42 minutes ago, DeeZee said:

We are so frustrating to watch, time after time.

It’s like Deja Vu .

Work their butts off for no reward.

Ineffective forward line with our main target Butter fingers Van Rooyen can’t take a mark to save himself

Fritter is just a shadow of his former self.

It’s disappointing and very frustrating to see the same thing happening year after year .

Def deja vu all over again like last year.

I seem to be the only poster on Demonland who thought Fritta's aggression and pressure was much improved today.

His kicking for goal his been diabolical all year.

He kind of reminded me of Billings today who i expected to be soft but at least be a good kick at goal and then delivers the opposite.

Fritta was hard at it and putting on pressure but has lost his weapon by foot.

1 hour ago, beelzebub said:

Give it 6 or so decades and you learn a thing or two about coping ;)

Sadly... seen all of this before

Is seventy years enough. Sadly did not go to any games until 1964

45 minutes ago, Fritta and Turner said:

The kids played well and our experienced defenders leaked goals in the last.

The result was as I expected but we are developing some good young players.

Who is better than last year?

Edited May 10May 10 by Queanbeyan Demon

We proved our new game plan is promising and developing and had we kicked straight we would have been 30 pts up at 3/4 time and would have won imo

So a tick for the Coaches and game plan

No tick for the last Q fall away and horrific kicking for goal. This is not coaching related imo. Senior players should be able to manage their nerves and technique under pressure.

We had teenager show the old blokes how to do it

9 minutes ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Who is better than last year?

Kade Chandler, Jake Bowey, Daniel Turner, Harrison Petty.

Langford and Lindsay already developing remarkably well in year one.

In terms of who still gets categorised as being a good young player we are developing even if not so far better than last year—Windsor, McVee, Rivers.

Just now, Disco InTurno said:

Kade Chandler, Jake Bowey, Daniel Turner, Harrison Petty.

Langford and Lindsay already developing remarkably well in year one.

In terms of who still gets categorised as being a good young player we are developing even if not so far better than last year—Windsor, McVee, Rivers.

Windsors output has jumped up and will continue to improve. The recurrent infections set him back to begin the year

44 minutes ago, Disco InTurno said:

Look I don’t mean to sound flippant but can you explain to me what your expectations are for this team this season? I genuinely cannot figure it out.

I feel like I’ve seen you say many times that we don’t have the list to make a run this year. But then you and so many others still seem enraged when we don’t win and there are shortcomings on our list.

So is it not better to be pleased by the fact that we played better than a likely top 6 (maybe 4) team for much of the game and, with better umpiring, likely would’ve been up by quite a bit coming into the 4th?

I don’t expect to win a premiership this year. I expect us to play fairly well in spurts. And we did that today.

I haven't enraged once today nor have I been in any of the match day threads. Stop trying to make things up. Supporters have every right to be enraged with our start to the season. It's not how we lost but the way we lost to the likes of North, Gold Coast and Essendon. North was a diabolical loss that completely zapped every ounce of confidence from the players. I'm sure you you were right there clapping them after the game telling them how proud you were.

I had us making finals but have rearranged my expectations to it being a development year to hopefully then catapult next year after another pre season into Langford, Kolt, Lindsay, Windsor, McVee etc etc.. I personally thought we had the cattle to push for a top 8 side but soon realised we simply don't and I overrated the list.

Oh so now they're maybe a top 4 team? Jesus you changed your tune quick smart from being a top 6 team to being eliminated first up to now maybe a top 4 team.

The great Kevin Sheedy once said that there is no such thing as an honourable loss. A loss is a loss regardless of what the margin is. If you Goodwin is telling the players after the game that we were the better team then you are kidding yourself.

13 minutes ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Who is better than last year?

Oliver !

To be fair, the team isn’t performing so individually it’s more challenging.

But Chandler is having career best. Kossie is a star, having him in the midfield is electric. Bowey!! He’s been magnificent. Turner is breaking out. Sparrow is performing well. Then Gawn is a master. TMac is massively underrated, great year. Salem has been solid.

Who’s gone backwards?

3 hours ago, layzie said:

+13 clearances
+5 centre clearances
+13 cont
+15 tackles

All key stats to win, If you didn't know the score you would have thought we were a monty.

Sucks to lose games like this, Hawthorn were off and it really was there to win.

