Jump to content

Featured Replies

On 20/02/2024 at 10:46, In Harmes Way said:

Injuries, form, game style in Feb/March doesn't really matter a stuff. Let's start to take notice and get worried if need be in late July.

This season I think those first few games really do matter. If we get off to a 0-3 or 0-4 start, along with all the other issues currently plaguing the club, the players' morale could be at rock bottom. And with our lack of forward depth I wouldn't want to be playing catch-up all season to reach the top four.

That's not a Doomsday prediction. The opposite is also true. A good start would do wonders to get us clear of the toxic atmosphere the media have built up around the club.

If Oliver wins the Brownlow and the Dees take the flag, nothing that happens off the field can touch us.

 

Lloyd is a dill. The fact he's "worried" about us has given me great confidence that we'll go through '24 undefeated and JVR will tear the Bummers apart on the way.

 

I think Lloyd is right in a few instances.

- have we been playing too safely? Yep, fair call. Couple of questionable calls last year and there seemed to be a reluctance to change any strategy part way through games. For example I think we all felt the frustrations at the continuous and predictable kick outs.

- have we relied too much on Gawn? No. We drafted for this need with Fullerton, and last year we drafted Grundy and mixed up our forward rucking. Sure he is aging, but unfair to say we’re relying on him when we’ve actively drafted against that.

- uncertain on how we’ll perform this year? Yep, ok I can see that. My personal view is that we will finish top 4 and win the granny, but I can see how others see our injuries (particularly forward injuries) as a continuation of last year and that it’s been a few years since our last finals win.

I wouldn’t say this is ground breaking journalism, and nothing for us to get our knickers in a knot about.

20 minutes ago, TheWiz said:

I think Lloyd is right in a few instances.

- have we been playing too safely? Yep, fair call. Couple of questionable calls last year and there seemed to be a reluctance to change any strategy part way through games. For example I think we all felt the frustrations at the continuous and predictable kick outs.

- have we relied too much on Gawn? No. We drafted for this need with Fullerton, and last year we drafted Grundy and mixed up our forward rucking. Sure he is aging, but unfair to say we’re relying on him when we’ve actively drafted against that.

- uncertain on how we’ll perform this year? Yep, ok I can see that. My personal view is that we will finish top 4 and win the granny, but I can see how others see our injuries (particularly forward injuries) as a continuation of last year and that it’s been a few years since our last finals win.

I wouldn’t say this is ground breaking journalism, and nothing for us to get our knickers in a knot about.

Whether or not we drafted to cover Gawn we still have a massive over reliance on him. The Pies beat us without Daicos. Had Gawn not played that night it might of got ugly


1 hour ago, Roost it far said:

Whether or not we drafted to cover Gawn we still have a massive over reliance on him. The Pies beat us without Daicos. Had Gawn not played that night it might of got ugly

Im struggling to understand your point. You’re saying it’s irrelevant of our drafting to cover Gawn, then you use an example where if Gawn didn’t play we would have had Grundy - which from the other rounds he covered - we would have been fine?

 
On 20/02/2024 at 20:26, fr_ap said:

... the bottom has fallen out of the list depth-wise

Dunstan, Jordon, Harmes, Grundy and Hibberd.

I respect each of those players but it is hardly the bottom falling out.

47 minutes ago, demosaw said:

Lloyd in his prime in our forward line - 🏆 

Weideman in his prime and we have a premiership! Though it was indeed a very, very brief prime.

Edited by Little Goffy


On 20/02/2024 at 13:48, DeeZee said:

The only thing that worries me , in basic terms, is that we have had a disconnect or lack of fluidity in our forward line for two seasons now , which cost us two finals series while deep in the premiership window ,and it’s yet to be seen if this issue will be resolved.

Our forward line was functioning really well in the past few rounds up until Melksham did his ACL vs Sydney. IMO losing Melksham cost us significantly during finals as he made us so dangerous forward of centre which would have made a significant difference in both finals.

18 minutes ago, chookrat said:

Our forward line was functioning really well in the past few rounds up until Melksham did his ACL vs Sydney. IMO losing Melksham cost us significantly during finals as he made us so dangerous forward of centre which would have made a significant difference in both finals.

100%.

The impact of losing melk was underrated I reckon.

On addition to his forward craft he would have negated the intercept marking of say Moore and weitering (or whichever defender he went to).

Recent off field shenanigans with more potent revelations (likely) to come, would suggest that all is not well behind the scenes and it that we do not have a strong enough culture, from end-to-end, that is essential to winning a flag let alone making it to top four.

