Leaderboard

My main takeaways were Frost and Stretch. Sometimes it's easy to focus on what a player doesn't do well and lose sight of what they can do well. Frost's size, speed and strength were a welcome addition to a back-line that has struggled since Lever went down. He'll still occasionally frustrate, but he's clearly the best second tall and he'll make life far easier for Oscar. If he plays to his limitations he'll be pivotal to the remainder of our season. Billy is a neat player, but I didn't see any AFL quality attributes. I did last night. He worked hard, showed some zip, positioned himself well and made himself an option. He can become an accomplished AFL player. He's also testament to a player working on their craft at the next level down and showing how sustained form in the VFL can make you a better player. Happy to say I was wrong on both.

Fritsch looking tired? What game were you watching joeboy? The bloke had 25 touches and got better as the game wore on. Who was ANB tagging by the way? Generally agree with the rest, but the Fritsch one is a shocker.

Just watching the replay and have been taking notice of Fritsch around stoppages. His positioning and timing is very very good. When he knows he can’t get the ball, he automatically puts a body on an opponent to take them out of the contest. Just a very clever player and I love that beautiful kicking action he has.

Those calling for Fritsch to be dropped go take your head for a dump.

Fritsch.... continuing impressive efforts

Has anyone credited Salem? kid is a gun and deserves some recognition

Thought Frost did well in his return.

It was ugly, it was tough to watch and the skills in the conditions were not flash. But in the end we rock and rolled them by 9 goals and, had we said we would win by that margin earlier today, everyone would have taken it. There were some real positives tonight. Petracca returned to form in a big way which was great to see. Did some really classy things but he also worked his backside off around the ball on the defensive end. Had 5 tackles to go with 28 possessions (just needed to kick his goals!) and that's excellent. Now he needs to keep it up. Clarry and Gawn are stars, Salem and Harmes continues to improve and Gus is having a terrific year. Bayley Fritsch looked a cut above in the conditions with his clean hands and silky skills. I thought the changes we made worked really well. Stretch did some good things and used the ball well. Jeffy, while not having a huge impact, gave us some pressure and zip at the fall of the ball and seeing him lay 6 tackles was really good. He will only get better from that. Frosty was excellent down back, albeit against average opponents, while I thought Spargo worked himself into the game. It's good to see Goodwin make the right changes and it showed tonight. Obviously, we still need to work on how we use the ball going forward. We look terrific when we lower our eyes and have space for the forwards to lead into. We still bomb it far too much, although we were still able to have 37 shots on goal. Turn that into, say, 23.13 and we have smashed them off the peninsula. Our defence was better tonight as well as we stifled their run. I was a little worried their outside runners could make us pay, but we were far more organised and it showed. Let's take the win and see it as a way to get our season back on track. It was also good to add more to our percentage which is still the second best in the competition. Yes, this was easy opposition but after last week we need to ensure we get these wins, and we did that tonight. It's nice to be back on the winners list, even if it was a little ugly at times.

The title of this thread is quite possibly the most inaccurate & inappropriate in all my time at Demonland. It has gone on for far too long and is quite frankly demeaning to the Demonland brand. Please close it down.

Think ANB was tagging himself - and it worked.

Not sure if anyone else here has played footy in the tropics? It's truly horrible if you're not accustomed to it. And it's not like wet weather footy where you're bent down with a heavy ball and you adjust to that type of wetness. The ball moves at pace and slips right through the hands when you think you've done everything right. On top of that, it feels like you can't ever get in enough oxygen. I know it's not the wet-season, but that's the slipperiest I can recall it for one of our matches up there. Never mind the comparative humidity figures or Uncle Bitters rolling around in the dry grass - the proof was there in the vision and the post-match comments. Oliver, Salem and Fritsch were simply outstanding in their control of the ball tonight. Stretch was clean too.

Gerard Healey would disagree......absolutely rates him whilst also acknowledging that he is only 18 with a lot of learnings & improvement to come. Geez we “dump” on our players pretty early in the piece!!

BUMP Aaron has received much love in the Casey thread;. Nonetheless thought it worth highlighting his return game yesterday after nearly two years out injured. His stats were: 23 disposals (most of which were contested), 16 tackles and 1 behind. Even more impressive given he played only 3 quarters and the ground was like a very wet sponge. A real credit to his perseverance! Continue this from and he will earn himself a contract extension. And how good will it be to see him in the seniors again - terrific at keeping the ball in our fwd half which is what our game plan is based on.

A few of us said 3 weeks ago he should be in, together with Billy and some more pacey crumbers in Spargo or Garlett. IMO we win the Port and Saints games with this side. The Coaches must take responsibility for poorly selected sides, that have cost us a couple of games.

