Jump to content

Featured Replies

Things I am desperate to see:

  1. A win
  2. No injuries

Things I want to see but will forego if I get the above:

  1. Better accuracy
  2. More fluent ball movement
  3. A lesser forward half press with defenders sitting further back
  4. A reduction in our desire to have repeat stoppages in the forward 50
  5. Pickett and Brown to look a million bucks
 

I missed the boat in the pregame thread to respond to @A F, so I'll respond here.

Quote

Well, we went to the pockets against Geelong too, but more often than not, we seemed to go to the 25m hot spot.

I'd love it if someone was actually able to back that up statistically. Is this data something you have access to @WheeloRatings?

Yes, this is something I have access to. I have looked at the locations of the result of kicks inside 50 and categorised them according to distance (0-20m, 20-35m, 35m+) and corridor v pocket. To determine the corridor, I extend the centre square to the 50m arc and then draw a line from that point to the goal posts.

Melbourne has gone to the 'hot spot' (20-35m out in the corridor) about 26% each of the time the last three matches, up from 20% for the season. We are far more likely to go to the hot spot in the third quarter.

The last table below shows that you are more likely to turn the ball over kicking to 20+ metres out in the corridor than  kicking to the pocket, which is something that @binman has spoken about quite a bit.

Location of Kicks Inside 50, Melbourne 2023, by Round

Round Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 9.4 22.6 5.7 3.8 28.3 30.2
2 15.9 18.2 15.9 6.8 18.2 25.0
3 6.0 28.0 8.0 4.0 28.0 26.0
4 19.6 25.5 9.8 3.9 23.5 17.6
5 5.0 17.5 30.0 2.5 22.5 22.5
6 8.5 14.9 14.9 6.4 23.4 31.9
7 17.6 9.8 21.6 3.9 21.6 25.5
8 8.3 33.3 18.8 4.2 6.2 29.2
9 21.4 12.5 19.6 3.6 17.9 25.0
10 7.1 19.0 31.0 0.0 14.3 28.6
11 12.5 18.8 22.9 4.2 22.9 18.8
12 5.7 7.5 13.2 7.5 32.1 34.0
13 13.2 26.4 17.0 0.0 17.0 26.4
15 15.2 26.1 13.0 4.3 10.9 30.4
16 9.7 25.8 14.5 3.2 21.0 25.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, Melbourne 2023, by Quarter

Period Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 11.6 15.1 13.4 4.7 24.4 30.8
2 9.3 19.8 16.3 3.5 19.8 31.4
3 12.4 27.8 18.0 2.6 19.1 20.1
4 13.6 18.4 18.4 4.9 19.9 24.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, 2023, by Team

Team Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
St Kilda 8.0 27.8 19.4 2.0 19.8 23.0
Essendon 10.7 26.5 19.1 4.0 18.5 21.1
Greater Western Sydney 10.6 24.4 21.2 3.9 18.1 21.8
North Melbourne 7.5 24.0 25.1 4.4 18.9 20.1
Gold Coast 11.2 23.9 18.8 4.4 20.0 21.7
Port Adelaide 9.0 23.4 23.7 3.6 17.4 22.8
Sydney 11.7 23.3 23.3 4.6 15.4 21.6
Fremantle 7.0 22.5 22.3 4.1 22.3 21.7
Hawthorn 9.3 22.0 21.7 4.3 21.2 21.5
Collingwood 12.5 21.2 17.7 5.5 16.5 26.6
Western Bulldogs 9.9 20.6 13.8 5.7 23.3 26.8
Adelaide 9.6 20.5 20.7 3.4 18.6 27.2
Melbourne 11.8 20.4 16.7 3.9 20.7 26.5
Geelong 7.4 20.2 19.9 4.0 21.0 27.4
Carlton 9.3 19.9 16.6 5.4 20.5 28.2
Richmond 9.4 19.7 18.6 5.6 22.9 23.8
Brisbane 9.8 18.4 15.2 6.6 23.6 26.4
West Coast 8.0 17.4 19.0 5.2 24.7 25.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, 2021-2023, by Chain Result

