Dee Viney Intervention

Thanks, I think.

Kev, firstly thanks for all of your training reports and the detail you provide. Would you mind elaborating on the above “this delivering into a clump” I know it’s an open session and they may not want to give too much away. I hope we have something else up our sleeve as it sounds like more of the same.

Absolutely agree, the pressure is all on us now. Carlton are playing on a wave of emotion and have momentum as did we in 2021. I just hope we get off to a good start breaking the shackles a bit by playing some positive, attacking football.

If you were to sit Fritsch, JVR, Kossie, BBB, Chandler or any forward worth their salt down in a dark room with a tap dripping in the background some truth serum, shine a light in their eyes and ask them if they prefer the ball coming in slow into a mass of bodies I am tipping they will say no. We don’t get clean looks in good areas often enough to get value for our forward entry. It absolutely is the method. I don’t want to be the ungrateful kid on Christmas morning I am glad that we are playing finals compared to where we have been for most of my life. I am happy but not content, I want more. Our forward line and connection has been an issue for far too long. We should be better than we are, we are not. We don’t play to our forwards strengths it absolutely is the method. I hope I am wrong but I don’t think we can win a premiership playing the way we currently play. Not enough emphasis on offence for mine. Footy is a pretty simple game, if you score more than the opposition you win. I don’t think we give ourselves the best chance to kick a winning score.

Agree with everything you have said here. Watson plays with a chip on his shoulder almost. He is short but height or lack thereof-is not an obstacle for him and I think that internally he just wants to prove the doubters wrong. He is a star, he knows it but plays with a “healthy arrogance” that the true greats have. Genuinely hope we will call out his name as he will become a cult hero and immediate difference maker for us or wherever he goes.

Would be a great story to have him back and would fill a need but I think he is revelling in the relative anonymity of playing for GWS. Genuinely wish him well.

If we insist on continuing to play slow ball into a congested forward line then a player like Watson who is lethal around goals and creates something out of nothing should be our number 1 target. Followed by a Duursma/ McKercher I’d we can make it happen.

Inclined to agree, doesn’t have enough tricks for mine. Not slow but not quick either. If you are going to be an outside player you need a point of difference, don’t know what Laurie’s is yet. But in fairness hasn’t had a great deal of opportunity or continuity to show what he can do.

Not sure about Oakleigh but plays forward for Caulfield. Watson is a dead set star that can play midfield, could play back pocket but is lethal around goals. Quick, X factor, forward pressure, makes good decisions with the ball. Has a bit of Brent Harvey about him but I think with more tricks. For mine he is exactly what we need. Not ready to play AFL midfield now but would put him straight into our forward line. Would play front and square and compliment Kossie or allow Kossie more midfield time to give us a more dynamic look. Could allow Chandler to maybe play wing and put pressure on Langdon / Hunter who I think have been underwhelming this year until Howes and Woey Jnr are ready or the latter two could maybe transition into the backline.

He is year 11 this year so another year in the system. Would need to do more to make it, hope he does. Genuinely hope we draft his teammate Nick Watson though.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high with Noah. Didn’t stand out at school level with Caulfield Grammar, would be a romantic story to have him as a father / son but I think he will be another Kobe Farmer that is not quite good enough for AFL level.

Not so sure about Casey, Langdon hasn’t exactly lit the year up and I had hoped for a bit more from Hunter in terms of helping with connection into our forward line. While they are gut runners I wouldn’t say they have elite speed either would love him at Melbourne.

I have said it before and I will say it again we need to change the method to suit the personal. We will obviously missing first choice forwards for this game and beyond and that’s the way it is. What we do have left is good enough………but our method going forward MUST change. Our ball movement is way too slow and with little purpose other than to allow us time to set up behind the ball. It is quite frankly Auskick level stuff of winning the ball (contest) and bombing it forward with a more sophisticated defensive mechanism behind it to protect it. It is extremely conservative and I am over it. How about the defenders step up and do the job they should do and defend and we play a brand that allows our forwards the best opportunity to do their thing which is quick ball movement into an open forward line. It takes lights out at the Gabba or to be 4 goals down in the last 1/4 before we start to show some genuine attacking intent. I have been jealous watching the ball movement of the Collingwood, Giants and Lions over the last few days and I think what if. I don’t expect Bang Bang Bang every game but please Melbourne show some genuine attacking intent FFS and let’s see if we can create some magic in September.

Agree that our contest is our strength. However I would say our ball movement going forward is too slow which certainly does give our defenders a chance to set up behind the ball but doesn’t give our forwards the space, time and clean looks at goal that most forwards crave which I believe would allow us to be more efficient when going forward and give us more bang for our inside 50 buck. Would love to see a bit more of a value on offence as opposed to being so contest / defence. Just seems to be a negative mindset for mine.

Don’t disagree with anything you have said here. The million dollar question is are we playing to our strengths.

This and some foot speed

We are still not out of it yet but you could mount an argument to say that we have regressed. We finished 2nd on the ladder last year 4th on the ladder this year. Either that or teams are going past us or a combination of both. Hopefully there are learnings and no stone has been left unturned. Time will tell but hopefully our team can play to its true potential.

Hope our coaches and list management are watching the giants and see the importance of an outside game. We are all inside no outside. Their ability to win contest and spread and ball movement into a forward line that has motion and space whether it be fast or slow ball movement is a thing to behold. They are also very disciplined in their roles talls doing what talls should do and smalls doing what smalls should do.

Maybe we could ask Carton if we could borrow their lawyer and appeal JVR suspension. Their lawyer is the unsung hero for them this year.

I get that we want to be a contest and defence based team. But why does it take the lights to go off at the Gabba or be down in a big final at the MCG at 3/4 time for us to flick the switch and start to play with more speed on the ball and more directly giving us “better” looks at goal and momentum in the game. We are more than capable of playing attacking football we just don’t have the balance right. I understand we are missing Petty, Melksham and Brayshaw off earlier denying us Trac spending more time in the forward line but this ball movement and midfield / forward connection, forward efficiency and smalls not playing their roles, or really our forwards playing defined roles period is not a new phenomenon. And we want to put all our eggs into Harley Reid. We have a lot of issues to address with our list, Harley Reid will not solve them we need to draft a number of quality youngsters that can play outside the contest and impact the scoreboard.

A Nick Watson would be handy

Maybe Langdon should stand the other side of the boundry line, Sidebottom seems to be kicking or hitting there a lot.

[censored] him, he’s all duck no dinner.

To be fair though, South Australia is not only just 30 minutes behind us in time but also behind us in intelligence.

If Centrelink opened at 6am it wouldn’t be “too early for them.”