Jump to content

PREGAME: Rd 03 vs Sydney

Demonland
Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Don't think they'll make more than 3 changes unless forced (injury), Goodwin and co. have always favoured continuity and consistency. May for Thommo plus someone for Max would be 2. Then it's perhaps a tossup between JJ for Harmes and Hibberd for McVie.

Tom Mac has indeed been underwhelming, but Max out perhaps throws him a lifeline, at least for a bit. Not the week to be dropping a tall who can pinch-hit.

    • Like 4
     
    59 minutes ago, ANG13 said:

    If I was a betting person I would be loading up on Sydney at their odds and history of beating us. I would also take Luke Parker for best on ground. 

    Gulden to be best on ground. If I wasn't a Melbourne man I'd be tipping Sydney not confident at all without Gawn and Kossie. Need a big lift from and I think it will happen from Clarry disposal disgraceful last week, Trac couldn't get into the game and Viney was terrible. Petty needs to lift too I think he will with his mate May back in the side.

    • Like 1
    6 minutes ago, bing181 said:

    Don't think they'll make more than 3 changes unless forced (injury), Goodwin and co. have always favoured continuity and consistency. May for Thommo plus someone for Max would be 2. Then it's perhaps a tossup between JJ for Harmes and Hibberd for McVie.

    Tom Mac has indeed been underwhelming, but Max out perhaps throws him a lifeline, at least for a bit. Not the week to be dropping a tall who can pinch-hit.

    I have a sneaky suspicion Laurie is in front of JJ. Hibberd for Harmes I think and Brayshaw in the middle.

    • Like 1
     

    I know most of the focus is on team changes at the moment, but I can’t stop thinking about how important this game is. I truly believe this game will determine how well we’ll go this year. No Gawn (and Kozzy) against a team that has had the wood over us who are also in terrific form. We can’t just tread water and hopefully win some games while we wait for Gawn to come back. We had a terrible record against top 4/8 teams last year. Here’s a golden opportunity to prove that we’re going to be a genuine contender this season.

    • Like 13
    • Thanks 1

    Not keen on JVR potentially rucking. 
    Terry Smith forced to in his first game from memory. 
    Not sure it helped his career. 


    7 minutes ago, radar said:

    Not keen on JVR potentially rucking. 
    Terry Smith forced to in his first game from memory. 
    Not sure it helped his career. 

    Do you mean Nick Smith (426)?

    6 hours ago, chook fowler said:

    Hunt would have been handy this season.

    Not sure when when you are down 32 clearances for the game, a defender with ordinary disposal is going to help you.

     

    • Like 2
    7 hours ago, bing181 said:

    Don't think they'll make more than 3 changes unless forced (injury), Goodwin and co. have always favoured continuity and consistency. May for Thommo plus someone for Max would be 2. Then it's perhaps a tossup between JJ for Harmes and Hibberd for McVie.

    Tom Mac has indeed been underwhelming, but Max out perhaps throws him a lifeline, at least for a bit. Not the week to be dropping a tall who can pinch-hit.

    One change:  Gawn out - Srawbs in...

     

    There's been a lot of focus on Gawn's injury but watching TMac at the game on Friday.

    He looked so slow and proppy.

    Can we afford to rest him?

    Can we afford to risk playing him?

    I'm not confident at all that he's anywhere near fit. I wonder if he's going to come good at all this season.

    He's pretty vital to our campaign as well


    Football is a funny game and it certainly plays tricks with your brain. Only a week ago most were predicting a comprehensive win against the Lions on their turf. Now, a few days after a poor display people by our high standards and the loss of the skip people are salivating at Sydney's odds. I'm expecting a big response.

    • Like 3
    • Love 3
    1 minute ago, layzie said:

    If T-Mac is healthy keep him in. 

    But he's not though..

    9 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

    But he's not though..

    Didn't get to pay close attention to him on Fri, is it the off the mark movements that he's restricted in or did he not cover his usual territory as well? Or both?

    Edited by layzie

    Not sure after Weid leaving we didn't find another big fwd as insurance.  We seem top heavy with mids for some reason.  Given Tmacs age and foot issues and Bbbs end of year dip in form, it may have been prudent to find an experienced chf. Maybe nobody was available. 


    15 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

    I'm expecting a big response

    Hope so. It won't be easy against a cracker of a team like Swans. A win by us will be huge. Hopefully many of us get to the game. I know Trac and Oliver will lift. 

    • Like 3
    1 hour ago, Brownie said:

    There's been a lot of focus on Gawn's injury but watching TMac at the game on Friday.

    He looked so slow and proppy.

    Can we afford to rest him?

    Can we afford to risk playing him?

    I'm not confident at all that he's anywhere near fit. I wonder if he's going to come good at all this season.

    He's pretty vital to our campaign as well

    I am concerned also. The only upside being that if he doesn’t come up, we have JVR as a potential back up.

    We must get more proactive in taking controlled risk and utilise our depth.  Three guarantees in life-  taxes, death and footy injuries.  Blood and give our depth some experience now…. will most likely need them later on in the season and in the finals campaign.

    Edited by Wodjathefirst

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
    3 minutes ago, layzie said:

    Didn't get to pay close attention to him on Fri, is it the off the mark movements that he's restricted in or did he not cover his usual territory as well? Or both?

    Both. 

    He looked like he had concrete boots on and struggle to get up the ground and be that leading CHF that we know him to be. 

