Red But Mostly Blue

Given Viney's predicament, I can see the value (and perhaps necessity) in bringing back Tyson. But it all just feels so familiar. We drop Tyson because he's slow and keeps turning the ball over to opposition, then clamour for his return after a week in the 2s on the basis that maybe he's gotten faster and improved his disposals in the week off? The same goes for Bugg, but double. So we can't risk his return for such an important game.

I thought we were pretty decent on Saturday without Tyson/Bugg. Hannan didn't set the world on fire, but I see more potential in him developing than I do with Tyson, who is static, and costs us goals.

15 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

Stats don't lie, the man is a freak - I can't wait to see how much he develops in the next 50/100/200 games!!

10 hours ago, Surfer Dee said:

Of all the over the top melt downs on here tonight, I have no idea why Weideman is in the firing line. Great game from a young key forward. Crashed packs, took a few grabs, showed some aggression. What's he played? 10-15 games? sheesh. He'll kick a bag if we stick with him this year. Some seem to make a decision on players and then ignore what they see in front of their eyes. 

Gutted with the loss. But the pressure we applied with some improved skills and efficiency inside 50 will be good enough to take care of most teams in the comp. The blowout was completely understandable for me. It wasn't that we couldn't keep up anymore, it was how much effort we'd put into getting back into the game for no reward. It's completely demoralising. My brain was ready to melt and I was exerting no physical energy. A few cleaner chains of possessions, Hogan kicks that goal and we're in front midway through the last. That makes all the difference to the mindset of our players when it comes to the effort at the end of the game. 

Our defence was very good. Oscar, Lever, Hibberd, Jetta finally clicked and you can see what the plan is here. More of this please.

It's also worth noting that Richmond are very, very good. In particular their finishing around goal. They have about 5 players who barely touch the ball except for when they get a crumb in the forward 50. One step and they goal. So clean. They make half chances into goals. So many of their goals were from contests that we did well to even up only for a wet and slippery ball to somehow pop out to their advantage. The score at the end flattered them. The game was closer than that. In terms of the closeness of the game, it felt like a 20 point loss. Which I think is about right. 

The game plan has merit and issues. We dominate the ground balls so we play chaos footy. When the ball is on the deck we look intense and control the game. It's a strength of ours so we're wise to play this way. But the result is that our disposals are constantly rushed and we're completely stuffed by the end. We just need to grab say 20% of North Melbourne's game plan where they move the ball with a bit more control and take their time. There were moments in the game where we tried to do this, but Richmond just doesn't allow uncontested marks and we fumbled too much to execute it. The backline finally worked, but Richmond shut down our ball movement. The game plan will be OK I think. 

Our biggest issue is our players. We have  some seriously out of form players who are failing to execute the game plan, or even footy fundamentals. We don't have obvious replacements for them in the twos either. Our small forwards were horrible. Players we expected to step up have gone backwards. ANB, Harmes, Jeff, Hunt, Stretch, Tyson, Vince, Wagner are all not performing to the level we expect. 

Positives are Hogan, Clarry, Gawn, Hibberd (huge tonight), Lever, Omac, Salem, Brayshaw, Petracca. I think Salem, who has only played maybe 8 games as a mid, is really growing into the role. 

Add in Viney & Tmac. Maybe Balic comes in for one of Harmes and ANB. Play a few games in dry conditions. We have winnable games the next 4 rounds. Let's see where we are then. I think a few wins and a bit of confidence will make a difference. 

2018 is not going as well as we'd hoped, but it's not as bad as it feels yet. 

 

Still gutted by last night's game (the fumbles, the inability to capitalise in our forward 50, the passengers in our team), but this is one of the best counter posts I've read so far. Keeping positive, despite the burning in my gut that I've seen this show before...

20 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

I’ve had a couple of hours and a few glasses of red now to relax and calm down and reflect on the game. Bad idea reflecting on the game because I’m now quite frustrated and angry again. 

I also thought it might be better after a few glasses of red, but no such luck. May as well finish the bottle. Unlike the Dees today, I'm seeing this through to the end! ? ... ☹️

Yep, absolutely. We are surely the quickest team to score against.

