18 hours ago, Roger Mellie said:

Not sure how Harry Sharp gets a gig here. He was unsighted at Casey last game.

I assume it's the sub vest again for him on the back of his casual jog v Essendon VFL.

Sharp will take either Rioli or Noble

14 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

How Petty keeps his spot is a joke, he has done nothing for 4 years! Weakest player pound for pound I can remember in the AFL.

JVR had a great start against Port then fell away when he was moved to ruck and then bench. He needs to play a settled role key forward for the rest of the year and not at Casey.

Campbell should be brought in as 2nd ruck (or Verrall if we want to see what he has) dropping forward with JVR and one of Jefferson/Turner.

TMac, May and Turner to defense if selecting Jeffo forward.

Goodwin's on his last legs here, he should be on his knees thanking Vossy for taking the heat otherwise he'd well and truly be in the gun.

Having said all that nothing would be more Melbourne than winning this game 🤣

Which one out of Long, Humphrey, Flanders or Ainswroth would you like Tmac to pick up

14 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Ok Lever out … certainly not 100% right

So bring in Tmcd who was in good form before he was squeezed out … and Suns have three tall forwards in King, Walter & Read … but no ?!?!!?! is he now done and heading to retirement

They dont play 3 tall forwards inside 50 at any one time. Read will either play ruck when Witts is off or forward when Walter is off. Last week Water had 59% TOG, Read had 58% and King had 76%. One of them is off (or rucking) at all times.

Don’t mind the changes, probably would have liked JVR to stay in and hopefully find AFL form.

Understand that it’s time to get games into the likes of Howes and Turner but feel for Tmac. He did unbelievable well to get his body right and was our best tall defender before being dropped to rush Lever back in.

Hard to see him signing in for another year to play at Casey.

I just want to see quicker ball movement off half back. Players working into space being honoured by hand and foot. Players told that if they take the game and it doesnt work its ok because until we master faster ball movement we are not going to outscore many teams. Players who can't adjust and play slow when there are options to go fast can work on that at Casey.

3 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Tmac was dropped after our Lions game. A DA member commented to him that his omission meant his 250th game wouldn’t be in round 19 as we’d expected. He replied “I don’t think I’ll make 250 this season.” That was six weeks ago. What did he know that we don’t know?

My point is, folks need to remember that their opinions on selection aren’t based on all of the facts. They’re based only on what the general public knows.

sometimes I think match committee team selection is not always based on all the facts!

1 hour ago, The Reverend said:

I think we're all forgetting what a nice trip to the Gold Coast will do for the boys' suntans. Let's focus on what's important at this time of year.

they were all there last week!

1 hour ago, picket fence said:

Who's Michael Evans??

The fact that you have to ask that question may indicate what Praha's concern about Jefferson is. 🙂

Edited June 27Jun 27 by sue

1 hour ago, demoniac said:

I just want to see quicker ball movement off half back. Players working into space being honoured by hand and foot. Players told that if they take the game and it doesnt work its ok because until we master faster ball movement we are not going to outscore many teams. Players who can't adjust and play slow when there are options to go fast can work on that at Casey.

You want quicker movement of the half back hey.

Being the second quickest in the AFL behind the cats not good enough for you?

You think we should be number one?

AFL 2025 SPEED OF BALL NUMBERS AFTER ROUND 15 (Fastest to slowest)

1. Geelong: Speed 114, Time 115, Distance 109, DTG 103

2. Melbourne: Speed 114, Time 123, Distance 113, DTG 100

3. Western Bulldogs: Speed 109, Time 108, Distance 101, DTG 109

Fox Sports

AFL’s newest and most important stat: Speed of Ball expla...

Truth in Pies shock as AFL’s fastest... and slowest teams revealed: Every club ranked 1-18

Edited June 27Jun 27 by binman

3 minutes ago, binman said:

Quicker movement of the half back hey.

Beinggathered second quickest in the AFL behind the cats not good enough for you? You think we should be number one?

AFL 2025 SPEED OF BALL NUMBERS AFTER ROUND 15 (Fastest to slowest)

1. Geelong: Speed 114, Time 115, Distance 109, DTG 103

2. Melbourne: Speed 114, Time 123, Distance 113, DTG 100

3. Western Bulldogs: Speed 109, Time 108, Distance 101, DTG 109

Don't let facts get in the way Binman

2 minutes ago, binman said:

You want quicker movement of the half back hey.

Being the second quickest in the AFL behind the cats not good enough for you?

You think we should be number one?

AFL 2025 SPEED OF BALL NUMBERS AFTER ROUND 15 (Fastest to slowest)

1. Geelong: Speed 114, Time 115, Distance 109, DTG 103

2. Melbourne: Speed 114, Time 123, Distance 113, DTG 100

3. Western Bulldogs: Speed 109, Time 108, Distance 101, DTG 109

Fox Sports

AFL’s newest and most important stat: Speed of Ball expla...

Truth in Pies shock as AFL’s fastest... and slowest teams revealed: Every club ranked 1-18

Thanks to @roy11 for that article by the by - they posted it in the stats file thread.

My reply, which is relevant here, was:

As ive noted on the pod a few times, we are implementing a new method based on fast transition (ie the modern game plan).

And contrary to the views of some we are implementing that method, or at least the all important ball movement part of it, very effectively.

As montagna notes (in the article) our issue is how we enter inside 50, and of course our woeful accuracy. Improve those aspects of our game and the gap between us and the very best teams closes significantly.