Result Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
Score 51.7 33.9 33.2 44.7 29.3 30.0
Stoppage 11.6 12.5 9.6 24.3 25.2 19.9
Turnover 36.7 53.5 57.2 31.0 45.5 50.1

 

6 hours ago, buck_nekkid said:

WIll be interesting to see our f50 set up.  Petty can swing there.  jack or Trac could also set up there.  Woey to play high half forward and to act as second winger. Think we are a 25% better talent pool than them, especially with their outs.  Need to smash them early and ensure both teams get the script.  Proper kicking - 35 point win,  Shizen kicking - 4 point win.

Can't afford JV off the ball with Oliver out and Trac can't kick goals. Not sure we can cover Petty moving fwd although we certainly need another tall there. 

 
6 minutes ago, WheeloRatings said:

I missed the boat in the pregame thread to respond to @A F, so I'll respond here.

Yes, this is something I have access to. I have looked at the locations of the result of kicks inside 50 and categorised them according to distance (0-20m, 20-35m, 35m+) and corridor v pocket. To determine the corridor, I extend the centre square to the 50m arc and then draw a line from that point to the goal posts.

Melbourne has gone to the 'hot spot' (20-35m out in the corridor) about 26% each of the time the last three matches, up from 20% for the season. We are far more likely to go to the hot spot in the third quarter.

The last table below shows that you are more likely to turn the ball over kicking to 20+ metres out in the corridor than  kicking to the pocket, which is something that @binman has spoken about quite a bit.

Location of Kicks Inside 50, Melbourne 2023, by Round

Round Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 9.4 22.6 5.7 3.8 28.3 30.2
2 15.9 18.2 15.9 6.8 18.2 25.0
3 6.0 28.0 8.0 4.0 28.0 26.0
4 19.6 25.5 9.8 3.9 23.5 17.6
5 5.0 17.5 30.0 2.5 22.5 22.5
6 8.5 14.9 14.9 6.4 23.4 31.9
7 17.6 9.8 21.6 3.9 21.6 25.5
8 8.3 33.3 18.8 4.2 6.2 29.2
9 21.4 12.5 19.6 3.6 17.9 25.0
10 7.1 19.0 31.0 0.0 14.3 28.6
11 12.5 18.8 22.9 4.2 22.9 18.8
12 5.7 7.5 13.2 7.5 32.1 34.0
13 13.2 26.4 17.0 0.0 17.0 26.4
15 15.2 26.1 13.0 4.3 10.9 30.4
16 9.7 25.8 14.5 3.2 21.0 25.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, Melbourne 2023, by Quarter

Period Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 11.6 15.1 13.4 4.7 24.4 30.8
2 9.3 19.8 16.3 3.5 19.8 31.4
3 12.4 27.8 18.0 2.6 19.1 20.1
4 13.6 18.4 18.4 4.9 19.9 24.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, 2023, by Team

Team Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
St Kilda 8.0 27.8 19.4 2.0 19.8 23.0
Essendon 10.7 26.5 19.1 4.0 18.5 21.1
Greater Western Sydney 10.6 24.4 21.2 3.9 18.1 21.8
North Melbourne 7.5 24.0 25.1 4.4 18.9 20.1
Gold Coast 11.2 23.9 18.8 4.4 20.0 21.7
Port Adelaide 9.0 23.4 23.7 3.6 17.4 22.8
Sydney 11.7 23.3 23.3 4.6 15.4 21.6
Fremantle 7.0 22.5 22.3 4.1 22.3 21.7
Hawthorn 9.3 22.0 21.7 4.3 21.2 21.5
Collingwood 12.5 21.2 17.7 5.5 16.5 26.6
Western Bulldogs 9.9 20.6 13.8 5.7 23.3 26.8
Adelaide 9.6 20.5 20.7 3.4 18.6 27.2
Melbourne 11.8 20.4 16.7 3.9 20.7 26.5
Geelong 7.4 20.2 19.9 4.0 21.0 27.4
Carlton 9.3 19.9 16.6 5.4 20.5 28.2
Richmond 9.4 19.7 18.6 5.6 22.9 23.8
Brisbane 9.8 18.4 15.2 6.6 23.6 26.4
West Coast 8.0 17.4 19.0 5.2 24.7 25.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, 2021-2023, by Chain Result

