Really happy for Clarry and Trac, however that is the last time you will see them play without at least one of them having a hard tag

There was plenty of good and plenty of indifferent against a team that is top quality that has recently had the wood on us. I don't think I am stating anything new but gathering my own thoughts.

Our 3 headed contest beast of Clarry, Trac, Viney was back and dominant. Great to see Clarry also spend some time resting forward and kick goals. That combo with Sparrow and Langdon (was good) and Pickett (when back) spinning through will provide head aches. 

Our lack of speed forwards are a real concern not just early in season without Pickett but it will hamper our ability to play him more mid. Chandler has been a ghost both matches and I was surprised we did not play Sharp more forward than mid like he did against Nth. I would be champing at the bit if I was Henderson or Spargo as there are spots for the taking. 

It was disappointing that our best performers were generally the same old names. I thought Lindsay was the pick of the new and AJ did some good work and should have kicked 3. He needs to take those chances if he wants to play. I was disappointed  Langford did not get more mid minutes as he looked lost spending so much time half forward but conscious his minutes in the heat were very managed. Adams I thought was excellent from a negating stance and would not be opposed to playing him ahead of Howes whose kicking and lack of speed concerns me. 

I think a healthy season to our midfeld bulls +Gawn/May will have us around the finals mark. How much higher we climb will be on the development of others and whether we can land the new game style and how long that takes.  

I've very little mention of Salem's game, I thought he was pretty serviceable, seem to struggle a bit at the end of quarters, but I was pretty happy with his game

Edited March 2Mar 2 by Demon_spurs

1 hour ago, Go Ds said:

What were the expected scores from yesterday?

according to demonland 35 - 0.

I've just seen the stats of Melbourne's scoring shots accuracy in recent years. Anyone like to guess what percentage accuracy Melbourne was at last year? How many teams were more than 'zero point something' more accurate than the Dees last year? How about in 2023, 2022 and our premiership year? Have things really dropped off?

Edited March 3Mar 3 by Go Ds

Let's talk about Kade Chandler.

What is the expectation of Kade week in week out this year? Is 8 possessions and a goal per week on average a decent pass mark? Is it not stats based and more off the ball focused with pressure? Or do we just accept that Chin is someone who will have his really good games but also go missing?

Keen to hear what people think, how will you be grading his performance this season?

Bowey and Billings have had their chance. Too many turnovers and not enough playing on. If you are going to hold up play when taking a mark, instead of finding an option, you cant then miss a target/goal. Too hesitant. 

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

 

 

Helps answer my question over on the 'Welcome Jonesy coach' thread.

Thanks 👍

A few blokes who we all rate were missing when it counted.

Disco and Fritsch were terrible.

Not sure why Kozzy played 1 Q, had the 9 touches.

Billings looks a million dollars but is very ordinary by foot. 

Petty was missed, May and Lever had to play a different role and it hurt us. 

Mids were great and looking forward to a massive year.

Round 1 Team - (Players in bold are questionable due to injury or Pre Season form)

B - Petty, May, Bowey

HB - Windsor, Lever, Salem

C - Langdon, Viney, Rivers

HF - Sparrow, Johnson, Turner

F - Chandler, van Rooyen, Fritsch

RUCK - Gawn, Petracca, Oliver

INT - Sharp, Lindsay, Billings, Woewodin

23rd - Langford

As others have mentioned, Fremantle are a terrific clearance and contest team. So to beat them so resoundingly in clearances, contested possessions etc., was a huge positive for me. I'd have loved for us to kick 3 or 4 goals in the first quarter, because I'm sure the result would have went very differently. But given the wind and the heat, which has been persistent in Perth the last week, it's not surprising Fremantle adapted quicker. 

It appeared that the coaches tried out some very effective centre bounce plays (sort of like a corner kick set piece routine in soccer), and to my eye to seemed like they were trying not to give too much away in the third quarter once we got back to within 3 goals. That could just be wishful thinking on my part.

