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I don't know what your deal is, but I'm heartily sick of sick of the complete lack of respect you, and some others, show the coach of the football team i love and support. I'm putting you on ignore because I'm sick of my team being attacked on a forum I post on because supposedly it is dees 'fan' forum.

The criticism of Kossie’s contribution throughout 2023 by several DL’s is not supported by statistics! 2023 Average Disposals (11.46) +1 on 2022, -0.38 on 2021 2023 Goal Average (1.7) equal to 2022 & 2021 2023 Tackle Average (4.7) double 2022, +1.2 on 2021 2023 Contested Poss Av (5.6) slightly above 2022, -1.2 on 2021 2023 1% Average (1) above 2022 & 2021 Goal Assist Average (1) above 2022 & 2021 The only significant difference in 2023 as compared to 2022 & 2021 is in his free kick differential. Kossie is giving away significantly more frees while being awarded fewer himself.

Hello all, Just thought it is important to celebrate Christian Salem playing 150 games for the Melbourne Football Club on Saturday night. He really has been a stalwart and excellent player for the Demons. His sublime kicking skills and hardness at the ball being a factor. Congratulations to Christian Salem playing 150 games. Let's hope he plays another 150 more games! Fingers crossed the Demons get a win against the Saints for "Salo"! 🤞

Exec summary: We are near the end of the phase of coming into each match super fatigued. It is this fatigue that is at the heart of our current performance issues -just as was the case in 2021 and 2022 (there's a pattern) Our fast, aggressive ball movement, high scoring and accuracy will all return. We will win the flag this season. Everyone take a chill pill.

Some additional context for my post about the ins MT: My perspective on selection is informed by a belief that we are coming to the end of s heavy block of training designed to maximize the likelihood we are cherry ripe come finals This block of training exacerbates the accumulative fatigue of the season and individual matches (like last weeks game, which would have been super tiring given our contest numbers and the weather) The form of the team suffers as result of this fatigue, as does the form of individual players - with some, particularly younger players, being impacted more than others [Note: even if you are of view that fatigue is only a minor consideration, or don't believe we do a mid season heavy block of training that impacts our performance, the fact remains the pattern is crystal clear. This is third season in a row where we have had a significant mid season slump characterized by losses in games when favorite, a drop off in skills, a drop off in performance by the team and individual players (particularly younger players) and chronic inaccuracy. So whatever someone's explanation is for that pattern, surely one of them can't be that it's just a weird coincidence] The coaching panel are juggling multiple, often competing, imperatives in terms of selection for the games in this phase of the season - picking a team that can win the game, load management of the team, load management of individual players, development of individual players and most of all maximizing the chances of winning a flag The campaign is not about winning the individual battles (but of course you have to win enough of those battles to be top 4), it is about winning the war - as much as the footy media would love fans to believe it, each game isn't a must win game, an isolated event or a litmus test on premiership chances So, just as i suggested prior to the Cats game when i predicted Spargo would be the sub for load management reasons, the selection would be different for the Saints' game if their sole imperative was to win the game - if it was, JVR probably gets selected As an example of how my perspective informs my thinking on selection, I agree Spargo has been down on form the last few weeks but i think fatigue is likely the main cause (same is true of Chandler, who needs a chop out and is getting one, and other players too) and as opposed to dropping him for form, they are managing his game time as part of his fitness program I always find the debate on selection a little hard to engage with because it's often not clear to me whether posters are expressing an opinion on who they think should be selected or who they think will be selected Normally, i am in the latter camp So when i predicted earlier in this thread the ins would be Woey (who had been announced at that point), Jordon and Spargo, it was based on my prediction of what would happen, not what i think should happen And that prediction was informed by all of the above dot points So, for example, i view JVR's non-selection through the lens of the club wanting to give a young player a break from the rigors of senior AFL football (he is only 19, and in his second season, which is crazy young for a key forward), to enhance his development as a player. work on deficits and maximize the likelihood he is fit, firing and in ripping form come finals I find some of the criticism of selection ironic, as sometimes it comes from posters who this time last year were vociferously bemoaning Goody's so called stubbornness, refusal to be more flexible with selection, not bringing in fresh players from Casey, not managing players, not rewarding form at Casey, and, horrors of horrors, not copying the Cats 'squad mentality' There's a double irony, because before the season started, goody, almost as if answering his DL critics, said we would 100% be taking a different approach to selection this season and taking more of a squad mentality And Goody has been true to his word - and of course still gets slammed by some of the very same posters knocking him last year for his static selection policy I don't share the sky is falling, jumping at shadows vibe that permeates DL at this time of year (well, the last three years) - we are tracking fine and in my opinion will make top 4 and win the flag To be clear, i also accept there is a very good chance we won't win the flag. To demonstrate what i mean by this seeming contradiction, for the sake of argument, let's say the Pies' current odds with the bookies (aprox $3 - which translates to 2-1) are an accurate reflection of the 'true odds' of them winning the flag. At those odds, if the season is played out 100 times, even as 2-1 favorites they still lose lose 40 times. By the by, i don't care what team it is - $3 for any time of the year is ridiculously short odds (under the 'true' odds) given so many things could go wrong between now and the end of September that could negatively impact their chances of winning the flag - eg Nick Daicos tears his hammy badly in round 24. Taking $3 now for the Pies to win the flag is the equivalent of backing the favorite for the Melbourne Cup on the futures market 3 months out from the race - a bet the bookies salivate over as it is money for jam for them. Which is why they have a futures market. I had the same view in 2021 and again last season. I could care less if that view is again dismissed as being delusional. By the by, my perspective on the arc of the season has sometimes been dismissed on the grounds that i was somehow proven 'wrong' last year because we got knocked out of the finals in straight sets. That opinion is logically inconsistent if it is not also accepted i was right in 2021. I'm batting .500 - not bad when talking predicting flags.

