bananas

Just finished watching the replay, some thoughts: Kennedy-Harris wins way more one-on-one contests than a 7-game, 68-kilo player should. So often he'd find a way to get hands on the ball and move it on with a clean disposal to a teammate's advantage. Impossible to overstate how impressed I was with him. Grimes and Howe worked beautifully zoning off their men and taking those intercept marks. TMac would've been loving it. When (if?) Frawley goes back he'll find playing in defence in a team that works hard for each other a very different (and hopefully much more enjoyable) prospect than it has been for the last few years. Dawes is basically co-captain in my mind right now. So important for us … and now he's fit, we're seeing more evidence of the premiership winning KPP he truly is. Viney and Tyson are fantastic in the middle of packs, Tyson flicks it out with his hands, Viney just bulldozes through. I know it's jumping the gun, but some of Viney's 'wade into a pack, pick up the ball, shove off an opponent, run away for a clean possession' moments remind me of early Judd. (Also like the way Bail, of all people, is finding a knack for scything through a pack like it's made of butter and running out clean on the other side. More please, Rohan!) Cross proves himself a brilliant pick-up each and every week. What a great example to have present for all the young blokes. From the looks of things he may have taken McKenzie's job? Shame for Jordie, but Cross will hurt teams a lot more by finding a bit of his own ball as well.

Jesus comes from a basketball background, he'll never have the hardness to be a top line AFL player.

Ah, I'm too young to have much memory of the Northey years. Glad it's them ripping us off, not the other way around.

Am I wrong, or is it just a blatant rip-off of the slow Coooolllllliiiiinnnnnggggwwwwoooooddddd chant those [censored]s have been doing the last couple of years? Don't mind a bit of sticking it up opposition fans, but I wouldn't mind if we could do it our own way. I remember someone suggesting a couple of years ago that the trumpeter (I know, I know…) could start up when we've got the game locked up in time-on in the last quarter, and I actually don't mind that. It's arrogant as all hell, but it's also very 'Melbourne'.

If Clisby plays well again today, you'd think he'd be the obvious replacement for Terlich. Otherwise, go in unchanged. Reward the team for their collective effort.

Just watched the replay, and a few general things stood out: -- A high proportion (for us) of kicks inside 50 were low, flat and fast. Haven't seen that in ages. Even guys you wouldn't expect (Georgiou, Grimes) were getting in on the action. Probably a combination of having targets they could believe in, and the team growing in confidence as the game went on, but geez it was nice to see. -- We seemed to really enjoy the physicality, the niggle, the scrag. So often a Carlton player was legally given a little bump after he kicked it, when for years Melbourne sides would have just let him go. Add to that the much improved tackling, and suddenly we looked fierce. Maybe, with the inclusions of Cross, Georgiou, Vince, Spencer, Kent, Viney and JKH (love the way he throws his tiny little frame around), we've reached a tipping point with regard to toughness. -- Jack Viney has a crazy low centre of gravity. He seems to scoot along the grass, and never goes to ground. Loved the way he'd be the last man standing in a scramble of players, then gather up the ball and bugger off unopposed. And a couple of don't-argues as well! -- Dawes is captain of the forward line. This was more obvious at the game, but he's constantly advising those around him where and when to set up, and he single-handedly keeps our structure intact. Super important he stays fit. -- In previous years it's been Carlton's mobile backmen who have torn us up (Simpson, Tuohy, Walker, Yarran), and the defensive efforts to nullify those guys was fantastic. I thought Yarran played okay, but the others were basically unsighted after the first fifteen minutes of the match. In this case, the best defence is a good offence, and the fact Dunn and Bail (in particular) were getting busy across the wings and half-forward line meant those Carlton players were forced to be accountable, and weren't able to provide any dash. Great job by the whole team, now let's see us back it up next week!

6 - Frawley 5 - Jones, N 4 - Bail 3 - Grimes 2 - Spencer 1 - Cross Apologies to many others, particularly Dunn, Viney, TMac, M Jones, and Dawes.

Clisby in for Terlich next week, yeah? (Unless his 28 touches were all dreadful…) McKenzie a possibility? Pretty disappointing that none of Trengove, Toumpas, and Michie got more than 19 touches.

Hey, at least you're honest about your bias. That puts you well ahead of most on here, myself included. ;-)

Okay, I've just finished watching the replay, and agree with most on here: the effort was great, when we got the transitions right we looked fantastic, and turnovers brought us undone. But am I losing my mind, or was Shannon Byrnes actually pretty good? He had 19 disposals playing as a forward pocket/forward flank, he was crucial in the build-up to several scoring opportunities, and I saw a lot of him working hard to move into space and offer an option for the kicker downfield. But Demonlanders have decided he was dreadful and his career's over … what am I missing?

