9 minutes ago, Deebauched said:

arghh

Thats what DL were saying about Essendon.Dees are switched on we win.Theyre not and it will be a close struggle.

Hardwick will definitely think theyre  a chance against us.

I wasn't thinking that way tbh i didn't have a good feeling at all for the Ess game.

9 day break, back at home after a loss, Marquee game, look out Tiges.

I think Schache and JVR should both play forward this week. That's what I want to see. Give them 5 weeks together and see what happens. Brown and TMac are dusted, time to roll out a new plan. Bring Laurie in for Spargo, Harmes for Sparrow (if concussed). Those wanting Grundy to take more marks are dreaming,  he has never been a big mark player. Schache can swap with him and TMac can retire, Brown can remain injured and we can see what happens.

5 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

I think Schache and JVR should both play forward this week. That's what I want to see. Give them 5 weeks together and see what happens. Brown and TMac are dusted, time to roll out a new plan. Bring Laurie in for Spargo, Harmes for Sparrow (if concussed). Those wanting Grundy to take more marks are dreaming,  he has never been a big mark player. Schache can swap with him and TMac can retire, Brown can remain injured and we can see what happens.

How about we set JVR up to succeed and pair him with a proven fwd, yeah?

Brown started the season well and allows JVR to have the second or third defender.

And can you show some respect to some great Demons because you’re losing yours.

3 hours ago, bluey said:

Too many optimists, not enough reality.

Still haven’t fixed last years problems, no forward line except for Fritz.

Macca and Brown due for retirement, Van Rooyens two kicks.

I love you Bluey . . . but this is not your best work.

My concern last year was that we seemed to choke at moments when games were there to take. Polar opposite to 2021.

Sydney under lights at the MCG x2.

Collingwood prime time x2.

Two finals.

The second Bulldogs game at Marvel.

Freo at the MCG.

As soon as good teams applied pressure we seemed to really struggle. Brisbane and Essendon have beaten us in almost identical fashion this year. They used the corridor and put together strings of possession into the flanks, putting defenders of guard and leading to a higher F50 efficiency vs Melbourne, and by a considerable margin.

We should win this week but we're looking more like a mid-table side than a top 4 side atm. Maybe that's the reality and real reflection of where we're at, and we're expecting too much.

28 minutes ago, Deebauched said:

arghh

Thats what DL were saying about Essendon.Dees are switched on we win.Theyre not and it will be a close struggle.

Hardwick will definitely think theyre  a chance against us.

Hardsick also thought that Hopper and Taranto would keep the Tiges in contention. All I've observed is that they've made them worse.

The team has produced consistent effort across 21 and 22. Granted we ran out of puff in the latter parts of games in 22 due to fatigue, injury etc. but not due to effort. We've been up and down this year intensity wise which has surprised me. Some trust has been lost from my perspective.

Ultimately, it's about finishing top 4, top 2 ideally, and be in form and injury free (relatively speaking) come September. This is still totally achievable so no need to hit the panic button. But please, no more mulligans. 2 of those is enough. Approach every game with the right attitude and we'll be fine.

Out:  Henny Penny

In:     Belief and effort

4 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Not sure if this belongs on here, but..

 

This is very interesting. By my count the losses are:
Sydney x 2, Collingwood x 2, Brisbane x 2, Essendon, Freo and the Bulldogs.

When you break it down to the sides, the context of those losses, and what we know about injuries in late 2022 the sky isn't exactly falling, but we certainly struggle against the best. For me the worst of those losses was the weekend. The form line in 2022 suggested we couldn't maintain the effort for 4 quarter. The form on the weekend looked a lot more like we didn't bring it. 

 

 

It's only two weeks ago that we beat the Swans by 50 points.

Anyone feeling negative read the Post game thread vs Hawthorn after the Home and Away draw in 2021

Negativity everywhere and we know how that ended some 7 to 8 weeks later

2 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

I love you Bluey . . . but this is not your best work.

You're right about one of those things. 

5 hours ago, dl4e said:

The sky will be falling if we lose to Richmond.

Absolutely

42 minutes ago, mauriesy said:

It's only two weeks ago that we beat the Swans by 50 points.

Yeah and that was totally ruined after losing to bummers   I put it down to travelling twice and short break. Expecting big things this week  (I hope)    Need like 5 wins in a row now   (please)

2 minutes ago, gregdemon said:

Yeah and that was totally ruined after losing to bummers   I put it down to travelling twice and short break. Expecting big things this week  (I hope)    Need like 5 wins in a row now   (please)

Honestly I just want 3 weeks in a row of 100% effort, results will take care of themselves.  

Expect us to be switched on and up for the contest next week.

But it's concerning that it feels like we need regular wake up calls in order to go as hard as our oppo do. This is the part of MFC culture I was hoping this period would erase.

Bottom line is, it's been long enough now that it seems like it's one of two things: either our players just don't get it and aren't determined to fight for sustained success, or they just aren't that good. Surely it's fair now to rule out injuries/tough draws/fatigue from a long season in 2021.

