem with the side is mostly the best players underperforming and not the role players.

    Petracca back to the middle, Harmes in, Brayshaw to defense and Salem out.

    Why are we putting petracca who has woeful accuracy in the forward line?

    The only possible change I see is Harmes for Sparrow for a specific tagging role. Getting Smith forward could have been innovative but injury and VFL fixturing has killed that. We don’t do innovative at selection time anyway.

    Big fan of the Frittata but he was very poor on sat night - has plenty of credits but would not want to repeat that effort again IMO

    Didn't see the Casey game yet but J Smith in the F50 still has appeal to me - had Melk not performed well he would be a chance 


    4 minutes ago, Sydee said:

    Big fan of the Frittata but he was very poor on sat night - has plenty of credits but would not want to repeat that effort again IMO

    Didn't see the Casey game yet but J Smith in the F50 still has appeal to me - had Melk not performed well he would be a chance 

    He didn't get much of the ball, but he still laid 8 tackles which is a huge mindset change in my opinion. 

    I have always been a fan of Fritta playing as a high half forward. Just think we don't utilise his precision kicking enough going inside 50.

     

    • Like 6

    Squiggle has us finishing 5. Elimination final v Carlton. That freo Richmond draw could be a killer as they finish above us by 2 points

     

    we have to win

    • Like 1

    So glad our selections are not in the hands of many of the posters on here!

    No player is perfect and every player has their limitations.  It's about finding the right mix that compliment each other to get the best result for the team. e.g:

    Ben Brown - yes he sh!ts me - particularly when his opponents are quicker and more agile than him.  But he is the most important structural player to our team.  Who else can run like he does and force the ball to ground.  Weid is not up to it.  JVR is not ready.  TMac is not ready. MB is not up to it.  Plus he has kicked clutch goals in the final quarter the last two weeks.

    Charlie Spargo - he is under sized and not particularly quick.  It seems like he is exposed when put on the wing which happened again on the weekend.  But he is our best inside 50 kick by a mile - and that is our biggest weakness.  We need the ball in his hands at half forward more often.  Who can come in and do this better?

    ANB - he is not as clean as some players and his kicking can be off - but he runs as hard as anyone to allow us to play our game.  If he goes out we get exposed on turnover and with not enough forward pressure.  

     

    • Like 4
    21 minutes ago, Superunknown said:

    Squiggle has us finishing 5. Elimination final v Carlton. That freo Richmond draw could be a killer as they finish above us by 2 points

     

    we have to win

    How about a draw of Friday night. Finish 4th and play the Cats. Their record after a week off is appallingly bad, even this year they struggled to beat the Eagles after the bye. 

    I think it’s

    in Harmes … to tag Neale (simply have to tag him to stop the Lions) 

    out Sparrow (to the medi sub) 

    Sparrow looks lost between roles. A half forward or a mid. We lost several Centre square clearances with him in the middle. 

    BBB - stays in as Weid not capable and Tmcd injured.  JVR not ready to step up   

    ANB - apparently plays his role but offensively not contributing up to standard.  Lucky Sparrow is in line for the medi sub  

    Spargo - had another poor game.  9 goals for the year as a permanent forward.  Some goal assists but not really contributing in crumbing or getting to the footy. Twice was physically pushed aside and led to Carlton easily running the ball out of defence.   Hard to see him staying in but another coach’s favourite.  If Chandler was fit and ready to go, I’d swap Charlie out.  
     

    • Like 3

    We need to find a way to get these small forwards involved more. Carlton’s defensive tackling pressure was immense at times and we just couldn’t get the decent looks at goal. Get these three some more touches and we will see much more contribution. 

    I know many hate it, but again ANB had our second-most pressure acts with 34. Double Sparrow's 17, and well in front of Pickett's 16 and Spargo's 14.

    We can't win the flag without forward half pressure. No matter how much leg speed or goal-kicking nous we have up there which someone else might bring in ANB's place, we can't win the flag without forward half pressure.

    So ANB will stay, as he has done all season, because Goodwin will value that effort.

    Questioning Fritsch is also pointless. That's not to say he can't improve, but he laid 8 tackles, 5 of which were inside 50, the week after our forward half pressure was not good enough. And though it shouldn't need to be said, he's the only player in the competition to have kicked a goal in all 21 matches so far.

    There is significant merit to bringing Harmes in to tag Neale. If we do that, Sparrow is IMO the most at risk as he provides the closest positional spot for Harmes to take.

    I remain of the view we need another tall forward but we haven't gone that way for months and I can't imagine we're going to do it now, not unless TMac was fit and ready to go. 

    • Like 3
    1 hour ago, Mr Steve said:

    How about a draw of Friday night. Finish 4th and play the Cats. Their record after a week off is appallingly bad, even this year they struggled to beat the Eagles after the bye. 

    Try 3 weeks off for cats this year.

    Eagles game will be a light training run with drills followed by the finals bye then another week to the QF.

    Why not try Bowey in Spargo's place. He has defensive skills and likes to kick a goal. 

    Edited by deebunked

     
    54 minutes ago, deebunked said:

    Try 3 weeks off for cats this year.

    Eagles game will be a light training run with drills followed by the finals bye then another week to the QF.

    Why not try Bowey in Spargo's place. He has defensive skills and likes to kick a goal. 

    During Scott's Ten-year reign as coach, Geelong has lurched to a pitiful 3-12 record after a week off. This comprises nine straight losses following mid-season breaks and a 1-2 result after pre-finals byes.

    2 hours ago, Superunknown said:

    Squiggle has us finishing 5. Elimination final v Carlton. That freo Richmond draw could be a killer as they finish above us by 2 points

     

    we have to win

    Squiggle likes to mix things up, done it a few times today and it's had us finishing 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th.

     


    Guest
    This topic is now closed to further replies.
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • 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.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • 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? 

        • Thanks
      • 4 replies
      Demonland

    • 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?

        • Thanks
      • 161 replies
      Demonland

    • 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/

        • Thanks
      • 44 replies
      Demonland

    • POSTGAME: St. Kilda

      After kicking the first goal of the match the Demons were always playing catch up against the Saints in Alice Spring and could never make the most of their inside 50 entries to wrestle back the lead.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 328 replies
      Demonland

    • VOTES: St. Kilda

      Max Gawn still has a massive lead in the Demonland Player of the Year award as Christian Petracca, Jake Bowey, Clayton Oliver & Kozzy Pickett round out the Top 5. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 31 replies
      Demonland
    View All