Result Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
Score 51.7 33.9 33.2 44.7 29.3 30.0
Stoppage 11.6 12.5 9.6 24.3 25.2 19.9
Turnover 36.7 53.5 57.2 31.0 45.5 50.1

 

How much more likely though to kick a sausage from the corridor as opposed the pockets.

It's not, imo, about having the ball, its being productive with it.

Grand effort on your stuff . Cheers 

 

We'll win, but it won't cure the MFCSS pandemic in here. You must all be fun at parties.


2 minutes ago, Clintosaurus said:

You must all be fun at parties.

Jokes on you Clint.

I haven’t been invited to a party in years.

7 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

How much more likely though to kick a sausage from the corridor as opposed the pockets.

It's not, imo, about having the ball, its being productive with it.

Grand effort on your stuff . Cheers 

 

Yes, that is true! I'd need to look at chains following a stoppage to see the eventual outcome, but yes, you are more likely to score a goal from a shot in the corridor compared to the pocket:

Result Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
Goal 79.8 58.3 48.2 53.8 42.3 36.6
Behind 14.6 29.3 37.0 31.9 39.5 39.6
No Score 5.6 12.4 14.8 14.3 18.2 23.7
9 minutes ago, WheeloRatings said:

I missed the boat in the pregame thread to respond to @A F, so I'll respond here.

Yes, this is something I have access to. I have looked at the locations of the result of kicks inside 50 and categorised them according to distance (0-20m, 20-35m, 35m+) and corridor v pocket. To determine the corridor, I extend the centre square to the 50m arc and then draw a line from that point to the goal posts.

Melbourne has gone to the 'hot spot' (20-35m out in the corridor) about 26% each of the time the last three matches, up from 20% for the season. We are far more likely to go to the hot spot in the third quarter.

The last table below shows that you are more likely to turn the ball over kicking to 20+ metres out in the corridor than  kicking to the pocket, which is something that @binman has spoken about quite a bit.

Location of Kicks Inside 50, Melbourne 2023, by Round

Round Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 9.4 22.6 5.7 3.8 28.3 30.2
2 15.9 18.2 15.9 6.8 18.2 25.0
3 6.0 28.0 8.0 4.0 28.0 26.0
4 19.6 25.5 9.8 3.9 23.5 17.6
5 5.0 17.5 30.0 2.5 22.5 22.5
6 8.5 14.9 14.9 6.4 23.4 31.9
7 17.6 9.8 21.6 3.9 21.6 25.5
8 8.3 33.3 18.8 4.2 6.2 29.2
9 21.4 12.5 19.6 3.6 17.9 25.0
10 7.1 19.0 31.0 0.0 14.3 28.6
11 12.5 18.8 22.9 4.2 22.9 18.8
12 5.7 7.5 13.2 7.5 32.1 34.0
13 13.2 26.4 17.0 0.0 17.0 26.4
15 15.2 26.1 13.0 4.3 10.9 30.4
16 9.7 25.8 14.5 3.2 21.0 25.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, Melbourne 2023, by Quarter

Period Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 11.6 15.1 13.4 4.7 24.4 30.8
2 9.3 19.8 16.3 3.5 19.8 31.4
3 12.4 27.8 18.0 2.6 19.1 20.1
4 13.6 18.4 18.4 4.9 19.9 24.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, 2023, by Team

