D4Life

Presented, contested, grabbed 2, kicked 2, got pushed in back probably 6 times. Play him for the rest of the season and let him build some continuity and confidence!

He was at Melbourne last few years, if it was so blindingly obvious why didn’t he fix it?

No I didn’t say we’re going brilliantly, but I don’t think the season is over! Across the league the standard of many games has been poor, and the Demons have been bog ordinary. Last weeks team looked bad at selection and performed accordingly! It can turn quickly. This week the team at least has better structure, and Gold Coast aren’t great they’ve beaten Adelaide & Fremantle who will probably finish 17&18, so the Demons should win!

Fair enough, I really like his aggression towards the ball & opposition, he just appears slow to me, perhaps it’s that his skills and decision making that give me that impression.

I agree aside from one quarter against Carlton, our poor ball use and turnovers have made us look very ordinary at best. I’m not sure what is driving team selection, but doesn’t seem to be skills and structure. Weideman has to play the next 6-8 weeks at Probably FF, sit Kossie next to him, and let TMAC get moving at CHF. VDB while tough and hard, is slow, poor skills and slow to make decisions, Lockhardt has some ability but very slow decision maker, Jetta gets another chance to see if he still has it, or time and injuries have got to him. Bennell highly skilled has to play replacing Hunt! Melksham last chance and has to watch video 50 times from near wing/HFF where he burns player running past him and then tries fend off man on mark and gets tackleD & caught holding the ball!! Most worrying aspect of team is skill execution which kills any team strategy. But fact we are still ordinary on kick in strategy is a concern! could go through the whole team on the weekend other than Petracca & Hibberd, on things they can improve.

At start of season if you said we lose to: West Coast in Perth 4-5 goals Richmond at MCG 4-5 goals & Geelong at MCG close loss Beat Carlton It wouldn’t be the end of the season Demons win this week after picking Bennell for skill , Weideman marking target & Jetta better decision making! The season will stArt to look different!

Out In VDB. Bennell. Skill & speed replaces strength Lockhardt. Jetta. Better player & disposal Hunt. Weideman. Need another forward marking target Not often teams win after making more than 3 changes! Under the pump this week: Melksham Tomlinson Lever Hannan Smith TMac Salem Just getting started, looks promising for the future: Rivers Pickett Positives vs Tigers: Petracca Hibberd (new lease of life)

How were we the highest scoring team in the league in 2018 - same midfield! Hogan not in team providing a target is obviously a problem.

Totally, and cat defender in goalsquare in 2nd quarter obvious one hand handball, umps gave us frees but not where it matters, also each of their play on calls didn’t help us!!

Ablett Selwood Dangerfield umpires pets when is a 5 metre pass a mark - when Geelong kick it

Whoever we select, just get to round 10 with 5 wins, and anything could happen this season! The clubs that manage their playing List best will have a real crack at going a long way in the finals! TMac 3rd last match against Carlton he kicked 6 goals! The break in the start of the season, opening round in Perth, then 12?weeks off, game postponed last week, will take some time for us to be cohesive. Just need to wait 5-6 weeks to see how we settle, hopefully we can stay at least 50/50 re win loss and then come home strongly!

6 Petracca 5. Oliver 4. Gawn 3. Rivers 2. Hunt 1. Langdon

Cripps got one, I think the other 4 came from crumbing type efforts, hopefully Lockhart is fit and can play next week, as need someone willing to play small defender role!

Missing small defender who will stay down. Lockhardt to play, OMac to play full back, Lever back pocket! May CHB, Rivers HBF, raffle out of Salem poor, Jettaterrible, Harmes ordinary, Smith shocker, Blues zero goals at half time with one true small defender for the Demons! Number of times we had 3-4 go up for punch in backline just unbelievable! Jones also very poor! Bennell promising, skills elite! Hunt was good! Team stopped running during 2nd quarter and didn’t start again!! Give most of them another week or two, see how they pick up or replace them!

Panic In the 2nd half! Defence jumping into one another, leaving crumbers down. Demons lucky tonight, but will take it! Stopped running and attacking in the2nd half. Rivers looked good. Jackson okay. Lockhardt in for Smith!

A win still counts for four points Defenders jumping against one another

Rivers & Jackson must have trained the house down to get picked! At our abysmal worst still managed to beat the Blues last year. Hopefully with a fit list to choose from you we can do it again!!

