Jump to content

PREGAME: Rd 01 vs GWS

Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

1 hour ago, At the break of Gawn said:

I'm actually expecting us to win by 4-5 goals with the outs the Giants have.

They doubled the Pies score with the outs they have. And a decent chance Tom Green is back against us.

    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1
     

     We have the benefit of seeing them play, but do we have coaches smart enough to counter their method? And the players to execute? 

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
    1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

    Any idea If Bedford’s more likely to tag Clarry or Trac? One of these 2 might be having a tough day at the office to start the year.

    Tagging an outside player like Daicos is a lot different to tagging some contested bulls like clarry trac and Viney, they will destroy him 

    • Like 3
     

    Just read the AFL app on the GWS v Collingwood game

    BEST
    Greater Western Sydney: Callaghan, Taylor, Kelly, Whitfield, Ward, Daniels, Ash 
    Collingwood: Perryman, Cameron, J.Daicos, N.Daicos, Crisp   

    Apparently if your surname is Daicos, you’re automatically in the best players. Don’t be surprised if Nick gets a Brownlow vote.

    • Like 2
    • Haha 3
    • Clap 3
    • Angry 1

    GWS are going to be very good this year. Easily top 4. They didn’t have hogan, green and they lost ruckman Briggs in the first 10 mins.

    Finn plays like Judd and they have Genuine A graders. 

    However Briggs out makes a massive difference.

    Gawn should have a field day. Our midfield needs to take this advantage. The MCG is a big ground and an inexperienced ruckman can get lost. 

    A win over GWS and we are real contenders.

    • Like 3

    7 hours ago, Fanatique Demon said:

    Just read the AFL app on the GWS v Collingwood game

    BEST
    Greater Western Sydney: Callaghan, Taylor, Kelly, Whitfield, Ward, Daniels, Ash 
    Collingwood: Perryman, Cameron, J.Daicos, N.Daicos, Crisp   

    Apparently if your surname is Daicos, you’re automatically in the best players. Don’t be surprised if Nick gets a Brownlow vote.

    3  J. Daicos

    2.  N. Daicos

    1.  P.  Daicos

     

     

    • Like 1
    • Haha 12

    Yes, GWS were fast in part because the Pies' laziness let them.  The Pies didn't chase with intent nor apply much pressure.

    These stats tell the story:

    • Tackles:  GWS 59.  Pies 39
    • 1%:  GWS 43.  Pies 34

    39 tackles is disgraceful!  59 tackles is about average but then GWS didn't need to tackle.  The lack of pressure from Coll made for GWS quick transition and open f50.

    Lets not forget Carlton thrashed GWS the week before.  Yes a practice game but ...

    No doubt we will have our work cut out for us this week but our around the ground defence/pressure will bring GWS back down to earth.  

    Stop them in their tracks is the way to go and I reckon we have the players to do just that.

    They ran the game out well but our fresh legs should help us slow them down.

    Edited by Lucifers Hero

    • Like 8
    • Clap 1

    With Briggs out Gawn should have an absolute field day giving our mids first use. I can see Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Rivers and co giving our forwards plenty of ball. Can our forwards capitalise and can our backs keep the ball in? I can see GWS getting a few transition goals but if we kick relatively straight this is a game we should win well. If they get on top around clearances that's where they will get us, they's no doubt they move the ball really well on the break. It'll be a good test of any game plan tweaks because if we turn it over in space we'll likely get torched on turnover. There's going to need to be times in the match where we'll need to maintain possession and slow the game down. I think we'll be trying hard to make it a forward half territory game. We really need to take our chances in front of goal. Go Dee's, let's start the season with a W.

    • Like 4
     
    1 hour ago, Roost it far said:

    With Briggs out Gawn should have an absolute field day giving our mids first use. I can see Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Rivers and co giving our forwards plenty of ball. Can our forwards capitalise and can our backs keep the ball in? I can see GWS getting a few transition goals but if we kick relatively straight this is a game we should win well. If they get on top around clearances that's where they will get us, they's no doubt they move the ball really well on the break. It'll be a good test of any game plan tweaks because if we turn it over in space we'll likely get torched on turnover. There's going to need to be times in the match where we'll need to maintain possession and slow the game down. I think we'll be trying hard to make it a forward half territory game. We really need to take our chances in front of goal. Go Dee's, let's start the season with a W.

