harry

Yeah, I can't believe Ricky P got dropped after one poor performance. He almost won the game for us against the Swans and was our most damaging forward last year before he got injured.

Morning all,

Last night I attended the annual Western Demons dinner. It's a great night for us Dee's fans who live over in the west. The playing group & coaching staff are in attendance and the players are allocated to sit on tables with the supporters. They allocate one player per table, and rotate the guys through the tables every 1/2 an hour or so. We had Barty, LJ & Grimes sit with us at various stages throughout the evening. Chris Connolly, Dean Bailey, Green, Davey & Chippa also spoke at various stages.

Thought I'd share a few things i took from last night;

Barty was really good value, more than happy to chat about anything and everything. Barty spoke about the teams "game plan" and the perception that they rely on turning the ball over at half back / fast breaks from defence. He said that basically they aim to get their hands on the ball where ever they can, and obviously focus on forcing turnovers in their forward half is the preference. He did say that they do focus on moving the ball quickly out of defence and turning defence into attack, so whilst it's not what they'd consider to be the game plan, it's a focus and something they work on. He also said that pressure for spots is getting really competitive; guys like Warnock, Joel Mac, Bate & Maric could all easily slot back in, and as a current member on the side you just have to hope you play well each week because the pressure is on to retain your spot.

LJ was surprisingly very talkative. Amongst other things he spoke about playing alongside Aussie, and how he feels like they have each others back when they're both out there together.

Let me just say Jack Grimes is a great bloke and i can see why he is rated as a future captain. One of the guys asked him about Tom Scully and Grimes said he was 100% sure Scully would stay. He said that Tom is a great guy who loves the club and family man to the point that he actually gets home sick (went home early from china), so he couldn't imagine him moving from the Dee's to live in Sydney. This is all stuff we hear in the press but to hear it from a fellow team mates mouth was pleasing! We also spoke about him growing up as a dees fan too. He said he used to sit at games and discuss deficiencies and get frustrated about why certain players weren't doing things, but it wasn't till he started playing that he realised how hard AFL actually is.

Bails was asked a range of questions, which he answered with the usual dead bat. He said he gets enjoyment from seeing guys like Ro Bail play some good footy, and also spoke about Cam Bruce moving on, and whilst it was unfortunate has opened the door for Tapscott etc.

Jamie Bennell wasn't at the function which i assume was because he'd gone to see his family? Also Addam Maric was in attendance so he may be in contention to get the call up?

Thanks for this post - really great info.

Go Dees!

Whilst understanding where you are coming from I couldn't disagree more and I hope the footy department hasn't taken their eye off the ball and remembers that the path we are on is to win a flag in 2 to 8 years time.

When you put this game in that light winning or losing is of no importance. What is important is to keep doing the things that will help us win when we need to and in my opinion that means playing the players that will be participants in that time frame and playing them in the positions they will play at that time. Watts must play and I was staggered that he didn't play a full game last week. The open spaces of Subi should suit him but that really is just a side issue.

To the FD credit I think they have done wonderfully this year. They gave Stef Martin a go when his form in the NAB cup was questionable. They brought Morton straight back into the team and played Gysberts and Wonaeamirri as soon as they were able. Tapscott was given a go from round one and maintained ahead of Macdonald. From where I sit the Watts decision was the only mistake and I can't help thinking there was something behind that we don't know because it was just so strange.

This "vision" if you like started from the end of last season when Junior and Bruce left. Bail and Tapscott are probably the two beneficiaries and both have grabbed their chances.

The success stories of the season to date for me have been Martin, Bail and Tapscott. Wonaeamirri is becoming another.

The disappointments to date are Davey, Dunn and perhaps Green. Dunn needs to grab his chance as there are a few others just waiting to grab his spot. Macdonald is stiff. He is good enough to be in the 22 but is missing to make way for development.

Couldn't agree more. Whilst it would be disappointing to lose and great to win, this match is no more important than the game against the Gold Coast was, or the game against Adelaide will be.

Good summary of what the FD has achieved this year. It's been under fire in some quarters, but there have been success stories as you've mentioned.

Playing on Thursday night is a little different.

Whoever is the emergency can return to Melbourne and play for Casey over the weekend.

Not sure about the "sub" but perhaps they could line up for casey if they only play 1 quarter or less.

Any ideas on the rules re the Sub playing a couple of days later?

I'm pretty sure that the sub can play in the VFL.

With many in a hurry to judge hurley v watts following the article in the HS a week back i wonder how many journos will come out and criticise Hurley on his game today. If Watts was out there the media would of jumped all over him for having a quiet day. Hurley looked out of sorts all day but nothing will be mentioned about it.

I write this as i am sick of the criticism Watto cops all the time whilst he learns and develops, and people don't want to be patient.

Well today Hurley showed big blokes take time to develop the difference is he wont cope the criticism that Watts will for quiet days on the park.

I will watch with interest to see if he copes any mention over the coming days!

Good post.

All those idiots on tv who crap on, "Hurley hunts the ball, that's something Watts will never do."

