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Showing content with the highest reputation on 22/01/21 in all areas

  1. Went down to Casey Fields for an hour this morning. A beautiful sunny and non windy morning (a rarity for Casey) for the lads to train in. Was a bit of a treat to watch some footy given the 17 games spent watching in the lounge room last year. I took my viewing position behind the fence in the pleb section and saw everyone's favorite mercurial small forward of the mid 1990's -early 2000's watching his son and the boys intently. I picked a great day for it as it was essentially an intra club game, for the 60 minutes I was there. They had the blue team with numbers on versus the white team with no numbers, and given the blue team won 9.5 to 3.1 you could probably imagine the blue boys had the much stronger line up! (More game simulation may have continued after I left at 11???) The standard looked OK but given I haven't been to a training session since a week before the infamous 2013 season started, I have nothing to compare. Notes for the blue team: Petracca - looked a million bucks rotating through midfield and forward and kind of looks a class above everyone else - not sure if that's a positive or a negative? His chizzling kicks and overhead marking is a thing of beauty. Hunt - played as a half back flanker circa 2016/2017. Looked ok. T Mac - Played wing in the first half of the session. Then as the third key/floating fwd in the second half. Looks fit, no issues. B Brown - Kicked 2 difficult set shots that essentially nobody at the club can drill. Very excited to have him at the club. Will probably kick a lot of goals via free kicks. Harmes - Played exclusively in the centre square and did not play well. Seems a distance away from 2018 and isn't excelling at any position at the moment (ie -since 2019) Tomlinson - Looks settled down back as a key defender, continuing on from his late season recovery after the wing failure. May was in rehab but I think Tomlinson will be there regardless come round 1. Jordon - Not sure if he'll make it but he was heavily involved today through the middle of the ground and featured in many transitions towards the forward 50. Moves well and I reckon he'll play games this year. Lockhart - Starting back pocket while Jetta was in the white side. Fritsch - Becoming one of my favs. 2 or 3 goals and adds some class to our forward line. Kicked a nice set shot today. Gawn - Nailed a nice set shot today. Spargo - I'll have to wash my mouth out with soap but Charles looked good at half forward, involved in a fair bit of play. The new draftees played for the white side. REHAB Boys: May, Brayshaw, Vanders, Pickett and Smith. I suspect May, Pickett and Smith are injured as this pre-season is too short for players to miss back to back sessions for no good reason. Jackson ran laps. Didn't see Hibberd or Melksham. Not sure if Viney was absent or playing for the white side. Hopefully there were other posters at Casey today who can add to the above, and provide a more ""footy technical" training report.
    50 points
  2. Good summary, i was also there watching from outside leaning up against what resembled prison bars. Petracca gave his all in the intraclub and was knackered when he came off. Jordan featured a few times. Brown at FF looked good. Hibberd in rehab saw him a couple of times. Bowey came off very early before match sim with hopefully only a little niggle. Did not seem bothered by it but went into the rooms for a while. Jackson had an easy day not taking part in the match sim or drills. Had his top off on the way in and has added a good few kilos of muscle. Looks like he is serious about his footy - in serious good shape for his age. TMac has trimmed down but still looks pretty big as he is big framed. Concentrated on ball movement. Looked sharp. Choco took an early drill concentrating on well placed short kicking. Another drill concentrated on moving the ball wide from inside to outside. Rosnan for the white jumpered team kept presenting time after time which was good but other options were taken in the main. His turn will come. Is tall, quick and took a good mark. Overall impressed by what i saw.
    15 points
  3. The teams were picked with one team full of the guys who have been training well and those who would most likely have been picked in a game if we had it today against a team of the rest. My source from within the club was talking up the Weed to me as well, really rating how he has trained and become stronger and is looking really impressive, for what it’s worth.
    11 points
  4. Bit of an overreaction from many on here. He never said Kozzie is as good as Cyril was at the same age. Just says hes doing similar things. And I reckon Jordy is in a better position than anyone here to make such comparisons. Calm your collective farms, and enjoy some favorable commentary from someone most of us here respect.