Totally winnable but with all due respect these are not the key stays to win. Inside 50s we lost and marks inside 50 we lost 14 to 8. Turn that around and we win that game by 30 points. Spoiler alert we wont. :(

27 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Our forward line and they way we deliver it in (including lack of finesse, poise, decent decision making, forward craft and finish in front of goals) has now been farcical for at least 2.5 seasons now Pates.

That is fully on the coach who has had this group under his wing for an eternity now and who must have had a significant say in the retention of Stafford and the then appointment of Chaplin who is also in charge of team offence.

The time for excuses is up. Our method of play and effectiveness forward of center is a complete and utter failure at all levels against pretty much anyone other than the worst rated teams where we sometimes look fair to ok.

Completely agree, this isn't a new issue, in fact it's been an issue with us probably since we lost Hogan. Even the premiership year it was more of a case of certain players their best form at just the right time (TMac, BBB, Fritta).

Goody and Co need to be shouldering the blame for this side of our game being so poor for so long.

Maybe we need a revised song...

A new verse..

A Grand ol team

We're a three quarter team

Can play footy in 1, 2 and 3

We're the envy of , no one I know

But many are happy to crow

Just seems to me , we can't seem to see ..

The team we really ought to be .......

In all seriousness . Why the hell are we where we are.

It's almost as though we as a club exist in some sort of Schrondingers league ... team/not team.

We have ability/and no ability.

Things need to change.

We know what.

1 hour ago, Yarra Valley Demon said:

3 things really stood out to me today watching from the stands.

We too often get sucked into the middle of the ground from both ends simultaneously. The oppo forwards get space back and when we have the ball our forwards are too far up the ground and we end up with no one to kick to.

Our basic skills are diving off a cliff. Error filled disposal from a team filled with premiership players is bizarre.

We clearly don't do enough goal kicking practice. At least 5 set shots were missed within 40m and that's unacceptable.

Changes for next week?

Out : Fritsch, Jeffo, Tholstrup, McVee

In : AJ, Melksham, Viney, Petty

Respectfully i think Clarry did enough to keep his spot, fritsch has no pressure factor at all and melksham at least kicks 1 a game and dishes off a few and tackles a bit, Tholstrup of the 4 early picks over the last two years is struggling the most, AJ because I think at least two talls in the fwd line is needed and he is a better chop out in the ruck than roo and he provides pressure as well, Petty has sticky hands, mcvee didn't perform as well as the rest of the back group today

I wish we had two discos. One forward and one back, bloke gets to the right spots regardless of what end he plays.

So you want to drop the only small guy that plays back and actual defends,maybe next week he should run around and try and get 30+ and not defend like the other small defenders

4 hours ago, Disco InTurno said:

We absolutely were the better team.

But you are right that the key forwards are a problem. We dominated for 3 quarters in nearly every aspect of the game except once we had to do something with it inside 50.

The better team is always the one that wins the game.

If you waste nearly all your opportunities, your are a poor team.

Our glaring forward weaknesses mean that we are seldom the better team these days.

2 hours ago, GS_1905 said:

Windsor is wasted off HB. I’d look to play him as a High Half forward running up and back will give us some speed on shotgun.

Spot on,not a defender,

10 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I haven't enraged once today nor have I been in any of the match day threads. Stop trying to make things up. Supporters have every right to be enraged with our start to the season. It's not how we lost but the way we lost to the likes of North, Gold Coast and Essendon. North was a diabolical loss that completely zapped every ounce of confidence from the players. I'm sure you you were right there clapping them after the game telling them how proud you were.

I had us making finals but have rearranged my expectations to it being a development year to hopefully then catapult next year after another pre season into Langford, Kolt, Lindsay, Windsor, McVee etc etc.. I personally thought we had the cattle to push for a top 8 side but soon realised we simply don't and I overrated the list.

Oh so now they're maybe a top 4 team? Jesus you changed your tune quick smart from being a top 6 team to being eliminated first up to now maybe a top 4 team.

The great Kevin Sheedy once said that there is no such thing as an honourable loss. A loss is a loss regardless of what the margin is. If you Goodwin is telling the players after the game that we were the better team then you are kidding yourself.

it being a development year yet there being no such thing as an honourable loss in your eyes is kind of contradictory, no?

Development often requires losing in order to learn and grow.

This loss—in which we were the better side for the majority of the game despite the umpiring—against a side who I think is top 6 and won’t last long in finals but MAYBE could be top 4 is far better than the early season losses.

There’s clear growth, progress, and learning. For a team that’s developing and not competing to win a grand final this year, that’s absolutely an honourable way to lose.

One big positive today was getting to see Langford’s overhead marking.