A big Tiger fan Friend who is a footy head, said that Rance also copped a lot of flack from Tiger fans in his first 3-4 years. Agree 100% on getting a settled backline is key. Tiger structure always holds up! A lot of it simple stuff: - don’t all jump up and go for punch - don’t all race to the ball - 6 defenders stay in their half of the ground - someone guards the goalsquare - at boundary throwing have someone covering the goal side to stop the opposition crumbers Oscar is better at the structure stuff than most of the Demon defenders and is a very good kick and generally at picking the right option with his disposal. That’s a few of the reasons he is liked by the coaching panel!

Successful AFL teams don’t chop and change coaches constantly! Clarkson first two years were bad and he was criticised, got a flag ahead of schedule in 2008, then another three! Hardwick after 7 seasons a lot of fans and a supporter group tried overthrow the board, win premiership the next season. Geelong Bomber Thompson under pressure with coaching review end of 2006 season, goes onto win the 2007 flag. West Coast Adam Simpson under pressure goes onto win a flag soon after! Buckley while not winning a flag, had taken Collingwood progressively backwards for 6 years, then gets within one kick of winning a flag, and their likely to be a contender again this year. admittedly all are big clubs, except Geelong who get one of the best fixtures every year, and also have a salary cap advantage over the 9 other Victorian clubs, plus a major home ground benefit, playing and financial wise! Goodwin needs sufficient time and the right coaching team around him, Richardson will help. This year may end up being one of the most unpredictable years ever, so progress harder to judge, by end of next season we will see how good he is as a coach. While winning a flag is the ultimate success, and having supported the Demons for nearly 60 years I’m impatient for a flag, being in position to win a flag for the next 5 years, is the measure of being a good coach, then with a little luck we should win that elusive flag!

Reading all the views on Demonland always Provides some entertainment! without any AFL been getting some of my sport hit by watching Sunderland Til I die series on Netflix. You get to see the season after they were relegated from Premier League to Championship. Early dialogue is on some players don’t want to be here, club is virtually broke, the owner has just stopped pouring millions into the club to by players, and they have a new coach. After 1st match one of the better players out on the town and under the weather gets video taped on a phone naming a few players who aren’t trying and don’t give a stuff! Huge help to the coach! SUpporters initially go we don’t have the players going to be A very tough season, and haven’t been able to buy any players in the transfer window, only been able to get loan or cast off players, as other clubs are spending big money. Nearly 3 months in things going badly as predicted, supporters up in arms going sack the coach! Coach/Manager gets sacked, players confidence shot. New coach with big reputation comes in, loses their only two strikers in the January transfer window and struggle to get any real replacement. Be a miracle if they stay up, hard to win games without strikers. Demonland is very similar, everything is the coaches fault, players injured, not enough star players, players kick badly, or miss any easy shot after the siren, if we don’t win the flag it’s a failed season! Many on Demonland would have sacked Hardwick and Richmond would be rebuilding rather than having two flags! 2019 was a crap year, but surgeries pre season and injuries during the season, killed any opportunity. Let’s wait and see what happens in 2020 rather than write off the season after one round! Richardson stated , great getting Melbourne early on last year, as all their midfield group unfit, couldn’t run! Some of the positives he mentioned: - elite midfield (Viney actually fit, Petracca much fitter) - Finally having May & Lever in the field together, excellent communicators - Kossie going to be a player - Rivers kicking and progress - Run of Tomlinson & Langdon - Potential of Bennell - Potential of Smith - lots to be optimistic about Go Demons, we start the year seemingly very fit, so no excuses, let’s see how we go! If badly then Goodwin will be in the spotlight!

The league provides equalisation payments! However when you look how the teams with larger supporter numbers get preferential treatment from the AFLthrough Matches televised, blockbusters, on top of the natural advantage they have through supporter numbers, so larger crowds and sponsorships the equalisation funds provided aren’t anywhere sufficient to provide a level playing field. You need two decades of success to jump from where Melbourne is today to being a power club!!

Bennell on bench Fritta in pocket Melksham on flank OMac full back May CHB Lever back pocket or half back Hibberd - bench or Lockhart Jackson - out

Hunt has never recovered from when he knocked himself out running into the Crows ruckman hip at speed! Hasn't ever got back to his form pre that knock!

Highlight reel makes you remember how good he was, two good knees and he’s a superstar! What a pity!

Yes, he was a gun, pity only for a few years. He was just electric in that game, and so often would just go get the ball, rarely put on a plate for him. It would be brilliant to find another player like him!!