Do me a favour.

I know I should not care as he is now a Dorks player, but Cam Bruce's tracky-dacks before the game and at half time when playing for us annoyed the p*ss out of me as this ridiculous garment reflected poorly on the rest of the Dees team.

He may as well have run onto the ground with his waterbottle and Zumba DVD.

It looks like the Dorks told him "No way are you going to make us look like soft-serve by wearing those, take 'em off, Pikelet"

Now that I have started, if we stick with the flag raising before games, it will not be long before it is ridiculed mercilessly. You raise a flag before the first game the following year after you win a Premiership, not because you won a heap of Grand Finals 40+ years ago.

hahaha water bottle and zumba dvd.

Yeah, the trakkies were sh!thouse.

Likewise, the flag raising. I don't mind the idea of the 'grand old flag' featuring in some way, but not raising it to remind us that we've not won a flag in 47 years.

If we win the next 3, then we will win some of that next 5. Confidence will grow in the team. Thursday's game is very important.

It is important for the team more than the individual,

Being a young side, I wouldn't be surprised if we dropped one of the next three and picked up one or two of the next, more difficult, five. Performances will be up and down, both from us, and our opponents.

BTW, St Kilda, Carlton and Essendon are all very beatable.

I would send Ricky straight into the forward line in the starting 18, as i think he has been dealt a harsh hand so far this season.

I would also consider moving Dunn back to a tagging role on Priddis, who killed us last year. I know he doesn't do it much anymore, but he blanketed Jobe early in the Bombers game last year, and seems well suited to the bigger bodied one paced midfielders.

I haven't decided who to leave out though, as I would like to see Watts get a go on the larger Patersons Stadium.

I'm flabbergasted Petterd got dropped. He was our most dangerous forward until he got injured last year. He almost won the game for us against Sydney in Round 1.

Speculating about whether we will beat Collingwood on Queens Birthday is so 'small-time'.

I think Collingwood and Essendon deserve credit for making the day what it is. That said, the only argument that gets put forward for restricting the match to Collingwood and Essendon is the size of the crowd. The basic flaw in this argument is that teams apart from Collingwood and Essendon fill the MCG every year at the Grand Final, usually at least one preliminary final and sometimes once or twice at other matches.

If the match were to be played between the grand finalists from the previous year, it is realistic to expect a similar size crowd. Firsly, this is because the number of neutrals attending would increase owing to the fact that the match would probably be closer, of a higher standard and would be more of an 'event' as opposed to an Essendon V Collingwood match. Secondly, the crowd would be of a similar size because supporters of the competing clubs would know that it may be a generation before they get the opportunity to play on ANZAC day again. The desperation to see you club play on ANZAC day would be reminiscent to seeing them play in the Grand Final.

The obvious flaw in my argument is when interstate teams are in the Grand Final. To this, I would say that if an interstate team wins the premiership, they should have the right to host the match. Do we really think the occasion wouldn't achieve its purpose (honouring the diggers) if it were held in front of 50,000 at Subiaco, instead of 100,000 at the MCG?

As I've said above, Collingwood and Essendon deserve credit for what they've done, but not only is it unbecoming to suggest that a club can't pay homage to the diggers if it can't fill the MCG, it's incorrect.

I think the comment about expectations is a good one. They were meant to be terrible and they have done quite well. I don't think people realised how bad North were going to be when they beat them. Also, I think their performance against Hawthorn was rated pretty highly. I think the size of Subi suits us; we did quite well last year against Freo. I'm reasonably optismistic about this one.

I agree. I'm looking forward to the next few matches - WC (Subiaco), Adel (MCG), North (Etihad), St K (Etihad) - it will be a good barometer of how we're travelling.

I don't place great importance on what the Gossip Girls and Boys of the Media write these days. Journalism in 2011 is tabloid, personality based and controversy focussed. The journalists are multi platform celebrities read in the newspapers and online and on twitter, heard on the radio and watched and heard on the TV. Media Brands in their own right with a voracius appetite for content to fill the space and the time of their multiple content hungry platforms. Incestously they feed on the stories of their fellow journalists to generate their own content elevating cliched hack tracts almost to the status of revealed truth.

Well said.

I'm glad he's back with his family.

The 'dribble' kick is fine when you're in the pocket on an angle, but it gets used a hell of a lot when players are running straight at goal (or close enough to straight at goal) and could kick a drop punt in the air.

Is anyone going to write what was said?

Happy Birthday Jimma!

Yeah, it certainly puts our 'awful' 90 point win in perspective.

Her big fact was that Schwab did the Moloney press conference instead of Connolly.

Does us a favour Caro.

Seriously poor article.

I think it's great that the club is trying to add to the experience of a home game at the MCG and I love the old banners they hang up on the Olympic Stand, the list of premierships, the new emblem, the stars on the back of our jumpers and even the bloody trumpet player. But, I reckon they got this one wrong. The 'Grand Old Flag' is a famous motif of our club, but raising a flag is synonomous in our game with winning the premiership. I'm happy to keep the 'grand old flag' somewhere in the matchday theatre, but not in this manner.

