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Do the Dees have the pieces to make another premiership tilt?

Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

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1 hour ago, NoFap said:

No. Window closed . Main rivals have been strengthened this trade period. We have a stubborn coach who won’t change game plan. We have played the trade period poorly .

still no key fwd. traded cabbage for lettuce

Well, lettuce is pretty expensive these days, so sounds like great business.

#lettuceball

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    I think there's a couple more flags in this group. They're hard to win.

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    We have the players, we did this year too. For me there are issues around coaching. I'm not saying goodwin isn't the right guy, but it seemed that there was better people around him, better advisers or something. Our game plan didn't adapt this year. We watched other teams adapt and go past us and we just tried to do the same thing better. One example is I don't think we need better forwards, our game plan was not to quickly transition to leading forward but to kick in long and high. That has to change. I think weid will do very well if he is instructed to lead all day and those leads are honoured. None of our forwards are pack markers so why kick to them as if they are.

    All that said, the coaching and game plan is far easier to change than the players, which we have. 

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    1 hour ago, kallangurdemon said:

    We have probably improved the list slightly .However our issue last year was the forward line especially the 2 key forward positions and that remains unsolved .The only clear change is Schace for Weideman which is underwhelming .A lot of pressure is now unfairly on JVR but if he doesnt come on it is difficult to see a premiership in 2023.

    I had such high hopes for Weidemann - I can't see how Schache is not an improvement - he can take a mark at least.

     

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    10 minutes ago, jumbo returns said:

    What is no depth??

    Didn't Casey just win a flag?

    Lost one game for the entire season. 

    Had two more wins than the lions who finished second.

    Our percentage was nearly 26% higher than the next best in Southport. 

    What does that say about other club's depth?

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    1 hour ago, kallangurdemon said:

    We have probably improved the list slightly .However our issue last year was the forward line especially the 2 key forward positions and that remains unsolved .The only clear change is Schace for Weideman which is underwhelming .A lot of pressure is now unfairly on JVR but if he doesnt come on it is difficult to see a premiership in 2023.

    Either 2 of TMac, BB, or JVR are ready to rock for R1 or we should play Petty fwd. But just have a bad feeling Petty won’t even be tried forward. 
     

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    1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    Clearly judging by the Herald Sun photo, the 4 boys the will lead us back to the promise land are:

    Fritsch, Kozzie, Grundy and.........Oscar Baker.

     

     

    Oscar Baker the premiership maker. 

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    49 minutes ago, John Crow Batty said:

    Ditch that Selwyn/Burgess fitness regime and we will be there. Flogging a horse to run hard only works for so long. No wonder Burgess only hangs around for a couple of seasons before moving on. He doesn’t want to be around when everything collapses. Like when Lyon coached the Dockers and Saints. Performed like a powerhouse for a couple of seasons before flaming out due to the players being pushed over the limit. He was unlucky not to get a flag like Goodwin did but we cant repeat the debacle of our second half of the season in 2023. We won’t build a dynasty with broken bodies. The penny dropped for Geelong and so should it for us. 

    Rendell was saying the other day that it’s well known that teams fitness peaks after 2 years of the Burgess regime….as such he is predicting a big improvement from the Crows this year. 
     

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    17 minutes ago, binman said:

    Lost one game for the entire season. 

    Had two more wins than the lions who finished second.

    Our percentage was nearly 26% higher than the next best in Southport. 

    What does that say about other club's depth?

    Nothing.

    VFL results are largely determined by injuries, VFL listed players and age of your AFL list.

    We had very few injuries, we had the strongest core of VFL players for an afl side and whilst our list isn’t old a good bulk of guys who played in the VFL players were veterans. 

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    6 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

    Nothing.

    VFL results are largely determined by injuries, VFL listed players and age of your AFL list.

    We had very few injuries, we had the strongest core of VFL players for an afl side and whilst our list isn’t old a good bulk of guys who played in the VFL players were veterans. 

    This of course is merely your personal opinion 

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    We’ve made an exchange of Jackson for Grundy that might give us marginal to moderate short term improvement.

    We’ve added Hunter for Hunt and Bedford. Not a bad move but we now have to replace some half back and small forward depth.

    Significant bounce backs: Lever, Salem, Late season Gawn and Langdon, McDonald, ?Tomlinson ?BBB

    Can they find another gear: Brayshaw, Harmes, Sparrow, JJ, Chandler, Spargo, ANB 

    Natural improvement: Bowey, Pickett, Rivers, JVR, Turner (JJ, Sparrow, Chandler)

    Surprise improvement candidates: Petty as a fwd, pick 13, Schache, J Smith, Howes, Laurie, Woey, Nizard

    Areas for concern: lockdown back, tall back/tall forward (if Petty goes forward), mid/fwd class, mid/fwd depth.

     

    Edited by DeeSpencer

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    2 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

    We’ve made an exchange of Jackson for Grundy that might give us marginal to moderate short term improvement.

    We’ve added Hunter for Hunt and Bedford. Not a bad move but we now have to replace some half back and small forward depth.