Team Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
St Kilda 8.0 27.8 19.4 2.0 19.8 23.0
Essendon 10.7 26.5 19.1 4.0 18.5 21.1
Greater Western Sydney 10.6 24.4 21.2 3.9 18.1 21.8
North Melbourne 7.5 24.0 25.1 4.4 18.9 20.1
Gold Coast 11.2 23.9 18.8 4.4 20.0 21.7
Port Adelaide 9.0 23.4 23.7 3.6 17.4 22.8
Sydney 11.7 23.3 23.3 4.6 15.4 21.6
Fremantle 7.0 22.5 22.3 4.1 22.3 21.7
Hawthorn 9.3 22.0 21.7 4.3 21.2 21.5
Collingwood 12.5 21.2 17.7 5.5 16.5 26.6
Western Bulldogs 9.9 20.6 13.8 5.7 23.3 26.8
Adelaide 9.6 20.5 20.7 3.4 18.6 27.2
Melbourne 11.8 20.4 16.7 3.9 20.7 26.5
Geelong 7.4 20.2 19.9 4.0 21.0 27.4
Carlton 9.3 19.9 16.6 5.4 20.5 28.2
Richmond 9.4 19.7 18.6 5.6 22.9 23.8
Brisbane 9.8 18.4 15.2 6.6 23.6 26.4
West Coast 8.0 17.4 19.0 5.2 24.7 25.8

Location of Kicks Inside 50, 2021-2023, by Chain Result

Result Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
Score 51.7 33.9 33.2 44.7 29.3 30.0
Stoppage 11.6 12.5 9.6 24.3 25.2 19.9
Turnover 36.7 53.5 57.2 31.0 45.5 50.1

 

Fascinating data wheello.

Contradicts somewhat the idea that out inaccuracy is caused by our entries ie that we are having heaps of difficult shots becuase we have been kicking to the pockets more

An interesting stat from the last 4 games is the percentage of shots from the pocket but from 35 meters plus. It is those shots that are the most likely to miss the shots.

There has been a slight increase it seems from our season average of such shots in the last 4 games.

I think in part that could be explained by tow interacted elements:

  • we are not moving the ball at speed and so are not creating free players inside 50 
  • our territory and inside 50 dominance means the ball is trapped in our front half a lot, which creates a super congested forward area 9and few free players to spot up) and shots from near the 50 metre arc from intercepts marks from dump clearing kicks from oppo defenders 

When we start moving the  ball quicker i expect there will be less kicks from the pockets and 35 plus metres out.

On the data for the last four rounds, it is important to consider how wet it was in the cats and giants games. 

 
20 minutes ago, Clintosaurus said:

We'll win, but it won't cure the MFCSS pandemic in here. You must all be fun at parties.

I’m awesome at parties

Dees by 42

10 minutes ago, binman said:

Fascinating data wheello.

Contradicts somewhat the idea that out inaccuracy is caused by our entries ie that we are having heaps of difficult shots becuase we have been kicking to the pockets more

An interesting stat from the last 4 games is the percentage of shots from the pocket but from 35 meters plus. It is those shots that are the most likely to miss the shots.

There has been a slight increase it seems from our season average of such shots in the last 4 games.

I think in part that could be explained by tow interacted elements:

  • we are not moving the ball at speed and so are not creating free players inside 50 
  • our territory and inside 50 dominance means the ball is trapped in our front half a lot, which creates a super congested forward area 9and few free players to spot up) and shots from near the 50 metre arc from intercepts marks from dump clearing kicks from oppo defenders 

When we start moving the  ball quicker i expect there will be less kicks from the pockets and 35 plus metres out.

On the data for the last four rounds, it is important to consider how wet it was in the cats and giants games. 

Rubbish...  it simply predicts two things really..  you may retain the ball more in a pocket...and youre far more likely to score in the corridor. 

Pleased dont offef up the falacy that greater retention = scoring.

This is the greatest furphy of all...

Its about efficiency and accuracy.

You may not have ir as much where youd like it...but youll score higher.

Stangely the game is about the latter not the former. 

The best teams over history are the ones that dont stuff around.


19 minutes ago, Clintosaurus said:

We'll win, but it won't cure the MFCSS pandemic in here. You must all be fun at parties.

I'm interstate, don't own a television so I rely on the GameDay threads to see how the matches go and I swear I'm back in the Neeld era every week.