Which is worth considering when assessing where we are at vis a vis the conversation on another thread about how woeful we supposedly are.

2 minutes ago, BangBnagBang said:

Don't let facts get in the way Binman

Sorry, I keep forgetting the eye test and the vibe trumps data.

Maybe we should slow down and stop kicking points

5 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Tmac was dropped after our Lions game. A DA member commented to him that his omission meant his 250th game wouldn’t be in round 19 as we’d expected. He replied “I don’t think I’ll make 250 this season.” That was six weeks ago. What did he know that we don’t know?

My point is, folks need to remember that their opinions on selection aren’t based on all of the facts. They’re based only on what the general public knows.

Yes and no... donning the hat of advocates'r'hellish I'd counter that many of what are purported as 'facts' might be nothing more than FootballDept/ Coaches preferences/ prejudices.

There's a lot to suggest that any and many an opinion of a poster might be reasoned as just as valid as we base a lot on what we see in a game.

Selection might well be in line with what the brains trust thinks is best.

Again... I'd return that serve with what if they've got their ideas blatantly wrong ?

The scoreboard certainly isn't supporting the brains trust.

JVR is so frustrating

great first Q. then literally nothing for the next 3.

Jeffo not the answer but dunno who is. Our tall fwd stocks are so poor

54 minutes ago, sue said:

The fact that you have to ask that question may indicate what Praha's concern about Jefferson is. 🙂

Still dont know who he is. All I could find was a reference to an American Footballer is that him??

18 hours ago, Pates said:

So I don't mind our selections, and I feel like I'm a lone wolf in feeling like Sharp isn't a total flop of a player.

What I am struggling with is the balance within the team and like for like selections.

JVR out for Jeffo? Forward for forward, but one plays as a back up ruckman and can crash packs (supposedly) while the other is more a lead up forward with more craft about his patterns. I would have far preferred Jeffo come in TO PLAY WITH JVR.

Windsor for Kolt? Young for young, I'm ok with it but they're different positions.

Lever out, and Sharp in? Clearly not like for like. Howes will have to play in the Lever role, which I don't mind him being given that chance.

I just feel like this isn't maximising our available list (and really we have a good injury list). Petty being played as a forward is killing him, get him back as a defender swing man. This was a golden chance to do it with Lever out. Jeffo and JVR need to have a block of playing AFL together, if the coaches really think they're our future then given them that chance.

The season is cooked so I just want to see development, I just have question marks over whether they are selecting players in the best way to achieve that.

I do like using this opportunity to swing Petty back and let Jeffo and JVR have a crack at it up forward. I really dont understand dropping JVR this week, but then, our selections this year have been baffling.

I don't mind Sharp in the side, I think he's been good as the sub, not convinced he's a 4 quarter player but happy to be proven wrong.

I'd have preferred Kolt work into some form in the twos, but - again - selection is brain explosion areas.

GO DEES!

My only question for the weekend, will we be able to kick more goals than Sam Konstas could score runs across two innings.

Score to beat is 8.

30 minutes ago, DubDee said:

JVR is so frustrating

great first Q. then literally nothing for the next 3.

Jeffo not the answer but dunno who is. Our tall fwd stocks are so poor

The Jake Lever Forward Experiment

28 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Still dont know who he is. All I could find was a reference to an American Footballer is that him??

I have no idea. But I was suggesting that because you had to ask who he is, maybe Praha was hinting that your favourite forward would later be as unknown as this Michael Evans chap.

Hopefully that will not be the case and he will be clebrated as Melbourne's multiple Coleman winner.

12 minutes ago, Tom Dyson said:

My only question for the weekend, will we be able to kick more goals than Sam Konstas could score runs across two innings.

Score to beat is 8.

The higher a cocky little upstart shoots, the harder his inevitable fall. Just sayin’

As for goals kicked tomorrow, would love us to kick a Marnus (33 goals). That won’t happen so I’d settle for a big Stoin (17) 🤩

There was a Michael Evans who played 16 games for us between 2011 and 2014. I believe that his nickname was Pickles. (NFI why)

http://demonwiki.org/Michael+Evans

10 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

The Jake Lever Forward Experiment

I would rather the Steven May Forward Experiment.

1 hour ago, binman said:

You want quicker movement of the half back hey.

Being the second quickest in the AFL behind the cats not good enough for you?

You think we should be number one?

AFL 2025 SPEED OF BALL NUMBERS AFTER ROUND 15 (Fastest to slowest)

1. Geelong: Speed 114, Time 115, Distance 109, DTG 103

2. Melbourne: Speed 114, Time 123, Distance 113, DTG 100

3. Western Bulldogs: Speed 109, Time 108, Distance 101, DTG 109

Fox Sports

AFL’s newest and most important stat: Speed of Ball expla...

Truth in Pies shock as AFL’s fastest... and slowest teams revealed: Every club ranked 1-18

Technically a long kick will carry more distance in a shorter period of time than hitting up a shorter target. Of course if we hit up a shorter target in space there is better chance we retain possession and the player has better chance to hit up another teammate in space. The long bomb down the line has much less chance of retaining possession and leading to a forward 50 entry into 1 on 1 contests or even an outnumber in our favour inside forward 50.

Stat I'd like to see is chains of possession off half back that result in a goal.

19 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

The Jake Lever Forward Experiment

I'm like minded tbh.

Love to see him roam across half forward with licence. Actually think this might be his best home going forward.