    I'm a tmac fan but unfortunately he looked absolutely cooked. Some had concerns with him round 1 against the doggies where as i didnt, but after Friday night I'm certainly concerned with his form and body moving forward.

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
    • Sad 1
    10 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

    I have a sneaky suspicion Laurie is in front of JJ. Hibberd for Harmes I think and Brayshaw in the middle.

    Laurie was hugely underwhelming in his first game and needs a bank of good form at Casey before being considered for a call up!

    • Like 1

    Round 2 just done and we are already considering Schache coming in??

    tell me it ain’t so?!? 

    he is a poor fwd, an average back and not a ruckman whatsoever 

    • Like 1

    31 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

    Not sure after Weid leaving we didn't find another big fwd as insurance.  We seem top heavy with mids for some reason.  Given Tmacs age and foot issues and Bbbs end of year dip in form, it may have been prudent to find an experienced chf. Maybe nobody was available. 

    I'm fairly certain we didn't with the view to one of Max/Grundy would be lurking deep forward to release TMac/BBB (or both) higher up.

    We also picked up Schache who is fairly similar to the Weid and would be expecting JVR to play at a minimum a handful of matches this year.

    In my opinion, a C-grade forward is hardly worth burning cash on (admittedly it wouldn't be much anyways)

    • Thanks 1
    15 minutes ago, picket fence said:

    Laurie was hugely underwhelming in his first game and needs a bank of good form at Casey before being considered for a call up!

    Agree completely.  I'm hopeful young Bill will come on and forge a decent career with us but he's clearly behind JJ who has at least show he can have an impact in the ones.

    I'm happy however young Bill got a bit of a taste so he's aware of the difference and where he needs to be at.  

    He looked very good in the twos on the weekend.  Hopefully he can maintain the rage and continually destroy it at that level.

    • Like 1

    I would have played Schache if fit, has to be Van Rooyen now for Gawn. Hopefully Grundy can ruck 80% of the game, but I'm sure Ladhams will be testing out the ribs early on.

    May (if fit) for Petty. I'd be thinking hard about Tomlinson to do some rucking as well, as McDonald has been ineffective in the role. I also don't think its helping Tom's work in the forward line.

    Hibberd has to come in to take one of the mid-sized forwards. I like the idea of playing a lockdown small defender like McVee, but not sure if he is doing enough at present. Maybe McVee stays and Harmes misses out.

    Melksham can head back to Casey, and we need someone with more versatility in the sub role. Maybe Smith, although he's just as likely to injure himself in the warm up, or even Howes.

    Langdon on very, very thin ice.

     
    14 minutes ago, poita said:

    Melksham can head back to Casey, and we need someone with more versatility in the sub role. Maybe Smith, although he's just as likely to injure himself in the warm up, or even Howes.

    if we ever 'debut' a player as a sub i will be very, very disappointed in the club

    hate it when others do that 

    • Like 1
    12 hours ago, bing181 said:

    Don't think they'll make more than 3 changes unless forced (injury), Goodwin and co. have always favoured continuity and consistency. May for Thommo plus someone for Max would be 2. Then it's perhaps a tossup between JJ for Harmes and Hibberd for McVie.

    Tom Mac has indeed been underwhelming, but Max out perhaps throws him a lifeline, at least for a bit. Not the week to be dropping a tall who can pinch-hit.

    Seems a bit nonsensical in the sense that if you have players badly out of form and or better ones coming back.... plus you need an in or two for match ups.  In some cases, where necessary, you just have to make the odd sweeping changes (eg, 4 or more). 

    Even if it meant say 6 changes eg; 2 for match ups, 1 for injury and 2 based on form and you have quality / in form players coming in (pretty rare for sure but you never know).... why not!?

    Edited by Demon Dynasty


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

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Essendon

      As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie? 
      Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG. Unfortunately, performances like these went against the grain of what Melbourne has been producing from virtually midway through 2024 and extending right through to the present day. This is a game between two clubs who have faltered over the past couple of years because their disposal efficiency is appalling. Neither of them can hit the side of a barn door but history tells us that every once in a while such teams have their lucky days or come up against an opponent in even worse shape and hence, one of them will come up trumps in this match.

        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Essendon

      Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

        • Thanks
      • 228 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 05

      Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

        • Thanks
      • 15 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Geelong

      There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Geelong

      I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 04

      Round 4 kicks off with a blockbuster on Thursday night as traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton clash at the MCG, with the Magpies looking to assert themselves as early-season contenders and the Blues seeking their first win of the season. Saturday opens with Gold Coast hosting Adelaide, a key test for the Suns as they aim to back up their big win last week, while the Crows will be looking to keep their perfect record intact. Reigning wooden spooners Richmond have the daunting task of facing reigning premiers Brisbane at the ‘G and the Lions will be eager to reaffirm their premiership credentials after a patchy start. Saturday night sees North Melbourne take on Sydney at Marvel Stadium, with the Swans looking to build on their first win of the season last week against a rebuilding Roos outfit. Sunday’s action begins with GWS hosting West Coast at ENGIE Stadium, a game that could get ugly very early for the visitors. Port Adelaide vs St Kilda at Adelaide Oval looms as a interesting clash, with both clubs form being very hard to read. The round wraps up with Fremantle taking on the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in what could be a fierce contest between two sides with top-eight ambitions. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

        • Thanks
      • 273 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All