Did people actually watch the Geelong game? Stewart was okay against us, but I keep reading how Stewart dominated us. He only had 8 intercept possessions for the entire night, Henry had 9, and IMV was more influential that Stewart. But far and away the most influential interceptor and defensive player on the ground that night was Lever with a game high 14 intercepts and then Rivers with 12, yet it was apparently Geelong's interceptors that dominated us. How about we didn't kick straight and that's where the game was lost? 23 scoring shots each. Kick straight against the Saints and we win.

Nah, sorry that's complete rubbish. How do I know that? Well, i don't need some 'expert' with an agenda to protect the reputation of his profession. I have all the experts I need right here on DL. I mean, how could Bruckner hold a candle to people who can confidently say we have botched oliver's treatment with zero access to his private medical information or zero knowledge about what his injury is, or what the complications might have been. Or limited or no medical training whatsoever for that matter. You don't need years of study and training to understand the medical team have stuffed up. It's just common sense. That's all that is needed If covid taught us anything it is that experts are dangerous.

Trac will start as a forward, JJ will start in the midfield and Smith will be our Sub.

This is so true, Layz. I know there’s some who think pfft it’s only a banner, it’s not so important etc. but it does make a difference, even if it’s a small difference. Interestingly, earlier in the season, Brodie told us that he always makes a point of reading the banner as they run out. Collingwood make banners every week too so we wondered why he’d make a point of telling us that. He’s such a diplomatic (and very nice) person so he didn’t bag the Magpie Army. But he said a lot of thought clearly goes into our banners and they’re different from week to week. He said the boys love coming up and out of the race to the sight of our “magnificent” banners. That’s enough for us! ♥️💙

Mason Cox is insufferable

He's just being earnest.

Binners my attention span is sagging under the weight of words. No chance of an executive summary that I can read before I die or before the game.

Totally agree Cyclops I have noticed a number of blatant free’s not paid for head high tackles and holding him on the ground after tackles. Kozzie doesn’t get a fair deal from the magoo’s.!!!

Tomlinson has a year to run on his contract. He is a depth player (horrible phrase btw). He will get games again. He may be disappointed but that is a far cry from suddenly having the 'very poor attitude' claimed by the ex Dl, now bf poster. That comment has resulted in discussion of, if he has 'downed tools!! We need to stop jumping at shadows and piling on players, coaches or the club every time someone posts some random rumour.

Yeah, but they are playing the game with the right spirit.

We’ve actually done really well at rehabbing injured players this year. Let’s run around and say we haven’t because Oliver’s injury is a tricky one to get right.

