Jump to content

PREGAME: Rd 15 vs Geelong

Demonland
Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

  On 15/06/2023 at 04:39, GOLORDIE said:

Hi Andy, I apologise, but 50 years of journalism has made me something of a pedant. There is no such road as the Princess Freeway. The road between Melbourne and Geelong (indeed, between Sydney and Adelaide, of which Melbourne to Geelong is but a portion) was, when the various existing roads were linked up in 1920, originally named the Prince's Highway in honor of the visit of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII the Abdicator). Subsequently the name was bastardised by the bureaucracy (NSW 1993, Vic 2010) to the Princes Highway (as if there were more than one prince involved) and, more recently, following upgrades, the Princes Freeway. Not a girlie in sight, I'm afraid. I see this as another slight on the important but humble apostrophe, which is succumbing to the old Death by 1000 Cuts. Hardly anyone knows how to use the apostrophe these days, which can't help when people are trying to make themselves understood in posts on Demonland. Wouldn't you agree?  GoDees!  

A paragraph can be helpful as well.

    • Haha 7
     

    @binman did you get on the Dees yesterday at $2.10? We’re now favourites at $1.85 to cats at $2.00 after the Dangerfield injury and their overall performance against Port. 

    Edited by Stu

    • Like 1
     
      On 16/06/2023 at 05:36, Jjrogan said:

    Geelong field arguably the worst midfield in the league. I don't see why this should be close other than they get to play with 4 extra players.  We'd have to be pretty horrendous at both ends of the ground to lose next week. 

    Our last 10 games are 2 interstate top 8 teams at home, Saints, and 7 bottom 10 teams.  Pretty hard not to be thinking about September. 

     

     

    The reality is that, too many times, we have gone down to Geelong (whether it be favourites or underdogs) and copped some awful floggings and awful umpiring decisions.

    And I'm deeply, deeply scarred.

    • Like 4

    I'm really looking forward to selection for the cats.

    They have followed through on the preseason talk of being more flexible in terms of how they manage players (though goody will never being too many in  unlike say bevo - values predictability too highly for that) -

    Flexible both in terms of player management (eg hibbo, salo coming straight back in) and on field strategies like time on the ground and rolling more players through the middle.

    Is this a target game? If so, they pick their best 23.

    But if not, maybe they manage some players.

    So maybe give jvr a spell? Easy to forget he is only nineteen.

    Or maybe even give Maxy a chance to have a good break, and give brodie a solid run in the ruck in the process, perhaps wth smith giving him a chop out.

    Petty was listed as a week on Monday - will they bring him in for the cats game? Or wait till the giants game, which would give him another full 9 day break?

    Could chin do with a spell? Kozzie?

    Spargo looks to be paddling a hit.  Maybe Laurie can come in for him.

    Or they find a way to give Howes or woey a run?

    They'll go with the analytics and their their elite coaching skills and knowledge.

    I'll go with the vibe and suggest some new faces and some different roles will create a buzz and some energy in what could otherwise be a cold mid winter slog on the worst ground in footy.

    And will increase our chances of winning.

    Nek minit; no changes.

    Edited by binman

    • Like 4
    • Haha 3

      On 16/06/2023 at 06:23, Pennant St Dee said:

    Hope it ends like Corey Enright 300th, if I recall correctly that was the game where Big Gawny announced himself 

    Night game. Fireworks before the game (literally, not metaphorically) to celebrate Corey. It felt like arrogance, and as one of the 280* Melbourne supporters there, was very very very pleased with the result. Bernie Vince was [censored] immense.

    • Like 3

    Plus the CHATANOOGA CHOO CHOO....

    IS BAAAAAAAAACk🤩

    • Like 5
    • Love 1
      On 16/06/2023 at 05:36, Jjrogan said:

    Geelong field arguably the worst midfield in the league. I don't see why this should be close other than they get to play with 4 extra players.  We'd have to be pretty horrendous at both ends of the ground to lose next week. 

    Our last 10 games are 2 interstate top 8 teams at home, Saints, and 7 bottom 10 teams.  Pretty hard not to be thinking about September. 

     

     

    I've been thinking about september since last september

    • Like 2
     
      On 16/06/2023 at 10:31, picket fence said:

    Plus the CHATANOOGA CHOO CHOO....

    IS BAAAAAAAAACk🤩

    From comments I've seen from Oliver, I wouldn't be so sure yet. He was in hospital for 5 days or so and said himself that he's coming from a long way back fitness-wise. Fingers crossed of course, though even if he plays, not sure we're going to see explosive Clarry in full flight.


      On 16/06/2023 at 14:12, bing181 said:

    From comments I've seen from Oliver, I wouldn't be so sure yet. He was in hospital for 5 days or so and said himself that he's coming from a long way back fitness-wise. Fingers crossed of course, though even if he plays, not sure we're going to see explosive Clarry in full flight.

    The amount of high intensity running he did on the ground post game that i witnessed, he must have been close to playing on Monday. I was amazed how well he was travelling.

    I’d put good money on him playing given the ten days between games. 
    Bloke even admitted to slipping out of the hospital for a run against doctors orders while cooped up in hospital. Wouldn’t be surprised if he ran 10km bare assed in a hospital gown while pulling a drip stand with him. 

    • Like 8
    • Haha 10
      On 13/06/2023 at 06:20, Red and Bluebeard said:

    True. The problem for me is that this stinks of being a "conditional" home ground for Geelong. Either it is their home, or it isn't. The long-term trend since the 90s seems to be consolidate at the big grounds (allowing generally more attendance). So this exception makes no sense to me (but there are plenty of other things in that category).

    If you think about it Geelong wanting to play at Geelong and not consolidate in the city makes sense. It also reasonable for the AFL to be ok with that. I hate Geelong just as much as the rest of us but they struck a lucky card with the Geography and the cess pit political pull they have.

