deespicable me

Reading between the lines we may find Trac and Clarry aren't part of the leadership group, leaving a bit of a gap there.

I think Richmond wanting to trade for pick 2 is all about not being able to split Lalor and Smith. If North trade pick 2 to Richmond they will both be gone.

North getting pick 6 and wanting Tauru is dangerous because we might take him at 5. It would be a gamble for North but they also recognise that Tauru is probably a pick 6-10 so they are in a sense overpaying for their man if they hold their pick and take Tauru at 2.

If North hold their pick and take Tauru we are a huge chance to get Smith at 5. Or Lalor.

I've worked myself up over taking Langford over Smith and regardless of the fact I'm just a foolish fan I'm absolutely adamant we should take Smith over Langford. I can't believe we would pass on Smith if he was available at 5.

Langford is another Sparrow. Good solid footballer, strong body, kicks it a mile and can take a forward grab. Smith is the speed in the midfield we need. Imagine if we start winning midfield clearances. Smith is the answer. Langford is same same.

Jagga Smith looks a gun. Very similar to Serong, which is exactly what we need to compliment our slow midfield. I'd be wrapped to get him at 5. Josh Smillie also looks a gun but he is a bull. Would learn heaps off Trac as he is of a similar mould. Either of these two would be fantastic.

I'm quite underwhelmed. I thought the top 5 were meant to be a lot more than Langford. He had bull like qualities but they will get a bit lost at AFL level and he hardly hit a target. No real clue and will be happy whoever we take but am secretly hoping he goes at 4.

3 hours ago, Fanatique Demon said:

Too bad we had to listen to the interviewer unnecessarily using bad language.

I found no offence. I found it disarming and it's the most open I've heard Clayton be so you have to give the interviewer some credit.

Clayton is finally maturing and he seems like a well grounded humble guy. I'm certainly on board with keeping him.

42 minutes ago, Undeeterred said:

I will always maintain we should have shipped him last year and taken 4 first rounders to the draft. Heck, I was for sending Petty with him and taking 6.

Should have done the back burning last year when we could so we didn’t now have to put out this raging bushfire.

A wonderful analogy Undeeterred

1 hour ago, watchtheeyes said:

You know.. I’m finding myself increasingly moving in this direction. Maybe he has been the root of all problems culturally for several years now and we need to accept the short term pain to move forward for the next 5 years and beyond.

I’m also a little surprised at how outraged I’ve felt. He was not good this year.. and even when he was winning the ball, he was blindly throwing the ball on his boot, inevitably to an opposition player who would rebound the other way. Time and again. Opposition teams could rely on it.

Maybe him moving on will allow us to reset the culture. Maybe it is what is needed to satisfy Petracca. And maybe it will go some way to fixing our offensive issues.

I don’t know.. but maybe it would turn out to be the right thing..?

I think these are valid points. I also like the use of the word "Maybe". Football clubs are full of "let's make our own story!" If we are successful with Clarrie then it was the right thing to do. If not then maybe we should have moved him on when we had the chance. If he moves on during this trade period and we become successful again then we did the right thing moving him on. If we move him on and have another bad year then gee we missed Clarrie.

The funny thing is out of all four scenarios whichever one does come to fruition there will be a bunch of hindsight Harry's telling us how they knew this was going to happen! 

3 hours ago, IRW said:

There's aother  instinctive way to analyse coaches players and teams

How much do  opposition supporters hate opposition players teams and coaches ?

I suggest that no one really cares about any of those aspects of MFC.

They're considered about as bland and irrelevant as the Dogs.

Two exceptions. One Dog and one Demon ...but even they arnt " hated"

 

But we are hated. By the media. 

Lindsay although he's done his knee looks a gun to me. Elite left foot kick and a good connector into the forward 50. 

Dante, I thought Saty made some good points and you got personal, then had a second go at him. I think you should be better than that. At the moment I think you owe him an apology.

My take on a review is to know the results you want before you do the review, which of course plays to the incumbents. But I think it is important to do a review for appearances sake. If we go poorly next year at least those in charge can say they did a review. We did a review, we came up with answers, we made changes, we move on.

If Kate is strong enough to hold on then good luck to her. I'd rather she fight than wake up one morning and say, I've had enough. Good people are hard to find.

4 hours ago, Monbon said:

Sorry, man, it is not an 'obsession' over Maynard, it is simply stating a fact that there is one rule for Collingwood players, another for the rest of the competition. 