Some random thoughts: 1. I suspect Smith was dropped because his defensive work on Tom Stewart and Nick Haynes was not good enough. Perhaps Melksham has been given that role this week. (For what it's worth, I don't believe in the concept of "defensive forwards". I'd rather 6 attacking forwards causing problems for our opponent's defenders). 2. With Jordon and Woewodin selected, I suspect Petracca may spend more time playing as a forward. 3. I wish people would stop judging players on their disposal numbers. Players are given different roles and responsibilities. Some have the job of accumulating the ball (Oliver, Petracca, the wingers). Others appear to be there to play defensive roles and/or create space for the ball accumulators (Neal-Bullen, especially). If someone is playing a defensive forward role (see Point 1), please don't judge him on how many times he gets the ball or how many goals he scores. Instead, judge his value on whether he stops his opponent.

He definitely had a form slump but it was far from catastrophic in scale and a very normal experience for a small forward. It has also been over for a couple of weeks and people need to also get over it. Having said that, I really want to him to lift to his best again because he still needs 18 goals int he remaining 8 H&A games to keep up his '40-goals-a-season' amazing track record... and... he is one of the handful of players who could actually turn the season back our way if he hits top form.

Nice post @kev martin. I take the view that if a decision doesn’t make sense, it’s most likely because there is information I’m unaware of (rather than the decision-maker is a fool). If we assume selections are purely based on form, recent selections don’t make sense. Thus, I assume other factors are influencing selection. I think Goodwin has a clear view of most of the 22 he wants to take to finals. Thus, Salem and Petty are picked as soon as they’re available. I was surprised Brown played last week (interstate game with forecast rain) but perhaps Goodwin views him similarly - if he’s finally fit then get him back in. @binman’s argument that Spargo’s form dipped due to increase training loads and been managed makes more sense than any alternative argument explaining his form and selection. Agree with @kev martin that Smith and JVR are likely going back to VFL to work on something. I’ve liked what Smith has brought to the forward line but not his opponents intercepting and influencing the outcome. I’ve loved what JVR’s done but think he gets caught behind too often. I’m sure JVR will be back. Short-term risk for longer-term gain - at least that’s what I perceive to be the attitude of the SC. Off topic, really pleased Woewodin is been given a chance. I hope he surprises like Bowey (2021) & McVee (2023).

Their despondency is matched only by ours on bf and on our very own on D’land! We will get absolutely smashed next week. Highly doubt it. Dees coming back from a slog in Alice Springs, it’s at Marvel, and their form has generally also been far from convincing. Reckon we'll beat the Dees. Can't show up to a game against division 4 bush league footballers but will turn it on against a top four side. We're bipolar, it's in our nature. Saints by 27 I can't see it happening, mate, but that would outstanding. Yes, it would be a very St Kilda type of thing Gawn and Grundy will work Marshall over. Their midfield will have an absolute day out against Crouch and the Witches Hats. May and Lever will take a billion marks between them. Demóns by heaps. Melbourne will be a class above. Dees by 35 We almost certainly be 4th if we win… if Collingwood beat WB, we’ll be 4th and a win clear of 5th! Could be the worst top 4 team at this stage of a season ever! 💪 We need to do something different up forward. May and Lever are going to have a field day if go out with the same set up we've been sticking too that we know doesn't work and only leads to opposition defenders dominating. If you have a quick read of their preview thread, the sky is falling and all hope is lost for them as well. You’d think the two teams were 4th and 5th bottom: We’re gonna win this and lose to suns the week after… literal lock. Stroll in the park for Melbourne. May to get 25 intercept marks and 300 supercoach. Couldn't get on fast enough for a demons bet. Melbourne may be struggling to score/kick straight, but they seem to be doing almost everything else pretty well. Their rucks and mids will be too much for us alone I fear. I would be pretty surprised if we don't lose this by 30+ points. We have lost all run and dare...they are going to absolute torch us through the middle and our defensive unit has been very ordinary of late. Unless they kick 5.25 we are not winning this game Just our luck the media get stuck into Melbourne before we play them! We are going to get destroyed here if we can't find a spark on the track this week. Melbourne by 60+ Melbourne is the only team we haven't beaten since 2019. As it'll be under a roof instead in all liklihood, Dees by 47 and May to both look like he sucked on a lemon in disgust on his way to the same amount of intercepts and us to maybe kick 10 goals, maybe. No idea what this is about but gave me a good laugh: You're forgetting to factor in the Dougal pirouette. It's like a boxer that has no skill but insane KO power. If it lands, we're in business. Could not believe my (piercing blue) eyes when he attempted another. Leave-without-pay type operator. There was a moment in the 4th where he picked the ball up inside our 50, without anyone on him (maybe an Eagles player 15m away directly infront of him) and instead of shifting his body from front-on to the Eagles player to the right of the Eagles player so he could get the kick away, he instead spun around on the spot and then as he turned back around, went to the right. Literally sat there and said 'What the *??'. He's incredible. Favourites: A round 17 clash between 4th and 5th on the ladder and both Melbourne and St.Kilda fans couldn't be any more pessimistic. I'm sorry Melbourne, but we're going to lose harder then you! You guys need to step up your game, the woe and despair in here is a pale comparison to the Demons board at the moment. We should take care of their form slump for them. They should start paying us to return teams to form. The dees poor kicking have made a mess of my predictions lately but will go out on a limb one more time: Dees by 3 goals! One thing is for sure; with two very defensive coaches this will be a dour game to watch☹️.