    9 points
  5. Its hard to see everything. I'm guessing some of the issues happened after you left. Thanks, a good article. It confirms much of your report. I've taken the liberty of summarising it for those that just want a snap shot: "MELBOURNE defender Marty Hore is headed for scans after injuring his knee in a crunching tackle at Demons training on Friday morning. Reigning best and fairest Christian Petracca also looked in discomfort early in the two-and-a-half-hour session after copping a heavy knock to his left shoulder. While he was taken from the field for assessment, the midfield gun returned moments later with the shoulder strapped and finished the hit-out unencumbered". Sounds like the tackling is quite fierce! Hoping we don't have to much 'friendly fire' injures in the pre-season! "Forward recruit Ben Brown impressed during one hour of match simulation, booting three goals with his typical long run-up and dead-eye approach on goal. The 28-year-old later jarred his finger but was able to join teammates for running efforts that closed out the morning. Brown combined in the forward 50 with Sam Weideman, while a lively Bayley Fritsch alternated between attack and the wing with a leaner Tom McDonald. Steven May sat out the match play due to a minor ankle injury but will return next week and was among a group of six who were put through lighter drills on the secondary oval. He was joined by Clayton Oliver, who was managed for loads, Joel Smith, Kysaiah Pickett, Angus Brayshaw and Aaron vandenBerg, who is easing back after being forced to quarantine following a stint in NSW over his break. Second-year tall Luke Jackson was reduced to running laps after reporting recent Achilles awareness and will be back in full training next week alongside draftee Jake Bowey, who nursed a corked calf. Veteran Michael Hibberd was restricted to watching on and assisting coaches, still recovering from an ankle injury, while Harrison Petty (groin) missed". Sounds like the minor injuries are building up. And on the really positive side: In defence, Jake Lever excelled alongside Adam Tomlinson and Jay Lockhart who played a lockdown role in the stronger 'A' side. Jayden Hunt played off half-back in the same line-up and will settle in defence this season after several years playing as a half-forward. Captain Max Gawn showed no signs of the knee injury that hampered parts of his 2020, covering the ground with ease for the entire session. Jack Viney impressed in the midfield and landed a heavy blow on Weideman that left the forward rattled, while first-round pick Bailey Laurie was clean in congestion. Kobe Farmer, the son of Demons great Jeff, booted one goal and showed promising signs as he vies for one of two vacant rookie spots ahead of the season. If Cleary gives us that write-up for each session we won't have to trek to Casey.
    8 points
  6. Not relevant to this thread except to help give fans a live footy fix (no where else to post it on the main forum): The women's comp starts next week and our games are: Saturday, January 30: Gold Coast v Melbourne at Metricon Stadium, 2.10pm AEST Saturday, February 6: Melbourne v Richmond at Casey Fields, 5.10pm AEDT Live footy at Casey!
    8 points
  7. Excellent work the last 7 days ‘landers. Warming up the supporters nicely for the season with the latest reports, been a long time coming.
    7 points
  8. I reckon he was pretty good in his first season... He needed to steady and convert a bit better but will learn that. ...and he brought the forward pressure that we sadly needed. For a kid that doesn't have a tank he sure worked hard up and back, he wasn't afraid to work. Couldn't ask for much more.
    7 points
  9. geez apologies i just remember seeing it in the background of a flick i scrolled past on some socials didn't exactly stop for a forensic analysis
    6 points
  10. That's a shame for him and our defensive depth. Below is a report from the professionals. Didn't realise Oliver missed the session as well. https://www.afl.com.au/news/542321/scans-for-dees-defender-after-knee-injury-big-forward-stars
    5 points
  11. No way! This has to be fake news.
    5 points
  12. It wasn't really a "comparison". He simply said he's seen Kozzy do some things up the field that he hasn't seen since Cyril. He didn't say they play the exact same way. He didn't say Kozzy will be as good as Cyril. He didn't say they do all the same things. Pretty silly to say it's a "woeful comparison" given a) It wasn't a comparison, and b) The bloke giving his opinion has 4 flags and has spent a fair bit of time watching both players in training.
    5 points
  13. 4 points
  14. We have gone from boiled lollies to chocolates these past few days with training reports. Very much appreciated BBP and others.
