deespicable me

Do we assume that if Jagga Smith hadn't done his knee as well this wouldn't have happened. Either way it's good news as he has been showing good signs over pre-season and deserves a chance.

4 hours ago, adonski said:

Any thoughts on Aidan Johnson or Jeffo from the session?

I have liked Aiden Johnson as a recruit. He can be a role player for us. What role and where on the ground I'm not sure. I didn't see him much in the sim but I haven't got used to how he looks so not so sure how he went.

Jeffo. I purposely didn't comment on Jeffo because at this stage I'm not too positive on him. But in his defence it is still a small sample. I think he may be a frustrating footballer for us for a number of years as we see signs that get us excited only for him to have a no impact game the next week. I don't even know if he'll start in the Casey or the AFL side.

I went down to training on Wednesday and came home in a fairly buoyant mood. I will just put out a few of my thoughts and opinions as to how I think we are going as we approach the pointy end of the pre-season.

Firstly they were doing different things to what I normally see. The full ground drill was a pleasure to watch as they practised giving with a short kick and receiving by hand then hitting a target on the run. Some of the 40-50 metre passes where the receiver didn't break stride were a thing of beauty and made a lot of sense to a fast transition game.

Then in the sim Goody actually came out, stopped play and told them all what he wanted to see. I've not seen him do this before. It was good. He wanted them to, when the oppo is coming out of defence, crowd the corridoor and push them wide. Made it very hard to hit targets from the backline for both sides. Then on turnover switch and move quick with short passing. I think we were trying something like this last year and it mostly didn't work so will be interesting to see if we can take this new style into the early season.

Players to impress

Oliver. Didn't miss a target and had Pendelberry type poise. Baulked, feinted switched hands then always hit his target by hand or foot. Was a joy to watch.

Howes. Had half a season last year before getting injured and struggling to get back in the side. Has had a very good pre-season as a distributor off the backline. May is confident using him and some of his passes, not all, were lazer like 40+ metre bullets. He'll make mistakes but has a touch of class.

Langdon. As everyone has already said he looks terrific, especially for a first year player. Reads the play well and knew when to drop into the forward 50 and received two lovely passes in space. Both kicks were 40 odd metres out and sailed through. He should be a top 5 rising star but given our love affair with the media he'd have to be an absolute stand out to win the rising star, and then he still probably won't. But he's ours and a great get.

X or Lindsey. Saw his class in the sim and he will have elite disposal and vision but is severely underdone. As a poster mentioned in the running he blew up badly and you could see his lack of body strength. He should be handled well in his first year I think and maybe only play 15 games or so whether in the ones or twos. I think he will have real trouble running out a full AFL game. I might be wrong but he can't be a Windsor mark 2.

Turner

Love the look of this guy. As do many. I think he will have a break-out year this year, well I hope so anyway. He is getting taller and stronger and was the best most classy forward out there apart from Fritsch who chimed in for a couple of classy left footers.

Laurie. This is the first pre-season where I reckon he might make it. He is obviously back-up to Viney and it looks like Langdon is now ahead of him but he has grown up now and was beating Viney a couple of times. Is a good accumulator and should rack up possessions at VFL level while he waits his turn.

Downer

JVR. Didn't enjoy the fast pace of the sim at all. His one wood is getting out the back and taking a speccy with a pack mark. He will get plenty of that when the games start but pattern running and leading he is like a chook with his head cut off. Defended well but had very little connection to the myriad of ball users kicking inside 50. He is an undoubted talent but he still looks like he needs a lot more coaching. Hopefully Chapman can get him going. Just my opinion, by the way.

Finally I think we have the best squad in a number of years. I think depth is good and we look a balanced and fit squad. We look to be training with good purpose and I'm looking forward with hope to the new season

I think Geelongs interest in Oliver was more about trying to buy cheap. Moneyball.

I'm glad we held out with both Trac and Clayton (obviously) as given the situation we would have been lowballed for sure.

I don't think either will go now at the end of this year, but if they do we should get reasonable compensation. This also makes me less nervous about any Kozzie trade. We have shown we won't be bent over when a contracted player aks for out. By the time these contracts run out there is no doubt circumstances will be quite different and there is every chance the player will be happier to continue with us.

Also I thought the club handled the Neil Bullen trade with a lot of class. Against what many in the media would have us believe I think we've had a great off season, given we have moved on our former President and CEO. To have all the upheaval dealt with before Christmas and move into the New Year with a stable club was no mean feat.

I say well done MFC. 

6 hours ago, Demonstone said:

Your arithmetic is faulty.  

When 1 BC ended, 1 AD commenced.  There is no year zero.  How could there be?

According to the AFL your arithmetic is wrong. How else could we get a Round Zero

I would like the Coaching crew to spend more time on opposition scouting. ie looking at games coming up and how to play those games, who to try and shut down, how to restrict their movement or free us up to play the way we want to.

Back in 2020 and 2021 and the first half of 2022 it was all about getting the game on our terms. If we did that we would often / always win. 

It's different now as teams feel they have us beaten, they get the game on their terms and we can't shut them down or change the game to our advantage. Fremantle, Collingwood and Brisbane are three obvious examples. I would like to see us with more tactics to get back at some of the teams that have seemingly gone past us. 

Unless we change how we go about it I don't think we can beat those sides and that becomes your seasons death knell.

We play Lions (away Round 10), Freo (at the MCG Round 6) and Collingwood (MCG Round 13 and again Round 24) . I agree every game is important and we need to be winning a lot of our games, but those three games in the first 13 rounds will be critical to our self belief for season 2025. I hope we don't just roll out the same lame stuff as this year.

One at the start of the year at each of the grounds to welcome the fans to that area and site for the season then one to start the finals and of course indigenous round. Those ceremonies can be extended if wanted because they aren't as common. Surely that's enough.

3 hours ago, At Least I Saw a Flag said:

And the fact that he's dead might be an issue.

He's been a Collingwood member ever since

6 hours ago, Little Goffy said:

I'm really just throwing down the gauntlet to any of the Goodwin-hating numbnuts out there who also want to pump Longmire's tyres.

I'm certainly not Goodwin hating but I think it's important for our management to find out what Longmire is looking to do in 2026. He may be being sounded out for the Tazzie role, or looking at media or a job with the AFL or a complete break from coaching for a period of years. Another team may get to him and offer a huge amount of money. All that's fine.

But there is a scenario where we finish 10th or below and people will be screaming for Goodies head. This is the scenario where having had a conversation with Longmire, we can push to make it an option for him.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very bullish about our chances of getting back up the ladder and playing finals again in 2025. With Goodwin as coach. We have a very good list on paper, and if the stars align we should be considered as a team capable of winning the flag. But we should all be asking what is a pass mark for Goodwin in 2025? 

I thought Lindsay is more of an upgrade, especially over time on Billings. Billings was drafted to be that half forward connecter role, to do a lot of inside 50 kicking and improve our forward connection. It had limited success, but I think that is why Lindsay was recruited more than the half back role. He may end up there but he is too slight to play half back for a year or two i would have thought.

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.