buck_nekkid

Can anyone report on the uncontested mark stats per game differential when we win and when we lose? It always feels like in games that we are 'on', we dont allow many uncontested marks. When the opposition gets a lot of marks is when we get beaten. In a way, it speaks of making the contest and stopping easy transition chains. This also screws with the ability of the back 6 to set up properly - I think this group have been phenomenal all year, and if they get time to set up by us contesting appropriately through the middle, we are often in good shape to defend. We also get outmarked over and over (Trac excepted, love his work) between the arcs. Our contested mark stats would be appalling as well. I know we are trying to play a fast brand of high risk footy, and Goody has them playing it. The next step is to play it intelligently, and to do it with tempo.

So, were those the worst 50 meter penalties you have ever seen in today's match? The umpires seem interested in self importance, rather than accuracy or context.

Garlett has had a run of personal stuff, with trips back to WA. perhaps he is not 100% atm (mentally)- only a guess. He is too good to leave out, he just needs to rediscover his mojo (and his kicking boot). Definite in for mine.

Think we were lucky to win this. We were beaten at our own game, panicked when there was no true pressure, made stupid turnovers and relied on individual acts to stay in the game. We fair dinkum stopped in the last. Carlscum did their late season trick and took a scalp - this year it is the Dorks. The bears were looking for one too, and I suppose in getting the points we at least were one up on last year. next week will be a bastard. We need to get back to OUR game. Something like what Casey did - win the stoppages, make contests, stop them marking. If we play like we did today, we will make Bucks and his band of pathetic toothless sister-rooters look way better than they deserve.

If they drop this I will spew

Franklin whinges every time he loses a contest. A great player, but a pain in the arse...

If we beat Brissy it is certainly an option. He then will have 3 weeks to recover prior to the first final. If we get done this weekend, then it is an all-or-nothing game against the pies. If he can get up and get us into the finals, then he may will himself to do so.

Wasn't this a Lever thread? Some of you panty sniffers should start a man-hate thread so you can dump on your favourites. We drift from a trade suggestion of player X to a slanging match that has nothing to do with the topic.

Their response is as poor as the umpiring. It shows they have NO CLUE. Honestly, this over officiating specifically against a player is stupid. So how does Dusty Martin not get in trouble for all the straight arming he does on players, to the cheers of all and sundry? Is that not 'blocking'? Anyway, the idea of penalizing a specific player is fine - if is not Dangerfield, Dusty or Cyril. We are so the biatches of the AFL. I HATE it.

Did you watch the game? Applied some really valuable tackles and pressure acts. Made a contest, followed team rules. Think he did OK.

Nervous about today. Which Demons team shows up? most important 8 point game I can remember. We do this, we set ourselves up for September. A great test- the two teams everyone thought would be fighting for a spot in the 8- are fighting for a spot in the 8. go Dees.

The plan is to either deliver fast moving outside runners to feed off the midfield (if we have possession) or to smash 2 more into the contest to shut it down. A good idea - but if the opposition get a quick clearance, it sails straight over the heads of 2 guys running the wrong way. This seems to be where this tactic causes us grief. When the opposition block our running lanes and rove to Max, this happens more than we would like. When we win the contest in tight and hit a player moving past the contest at speed, it allows us to aimlessly bomb it inside 50 for an intercept mark and opposition clearance. This also causes us grief. When we hit up a leading player, it looks pretty spectacular. The concept itself is fine, it is just when and how we use it. If we are losing in the midfield, it is stupid to use this tactic. When we are being thrashed in our forward 50, we would be better to have a 6 man forward line and create defender accountability. We need to be more agile in its application - which will come with the guys responding to scenarios better rather than just running the one structure that they know.

Regardless if we win or lose, it is a great decision by Goodwin. He is setting positive expectations and minimum standards. Watts has been terrific, then injured, then sub-par. It sends a great cultural signal to the group. I hope he smashes it at Casey and kicks the door down to get back in.

They have a full forward?

As a supporter, I have loved that going to a game does not mean the expectation of a thrashing. It means that I have an expectation of a competitive game of footy, and a hope (in most cases) that we could win it. From this standpoint, the season has been a huge success. After decades of dross, we are at least competitive. We also have an exciting young list, that if we keep together and develop further, are a group that I am keen to keep following. That is a win. Finals would have to be the benchmark pass or fail for almost every team. We are - as it stands - on that benchmark. The last 3 weeks will tell us if we make it or not. The fact that we have shot ourselves in the foot with some stupid losses (it is Melbourne, after all...) may come back to haunt the group. We are looking like we are either 'cooked', have been worked out, or just not getting form out of our key players (or a mixture of all 3). For me, if we dont make the finals, it is not a fail. I rate the season a success from so many development angles. Next year, however, we are either a finals team or nothing. We have learned to defend under Roos. We have learned to do the contested stuff Year 1 under Goody. Next year we have to connect better and have a forward line that works. Then we will go up several gears. And finals will be an absolute minimum pass mark.

