Jump to content

Featured Replies

Lol, the ball had already bounced hence you can’t spoil it. It was a kick along the ground from Prestia ffs, if someone can show me the rule where it states a bouncing ball can’t be spoiled over the line I’ll stand corrected. What else was Gus meant to do? 

 
18 hours ago, IRW said:

Those are two completely different things. 

I mowed the lawn and watched the Pies play like MFC fans can only dream of.

Can they trade Kossi for Nick Daicos please

My view is that if we can take any opportunity to remember and respect the sacrifices made by the men who lost their lives in this horrible conflict then we should. Is it your view that we should only give a [censored] on one day a year?

I personally feel a chill when everyone turns their lights on, and the ceremony begins and if ever you go, I'm sure you would understand what I'm saying.

Can we trade you for an actual MFC supporter?

14 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

 

LOL this’d have to contend for the title of the most negativity-laden conversation. 

Ahh! you werent around in the Neeld years WCW.  Dark, dark times on DL 

 
2 hours ago, The heart beats true said:

That day is September 25 2021.

 

Knowing this place there would still be someone who had a problem with it.

1 hour ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Lol, the ball had already bounced hence you can’t spoil it. It was a kick along the ground from Prestia ffs, if someone can show me the rule where it states a bouncing ball can’t be spoiled over the line I’ll stand corrected. What else was Gus meant to do? 

I don't think the umpiring was that great, but I have no issue with the Gus free the rule is to stop exactly this scenario - someone forcing the ball over the boundary to stop play. There was no teammate near where he was hitting the ball so not sure how we could argue re this decision. 


2 hours ago, #11-TonyAnderson said:

Really loved Grundy going in and sticking up for van Rooyen when the tigers player dropped his knees (albeit gently) into him after his first big mark in the last quarter.

He cemented his demon status in that episode.  he gave the tigers player a lenghty lecture, not simple pushing and shoving.

The team will see this in reveiw and/or Goody will highlight it as a sensible was to fly the falg. JVR will appreciate it also as he was walking back to take the kick and missed the excitement.

Nice on Brody. Jack's got some more support  now.

3 hours ago, FritschyBusiness said:

Brown kicked 4 goals in both the first two games of the year and looked great. 
He plays on the oppositions best defender and we don't kick it well to his (or anyone inside 50's) advantage. 
That is the problem, the players dump kick half the time to the oppositions advantage wasting 40% of our inside 50s. 

And yet we are the second highest scoring team in the comp.

1 hour ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Lol, the ball had already bounced hence you can’t spoil it. It was a kick along the ground from Prestia ffs, if someone can show me the rule where it states a bouncing ball can’t be spoiled over the line I’ll stand corrected. What else was Gus meant to do? 

Completely goes against my understanding of the rule up untill now. I've been under the impression that if it's any sort of 50-50 contest then it can't be deliberate, whether it be in the air, on the ground, in a footrace kicking off the ground, whatever it may be.

Edited by layzie

 
1 hour ago, layzie said:

Knowing this place there would still be someone who had a problem with it.

Yes, I couldn't attend. I had a VERY big problem with it 😔

6 hours ago, Sydee said:

Pressure on the ball carrier wins most games - our problem is we seem to struggle to present that every quarter and every game. Our disposal not only in terms of decision making but also effectiveness is also below what it should be atm - hopefully that can change.

Our disposal appears bad BECAUSE of the lack of pressure we are applying to the ball carrier in my opinion. We are not getting the ball streaming forward in space off turnovers anywhere further afield than deep in defense. Creating a turnover from half back/centre and anywhere forward creates the easiest time to hit targets and generate scores.

And the lack of pressure is also making it easier for the oppo to do what they want, which is to bring the ball into the corridor.

I heard many interviews from players after '21 where they acknowledged that if they sacrifice and do those teams things (applying manic pressure being number 1 in this category), they all get their 'lick of the ice-cream '. Just not seeing that from the group now. It disappeared last year, and I had a feeling that maybe they deliberately eased off in the 2nd half so that could jump teams again with it come finals...but that clearly wasn't the case.

Edited by rufus


3 hours ago, Young Blood said:

Look I definitely agree we need to improve our connection. In both those pre season games we moving the ball quickly using different angles through the middle of the ground to work the ball forward with more precision. This created more space and less predictability for our forwards to lead into. It worked against Sydney as well. However Richmond had the middle of the ground filled any time we won the ball and looked forward on the weekend. Most of the better teams will zone players in the corridor to reduce this, we haven't been able to do as well as teams like Collingwood of navigating this. We do seem to do a decent job of moving the ball side to side and down the wings but it usually results in longer kicks inside with the oppositions defense well set up.

Sorry that was a long winded way of saying if we can find the 45 degree angle kicks off half back and move through the corridor quicker we will get so many better opportunities with leading marks inside forward 50

 

Mmmm, and what if every team tries to do the same, and every team is coached  as much as possible to block the 45 exits...

Then we get what all teams get, which is poor 'connection'...

You'd think these convo's are salient only to the MFC... they're not

*Not having a crack at you in the slightest 🙌

4 hours ago, FritschyBusiness said:

Brown kicked 4 goals in both the first two games of the year and looked great. 
He plays on the oppositions best defender and we don't kick it well to his (or anyone inside 50's) advantage. 
That is the problem, the players dump kick half the time to the oppositions advantage wasting 40% of our inside 50s. 

