Altona-demon

Weideman is a very very good player. He's one of these perenially underrated players on Demonland. 19 goals from 13 matches is not a bad return, and this is with a dysfunctional forward group. I place him in that very talented 23-24 year old group that we have at the club. Only a lot of upside with this kid as he grows up.

What are the strategic improvements to the MFC that you would like to see us develop to take into the next year? My initial thoughts: 1. The ability to adjust gameplan. I feel like Geelong have illustrated the ability to change gameplay to take away the strength of their opponents on multiple occasions. Whether this was keepings off with us, or their ability to get Menegola back as a wing defender. I like Plan A, B, and C. It was disheartening in the least to see Oscar Mc thrown forward or Steven May late in the fourth quarter as desperate "change ups". MFC is far too predictable in our gameplan strategy. 2. Increase the spacing at the ruck and stoppage. Teams know we are seagulls to the chip at stoppage. Let's include Brayshaw in the centre mix as he has an ability to hold space and create options for Oliver and Viney to hb to. A couple of key observations about our stoppage work: - There is no value winning a contested possession in congestion if (as is the case with Viney) - you are likely to get caught, or (as is the case with Oliver) you are likely to have a rubbish disposal and create a very damaging turnover. - Our setup continues to be poor - the amount of times opponent teams are allowed to sit at the top or outside of our stoppages and pick up our contested ball work does my head in. Work it out. - Connection - hitouts to advantage are dominated by Max - but these don't convert to clearances - why? What is going on? Again let's work this out. - Let's see Oliver continue the composure and run from the stoppage, he looks a COMPLETELY different player when he backs his pace and clears the stoppage. Let's get him to embrace that. 3. Entry into forward 50. - If we bomb it in there - let's increase the fwd 50 defensive pressure IMMENSELY. Let's do this by trying to play Jack Viney (arguably our best chase down defender) in the forward 50. - If we can enter with more panache, then let's chase Ben Brown to have a more centralised lead up forward creating space for Weid as the second forward (ala Hogan and McDonald 2018). - Let's move TMac on. Interested to hear what other demonlanders think?

I've heard that sources close to the club say that Tom injured his foot, and it was really bad, as in never going to be the same player sort of bad. And tbh, he's been running around as if this was the case. he just looks soooo immobile. Incredible given the way and amount he could move in 2018. He looks lame, and he needs to be moved on. it's not pretty, but we need to win, and we need to make these calls now. So move him on and get someone tall big and fast who can lock the ball inside the fwd 50. This probably is not Ben Brown in honesty - but until that defensive pressure increases in fwd 50 we are cooked. Especially the way that we KICK into forward 50.

Just had a look at his set shot accuracy - he is around career 60% - significant upgrade on someone like BFritsch - who kicks at 48% (career and 42% this year). His goal average of 2.2 vs. BF 1, shows what sort of lead up forward he could be for the club. Fingers crossed.

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/B/Ben_Brown.html Backing Burgo in with a damaged player. 60 goals in that Norf outfit. I think we go for him. Avg 2.2 goals per game. That's higher than: - Tom Hawkins - Tom Lynch Also noting that Jack Riewoldt's best years appear to be 6-10 https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/J/Jack_Riewoldt.html

What's doing? He seems to have just dropped off the radar? Is it still management for next year - or is he out of favour?

Interested in what Demonlanders made of Garry's comments last night around having great individuals on paper but just a collectively average team. I thought this was an interesting insight - and an indictment on the coaching department to be honest. I think people look at our list, and it is good, but the lack of an identifiable (and changeable) system of play is a telling fault in our current club. We don't work out other teams, other teams constantly work us out and we just react. It's horrendous. Goody talks about becoming collectively ruthless and unconditional. He's failed at that. This team collectively is a joke - I think back to the way Port Adelaide laughed at us. I think the individual effort is good, but it's not cohesive (look at the way our midfield bulls are bees to the honey pot - or the way Fritsch almost spoiled Vandenburg for that mark in the fourth quarter last night, or the way Lever or May regularly spoils other defenders contests leaving a free run out the back). They run around like headless chickens, because there is no head. No leaders on field or off. I think while Gawn is a "nice guy" - I don't think he's a particularly competitive or even elite leader. If this collective culture is going to change, there needs to be some heavy decisions made around the collective aspirations of the club. Which may or may not involve some difficult decisions about individual's futures (Gawn, Viney, Oliver, Brayshaw, Petracca, Fritsch, Goodwin, Mahoney, Richardson, Pert)

