Jump to content

Robbo is right on the money

picket fence
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

When he asks and posers some serious questions today in the Hun. He is right... are we contenders or pretenders. Should know later this afternoon!🤔

  • Quote
    • Like 4
    • Haha 1
     
     

    He's only posing questions most of us already have.

    The real question ought to be why we're still needing to ask.

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Apart from ‘where are the free sandwiches’, what were the questions that drove Robby to put pen to paper?

  • Quote
    • Haha 3

    20 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

    He's only posing questions most of us already have.

    The real question ought to be why we're still needing to ask.

    It's not like anything has changed. In 2021 we drew with Hawthorn late in the year, and the questions were asked about our capacity to beat a top 8 team all year. 

    It's 2023. The competition is fairly even and it seems 12 teams are in it with maybe 1 or 2 standouts currently. The weekly referendums on whether you're a Contender or Pretender are going to be asked of you all year, unless you're a dominant team. And if Collingwood go 21/2, then they're the only team that won't be asking that question. 

    Edited by John Demonic

  • Quote
    • Like 4
    • Clap 2
    3 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

    It's not like anything has changed. In 2021 we drew with Hawthorn late in the year, and the questions were asked about our capacity to beat a top 8 team all year. 

    It's 2023. The competition is fairly even and it seems 12 teams are in it with maybe 1 or 2 standouts currently. The weekly referendums on whether you're a Contender or Pretender are going to be asked of you all year, unless you're a dominant team. And if Collingwood go 21/2, then they're the only team that won't be asking that question. 

    Who asked those questions?

    Prior to the Hawthorn game we’d beaten Geelong, Port, Brisbane, GWS, Sydney, the Dogs and Essendon.

    In other words, every single other top 8 side. 

  • Quote
    • Like 7
    34 minutes ago, BDA said:

    If Robbo is right we're asking the wrong question

    Correct. All our questions should be designed for Robbo to be wrong.

  • Quote
    •  

    As much as I’d love a win today, and it’s a crucial game, it still won’t prove conclusively if we’re a contender.

    We have to beat one of Collingwood or Geelong IMO. Lose both and we’re just making up the numbers.

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    3 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

    It's not like anything has changed. In 2021 we drew with Hawthorn late in the year, and the questions were asked about our capacity to beat a top 8 team all year.

    It's 2023. The competition is fairly even and it seems 12 teams are in it with maybe 1 or 2 standouts. The weekly referendums on whether you're a Contender or Pretender are going to be asked you all year, unless you're a dominant team. And if Collingwood go 21/2, then they're the only team that won't be asking that question.

    Spot on JD, as supporters we tend to underrate the competition and then are disappointed if we don't win every game. We look at teams that are performing better and ask why that's not use given the talent we have, despite not considering the opposition talent and that every team is working on its system and exploiting ither teams systems and vulnerabilities.

    Personally I'm pretty comfortable with where we sit given the improvements we have made in how we convert in our F50 while our defence remains solid. I'm also comfortable that we are being beaten in clearance and contested ball as these are areas we can tidy up. Overall I think we're in a good position to challenge again this year.

  • Quote
    • Like 4

    2 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    As much as I’d love a win today, and it’s a crucial game, it still won’t prove conclusively if we’re a contender.

    We have to beat one of Collingwood or Geelong IMO. Lose both and we’re just making up the numbers.

    Why Geelong and not the Brisbane return game?

    Geelong’s 5-5, playing iffy footy, and we get the luxury of playing them in Geelong. 

    Brisbane is IMO clearly the next best side after Collingwood (if not better) and that game will be at the G.

  • Quote
    • Like 5

    The questions are fair enough, unfortunately this season is starting to take on the stench of 2022

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    Just now, titan_uranus said:

    Why Geelong and not the Brisbane return game?

    Geelong’s 5-5, playing iffy footy, and we get the luxury of playing them in Geelong. 

    Brisbane is IMO clearly the next best side after Collingwood (if not better) and that game will be at the G.

    Only because the Collingwood and Geelong games come before the Brisbane game. If we lose both of them, what kind of realistic chance would we be of beating Brisbane?

    But yes, at the moment Brisbane would be more of scalp than Geelong.

    I still have faith in Geelong making top 4 and have them going 16-7 as they start getting all their players back.

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    19 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    As much as I’d love a win today, and it’s a crucial game, it still won’t prove conclusively if we’re a contender.

    We have to beat one of Collingwood or Geelong IMO. Lose both and we’re just making up the numbers.

    Yeah we have a bit to make up after the let down of last week. 

  • Quote
    Just now, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    Only because the Collingwood and Geelong games come before the Brisbane game. If we lose both of them, what kind of realistic chance would we be of beating Brisbane?

    But yes, at the moment Brisbane would be more of scalp than Geelong.

