Jump to content

Featured Replies

Darcy Parish with better work rate and non dodgy hamstrings is a ten time all Australian

 
On 05/11/2024 at 18:33, adonski said:

Full season highlights of the Jaguar:

 

This is impressive...

2 hours ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

Now that it seems Smith is fairly likely for us at Pick 5, it's been interesting to return to this thread. A really interesting, robust debate. 

I have zero experience watching junior football (I watched Jed Adams' highlights after we drafted him and thought we were getting Peter Knights). I also don't rate myself a good analyst of football, so this is all probably nonsense. 

I definitely see what DeeSpencer worries about. The term "nothing handball" is blunt and seems harsh, and yet it often seems to apply in the highlights I've seen. For me, a top five who's going to handball more than he kicks has to be crisp and decisive with this skill; they need to put teammates into space or at least make the game easier for them. I see a fair bit of slamming the footy into a teammate's midriff for the sake of not getting caught. 

What excites me is his centre bounce stuff. It seems like there's a creativity, dynamism and instinctive understanding of where the ball's going that could pretty quickly alleviate some of our clearance woes. One thing I feel has killed us for a long time is opponents winning multiple centre bounce clearances in a row - often very damaging ones. Smith seems like the sort of player who could give us a different set of skills and big advantage in this part of the ground (with luck, before Max retires). 

He seems to have a real desire to be part of strings of possession, which I like, although I'm not sure I've seen much to suggest we want him hitting the final kick.  

Parish comparisons worry me. I also see a bit of Scully, although it sounds like he's a much more... ahem.. mature person. I see the Neale likeness, as well, and I distinctly remember his disposal being questioned for years before he became a champion. Not sure if he improved it significantly or just learned to play (brilliantly) within his limitations. 

What I'd love to see some of is even a hint of Zach Merrett, because good disposal is so important in modern football. But I can't.

I trust Taylor, and I love the fact that so many far better observers than me think this bloke is an out-and-out gun, so I'll stay optimistic when pessimism seems a natural default after the last three seasons. 

A floor of Parish and a ceiling of Merrett is a good pick-up. We don't have anyone like that.

 
21 minutes ago, old55 said:

A floor of Parish and a ceiling of Merrett is a good pick-up. We don't have anyone like that.

Windsor will be like that. 

2 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

Windsor will be like that. 

No his pace makes him different.


3 hours ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

Parish comparisons worry me.

Darcy Parish, as a junior and as a senior, was a much more straightforward player than Smith. Darish was tough and skilled, but played the game very conventionally as a drop-of-the-ball midfielder. He ran hard and got rid of the ball quickly and effectively by hand when he was under pressure. Just a solid style of midfielder played at a very high level. He played old-fashioned 'man's man' football. And that's what you see at AFL level too, without the extra space that allows him to regularly use his clever kicking. Smith is a different style of player, in that he's a slippery, elusive player who moves around congestion unconventionally, which buys him a lot of time. For a player of that size, being able to avoid the power game whilst still winning contests is a real strength. Parish is a very good player but he doesn't have a natural evasive game so needs to dispose of the ball before the big players batter him, limiting his damage. He also doesn't have any support from bigger midfielders at Essendon. For all that, he's been a consistently excellent inside player and it's been his outside game that hasn't translated as well at AFL as you'd have expected. 

I'm not saying that he's a better or worse player than Parish, they're just a bit more different than they initially appear. 

Sorry to have to say it , but he does move a lot like that #^&!&* Daicos, the better one! take him in a heartbeat!

3 minutes ago, Axis of Bob said:

Darcy Parish, as a junior and as a senior, was a much more straightforward player than Smith. Darish was tough and skilled, but played the game very conventionally as a drop-of-the-ball midfielder. He ran hard and got rid of the ball quickly and effectively by hand when he was under pressure. Just a solid style of midfielder played at a very high level. He played old-fashioned 'man's man' football. And that's what you see at AFL level too, without the extra space that allows him to regularly use his clever kicking. Smith is a different style of player, in that he's a slippery, elusive player who moves around congestion unconventionally, which buys him a lot of time. For a player of that size, being able to avoid the power game whilst still winning contests is a real strength. Parish is a very good player but he doesn't have a natural evasive game so needs to dispose of the ball before the big players batter him, limiting his damage. He also doesn't have any support from bigger midfielders at Essendon. For all that, he's been a consistently excellent inside player and it's been his outside game that hasn't translated as well at AFL as you'd have expected. 

I'm not saying that he's a better or worse player than Parish, they're just a bit more different than they initially appear. 

I see a bit of Marc Murphy in the highlights of Smith. 

 

Going to Adelaide at pick 4 is my mail😵😵‍💫🤮

14 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Going to Adelaide at pick 4 is my mail😵😵‍💫🤮

Knock us down with a feather PF !!!

17 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Going to Adelaide at pick 4 is my mail😵😵‍💫🤮

Goodbye Jagga, we hardly knew ye 

George C Scott America GIF by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

18 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Going to Adelaide at pick 4 is my mail😵😵‍💫🤮

Smith to Adelaide at #4, Langford to Melbourne at Pick 5. Lock it in. 


22 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Going to Adelaide at pick 4 is my mail😵😵‍💫🤮

Are Adelaide drafting like they've got Draper in the bag come 25/26 off season? Got a bit of Zak Butters / Horne-Francis about it,

1 hour ago, BLWNBA said:

Smith to Adelaide at #4, Langford to Melbourne at Pick 5. Lock it in. 

Is that Intel or just your own personal opinion mate?

3 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Is that Intel or just your own personal opinion mate?

Think he reacted to Picket saying Smith to Crows at 4, possibly because Draper gone, which would suggest we then take Langford.


2 hours ago, picket fence said:

Going to Adelaide at pick 4 is my mail😵😵‍💫🤮

Is your mail Bigfooty? 

13 hours ago, PaulRB said:

This is impressive...

Moves similarly to Daicos. Bit of Butters. He’s a playmaker. Would be wrapped

9 hours ago, Mouseymoo said:

Is your mail Bigfooty? 

No!

 
On 15/11/2024 at 20:52, dazzledavey36 said:

Is that Intel or just your own personal opinion mate?

Apologies for the delay mate, been seemingly getting busier and busier over the past few weeks. 

Personal opinion based on a few things I've heard. Similar to @picket fence I've also heard that Melbourne are under the belief that Smith will now go at four, no reason to doubt it - but when you're dealing with so many variables and relying on precursor picks it can be hard to reliably judge. I'll be keen to see what Cal Twomey has in his Phantom Draft. 

On 15/11/2024 at 19:49, BLWNBA said:

Smith to Adelaide at #4, Langford to Melbourne at Pick 5. Lock it in. 

I think you will find the Blues will pull the trigger on Smith.  


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

  • 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.

    • 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? 

      • Haha
    • 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?

      • Clap
      • Like
    • 185 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/

      • Sad
    • 47 replies
  • POSTGAME: St. Kilda

    After kicking the first goal of the match the Demons were always playing catch up against the Saints in Alice Spring and could never make the most of their inside 50 entries to wrestle back the lead.

      • Clap
      • Like
    • 330 replies
  • VOTES: St. Kilda

    Max Gawn still has a massive lead in the Demonland Player of the Year award as Christian Petracca, Jake Bowey, Clayton Oliver & Kozzy Pickett round out the Top 5. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1

      • Like
    • 31 replies