Jump to content

HALF HEARTED by Whispering Jack

Demonland
Demonland
in Match Reports

Featured Replies

Posted

Melbourne fell out of the premiership race after producing a half-hearted effort against Footscray on Friday night. The team was barely recognizable from the one that, earlier in the season, established a 6/2 win-loss ratio that included a 55-point thumping of the Bulldogs in Round 1.

It was a poor effort from a team that had its entire season on the line and the blame falls almost squarely on the midfield which has collapsed from being a peerless premiership-winning combination to the level of bumbling incompetence, this despite having a valiant leader in the form of skipper Max Gawn winning the ruck duels.

Given the Demons were playing against a team on a five day break, it was important that they came out, played competitively and remained in the game, forcing the Bulldogs to expend energy and wilt later in the game. None of that happened and, instead it was the Demons who presented as a sinking ship, tired and listless. 

From the opening bounce, it was obvious that only one of the teams had come out to play. The hungry Bulldogs relishing the occasion of returning to their Footscray roots, carved up their opponents all over the ground but it started at in the boiler room where they hunted the ball, made space, created multiple avenues to goal and used their height advantage to perfection. 

The Demons were routed at the stoppages early in the game. They conceded the first ten clearances to the Bulldogs (a fortnight ago it was the first 15 against the Dockers) and it was only the errant kicking of the Footscray forwards that prevented it from being a massacre of Alice Springs proportions. 

The team looked disorganized and inept, there was little run and spread, the use of handball was poor and too many kicks went high in the air which suited an opponent with a significant height advantage. Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney were well down on their best with neither looking fully fit. To add to the disarray, Steven May was off before the main break with a recurrence of his early season rib injury. There was no Christian Petracca to conjure up goal scoring opportunities like Marcus Bontempelli and no Kozzy Pickett magic to replicate the way Cody Weightman created chaos in their attacking zone.

Gawn stood tall as usual but the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Demons with their tall timber. His lieutenant Jacob van Rooyen continues to make inroads as does Trent Rivers while Tom Sparrow responded to his recent omission with a solid performance. 

The overreaching feeling from the game was how apparent it was that the Bulldogs are building towards a promising month or two ahead while Melbourne has lapsed and run completely out of puff at the business end.

MELBOURNE 1.1.7 5.1.31 7.3.45 9.5.59

FOOTSCRAY 4.7.31 6.13.49 11.17.83 15.20.110

GOALS 

MELBOURNE Fritsch Pickett Sparrow 2 Gawn Rivers Woewodin

FOOTSCRAY Bontempelli Naughton Treloar Ugle-Hagan Wightman 2 Darcy English Poulter Richards Williams

BEST 

MELBOURNE Gawn Bowey Rivers Sparrow Langdon van Rooyen

FOOTSCRAY Bontempelli Treloar Dale Lobb Weightman Liberatore

INJURIES

MELBOURNE Steven May (ribs)

FOOTSCRAY Tom Liberatore (right ankle)

REPORTS 

MELBOURNE Nil

FOOTSCRAY  Nil

SUBSTITUTIONS

MELBOURNE Daniel Turner (replaced Steven May at half time)

FOOTSCRAY Caleb Daniel (replaced Tom Liberatore at three-quarter time)

UMPIRES Brett Rosebury Matt Stevic Jamie Broadbent Brent Wallace 

CROWD 33,000 at Marvel Stadium 

ReportRd212024.png

    • Like 4
    • Thanks 3
     

    Truth be told we haven't been in the race for at least a month. The min Trac went down  the season followed. I'm seeing a lot of fumbling and frustration out there. Cohesion and common sense in our footy has been an infrequent visitor for some time now.

    Its not all doom and gloom . A few rays of sunshine sneak through at times. Unsure about cues and racks but I'd be ordering a handful of gurnies and getting a head start on 25.

    At best we're now tilting at windmills. Might as well give the kids a kick. What's to lose.

    Well summed up Jack 

    • Like 3
    37 minutes ago, Demonland said:

    Melbourne fell out of the premiership race after producing a half-hearted effort against Footscray on Friday night. The team was barely recognizable from the one that, earlier in the season, established a 6/2 win-loss ratio that included a 55-point thumping of the Bulldogs in Round 1.