11 minutes ago, binman said:

Fascinating data wheello.

Contradicts somewhat the idea that out inaccuracy is caused by our entries ie that we are having heaps of difficult shots becuase we have been kicking to the pockets more

An interesting stat from the last 4 games is the percentage of shots from the pocket but from 35 meters plus. It is those shots that are the most likely to miss the shots.

There has been a slight increase it seems from our season average of such shots in the last 4 games.

I think in part that could be explained by tow interacted elements:

  • we are not moving the ball at speed and so are not creating free players inside 50 
  • our territory and inside 50 dominance means the ball is trapped in our front half a lot, which creates a super congested forward area 9and few free players to spot up) and shots from near the 50 metre arc from intercepts marks from dump clearing kicks from oppo defenders 

When we start moving the  ball quicker i expect there will be less kicks from the pockets and 35 plus metres out.

On the data for the last four rounds, it is important to consider how wet it was in the cats and giants games. 

Sorry I should clarify that those figures relate to where we're kicking to when we're going inside 50, but not necessarily resulting in a shot at goal.

Here are the locations of our shots at goal by round.

Shots at goal location, Melbourne 2023, by Round

Round Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 16.7 10.0 20.0 10.0 20.0 23.3
2 28.6 4.8 14.3 0.0 9.5 42.9
3 3.0 30.3 18.2 6.1 9.1 33.3
4 12.5 21.9 25.0 6.2 12.5 21.9
5 4.0 8.0 28.0 4.0 12.0 44.0
6 11.5 19.2 15.4 0.0 7.7 46.2
7 13.3 13.3 23.3 6.7 16.7 26.7
8 7.7 15.4 34.6 3.8 15.4 23.1
9 10.3 24.1 27.6 0.0 10.3 27.6
10 13.0 17.4 30.4 8.7 13.0 17.4
11 0.0 11.5 42.3 7.7 15.4 23.1
12 11.1 0.0 22.2 7.4 25.9 33.3
13 3.6 7.1 32.1 7.1 7.1 42.9
15 22.7 27.3 4.5 0.0 22.7 22.7
16 7.7 15.4 26.9 7.7 26.9 15.4
2 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Rubbish...  it simply predicts two things really..  you may retain the ball more in a pocket...and youre far more likely to score in the corridor. 

Pleased dont offef up the falacy that greater retention = scoring.

This is the greatest furphy of all...

Its about efficiency and accuracy.

You may not have ir as much where youd like it...but youll score higher.

Stangely the game is about the latter not the former. 

The best teams over history are the ones that dont stuff around.

What the hell is this?

Are you responding to the right post?

Or have you really misinterpreted and/or misrepresented what i wrote so wildly?

Note: i don't really care which of the above it is, but if the latter save your legs, as i'm not going to go to the effort to explain why you have got it so wrong. 

Will we win today?

YES!

Why? Because we have to. Otherwise I will remove my TV from the wall and throw it out the window.

Bartender, pour me another drink!

SN34 

4 minutes ago, WheeloRatings said:

Sorry I should clarify that those figures relate to where we're kicking to when we're going inside 50, but not necessarily resulting in a shot at goal.

Here are the locations of our shots at goal by round.

Shots at goal location, Melbourne 2023, by Round

Round Corridor Pocket
0-20m 20-35m 35+ 0-20m 20-35m 35+
1 16.7 10.0 20.0 10.0 20.0 23.3
2 28.6 4.8 14.3 0.0 9.5 42.9
3 3.0 30.3 18.2 6.1 9.1 33.3
4 12.5 21.9 25.0 6.2 12.5 21.9
5 4.0 8.0 28.0 4.0 12.0 44.0
6 11.5 19.2 15.4 0.0 7.7 46.2
7 13.3 13.3 23.3 6.7 16.7 26.7
8 7.7 15.4 34.6 3.8 15.4 23.1
9 10.3 24.1 27.6 0.0 10.3 27.6
10 13.0 17.4 30.4 8.7 13.0 17.4
11 0.0 11.5 42.3 7.7 15.4 23.1
12 11.1 0.0 22.2 7.4 25.9 33.3
13 3.6 7.1 32.1 7.1 7.1 42.9
15 22.7 27.3 4.5 0.0 22.7 22.7
16 7.7 15.4 26.9 7.7 26.9 15.4

Ta.