Ugal-hagen is slowly emerging as a star of the comp. Fabulous work ethic. Multiple leads high up the ground and doubling back occasionaly for a few inside 50. 2nd efforts and some great passes inside.

Kossie giving away more free kicks is minor concern though combined with his lack of free kicks awarded it is worrying particularly as most are in the forward half. Unfortunately I believe that Kossie is now in the umpires book under "small forwards who duck". True or not there are legitimate free kicks that need to be,awarded such as the one not awarded to Adelaide last week that might have changed the result. I fear that Spargo may also be in the umpires book under the same heading.

Yes. He’s supposed to be a professional. We pay his wages, I expect him to be ready if called upon. And he’s played as many bad games as good so it’s not like he’s been super reliable. I have no time for players sooking.

Add me to the perplexed and disappointed camp. Fritsch out so we drop Smith as well, and the only replacement is Melksham, who as sub played nearly the whole game last week for 6 touches. Spargo’s barely played football since being dropped but gets recalled. Being picked off reputation not form is not right. I support Jordon’s recall though. We all cry out for VFL form to be rewarded and Jordon’s VFL form completely warrants selection.

Not to wish ill on anyone but Jack Crisp needs to miss a game someway or another sometime soon. He’s creeping closer to Jimmy’s record. 😡

His form is down like everyone else’s. However he’s more likely than most to be the one to provide the spark to get our season going again.

I agree with your post about the ins Binman, especially the point about JVR. to enhance his development as a player and maximize the likelihood he is fit, firing and in ripping form come finals. I listened to Goodie just after the the GWS defeat and even though Fritsch was injured Goodie indicated, with a funny smirk on his face, that JVR was still 'learning'. It was obvious early in the week JVR would not be playing against the Saints Dees to win easily with the goal kicking yips to be put to bed!

Settle down Billy, you are being a bit dramatic. Have you considered that Oliver's hamstring injury might be a tendonopathy rather than a muscle strain and that loading it up, as opposed to rest, is the rehab protocol. Sports rehab is an inexact science and our strength and conditioning team have done an excellent job in managing soft tissue injuries over the past few years. While it's frustrating that Oliver has been out for an extended period I think our medicos and strength and conditioning personnel deserve some credit.

D'land is not a forum for facts. Please cease and desist @waynewussell.

How about we dont look to pockets... better places to prioritise I reckon.

Kozzy is also playing significantly more TOG. As an example, he played 93% TOG against GWS. An insane number for a small forward, and clearly it's robbing him of creativity and energy. I just hope that strategy pays off in the end and we can use him in CBs again like we did in the first 9-10 Rounds.

Agree with all of this. FWIW, LN’s rumour on BigFooty is slightly different to what everyone’s saying here. But it should be treated with a massive lump of salt because of who is spreading it. Thing is Luci, before his injury Petty was a forward. So was it really his spot in defence? Last year I’d have fully agreed with you that Petty was an automatic lock for ohr backline. This year, I challenge that notion. In part because he spent most of his time pre-injury as a forward, in part because I just don’t think he’s been that good this year. No doubt Tomlinson was picked as a short term cover option but his form on KB was well above what should be considered good enough to hold his spot. Petty, IMO, should have come back via Casey or into the forward line where he’d actually shown a bit of form vs Hawthorn before his injury.

Read a lot of posts suggesting this has been mismanaged by the club. That is not always the case, sometimes players do their own work outside their designated rehab program in order to maybe get back playing quicker. Have we considered that this could be the case here?

