Jump to content

Which Demon is the most likely to have a breakout year in 2023?

Chelly
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

There are many ways for a club to take forward steps from one season to the next. One of them is for a player or players to have breakout seasons and show great improvement in the way they play and their influence on the team’s performance. Who at Melbourne do you think can take the next step up?

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     
    5 minutes ago, Chelly said:

    There are many ways for a club to take forward steps from one season to the next. One of them is for a player or players to have breakout seasons and show great improvement in the way they play and their influence on the team’s performance. Who at Melbourne do you think can take the next step up?

    I'll just get in by saying the most obvious, and the guy we all hope and expect to give us a boost.... JVR. No pressure tho.

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Haha 1

    I feel it's time that Clayton Oliver lived up to expectations.

    4 B&F's, 3 All Australians, 2 AFLCA Player of the Year Awards, 1 Premiership Medal.

    The guy has clearly been coasting throughout his career to date.

    Edited by Demon Jack

  • Quote
    • Like 9
    • Love 1
    • Haha 19
     

    The safest bet would be Harrison Petty. Locks down the AA key defender spot and becomes the brick wall that returns us to the stingiest defence 'by a mile' again, so long as the mids and forwards are doing their jobs up the field. He's just about to turn 23, so there is massive scope for him to go to another few levels and be our May/McGovern for the next 5-10 years.

    The wacky bet would be Schache. He's our new Weid, a very 'unlikely' shot to fulfil his potential, but if he did then that really could unlock something different for us, and by virtue, likely have the biggest impact.  I know versatile depth is the major hope we have at this stage, but stranger things have happened and there should be an opportunity if Brown and McDonald reach their end this year. And from the video, it sounds like he's going to work hard over the off-season to try and prove everyone wrong.  Of course every interview contains similar fluff.

    Edited by John Demonic

  • Quote
    • Like 7

    We talk about third year and fourth year breakouts. So Kozzie (could go AA?), Rivers, and Bowey would be the safest bets? 
    JVR, Chandler, Laurie all would be great for obvious reasons. 

  • Quote
    • Like 5

    Disco Turner and Petty. Petty forward, Disco back with May and Lever, all saluting on the last day in September!

  • Quote
    • Like 10
     

    Bowser, if he can add a couple of kg's to the frame, could take his game to another level

  • Quote
    • Like 6

    The Weid to finally fulfil the promise he showed in the 2018 finals series…………..oh wait.

    Honestly though, we need a second/third tier player to break out to really improve us. It would really benefit the team if a Bowey, Rivers, Jordan, Laurie, Sparrow or Chandler were to elevate their game. Of those, I’m tipping Rivers.

  • Quote
    • Like 5
    • Sad 1

    Disco Turner and Chandler most likely for me.

    Chandlers second half of the VFL season was pretty impressive, and we need him to be heaping pressure on Spargo & ANB the latter just killed momentum in games time and time again with his inaccuracy in front of goal.

    Like to see JVR and AMW knocking on the door hard and hopefully getting a taste of senior footy too.

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Fritsch to kick 60+ and lock down an AA spot.

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    26 minutes ago, The Jackson FIX said:

    Kade Chandler.  Too good for VFL. 

    Yeah I'm hoping he gets some games next year. Every time I see him play in the VFL or even AFL practice matches he impresses.

    Our forward line could do with some alternative options such as Chandler, JVR and Schache if players such as Brown, Spargo and Melksham aren't performing.

     

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    8 hours ago, Demon Jack said:

    I feel it's time that Clayton Oliver lived up to expectations.

    4 B&F's, 3 All Australians, 2 AFLCA Player of the Year Awards, 1 Premiership Medal.

    The guy has clearly been coasting throughout his career to date.

    No doubt he's got another gear/ level to go to. He's been foxxing to date 

    I predict he's capable of at least another 27% improvement on what he's done so far

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    I suspect that the majority here would hope that JVR storms into the game like David Schwartz did. 
    Of those who have already played I expect JJ will make a big jump and join the premium (and hopefully premiership) midfield on a regular basis. 

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    9 hours ago, Chelly said:

    There are many ways for a club to take forward steps from one season to the next. One of them is for a player or players to have breakout seasons and show great improvement in the way they play and their influence on the team’s performance. Who at Melbourne do you think can take the next step up?

    Jordan

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Howes, although injury plagued this year, has what it takes from what I have seen of his limited game time in the 2's.  Of course there if JVR and Turner.   Also, Lachie Hunter, if he is in the right mindset, is a great pick up for us.

  • Quote
    • Like 5

    I  would like to see  Trac and Max go and kick 90% of there shots, then we would not have to worry about BBB,JVR ect. Even 2 goals improvement by both would do the trick

     

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    I think a few have the potential to have breakouts.  To me the ones that come to mind are:

    Kade Chandler

    Jacob Van Rooyen

    Disco Turner

    Harry Petty

    Tom Sparrow

    Edited by Katrina Dee Fan

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    I'd already consider Petty as "broken out", but he's the obvious one who could have an even bigger impact if he's tried up forward and is successful there. Otherwise he could be an AA level KPD on his current trajectory. 

