Jump to content

PREGAME: Rd 09 vs Hawthorn

Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Petty down back. Apart from anything else, May seems to play better when he’s down there, and frees up Lever to be an interceptor. Turner will get his chance. 

 
2 hours ago, deejammin' said:

He did, against the Saints. He then waited the better part of a year and a half for his next game though. I like Turner but if we’re playing him as a key he’s not ready yet and undersized, he plays better as a second or third KPD, even in the VFL Tomlinson takes the largest forward . Especially when we have a premiership KPD to play there in Petty., it’s not Turner’s time yet. 

I agree that  Turner will be better playing a flanker role and could be a chance to take Hibberd's spot, I also think he will get more oppurtunities this year.

Petty made his debut in round 15 2018, got dropped and then played 10 games in 2019, forward and back, he also won the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy in that year, didn't play at all in 2000 so I am assuming he was injured.

    • Like 1
    16 hours ago, Glorious Day said:

    I was a massive fan of getting Hunter in. Thought he’d be pivotal on the ‘other’ wing. Aside from a few moments here and there this season, he’s looked slow, cannot get enough penetration on his kicks and makes poor decisions too often putting team members under unnecessary pressure. I hope this doesn’t become the norm - that we are dealing with a very limited player, rather than one I expected would make a tangible difference.

    As I’ve said repeatedly, we need to use our squad rather than playing the same blokes week in and week out. If any of our guns need a rest, next week is the week to do it. It’s a very long season. 

    I’d love them to play Spargo on the wing for a few weeks and see if he can’t run all day. His kicking is excellent 

     

    In: BB

    Out: Turner

    Spargo to be the sub.

    Edited by At the break of Gawn

    4 hours ago, drysdale demon said:

    , didn't play at all in 2000 so I am assuming he was injured.

    Or perhaps not born. 😀

    • Like 3
    • Haha 4
    • Clap 1

    Three things I'd like to see from three different individuals. 

    May to either play with condifence and keep his [censored] feet. 

    Clarry to take a couple of seconds to realise he has time to dispose of the ball with more care. It's killing. 

    Lever to stop turning the ball over out of D-50 as he does it multiple times a game. 

    No injuries, bring the same level of intensity and we'll win by 50+

    • Like 2

    The way Fritsch plays annoys me (I think) as much as @DeeSpencer, but the way he plays is what it is. He's a star and he's never going to be dropped, because he'll usually hit the scoreboard and is a game breaker.

    However, your suggestion for Joel Smith, who I'm not a fan of, has merit this particular week and possibly the following week.

    Providing the FD believe he has enough kms in the legs, I'd bring him in for JVR and send Petty behind the ball. I'd then use Smith as a defensive forward on Aliir Aliir the following week.

    So Smith for JVR and I wonder if we can get Spargo in for one of our smalls that needs a rest? Otherwise, Spargo for Turner.

    5 hours ago, Roost it far said:

    I’d love them to play Spargo on the wing for a few weeks and see if he can’t run all day. His kicking is excellent 

    Spargo filled in on the wing quite a bit last year. I'm a big Charlie fan, but I reckon he needs to play forward of centre. The wing is too high and then occasionally too defensive for his height. It could well be exploited going back the other way.

    I'd prefer we go Gus to the other wing if Hunter's spot is in jeopardy, but Lingers has struggled the last few weeks IMV, so the wing is a hard call this year.

     
    6 hours ago, drysdale demon said:

     

    Petty ….didn't play at all in 2000 so I am assuming he was injured.

    Petty would have played a fair bit in 2000 when it wasn’t naptime.

    • Like 1
    • Haha 3
    32 minutes ago, A F said:

    The way Fritsch plays annoys me (I think) as much as @DeeSpencer, but the way he plays is what it is. He's a star and he's never going to be dropped, because he'll usually hit the scoreboard and is a game breaker.

     

    Dropping him is radical, but I really think Ross Lyon would do it as he did Milne and Dal Santo one year at the Saints. 

    Otherwise I think Fritsch should be constantly encouraged by whichever methods Goodwin, Stafford, Choco and co have to become a more rounded player. He was late to the AFL system and is only 26, there's no reason why he shouldn't be still improving. And to be fair to him I think he has made some ground this year. Disposals and tackles are both marginally up, goal assists are improving. I just think he can be so much more than what he already is which is clearly a very good player.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    7 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

    Dropping him is radical, but I really think Ross Lyon would do it as he did Milne and Dal Santo one year at the Saints. 

    Otherwise I think Fritsch should be constantly encouraged by whichever methods Goodwin, Stafford, Choco and co have to become a more rounded player. He was late to the AFL system and is only 26, there's no reason why he shouldn't be still improving. And to be fair to him I think he has made some ground this year. Disposals and tackles are both marginally up, goal assists are improving. I just think he can be so much more than what he already is which is clearly a very good player.

    Ross Lyon is who we are taking advice from now? 

    Fritta is not getting dropped ffs. 