One thing on JKH's speed: I noticed several times during the match that his pace when not sprinting --- when just getting to the next contest, or switching from one side of the ground to the other --- was naturally much quicker than his opponent. He just seemed to have that knack for going at 90% when others are at 80%. And several times that meant that, when his opponent was inattentive for just a second or two, suddenly JKH had three metres on him, and that was the crucial space. Good skill to have!

Love that on several occasions I saw him have the confidence to try and shrug off a tackle, and the strength through the core to actually do it. Not many first year demons we've been able to say that about recently.

I'll get in on this tipping comp: Ravens, Bengals, Colts

Mainly a lurker anyway, but I was Bananas over there as well. If you go into the 'Suggestions' board over on 'Ology, there's an old thread called "What is your motivation for coming to Demonology?" that (if you read between the lines) will give some insight into the rationale of these lunatics.

I want Norm Smith to no longer be our most recent premiership coach. Love the bloke, but that's a title he's held for too long.

Sad to hear it. He's a massive part of the MFC's recent history, he got us closer to a premiership than anyone since Norm Smith, and I've never heard him described as anything other than a top bloke. Wishing him all the best for a return to full health.

Anyone else hoping Roos gets Watts playing a Goodes-ish sort of a role? (Minus the spells in the ruck, of course.)

Jetta and Magner to play every game and become important contributors in our midfield. (Assuming both of them are even here in a months time...)

Voss? Ew, no thanks. He was a great player, but has always struck me as being dumb as a post and a terrible communicator (I remember his time at Channel 10, he was barely a notch above Basil Zemplas quality). Of the previously fired coaches out there I'd much prefer Laidley, or even Ratten, but I doubt we'll go that route anyway. Simpson, Bassett or O'Loughlin would be my choices (but lets be honest, I'm a bloke who watches on TV, so I know sweet FA about it).

For the stats minded, here it is adjusted for games played. The number represents the average score out of 7 that each coach gave each player in each game. Bear in mind, things like injuries (particularly in a shortened season like Clark had) and games as the sub will have an impact on these numbers. Garland 4.29 Nathan Jones 4.15 Frawley 3.94 Viney 3.8269 Terlich 3.825 Sylvia 3.79 Dunn 3.75 = Clisby 3.75 Tom McDonald 3.661 Spencer 3.656 McKenzie 3.58 Matt Jones 3.44 Grimes 3.37 Watts 3.31 Magner 3.25 Evans 3.22 Trengove 3.21 Dawes 3.06 Howe 3.05 Jamar 2.86 Byrnes 2.81 Macdonald 2.75 Pedersen 2.70 Fitzpatrick 2.66 Kent 2.65 Davis 2.63 Davey 2.61 Rodan 2.58 Clark 2.563 Gawn 2.558 Toumpas 2.55 Tapscott 2.48 Nicholson 2.45 Strauss 2.42 Bail 2.41 Jetta 2.40 Sellar 2.07 Gillies 2.00 Blease 1.78 Frawley and Viney leap into the top 4, and Clisby and Spencer are the other significant climbers. The coaches must rate them. On this, Magner clearly deserves more game time (depending on how you classify Grimes, you could argue Magner's our 6th best scoring midfielder), and I don't know what's going on with Sam Blease.

I love Paul Chapman and the way he goes about it. Me and my housemate have a long-running joke about 'Paul Chapman Eyes' --- that look in his face he gets when he just decides he doesn't want Geelong to lose, and he's going to personally do everything it takes to stop it from happening. He could certainly teach a LOT (>80%) of our players about the mindset it really takes to be great.

Just to play devil's advocate: The flip side of this argument is that, once players get on in years and are on the downward slope, it's completely reasonable and responsible that the club offers them 1 year contracts at reduced wages. If a bunch of prima donnas would rather sook and look elsewhere than swallow their pride and sign on in order to lead and be positive influences around the club, what are we supposed to do? The club ain't a charity. (OBVIOUSLY this doesn't apply in every case sited in the OP ... but I'd be seriously surprised if it didn't apply in one or two of those cases. It comes back again to culture.)

If we made this trade, it'd mean I'd never get to see this forward line: HF Watts Fitz Hogan FF Dawes Clark Howe Sure, it's ridiculously top-heavy ... but I can't be the only one who wants to see the looks on the faces of the opposition's back 6 when these bad mofo's walk down at the start of the game.

Early days yet, but Dean Terlich has a chance of being that player.

I noticed several occasions when the ball was locked into our defence for a throw-in or ball-up and Dawes was basically acting as an on-field coach, organising the set up of the forwards, directing the positioning of Fitzy and Watts. "Don't get dragged to the ball, Fitzy, come back about ten metres. That way if there's a quick kick forwards you can attack it, rather than have it land on your head. Jack, you stay in the middle of the park to leave space on the wing, so you can choose to lead into that space or slip out to the fat side for an easy switch of play." (Making up the words, obviously, he was doing it all with his hands.) Saw him do the same thing with Hogan in the half-game against North in the NAB cup as well. He keeps us organised, and over time he'll make all the other forwards into better players. Worth every cent? God damn right.