Our window was 2021, 2022 and 2023. 

It's going to be a long cold winter, thankfully I live in the Northern Hemisphere 

 

 

Im genuinely interested to see where any and all of this situation sits after round 6.

Atm i have us finishing out of the 8.  I may reassess at that point.

Thats not being pessimistic...in fact quite the opposite.  If a wheel falls off it wont be alone.  Ive never seen us coached to success when the better cards of the deck aren't available.

As to some of the virtuous posturing of some here...  true comedy.

The problen with footy is it's invariably fluid.  Many teams will improve this season. It was fairly even last....  if we are same same...  well...just wave as others go past.

Footy 24... bring it...be at it.

Fwiw...   thought Lloydy was pretty fair in assessing us.

39 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Im genuinely interested to see where any and all of this situation sits after round 6.

 

problem is we start with sydney and both adelaide teams away, as well as brisbane. dogs and hawks are no pushovers either but we should be beating them if we are to make finals. honestly if we are 3-3 i think thatll be a pretty good start. 4-2 and ill be pumped. the fixture does get a touch easier from there in terms of travel etc but its a long way home....


I think there is a good possibility the wheels fall off this year 

Lack of F50 firepower and a lot of young blokes and injuries could mean we lose constancy.

I think you're naive in thinking all will be fine, but it will be an interesting watch how the boys respond throughout the year.

All that being said I'm looking forward to the footy this year.

Will that change in 4 weeks?

 

Just a reminder to the football world; at present we have 15 Premiership players fit and in good early season form. That's not counting Oliver or Petty, who will join soon. We also have a gun recruit ready to go on one wing, an x factor mid-forward from Adelaide, as well as Billings. We have a maturing young group; JVR, McVee, Bowey and Woewodin. This doesn't ensure four points every game, but it does mean we have a list that can beat any other AFL team when in form.

28 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

Just a reminder to the football world; at present we have 15 Premiership players fit and in good early season form. That's not counting Oliver or Petty, who will join soon. We also have a gun recruit ready to go on one wing, an x factor mid-forward from Adelaide, as well as Billings. We have a maturing young group; JVR, McVee, Bowey and Woewodin. This doesn't ensure four points every game, but it does mean we have a list that can beat any other AFL team when in form.

I agree. I think we do have the cattle. its how we use them that is significant.

Resting and loading so peak performance when required is the key.

Old bodies need recovery while young bodies need to be tuned, Im sure the coaches know know whos at what stage.

I would like to see an improvement in our forward structures however with concentration on separation and surging. It seemed to me that we often surge with brilliant passages of play but then would drop off all aspects particularly pressure on opposition. Kossie provides pressure in the forward line and I prefer him there rather than in the centre where we have plenty of options.

the coaching needs to recognise when players are "off" and needs strategies to have them refocus. The game is played in the head when physical aspects are so tightly monitored and controlled. Im hoping for an improved mental approach. 

How the players handle all the preseason distractions is a good indicator and i look forward to the real season.

I hope the players and coaches realise how much we all crave winning and how much we invest in them emotionally, and how fleeting and difficult is success. they have a great opportunity let em rip.

1 hour ago, biggestred said:

problem is we start with sydney and both adelaide teams away, as well as brisbane. dogs and hawks are no pushovers either but we should be beating them if we are to make finals. honestly if we are 3-3 i think thatll be a pretty good start. 4-2 and ill be pumped. the fixture does get a touch easier from there in terms of travel etc but its a long way home....

This is why im  interested/intrigued/concerned.   We supposedly play ok in Churchville...but...  Our seasons early fixture will hammer us if we aren't up and about.....and then it's catch up footy at best.

Our resilience has waned. If we are faring poorly after 6.....it aint getting any better imho.

I can only hope the hinted at new plan A into the 50 might work with correct and fit personnel.  If not...plan b hail Mary's....we're stuffed  :(


On 20/02/2024 at 11:02, Demonland said:

The ‘big questions’ Matthew Lloyd has about one club ahead of 2024 season

Matthew Lloyd says he’s unsure where Melbourne is at heading into the new season.

The Demons are coming off a second straight sets exit from the finals, having now lost four consecutive matches in September.

With the new campaign less than three weeks away, Lloyd says there’s “big questions” about the club’s recent game style.

“I’m not sure about Melbourne,” he told 3AW Football’s pre-season preview podcast.

“(There’s) big questions about Simon Goodwin, I think he’s played too safe.”

Thanks for your concern Matthew, but [censored] off

There is a good number of great players from 21 who will not play for us again, are injured or in doubt in some manner.