Can someone with far more knowledge about footy and tactics than I explain to me why Tomlinson isn’t in the side to assist May and Lever down back in order to send Petty forward to partner up with BBB…. rather than relying on Gawn or Grundy who don’t have an ounce of forward craft between them.

this will be melksham's 100th in red and blue terrific stuff

Don't forget your life jackets!

With Oliver out and Salem back and in decent form, I hope we see Rivers given substantial midfield minutes over the next month. He’s having a breakout season and is one of the few players who has improved. He’s got the chops to have an impact in there with Oliver out.

We have been kicked out of AAMI for the FIFA women’s World Cup. No point training at Gosch’s. The price we pay for not having our own facility. When some say our facilities are as good as anyone’s else’s this is only one example of why they are not.

Making a special effort to get along to this game. Hope to get a good crowd of Demons to celebrate James "Moose" Munro's 150 game for Casey. Mrs Dw has ordered a set of antlers and hopes they arrive in time. Seriously, Jimmy is one of the nicest blokes and deserves every accolade we can give him.

Whilst it's potentially the weakest forwardline on paper in 3 years, we generate a lot of scoring shots from our mids. It'd be nice if our half backs pushed up a little more and hit the scoreboard too. Last week we had Trac kick 0.4, Langdon 1.0, Hunter 0.2, Sparrow 0.2 and Viney 0.1. That's potentially 10 goals from midfield in ridiculously wet and difficult conditions. Under the roof at Marvel, I expect us to be able to generate 20+ shots at goal. We just need to kick straighter. St Kilda over the last 5 games have managed 18 scoring shots against Hawthorn (a loss), 20 scoring shots against Sydney (a win), 15 scoring shots against Richmond (a loss), 16 scoring shots against Brisbane (a loss), 25 scoring shots against the Eagles (a win). In each game, their opponent has had more scoring shots against than St Kilda, except against the Eagles, where St Kilda managed 8 more scoring shots. We should get the chocolates here, particularly, if May can blunt King and keep him to a goal or two. Just kick the [censored] thing straight and finish off your hard work, Melbourne.

I highly doubt Tomlinson would have been utterly shocked that Petty, premiered defender Petty, who was playing in the team until injured, was picked ahead of him. my opinion on who gets dropped or not doesn’t matter. And thommos opinion or any other players opinion doesn’t count either. The coach makes the call. He’ll be judged on his team selections come seasons end.

LN must be reading this thread right now and loving it - 'i can manipulate the DL sheeple even when i don't post!

But was Tomlinson dropped? Fair chance he would have been told before selection for round 12 he would come in for X number of games to cover X player so there would no reason to be huffy about it, if in fact he is. He went out for Petty. It is Petty's spot. The defence has been very settled since his last game in round 13. This is the time to bed down our best 22 for finals. There isn't room for Tomlinson in defence.

Looking for JVR name in the team. Wtf. Spargo !! Melksham!!! Goodys favouritism for players is ridiculous. Dunstan even would’ve reflected form and performance more than Spargo. I know he gets 1.6 goal assists and 0.25 goals per game but that’s hardly threatening to the opposition.

That's a worry

There's your problem. You don't know what's going on but go on to cast blame anyway.

(This probably has its own thread somewhere) I hate to say it but I'm really not enjoying the Gawn Grundy setup. Both are average forwards at best, so when one is in the ruck, you have a pretty useless player to stick somewhere. Gawn's impact on games has gone through the floor, and I don't think Grundy has picked up the slack. I don't think the team or either player is best served by having two specialist rucks in the team. Doubt Grundy will ever be dropped, but I'd love to see JVR pinch hitting and having Max playing the same ruck minutes as he always has. Feel like he's a wasted resource at the moment. Just my opinion.

A couple of notches? More like through the roof…. The sky is falling territory

I wasn’t at that match but another member of the DA was. She didn’t sit (stand) with the DA (where you can’t hear much from the middle because of the ever-present noise), instead she stood with her family members at a quieter part of the boundary. She said she could hear the GWS players constantly yelling encouragement to each other, pumping each other up, instructing each other etc. Our players? Crickets chirping. She heard nothing from our boys. Not even the usually-vocal Ricky Lever was making a noise.

Some clubs only have banners at home games, some only have them for milestone games and some have them at every game. Then there’s the Eagles: never have a banner but instead have a blue and yellow inflatable tunnel through which the players run. Bless their silly little hearts. 😁 Brisbane are interesting in that they don’t have one at the Gabba yet they do at the ‘G. They also have many Melb-based fans which might be the reason for that.