    I still have faith in Geelong making top 4 and have them going 16-7 as they start getting all their players back.

     

    But what if we do? If we go 1-2 in those games by beating Brisbane, will that help you believe in us? 

  • Quote

    17 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

    Why Geelong and not the Brisbane return game?

    Geelong’s 5-5, playing iffy footy, and we get the luxury of playing them in Geelong. 

    Brisbane is IMO clearly the next best side after Collingwood (if not better) and that game will be at the G.

    And just to bring out the trite line that doesn't get used here enough:

    "Let's hope we can get a big crowd at the G for that game!"

  • Quote

    13 wins 11 losses since we went 10-0 last year says we are just making up the numbers, only thing that gives me hope is this time last year geelong we’re sitting on 7 wins 4 losses and sitting 7th on the ladder, our record against top 8 sides in that period is horrible so I’m not convinced we even make the 8 right now 

  • Quote

    All fair enough.

    We are unbeaten on the mcg so I’m hoping that it’s simply a case of struggling away from our fortress…

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    It is a really sad day for all people with an IQ over 60 when someone can post a thread with the title 'Robbo is right on the money'. The guy is an absolute numbskull, mumbling and bumbling through AFL360 with Gerard holding his hand and leading out of the minefields he creates for himself with his random, and mostly completely idiotic, utterances.

    This whole contender / pretender thing is just a media construct to garner clicks and is such a facile way to look at the game. You're a contender if you are half decent and have a big and active enough following to sell clicks/papers. Hence whenever Collingwood or Richmond are even half a chance, they are contenders. For the rest of us, you have to force your way into that conversation and if you drop anything, you become a pretender so that the big club supporters can feel better about themselves.

    We are a great team, even though it sometimes seems like half our own supporters would rather tear us down than build us up. We are trying a bunch of new stuff to try and get better and we have down games and injuries sometimes. The sum of us won't be known until near the end of the season, or hopefully the last game of the year. If you want to fall back to the contender/pretender paradigm then think about this. If we aren't a contender, I don't know who is. That doesn't mean we are going to have perfect season or win the flag, but if we aren't counted with those in the running then there is something seriously wrong.

  • Quote
    • Like 8
    41 minutes ago, brendan said:

    13 wins 11 losses since we went 10-0 last year says we are just making up the numbers, only thing that gives me hope is this time last year geelong we’re sitting on 7 wins 4 losses and sitting 7th on the ladder, our record against top 8 sides in that period is horrible so I’m not convinced we even make the 8 right now 

    Imo, you should treat the two years separately.

    It's easy to lump the second half of last year with this year and extrapolate an argument, but we're different this year.  Different personnel, different rotations, tweaked game-plan, a fitter group, etc.

    I prefer to analyse 2023 in isolation.  If we win today, which I expect, 8/3 with the game's best percentage will hold us in good stead for the back half of the year.

    We haven't been perfect, but nor were Geelong in 2022.  It's easy to forget they were 5/4 after round 9.

    Today is a very important game.

  • Quote
    • Like 8

    17 minutes ago, FlashInThePan said:

    It is a really sad day for all people with an IQ over 60 when someone can post a thread with the title 'Robbo is right on the money'. The guy is an absolute numbskull, mumbling and bumbling through AFL360 with Gerard holding his hand and leading out of the minefields he creates for himself with his random, and mostly completely idiotic, utterances.

    It's even sadder that someone is ridiculed for merely agreeing with someone you'd prefer to deride.

  • Quote
    • Like 4

    I don’t know the article cos I won’t pay for their subs. 
    But I believe we need some changes to our game plan. One Is variety around clearances, less long bombs into the f50 and stronger defensive efforts when they are moving the ball from our f50 to theirs.

    Oh and not kicking to the left edge of the centre square from kick outs ever single time too. 
     

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    I'm surprised about the negativity here. We lost to Port by 4 points on their home deck despite being beaten around the ball for 3 quarters in what was an excellent game. Compare the quality of Sydney v Carlton last night to Port and us last week and we are close to the mark and tidy up a few areas and beat Collingwood and suddenly we will be talked up as the team to beat.

  • Quote
    •  
    3 hours ago, picket fence said:

    When he asks and posers some serious questions today in the Hun. He is right... are we contenders or pretenders. Should know later this afternoon!🤔

    What, so we're contenders if we beat 10th placed Freo? FMD, Picket.

  • Quote
    1 hour ago, FlashInThePan said:

    We are a great team

    We had one pretty great year.

  • Quote

    • 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...
    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.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 3 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.

        • Like
      • 276 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). 

        • Clap
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 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.

        • Clap
      • 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?

        • Thanks
      • 193 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/

        • Thanks
      • 33 replies
      Demonland
    View All