Similar thread to last year, try keep the doom and gloom to the sad threads!

2023 didn't play out how we would have liked but there have been some positives to build on for 2024 - to list a few. 

Rivers had a tremendous year after a bit of an inconsistent 2022. What the future holds for him positionally will be an interesting one.

Some people were critical of the Petty forward experiment and questioned whether it would work. Despite his wretched run of injuries, i think we can all agree the experiment works! Unfortunate to go off injured in games against the Hawks/North when performing well but that 6.0 performance against Richmond was a clinic. Hopefully he can get his foot right for 2024. 

Speaking of forwards, we finally saw van Rooyen and whilst still a little hot and cold a good development year for him. Plenty to learn and build on, hopefully another AFL pre-season in him has him firing in 2024. 

Finally speaking of Pre-Seasons, the work McVee must have put in last pre-season. He took a lot of us by surprise, there were calls for him to be rested, but he kept his spot in the team and didn't miss a game.  Got that rising star nomination for a period of good work. Hoping for an even bigger and brighter 2024.

Petracca a solid chance at the Brownlow.

That win against Brisbane was one of the most enjoyable Melbourne wins I've seen in person. 

And if we look broader picture, signed some key  contract extensions (May, Pickett, Lever) and got hit that 70,000 membership mark.

Edited September 16, 20231 yr by roy11
Maybe I’m still drunk cos I wrote 2024 Positives

JVR, McVee, we blooded a Woey, Laurie got a couple of games. Petty can play forward.

The Ruinator.

Wont post my photo because it always get taken down but you can have this instead. 

3 hours ago, manny100 said:

JVR, McVee, we blooded a Woey, Laurie got a couple of games. Petty can play forward.

Exactly this. Also Rivers went up a notch at times.

 

Top 4 for the 3rd year in a row. Im not sure I ever believed I’d see a Dee team do this. 

Emergence and continued development of the younger brigade. Hopefully sets us up for longer term success, or at least being competitive.

right now?

zero

i might be able to handle this thread in November 

Games into kids such as JVR, McVee, Woewodin and Laurie. 

Thats it.

29 minutes ago, Wells 11 said:

Top 4 for the 3rd year in a row. Im not sure I ever believed I’d see a Dee team do this. 

Top 4 at the end of the H&A… just saying…

If port lose tonight we actually finished 6th…

I'm still amazed that we have seventy thousand members.  It's a great achievement.  Let's keep it going. 

1 minute ago, rpfc said:

If port lose tonight we actually finished 6th…

Slightly better draft picks.  That's a positive!

Like a few - this is tough to do Saturday after the Friday night but there are always plenty when you win 16 regular season games. 

Rivers has taken a leap.

Sparrow has continued his linear development.

McVee and JVR are in their second year of footy and are best 18 players. Not only is that healthy for the future, it’s actually needed from a salary cap POV. 

Contest winning team - never out of games and always a chance. How great is it that we never get blown out - no team is safe against us (hence the choking references)

Last quarter dominance - fitness is back to where it was in 2021 and we were running over the top of the ground at the end of games.

Petracca is a beast that will make me rethink my ‘Oliver is the best player I have seen’ belief. He should just do what he wants during games - like Kate Hore - just go anywhere and do whatever but you have to be in the 50 for at least 40 minutes a game.

7 minutes ago, greenwaves said:

Slightly better draft picks.  That's a positive!

The positive is that we are not cellar dwellers. I remember when we only dreamt of making the 8. 
It’s never as good or as bad as it seems. 

8 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

The positive is that we are not cellar dwellers. I remember when we only dreamt of making the 8. 
It’s never as good or as bad as it seems. 

Yes, I much prefer to being this type of ‘embarrassment of a club’…

Although I do hope those opposition supporters realise that when they call us chokers they are conceding we are better than them.

Hopefully we assume our rightful place above them soon enough…

2 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Games into kids such as JVR, McVee, Woewodin and Laurie. 

Thats it.