    4 points
  15. @It's Time Someone at the club told me they were having to manage his training loads to build his endurance, as he’s a fair way behind most of the list. Nothing to be concerned about, he’s young and they don’t want him to overdo it and develop groin or foot issues. He’s got a fair way to go though fitness wise before we’ll see anywhere near the best of him. Obviously we’re going to invest hard and be patient in developing him after spending a first rounder on him and filling a big need on our list. He’s a talent for sure, but long way to go and comparisons with Cyril are silly IMO. Cyril performed at a high level from day one. Can only hope Kozzie will reach similar levels!
    4 points
  16. Such criticism for a player entering just his 2nd year of AFL. From memory Cyril was never a 4 quarter player but could win a game in a quarter. If Lewis is seeing some of those attributes...then very happy with that ! To me who judged his first season as just that ...I believe he has enormous upside which we will see building over the next few seasons.
    4 points
  17. 40 goals from a Demon player, really sets the rest up, well I hope it does, a good start to win few games one reliable forward
    3 points
  18. Brown kicked beautifully today albeit missed one challenging set shot he could’ve got. If he plays 20 + games this year, I can’t see how he doesn’t kick at least 40 goals this year. He is such a professional goal kicker.
    3 points
  19. It was near 50. His comfort zone. Anything closer and you can write your own ticket.
    3 points
  20. Thanks LH. Yes, given the short pre season you'd have to think May has a niggle of some sort. Hopefully he gets back to main training ASAP as he clearly benefits from a healthy pre season. I watched from outside the cyclone fence (behind the Wiz who was inside) on the outer wing and could see most of the play. I didn't even try to get into the ground given that other posters have a had a few issues so far. I'm assuming COVID protocols essentially bans supporters from coming in??
    3 points
  21. Whatever ends up happening, I expect to see Steve May's name in there somewhere. He is everything our group needs in a leader.
    3 points
  22. Packers 34 - Bucs 27 Bills 30 - Cheifs 27 (in OT, bonus point Macca ??)
    3 points
  23. Training is 'closed'. However, some were lucky enough to get into the ground on Monday. Others have had to watch from outside the cyclone fence which is about 20m from the oval boundary. You can walk around the perimeter and see what is happening in different parts of the ground. But it is difficult to see what is happening on the other side or what is happening with ball movement and positioning. Made more difficult when players are wearing bibs which they swap frequently. And difficult to hear coaches/players over the music. I went last week until the rain came - about 45 min. That was probably enough to see who was there, who was in rehab what some of the plays were, guess the tone/energy of the group etc. So for me an hour is about enough. Does that make a trip to Casey worth while. Not sure. Training is Monday, Wednesday and Friday and players seem to be out on the ground at about 9.00am.
    3 points
  24. Do you work for the Herald Sun or some other media? Accuracy not a prerequisite in what you do?
    3 points
  25. We wanted to change the way he played if i recall correctly, we wanted a far fitter, more mobile May who was going to get to and impact more contests....he broke down with new loads he was not used to. He has been the person who i would say shows more leadership than our actual captain, no sleight on Gawn but May is/has been inspirational. Should have been All Australian last year. He is an Ex- Captain who is in career best form and he is driven to have success before his career ends. Why would you wait to have him in leadership group, you'd only be punishing the team! Who would you have above him in the leadership stakes?
    3 points
  26. Brown back in full training and moving well on the back of last year’s nightmare knee injury. He’s doing at least 2 full sessions a week and on track for the preseason. Melbourne looking to improve forward conversion after failing to captalise on the midfield stocks. Brown is expected to take pressure off young forwards in Weideman, Jackson and Pickett. Tom McDonald training well and could be used on a wing alternating with Luke Jackson and others such as Fritsch, Petracca, Spargo and Gawn can be dangerous around goal.
    3 points
  27. Whether the comparison is appropriate or not, I feel that Lewis: has genuine faith in the quality and ability of this list; and has sufficient knowledge and experience to be able to hold, and express, a credible view on this.