    • Like 7
    • Thanks 1

    If we didn’t drop Fritsch in the last few years with his tepid defensive efforts we certainly aren’t going to do it now he is in our top 10 players. 

    I think he has been a lot better in that regard FWIW.

    • Like 5
    17 hours ago, leave it to deever said:

    I don't think it is and I don't think the rules have changed. If you feign a handball it should still be ok and not play on. 

    One thing that irked me was twice I think the umps seem to force us to take the advantage which wasn't there.

    I heard an interview with Ray Chamberlain the other day where he explained this rule.

    It should be play on as soon as a step is taken that isn’t forward or backwards on the line of the mark (i.e. a side step).

    So shaping to handpass isn’t play on if the feet don’t go to the side.

    The change this year is no 50 metre penalty for failing to stand if the man on the mark is momentarily fooled and moves a little due to the feigning actions of the player with the ball.

    I also noticed the umpires deciding there was advantage when the Melbourne players clearly didn’t want it due to being hemmed in on the boundary with no open forward options. In some other sports the umpire or referee can wait for a few seconds to see if there actually was an advantage, and if not then blow the whistle and pay the prior penalty.

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 4

    The thing with Fritsch is he’s actually a really good tackler, has really good technique. However his ability to chase, harass, bump and apply said tackle is still poor. It’s why you can’t have a 70% BBB and he in the same forward line. It’s why JVR, despite his low numbers is a better option. Still time…..

    • Like 3
    8 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

    Dropping him is radical, but I really think Ross Lyon would do it as he did Milne and Dal Santo one year at the Saints. 

    Otherwise I think Fritsch should be constantly encouraged by whichever methods Goodwin, Stafford, Choco and co have to become a more rounded player. He was late to the AFL system and is only 26, there's no reason why he shouldn't be still improving. And to be fair to him I think he has made some ground this year. Disposals and tackles are both marginally up, goal assists are improving. I just think he can be so much more than what he already is which is clearly a very good player.

    Yeah but would Clarko have dropped Gunston for Billy Hartung to add some forward pressure?

    10 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

    The thing with Fritsch is he’s actually a really good tackler, has really good technique. However his ability to chase, harass, bump and apply said tackle is still poor. It’s why you can’t have a 70% BBB and he in the same forward line. It’s why JVR, despite his low numbers is a better option. Still time…..

    The JVR incident is actually the perfect example of why he's there. It's otherwise a routine defensive mark for the opposition and here comes the kid out of no-where making something happen out of nothing. It's been so good to have. 

    • Like 3
    • Love 2
    15 hours ago, Roost it far said:

    I’d love them to play Spargo on the wing for a few weeks and see if he can’t run all day. His kicking is excellent 

    Does he have a long enough dump kick though? 

     

    I feel like people are very quick to turn on Hunter. Hs having a good season, with aspects of his game to work on like the majority of the 22. 

    • Like 7
    34 minutes ago, DemonWA said:

    Does he have a long enough dump kick though? 

     

    I feel like people are very quick to turn on Hunter. Hs having a good season, with aspects of his game to work on like the majority of the 22. 

    Yeah little surprised with the Hunter bashing at the moment. 

    • Like 8

    In - BBB, Hibberd

    Out - JVR, Turner

    Thought Turner settled well after a shaky start and was a bit stiff to be subbed. However I assume he was warming the seat for Hibberd.

    Spargo would have to be extremely close but you couldn't drop Chandler off one quiet game.

    Maybe JJ goes out for Spargo, with the former being on the edge of selection all year.

    Glad we have Hawthorn this week rather than Port (which will be a early-mid season litmus test/audit for us). The weekend was a taxing game and 4 interstate trips in 8 weeks is a lot for a VIC side. Compare that to St Kilda who have travelled just once, and that one game was at a neutral venue against Collingwood.

     

    • Like 2
    3 hours ago, drysdale demon said:

    He may have been swimming around in his Dad's sack then but.

    He was 5 months old at the start of the 2000 season.

    1 hour ago, layzie said:

    Yeah little surprised with the Hunter bashing at the moment. 

    Me too, there's a small article in the paper about how much his run is contributing to our winning last quarters - he may not have pace but he has great endurance and doesn't stop running

    • Like 10
     
    10 minutes ago, sisso said:

    Me too, there's a small article in the paper about how much his run is contributing to our winning last quarters - he may not have pace but he has great endurance and doesn't stop running

    And his kicking is top notch. Was at the game Saturday and thought he played OK. His pass in front of us to JVR was perfect only for JVR to spill the chess mark. Thought Hunter was better than Langers and IMV will stay in the side. 

    • Like 8

    IN:  Brown, Spargo

    OUT:  Turner, JVR

    Petty back and we play a smaller more dynamic forward line

    Edited by Orion


    Guest
    This topic is now closed to further replies.
    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.

      • 4 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.

      • 280 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). 

      • 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.

      • 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?

      • 294 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/

      • 33 replies
      Demonland
    View All