Whenever I see the ball cross into the other half, I almost always chalk it up as a score, because I'm so used to it.

I know we're a young side, and we're learning, and it's a long year of footy, and there's always next week etc etc etc

... But geez, if the fact that we got smashed by the Hawks (again) wasn't sad enough, then you just have to look at the fact that we smashed them in the first qtr and then did the classic Melbourne thing and left the building.

Today's game? I've seen that show before...

Use my knowledge of tax law to claim that my membership payments are actually charitable donations.

Apply the component of my tax refund to host a garage sale (with sausage sizzle), and sell all my earthly possessions.

Become a monk.

Move to Austria, never to speak of football again.

(Or just remain calm, have faith - not sure which, yet - it may depend on size of loss).

Trac/Gawn/Oliver all excellent (minus 'that' moment).

Came back in q3 where historically we have tended to fold, and let the game blow out.

Took a top4 team to the brink, even though we didn't play as well as we could have. Yes, they were sans Danger and Harry, but we were also missing TMac and Jack.

(I was there, it was electric - we'll fine-tune, it's going to be a great year - thanks for the positive post @billyblanks29)

Bit dramatic, to be sure.

I'm just pumped for Sunday. Bring it on!

This is terrible...

BUT if we are truly to become the great club we should be, then this is just a test and some of the other guys will step in the fill the void. We have plenty of talent and some interesting newbies, such as Bayley Fritsch to remind us that we're more than 2 players. This is also a great opportunity for Weideman to step up.

We have a great list. Let's go, boys!! So excited for Sunday.

6 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

 

It's not just about Watts. He's the lightning rod. But there's more at play.

Goodwin is making a statement. And it is not "if we can only get rid of Watts, we'll be a finals winning side".

You can bet your behind that this is not the only aspect of his stand.

This is only part of it. He will having quiet words to Gawn, Bugg, Kent, probably Jesse in the pre season when 2017 is behind him, and others. Assuming they don't get the message anyway.

It's about setting standards that cannot be dodged or done in a half @rsed fashion.

If he got rid of Kent, would everyone get the message? Maybe, maybe not.

But he's gotten rid of Watts. Is anyone in any doubt at all of his determination to succeed?

Go Goody.

Go Demons.

GOLD, could be the best post I've read in this thread.

I've processed different emotions regarding the process of Jack's exit: shock, dismay, disbelief, regret (I love a good story of redemption), and anger, but it is now done and if this hasn't sent a rocket through the list, nothing will.

There's a clear message here, and it is one of an uncompromising mission for success in 2018, and beyond. For years we've kept things the same and wondered why things have not changed - but here we go! I wish Jack the best, he seems like a pretty chill guy, but I'm really excited for the years ahead.

We've turned a corner here.

3 minutes ago, McQueen said:

I feel that it reflects his value quite accurately.

This makes the most sense, totally agree.

[Please let this be the case...]

Given the percentage that cost us a spot in the finals, having Jake in the team would have saved some of those precious points scored against us. If we had made the finals, who knows what could have happened. We beat most teams in the top 8. We beat Adelaide, and should have beaten the Tigers (before we choked - in a game where Jake's skills could have stemmed the tide). So players like Jake make a difference, and lift the rest of the team.

This trade is costly, but you always get what you pay for. We're paying for 10 years of actual defence, and youngsters to one day learn from Jake and the others who have benefited from his presence.

The fact that Jake wants to be here shows we're on the right track. Bring on 2018.

Thank you to everyone who makes this forum happen. It looks like a hell of a lot of effort!

Prior to joining (only very recently, as my post number suggests), I was an occasional lurker...

I joined because I was broken after the end of our 2017 season, and was looking for other broken souls to help ease the pain (weird, right?), but instead, I found other likeminded, spirited Dees with interesting and thoughtful banter (not to mention another way to spend time that should instead be devoted to work/chores/filing tax returns). I mean, look at that JW thread! One day, it's going to need to be printed with a table of contents for ease of reference!