I agree. I mean everyone else has to miss the next match when they get concussion and I bet Moore doesn't! Where's the justice.

36 minutes ago, binman said:

Well, you clearly don't believe in the footy gods.

Or Lady luck. 

I've had a word with both and they agree we're due some luck.

Binman another issue that has risen during the 2024 season is that we have a few more bogey sides, ie sides that are now beating us regularly and consistently. This is a 2024 issue. Previous years we had tough opponents, and we would share the spoils but a few of those sides definitely now have the wood on us. I'm not saying we can't turn that around in 2025 but if we are to rise again we actually need to. Brisbane, Collingwood and Fremantle would consider they have the better of us now. Others will be keen to join that group. We may rise back up but we certainly won't just float back up as a matter of course. We will have to learn to fight every inch of our way back up that ladder. Not an easy task.

This is my first post in this thread.

Of all the constant complaining on here about the medias role in this extremely distasteful episode in the year from hell, that statement by the clubs media has to be right up there as the greatest bit of rubbish of the lot. I don't forgive him and would prefer he was gone for whatever we could have got. That bloke has a long way to go to repair the damage he and his Brand Management have done to this club.

I hope we still find a way to get him off the books this year.

Hello Panel members. Thanks again for your inciteful thoughts, deep analysis and clear love of the Melbourne Footy club on your weekly podcast.

This week I'd like you to discuss the worth of Adam Tomlinson.

Three areas that interest me are,

1. How good is Goody. I know I'm preaching to the converted with you Binman but keeping Tomlinson on the list when half of Demonland wanted him gone and slotting him in to a successful defensive system is very good coaching and list strategy.

2. Three quarters of Demonland thinks Blind Freddy would have played Petty back when Steven May went down but Goody again stuck to his guns ( much to the detriment of the Goody is too rigid, cohort ) and kept Petty in the three emerging forwards group and was once again rewarded for his thinking with one of the Dees best wins of the year

3 Tomlinson has slotted in seamlessly to the full back spot in the absence of May in the last two weeks. I know he has his weaknesses but his short passing and defensive work has been very good. I can't believe a team like Gold Coast or many other teams wouldn't try to pick him up and how hard should we try to keep him on our list given the age and increasing fragility of May? Given the crazy offers last year for McKay who went to Essendon and has been actually very good I'm not sure Tomlinson isn't just as good.

On 14/08/2024 at 17:32, The heart beats true said:

Crossy works at North now I think. Last time I saw him he looked unbelievably fit. He’d still get 20 possessions in the AFL. He was such a hard working player.

He was great at the Dees. Was a senior player till the youngsters came through then I think he was in a fitness role with the club for a year or two after that.

McRae from the dogs would be a similar player and is worth a look. Having said that I think he would want to be starting 22. Not sure which club would want him. Maybe not us. As a matter of interest with Trac and Clarry out would you want him in our senior side this week? Again not sure. Oops I've lost my decisiveness. All these decisions to be made. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.

On 10/08/2024 at 16:33, napster said:

I believe that losing Brayshaw was a significant factor in our loss to Collingwood, but even if we had beaten them, beating GWS in the prelim was no given. They only lost to the Pies because of a large number of shocking pro-Collingwood umpiring calls in the last quarter. We would not have enjoyed the same armchair ride from the umps. The Giants ball movement and superior disposal efficiency would have exposed us.

Which makes me think of the weekend just past when McRae complains about the non-fifty which apparently cost them the game. Collingwood won so many games by a goal or less over the past 18 odd months and never once has he come out and said how lucky they were to win a game when clearly they got the run of it with the umpires. He's a dog, McRae. The AFL should send him a please explain and fine him. 

I'll throw in an extremely poor analogy but it's like he wants to stir up the Collingwood mor**s even more just like Trump did to get the ridiculous riots upon the White House.

23 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

I recall Goodwin admitting in an interview some years ago being "an [censored]" for wasting Fritsch up the ground for a season & not realising (like most of us had) that Fritsch was a natural forward.

Goodie just seems obsessed with the idea that Petty is the next Neitz whereas many commentators, most footy followers & every Dees supporter I know has been calling for Petty to go to defence.

The move clearly hasn't worked & in fact has backfired badly & this seems obvious to everyone but our BT.

