rpfc

3 hours ago, dpositive said:

Ton Norris reports 

Melbournes season is almost over as Christian Petracca is targeted by his teammates and suffers an other injury to the ribs he used to attack DArcy Moores knee. This would never happen at Collingwood he said, Brayden would have shepherded me through the sessionand ensured injuries are only suffered to opposition players. Meanwhile Clayton Oliver was seen at training building himself up for the expected trade to Geelong, it is recognised that his age does not suit the profile of the cats so he will undertake some aging  process programs to ease his move. MAx Gawn of course is now falling apart from the jaw down and the ageing Christian Salem was again on restricted duties. While Melbourne could have some elite younger players it is likely they will all leave as they develop skills that will be ignored by the coach. Goodie looked resplendent in his wedding outfit but it frankly shocked the younger brigade who were disappointed not to have been consulted on the preferred wedding destination of BAli. Theres so much dysfunction at the club I dont even bother to go to their training sessions or speak to anyone where all my reporting acumen would be wasted says Ton.

I’m sorry, are you reporting as Ton? Or is this a piece quoting Ton?

It jumps around a bit and I, and everyone else who needs a consistent structure in their comedy, are concerned.

1 hour ago, Gator said:

A pretty common injury that won't effect round one.

No biggie.

Yeah, just send him to the hospital and home and forget him for a few weeks

23 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

No it's not. Yes we won a flag, but it was during a covid season when clubs were hubbing etc so the benefit or otherwise of our facilities was significantly reduced. Yes a kg is a kg but looking at our history and the comments from past players it is clear having substandard/shared facilities is not how a modern professional organisation should be run.

Additionally, relying on facilities in the boondocks of Casey significantly hampers our ability to recruit in players. All things being equal, if a player has a choice between us, Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond or even Footscray, Essendon, St Kilda or North we are at a disadvantage when looking solely at the training facilities and the commute that would be required. It is ridiculous this situation has been allowed to continue for so long. I think Caulfield is less than ideal but far more preferable than what we have now (should it come to fruition).

Boo hoo. Living on that side of the bay is a nice life.

People and AFL players choose to go and live in Geelong. 

2 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Knows his stuff. Makes most Demonland pundits look silly by comparison.

26 minutes ago, Oxdee said:

Maybe if we wait 100 years something right will turn up. In the meantime we can continue sharing sun standard facilities with storm, victory and melb city. 

Oh FFS. 

The current situation is evidently good enough to produce athletes and for them to perform at the highest level. 

Supporters seeing a co-joined heartland training and admin base are placing their own emphasis and bias into what it is ‘solving’… I have heard everything from your whining screed above about shared [censored] facilities, to the ‘club being brought together’, to some nuffies on here thinking they will go and have a drink there every second Thursday in retirement like they did in 1976.

Give me a break - I can be indifferent to this, but not when you get all whiny and annoying.

3 hours ago, waynewussell said:

I don't think many were suggesting all our problems were a Media beat up. It would be more accurate to say many felt that the Media response was out of proportion to the actual problems encountered. Our problems, which were mostly similar to problems experienced by other AFL clubs and other administrators at various intervals, became the flavour of the day and the MFC was painted as a club with extremely poor culture. All of this was an exaggeration! Those that believe the Media simply reported the facts without any other agenda are particularly naive with regards to how the Media massages the truth to create an ongoing drama which draws a crowd!

Wayne - there is always an undercurrent of unease with any negative descriptions of the current performance of the players, team, FD, and admin. 

There was plenty of jumping down throats on here that can just be avoided with just a tad more self-reflection and empathy.

The media is going to do what they have done, it doesn’t make the calls for change from some on here less pertinent now or then.

13 minutes ago, Redleg said:

That’s a bit unfair OD.

The kid is a very talented, modern day player, who goes for it, not a stoic, Boycott type, who can bat all day.

His start set up the win, because it threw the Indians, with about 35 runs off the first 3 overs. Then of course he throws away his wicket, but then again so did Marnus and Smith who are far more experienced.

Imo he is not an opener at this stage and that is on the selectors in a way.

He needs to be coached to temper his enthusiasm if he opens. Flair is fantastic but your wicket should be taken away from you, not handed over.

On another note, I have never seen an innings like his first, from a debutant, let alone one opening the batting. 

You see it every year in 20/20…

Im an old school junior cricket coach and technique is being sacrificed for excitement. Doesn’t seem to matter as every country has fallen under the spell; but test cricket will eat this kid alive unless he respects a solid technique and knows his limitations. 

Well that was a strange bump…

11 hours ago, Adam The God said:

Tis, although I'd be setting the shot up not in front of a reflective surface. Small point though.