Looking forward to more of this as time goes by, but hopefully we'll next be talking about how we went from 9 to Premiers in 2018! (then 5 more for good measure, to make up for the lost years).

7 minutes ago, Red and Bluebeard said:

I wish it were that more people knew the phrase corvi non carborundum?

Thanks to Google (the knower of all things), I do now!

haha it's perfect!

7 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

You’re talking on-field, Goodwin and the club are talking off-field. 

It’s tradition to spin a bit of a yarn about yourself in your first post. Welcome. 

I'm (now) 4 posts in and just realised I've spun no yarn (thanks @Ethan Tremblay)...

Hmmm, I'm a lawyer working in the state taxes field, married to someone far wiser than me, I love music (currently spinning new albums from The Horrors, Protomartyr, Wolf Alice, Foo Fighters, LCD Soundsystem, but I love anything really, from 90s Smashing Pumpkins to metal, electro, and some pop), and good TV (favourite recent shows include Bojack Horseman, Rick and Morty, Master of None, Fargo, The Handmaid's Tale, Catastrophe and GoT). In my spare time, I catch up with good people, sit in the sun (when Melbourne is good enough to get it), and I run @theshortnews on Instagram and other channels with the similar name where I use Lego to tell the news. I have a strange sense of humour (might explain the Dees thing, but Jimmy handballed me the footy 29 years ago, and that was that).

Nice to meet you all - look forward to some good chats!

2 hours ago, Ron Burgundy said:

Great post - perfect assessment IMO.

I too am very relieved that Mahoney has spelled out the situation clearly and without ambiguity. This had the potential to get really ugly, although I personally take some comfort from Mahoney's comments.

I'm really glad the club promoted Mahoney into a leadership/management position. He has performed extremely well in this role.

I'd like to see Jack Watts spend his career with the red and the blue. Clearly he needs to lift his approach to training though and not merely rely on his natural ability to deliver on the field, which IMO he generally has over the past 2 years.

Seemingly Watts needs to realise that, given his age and time at the club, he is a leader and needs to behave like one, even if he does not ultimately wish to have a formal leadership position.

Really hope to see him in the red and blue next year. Dominating.

 

2 hours ago, Akum said:

Another excellent first post. Welcome aboard.

Thanks for the kind words and warm welcome.

Totally agree, Ron - Mahoney has been fantastic. Jack dominating next year would be a sight to behold. With a few more recruits, lessons learned and some self-belief, we'll be unstoppable.

For sure! But it would be a hell of a journey to watch! @willmoy

13 minutes ago, ManDee said:

 

Thanks for the profile pic, ManDee! Love it. It's so me....and it's red, but mostly blue. Perfect!

Long time lurker, first-time poster. Hi, everyone!

Big JW fan, but I guess much of that is premised on the fairytale of converting potential to success, much like the club itself.

Up until now, I've been highly unimpressed with the handling of this matter. Yes, JW has had his moments (pre-season /his perceived lack of hunger etc.), and he has been frustrating because of the disparity between his best and worst. It's all exacerbated by the #1 tag and his 9 years at the Dees. But he loves the club, and saw us through some dark times. We need people like that. But, I totally agree that things can't stay the same for things to change.

So, Mahoney's comments today are comforting. I now believe there is a chance of JW staying, but that if he does, there is no question whatsoever (Wattsoever?) that he is a leader, and needs to act and play as one. He won't ever be a hard nut like Chunk and Viney, or the fastest on ground, but he's silky and reads the game better than most, and when he's at his best, we play better for it. He's my choice for goal 50m out, after the siren, and one day that could win us a game/final/GF.

But if he goes, I will also know that he was not prepared to be the player we need him to be (or was not able to convince Goody/PJ of this). I'm still kind of broken by 2017 (and other years), hence my name, but I see big things and I'd love for JW to be there. My gut feel is that he'll be there, and he'll be amazing. But I'm a dreamer. I have to be as a Demon, otherwise I'd have checked myself into a psych ward years ago.

I need a profile pic...