    3 points
  28. On SEN, Lewis made the comment that Kossie was comparable to Cyril at the same age ?
    2 points
  29. Sen just reported Marty Hore may have done a knee and going in for scans
    2 points
  30. Thanks for the report BBP it is always great to have some feedback on how the boys are going.
    2 points
  31. Great report. Thanks. Really good observation about players in rehab "this pre-season is too short for players to miss back to back sessions for no good reason". I'm hoping that Vand is in rehab because he missed the first few weeks of training rather than injury worries. And hopefully, Pickett and May are out of rehab soon. Brayshaw may be there for a while given his foot surgery. Out of interest were you able to get into the ground or did you have to watch from outside the cyclone fence?
    2 points
  32. My view on the leadership is this, Gawns year as a captain in my opinion was poor. But I think he needs another full year because he would have reflected and right now be working on things he can get better as a leader. Gawn unfortunately is too soft and not ruthless enough with his teammates. He wants to be everyone's mate, and I totally get that because that's his nature. But he needs to find that fine balance of separating that into being more demanding and ruthless with his teammates. I look at some of the best teams that have had great success in Brisbane, Hawthorn, Richmond. Hodge, Voss, Cotchin and even Nick Maxwell, are the four who just demand high quality standards through being ruthless as a leader. Its no coincidence the culture and standards they set resulted in sustained success. This is why I think Gawn needs another year. I look at Cotchin and laughed when he first got named captain, but he grew into his role over time and became high demanding leader who also found the balance of being the good guy but also demanding excellence on field. The one guy who fits all of that bill right now in my opinion is Steven May. You only have to go back to his post match interview the port Adelaide game to watch how much he was seething after that performance. He gets its, and the players respect him. He demands absolutely 120% from his teammates and he's not afraid to give it to them if they are not performing at a standard that they should be. Give Gawn one more year perhaps. But if I wanted a leader right now next to me in the trenches its Steven May then daylight. Oh and less gags on a podcast thanks Gawny and more focus in getting the standards right, we are highly impatient supporters who want to see sustained finals success.
    2 points
  33. May needs to be included in some senior leadership capacity. And I expect he will be.
    2 points
  34. Steven May looks the goods to be in the leadership group. Why shouldn't he be, after all he was the captain at Gold Coast in 2017 and 2018 before moving to the Dees. He had a sensational year down back in 2020 only being bettered by Petracca and that was no mean feat. He is certainly IMV a leader who leads by example. Gawn C Viney VC May DVC. and in the not to distant future l would imagine Petracca and Oliver to be included in the leadership group.
    2 points
  35. Not solely directed at you tiers as many here share similar thoughts but I think this is pretty unfair on max. Does anyone here really have a good sense of who are the best leaders at the club? People were crying out for Max to be added to be captain prior to last season and now we think he isn't the best leadership material because we didn't finish where we wanted to. It's not the be all and end all but to me it makes a difference that he's a captain that doesn't talk in cliches - love/d them all as players but Viney, Jones, Green etc never inspired me because confidence/words weren't their forte. Which you don't need to have to be a good player but I think it is important as a captain. And it's not as if Gawn doesn't back it up on the field. While he didn't necessarily stand up when we needed him most last season, we now know he was carrying some big injuries - if anything shouldn't have been playing at all. Gawn understands what it is like to struggle - with injury, in the VFL, being on the fringe of the list etc and also through hardwork has become a star of the comp. It is well documented the homework he has done on ruck craft, opposition analysis, diet and fitness to become elite - and has been at this elite level (aside from injury interruptions) since Roos final year. I'm not against Trac and May being part of the leadership team in some form - but is it really just because they were our best / most consistent players last year? If Trac can't keep it going / isn't suited to longer quarters - does he go out next season?They're big bodies and players that impact games. But I don't think so any more than Gawn - he has saved us with critical marks in defence in addition to his ruck craft consistently for years. I take your point about other captains, but in Trac and May you seem to be going for the best players in the last year aren't you? It's interesting how prior to the tiges winning premierships, Cotchin regularly got criticised as a player (his possessions don't count) and captain (isn't one of the boys / doesn't live and breathe footy etc etc) In my view, Gawn is best suited to be our captain but if we think leadership and captaincy changes is where we are going to make up the lost ground in catching up with the 8 / top 4, then i think we're on a hiding to nothing!
