rpfc

17 minutes ago, Tracca said:

Why is everyone using his knee as an excuse?

 

this is the reason he shouldn’t be playing. If his body isn’t up to it anymore then he needs to go.

 

he will be dropped this week and everybody going to have a teary?

‘Have a teary’? 

Why do you think he is playing? Let’s flip that around; Goodwin comes up to you and tells you to wipe your nose, close your mouth lest the flies get in, and asks you why you think he is playing. What do you say?

2 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

You try playing AFL level football with a knee that is bone on bone and then tell me how soft you are 🙄

Ben Brown has a much better idea of how to play a key position forward role than just about anyone else on our list. His body is unfortunately not what it once was and he’s bravely battling on because nobody else has been able to step it up! 

Literally the worst kind of ‘supporter’

3 minutes ago, Tracca said:

He is the softest player in our forward line lol. You are kidding me right? Bloke has no idea how to attack the football, arms go to jelly as soon as they are hit….. he’s toast and hope he doesn’t play again we need a player that competes in the air not just sticks an arm up. Blind Freddy saw it yesterday hence why he was subbed

Is it still school holidays in Vic?

11 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

Exactly, it’s good that’s what I’m saying!

Bit it was particularly clear with how Pickett was used yesterday.

How good was Pickett up the ground? 

I think it’s the Chandler Effect.

1 hour ago, Demonland said:

Buck changing his tune this week (sort of) ...

 

I agree with him. We have shifted in game style and personnel and it has worked. We look better with the footy than we have for a couple months.

At some point I would bring in Grundy for JVR and Oliver and Fritsch of course for Jordon and Smith in the 23 but we are getting there.

14 hours ago, Clint Bizkit said:

It’s part of my comedy routine that I have perfected in pursuit to win the affection of fellow Melbourne nuffies on an internet forum.

9 hours ago, A F said:

What does this look like do you think?

Is it built around a particular player or two, or built around a different system or approach altogether?

I think it is a bit more counter offensive and aggressive with getting an extra to the defensive contest. We are happy to leave May one out against the best he is that good, but we won’t in the future. And I would lean into McVee and Rivers natural desire to run through HB, Salem and Bowey will still be there which is crucial if we want to quicken up the pace - they are elite kicks.

So without the footy; press with wings behind footy trying to cut off short kicks toward top of 50 mitigating Lever going full interceptor. You can do this from a stoppage too without the press.

Then with the footy; run from interception through HB line as quickly as possible. Have forwards deeper to stretch the field and create space left by the press (no one knows where anyone is on either side) for the initial kick off HB. It would be different from stoppage without the press in place of course.

Anyway, high level - lean into Lever and our HBs skill sets as opposed to May. I want opposition mids coming forward to think twice because of how hard they are going to have to work defensively immediately from turnover.

10 minutes ago, A F said:

Agreed, but I'd counter is by saying the backs do not like the run and gun, because on turnover we don't bring them enough cover.

I hope we can strike the right balance. That's what the H&A season is for. 😉

Yeah, as May ages I think we need evolve that back line and what drives it.

7 minutes ago, A F said:

Great post, although I think people forget that we lost the 2nd and the first 15 mins of the 3rd quarter in the GF quite comfortably.

We played a great first quarter, an irresistible 10-15 mins at the end/second half of the 3rd, which knocked the stuffing out of the Bulldogs, and then we hit them with a great last quarter.

So I think it's really important to remember that even in that huge GF win, we struggled to play 4 quarters.

I think if we can find 4 quarters of consistent Melbourne football this year, no team will beat us.

Yes, but the premise of your thesis (and I peer reviewed it and it stands up) is that even in our dominance - we didn’t do it for 4 quarters. We simply have to capitalise when it is our turn to - hence the need to open the game up these last 5 weeks and play some effing footy. 

Trent Rivers and Pickett look so exciting when the shackles are off and this forward line of plucky upstarts and well worn vets and this midfield of lunch pale union guys look happier when they are running and gunning. 

17 minutes ago, old55 said:

I'd like to see Hibberd in for Dusty who is in very good form. The out is tough though - McVee or Bowey, I'd like to retain both.  I thought Woey was, not surprisingly, off the pace today and he'd be my out but it would take some shuffling to achieve it. 

With Kossie playing higher I'd like to see some more defensive pressure inside 50 but I'm not sure who we could move in there to provide it. McVee is probably the best option but it's a big, crazy move.

It’s a tough call. I don’t think you can drop McVee tho. His dash just needs to be rewarded. 
 

I prefer a Spargo-less forward line especially with Fritsch not there. CS is smart with ball in hand but he is like Chris Paul sometimes with how play slams to a stop as he assesses all the options he can no longer use. Fritsch was great at finding that space and making that work.

Also, Pickett has to go up the ground and for that to be something we go back to - our forward line needs speed on the feet and ball - CS lacks both IMV. 

