Dee Viney Intervention

Next home game Eagles supporters will be standing and giving the 1 finger salute at the 12 minute mark of the first quarter.

If it is a case of the tail wagging the Dog then we are in serious strife. We need to get back to being a selfless team and clearly defined roles for players. Of course there is a place for Oliver, Viney and Trac but there needs to be balance. Have said for years that our list has been unbalanced all inside and no outside and a one paced team. Over the last few years we have drafted to address this as well as getting in players with better disposal but the game has shifted quickly to a fast paced transition game and we are extremely late to the party on the shift and are quite literally now chasing [censored] in game and in the competition. I believe we have the personnel now to play the transition game but my issue is what it looks like ahead of the ball ie forwardline. Despite it being a clear weakness over the last 3 years I see nothing that indicates a dramatic change to how it will function, that is not good enough and does nothing to change my belief that Goodwin cannot coach offence.

He’s an outside player with good disposal and some tricks, a bit of X factor about him. Fits a need and a type that suits the modern game. Has played senior footy for Devon Meadows in the Mornington Peninsula Football League which is a good competition. Been recognised this year for his leadership which is another bonus.

I would hope that we are into Butters and Gruzewski

Toby Sinnema is also Vice- Captain of the Stingrays this year

Congratulations Harvey and well deserved. Will give you a hell of a lot of belief going forward. Nice to have some positive news with our young guns. A rising star award and Xavier’s injury not as bad as it could have been. Hopefully this is the start of better things to come.

You’re a trooper. I too unfortunately was at 186. I also was at VFL Park as a young boy and witnessed 190, which surely should qualify me for life membership of the football club. I can confirm that I will not be going for the 3 peat on Friday. Good Luck.

The only positive for you is that you could claim it as a tax deduction

And if that is the case send them to Casey and tell them why, they will Learn pretty quickly. Give those at Casey an opportunity, tell them what you want to see. Player management, performance management, player development and list management as a collective has been poor. The club needs a shake up.

Agree with most of what you have said. We overuse the ball in and coming out of the backline. And the inevitable turnover happens and we concede a score. Honestly I would rather a chaos ball clearing the ball out of the backline out to the wing to the advantage side of Langdon/ Sharp/Chandler/Kozzie/Lindsay (fingers crossed) . But the way we set up ahead of the ball sets us up to fail, there is no imagination. Forwards pushing up the ground so high with no targets forward of the ball. Hold some back which creates space in the midfield / corridor as it would force the hand of the opposition to hold players back. If they play a plus one we need to identify that and have a target 20 metres ahead of the plus one and use the short option instead of blazing away. Our ball Movement is too slow, leading to congestion in our forwardline. Everyone in the AFL has known for years that our forwardline and its functionality and midfield to forward connection has been our Achilles heal. Sick of hearing the same platitudes “ we will leave no stone unturned”, “need to be better in all 3 phases of the game” etc. Goodwin cannot coach offence. He has coached any attacking flair out of the players and the team as a whole. Nothing has changed here and unfortunately I have no faith that it will. Would need a massive over correction in his mindset to do so. I mean offence based on setting up defensively. Release the shackles and let the players play and have some fun with their football, see what happens.

Hird is coaching director at Port Melbourne who is coached by Brendan McCarthy. Brendan was great when he was at Melbourne and after spending time Craig Macrae has got a passion for coaching back. Highly respected and a great communicator.

By virtue of our poor 2024 we have received a favourable draw this year. It is early days but to not make finals would be unacceptable. End of story.

Is Bailey Laurie injured. Strange list / player management to have a guy hooked from the Casey game last week at half time and rushed to the MCG as an emergency and this week not even in the squad it would seem Billings takes his place. And we extended his contract….. why????? Great to see Mentha in the squad and hopefully Langford gets a start this week.

Farmland is hard to find in metropolitan Melbourne so the next best thing would be Tracs kitchen

A small part of me wishes this game was at Marvel…………..just to annoy Hardwick.

Thanks for the reply and the training report/s . Probably me still grumpy from Sunday. I understand it is important to have a break from the grind of gym, meetings, watching tape etc. I know they have the main sessions at Casey which will be intense and I genuinely see the value in having fun sessions to keep morale high. As mentioned maybe just me but for the optics after Sunday I wish they had these games with an Aussie Rules Football. Glad to hear they had goal kicking practice today, I hope it wasn’t from the penalty spot.

Thanks for the training report Harvey. I’m all for keeping it light and fun and maybe it’s just me but please Melbourne Demons read the room can we not do it with footballs. Our basic skills, decision making and communication on the weekend were putrid. Play some team based fun games with an Aussie Rules football. Not great optics.

No,but even Ross Lyon plays a more attacking brand of football. Words I never thought I would say.

I understand that is his philosophy. The club or Goodwin has a decision to make. Do we persist with this defensive game style that is not contemporary or working. A style that will hurt our attendances and membership sales. A game style that will see us have less than commercially desirable fixturing which will also make us less attractive to sponsors ( eg shorts sponsor) all of which hurt our bottom line.

I just don’t believe Goodwin can coach offence. Hasn’t found a solution to our midfield - forward connection or forward line functionality over the last 3 years. I have no faith that he will be able to now. We are now also so easy to score against. Will always be grateful for the premiership but I don’t think he is the person to take us forward.

Difference between Hawthorn and Melbourne is that they had the balls to tap a multi premiership coach on the shoulder I doubt we do.

No a total regression. 2021 - Premiership 2022- Straight sets finals exit 2023- Straight sets finals exit 2024 - 14th We have gone from being good at contest and defence to now being good at what???? If that’s not regression we are stuck in quicksand and teams are flying past us.

They will also be happy that the media blowtorch will now be on us………and deservedly so. That performance today was unacceptable.

We didn’t fluke that flag, however everything else you said I absolutely and wholeheartedly agree with

Straight outta Comben