Jump to content

Featured Replies

 

i'm not convinced he's ever going to be anything other than serviceable 

he doesn't impact enough for a second string mid and he doesn't run hard enough as a fwd / mid to replace the likes of anb

we really need him to step up

Stagnated more than a pond full of mosquitos 

Young high-level draftees will quickly push him out of his HF role if he doesn't crack in next year 

 
25 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

i'm not convinced he's ever going to be anything other than serviceable 

he doesn't impact enough for a second string mid and he doesn't run hard enough as a fwd / mid to replace the likes of anb

we really need him to step up

Agree, has improved since 2021. I really thought after that finals series he would really kick on. Unfortunately if anything he’s gone backwards. 
Hopefully being dropped at the end of the season and some new mids coming in via the draft might give him the motivation to kick in a little bit. 
Might pay to ten down a bit as he doesn’t really used his size. 
 

He's going to have to carve out a role for himself now that other mids are pushing for his midfield rotations (River, Koz, Windsor and the top 10 mid(s) we draft).

Could be as a tagger who can follow a star mid around all day. Will have to continue to build his fitness and size, not to mention getting a bit more nasty perhaps to get under the oppo's skin and really own the role.

We saw with a lot of hard work and dedication what happened with Nibbler in his early 20's when he had to change his primary position from midfielder to high HF. I don't see why at 24 yrs why Sparrow can't do the same. He doesn't have Nibblers attributes but if he can get really fit and just bring consistent intensity I think he can play a role in our best 22.


one of the biggeet/strangest letdowns of 2024 (playing-wise).. he's always liked a goal, which might save him, but didn't even get many of those this year. seems a good young fella, but if it doesn't work out for him in 2025, i'd trade him back to SA.

 

Don’t disagree with any of the above, however Tom Sparrow May have been stifled in the role that he played, I want to see him play with some freedom ala 2021 where he played with confidence freedom and link player. Come on Spaz let’s see your best football in 2025 and beyond.

 
4 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

Don’t disagree with any of the above, however Tom Sparrow May have been stifled in the role that he played, I want to see him play with some freedom ala 2021 where he played with confidence freedom and link player. Come on Spaz let’s see your best football in 2025 and beyond.

Yes we don't know his instructions, work-rate still there though

Times Featuring in Top Five Players for Total Distance in 2024
Ed Langdon 21 times
Alex Neal-Bullen 13 times
Tom McDonald 12 times
Tom Sparrow 4 times
Adam Tomlinson 2 times

Matches Featuring in Top Five Defensive Work Rate

Alex Neal-Bullen 16 times
Tom Sparrow 12 times
Ed Langdon 10 times
Kade Chandler 7 times
Koltyn Tholstrup 5 times

Matches Featuring in Top Five Offensive Work Rate

Tom Sparrow 9 times
Ed Langdon 7 times
Alex Neal-Bullen 7 times
Kade Chandler 6 times
Koltyn Tholstrup 4 times

Source: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1686412/gps-numbers-revealed-fittest-and-fastest-demons

Edited by roy11
added source

Thanks Roy11 , those stats are surprising, indicates that he is super fit so another big preseason should put him in contention for a bigger role next year.


42 minutes ago, roy11 said:

Yes we don't know his instructions, work-rate still there though

Times Featuring in Top Five Players for Total Distance in 2024
Ed Langdon 21 times
Alex Neal-Bullen 13 times
Tom McDonald 12 times
Tom Sparrow 4 times
Adam Tomlinson 2 times

Matches Featuring in Top Five Defensive Work Rate

Alex Neal-Bullen 16 times
Tom Sparrow 12 times
Ed Langdon 10 times
Kade Chandler 7 times
Koltyn Tholstrup 5 times

Matches Featuring in Top Five Offensive Work Rate

Tom Sparrow 9 times
Ed Langdon 7 times
Alex Neal-Bullen 7 times
Kade Chandler 6 times
Koltyn Tholstrup 4 times

Source: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1686412/gps-numbers-revealed-fittest-and-fastest-demons

Interesting.  Work rate seems to be there, but impact less so, or less obvious.  He's got a great kick on him and a tough/strong body and mindset, so I see heaps of potential upside to Tommy, just needs something to click for him to go to that next level.  Maybe Chunk can help him?

As an asides how impressive is it for a player of Tommy Mac's size and age to be still right up there for distance covered.  He was always the top distance athlete, but to keep kicking on at his age and with some of the injuries he's had is amazing.  Nothing but respect for T Mac.

Edited by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Been disappointing for me. I was really excited by him at the end of '21 but he hasn't progressed at all since then. I struggle to really see what his role is at the moment.

It's all very well to point at his workrate but getting 15 disposals (with the occasional goal thrown in) nearly every week is simply not enough for someone who spends as much time in the midfield as he does.

I would give him a more attacking role next year, he can kick long goals. 
Will be very interesting to see how the new midfield coaches use him. I still believe Tom can get a lot better, he is still young…


Needs a new challenge

He can’t just be the defensive running guy

Tagger?

He can kick a long goal, patches fwd?

Seems unable to take that next step to impact games and become more consistent, disappointing because he has some great attributes. 

2 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Trade at the end of next year please.

What do you think we'd realistically get for him Daz? Don't think he has much currency at all tbh.

If he's going to improve he needs to slim down shape wise he is not a quick player but needs to find some pace other wise he might struggle to stay in the side in the next year or so.

