demoniac

No. Sheedy was well and truly cooked when he finished at the Bombers. Just look at a pic of Sheedy then and a pic of Sheedy now. He looks a hell of alot fitter now than he did then. He needed a long break.

Aside from not moving on from 2007 Flood Era tactics to the press and the spread and not making sure our players were as fit as players at clubs like Collingwood and St Kilda I too was a fan of Dean Bailey. He seems like a good bloke and all that. An AFL Senior Coach? Not so much. If it was Schwab and Connolly who made that clear to a Board relying solely on a gravely ill Jimmy Stynes for footy knowledge then they did what had to be done. Neeld, Meeson and the other coaches have a big job to bring us up to speed fitness wise and tactically.

Even the great Lethal would have struggled to look good in our forward line yesterday. Leigh may be one of the great players and coaches but nothing I hear from him today gives me an impression that he has any great understanding of how strategies have become more important since his retirement.

All teams not just Collingwood played the press and the spread in 2011. Meanwhile we were defending from our defensive 50 week in week out even though Dean kept on saying week in week out that was not our game plan. There are subtle variations from club to club but the press and spread are the non negotiable features of all 2011 and 2012 game plans. We have to learn it and implement it.

Neeld is implementing a contemporary game plan that will be resilient enough to stand up when the pressure is on. Neeld is demanding that our players learn and implement that game plan which has as its core the press and the spread. Bailey could not teach us the press which is the basis of contemporary post flood game plans. He held essentially to the Geelong game plan circa the flood era of 2007. The game changed multiple times between 2007 and 2011 but there was no sign that Bailey adjusted his game plan at all. Remember Paul Roos saying last year that the Dees defended from too far back and Dean retorting that defending from the defensive 50 was not our game plan. And then week in week out we'd go out there and defend from our defensive 50. Neeld and Misson know the fitness levels reached by 2 of the best performed clubs of recent years in Collingwood and St Kilda. Neeld is demanding our players put in the hard pre seasons required to get to those levels. Bailey either did not think our fitness standards were an issue or was unwilling or unable to instruct the players to do the hard work required to reach the elite fitness levels required to compete with the best in the AFL. No wonder the players loved Dean. Well except you'd hope those who are committed to taking this club to Premiership Number 13. End of story. Go Dees and continue the hard work Mark and David.

Butcher in the clear for mine.

I've seen him play in the VFL. Gets to dangerous positions, has sticky hands and decision making and disposal are very good for a tall. Just add muscle.

I like the Blazer. Yep its traditional. So are we.There is a great story to underpin it. We've got more tradition than Eddie has chins and in recent years we've finally started to own it and leverage it.

Yep we don't have A Grade experienced players. We do have more developing talent on our list than we've had in my lifetime. We've now got the facilities and coaching team to give them every chance of becoming hardened AFL players. There is always much revisionism when struggling teams come good and win Premierships. There are more than a few multiple Premiership players at the other end of the Geelong Road whose development was questioned in the years leading up to 2007. And its the same at the Bank of New South Wales Centre. Travis Cloke did not become a champion Centre Half Forward overnight and neither did Dale Thomas harden up overnight. I don't care if the guy who said the only player he rated at the Dees was Frawley played 200 games or is a member of a great footballing family he is still a dill.

A Caro beat up. There are obvious challenges for 17 - 19 year old players coming in to an elite sporting environment: training loads, physical development, skill development, learning game plan, diet, social limitations, media skills etc. The Gap Year concept is obviously a plan to assist in that transition. From what I've read on melbournefc.com.au and elsewhere most of our young players are studying so Caro can hardly accuse the club of not doing enough in this area. The Gap Year plan allows them to focus on their transition into the elite sporting environment and only delays commencement of post school study/training by a year. Interesting to note that Caro's article is not open to comments.

Disappointed in Bruce Hearn McKinnon and Rupert Betheras. The MFC should not have found out that Jurrah was going to do the interview from tweets. However it is hard to fault either when it comes to their role in Liam Jurrah making the almost miraculous journey from Yuendumu to the AFL and the ongoing support they provide. Eddie is just his usual well dressed bully bovver boy self. Nothing surprising there. I say we move on and focus on the fundamental issues facing indigenous Australians from remote communities.

in an alternative view to the doom and gloom it is possible that a sponsor has been signed but the announcement will happen after the final NAB Cup game where we will wear the 'irish' jumper with the Reach logo...

An enlightening post Fork. Thanks also for the links to organisations that address some of the key issues that you have outlined. Provides a constructive way to assist the people of communities like Yuendumu. WJ could Fork's post be turned into an article or highlighted in some other manner. Too important to be buried in a Demonland thread.

There is an idea. Are there specific groups working woth indigenous central Australians in remote communities like Yuendumu and major centres like Alice Springs. Making a donation to relevant organisations would be a constructive way for Dees fans to address the challenges faced by Liam Jurrah and the indigenous people of central Australia.

I am disappointed but not surprised in some of the comments of some my fellow Demonlanders. It is a sad and incredibly complex issue and one in which the story is still unfolding.

Looks like after one pre season under Neeld and Co we are finally on the way to mastering the press. Thats making the jump from the Dean Bailey 2007 era game plan to 2012 era game plan. Intensity also good.

Saints should get the 4 points. They were at the ground ready to play. Bombers were not. Simple really.

Jamar stupid, just stupid.

Intensity good. Positional running and decision making a work in progress. Which is always how it was going to be. In the change from Bailey to Neeld the playing group is having to jump from a 2007 era game plan to a 2012 era game plan. Davey seems to have a bit of zip back. Conditions not improving!

Its going to take time for the players to learn and implement the positional running required when implementing the press.

Moloney should have used the Rugby Union up and under kick to give our players running fwd a chance rather than blazing away.

like the deestensity so far.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooo Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Sounds like conditions are circa Darwin Dees v Port 2010. Conditions that night were tough for those in the stands let alone the players.

Sponsorship negotiations are not as easy as some here appear to believe. Perhaps we could already have signed a sponsor but for a significantly lower amount than our valuation of the front of jumper slot. The reality is that the majority of the 'value' for the sponsor comes in season once games have begun. Exposure on free to air and foxtel and in newspapers in footy season. Team photos can be reshot or photoshopped, jumpers will arrive etc. Better to get the deal right rather than panic and sign a bad deal.

According to Champion Data Strauss had a kicking efficiency of 75% under pressure in 2011 - the second highest % of any player who played at least 9 games.