Was a huge part of his junior game and one of the reasons I was a fan on him on the wing. If he keeps developing it now he’s got a taste of what he can do he’s going to be a match up problem for mids. Hopefully he keeps it up.

Can anyone think of a better game from a 7 game first year player?

Harvey is so exciting. in 3 years he will be a man mountain

I can’t remember our last power fwd we drafted or traded …. Neitz retired in 08, Hogan looked the part but took off with off field issues, had a chance to get him back, BB we got 6 month injury free won a flag but not a huge pwr fwd, Jvr is rucking to help Max, every other club has one , bottom line we don’t!

3 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

One big positive today was getting to see Langford’s overhead marking.

Was a huge part of his junior game and one of the reasons I was a fan on him on the wing. If he keeps developing it now he’s got a taste of what he can do he’s going to be a match up problem for mids. Hopefully he keeps it up.

yep. great call by Goody to play him on a wing.

He’d be lost up fwd

He must have a fair tank on him for a kid

A few comments, some against the grain:

Oliver: tasked with tagging Newcombe and did his job.

JVR: covered a lot of ground, competed fiercely in the air, laid 4 tackles and did well in the ruck (9 hit outs, 3 to advantage).

Jefferson: I'm more critical of him being selected than on Jefferson himself. He played according to his form and this will have only depleted his confidence.

Forward line: Main issue - apart from goal kicking - was the lack of another tall forward to compete in the air and split the defence. Too much to expect JVR to do it on his own.

Sharp: went when he had to, tackled well, using his running power to get in great position for his goal and to save another (i.e. the spoil on Watson). Improving.

Langford: Most complete first year player I've seen at the Dees. Chef's kiss

14 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Can anyone think of a better game from a 7 game first year player?

Harvey is so exciting. in 3 years he will be a man mountain

jakovich, call him up would be better them some of the current forwards

Pretty much all the same problems present today that were there in the first five games. We got a little sugar hit against the bottom sides but I struggle to see where our next win will be. Nothing has changed.

1 hour ago, Wrecker45 said:

I seem to be the only poster on Demonland who thought Fritta's aggression and pressure was much improved today.

His kicking for goal his been diabolical all year.

He kind of reminded me of Billings today who i expected to be soft but at least be a good kick at goal and then delivers the opposite.

Fritta was hard at it and putting on pressure but has lost his weapon by foot.

Wrecker...from behind the goals, Weddle played on him (back shoulder) for a good chunk of the first half. He pretty much blanketed him during that time and whenever the ball hit the deck and / or they got it back, he just ran off Fritta and ran amok down the field a la Nick Daicos's work at times coming out of the defensive goal square before teams caught on. Under little to no pressure most of the time!

He wandered up the field with care free abandon providing an extra around the ball and, in a number of their link up chains, assisting with their quick ball movement into the 50.

I suspect the post match down-the-ground footage would be damning on Fritsch in this match. At least while Weddle was on him anyway.

I had Weddle as the 3rd highest rated player on the day from both teams, behind Jiath and Sicily (who also played on Fritta for a time) and just ahead of big Max.

Some of Weddle's highlights included....

21 Effective disposals @ 95.5% efficiency (unheard of for a defensive player pushing through the middle and running amok elsewhere), 1 contested mark, 3 one percenters, 3 Rebounds, 1 inside 50, 5 score involvements, 6 intercepts, 246 meters gained, Zero turnovers and a goal.

Unless Fritta was under instructions to not chase or pressure him out of our forward line and others were assigned to do so as part of a team handover, then Fritta has actually had one of the worst performances you could ever witness from a forward putting on the red & blue*

Fritta's Player Rating also supports that view, finishing 21st just ahead of Jefferson & Kolt and Rating in 43rd place overall (out of the 46 that took the field today including the two subs).

*In modern times when so much emphasis is placed on defence & pressure, particularly inside 50 and something the Coach and FD have been harping about needing to work on and up our ante since we got to Rnd 4 - 5 without a win. I'm sure many others have put in worse performances or as bad in this era and prior years plenty more no doubt. But this one would be right up there.

Edited May 10May 10 by Demon Dynasty

30 minutes ago, jaydenh10 said:

jakovich, call him up would be better them some of the current forwards

Yes he burst on the scene like a steam train in his second go after his initial flop against the Eagles in Rnd 1, 1991. The fastest player to reach the 50 goal mark (in just 9 matches)

Clarry's intro was also right up there as one of the best imv.

Edited May 10May 10 by Demon Dynasty