D4Life

What percentage of players drafted between 10 - 20 since 2000 have played over 200 games? I wouldn’t mind betting it’s less than 33%. So some people on this thread are happy to take a less than 1 in 3 chance on a kid and trade Petracca who will play over 200 games, just crazy! Petracca is one of the few players who improved this year, in a team that was terrible. Would be a shocking a trade for pick 10-20, or 8-18! The most successful teams in last 15 years include Hawks, Swans, Geelong, and WC have the opposite strategy!

Agree with Binman and particularly your 2nd para Unleash Hell. I think all of Brayshaw, Oliver, Harmes & Viney had surgery or injuries over pre season that made our two way running in midfield much worse. Add in Jones who just wont run two ways and Lewis too slow and you get caught out a lot. Then have back line sitting too high and you have big defensive problems, Dees in 2020 unfortunately. Forward line with TMac not fully fit and out of form, Weideman not kicking on from 2018 and not one nippy forward, the forward line didn’t function. Add pre season woes and then injuries during the season and you have a crap year. After 50plus years on watching Demons, seems like we’ve rarely if ever been a good two running team, and our best football is when we keep the ball moving quickly. Round 6-11 last year we started to really move the ball and play with confidence and it was electric! Hopefully after nearly all our players get a full pre season under Burgess and they train two way running and spread, stop all going for ball at same time, with a soft draw, 2020 offers some hope!

2020 Wishlist Game Plan - in the guts - don’t all jump in after the ball, have someone wait outside to receive who can run and has skills. Run both ways, particularly hard when the opposition gets it. Max once a quarter just belt it 20 meters forward in the ruck! - out back - don’t all jump up to mark or punch, have a few stay down for the crumbs, someone mind the goalsquare, at ball ups & throw ins someone stay goal side to block opposition rovers small forwards! Hold the line in place rather than all going in one half of the ground! - up forward - clean fast delivery, too forwards who lead(not just to the boundary line), take the shots for goal, especially if you mark inside 50, kick straight, crumbers get some snaps! Players - No off season ops - Injury free pre season, where they run a lot, with ball in hand so working on skills - Need - two quick wingman, two quick small forwards, one quick small back Good fortune from poop season - Very good draw - #2 or #3 pick in draft plus an early 20 pick - Salary cap extra space - longer pre season - Burgess meant to be very good - Richardson will be a VG assistant as he was previously and will have learned a lot in six years as coach, also as St Kilda opened Melbourne up, really understands our weaknesses Farewell to another shocking season, we’ve suffered a lot of them, 53 personally, but it builds resilience! Bring on 2020, we live in hope!

Retired Lewis & Maynard Need 5-6 more to go Garlett - cooked Hannan - between injured and too big a difference from his very good to awful J Wagner - tries hard but lacks skill & reading of the game keilty - good - very good VFL, just not AFL Hore - very good plus at VFL, under pressure at AFL doesn’t make it, very close, Pies let very few good ones go! T Smith - almost good enough but 29 C Wagner - VFL very very good, maybe survives as back up!!

He should take 3 years at GC from a financial perspective. Dees could only give him one more year!

Agree, was expecting a 10 goal disaster! However, kicking 1.7 in the last and throwing away a win still hurts!

Jones has given great loyalty and service to the club, so we should acknowledge both of those! The last two years, he hasn’t run or tackled and disposal has been ordinary at best. He can play one more season as a role player, but he needs to lift!!

Once your confidence is shot, you will find a way to lose - 1.7!

Choco Williams Sais a year or two back on the radio, the coaches mantra of one soldier out another in, is what coaches have to say, but he basically called it out as total BS, replace 4-5 of your top 8 players with players 23-27 on your list and your stuffed! While we’ve underperformed with what we’ve had available, our injuries and poor off season add up to a bad year, maybe not 5-17, but irrecoverable from a good season perspective. Bring on a great pre season, a fit list, good draw, better draft picks and s bit of luck and who knows what 2020 holds!

Sounds like better than we have currently. At 73 it’s a yes!

Done! Fortunately I couldn’t make Friday night, sounded putrid. But after 50 plus years supporting them , I just have to stick fat with them, as maddening as 2019 has been!! Just think of the joy if we win one flag after 55/60 years of waiting and waiting!

Once the team has lost confidence, in a season where everything is going wrong, it just spreads and I think has caught Salem! He isn’t a great defender would prefer see him wing or half forward occasionally going into middle for clean disposal!

Hate to agree with your post, but it’s hard to disagree! Lets hope to go out with a strong finish!!

Agree 100%, let’s see what he can do after a full pre season! He has lifted the team on his own back in a few big games when firing, would be great to see him 100% fit at the start of the season.

The years been a disaster, an average of nine goals worse per game is dreadful! But that’s not a Pert issue! McArtney, Mission and others will go, lets see who else goes before laying blame! Agree with others that Chaplin hasn’t got through message to the backline, similar whoever is responsible for mids not running both ways!

2020 on the positive it’s an Olympic Year and the Dees generally perform better! Pros Better draw Top2/3 draft pick Longer pre season Hopefully less injuries Some new assistant coaches Get much fitter under Darren Burgess Needs Fixing Drafting of speed, talent & smalls. Recent efforts with KK, Baker for wings and Johnson, Bedford, Spargo have not delivered, need to find a few that make it. Langdon & Hill are on the right track, not surf here re the small forward. Maybe one more tall marking forward. Basic game plan stuff: - Backline don’t all jump up to punch, someone stay down - Someone mind goalsquare - At throw ins, small guarding path to goal on the goal side - Mids actually really run both ways - Mids don’t all jump in after the ball, someone stay outside - Mids recruit some outside speed - Forwards really lead, and not just into pocket - Take responsibility to take the shot! - Find some crumbers - Get ball in quickly, doesn’t mean don’t look (Dees always looked crap playing slow precise football) In 2000 we had a few really good assistant coaches from memory, Ratten in the guts and I think it was Weston? backman from bombers for the backline and our midfield work was slick and backline incredibly disciplined (like Tigers now!). Some appointments like that would be great. And a match day tactician.

NOooooooooooooooooooooo I’ve left the country for 4 weeks to miss the end of this tragic season, but at least when we were up and going last year, it was great to watch. could never enjoy watching Ross Lyon coached team, so slow, boring and miserable!!! Week after week after week!!!! Never!

It was showing signs of improvement and TMac got injured, then Weideman also injured. Melksham, JSmith, Garlett, T Smith all out makes it difficult!!

JWagner on average every 2nd possession he gets, stuffs it and generates an Eagles goal! VFL only!

It was one of the great days at the footy, he kicked something like 11-8, he was spectacular. i like the suggestion to stick Petracca in the goalsquare and just go for it! Would be fantastic if he could deliver half what Jakovich did in that purple patch!

Playing with zero confidence, wouldn’t believe it’s almost the same team as last year!!

Forget the frees. Fritsch misses from 15 metres out, disgraceful!

just basic errors, max drops easy mark!

Jetta way out of touch.....should have a full week in vfl!!

Dees not clean, some players zero confidence! ANB gone totally backwards this year.