23 hours ago, roy11 said:

Yes we don't know his instructions, work-rate still there though

Times Featuring in Top Five Players for Total Distance in 2024
Ed Langdon 21 times
Alex Neal-Bullen 13 times
Tom McDonald 12 times
Tom Sparrow 4 times
Adam Tomlinson 2 times

Matches Featuring in Top Five Defensive Work Rate

Alex Neal-Bullen 16 times
Tom Sparrow 12 times
Ed Langdon 10 times
Kade Chandler 7 times
Koltyn Tholstrup 5 times

Matches Featuring in Top Five Offensive Work Rate

Tom Sparrow 9 times
Ed Langdon 7 times
Alex Neal-Bullen 7 times
Kade Chandler 6 times
Koltyn Tholstrup 4 times

Source: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1686412/gps-numbers-revealed-fittest-and-fastest-demons

Interesting set of data for someone who seems to get regularly talked down.  
He did show what he could do offensively in the 2021 but maybe his role has changed and he is being given different challenges.  
I have faith where others don’t. 


My ultra-amateurish take is that sideways movement is a big problem for Sparrow. With the ball he seems to get caught a lot. Without it, he seems to let opponents get around him too easily. 

I have hope if he can improve this. 

17 hours ago, Little Richard said:

What do you think we'd realistically get for him Daz? Don't think he has much currency at all tbh.

i'd say a mid-late second round, high third round pick

same 'value' as anb, jj

Edited by whatwhat say what

 
8 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

i'd say a mid-late second round, high third round pick

same 'value' as anb, jj

That would be very optimistic in my opinion.

Tom's 5 minutes patch in the 2021 GF was great but before and after that moment he's done bugger all

Gotten as many games as he has given our ordinary midfield depth combined with Goodwin's strange affection for him

Likely to be delisted at the end of his contract if we draft a couple of decent midfielders over the next 12 months


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

  • PREVIEW: Fremantle

    A month is a long time in AFL football. The proof of this is in the current state of the two teams contesting against each other early this Saturday afternoon at the MCG. It’s hard to fathom that when Melbourne and Fremantle kicked off the 2025 season, the former looked like being a major player in this year’s competition after it came close to beating one of the favourites in the GWS Giants while the latter was smashed by Geelong to the tune of 78 points and looked like rubbish. Fast forward to today and the Demons are low on confidence and appear panic stricken as their winless streak heads towards an even half dozen and pressure mounts on the coach and team leadership.  Meanwhile, the Dockers have recovered their composure and now sit in the top eight. They are definitely on the up and up and look most likely winners this weekend against a team which they have recently dominated and which struggles to find enough passages to the goals to trouble the scorers. And with that, Fremantle will head to the MCG, feeling very good about itself after demolishing Richmond in the Barossa Valley with Josh Treacy coming off a six goal haul and facing up to a Melbourne defence already without Jake Lever and a shaky Steven May needing to pass a fitness test just to make it onto the field of play. 

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 06

    The Easter Round kicks off in style with a Thursday night showdown between Brisbane and Collingwood, as both sides look to solidify their spots inside the Top 4 early in the season. Good Friday brings a double-header, with Carlton out to claim consecutive wins when they face the struggling Kangaroos, while later that night the Eagles host the Bombers in Perth, still chasing their first victory of the year. Saturday features another marquee clash as the resurgent Crows look to rebound from back-to-back losses against a formidable GWS outfit. That evening, all eyes will be on Marvel Stadium where Damien Hardwick returns to face his old side—the Tigers—coaching the Suns at a ground he's never hidden his disdain for. Sunday offers two crucial contests where the prize is keeping touch with the Top 8. First, Sydney and Port Adelaide go head-to-head, followed by a fierce battle between the Bulldogs and the Saints. Then, Easter Monday delivers the traditional clash between two bitter rivals, both desperate for a win to stay in touch with the top end of the ladder. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

    • 87 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Essendon

    What were they thinking? I mean by “they” the coaching panel and team selectors who chose the team to play against an opponent who, like Melbourne, had made a poor start to the season and who they appeared perfectly capable of beating in what was possibly the last chance to turn the season around.It’s no secret that the Demons’ forward line is totally dysfunctional, having opened the season barely able to average sixty points per game which means there has been no semblance of any system from the team going forward into attack. Nevertheless, on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval in one of the Gather Round showcase games, Melbourne, with Max Gawn dominating the hit outs against a depleted Essendon ruck resulting from Nick Bryan’s early exit, finished just ahead in clearances won and found itself inside the 50 metre arc 51 times to 43. The end result was a final score that had the Bombers winning 15.6 (96) to 8.9 (57). On balance, one could expect this to result in a two or three goal win, but in this case, it translated into a six and a half goal defeat because they only managed to convert eight times or 11.68% of their entries. The Bombers more than doubled that. On Thursday night at the same ground, the losing team Adelaide managed to score 100 points from almost the same number of times inside 50.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Essendon

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th April @ the all new time of 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect another Demons loss at Kardinia Park to the Cats in the Round 04. 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.

    • 59 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Fremantle

    The Demons return home to the MCG in search of their first win for the 2025 Premiership season when they take on the Fremantle Dockers on Saturday afternoon. Who comes in and who goes out?

    • 384 replies
    Demonland
  • VOTES: Essendon

    Max Gawn leads the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler and Jake Bowey. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

    • 24 replies
    Demonland