Went home 'early' after the last Jackson goal, and just now watched those last 4 minutes. Locked in our half, and goals peppered and often nearly salted! Confidence-maintaining. Phew!

However, Disco's locking himself into one half of the forward line: he's going to have trouble bending them around the corner from the other half!

Unless he's ambidextrous?

I also loved how our handballs changed angles a lot. Previously, our handballing angles were very predictable and allowed the opposition to close down options. However, yesterday a lot of players managed to pivot their bodies 180 degrees and play the opposite diagonal handball from where the ball came. It opened up the field on a few occasions, and we managed to run the ball up to the F50.

14 hours ago, Go Ds said:

If we kick a bit straighter we win. Every team has the occasional inaccurate day. We have been notorious for bad kicking in recent years. But if we end up top 5 or 6 most accurate team this year worries about today will look silly.

The problem is our skills coaches have not improved our kicking over the off-season. We win that game if we kick straighter. 

Question for the umps: Is a knee in the back classified as a push in the back?  Max often gets the front position, but this just allows the opposition to knee him in the back and take him out of the contest. 

3 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Can't see how that has any bearing on us!

What's more I saw little of the run and carry yesterday or in recent years.  It was Freo who put on a run and carry master class when at least 2-3 times they went from d50 to score a goal without us touching the ball or laying a tackle.

The bearing it has on us is that we're looking to move the ball faster ala hawthorn. They started last year chipping the ball around their HB line as we were doing yesterday. We're looking to move the ball faster, we're not just grabbing it and kicking it long down the line. As people like Windsor and Langdon get settled in their new roles I'm sure we won't get stuck as we did yesterday. We also need McVee back asap. I actually think we did ok yesterday. Looks like our senior players are going to drag the youngsters along.

26 minutes ago, layzie said:

Let's talk about Kade Chandler.

What is the expectation of Kade week in week out this year? Is 8 possessions and a goal per week on average a decent pass mark? Is it not stats based and more off the ball focused with pressure? Or do we just accept that Chin is someone who will have his really good games but also go missing?

Keen to hear what people think, how will you be grading his performance this season?

It’s tricky to assess because he might be forced to play deeper due to injuries/suspensions, in which case he has to get open for goal scoring chances, but of course he can’t kick it to himself.

At half forward it’s far more about being in the right spots than how many times you get the ball. No half forward in the league scores more than the damage that gets done if they aren’t getting in the right spots. Look across the league, purely attacking forward flankers don’t really exist.

Week in week out last year he’d consistently get to the right spots as an outlet and defensively to cut off counter attacks.

What I know for certain is that disposals and goals are a really poor guide for measuring that role.

But also, Kade had a shocker against Freo. If it’s fitness or a run of poor form I hope we send him back to Casey and let him get 20+ touches, kick some goals and bring him back with some belief. We’ve been too reluctant to drop good role players out of touch. Which only leads to further poor form. You need the circuit breaker some times and it’s not easy to find in Melbourne’s forward line.

I've sooked about our inability to win clearances for years, so I was pleased to see us comfortably beat them in that part of the game. 

But there's been a sloppiness about our team for a long time and based on what I saw yesterday, a significantly different way of moving the ball hasn't magically fixed that problem.

I assume that part of the reason you go for a game plan that involves more chipping around, switching play across half back and linking with handball is that it lets you find angles and opportunities forward of the ball not available to you when you go long down the line. But the number of times a medium or long kick forward went to a contest or outnumber was shocking. Surely the whole point of this new style is that you're always lowering your eyes - it's much less about gaining territory and forcing a stoppage and much more about finding a target and either carefully moving through the opposition defensive system or, ideally, moving it so quickly, the system has no time to solidify. But we keep hoofing it. Or just hitting garbage passes to blokes on a long lead.

I don't get it.

15 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

The bearing it has on us is that we're looking to move the ball faster ala hawthorn. They started last year chipping the ball around their HB line as we were doing yesterday. We're looking to move the ball faster, we're not just grabbing it and kicking it long down the line. As people like Windsor and Langdon get settled in their new roles I'm sure we won't get stuck as we did yesterday. We also need McVee back asap. I actually think we did ok yesterday. Looks like our senior players are going to drag the youngsters along.

