Bang Bang Bang

Forget Howe, that was the best mark I've seen from a Demons player this year. The context of the game and then to go back and slot the goal made it even better.

Thoughts? I thought he was very impressive. It's refreshing to see an uncomplicated footballer who can both find the footy and use it well. It's only one game but I'd much prefer to see White on the senior list in 2016 than M.Jones, Bail and Terlich (all of them have contracts). None of them have ever shown the ability to do what White did today.

7 wins, improved percentage, several hoodoos broken, and some exciting young talent unearthed. 2015 wasn't a smooth year, but I still firmly think he's taking us in the right direction. 2016 will be a bigger challenge as internally we expect to be pushing for the top 8 (PJ has said so). Thus, I expect Paul Roos to be a VERY busy man over the next two months!

http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?/topic/37120-christian-salem/ Let's not be too hypocritical mate. Salem is an absolute star.

Apart from not quite going on with it in the last quarter, I don't think you could have asked for a better afternoon from the boys. Amazing how two hours of football can have so much bearing on the next six months. All of our sudden, we've reached our target of 7 wins, we've broken the Etihad curse, we've unearthed some decent young talent in Harmes, White, Newton and Stretch, and the off-season suddenly doesn't look so gloomy. Very pleased.

Salem's a freak. You can't tackle him. Mitchell White has made a couple of mistakes but he can find the footy and hit targets. I already like him more than Grimes.

So which of our games featured the best cameo from the sub? Funnily enough, I reckon it was the first... the Round 1 game where Petterd came on in the last quarter against Sydney and we drew the game after being a long way behind. As for the worst? Jordie McKenzie against Freo this year was simply bizarre.

Apart from Salem (who hasn't played much) and Dunn (who is wayward) we don't have any players that can kick the ball in the back half. Thus I'm hoping like heck White can make the grade. He has been playing well in the VFL so he deserves this, even if it's a dead rubber.

Of course we should look into getting him. He was excellent in 2013, I remember him carving us up in a couple of games. Those saying no, will be the same ones complaining at our lack of depth when Matt Jones is still kicking it into the crowd next year.

Let's get Dustin Fletcher too.

So Terlich and Matt Jones have contracts for next year but Cross can't get one. Who's in charge of list management again? I thought Cross was 50/50 to go on next year, but I assumed he'd make the decision. Congratulations on a great career Daniel.

It will be interesting to see if we continue targeting fringe players from other clubs. None of Riley, Michie and Newton have worked out that well. I can understand why we went down that path, but replacing the Rohan Bails and Matt Joneses of this world on the list with players of similar stature won't solve anything.

He looked like he'd develop into an absolute gun after his first few games at the back end of 2011, then kicked 19 goals in 2012. Given how crap we were then (what's changed?), that's a good effort. Didn't work out in the end but that's footy.

I like your work joeboy, but Dunn's a clear favourite of yours. I thought he had a poor game and a mediocre year all round.

When Grimes sprayed his set shot out on the full, Brad Johnson said "He needs to do better than that. At least score." Riveting!

He looks more skilled than his brother. Given he was thrown to wolves, I thought he did pretty well.

I cringed when he said Hogan "hadn't been signed by Melbourne yet." Yes he [censored] has, you moron.

Priority number one at the draft this year needs to be skilled, composed footballers. Salem stood out like a sore thumb in this regard today. Need more of his type. Surely Matt Jones' days in the AFL are numbered. The left foot OOF, followed by the right foot OOF, both times under no pressure - and in the space of 5 minutes was laughably bad. I bet we'll see him again by Round 6 next year though.

Salem almost seems like a foreigner with the good kicking skills he shows coming out of defence. Have Hawthorn let us borrow one of their players?

I'm very pleased to inform you that Dean Terlich and Matt Jones have contracts for next year. Whoever's in charge of list management (Mahoney?) isn't doing a great job. Why not just get these guys on rolling contracts? Not like other clubs will go after them.

More Salems, less Matt Joneses this off season please.

Can't agree with that. Watts has a good technique and doesn't miss too many. Agree with the gist of this thread, particularly Garry Lyon's comments. Melbourne don't have enough skilled distributors. Jones and Salem are excellent kicks, Watts and Vince are very good and Hogan's field kicking is impressive for a big guy. Brayshaw has depth of both feet and makes good decisions but is still a baby (and I still wouldn't call his kicking 'great'). Dunn and Lumumba are long kicks but not particularly accurate ones. The rest are all average or below average. It especially kills us having the likes of Howe, Garland, Cross, Grimes etc butchering the ball coming out of defence and Dawes/Garlett who often make clanger kicks forward of centre.

I know he's had concussion but Toumpas not getting picked this week would surely suggest it's curtains for him, unless the docs still haven't cleared him.

We should have taken Simon Black ahead of Travis Johnstone 18 years ago too. Who [censored] cares now, it can't be undone. Paul Roos certainly has a case.

I haven't trawled through all 40 pages but anyone with this view doesn't deserve the time of day. They'll be the same people questioning Goodwin after our first loss and demand his sacking after our first bad one.