    Significant bounce backs: Lever, Salem, Late season Gawn and Langdon, McDonald, ?Tomlinson ?BBB

    Can they find another gear: Brayshaw, Harmes, Sparrow, JJ, Chandler, Spargo, ANB 

    Natural improvement: Bowey, Pickett, Rivers, JVR, Turner (JJ, Sparrow, Chandler)

    Surprise improvement candidates: Petty as a fwd, pick 13, Schache, J Smith, Howes, Laurie, Woey, Nizard

    Areas for concern: lockdown back, tall back, tall forward

     

    “Areas for concern:  tall back”

    Is that a typo? We be best in the league for tall back’s I would have thought - both ability & depth 

     

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    4 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

    This of course is merely your personal opinion 

    Some of its opinion, some of its indisputable. You roll out Tomlinson, Buntine, White, Munro, Dunstan, Mitch Brown, Melksham, Baker, Ellison and Weid or Daw in the ruck then you’re going to beat up on a bunch of plumbers. 

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    Just now, 1964_2 said:

    “Areas for concern:  tall back”

    Is that a typo? We be best in the league for tall back’s I would have thought - both ability & depth 

     

    If Petty goes forward it looks shaky very quickly. 

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    49 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

    Nothing.

    VFL results are largely determined by injuries, VFL listed players and age of your AFL list.

    We had very few injuries, we had the strongest core of VFL players for an afl side and whilst our list isn’t old a good bulk of guys who played in the VFL players were veterans. 

    That doesn't really make sense.

    We had our share of injuries in the VFL.

    Not as many as other clubs perhaps, but we had at least the following injuries i can think of:

    • Howes (out for at least 8 weeks)
    • Turner (who was out twice, once for 4 odd weeks with a foot and then again later in the season with a broken jaw)
    • Smith (out for a big block of time)
    • Rosman (hammy x 2, concussion x 1)
    • AMW (at least once, but i think twice with soft tissue injuries)
    • And no doubt some others missed multiple games.

    That's a pretty big list of AFL listed players out of the side with injury - and probably north of 35 weeks lost due to injury.

    On top of that Chandler missed 3 games through suspension.

    And perhaps of most significance, we lost our number one ruck halfway through the season and never really had anything but a makeshift replacement, for what is one of the most important positions on the ground, particularly the way we play. 

    All VFL teams have veteran AFL players running around, and most have a decent rump of VFL level players. 

     

    Edited by binman

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    2 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

    If Petty goes forward it looks shaky very quickly. 

    Don’t think it will be an issue. There will be 2 key requirements for Petty to go forward

    a) injury or form issues for at least 1 of TMac, BB or JVR

    b) a Turner, Tomlinson, Smith absolutely banging the door down with form that demands them to be picked

     

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    2 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    Clearly judging by the Herald Sun photo, the 4 boys the will lead us back to the promise land are:

    Fritsch, Kozzie, Grundy and.........Oscar Baker.

     

     

    Oscar is a B Grader according to Buckenara!

    And we should have traded Langdon because we have too many similar players.

    Seriously he is a peanut.

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    1 minute ago, binman said:

    That doesn't really make sense.

    We had our share of injuries in the VFL. Not as many as other clubs perhaps, but Howes (who was out for at least 8 weeks) weeks), Turner (who was out twice, once for 4 odd weeks with a foot and then again later in the season with a broken jaw), Smith (who was out for pretty block of time) Rosman (hammy x 2), AMW, and no doubt some others missed multiple games.

    On top of that Chandler missed 3 games through suspension.

    And perhaps of most significance, we lost our number one ruck halfway through the season and never really had anything but a makeshift replacement, for what is one of the most important positions on the ground, particularly the way we play. 

    All VFL teams have veteran AFL players running around, and most have a decent rump of VFL level players. 

     

    Casey had injuries mostly to kids. Smith and Turner missed but Casey is super strong down back. Daw retired and McDonald/Melksham slotted back in for finals with Weid rucking.

    We had a very healthy run of afl injuries. Or at least of afl injuries that didn’t prevent guys playing. How often was our official injury list more than 5? Maybe early in the year.

    Our first choice depth afl players from outside the premiership 23: Dunstan, Weid, Melk, Smith, Bedford, Hunt, Tomlinson really didn’t have to play much and/or are now gone and/or are no more exciting heading in to 2023.

    The only depth players I am excited for next year are JVR and Turner. Maybe a faint hope that Chandler gets some speed and composure. Howes at 4-1 to be ready for serious afl footy too. 

    Anyone else feel any differently about any individuals?

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    12 minutes ago, 1964_2 said:

    Don’t think it will be an issue. There will be 2 key requirements for Petty to go forward

    a) injury or form issues for at least 1 of TMac, BB or JVR

    b) a Turner, Tomlinson, Smith absolutely banging the door down with form that demands them to be picked

     

    T Mc and BB are now injured by default until proven otherwise. I’ll believe they aren’t when I see reports of them training fully.

    Turner should nudge down the door. But if he gets injured or loses form we’ll have to rely on guys I don’t want to rely on. 

    In 12 months time our talls could be looking far healthier. Even more so if we trade or draft one this year or next which I’m sure we will.

    But we went for Grundy to replace LJ and now have to rely on things going right this year. 

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