    2 points
  36. RIP Mark. The psychological battle is taken to a new level when when younger children are involved. To have both parents suffer and be taken is an enormous burden for for the entire family especially for those left behind with the trauma. So gut wrenching and so tragic. I am certain there are many here at Demonland who, like myself, have been somehow fortunate enough to survive this illness, or at least be able to manage it. Thank you Hell Bent for your post Your friendship and support to Mark and his family would have been most valuable and certainly cherished. Demon fans to the end, this story and the many others like it, should provide us with some measure of perspective and an equal measure of the hope that our sport and our club provides. l sincerely hope you get to savour that scotch and toast Mark, in the not too distant future.
    2 points
  37. Good leaders are those who can lead by bringing players with them by offering direction and encouragement when needed on field. Whilst Maxie is a great figurehead for the club off the field, I don't recall him offering the sort of leadership required on the filed. Neither has Viney. The players who seem to offer on field leadership are Trac and May. Safe and steady when the team is under pressure and able to direct their teammates when needed and lead by example. I keep coming back to the best leadership examples of recent years - they were not generally the most charismatic or best players but rather those who contributed in many ways such as Maxwell, Cotchin, Harley, Wood who are all premiership captains.
    2 points
  38. May for PM seriously he must come into our leadership group Gawn captain Viney vice captain Leadership group - May Lever Trac and ...Melksham (Goodys pet)
    2 points
  39. Grievance archeologists are at it again. Lewis should be punished for his thoughts.
    2 points
  40. Rioli started his career with in a top performing team with experienced players like Hodge, Franklin, Lewis, Mitchell, Roughhead in the team to give him cover and provide him with scope to perform. Kozzie started in a dud season without this experienced core to shield him. If he is good enough we will soon know. The bits I saw last year give me confidence that he has many of the right qualities to progress. Let's all calm own and give him the time and space he needs to develop.
    2 points
  41. I believe he is quite polished off field and his natural charisma is good for the public to see. On field, I’d like to see him take charge when momentum shifts. Get everyone organised and keep them focussed. Or get someone under him that will do that in tandem, my choice would be May
    2 points
  42. Gawn, Viney and May clearly our 3 best leaders. 2020 proved melksham shouldn’t be anywhere near the LG. Favourite or not he needs to play at the level and chase, then think about leading
    2 points
  43. Is there any evidence for this? He could be in the rehab group for a niggle or because he’s done a lot of work and needs to be held back. Lewis says he’s tearing up the track. That doesn’t exactly correlate with remedial fitness work.
    2 points
  44. Think it will be the following > Captain: Gawn Vice captain: Viney Leadership group: May, Lever, Petracca Gawn won’t be dumped as captain, but needs to improve. Viney won’t be dumped, despite some players not liking him. Coaches and board love him. May proved himself as a player and leader. Lever is a born leader that needs to improve further as a player. All the talk coming out of the club is Petracca is impressing as a leader the last 6-12 months, especially over the offseason. Seems to have matured, as as a gun player last year will likely be added to the leadership group.
    2 points
  45. Cyril could mark, kick, handball, evade, tackle, so can kosssie, Kossie only needs to be the best HE CAN BE.
    2 points
  46. Ah, pre-season. At the same age, Cyril had been one of the best afield in a premiership team. Not to take anything away from Kozzie, but geez that's an unhelpful comparison. I never get the 'Cyril was overrated' crowd. If he's overrated, so is every other small forward to ever play the game. Sure it was infuriating listening to BT et al wet their pants with excitement every time he went near it, but he was genuinely one of my favourite all time non-demons to watch, and saved his absolute best for finals. Mark of a true champion.
    2 points
  47. The expectation might be high however he has exquisite talent and a year under his belt will do him good. Lewis is well respected has the knowledge to compare Kossie. I hope Lewis is right because we might be in for an exciting year.
    2 points
  48. Hem My title of 58er should also give you an idea how Many times Or false dawns we have had in 56 years but I believe we are getting the closest in potential players covering most positions for a balanced list ( with some depth) than in the last 5 decades plus. If our development can be fruitful by Yze and Chocco as a point of difference plus the game day coaching supporting Goody then many other problems will disappear and results be more reliable and consistently achieved. It may take another 1 or 2 seasons for this to happen but I believe it is a great base fir this season to launch a genuine run fir success. Covid or no Covid.
    2 points
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