PREGAME: Rd 01 vs Western Bulldogs

[Bystander 903]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:19 PM, picket fence said:

Chandler is so far ahead of Laurie in form it should be a laydown Misere!!

Agree

[JimmyGadson 3,455]

Werridee with the comedy gold. 

Rivers on Darcy lol. 

[dees189227 12,367]

37 degrees tomorrow. Just be thankful we aren't playing at marvel with the roof closed. I've sat in that ground on a hot day & it's horrible especially when the roof is shut.

[Lucifers Hero 39,504]

Weather should be ok for our game.  Temp forecast to start falling around 5pm to high 20's at start of play and 25 around quarter time with a light southerly wind.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Lucifers Hero

[Queanbeyan Demon 6,813]

9 hours ago, sisso said:

We need early 2021 Tommo ….remember that game Hawkins smashes Maysie in the face and put him out of action, from memory we rolled Tommo onto him he did a great job and we won comfortably

That's the Tommo I remember as well. He was easily inside our first 12 selected back then. Hasn't been the same since his injury.

[AzzKikA 2,371]

15 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Weather should be ok for our game.  Temp forecast to start falling around 5pm to high 20's at start of play and 25 around quarter time with a light southerly wind.

Light southerly winds in Melbourne.

[Queanbeyan Demon 6,813]

12 hours ago, DubDee said:

cmon guys, but if support for Tommo. he is a big unit and just needs to spoil and bring it to ground. he gives everything. get behind him

Could be quite uncomfortable for all concerned.

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

9 hours ago, Deebauched said:

Tomlinson Mc Vee and Harmes half our defence.With Bowey incl is it tall enough?

I hope im wrong but this team looks vulnerable. Good news is Melbourne are obviously not going to play underdone players this season unlike 2022. 

 

 

 

Harmes won't line up in defence, he'll probably spend most of his time in the middle like he did against Richmond and Gus will go back. 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Dee Zephyr

[forever demons 2,219]

13 hours ago, layzie said:

Could get wind burnt! What's the best protection for that?

Close the bar door

[layzie 33,741]

Tommo just needs to lock down and come in with those spoils like he knows he can. I know he's probably still got the knee in the back of his mind but he's gotta have faith in it.

[poita 3,889]

For a club that supposedly has excellent depth, we are putting out a pretty ordinary round 1 team. I think I'd rather any of the emergencies than McVee, Laurie or Chandler. I have no issue with playing kids if their form warrants it, but Laurie & McVee were invisible against Richmond.

How Goodwin thinks you can get away with Spargo and Laurie in the same team is beyond me. Neither can win their own ball, neither will be accountable for an opponent and they'll be lucky to get 12 touches between them. Melksham would have been a much better option to replace Fritsch, even if less than full fitness.

May is probably the most important and least replaceable player in the team. Tomlinson is arguably the best replacement, but it is a massive loss for us. If I was the Bulldogs I would be playing through Lever's man all night, because I don't see a good match up for him.

I think we start underdogs here, but the Bulldogs are playing Hannan & Baker, so their depth isn't much better.

[Jaded No More 68,855]

4 minutes ago, poita said:

For a club that supposedly has excellent depth, we are putting out a pretty ordinary round 1 team. I think I'd rather any of the emergencies than McVee, Laurie or Chandler. I have no issue with playing kids if their form warrants it, but Laurie & McVee were invisible against Richmond.

How Goodwin thinks you can get away with Spargo and Laurie in the same team is beyond me. Neither can win their own ball, neither will be accountable for an opponent and they'll be lucky to get 12 touches between them. Melksham would have been a much better option to replace Fritsch, even if less than full fitness.

May is probably the most important and least replaceable player in the team. Tomlinson is arguably the best replacement, but it is a massive loss for us. If I was the Bulldogs I would be playing through Lever's man all night, because I don't see a good match up for him.

I think we start underdogs here, but the Bulldogs are playing Hannan & Baker, so their depth isn't much better.

You obviously didn't watch the Richmond game. McVee was 'invisible' because he was playing on Dusty. Dusty did SFA, and hence McVee won the day. He was super impressive against the Saints too.

The reality is that Hibbo is 32 with a history of bad calves, and Salem is injured. We need to have ready made replacements for these guys.

Chandler had a brilliant year at Casey, and absolutely deserves his chances. What do we do if Kosi leaves? You have to keep developing these guys, unless you prefer to keep going with Melksham who is in his last season?

And lastly, I bet that when Bowey debuted you thought "who and why", and he turned out to be a gun and best 22 players.

You have to keep developing your list, even when you are in your premiership window, or else you will end up losing quality players and end up with a very old list.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Jaded No More

[Jaded No More 68,855]

13 minutes ago, layzie said:

Tommo just needs to lock down and come in with those spoils like he knows he can. I know he's probably still got the knee in the back of his mind but he's gotta have faith in it.

I hope that after a full year recovering from the knee, he feels confident enough in it.

While he looked horrible against the Saints, I am sure he is well aware that his time is limited and he has to impress if he wants to get back into the best 22. If he has a stinker and May's calf needs more time to heal, I think Turner will come straight in.

I think we went with experience over potential, and we probably feel like Tommo has worked so hard to get back from his injury last year, he deserves another chance to prove his worth at this level.