    I’m far more pessimistic. 
    I don’t see us having the running power of these fit Giants. In fact, I’ll rephrase that as we probably do have the running power but having Gawn as our bail out kick means we are loathe to use it and link up with handball like the Giants do. 

    We should match them through the middle and then it becomes super important we don’t kick it on Taylor’s head.

    AJ, if we can get Taylor opposed to him and not JVR, would do a job in keeping Taylor accountable. 

    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1

    10 hours ago, bing181 said:

    They doubled the Pies score with the outs they have. And a decent chance Tom Green is back against us.

    I'm still doubtful he had strapping still on this weekend.

    Edited by At the break of Gawn

    • Like 3
    28 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

    I'm still doubtful he had strapping still on this weekend.

    And he was limping on the telecast pre-game. 

    • Like 2
    • Haha 1
    7 minutes ago, Stu said:

    And he was limping on the telecast pre-game. 

    Mind games I'm thinking from Kingsley. Doesn't want to give up selection news yet, but knows both Green and Hogan won't play.

    • Like 2
    • Clap 1
    47 minutes ago, Dannyz said:

    I’m far more pessimistic. 
    I don’t see us having the running power of these fit Giants. In fact, I’ll rephrase that as we probably do have the running power but having Gawn as our bail out kick means we are loathe to use it and link up with handball like the Giants do. 

    We should match them through the middle and then it becomes super important we don’t kick it on Taylor’s head.

    AJ, if we can get Taylor opposed to him and not JVR, would do a job in keeping Taylor accountable. 

    Thats fair enough, I’m pretty confident we’ve got the run and fitness to match them. If we don’t we could be in for a long season. Clubs like GWS are the benchmark for run.  I reckon we’re going to try very hard to lock the ball in our forward 80 which is why goal kicking is so important this week. Kick straight and I’m confident we win. 

    • Like 4
    14 hours ago, bing181 said:

    Don't see how we win this. Maybe Pickett in would have been enough to tip the scales, but I just don't see that we have the speed to go with them - either speed in the legs or with ball movement.

    There’s no doubt that without Pickett we are going to look slow against them. There’s also no doubt they are a talented side in contention this year. 

    But Collingwood yesterday looked just as slow as I expect we will, and played one down on the field when N Daicos slowed to a walk, and yet generated similar scoring shots to 3QT and, on everyone’s favourite stat, the xScore margin at the end of the game was 2 points. Collingwood was also +21 in CPs, +4 in clearances and +1 in inside 50s. Tom Green makes a difference to these stats but they show you where GWS’s problems were.

    Unlike Collingwood, we should be able to take advantage of them having a weak ruck, plus we play at home not away (and hopefully not in the heat), plus we’re hopefully able to run the game out better than the Pies did, plus we get the benefit of an extra week to plan against what we just saw.

    So whilst they’re favourites, I can see how we win. 

    • Like 7

    Giants foot speed and speed of ball movement is a concern. Must capitalise on silver service from Gawn and dominate clearance. We must also be extremely proactive in looking to score. Goodwin needs to change his mindset from the opposition scoring less than us to that of we will score more than the opposition. 
    If giants pierce our zone easily or open us up then he need to lock down and go one on one and make it ugly quickly. We can’t let the giants get a run on. 
    Looking forward to that walk from the station to the MCG (via the pub) nothing in the world beats it. Go Dees!!!!

    • Like 2
    • Love 1

    I still remember how good we were for three quarters against GWS last year with no Trac, half fit Clarry, no Salem, Max returning from injury, Windsor looking tired and sore and Lever on one leg. They only beat us by two points as Hogan got on top of TMac for five minutes and they piled on the goals. We were 5 goals up at quarter time.

    This is winnable, especially with a fit Trac, Clayton, Max and Lever. McVee being injured hurts us as he put a warm blanket on Toby Green last time and our record without Kozzie in the team is pretty woeful, Melksham, ANW and ANB were also important last time. But the additions of Langford, XL, Petty back and Sharp give me hope that we can hold our own. Also Max against no recognised ruckman must be exploited and could be the key. 

    Dees by 5 goals.