I don't understand why the umpire should be able to call a video review in that situation at all. No score was called, play went on then in a different piece of play Garlett kicked a goal. How far back are they allowed to go with the video review? If no score is called at the time of the incident then it is "play on" and the umpire should not be allowed to revisit it after the fact. What if play had continued for 30 seconds in the goal square between Petracca running into the post and the eventual goal? Still subject to review?

What more were you wanting to see exactly? He provided the forward pressure we were lacking with 6 tackles and kicked an opportunist goal. It would’ve been two goals if not for an incorrect overturn on video review. We are a more dangerous side with Garlett in the forwardline.

That goal review when CP was close to the post and then JG kicked it off the ground through the goals. The ump called it a goal but wanted a review to see if the ball had hit the post earlier. I cannot for the life of me see how the video review showed that it contacted the post and certainly not enough to overrule the original call.

Fritsch out? Are you on drugs? He is so good ... an absolute find. Agree with Smith + Lewis out. Agree with someone else's reference to ANB as a momentum killer. Dropped marks, turnovers, missed shots for goals at crucial times.

The spread when we won the ball around the stoppages looked much more cohesive. I actually thought Petracca was particularly good in that regard. Definitely his best midfield game this season. He seemed more calm with ball in hand and didn't rush like he has been this season. Very promising.

Fritsch is more value on a wing as a midfielder; his slight build is not suited to defensive roles and intercepts against key forwards.

Good to see. A measured response. Honestly, 37 scoring shots and winning a game in horrendous conditions by 9 goals and some of you are calling for multiple changes? Go and headbutt the nearest wall and think again. Sheeeet, it’s hard to please some people.

With Casey playing in 'heavy' conditions as well, it will be a case of wait and see during the week to see who pulls up OK in terms of recovery. The only real fresh player is Bernie who didn't play this week. He has to come in for Lewis who should get a week off to help him recover. If Smith doesn't get up then someone else will need to come in as I am firmly in the camp of not playing Vince and Lewis together in the back line. Probably Hannan. I was chuffed for Frosty and his first game back last night, and I think as soon as Kent and AVB get some miles back in their legs ANB will come under serious scrutiny to hold his spot.

The least annoying Razor match I can recall. No crowd to play to.

I didn't see all of the game but even if ANB was bad I'd be surprised if he got dropped. His strengths are the teams' weaknesses. He is one of the hardest two way runners, regularly is in the top 5 on the ground for stats like distance covered, average speed in defence, total time at high speed, average speed in defence, etc. He was in those groups today too. He also led the team for pressure acts. All this despite having the least time on ground of any demon. Given we generally suck at running hard after our opponents, he is invaluable. And if he kicked 3.0 instead of 1.2 tonight we'd all be singing his praises.

Harmes is coming along nicely I feel. Was switched to half back and provided some dash and nice to finally see someone nail a long running goal.

Oscar is so much better with another tall down back. Frost was really good tonight.

For everyone tagging a certain poster into the discussion, can you please stop it. Let’s keep the thread on the rails for a change.

Geez some of the MFCSS wrist slashing on here is ridiculous and short sighted. We've waited so long to be a great side that none of us, even those who can remember the 60s, recognise the process that it takes to become one. We are nowhere near there, but it is happening. Doesn't happen overnight or necessarily in 4 or even 5 years. Look at the Frozen water coached Cats of the 2000s. Look at Richmond; look at where they were and the time the club gave Hardwick to learn his trade and figure out how to make them great. Compare that to the Dogs, who did it as a one off and will wallow in mediocrity again for the next 50 years. Relevant to this is the [censored] being heaped on Lewis. He knows the process and is guiding our next generational champions to fulfilling their potential. No doubt he is getting close, but he still puts in cracking matches and makes good decisions. He also comes from that Hawks culture that the team and club come first, and that is the culture that will make us great. He will be one of those for whom we can thank for what is coming. Temperance, Demonlanders. Temperance. Edit: In: Vince Out: Lewis (joke) Out: J Smith Also, Fritsch doing his own wingman version of Lever's role is something I can get behind

AVB 16 tackles. Now there's a man making up for lost time. Expect him back in the seniors if he can string together a few more games like that.

Gosh, you blokes are being a bit harsh on J. Smith. Sent forward where he hasn't played before and competed. Sure he didn't completely gel. 'The ball was like a bar of soap tonight' - Max Gawn. The reason he was sent forward was that in the slippery conditions we needed extra focus on the deck. Hogan and Tmac don't have the burst or agility to trap it in. Smith's second efforts were notable. Seven tackles. Tackles inside-50 aren't just an individual thing. Pressure leads pressure and everyone has to work together at once. We doubled our inside-50 tackle count from last week.