I understand what we are trying to do.

That Hawks succeeded with that tactic does not mean we will and rise up the ladder on the back of it which was the implication of your original, unedited post. 

We will rise up the ladder but it will be easier if we make the d50 switching and changing angles more effective.

14 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

We are disgusting the spoon for us I don't care if it was a practice match. We are done for the season I hate this club they do it to me all the time.

 

14 hours ago, pitmaster said:

This one is going in the time capsule.

Not before throwing a bit of punctuation into it though. 😅

Overall, I was happy with our performance. Playing over in WA at a country oval against a pretty good side and only just losing is a plus in my view. The young fellas got to experience a trip with the team and will be better for the run.

Only concern is we need a more even performance from our 3–5-year players to help out Trac, Clarrie, Gawn and JV. They just can't do it all on their own. Also kick straighter would help but all the stats show we will be up there this season.

13 hours ago, picket fence said:

Sorry Daz beg to disagree..not a forwards bootlace, has zero forward craft, battler at best,give me Jeffo's nous and much better separation and potentiality! Good trier but thats it!!

Feels a bit like deck chairs on the titanic with out tall fwds if you take jvr out of the equation, none of the others seem capable of playing like a tall fwd and bringing the smalls into the game. Think it’s going to be imperative to play trac fwd more this year

Edited March 3Mar 3 by Garbo

9 hours ago, picket fence said:

Um he was named as Emergency!  Johnson is not the answer with a very limited skill set!  Also, if you want to call out intent and physicalty you should also call out Fritsch then??  Sounds like you are calling Jeffo a bust ????

Johnson in my OP has a presence. Not too bad first up.

1 hour ago, Go Ds said:

I've just seen the stats of Melbourne's scoring shots accuracy in recent years. Anyone like to guess what percentage accuracy Melbourne was at last year? How many teams were more than 'zero point something' more accurate than the Dees last year? How about in 2023, 2022 and our premiership year? Have things really dropped off?

& continue to drop.

Combination of psych / lack of skill.

Kicking ourselves out of big matches / finals in big moments, against big teams imo, has stayed with this team & it continues to manifest in the back of their minds.

Atm, kozzy is the only one in the forward line thats bankable for a goal, such is the confidence in the young man - & thats open play or set shot.

Fritsch is pissing me off & it’s only march 3.

4 hours ago, Roger Mellie said:

Windsor is still some way off learning to defend.

I still don't see Howes as a defender.

Adams did some nice things and made some errors.

Bowey had a stinker (defensively and offensively) - I hope he was just blowing the cobwebs out.

I hope Petty's ok as we could have swung him forward today. He looked a bit sore last week so hopefully just rested.

Not a good game from Chandler.

Quiet games from Langford, Sharp with Lindsay improving as the game went on.

A good game from Max but beaten up.

I like Sparrow as a defensive forward early in the game.

Happy with Billings around the ground game - he's upped the pressure and intent. I'd be singing his praises if he'd kicked even a couple of  goals. A classic 'between the ears' goal (point) kicker.

Welcome back Clarry and Trac!

Might as well bring up Max's over attention now, at this ,the start of the season. Jackson a perpetrator and a couple of big noters from Freo's forward line.

1 hour ago, Go Ds said:

I've just seen the stats of Melbourne's scoring shots accuracy in recent years. Anyone like to guess what percentage accuracy Melbourne was at last year? How many teams were more than 'zero point something' more accurate than the Dees last year? How about in 2023, 2022 and our premiership year? Have things really dropped off?

The problem is who is taking the shots at goal, to often we rely on non fwds to kick goals which is always a toss up, the more accurate teams get more from there fwd line. Look at yesterday 12 behinds came from non fwds 7 came from fwds (only 4 if you don’t count Langdon and sparrow) 

Edited March 3Mar 3 by Garbo