    Edited by deejammin'

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
    • Love 1
    1 hour ago, Dannyz said:

    I’m far more pessimistic. 
    I don’t see us having the running power of these fit Giants. In fact, I’ll rephrase that as we probably do have the running power but having Gawn as our bail out kick means we are loathe to use it and link up with handball like the Giants do. 

    We should match them through the middle and then it becomes super important we don’t kick it on Taylor’s head.

    AJ, if we can get Taylor opposed to him and not JVR, would do a job in keeping Taylor accountable. 

    I posted after the Freo game that our chipping around and changing angles in our d50 appeared to avoid the 'kick it to Max' tactic.  But we were slow and tentative with it. 

    Part of the tentativeness is up field players not positioned to accept the ball then run and carry it.  I think that is why Windsor is down back.   I think we will get better at it and hopefully it will happen this week.  Otherwise we will be relying on our around the ground defence and pressure to stop the speedy GWS, something the Pies didn't do. 

     

     

    As an aside reckon Sparrow could go wtih Finn Callaghan.  Even if Sparrow doesn't get a kick stopping him will go a way to stopping GWS or at least slowing them down. 

    Edited by Lucifers Hero

    • Like 5
    1 hour ago, Roost it far said:

    Thats fair enough, I’m pretty confident we’ve got the run and fitness to match them. If we don’t we could be in for a long season. Clubs like GWS are the benchmark for run.  I reckon we’re going to try very hard to lock the ball in our forward 80 which is why goal kicking is so important this week. Kick straight and I’m confident we win. 

    The issue with locking it inside the forward 80 is the game becomes a cluster and the forwards have no space to work in!

    Edited by Dannyz

    • Like 6
    • Clap 1

    Will be a pleasant surprise if we come away with a win.

    Personally I'm more concerned as to how we build into the first six week block.

    From a season viewpoint we need to come out 4-2 and at least 3-3.

    It's such an overly long season that pre-bye form is not that indicative.

    My greatest concern is that our bottom 4 and the next 4 at Casey need to push through. Next is the smalls to mediums in our back 6.

    Anyway let's see what 2025 has to offer. Lifting that cup would be lovely.

    PS: Hope Jefferson makes it

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1

    The last quarter GWS were playing beautiful free flowing footy. I think and one stage the had 8 handballs leading to a goal. The pies were not even close. They also have the best depth of any list imo. We are either gonna have to really silky or make them scrap to win. Otherwise Adam Kingsley will be a mastermind jock McHale medalist

    • Like 2
    13 minutes ago, Dannyz said:

    The issue with locking it inside the forward 80 is the game becomes a cluster and the forwards have no space to work in!

    Absolutely it does but allowing GWS out the back will likely kill us. If we get it into the forward half quickly enough I'm hoping there will be enough post goal ball ups to clear the congestion. It only takes one good kick from 80 metres out to set up a goal. 

    • Like 2
     

    A mixture of overrating how good GWS were and underselling how bad Pies were in here!

    • Like 4
    42 minutes ago, sisso said:

    Who is the Giants back up ruckman anyway I have no idea…?

    Keeffe will ruck with Gruzewski providing relief.

    • Like 2

    Guest
    This topic is now closed to further replies.
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • GAMEDAY: Collingwood

      It's Game Day and the Demons face a monumental task as they take on the top-of-the-table Magpies in one of the biggest games on the Dees calendar: the King's Birthday Big Freeze MND match. Can the Demons defy the odds and claim a massive scalp to keep their finals hopes alive?

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 497 replies
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Collingwood

      It was freezing cold at Mission Whitten Stadium where only the brave came out in the rain to watch a game that turned out to be as miserable as the weather.
      The Casey Demons secured their third consecutive victory, earning the four premiership points and credit for defeating a highly regarded Collingwood side, but achieved little else. Apart perhaps from setting the scene for Monday’s big game at the MCG and the Ice Challenge that precedes it.
      Neither team showcased significant skill in the bleak and greasy conditions, at a location that was far from either’s home territory. Even the field umpires forgot where they were and experienced a challenging evening, but no further comment is necessary.

        • Thanks
      • 4 replies
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 13

      Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demons’ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

        • Thanks
      • 216 replies
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: Collingwood

      Having convincingly defeated last year’s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Club’s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak. Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Let’s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the team’s neck.

        • Thanks
      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • 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.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • 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? 

        • Thanks
      • 4 replies
      Demonland
    View All