Deemania since 56

Umpiring in Adelaide against a SA team is one of the biggest hurdles Melbourne will ever face - particularly if a finals berth may be waiting for the 'home' team. Never tear us apart: umpire decision-making and Port free kicks. Gawny is in for an series of unseen bashes. Oliver is in for a series of unseen bashes. Bring in AVB, I say, to ease the pain and test the manliness of back-of-the-head harm maximisation. Dees, by 3 hospital visits to none, I'd reckon.

We manage players, like all teams. Why can't the umpires be 'managed' as effectively?

Logic supports this thought,

The reality is just that - it is definitely over to G and Co to sort out the forward potency that we all see as an enormous, dormant asset and to strategise what they could produce. The timeframe for the development of finals readiness is perfect, right now and highly necessary, right now. Favourites, anticipated experiential form and a host of conventional thoughts have seen us dip. It's time to change, producing another 'new' strategy and more bang for the buck.

I keep saying to myself: '...why don't we pick up a Caleb Daniels ... there's lotsa blokes playing footy who are not built like Adonis, who play hot footy that astounds other players...', so maybe you have just hit the nail on the head in mentioning Bowey. I saw him interviewed and he seems a smart young man, very 'learnable' and keen to do realistically well. Worth a try, particularly if he is a good ball handler, disposer, ground action man and is aware of what must be done,

Interesting the word 'panic' is used instead of 'action' in which there are plenty of resources to deal with an our form slump - some are so obvious it angers quite a few of us that the FD has not taken these, nor predicted such needs. Crunch time will come as a consequence but could be avoided entirely; show us the light, Chocko and Ooze.

It's a possibility that we are 'pretenders' as we lack the courage - reliably - to blood new and fresh talent and opportunities - where our 'leaders' in the FD play and replay the same old, ever-hopefuls in preference to real-time alternatives. Our talent bases do not flourish as these should. The processes applied wear out our highly skilled into various extensions of form losses and player fatigue. Our match day competitiveness - even in good times, such as now - diminish and wither on the vine - even in good times, such as now. The talent pool and its generation wanes, so we resign ourselves to starting again. I always thought that the pheonix was supposed to rise from the ashes?

Underperformers receiving the passed buck - to diminish their own poor efforts - through disguised credibility to comment in the first place.

Worthy of consideration.

All good points - some very valid and worthy of action. These are difficult decisions and even more difficult to admit as observer comment. I think that the coaching staff have decided across the past month to ignore experienced observational comment.

We know our selectors will not make changes or improved performances. Perhaps, a flogging by Port Adelaide will help.

Variation is what we need up forward, right now. Considerable change is necessary to end the repeating slumps through which we pass. BB, Daw, AVB, JSmith need to be in. Two newbies of the roving type with good foot skills must come in for Spargo and Pickett, immediately. Tracca must be allocated at least 50% time in the forward line. Selectors must justify their role and record.

Hunt's charges into the forward line in the last quarter explified his enthusiasm for a target - solely carrying the weight (and subsequent consequences) of a static forward structure, and he must be congratulated (at least) on the territory that he singularly gained in at least three of these forays. It is as if our forwards (other than Fritta) have limited desire to complete the plays or to make ground to receive with evasion, space and innovation. These are the consequences of playing forwards who are too comfortable with their responsibilities thus affecting their effectiveness and impact. Whilst our midfielders do take far too many wayward long bombs or unsighted clearances ahead, it is not entirely their fault. The forwards initiate zero plays with movement and clever positioning, thus providing zero targets for effective midfield clearances.

Viney added very little other than slowing the game and its flow down whenever he earned a free. His kicking is equivalent to most disappointing - he seems unable to achieve the correct length for a receiver to run into or the control for the receiver not to have to backtrack from whence he came instead of watching the ball sail well over his head. Spargo and Kozzie should have been 'managed' this game. GWS has a lifelong history of mobile and agile medium-height players leaving our two 'roving' types well out of the play, all game. We needed some courageous and taller scouts around the packs, perhaps those with a little muscle bulk and a capacity to step lively. We needed BB into FFwd attracting confronted opposition backmen to release the Fritta, TMac and an improved smaller brigade selection for the snaps. Even Daw may well have contributed to this capacity and might have marked well and kicked truly. Vanders was available and should have been utilised across HF to HB - he not only sorts opposition players, he creates plays in our favour. Still we played with determination in the last half but it was not enough.

All we need is a fit AVB between half-forward and half-back, rejoining the team as his presence does make us a better team; but importantly, we need a player of his type to assist clear a few pathways for his teammates and to de-stabilise some big personal opinions amongst the opposition, such as Bumford.

We have to kick straight with goals, the earllier, the better - and maintain such a performance. Tags must abound.

Shaming their ruckman is not good form and possibly, is a wasted effort as his supporters cannot read. Let Spargo do it as his direct opponent in the ruck, instead.

Agreed, but our forward line needs to have a fully (or at least partially) freed Fritta and TMac, and one or two attacking, pacey smalls. To my way of thinking, BB with standard support might have just occupied enough key defenders to achieve this layer of mobility. However, there may be a 'trick' to the anti-GWS backline roles for Jackson and Gawn down forward.

Golly, I wish Vanders had an opportunity to line up on Mumbum.

Fritsch should be good for us against GWS, provided the team looks for him on leads out from the deeper forward areas and thus, being chased by a likely defender that will open space and decrease opposition focus for/on BBB. Melksham endured the unexpected last week; he would be handy, as well with his more serious game skills. That leaves a few to step up, scout, rove, crumb and allow TMac to do his thing - on delay, to zones, peripheral forward movement.

We are Demon fanatics because of players such as Sean Wight and the underpinning character that he displayed.

We are playing well - and still within ourselves - but it is highly enjoyable and I am sure the players feel that way, as well. As the temperatures rise nearing the finals series (of which we are almost a confirmed challenger), it is most likely that our congested player selection scenario will have largely been sorted and with this, the Dees are going to get hot, hotter and angry. Who cares what others say (I am sure that others - particularly the media - are thinking about just how promising we will look nearing the finals). The media has a role to promote all teams in the competition to maintain high public attention for one reason or the other. Bandwagon teams attracted by the forces of gravity will abound in the coming weeks. We must face it in this time period to come; we are not going to fall off. Carna Dees!

Magnificent example (but I am talking about footballing skills). Yeata was one of the best ...

We had some good players, some brilliant. So did the Essendrug few. I was personally quite impressed with Brayshaw's game, the thinking and variation of achieving the best outcome from his 'getting' of the ball. He has lost the panic in his football, as well; this enables him to pick his best targets, not just support nearest to him. A vital cog for our team game. Onyer, Gus.

He repeatedly does this as well as anyone - up, down and around the ground, picking up a goal or two along the way.