      On 16/06/2023 at 14:28, Beetle said:

    Bloke even admitted to slipping out of the hospital for a run against doctors orders

    "Clayton Oliver comes clean after 'slipping out' of hospital despite suffering a foot infection... but Melbourne superstar insists he did NOT go for a run"

    'Definitely didn't go for a run, I couldn't run, I just wanted to get a change of clothes.'

    "With the majority of his teammates enjoying a well-earned break after the win over Collingwood, Oliver was on the track on Thursday completing a 45-minute running session. “I thought I was pretty close (to playing last week), but going off today’s training session I was nowhere near it so probably good decision by the docs,” Oliver told 7NEWS.

    “A week in hospital is no good and (I) wasn’t too flash today. “I didn’t realise how bad I actually was, foot feels fine, just a bit unfit.”"

    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1
      On 16/06/2023 at 05:16, jnrmac said:

    Maybe we have Grundy down one wing and Max down the other on kick ins...?

     

    Last year they had guys like Blix jump into Max and smash the ball fwd 10-15m. Our smalls were at Max's feet so the Cats swept it away fairly easily

    If that was he case then it was appalling coaching once again

    Like Sydney didn't do last night we must kick goals when we have the opportunity and against ort and collingwood

     

      On 16/06/2023 at 14:28, Beetle said:

    Wouldn’t be surprised if he ran 10km bare assed in a hospital gown while pulling a drip stand with him. 

    I did that once. 

    Well, turns our I was dreaming and just fell out of my hospital bed.

    • Like 1
    • Haha 4

    Clarrie sneaking out for a durry

      On 16/06/2023 at 02:36, Mel Bourne said:

    It seems I’m one of the few people here that doesn’t mind Dangerfield. Hope he recovers well. 

    He saved 2 people from drowning in Torquay a couple of summers ago. I can’t rag on him since then (he does love himself though)

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
    • Love 1

    No chance Oliver doesn’t play. Knowing how professional and dedicated and slightly unhinged he is, he is probably running 20km a day in the break. He will be fine. The man is a machine. 

    • Haha 1
      On 16/06/2023 at 23:19, Jaded No More said:

    slightly unhinged he is

    Got some tasty anecdotes to share to get us through to next game day??😍

      On 16/06/2023 at 23:19, Jaded No More said:

    No chance Oliver doesn’t play. Knowing how professional and dedicated and slightly unhinged he is, he is probably running 20km a day in the break. He will be fine. The man is a machine. 

    Machines don’t get infected blisters, Jaded. Machines don’t go THE HOSPITAL

    No, we learnt a truth that we should have been protected from…

    Clayton Oliver is…

    A HUMAN.


     

    • Like 1
    • Haha 3
    • Shocked 2

      On 16/06/2023 at 05:07, Jaded No More said:

    Agreed. Dangerfield is so important to them. Is Guthrie excepted to miss again next week? That also helps. 

    If May shuts down Cameron and without Dangerfield we should win. 

    May usually gets Hawkins.

    • Like 1
      On 16/06/2023 at 02:49, The heart beats true said:

    Dangerfield cops a lot for being a flopper and acting like he’s been mortally wounded, but to play out the game with a punctured lung would have been incredibly painful. He’s obviously tougher than he gets credit for.

    Cant forgive him for the game in Adelaide in 2011 when Trengove tackled him and he squealed like a stuck pig. Said he was concussed. Trengove got 3 weeks for a perfect tackle.

    Danger came back the next week and kicked 6 goals.

     

    Have hated him ever since.

    • Like 6
    • Angry 2
      On 16/06/2023 at 01:23, DeeSpencer said:

    Port used Bergman on Cameron, an inspired choice. Matching his speed is probably more important than his height.

    We’ve got some tricky choices down back:

    Tomlinson - Hawkins
    May - Cameron
    Hibbo - Rohan
    Lever - Henry/intercepting and not get turned around by crafty smalls?

    Or do we go:

    May - Hawkins
    Hibbo/Rivers - Cameron/Rohan
    Tomlinson - Henry
    Lever - smalls

    The Cats showed in the first quarter their crumbers are deadly and Rohan is super dangerous if he gets one on ones out of stoppages.

    The midfield and forwards have to get pressure or we’ll be in trouble with a bigger slower backline.

    Which means we also have to move the ball well enough to get in position to pressure. You can’t pressure bad turnovers, especially with the way the Cats go in to their uncontested kicking game.

    Port are so good at switching and using the corridor and it opened the cats backline right up. We don’t have the same run and skills so we’ll have to muscle them at the contest and make smart decisions under pressure. Would be nice to have peak Clarry, I’m worried he’ll be rusty and wasteful. 

    Petty has kept him quiet before. So without Petty its probably Thommo

    • Like 1
     
      On 16/06/2023 at 16:44, Wizard of Koz said:

    If you think about it Geelong wanting to play at Geelong and not consolidate in the city makes sense. It also reasonable for the AFL to be ok with that. I hate Geelong just as much as the rest of us but they struck a lucky card with the Geography and the cess pit political pull they have.

    I have no problem with Geelong playing all home games, without exception, in Geelong. The problem comes when they want to move home games to Melbourne to maximise crowds. That is a bit like Gold Coast moving big-crowd games to the Gabba. It seems Geelong can have their cake and eat it too in this sense.

    • Like 1
    • Angry 1

    FWIW, IF we were to win our next three games (cats, giants, saints) we'd be on par with where we were at the same stage last year, but without being banged up (hopefully). It's been mentioned earlier in this thread that six of our final nine games are against sides currently sitting 12,13,14,15,16,17 on the ladder. 

    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1

    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.

        • Thanks
        • 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
      • 478 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
      • 123 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