    It was a poor effort from a team that had its entire season on the line and the blame falls almost squarely on the midfield which has collapsed from being a peerless premiership-winning combination to the level of bumbling incompetence, this despite having a valiant leader in the form of skipper Max Gawn winning the ruck duels.

    Given the Demons were playing against a team on a five day break, it was important that they came out, played competitively and remained in the game, forcing the Bulldogs to expend energy and wilt later in the game. None of that happened and, instead it was the Demons who presented as a sinking ship, tired and listless. 

    From the opening bounce, it was obvious that only one of the teams had come out to play. The hungry Bulldogs relishing the occasion of returning to their Footscray roots, carved up their opponents all over the ground but it started at in the boiler room where they hunted the ball, made space, created multiple avenues to goal and used their height advantage to perfection. 

    The Demons were routed at the stoppages early in the game. They conceded the first ten clearances to the Bulldogs (a fortnight ago it was the first 15 against the Dockers) and it was only the errant kicking of the Footscray forwards that prevented it from being a massacre of Alice Springs proportions. 

    The team looked disorganized and inept, there was little run and spread, the use of handball was poor and too many kicks went high in the air which suited an opponent with a significant height advantage. Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney were well down on their best with neither looking fully fit. To add to the disarray, Steven May was off before the main break with a recurrence of his early season rib injury. There was no Christian Petracca to conjure up goal scoring opportunities like Marcus Bontempelli and no Kozzy Pickett magic to replicate the way Cody Weightman created chaos in their attacking zone.

    Gawn stood tall as usual but the Bulldogs overwhelmed the Demons with their tall timber. His lieutenant Jacob van Rooyen continues to make inroads as does Trent Rivers while Tom Sparrow responded to his recent omission with a solid performance. 

    The overreaching feeling from the game was how apparent it was that the Bulldogs are building towards a promising month or two ahead while Melbourne has lapsed and run completely out of puff at the business end.

    MELBOURNE 1.1.7 5.1.31 7.3.45 9.5.59

    FOOTSCRAY 4.7.31 6.13.49 11.17.83 15.20.110

    GOALS 

    MELBOURNE Fritsch Pickett Sparrow 2 Gawn Rivers Woewodin

    FOOTSCRAY Bontempelli Naughton Treloar Ugle-Hagan Wightman 2 Darcy English Poulter Richards Williams

    BEST 

    MELBOURNE Gawn Bowey Rivers Sparrow Langdon van Rooyen

    FOOTSCRAY Bontempelli Treloar Dale Lobb Weightman Liberatore

    INJURIES

    MELBOURNE Steven May (ribs)

    FOOTSCRAY Tom Liberatore (right ankle)

    REPORTS 

    MELBOURNE Nil

    FOOTSCRAY  Nil

    SUBSTITUTIONS

    MELBOURNE Daniel Turner (replaced Steven May at half time)

    FOOTSCRAY Caleb Daniel (replaced Tom Liberatore at three-quarter time)

    UMPIRES Brett Rosebury Matt Stevic Jamie Broadbent Brent Wallace 

    CROWD 33,000 at Marvel Stadium 

    ReportRd212024.png

    I didn’t think we were half hearted Jack. Just outplayed . I liked the continued endeavour right till the end . You are dead right about one matter. Viney and Clayton trying so hard but just out of touch. Rivers the only decent midfielder at present  and this alone explains why we are being thrashed in the middle 

    • Thanks 1
     

    The bigger question is the trend since 2021 is going in the wrong direction. 

    Are the board to close to Goodwin to asses his performance or lack there of....the club talk about the youth but the youth are playing are as a result of the decisions the list manage/club have made over the last 3 years.  

    The easy answer is to say Injuries (Brayshaw/Trac etc) but the trend and our performances all years haven't been good enough. We play a 2021 game style in 2024 and injuries are the excuse. 

    If the dee's are ruthless and want a 2025 bounce then a fresh voice is needed, goody's time should be up! 

     

    • Clap 1

    It hurts to think we are becoming irrelevant again. Glossed over.  We had 3 years of being in the race. One premiership.  I hate that we’re not even mentioned anymore.  Hopefully this season hurts the coaches and the players and they respond. 


