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Why did we fade out in games?

Engorged Onion
in Melbourne Demons

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All our losses (bar Geelong) looked exactly the same - 4-5 goals up by half time and ultimately a 3-5 goal loss. Put your conjecture here!

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Fitness

Culture

Defensive Structure

Goodwin

Bathwater

Hunted

Forward and Mid Pressure

Whipping Boys (ANB/ Spargo/Sparrow)

Selfishness

 

So many options to debate…

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    • Engorged Onion changed the title to All our losses (bar Geelong) looked exactly the same - 4-5 goals up by half time and ultimately a 3-5 goal loss. Put your conjecture here!
     

    In order:

    1. Fitness (or lack thereof)

    2. Coaching (gameplan)

    3. Coaching (selection)

    4. Arrogance (foot off the pedal once healthy lead is had) 

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    • Demonland changed the title to Why did we fade out in games?
     

    Lack of self belief

    Lack of a lockdown small defender

    Lack of a tall forward

    Lack of accurate goal kickers

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    Inability to deal with opponents closing up space.

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    This is where the beauty of 21 is the gift that keeps giving. I am nowhere near as gutted as I would have been should 21 had not have happened. 

    I am curious to how long this will last 

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    1. Coaching dept mindset (arrogance to believe that we could defend a lead)

    2. Coaching dept game plan

    3. Players mindset (once it happened 2-3 times, doubts crept into players mind)

    4. Coaching dept team selection (poor structure, not dropping out of form players, not resting banged up players)

    5. Fitness (key players banged up, which has nothing to do with general fitness). 

    999. Loading

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    Ben brown banged up cant run

     

    Gawn banged up cant run

     

    Viney banged up cant run

     

    Trac banged up cant run

     

    Clarry banged up cause carring others

     

    Jacko banged up cant run

     

    Kossie banged up cant run

     

    Melk old cant run

     

    Lingers banged up cant run

     

    Spargo banged up cant run

     

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    Would love to hear Goodwin or someone in the FD actually articulate the reason. All I’ve heard is some vague “bit of everything” answer.

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    Here's a stat for you.

    We had an 11 point lead, or more, in all 24 games this year.

    I wonder if:

    1. that's ever happened before; and
    2. if so, whether the last side to do it failed to make a prelim.

    Could be a good question for Swamp on Twitter.

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    Too many players carrying injuries or niggles, plus the cumulative fatigue of spending 2022 at the pointy end + a long 2021 with a deep finals run + reduced off-season/break. Throw into that that a lot of our players are still comparatively young and don't have the deep fitness that 10 years of pre-seasons develops.

    Not a surprise that so few teams win back to back premierships.

    Nothing to do with the coaching, or even the fitness staff for that matter. Griffith had the runs on the board, was head-hunted by Burgess and the FD as Burgess's replacement, and spent a year being trained up by Burgess.

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    10 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

    Would love to hear Goodwin or someone in the FD actually articulate the reason. All I’ve heard is some vague “bit of everything” answer.

    Would he really make public what he thought which would give to other clubs an indication of what changes he plans to make in 2023?  Doubtless they have a good idea anyway, but why give them anything - they all have 17 other clubs to worry about.  Or maybe he doesn't know himself yet.

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    14 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

    Would love to hear Goodwin or someone in the FD actually articulate the reason. All I’ve heard is some vague “bit of everything” answer.

    But a 'bit of everything' is probably the answer.

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    16 minutes ago, Rocknroll said:

    Ben brown banged up cant run

     

    Gawn banged up cant run

     

    Viney banged up cant run

     

    Trac banged up cant run

     

    Clarry banged up cause carring others

     

    Jacko banged up cant run

     

    Kossie banged up cant run

     

    Melk old cant run

     

    Lingers banged up cant run

     

    Spargo banged up cant run

     

    About 45 years ago I played in the VAFA. There was one thing the coach said over and over at every training session and every match. “It’s a running game.” He was right then and he is still right now. Collingwood showed last night what a running game looks like. And it’s far more attractive than our game. Plus, they beat us and many other teams with it. If we can’t run or decide not to run, we’re playing the wrong game. 

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    A few things I’ve seen this year;

    1) we are not as sure defensively which has meant midfielders are working harder in defence to cover.

    2) We cannot mark the ball in our forwardline, so the small forwards are constantly moving- they don’t get a spell and as a result get more fatigued. We seem to lose structure and our small forwards are too often caught in the back half.

    3) We just can’t turn the ball over in our forward half and our pressure drops off. 

    4) Our inside to spread midfield work is off. Sloppy handballs leads to too many players going for the same ball.

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    27 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

    Would love to hear Goodwin or someone in the FD actually articulate the reason. All I’ve heard is some vague “bit of everything” answer.

    But you see if he told you, would you promise not to tell anyone else?

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    We had to chase to much, in the back half of the season our ability to lock the ball inside our forward 50 really fell away,,which means every one works hard forward and the ball was coming straight out with little pressure and you then need to work hard to get into your defensive set ups.

    You lock the ball in back 6 push up and are set for repeat entries you get a bit of a spell.  It is easier when you control the ball in your forward half than having to work back to defend.

     

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    33 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

    Would love to hear Goodwin or someone in the FD actually articulate the reason. All I’ve heard is some vague “bit of everything” answer.

    They probably don't really know what the answer is. If they did they would have addressed already

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    Mental fatigue. 

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    Mentality....Even during the 10-0 start we were getting out to handy leads then cruising or trying to just hold on for the win.

    I would say we flirted with form, we stopped short of developing being ruthless when we were dominating, then took the foot off the pedal/we relax.

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    As premiers, we were the hunted all season.

    Even against two bottom teams North & West Coast both physically smashed into the Demons.

    Add up multiple small things:

    - shorter pre season

    - being smashed every week as reigning premier

    - Burgess replaced by Griffith

    - Injuries TMac, then Gawn, Salem, Rivers, Trac, Oliver, BBB and players who looked like they were carrying Kossie, Jackson, Viney

    - other teams focussed on strategies to beat Demons, spoken about every week in press

    - Goodwin misjudged impact of 2nd tall forward, JVR should have been given a crack

    - Sparrow, Jackson, Rivers, Spargo, Bowey all stagnated this year

    - minor drop in desperation having won the flag in 2021

    Edited by D4Life
    Addition

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    1 hour ago, Rocknroll said:

    Ben brown banged up cant run

     

    Gawn banged up cant run

     

    Viney banged up cant run

     

    Trac banged up cant run

     

    Clarry banged up cause carring others

     

    Jacko banged up cant run

     

    Kossie banged up cant run

     

    Melk old cant run

     

    Lingers banged up cant run

     

    Spargo banged up cant run

     

    Nailed it

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