To see his efforts this week and last week - for those sick sadists like me who rewatch the tape. Just look at how he runs after disposing to give a second effort, he's an attacking player, runs just like Hibbo used to before he got cooked. He's an All Australian waiting to happen for sure. To watch him hurting like he did today SCARES the sh&t out of me, BECAUSE here we have a player who genuinely hates losing and is a competitor (like Steven May) and our f89king shocking loser acceptance culture can gobble that up and turn you into a player who doesn't know how to win anymore. Look at how bereft of confidence for example Kozzy Pickett has become from that young confident player we used to have just 6 weeks ago. Our inability to kick in straight lines to predictable areas inside forward 50 is killing our developing forward line in Fritsch (a great reader of the ball and mark), Weideman (a developing key forward with a good overhead mark), and Pickett (a man who has to run to the f*&ng boundary line to try and find a crumb) - it's embarassing and it's been the same old story for about three years now.

Defence at stoppage is such a joke. Any chance Viney could touch the ball? Is Nate Jones playing - he's been attrocious. Can Melksham actually tackle in the forward half? OMAC believe it or not has applied more pressure in that quarter than any of our forwards (bar Spargo). This is the stuff that just kills you as a supporter.

Out coached. Clear that they didn't rate our forwards, and the forwards have shown that. No cohesion, no danger. Why the f&*k would you take out our only legitimate dangerous threat in Kozzy? We are so predictable. They sit back and then just shark better. F(&king disgraceful effort.

So, the Bulldogs rucking with Dunkley were able to dominate us around the clearance and the midfield contest, despite us winning the hitouts. What is the value in the ruck position?

It's a good point, Clarry is a completely different player when he uses that explosive speed to burst through the channels in the space (which don't exist when we are compact playing for tapwork). He also creates two looks for defences to manage - add tackle pressure to prevent him clearing the contest and he can hurt you with his handballs. I think Geelong's ability to change tactics and shift playing styles is the high watermark. The way they dismantled Port Adelaide with keepings off, looked very similar to the way they played against us. Their mix of experienced heads with the addition of players like Rohan and Menegola to add run and forward half pressure makes them a very hard team to beat. I can see them going the distance. If we can learn to shift our style as well, lead by experienced heads in the midfield (say Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Brayshaw, Gawn) we could become a regular finals team. Right now though, I haven't seen that in any of our games. And our position on the ladder reflects it.

This is my point exactly, its not a comfortable question to ask, but it is the right question to ask. Players aren't exempt from scrutiny because of past performance, and no player is greater than the success of the overall playing unit. The style and strategy of the team has looked stellar in his absence. The challenge for Goody and the team, is achieving this WITH Max in the team. The kick out down the middle or down the line, should be used sparingly. Max should be tried forward and do some damage on the scoreboard as a contested mark winner. He did this on occasion in 2018....

I think your point about Oliver and Petracca is so important, but more so for Oliver. When he starts running through channels and clearing contests with his speeds, teams will need to apply tackle pressure (rather than hanging off waiting for the spud handball as is currently the case) - brining this element to his game - and then hopefully adding the Dangerfield-esque edge of 50 goal (which I believe he can kick) - will make soooo much more dangerous. He is a helluva talent. Similarly, Brayshaw holding space is so key to balancing the inside and outside contest work of the team. Can't underestimate how good Brayshaw is when playing in the middle. V. exciting for the weekend.

Some great posts here - and thanks to some posters for genuinely considering what I think is an important issue. I don't contend that we are better without Max (that would be crazy) but the last two weeks have shown (as some people on the thread have picked up) - that when Melbourne shows different dimensions in that midfield or at stoppage we can be very hard to match. I think we need to use Max in different ways, its clear the strong teams prepare well against our perceived strengths. The Lions and Geelong games where good examples of this. Is there a pressure on midfielders to receive all of Gawn's elite tap-work? Does this result in flat-footedness? Also think that Brayshaw holding the space and Clarry starting to run - rather than quick dish - are two massive things for the midfield. Not sure I want JV coming back in with another bull onball....

All valid comments, and reflective of his strong performances over a number of years now. I'm still intrigued about what people think life without Gawn might look like, and whether we should start planning for that now. It's clear there is no faith in Preuss as per Old Dee's comments. Rucking is super physical - when is a ruckman's peak? How many more years do we have Max for? What is the succession plan? Is this week (and maybe the Pies game) a potential to understand that a bit better? Maybe sooner than we may have liked, but still the same - if, and its a big if, Jacko can remain fit - he could be a very very good footballer.