Also the sound space wasn’t great. 

These are the little things they will get better at with practice considering they never bothered doing them much in the past.

That’s some good content.

3 hours ago, Fat Tony said:

I like JVR in the ruck. He competes hard and is capable in the ruck contests. 

The answer to our forward line functioning is not more targets. It is more pressure, better entries and straight goalkicking. Having JVR in the ruck means we play another player (like Tholstrup or Sparrow) who provide pressure.

 

JVR should have the option of not going into the ruck.

And the answer to our forward is not just more pressure. Having options to kick to is imperative to attract the ball to the right spots. Especially this mid group that is prone to dump footy.

33 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

I like Melksham way more than Johnson and Jefferson at this stage. 

Jvr rucking then.

Didn’t Johnson play as the best tall Fwd in the VFL premiership team?

rpfc says he’s ahead of Jefferson and co. and if the FD would like to avoid JVR rucking 20 mins he is the best bet to sidle up with Jacob and Turner in a 3 prong attack.

17 hours ago, binman said:

No it's not the point.

So much rewriting of history.

#demonland myths 

As I have noted several times recently, we tried to implement a different, more transition based game plan last season.

We faced several barriers to doing so successfully, in short:

- it takes time to implement a new game plan (particularly one so different to the one drilled into the team over the previous 5 seasons)

- injury meant we almost never had our best 23 play together 

- we didn't have enough of the right type of players, in particular enough elite kicks who could be relied on to hit high risk kicks (exacerbated by injury to our best players)

- and perhaps of most significance, we were clearly not fit enough, for any game plan, particularly one that demands so much all team running 

We could only be ‘in games when we played an unwatchable, unsustainable to win big games, style'?

That's just not true.

There was really only one game where we reverted to a defence first method in a big game to maximise our chance of winning - our heartbreaking two point loss to port late in the season.

Two rounds prior we came out firing, with exciting all out attack against the Giants, up nearly 5 goals at the end of the first quarter before running out of puff in the second half to  lose by two points.

In another big game, our round 16 match against the ultimate premiers, we blitzed them in the second quarter, kicking 8 goals. Very watchable. Another heartbreaking loss ensued after once again running out of gas in the second half.

Another big game was our early season win over Port at a sold out Adelaide Oval where we beat Port at their own transition game (coming on the heels of smashing the dogs - our third highest score of the season - and hawks with a fast, exciting, transition game).

Not a big game given we couldn't make finals, and our opponents were woeful, but our highest score of the season came in round 23 when we played a fast, exciting transition game to smash the Suns.

Yes we were often low scoring and terrible to watch. And we got hammered more often than we had in the previous four seasons combined.

But not because of an 'unwatchable, unsustainable' game plan - we just couldn't consistently implement the new game plan we were working on, or defend against that game plan when used effectively against us (hence the number of big losses).

Ironically, we would have likely won more games last season, albeit not enough, and certainly not have been opened up as often, if we had stuck to our previous defence first method.

Not sure about this #demonland myths trope. I was one to see and applaud the opening up last year of our game plan. And we had success early in the year, as the better teams showed up and as the season wore on the moments where we reverted to type became quarters and halves and subsumed senior players. That was my point and I don’t think it was a ‘myth’, maybe a difference of opinion…

Regardless, moving forward into 2025 I hope we have one group buy in to one gameplan and we can begin to go in one direction. And the reversions become infrequent and irrelevant; that would be a step in the right direction.

Being a ‘good kick, but a bad decision maker’ is incongruous, especially for a mid who is in pressure and contested environments when distributing the footy. If you can’t be effective when you get it, and the team is better placed when you don’t get it - then you are not going to stay in the team.

12 minutes ago, kev martin said:

The sky is black at night

Yeah, and I suppose the Sherrins are yellow?! 

- random bloke at the footy in the 60s

27 minutes ago, kev martin said:

I don't agree that our on-field problems are due to our skills. Our skills are similar, if not better than other teams (IMO). The small margins that establish domination of a game, is how we apply a strategy. Once we became the hunted club, others worked us out, and as you say "the game has moved forward". Team cohesion is also a big factor in determining success.

I think Goody's throw away line was at best an over-simplified analysis, or a team motivator. At worst, a way to shift the blame off the coaches, lowers our expectations, or fugazi.

We don't struggle with the phases of the game, we struggle with a game plan that is flexible, and, has gears and options to suit the need at the time (IMO).

Again, the ‘game plan’ would be overlaid over the three phases of the game. So that last paragraph is essentially ‘the sky is not blue; it’s obviously blue!’

1 hour ago, kev martin said:

Not sure, I am not a statistician. I was presenting an argument to our "struggle in phases".