It is an interesting one. We all would love to see the story develop and him find his place. Perhaps he is the backline general aka Lewis - what would one more preseason do for development (since he has been stuffed for so long). He didn't look to have explosive acceleration and was burned off by a few players in the port game (I actually breathed a sigh of relief when he was swapped to the bench and Hunt came back on). However, he may have a future as the 'steady head' in the back half, that is the 100% reliable outlet passer. He can take a tough grab, we know he can stick a tackle, he has footy smarts and is a good ball user. If he was able to run both ways and hold the structure, as well as break for outlet passes, he could be a real beauty for us. That is all a big 'if'. I would like to know what the footy department thought about what an additional preseason would offer him. If they thought he could add some speed to his tank, then I say offer him another contract. Otherwise, like Lyndon Dunn, he doesn't really fit the game style that Goody is trying to build at the club.

What do we do about it? Put the cue in the rack? Accept that we are a 9-11 on the ladder team? Seriously, I thought (and have seen) us play football of a very high caliber. SInce the Bulldogs game, it has been there in patches, but not even for a full quarter or a half. Our style when we are under pressure is so different from when we are applying the pressure. I cannot fathom the number of times we would handball straight back into a contest, rather than try to get outside it. How many times we chose poor options through rushing, or have been chased down for wanting to do too much. If we keep playing like this, we are cooked. Goody's "where you are on round 23 will bite him in the arse if we keep this shyte up. We will be in about 12th on the ladder. Time for a reset. Time to get our structures right. I think we have been found out, and are now being bullied the way we would bully other teams. Its OK for glass half full, because it has been a much better season of football for us Dees fans. However, if we keep this up, we will never be likely. Enough, Demons. Do something about this. (Hint, most of it is between your ears..)

What pizzes me off is that players get the ball and hand pass INTO the congestion, rather than away from it. can't tell you how many times they did this today. they were bullied and rushed. They didn't support each other inside or outside the contest. 3 lucky goals and the Giants got their tails up. We just jogged.They kicked another 5 and we were done. we have been figured out. If you get the ball over the wave coming off our hb line at the bounce, we are outnumbered and turned around. If means our defensive structures are pressured and we cough up goals. can we learn to stick a tackle, please??

We simply we simply do not deserve to be in the finals .

No

By letting a few key games get away throughout the year, it is perform or perish every week from here. Our form has been well down for the last 4 weeks, including the mythical 'winning the contest'. We had been awful going inside 50, and are simply not scoring enough. Hopefully we can turn that around. Otherwise we might just be the new ninthmond.

Tackling has been poor outside the contest for a while now. Inside the contest, we tackle and lock down well. However, a player on the outside is put 'under pressure' rather than tackled. Seems weak, and looks shyte when oppo players step through the 'pressure' and get a clean pass away. Even worse in the Norf game, Max double handed ruck taps straight to Norf players, who had NO PRESSURE and waltzed away from clearances. Better to have no ruck, and start an inside contest - at least we compete in there. We need to hit and stick tackles. It seems like a lack of commitment to the tackle (like they dont want to be caught out of their 'position' in the structure, so dont commit to the tackle as it will put them out of where they are 'supposed' to be). Starting to look a bit bruise free. When we are totally out-marked, this just makes the reverse transition so much easier for the opposition. Gotta hit them, stick the tackles, and get the ball back. Minding space and 'pressuring' is for netball.

We are consistently outmarked. If I was coaching against us, I would seek to keep possession through marking, and have an outlet mark just outside 50, and a High HF marking CHF option. The Dees fail against these targets by not killing the contest way too often. We have focused on improving our ground ball game, and I believe we have taken huge steps here. The next thing we need to tackle is the contested marking at the key posts. Afte that, we then need to clean up forward 50 entry. A lot of our defensive issues come down to structure. When we have time to set up behind the ball, we do OK. WHen we are too cute for our own good further up the field (another glaring problem), our structures are caught out, and Nev has to defend whatever he can, even if it is sideshow bob, Franklin or Hawkins. It is just the structure. When we can move the ball more assuredly (without being overly cute) we can avoid the damaging turnovers that mean that Oscar and his defensive mates have little or no chance of even making a contest, let alone having the body shape or capability to win/halve it to advantage,

Would love it if he was! I suppose I had drawn a bit of a line through him for this year, but if he kicks the door down and is ready to go, he would certainly fit back in. I also look forward to what Plapp has to say on him, then, too!

Looking forward to Plapp's report. Weeds and Maynard in particular. I could see the Weids this week for Hogan, and Maynard in for a home game debut the week after?