Sorry to disagree harry but it was not one quarter if the hawks had kicked straight we would have been so far behind at quater time we would not have been able to hear the band.

We were beaten in almost every aspect of the game bar kicking for goal.

Straight kicking by the hawks and it would have been a 100 point hammering.

And we did not beat Collingwood or the Bulldogs last year end of story.

I agree that we were kept in it by poor kicking from the Hawks in the first quarter, but no-one would've condemned Bailey had we not played the third quarter that we did. Had we won or narrowly lost, having played such a poor first quarter, the situation regarding Bailey would be different. Besides, regardless of whether it was one quarter, two quarters or a whole match, my point is that one game doesn't warrant a complete re-evaluation of how we view the progress of our club.

Our performances against Collingwood and the Bulldogs last season were the performances of a team who had improved markedly on the season prior, as opposed to the match against Hawthorn in Round 1 last year, which was more of the same. Do you disagree that we improved significantly last season and that the match against Hawthorn in Round 1 was an abberation?

The turning point was, imo, the 3rd quarter against Hawthorn. Reminiscent of our worst efforts in 2008 & 2009; I think it rocked everybody - could it be we are still that bad?

Optimism has been replaced with a deep doubt. Where did that appalling quarter come from: most of us had believed that we were past that. After 4 years, we are still capable of delivering that rubbish?

(Neither Bailey or Green helped by talking up Hawthorn after the game, FFS)

FWIW, I think that 3rd quarter will be a defining moment for Bailey.

I agree that the frustration stems from that quarter. I also think that the reaction to one very poor quarter of football was over the top. Firstly, in the quarter prior to that we played some really great footy. And secondly, the same thing happened last year against the Hawks in Round 1. Everyone was convinced we were just as bad as we'd been for the last two years. In the end, we proved to be a much better side that had a couple of really big wins and almost beat Collingwood twice and the bulldogs. The reaction is unbecoming of Melbourne supporters and similar to some of the peanuts on the television who don't think before they open their mouth.

The attitude towards Bailey amongst Melbourne supporters who post on the internet has changed full-circle since the end of last season. Prior to this point, most Melbourne supporters who post on the internet had maintained faith in what Bailey has been trying to do and have demonstrated patience. Undoubtedly, this turnaround is because our start to the season has been perceived by many to be poor. This is a misnomer. In reality, our start has been inconsistent. Nonetheless, being inconsistent is better than being poor and we have got the results that most would've expected of us.

Criticism has generally centred on a lack of a 'gameplan'. I would be interested to hear some of the accusers try and define exactly what they mean by gameplan and try and define the gameplan of some of the better teams in the competition. I would hazard a guess and suggest that this criticism is born out of the frustration of the inconsistency cited above more than other factors. Individuals who claim Melbourne don't have a gameplan need only watch Melbourne's second quarter against Hawthorn this year and the games against Sydney and Brisbane at the MCG last year. This is the type of football Melbourne aim to play all the time. This is the type of football that had members of the media and some over-excited supporters claiming we were playing the same style as Geelong and would be as good as them very shortly. I wonder if some of those over-excited supporters are the same ones who raise grievances today?

I think Bailey is a good coach for the following reasons:

- we have got significantly better every year since he joined.

- individual players have got significantly better every year, particularly those who weren't obviously superstars straight from the off.

- we have traded well.

- we are a mentally tougher team than under the previous regime.

- he promotes a culture of professionalism.

- he conducts himself in the media well.

- at times, albeit fleetingly, the side has absolutely sparkled.

I view our start to the season as somewhat of a form blip and I believe we will improve as much this year as we have in previous years. I think we will finish between 10th and 7th. Despite our relatively small number, I have always thought of Melbourne supporters as the best fans in the country and am disappointed with the backlash against Bailey. We should continue to support the side, as we have with distinction through the dark times, and I've no doubt that the team will improve in the coming weeks and go on to eclipse last year's achievements.

Give em hell demons.

Absolutely no way you give it to a kid who hasn't played a game.

I LOVE the G as much as anyone. But I really do miss those trips out to the suburban grounds more than anything. All the changes, rules etc I can work with and assimilate quickly as we all do.

But there was nothing better than a nice good win (stop before Mike Brady sues) at a suburban ground. Your example here harry is a fantastic memory of what was a super day.

Those old grouds were great. They were being phased out just as I started going to the footy (I was only 6 or 7 in that story I told above) but I've managed to get to the Western Oval, Prince's Park, Victoria Park and Kardinia Park. They were a key part of a footy club's identify; a sense of place.

Many would argue that it simply was no longer possible to play matches there for financial reasons and this may or may not be true, however, Geelong make pretty much more money than anyone by playing games in their small suburban ground. It begs the question whether Melbourne clubs couldn't play the interstate teams at their original grounds.

I feel fortunate that we are the only club in Melbourne that still plays at its original ground.