I think the problem was, others set their game against our style. Therefore, our bombs into our forward line didn't work as we couldn't lock the ball down in there. The other team got out quickly or with the short dinky, efficient kicks. The backline intercepts were the same, they were reluctant to kick the ball down the line and had to use the dinky/efficient/fast style to do us. 

Moving the ball is an interesting aspect. Has to be one that is continually in flux as they adapt to how the game is going, tempo, momentum, not working, predictable, etcetera. 

I believe the onus was on Goody and the on-field leaders, to read the tea leaves, which is not related to our basic skill level. Making the statement,  "We aren't great at any phase of the game", is blame shifting and Goody putting the onus on players. I reckon we have the players the will, but our style and its adapt ability is my assessment of why we didn't make finals.

Big year for Goody, if we fail he may not be able to hide.

Winning contested footy is not the outcome that you should worry too heavily about; it’s score after the contest, clearance. We were much better previous to 2024.

I don’t see this as shifting blame from Goodwin, he is in charge. And ultimately, the players are the ones that are going to slow down and hit a target, or work collectively to win a contest and get the ball forward to advantage to score.

1 hour ago, gs77 said:

Hmmm, ok - just asking for a friend, what's the ascending version of a deathride?

#joyride

13 minutes ago, binman said:

#Demonland myths

#I wonder at times if I'm watching the same game

I agree we were borderline unwatchable at times this year - when we couldn't effectively implement the fast transition game we were trying to implement or defend it. 

The latter one of two most important reasons (the other being fitness) we regularly had opponents scoring 100 plus points and/or beating us by big margins up for the first time since 2021.

Ironically, we were often at most effective when reverting back to our slow methodical, predictable, clearance focused and down the line game plan.

Isn’t that the point? We could only be ‘in’ games when we played an unwatchable, unsustainable to win big games, style. 

I applauded the attempts to get that going but it was sputtering and not universally embraced across the team. Give it to Judd and Trent and we were off to the races, but nothing slowed us down more than if Lever and May got the footy. And that is damning on a level isn’t it? Anyway, I hope and expect Chaplin to get them all on one page like he has previously.

15 minutes ago, Rednblueriseing said:

Is this fixable in 1 off season or are we delusional thinking we can make the 8 with aging stars ?

12 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Of course it is

It’s fixable. But ‘fixable = top 4’ is what you’re asking. 

If we are patient and can put up with the occasional complete collapse away from what they want to do without the team reverting back to ‘tried and true’ boring nothing footy, then, yes, we can get there in 2025.

I would say for young teams that the cattle will be the problem but ours have smelled that paddock before - they can get back there if they all commit.

For those that need the explanation; there are 3 phases. With the ball, without the ball, and in dispute/contest.

With the ball we were slow and boring and stilted and bottom 4.

Without the ball we are much better but still allowed sling shot goals when we overcommitted forward in the press. Top half but still not as good as we have been.

In dispute we have been chaotic. The red mist was back when we did get it and there wasn’t much time or reason for how we would move it. And there were also times when we would get flogged in contested possessions and clearances for quarters at a time. Probably middle 6 ranking for that. 

So I think it tracks. 

But you might want to put a link in.

1 hour ago, KC from Casey said:

Paul Amy has updated his article to include additional players signed since it first appeared:-

Riley Bonner

What a boost for the Casey backline. Bonner played 19 AFL games for St Kilda in 2024, taking his tally to 112 in a career that began at Port Adelaide in 2016. "His exceptional kicking ability and football IQ will be invaluable in providing drive off the backline," the Demons said after signing Bonner, who will take up a role in Melbourne's NGA.

Mitch Hardie

Former South Australian Hardie, 27, is a superb addition to the Demons. His efforts for Geelong's VFL team last season were exemplary, winning the best and fairest after averaging 29 disposals per game (he had 20 or more in all 19 of his matches). Unsurprisingly, he was a VFL team-of-the-year pick.

Mitch Kirkwood-Scott

The sweet-kicking defender was part of the 2024 Sandringham Dragons premiership team, having 21 possessions and 10 marks in the grand final. The former Haileybury College captain averaged 16.8 disposals from 13 Talent League appearances.

Having current Casey players have roles in the NGA is inspired, I also would think there is value for the DNA that Mark Williams runs.

Nicks is a coll board.

5 minutes ago, BC_1718_DC said:

No one likes seeing a turnover but the positive of that is the emphasis on defence from the oppo in those situations. Ferocity/pressure and giving it all to cause/create turnovers is what will make our game style quicker (which is what most of us want) 

Yes, more risks lead to turnovers. More pressure the same.