26 minutes ago, rufus said:

... it's concerning that it feels like we need regular wake up calls in order to go as hard as our oppo do

Excellent point.  This is what I find a bit concerning.  We play really well for a few weeks, then we just don't turn up and the cycle repeats

Edited April 18, 20231 yr by Orion

9 hours ago, adonski said:

Brown has kicked 9 goals in 3 games, there's still life left in him yet

JVR has kicked 6 goals in (his first) 3 games

The common theme has been the midfield getting absolutely smashed in our losses

There are also holes in our D anytime one or more of May, Lever or Max are out.

The Demon stonewall and mid dominance (until lately) can't (and won't) be the mainstay of our wins forever.

At some stage the forward line has to step up....consistently.

5 hours ago, The heart beats true said:

The form line in 2022 suggested we couldn't maintain the effort for 4 quarter. The form on the weekend looked a lot more like we didn't bring it. 

That's pretty much exactly what Tracc said today

9 hours ago, MrFreeze said:

……. Learn our lessons now, keep our cards close, and sky is the limit come September. 

Can the sky be the limit if, according to the thread title,  it is falling?  Could it meet us its way down? 🙄🙄😱😱

So I guess after two awful losses, this team is officially on parole. One more effort like that and you can bin the season and cancel Christmas.

Why not just save the hassle and give up now? They've let you down, quit. 

This is a joke 

11 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Not really.

It's a general guide on how much iimprovement we've made over the off season in rectifying some of the weaknesses last year. 

Whilst i think we've made some good improvements with our ball movement, our form right now is identical to what it was in the 2nd half of last year. Still getting beaten around clearences far too easily and we've lost more contested this year then we've won. That's a huge concern in itself considering we pride our biggest strength in winning thr contested footy.

We're 6 rounds in and we still have no idea what exactly is our best forward mix is. Best it's looked was when we had Petty and JVR rolling through there against Sydney and it was a lot more dynamic because they both added defensive pressure and movement. 

We then decided to revert to old ways by bringing in Melksham and McDonald and it completely flopped in the weekend.

We'll most likely win on Monday night but I'm far from convinced we're a genuinely top 4 side on form. It's round 6 and we have time on our side in getting better which is a positive. 

Unfairly pessimistic take IMO.

For one, look at who we've played in this 9-10 period. The final 14 games last year were almost exclusively against 2022 top 8 sides, with repeat travel/venue changes. So far this year we've played three 2022 finalists plus the in-vogue 4-1 Essendon, and with repeat travel/venue changes.

More than happy to be proven wrong on this but I'm confident there isn't another side whose previous 19 games have been as challenging as ours.

More importantly, we reset over the summer and there should be no reason to expect us to be 5-0 or necessarily 4-1. The 10-0 start last year is a perfect reminder than being scintillating right now is not necessary. It arguably isn't even a good thing.

So when you say things like "we still have no idea what exactly is our best forward mix", that shouldn't be viewed as a strictly negative thing. I mean, never mind the fact that we've been forced to make changes (Pickett suspended Round 1, Fritsch missed Round 1, Gawn injured Round 2, Brown injured Round 3, Spargo injured Round 5). And never mind the fact we're the highest scoring side in the competition. It's not all bad that we're working through different combinations. We're learning how, for example, JVR works with TMac, and how Brown works with Grundy/Gawn. If we'd picked the same forward line each week Goodwin would be exposed to the 2022 argument against him that he's "stubborn".

Also we're 6th in the comp for average CP differential, so our CP game hasn't fallen apart.

We're 3-2 and one game off the top. We've hardly lost touch with 1st despite playing more games interstate than at home, having our hall of fame captain miss 80% of the season so far, and playing some reasonably good sides to boot. We've integrated Grundy, Hunter, McVee and JVR into our side, and we've had success with some positional changes (Petty, Rivers, our general approach to centre bounces).

Having said all that, the one thing you didn't mention that I'd like to see improvement in is the rate at which our opponents score when going inside their forward 50. It feels like we're not as stable behind the ball as we were in 2021-22. That will in part be down to May missing two games, Petty being moved back/forward, Lever missing a game, Gawn missing four games, and a lack of continuity back there, but I'd like to see that area improve.

9 hours ago, Demon Dynasty said:

There are also holes in our D anytime one or more of May, Lever or Max are out.

The Demon stonewall and mid dominance (until lately) can't (and won't) be the mainstay of our wins forever.

At some stage the forward line has to step up....consistently.

Forward line has been fine it's our defence and mids that have let us down vs Bris and Ess. Highest scoring team in the comp but we are leaking goals far more easily than we have in the past.

Speaking of positives, our set shot conversion has been very good this year. I've heard mentioned it's the best in the league so far this season.

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Forward line has been fine it's our defence and mids that have let us down vs Bris and Ess. Highest scoring team in the comp but we are leaking goals far more easily than we have in the past.

Pressure up forward to lock it in more often though Dr?

Think general pressure / tackling at times may also have been off vs 2021 through mid way 2022

When i talk about these aspects its more about the body of work over about the last 6 months of matches.

Agree re mids vs Brissy.... def smashed there first half 

Not sure of numbers vs the stoners

Not worried about def once Lever & Max are back but obviously any time both are out and with May appearing NQR we look pretty vulnerable.

In fact anytime one of those three are out we seem to get beaten unless im imagining things.  Not every time of course but feels more often than not.

Edited April 18, 20231 yr by Demon Dynasty