Mate, I get it, it's disappointing, but we have an elite player who is in the conversation for the competition's best player and is a genuine chance to win the Brownlow, we had a third straight H&A season with 16+ wins and a top 4 ladder finish, we got to watch us play two finals in front of 90,000+ fans, we hopefully found a new forward in Petty, we saw Joel Smith get his body right and finally get a prolonged crack at AFL level, we saw Melksham rejuvenate his career, we saw Viney put together probably his best season of his career, and we saw Rivers take major steps towards becoming an A-grader.

One of the reasons you're so upset with the finals loss is because of all these other positives. If we didn't have the other positives, we wouldn't have been playing last night and/or it wouldn't hurt.

4 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

Mate, I get it, it's disappointing, but we have an elite player who is in the conversation for the competition's best player and is a genuine chance to win the Brownlow, we had a third straight H&A season with 16+ wins and a top 4 ladder finish, we got to watch us play two finals in front of 90,000+ fans, we hopefully found a new forward in Petty, we saw Joel Smith get his body right and finally get a prolonged crack at AFL level, we saw Melksham rejuvenate his career, we saw Viney put together probably his best season of his career, and we saw Rivers take major steps towards becoming an A-grader.

One of the reasons you're so upset with the finals loss is because of all these other positives. If we didn't have the other positives, we wouldn't have been playing last night and/or it wouldn't hurt.

It's still raw to me. I'll add more when the dust settles.

I really enjoyed watching the kids have a crack this year considering we barely saw any last year.

He’s not the full package yet but Pickett fought through awful form issues mid year to play 2 good and almost great finals. Small forwards rarely produce in big finals.

May rebounded from a stinking first month to play very well towards the end of the year. Lever played on a man when required, which he’ll likely have to going forward.

Hunter actually produced an ok and good final after spudding it up most of the year, he might even go up a level if we add more run around him. 

Tracc got through some of his goal kicking problems and nearly dragged us over the Pies by himself.

Chandler is at least useful.

Viney was huge until the last month or so unfortunately. 

There’s some positives 

Mcvee and JVR.

Positives 

1- biggest improver - Judd Mcvee. Mcvee : Definitely have found a very good player.  Special mentions to JVR as a key forward and Trent Rivers who developed into defender and attacking running player  

2- Harry Petty. Back … and now a potential key forward. 

3- Trac (All Australian)

4- Maxy showed he’s still the number 1 ruck if you have faith in him 

5- 70,000 members 

6- Best win. Vs  Lions. 4 goals in last 9 minutes. 
7- 16 wins. 6 losses. 
8- heart and effort , contested footy. 
 

Disappointments 

1- finals exit in two heartbreaking losses 

2- the goalkicking and attacking strategy (forward 50) got worse as the year progressed 

3- loss by less than a goal v port, blues and giants when we dominated 

4- Grundy experiment failed and then was quickly expelled from the team 

5- injuries: Clarry injury drama and 7 weeks out. Petty season ending. Melksham season ending. 

6- Worst loss. Finals x2 and vs Bombers 

7- Gus getting knocked out by Maynard. Careless. Head high. Severe. Yet tribunal manufactured a release for Maynard. Disgraceful.  

Tough day in the office on Friday but life goes on.

Other positives

• We get to see Carlton pumped in a prelim (fingers crossed)
• We get to see the orange team (our new second team) pump the pies (fingers crossed). How much joy will we derive if that bubble gets burst. If there is a God, he/she will make it happen.
• With Port losing last night we moved up another spot in the draft order
• I saved myself the price of a plane ticket and overnight stay in Brisbane

And it’s a beautiful day in Melbourne. Is it just me or did that seem like a long winter.

Go Dees

Yeah i can upgrade my xbox one to a series X now i wont have to pay for flights to Brisbane so i guess thats a positive 

 McVee!!!!  He seems to just float over the field.  Such composure and natural talent.  Love him.

The joy on the face of  Woewodin and his family when he kicked his first goal.  

Joel Smith's performance in Friday nights game and Shaun in the stands loving it.

 Our women's team have come out firing in their first 3 games.  Get behind them!  

Edited September 17, 20231 yr by Deebymistake

Don't have to sit though Kiss on GF day. 

15 hours ago, greenwaves said:

Slightly better draft picks.  That's a positive!

The last time we had 2 picks inside 15, we took Kozzie and Jackson which helped win us a flag.  Let’s do it again.  The players will be burning in 2024, bring it on!