 

Don't agree at all. He is in the best form of his short and injury interrupted career and is building nicely to an excellent 2025. I am so glad he re-signed. They only scored something like 48 points so our defence was good with Tommo there and didn't need Petty back. He did a lot of contesting up the line and took a couple of good contested marks. People will say he didn't offer much up forward, but I see the slow emergence of a good forward line with Petty a part of that. Disco will improve next year, and JVR has come a long way this year as well, but ultimately those three are young and haven't developed a system yet which while frustrating and quite damning of the coaching department, the building blocks are there for success already. With Trac, Fritsch and Kossy, a further improved Chandler and a system to work to we can have a very functional forward line. I think the question should be asked, what are they doing to JVR. He is in ruck, down back then took a lovely contested mark and was then subbed????? If you were kind to the coaches and I'm happy to be coz they are the ones there, it will help develop him as a footballer looking to the future, but I hope they settle him down, coz otherwise someone will come knocking asking him the same questions and we'll lose him. Surely he's a forward? 

5 hours ago, DubDee said:

Bolton and Graham are going West

Yze will have a wooden spoon and his best player gone in his first season

No way any coach could survive this situation

My left field want to try and lure across is Balta from Richmond but I don't like the idea of taking a player from Yze.

Balta is just what we need in my opinion. He is an upgrade on Tomlinson and can play both ends of the ground, (yes I know, not always successfully) but the thing that he has is a big body. If he is given a role in a good side I think he would be very valuable and is probably gettable if we persuade him to come across.

Wow, that's surely one of the best ever draft boards. Stars everywhere.

Hey mods can I get this topic post moved to the main board. Thanks

Important re-signings I would have thought

Windsor, has had a fantastic debut year. Debuted in Round 1 and has not only held his spot but become an integral part of the side. While looking every bit an 18 year old with a skinny frame his speed is electric and endurance at a high level for such a young bod. Re-signed for two more years taking him till the end of the 2028 season is a fantastic result and one we should celebrate.

Petty has re-signed for 2 more years as well taking him till the end of 2027. Also a great get as he was nearly gone during last years off-season and this is a great show of faith by Petty to commit to the club. Obviously hasn't had a great season but I'm pretty sure his best is ahead of him. Injury free I think the next three years will be great years for the developing tall and again we should celebrate these two very important signings. Well done MFC

Watched the announcement video and the BCNA visit video as well. Both great vids and the second one a great initiative by the club. You can't stay down too long as a group and it was great to see the boys energised.

2 hours ago, Pennant St Dee said:

I don’t suffer fools old dee, they don’t warrant my time or response. Hope you’re going well and not to disheartened by the current situation we find ourselves in.

I have my health, a roof over my head, a wonderful wife, sons who are turning into fine young men and the family overall are in a good place.

On the footy side of things, what can I say, us older folk have seen this all before, whilst the MFC are currently struggling, it’s not all bad, I have a role that I love and keeps me busy, I occasionally get to watch my boys play and still regularly get to go to the Ammo’s to share good times, talk about old stories and a few beers with good friends. In a nutshell as bad as things may seem there are always positives.

Keep the faith and enjoy your time with family and if you’re still getting along to the Ammo’s smile and enjoy 

Oh god, kill me now. What a load of maudling sh##te

1 hour ago, drysdale demon said:

A really pathetic hysterical statement.

It was emotional I agree. But to keep it in context, we are a shell of what we were and a team that has a hard edge. It has taken a while to come to light but every good team has a group of hard men who when the fights break out, when the physicality crosses the line, they come to the fore rallying the flag.

I don't want to single out one player and pick on him but in this case I will. Bowie. Since Bowie has come back into the team we have hardly won a game. I understand the model that says we want class off the half back line, but with our team this isn't working. Look at our strength versus weight body index. We are too light. We have got our recruiting wrong. Billings, McAdam, Bowie, Fullarton, Shache. These are all players who lack grunt in the contest. On top of that we have a number of similar players within the team. Bowie, Petty, Windsor, Howes to name a few. It is a balance. I'm not calling for any of those players to be dropped necessarily but you have to have the grunt players to keep it in balance. We don't. And until we redress that imbalance we are always going to get beaten by teams that go to war with us physically. Collingwood understand this. They are a dirty team. Until we get a team that can physically stand up to them we wont win anything.

If Goodwin can get it together for that one game, round 24 and topple the Pies and maybe do enough damage to stop them winning this years flag, then that will be enough for me. Because our list says we have forgotten about the art of war.