Go Ds

True. I really can't fault Goody's quote here. It would also be ludicrous to deny the last quarter stats. The one thing is establishing a lead by the fourth quarter can inspire players to push through the late-game pain and conversely can slow down the opponents. The only game I really thought we could win come Q4 was vs the Giants (and I think was the only one where we were leading). I dont think it's coincidence that was our best last quarter.

Of course we do have promising young players. Then there is that amazing thing called hope. This applies to every club but there is chance plus unseen factors that make possible look miraculous. I'm not sure I'd want to look into a crystal ball right now but for all we know by year's end (or in 12 months time) we're looking like a good side again and so many players or coaches once again have proved us wrong. It's a good idea to hold onto some hope. There are plenty of times where sides are like Sydney in the early nineties, Richmond for the nineties and noughties, us after 2006, Lions with a despondent Leppitsch and all got out of their funks. Add the surprises where Cripps, Hird, Chris Grant, Clarkson, Hardwicke come unheralded and now are legends. Another one is Beveridge. Didnt he keep telling his 2016 players "why not us?" Well.... why not us? Not this year but why after so much bad luck over many decades can't we be a team which has some amazing fortune? Like Ghostwriter said each game starts at 0.0.00 each. So does each year and there's no rational reason why we can't be the team that has their turn being incredibly lucky.

I'm reminded of the story of a few blind men touching an elephant at different spots and all being convinced they've worked out what an elephant is. The players mentioned here are probably part of the problem but probably many other theories DL people have are also (partially) true. Unfortunately the only people who can either see the whole elephant or (stretching the analogy too far) improve it are the club. But so far even they don't know how ..... It's hard enough being a Melbourne supporter. Imagine how much harder it is right now for people at the club genuinely invested turning our fortunes round.

Were they Backstreet Boys?

It would be worse if no one bothered to gee the team up. Also as long as they don't get too heated arguments even happen among members of a team. Obviously it wasn't heated and such it's probably better this happened than not.

Demonland, PLEASE take this back to the 2021 format! 🙂

Maybe he should have said nothing. But I get the feeling no matter what he does he'll get criticised. Apparently the club remains silent too much but now.... If you were tasked to write this what would you say? Not write a formulaic (AI) letter? Not mention anything positive? Just regurgitate the most Chicken-Little stuff Melbourne fans are posting on social media? What exactly?

Sure. Why not? 😂

Umm, that rule was introduced in 2019. It's not hard to check these things.

I hafta agree that if the pregnancy was testing it may have affected Bailey's form. I certainly thought the argument that he was playing badly because he wants to be traded was ridiculous.

If he ever has a girl will he call her Mini?

Maybe it would help to play back some of those struggling players' actions in slomo and have some expert see if techniques have worsened. But certainly 'soccer-gate' is a beat-up. Oh and when the Footy Show had their Grand Final episodes each 'also-ran' team had teammates learning dance routines. There may well be some players back then who bonded over the Macarena.

Going back to the future, hey? Plenty around for most of my life even early this century like the Roccas. Some things like drop kicks get phased out completely but others might come back. Those successful torps are such a morale and momentum changer. I know coaches feel that they're too hit and miss. But if a player gets some easy marks 65m out because the defenders have pushed back and suddenly two goals are scored for a while after the flooding is lessened , creating possible gaps, and a team is less predictable. I think it's a good idea.

This wasn't meant to be double-entendre-y. We've been alluding to s Pink Floyd song

The brain stores all this information. That doesn't mean people have pinpoint accuracy. But players through trial and error have a good idea what they can do, including how far they can kick, and they can factor in the breeze, tired legs, a waterlogged or slippery ball etc. I think a little experimentation in sport is invaluable. For all we know the next big change - the next headstart for a team - is taking place at an AFL team.

Umm, that was a combination of my phone and the new Demonland format mucking up. I don't know enough about training sessions - how many more kicks of a Sherrin would each player have had if Goodwin etc decided instead to do more kicking drills? Is it many? Maybe if the coaches listened to some of us on DL something useful would rub off. I'm just hoping we're talking about professionals genuinely doing their best. Still I wonder how much practising kicks and handballs players have as second nature improves much anymore than someone walking an hour a day is improving their walking action. IMHO a lot of the big disposal errors are due to complacency, jadedness, pressure or fitness. Those won't be fixed by robotically kicking for an extra half hour. (At least a soccer game lifts spirits, gets players moving and for anyone sick of seeing a Sherrin get misused or going past them to the opposition goal they're getting some respite while still training.)

I hope players practise every possible kick from 5 to 50m and then some up to 75m (and even a bit with balls of different weights and sizes)

Deficient is doing a lot of work there. Even when a club recruits a foreigner who had never seen a Sherrin they'd still do enough skills tests to feel it worth flying this novice out here. I have trouble believing any AFL player's skills start off deficient. Some have better ones than others and body and mind can affect them but no player is deficient. (If any Melbourne player were I suspect the Demonland archives would show angry posters saying so soon after recruitment)

Indeed it is . Coaches have been gaining advantages from other sports for years. Players have already had hundreds of hours skills and match practice, even before being drafted. Maybe early pre-season some skills are a little rusty. But it's ludicrous to think a few more minutes handling a Sherrin would change anything, especially given kicking a soccer ball still involves similar balance and coordination. BTW is it true the batsman whose average is almost double everyone else's practised hitting a ball - a GOLF BALL - with a STUMP. I dunno, maybe that helped him hit a cricket ball with a cricket bat.

We don't need no penetration? We don't need no ball control?

Probably giving up. Unless we're 50% fitter than every other team for the last half or so of the year (and somehow the current alleged lack of fitness is in preparation for this) the current fitness won't change much till next year. Whereas technically if it's attitude it's possible that all turns around quickly.

Wow! Even back then Stynes knew Chris would become famous! 😂

That's a weird analogy. Honestly at times that would be good practice for the batters. The other thing is come Matchday EVERY delivery is from the same distance. Whereas with kicks there's all sorts of variation.

Yep, I can see the articles now; "Tracc was heard to say "I arrived planning to have two hours training but left with a dartboard, beekeeping gloves and a tuba""

Yeah, cos all their troubles are due to soccer balls. 🙄