I do feel it's going to be a tough season.

 
On 20/02/2024 at 08:43, Ethan Tremblay said:

I think he made some good points and agree with most of what he said. 

Everything apart from 'they were found out in the finals'.

Our inaccurate kicking caught up with us. I don't think out game style failed us. Maybe it's semantics to some, but I think there's an argument to say we let ourselves down, more so than got found out by opposing teams in those 2 finals. 

I agree with the instability and the question mark about whether our gamestyle will hold up again. 


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...

Featured Content

  • NON-MFC: Round 11

    Round 11, the second week of The Sir Doug Nicholls Round, kicks off on Thursday night with the Cats hosting the Bulldogs at Kardinia Park. Geelong will be looking to to continue their decade long dominance over the Bulldogs, while the Dogs aim to take another big scalp as they surge up the ladder. On Friday night it's he Dreamtime at the 'G clash between Essendon and Richmond. The Bombers will want to avoid another embarrassing performance against a lowly side whilst the Tigers will be keen to avenge a disappointing loss to the Kangaroos. Saturday footy kicks off as the Blues face the Giants in a pivotal clash for both clubs. Carlton need to turn around their up and down season while GWS will be eager to bounce back and reassert themselves as a September threat. At twilight sees the Hawks taking on the Lions at the G. Hawthorn need to cement themselves in the Top 4 but they’ll need to be at their best to challenge a Brisbane side eager to respond after last week’s crushing loss to the Dees on their home turf. The first of the Saturday night double headers opens with North Melbourne up against the high-flying Magpies. The Roos will need a near-perfect performance to trouble a Collingwood side sitting atop the ladder.

      • Thanks
    • 322 replies
    Demonland
  • PREVIEW: Sydney

    The two teams competing at the MCG on Sunday afternoon have each traversed a long and arduous path since their previous encounter on a sweltering March evening in Sydney a season and a half ago. Both experienced periods of success at various times last year. The Demons ran out of steam in midseason while the Swans went on to narrowly miss the ultimate prize in the sport. Now, they find themselves outside of finals contention as the season approaches the halfway mark. The winner this week will remain in contact with the leading pack, while the loser may well find itself on a precipice, staring into the abyss. The current season has presented numerous challenges for most clubs, particularly those positioned in the middle tier. The Essendon experience in suffering a significant 91-point loss to the Bulldogs, just one week after defeating the Swans, may not be typical, but it illustrates the unpredictability of outcomes under the league’s present set up. 

      • Clap
      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 16 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Brisbane

    “Max Gawn has been the heart and soul of the Dees for years now, but this recent recovery from a terrible start has been driven by him. He was everywhere again, and with the game in the balance, he took several key marks to keep the ball in the Dees forward half.” - The Monday Knee Jerk Reaction: Round Ten Of course, it wasn’t the efforts of one man that caused this monumental upset, but rather the work of the coach and his assistants and the other 22 players who took the ground, notably the likes of Jake Melksham, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Kozzie Pickett but Max has been magnificent in taking ownership of his team and its welfare under the fire of a calamitous 0-5 start to the season. On Sunday, he provided the leadership that was needed to face up to the reigning premier and top of the ladder Brisbane Lions on their home turf and to prevail after a slow start, during which the hosts led by as much as 24 points in the second quarter. Titus O’Reily is normally comedic in his descriptions of the football but this time, he was being deadly serious. The Demons have come from a long way back and, although they still sit in the bottom third of the AFL pack, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel as they look to drive home the momentum inspired in the past four or five weeks by Max the Magnificent who was under such great pressure in those dark, early days of the season.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Southport

    The Southport Sharks came to Casey. They saw and they conquered a team with 16 AFL-listed players who, for the most part, wasted their time on the ground and failed to earn their keep. For the first half, the Sharks were kept in the game by the Demons’ poor use of the football, it’s disposal getting worse the closer the team got to its own goal and moreover, it got worse as the game progressed. Make no mistake, Casey was far and away the better team in the first half, it was winning the ruck duels through Tom Campbell’s solid performance but it was the scoreboard that told the story.

      • Thanks
    • 3 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Sydney

    Just a game and percentage outside the Top 8, the Demons return to Melbourne to face the Sydney Swans at the MCG, with a golden opportunity to build on the momentum from toppling the reigning premiers on their own turf. Who comes in, and who makes way?

      • Thanks
    • 505 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Brisbane

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 12th May @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we analyse a famous victory by the Demons over the Lions at the Gabba.
    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/

      • Clap
      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 35 replies
    Demonland