The Tigers have some pluck about them but we should be challenging the team to push the pressure with forward movement and kick 4 goals a quarter at least. If it is 110 to 90 so be it, I don’t think we can keep good teams to 60 with 6-6-6 and the way the teams at the top play - more likely than not they are going to kick 5 of 7 goals and we just have to meet that in our own way.

2 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Like which part?

Kicking? Goals? Overhead marking/spoiling? Defensive pressure as a stoppage sweeper? Attack on ground balls? Tackling?

The one thing he does to an ok standard is positioning in transition but he can be exploited by teams when he’s dropped back too far too.

He’s just completely meh.

He is in the team, like Langdon, for his defensive positioning and ability to understand when to push and when not to. It’s obvious that Goodwin likes to play with the AFL version of wingbacks and he, like Ed, is never going to hit it into the Haymes paint bucket from 30m but they will both be there at the kick out of the D50 and the kick I50.

I don’t really think he has been tremendous but meh is an undersell. If Woey had a year like that we’d be salivating.

18 minutes ago, Bimbo said:

Over the last 6 weeks we have played 5 teams currently in the 8 and Adelaide.  The two games we lost were in shocking conditions - at Mordor and at Alice Springs (which game I still have problems accepting as a loss).

 

3 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Not enough is being made of the fact that we have been without arguably the best player in the competition for close to 3 months now. Oh and missing our best forward and one of the best medium forwards in the competition.

We just do not appreciate what a loss Oliver is. That we’ve managed to beat 2 top 4 teams without him is bloody excellent. 
 

Very few sides would cover this type of loss for as long as we have. 

And the fact that we lack polish isn’t a surprise. 

14.13 is good production from about 50 entries. 

Again, the worry internally will be ‘The Slice through the Press’ but I hope it isn’t. Move the footy better and with purpose - which we saw a bit of today after 2 quarters last week. If you can do a suffocating press once against the best (KB) that’s enough for muscle memory and belief. Just celebrate having 27 scoring shots and kicking 13 goals is where I would go - can we do more of that?

10 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

We won’g win it if we can’t learn to score from our defensive half and if that means we relax the forward press a bit and learn to accept a game that isn’t played entirely in our forward half, I think that’s ok.

Oh I don’t disagree. Defensive perfection is not an ideal I would shoot for, but tell that to Goody and May because that’s what they seem to pride the team on.

We are defensive first and foremost and then willing from there - if this is that changing then I am all for it because - playing to your personnel aside - I don’t like footy like that. 

We have a battlin’ midfield right now and that’s ok but it’s going to be cut up for periods. Our press ain’t death atm which doesn’t help. 

Amazing how stars keep you winning; Viney, Brayshaw, Kozzie…

…Chandler…

We are still a work in progress with the major frustration being - we are a defence first team but sometimes we are butter to a hot knife.

3 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

https://www.afl.com.au/news/982456/young-demons-best-game-only-a-hint-of-whats-to-come

Looking forward to Rivers producing more and more of last week’s final quarter.

Chaplin on Rivers, scary.

I had a meeting with him yesterday and reviewed his tape and I was pretty honest with him, I said I think you're only at about 75-80 per cent capacity for what you're capable of.

 

80% is still a distinction 

1 hour ago, Little Goffy said:

He's clearly great but pick 4-5 and two other first rounders for one kid? Have we lost our minds? Did we suddenly become Fremantle?

Anyway, the way we work, we'll probably end up holing the magic early pick, then trading our own first, Freo's second and next season's first for North's first next season.

It's the old Jason Taylor 'make the trades so confusing nobody is sure who came out ahead' routine.

 

 

You should probably apply the ‘rule’ in your last sentence to your first sentence; the FD don’t seem to care about ‘winning the trade’ if they get their targets. We may come out so far ahead in the Jackson trade that they don’t care about ‘paying too much’ for ND1.

Winning form is good form at this point, even if it means going to the Gabba.

Having said that, we may prioritise resting May, Gawn, and some other stars.

No idea about talent (haven’t watched my usual 30 mins of YouTube highlights just yet) but getting Lamb and Taylor the capital to do something like this could be glorious.

That is why we deathride💀 🚴 

1 minute ago, layzie said:

I reckon he'd be doing us a favour if he accidentally locked all of Demonland for a few hours..

When the hamster that lives in @Nasher basement that runs the servers take a break - I often think about what I am doing with my life and where I am go- 

-Uhh, Demonlands back up!

I much prefer these people have some confidence. Otherwise, what’s the fun in breaking someone’s will that’s already broken?

6 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

I still maintain that Geelong got extremely lucky last year. Good injury run. Soft draw. And above all a soft grand final opponent who was nowhere near it. 

If Pies don’t lose the prelim by a point, and we go into final fit and healthy, Geelong don’t win the flag. 

I will die on this hill!

rpfc with Jaded on that mountain:

12 minutes ago, Demonstone said:

Let's put it behind us.  I'm sure that you can conjure up many more fine posts in the future.

Why are you still talking about snake fish eel things?

9 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Surprised the Swans are favourites away in perth

i reckon Freo will get up