18 players hit the scoreboard tonight. These four didn’t. Out: OMac, Jetta, J Smith. Frost

Yes.

After years of lazy players at Melbourne, it's great to watch Bayley Fritsch who never gives up.

Yes it appears that way with Frost vs Petty and I was pleased for Frost, but I can't say that with 100% certainty. Frost may have been torched against St.Kilda and Petty may have played well last night - taking into account what happened further up the field and the quality of the opposition. Billy was very good and played with uncharacteristic confidence. His biggest problem previously has been hesitation with the ball but he really took the game on. If he can sustain that it will be great. I admire ANB for getting the most out of himself, but his lack of football skills could cost us a flag.

No worse than his analysis of the footy match in front of his eyes.

Just on a side note. VDB's hard 15 tackles yesterday were fantastic and I think he worried and hurt a few of the opposition. If he can get himself match fit, with his size and other attributes he could still be a very handy player for us. Look forward to seeing more of McKenna in better conditions, as it was impossible to assess his ability in the torrential rain.

Billy also has good disposal and set up a goal for us a few times. It is frustrating for supporters who clearly don't know what the Coaches do, to basically call for yesterday's side and finally get it and record a good win. We will never know, but I am confident in saying, that side last night would have won the Port and Saints games.Frost for Petty alone, had to be worth a goal to us, or one less to the Saints. Several of us called for Frost in when Lever went down, with Billy and one of Jeffy or Charlie to add strength, pace, crumbing and better disposal skill. Instead IMO we got a completely unbalanced top heavy and less skilled side and lost two close games. IMO the Coaches need to accept some responsibility for those losses and effectively putting our finals chances on a knife edge. Win both and we are probably safe in the eight.

Dermott Brereton talks a very large amount of turd

The pessimism and carry on about dropping players after such a good win astounds me.

The first thing is partly to blame for the second. Not only do we let easy goals out the back when we press so high, we congest the space in our forward 50 meaning it's impossible to pass to a free player and also impossible to get a free shot at goal. How many times do we get the ball inside 50 and have to handball 4 or 5 times to try and get a player with enough space that they can actually have a shot at goal? Push the press back a bit and we will intercept further up the ground allowing us to open the field up more and slice through opposition defences easier. We're getting so much of the footy but not doing enough with it. It's been our problem all year so I'm not willing to pass it off as bad conditions. That was a 100 point win last night but we left 8 goals on the table. Two set shots from ANB and one from Gawn for starters plus probably at least 2 or 3 each from Hogan and Petracca. Brayshaw sprayed a couple as well on the run. We really should've smacked them although our conversion picked up after half time. The players looked absolutely stuffed after half time too so of it impacts our ability to run out the game next week I'll be furious. I don't care what benefit we get from these games financially, it ruins our run home when the players can't recover for their next game or 2. I'm not convinced having the bye or an "extended break" before QBD is going to help much either.

I still think the positives far outweigh the negatives. And he is a scapegoat right now for our issues. Our mids are frontrunners and until they work hard back against good teams - we are nowhere. It has little to do with Jordan Lewis. PS. I appreciate what Lewis has done the last 2 years - he has almost directly filled the role of two of our most important players the last two years; Viney and Lever. And as @america de cali points out - and we need - he is very unMelbourne in his demeanour...

Oliver has leather poisoning again: a game-high 35 disposals, 19 contested possessions, seven tackles, seven inside 50s and two goals. Only half way thru his 3rd year! Not yet 21. A star on the way to becoming an elite superstar!

Our forwards are most lead-up style players but we are forever sitting it on their heads hoping someone will take a screamer. A big problem is they start too far up the ground, they should be in the goal square leading out to mark 30 metres out, instead they have to just stand 30 metres out and watch opposition defenders pick off the high ball.

Outside of the 50 metre penalty, which had Walters going down as if he was smashed by a battering ram, I though Lewis did his job well tonight. He was part of a backline that dominated and he played his role with minimal fuss.

I'm loving the Salem attention at the moment. His skill in this 22 is massive.

Winning ugly is ok. Not worth champagne, but the job was done. Get the boys home and rehydrate them. Ridiculous to play in that humidity. 48 hours up there will be a disadvantage, but i watched the dogs game. Shut JJ and Bont out of the game Goody This week has 7 days. We will need every hour to recover

Shout out to the inclusions: Stretch - looked like he belonged and hope he gets an opportunity to cement his place. Garlett - welcome back Jeff. Covered a lot of ground and was dangerous in front of goals. Frost - I queried his inclusion but he had a great game against weak opposition. One howler handpass, but otherwise a very solid game. Looks to have grown as a player.

Out: Smith In: Smith

Ripper, I can watch the footy shows again on Monday