I wish him well, because that would be the best outcome for us and him.

[dl4e 5,851]

11 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

You obviously didn't watch the Richmond game. McVee was 'invisible' because he was playing on Dusty. Dusty did SFA, and hence McVee won the day. He was super impressive against the Saints too.

The reality is that Hibbo is 32 with a history of bad calves, and Salem is injured. We need to have ready made replacements for these guys.

Chandler had a brilliant year at Casey, and absolutely deserves his chances. What do we do if Kosi leaves? You have to keep developing these guys, unless you prefer to keep going with Melksham who is in his last season?

And lastly, I bet that when Bowey debuted you thought "who and why", and he turned out to be a gun and best 22 players.

You have to keep developing your list, even when you are in your premiership window, or else you will end up losing quality players and end up with a very old list.

This is true so I sit here wondering why Tomlinson was picked over Turner.

[Jaded No More 68,855]

1 minute ago, dl4e said:

This is true so I sit here wondering why Tomlinson was picked over Turner.

I think this was purely about experience and not wanting to go too experimental. 
Had we known May was gonna blow a leg, we may have stuck with Hibbo over McVee and given Turner a go. But given the premium we put on defense, and having both May and Salem out, we probably want some calmer older heads down there to steady the ship. 

It is always less risky to give young kids a go in non KP spots. It’s probably why JVR isn’t being rushed. It’s easier to debut a back flanker or a small forward pocket with only mild success, than to throw a kid at FB and be like “good luck son”. 

While Tomlinson has had some shocking games recently, I think they have a matchup in mind for him, so I’ll wait and see how it pans out before I judge too harshly. 
Turner is very much in the frame if May is still not right and Tommo doesn’t blow us away. 
 

[Fritta and Turner 4,329]

I've arrived in town.  Most recent scarf i can find is 2019.  Must stop saying hello to everyone i pass in the street.

[layzie 33,741]

7 minutes ago, dl4e said:

This is true so I sit here wondering why Tomlinson was picked over Turner.

They've shown a lot of faith in him, he simply has to deliver. Doesn't need to be perfect but must do a job for us in limiting the damage from these Doggies talls. 

[Bitter but optimistic 22,218]

13 hours ago, Satyriconhome said:

You have only just realised this about Demonland, hence why I only skim through these days.

 

 

For which we are ever grateful Saty !

[dazzledavey36 54,214]

24 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

You obviously didn't watch the Richmond game. McVee was 'invisible' because he was playing on Dusty. Dusty did SFA, and hence McVee won the day. He was super impressive against the Saints too.

The reality is that Hibbo is 32 with a history of bad calves, and Salem is injured. We need to have ready made replacements for these guys.

Chandler had a brilliant year at Casey, and absolutely deserves his chances. What do we do if Kosi leaves? You have to keep developing these guys, unless you prefer to keep going with Melksham who is in his last season?

And lastly, I bet that when Bowey debuted you thought "who and why", and he turned out to be a gun and best 22 players.

You have to keep developing your list, even when you are in your premiership window, or else you will end up losing quality players and end up with a very old list.

Well said.

I love the Chandler inclusion. He's done his apprenticeship in the 2's and he's ready to go.

I saw enough body of work at Casey ro know he'll be a good little player at AFL level, just needs games and experience.

To everyone questioning the Laurie and McVee selections. Just remember when you're top 4 side and challenging for a flag you need to always find ways to continue to regenerate your playing list otherwise we'll find ourselves falling off the cliff like Hawthorn.

Regardless whether Laurie deserves his opportunity or not we need to start getting games into the next wave of talent.

[layzie 33,741]

4 hours ago, Stevienic23 said:

Not sure if already mentioned but having lost Salem and now May our we've taken a hit with our kicking in from full back. Bowey is reliable enough but he isn't as long and aggressive as May. 

All good mate, we got the Juddster!

[layzie 33,741]

13 hours ago, Satyriconhome said:

You have only just realised this about Demonland, hence why I only skim through these days.

 

 

Come back more!

[sue 9,096]

1 hour ago, Jaded No More said:

... McVee was 'invisible' because he was playing on Dusty. Dusty did SFA, and hence McVee won the day. ....

This is not a knock on McVee, but Dusty did SFA last night as well.

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, Jontee said:

Must stop saying hello to everyone i pass in the street.

Yeah this gets a little hectic in Flinders Street.

#CrocodileJontee

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,687]

15 hours ago, Demonland said:

Unimportant, I know, but does anyone else think that the art design being used here is monstrous? I approve of including the jumper numbers with the names, but the distressed white writing is abominable.

10 hours ago, binman said:

I wonder if tom's experience was a factor. Big game. Important game.

With mcvee debuting, adding a second gamer to the mix would make the back six pretty inexperienced. 

If Turner had played instead of Tomlinson, we would have had two of our seven defenders with less than half a game of experience between them. That might have been the Match Committee's concern and why Tomlinson got the nod. I also don't expect Harmes to play HBF. Instead, I expect the back seven to include Brayshaw and Rivers, along with the other five named in defence.

[Robbie57 2,020]

I hope Thommo doesn't read this thread, until his knee he was terrific for us and after I fear confidence (and lost agility to a lesser extent) is the issue. I hope Goodwin has told him "cometh the hour cometh the man".