    The other I'd put forward is Rivers. His first two seasons were very good for a youngster, but he struggled with managing a knee injury and lacking preseason fitness in 2022. If he's fully fit and gets a full prison, he could very well have a big impact in defense next year. We need to replace Hibberd in the short term, and Rivers looks to have both the defensive and rebounding side to his game to be effective there. Love his booming kick too, which suits our game style transition forward with both Gawn and Grundy as tall marking targets on the wings in transition.

  • Quote
    • Like 5
    • Love 1

    In terms of a breakout - ie shown potential but not put it together consistently - Tom Sparrow for mine.

    Has all the tools, needs a bit more composure and needs to nail his disposal more often.

    Does that and he becomes a bona fide weapon.

  • Quote
    • Like 7

    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...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Gold Coast

      The Gold Coast Suns find themselves outside of the top eight for the first time since Round 1 with pressure is mounting on the entire organisation. Their coach Damien Hardwick expressed his frustration at his team’s condition last week by making a middle-finger gesture on television that earned him a fine for his troubles. He showed his desperation by claiming that Fox should pick up the tab.  There’s little doubt the Suns have shown improvement in 2025, and their position on the ladder is influenced to some extent by having played fewer games than their rivals for a playoff role at the end of the season, courtesy of the disruption caused by Cyclone Alfred in March.  However, they are following the same trajectory that hindered the club in past years whenever they appeared to be nearing their potential. As a consequence, that Hardwick gesture should be considered as more than a mere behavioral lapse. It’s a distress signal that does not bode well for the Queenslanders. While the Suns are eager to remain in contention with the top eight, Melbourne faces its own crisis, which is similarly deep-seated but in a much different way. After recovering from a disappointing start to the season and nearing a return to respectability among its peer clubs, the Demons have experienced a decline in status, driven by the fact that while their form has been reasonable (see their performance against the ladder leader in the Kings Birthday match), their conversion in front of goal is poor enough to rank last in the competition. Furthermore, their opponents find them exceptionally easy to score against. As a result, they have effectively eliminated themselves from the finals race and are again positioned to finish in the bottom half of the ladder.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 3 replies
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 15

      As the Demons head into their Bye Round, it's time to turn our attention to the other matches being played. Which teams are you tipping this week? And which results would be most favourable for the Demons if we can manage to turn our season around? Follow all the non-Melbourne games here and join the conversation as the ladder continues to take shape.

        • Like
      • 276 replies
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Port Adelaide

      Of course, it’s not the backline, you might argue and you would probably be right. It’s the boot studder (do they still have them?), the midfield, the recruiting staff, the forward line, the kicking coach, the Board, the interchange bench, the supporters, the folk at Casey, the head coach and the club psychologist  It’s all of them and all of us for having expectations that were sufficiently high to have believed three weeks ago that a restoration of the Melbourne team to a position where we might still be in contention for a finals berth when the time for the midseason bye arrived. Now let’s look at what happened over the period of time since Melbourne overwhelmed the Sydney Swans at the MCG in late May when it kicked 8.2 to 5.3 in the final quarter (and that was after scoring 3.8 to two straight goals in the second term). 

        • Clap
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 3 replies
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Essendon

      Casey’s unbeaten run was extended for at least another fortnight after the Demons overran a persistent Essendon line up by 29 points at ETU Stadium in Port Melbourne last night. After conceding the first goal of the evening, Casey went on a scoring spree from about ten minutes in, with five unanswered majors with its fleet of midsized runners headed by the much improved Paddy Cross who kicked two in quick succession and livewire Ricky Mentha who also kicked an early goal. Leading the charge was recruit of the year, Riley Bonner while Bailey Laurie continued his impressive vein of form. With Tom Campbell missing from the lineup, Will Verrall stepped up to the plate demonstrating his improvement under the veteran ruckman’s tutelage. The Demons were looking comfortable for much of the second quarter and held a 25-point lead until the Bombers struck back with two goals in the shadows of half time. On the other side of the main break their revival continued with first three goals of the half. Harry Sharp, who had been quiet scrambled in the Demons’ first score of the third term to bring the margin back to a single point at the 17 minute mark and the game became an arm-wrestle for the remainder of the quarter and into the final moments of the last.

        • Clap
      • 0 replies
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Gold Coast

      The Demons have the Bye next week but then are on the road once again when they come up against the Gold Coast Suns on the Gold Coast in what could be a last ditch effort to salvage their season. Who comes in and who comes out?

        • Thanks
      • 265 replies
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Port Adelaide

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 16th June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees disappointing loss to the Power.
      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
      • 33 replies
      Demonland
    View All