    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Brisbane

      And just like that, we’re Narrm again. Even though the annual AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round which commemorates the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to our game has been a welcome addition to our calendar for ten years, more lately it has been a portent of tough times ahead for we beleaguered Narrm supporters. Ever since the club broke through for its historic 2021 premiership, this has become a troubling time of the year for the club. For example, it all began when Melbourne rebranded itself as Narrm across the two rounds of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round to become the first club to adopt an Indigenous club name especially for the occasion. It won its first outing under the brand against lowly North Melbourne to go to 10 wins and no losses but not without a struggle or a major injury to  star winger Ed Langdon who broke his ribs and missed several weeks. In the following week, still as Narrm, the team’s 17 game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Dockers. That came along with more injuries, a plague that remained with them for the remainder of the season until, beset by injuries, the Dees were eliminated from the finals in straight sets. It was even worse last year, when Narrm inexplicably lowered its colours in Perth to the Waalit Marawar Eagles. Oh, the shame of it all! At least this year, if there is a corner to turn around, it has to be in the direction of something better. To that end, I produced a special pre-game chant in the local Narrm language - “nam mi:wi winnamun katjil prolin ambi ngamar thamelin amb” which roughly translated is “every heart beats true for the red and the blue.” >y belief is that if all of the Narrm faithful recite it long enough, then it might prove to be the only way to beat the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Sunday. The Lions are coming off a disappointing draw at Marvel Stadium against a North Melbourne team that lacks the ability and know how to win games (except when playing Melbourne). Brisbane are, however, a different kettle of fish at home and have very few positional weaknesses. They are a midfield powerhouse, strong in defence and have plenty of forward options, particularly their small and medium sized players, to kick a winning score this week after the sting of last week’s below par performance.

      • 4 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Hawthorn

      There was a time during the current Melbourne cycle that goes back to before the premiership when the club was the toughest to beat in the fourth quarter. The Demons were not only hard to beat at any time but it was virtually impossible to get the better them when scores were close at three quarter time. It was only three or four years ago but they were fit, strong and resilient in body and mind. Sadly, those days are over. This has been the case since the club fell off its pedestal about 12 months ago after it beat Geelong and then lost to Carlton. In both instances, Melbourne put together strong, stirring final quarters, one that resulted in victory, the other, in defeat. Since then, the drop off has been dramatic to the point where it can neither pull off victory in close matches, nor can it even go down in defeat  gallantly.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Footscray

      At twenty-four minutes into the third term of the game between the Casey Demons and Footscray VFL at Whitten Oval, the visitors were coasting. They were winning all over the ground, had the ascendancy in the ruck battles and held a 26 point lead on a day perfect for football. What could go wrong? Everything. The Bulldogs moved into overdrive in the last five minutes of the term and booted three straight goals to reduce the margin to a highly retrievable eight points at the last break. Bouyed by that effort, their confidence was on a high level during the interval and they ran all over the despondent Demons and kicked another five goals to lead by a comfortable margin of four goals deep into the final term before Paddy Cross kicked a couple of too late goals for a despondent Casey. A testament to their lack of pressure in the latter stages of the game was the fact that Footscray’s last ten scoring shots were nine goals and one rushed behind. Things might have been different for the Demons who went into the game after last week’s bye with 12 AFL listed players. Blake Howes was held over for the AFL game but two others, Jack Billings and Taj Woewodin (not officially listed as injured) were also missing and they could have been handy at the end. Another mystery of the current VFL system.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Brisbane

      The Demons head back out on the road in Round 10 when they travel to Queensland to take on the reigning Premiers and the top of the table Lions who look very formidable. Can the Dees cause a massive upset? Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Like
      • 136 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Hawthorn

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 12th May @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Demons loss to the Hawks. 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. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

      • 52 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • POSTGAME: Hawthorn

      Wayward kicking for goal, dump kicks inside 50 and some baffling umpiring all contributed to the Dees not getting out to an an early lead that may have impacted the result. At the end of the day the Demons were just not good enough and let the Hawks run away with their first win against the Demons in 7 years.

        • Clap
        • Love
        • Like
      • 376 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All