Doesn't change the analysis that there is only slight increase in the percentage of shots from the pockets in the last 4 games over our season average, and that therefore our inaccuracy in the last few weeks can't be explained by us taking a lot more difficult shots. 

In fact, the the cats game we had the second highest percentage of shots from dead in front 20-35 meters of any game his season (only behind the 30.3% of shots from from the corridor 20-35 meters in our mauling of the Swans in round 3)


3 hours ago, binman said:

All top deck usually. Or at least top deck behind each goal.

Each goal we get I will be singing loud and strong

Ticket question - I just tried to purchase 2 member upgrade tickets then and nothing seems available.  I imagine my daughter and I should be able to show our home & away membership at the gate and sit in general admission.  Surely it is not a sell out?  

2 minutes ago, Newport34 said:

Will we win today?

YES!

Why? Because we have to. Otherwise I will remove my TV from the wall and throw it out the window.

Bartender, pour me another drink!

SN34 

Pace yourself newie

I’m going tonight, rarely go to Marvel because it’s a siht hole plain and simple. However the viewing from level 2 is exceptional and a friend got the tickets. People who think we’ll lose simply looking at the last 2 weeks might want to take a peek at our oppositions last 2 matches. The Saints are truly ordinary. We on the other hand are more than handy. Really looking forward to tonight. 
Go Dee’s, unleash hell upon the Saints.

Most important game of the season to date IMO - we really need a win here otherwise too 4 looks extremely unlikely 


28 minutes ago, binman said:

What the hell is this?

Are you responding to the right post?

Or have you really misinterpreted and/or misrepresented what i wrote so wildly?

Note: i don't really care which of the above it is, but if the latter save your legs, as i'm not going to go to the effort to explain why you have got it so wrong. 

You dont like being challenged eh.

Go back and read again. Its not that complicated though you love to make everything exactly that.

Or not.. 

 

So tonight Neal Bullen and kozzie need to lift.

Trac needs to convert those shots into goals. A player if his standard should do better.

Also excited to see what Taj can do

4 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

I got $10 tickets thru the Demon Army which is level 1 wing, for those not wanting to sit on the top level. Also good cause to support our friend @WalkingCivilWar 😉
(It’s for the seat only you still need a ticket or membership to get in)

I’m glad you got those tickets, especially through us. St Kilda is usually generous with the number of tickets they allow us but not so today for whatever reason. 🤷‍♀️ 

 

 

9 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

I’m glad you got those tickets, especially through us. St Kilda is usually generous with the number of tickets they allow us but not so today for whatever reason. 🤷‍♀️ 

I would have taken up this offer had I known! I brought a reserved seat for $60.

It’s an 8 point game as winner goes a game clear in fourth, so we need to win tonight. Saints have some bad outs so no excuses if we lose.

Looking forward to seeing young Woe and hope he shows a bit of dash and skill.


Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

Featured Content

  • NON-MFC: Round 13

    Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demons’ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

      • Thanks
    • 32 replies
  • PREVIEW: Collingwood

    Having convincingly defeated last year’s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Club’s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak. Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Let’s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the team’s neck.

      • Thanks
    • 1 reply
  • CASEY: Sydney

    The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 1 reply
  • REPORT: St. Kilda

    Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterday’s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourne’s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldn’t get any worse. Well, it did. And what’s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasn’t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. Ross Lyon’s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourne’s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourne’s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterday’s 7 goals 21 behinds. 
    This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. I’ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards? Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre? 

      • Thanks
    • 4 replies
  • PREGAME: Collingwood

    After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
    • 241 replies
  • PODCAST: St. Kilda

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs.
    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
    • 47 replies