Take your point about the last quarter really hamming up the entire game's stats. I guess my post really was wanting to understand what Demonland posters make of the relative importance of Gawn's major strength (hitouts to advantage) - although I agree he has other benefits as well (he's captain for a reason). This is especially the case given in previous games we have dominated this statistic, but not the one that matters. It's a sample size of 1, but where we didn't dominate hitouts and the centre contest - we still got the chocolates, and honestly never looked like not getting them, and if we were more accurate it should have been 100+. Obviously some of that is a product of Norf injuries, weird system etc, but also when we look at the relevant strengths of Jackson rucking, say a year from now, they appear to be different players offering different things. Just wonder if life without Gawn (and with Jackson) will be such a bad thing after all?

Did anyone else think that the midfield didn't miss Gawn that much? Really Clarry, Petracca, Brayshaw are going to get enough of it, irrespective of ruck dominance. It almost looked like a weight off their shoulders not worrying about having to run off shoulder for planned tapwork from Gawn - it looked more unpredictable and tbh that worked well. The games that we have lost - have all been because our midfield has been predictable (and that includes Gawn's tapwork) and been able to be shut down. In this game, Norf dominated the hitouts (Goldy had 25) yet we had parity or better in clearances - and this is probably the first time our midfield has had to shark in about two years. I don't know - maybe its food for thought, but are we better team when we have this different look? Is it a look or shape that we can use to be more dynamic in our games going forward? Max is 28 - is Jacko our next Grundy (and the succession plan?). I personally love the idea of a roving ruckman like Jacko who can get his own groundball and has great decision making and hands like he does - a couple of times he was able to take that wider handball and clear the contest to relieve pressure (some of those inside midfields could take a note lol). Let's give Max a rest again and pair Jacko up against Grundy - master v apprentice!

Really like this idea, great experience for Jacko to learn from probably the games best roving ruckman - can't believe Jacko's second efforts sometimes, he has no right to be able to get down to balls the way he does, and he has great hands as well (option selection often taking the wider longer handball to relieve pressure - rather than add it, as is the case for so many of our middle players). Did anyone else think that the midfield didn't miss Gawn that much? Really Clarry, Petracca, Brayshaw are going to get enough of it, irrespective of ruck dominance. It almost looked like a weight off their shoulders not worrying about having to run off shoulder for planned tapwork from Gawn - it looked more unpredictable and tbh that worked well. The games that we have lost - have all been because our midfield has been predictable (and that includes Gawn's tapwork) and been able to be shut down. In this game, Norf dominated the hitouts (Goldy had 25) yet we had parity or better in clearances - and this is probably the first time our midfield has had to shark in about two years. I don't know - maybe its food for thought, but are we better team when we have this different look?

Love this, love the idea of Viney going forward as a pressure forward part time. With Harmes tagging Sidebottom this week, could be a great time to trial it.

Great two-way runner. He can kick as well, just needs that confidence to come up a bit, and get more comfortable in the team and he will start hitting up targets a bit better. Really encouraged by his play. Love the way he plays super wide and can stretch and open up the middle of the field. Invaluable player for us.

The team looked relatively balanced to me - but a few performance stood out as lacklustre. 1. James Harmes - fumbling, poor disposal, and free kicks. He's down on form - and looks lost across the half-back line, although admittedly is finding himself in good positions. 2. Nathan Jones - he's cooked, let's give that position to someone a bit more hungry for the ball and with much more run. Watched the tape back again this morning, and his lack of run and aggression is noticeable. Been a great servant, but I think he needs to have a rest and is at this stage a depth player. Underrated performances perhaps: 1. Langdon - continues to run into great positions and dispose poorly. If he can clean that disposal up, could be very damaging. He can kick, there was a great example when he got back into the defensive pocket to support and managed to release pressure with a 30-40m laser kick to I think Salem. More of that please entering forward 50. 2. Christian Salem - once again, everywhere and in everything - he is SO crucial to the back half and rebound of the footy team. Although interestingly Jake Lever is starting to support in that role (think Jake is really coming into his own now)

Agree - it sucks, but Brayshaw and Viney can't go together in the midfield. He just appears so natural through the middle, and looks silky (can't believe I am saying that) as his confidence is building. He has two feet, and can hit up leads into forward 50 at the same level or better than Viney (Viney has improved in this area). Viney's stoppage goal against Adelaide got me thinking about playing Viney as a small forward - could he play more forward of the ball? Gus is getting his mojo back, and I would hesitate to stuff with that.