Agree FB BBB always looks better when we get the midfield clearance and kick it long into F50, so does Fritta, we haven’t been as dominant out of the centre this year, particularly against Lions and Bombers. Need to focus more on centre clearances and if we don’t win don’t allow the opposition to waltz it out without extreme pressure. We have a lot of learnings in our first 6 games let’s hope we can get back to 2021 energy and team focus. We looked more like Melbourne after half time.!!!

1 hour ago, Jaded No More said:

Yes, I couldn't attend. I had a VERY big problem with it 😔

That's the spirit!

Me too. 

1 hour ago, Kozzie4PM said:

And yet we are the second highest scoring team in the comp.

I think that's missing the point a bit. 

1. It's difficult for our tall forwards with the long bombs in, especially into the pockets.

2. When it does come in like that, it's carried out by the opposition super fast like it's bounced off a brick wall.

We don't seem to get many goals front and centre 25 metres out off packs when it's brought to ground. Richmond got quite a few on Monday as it got locked in and their defensive wall around the arc was in place. We're still not locking the ball in our forward 50 very well.

So, it's great we're the second highest scoring team in the comp, but our forward entries and defensive efforts are still clunky.

I think We could really smash teams if we improve and find consistency in these areas.

4 hours ago, Demonland said:

 

I just rewatched that passage of play.  It was a desperate, full stretch dive by Gus to reach the ball and deny a Richmond player taking possession.  That was his sole objective.  There is no way he had any further designs on the direction or distance the ball travelled after that.  All he wanted to do was deny easy possession for his opponent.  The rule is not there for that sort of thing. 13:05 remaining on the clock in the second quarter if anyone wants to watch again.


1 hour ago, Kozzie4PM said:

And yet we are the second highest scoring team in the comp.

I know and only 2nd by 2 points.
Image how much better we would be if we fixed our kicking inside 50 efficiency. 

It's the difference between the competition being so even and us blowing everyone else away. 

7 minutes ago, Vipercrunch said:

I just rewatched that passage of play.  It was a desperate, full stretch dive by Gus to reach the ball and deny a Richmond player taking possession.  That was his sole objective.  There is no way he had any further designs on the direction or distance the ball travelled after that.  All he wanted to do was deny easy possession for his opponent.  The rule is not there for that sort of thing. 13:05 remaining on the clock in the second quarter if anyone wants to watch again.

It was about as good a decision as the deliberate paid against him in round 23 2021.

We did win both games though, so cheers umps. 

2 hours ago, Sydee said:

I don't think the umpiring was that great, but I have no issue with the Gus free the rule is to stop exactly this scenario - someone forcing the ball over the boundary to stop play. There was no teammate near where he was hitting the ball so not sure how we could argue re this decision. 

We see it completely different, Gus got to the ball a microsecond before Dusty. His sole intention was to prevent Dusty gaining possession and the fact no teammate was near is irrelevant. It was an intercept.

Our pressure hasn’t been the same since we won the Granny. 

We need to get back to that to match it with the top teams or potentially be out in straight sets again. 

Edited by DemonOX

I think Gus would be more upset about being smashed (not tackled) into as he kicked and being pinged for incorrect disposal 

Edited by DeeMee


45 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

We see it completely different, Gus got to the ball a microsecond before Dusty. His sole intention was to prevent Dusty gaining possession and the fact no teammate was near is irrelevant. It was an intercept.

I saw it as a 50-50 contest with an attempt to deny possession. If there were other realistic options then it would be a different story but other than not committing for the ball I don't know what other option there was.

The other thing is that this Twitter guy completely made up a rule that once the ball hit the ground it's no longer a spoil from a marking contest and therefore a qualifier for insufficient intent. This is no-where to be found in the laws of the game charter. 

Edited by layzie

19 minutes ago, DeeMee said:

I think Gus would be more upset about being smashed (not tackled) into as he kicked and being pinged for incorrect disposal 

That was potentially a dangerous act, he  flew horizontally at velocity with significant force. NRL referees would look at it differently.

Edited by Tarax Club

 
6 hours ago, The heart beats true said:

That day is September 25 2021.

 

Facts. I find it funny that supporters think professional athletes who literally spend all week reviewing and preparing for games would continue to make the same ‘mistake’ for 3 years.

Well, it's true that we have been searching for forward connection for a long time. We managed it in the finals of 21 but outside of that it is still a work in progress. And I am sure that Goody bangs on about it week in week out.

So there that...

2 hours ago, Engorged Onion said:

Mmmm, and what if every team tries to do the same, and every team is coached  as much as possible to block the 45 exits...

Then we get what all teams get, which is poor 'connection'...

You'd think these convo's are salient only to the MFC... they're not

*Not having a crack at you in the slightest 🙌

Totally its something every team 'wants' to do in terms of efficient effective ball movement certainly. I know when opposition teams do it to us finding movement through the corridor it really opens us up and makes our strong backline much more vulnerable.

Like I said luckily we are pretty good at utilizing the opportunities other teams present us. When they shut down the corridors it usually means we have players free along the boundary where guys like Langdon and Brayshaw are excellent at moving the ball while constantly relocating ahead of the ball to keep presenting and work the ball up. Its not always effective but I think we're better at this then most. We use the boundary for safety as well knowing we can generate movement out of the contest with our mids. Its definitely a plan b but I definitely see it as part of our game plan and makes us more dangerous as a proven avenue to forward 50 entries.

Edited by Young Blood


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...

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.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    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
    • 297 replies
    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
    • 24 replies
    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
  • 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
  • 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