Adam The God

There is definitely a middle ground, bing. A different coach could change things, but Goody is also coaching to the list that won a flag and finished top 4 with the old game style. IMV, our best approach is to be super aggressive with list management, make some tough decisions at the end of 2025 and let Goody coach for his Melbourne career in 2026.

Speculation only, but the way Guerra talked in his first two or three interviews as incoming CEO, already shifting the possibility to somewhere other than Caulfield, I think the club knew this would likely fall over, or at the very least were trying to temper expectations. As for this careful piece of framing "Melbourne is hopeful its business case on the new site will be complete by the end of the year amid what the club says is broad support from local residents for the project." This sounds like it's all over this year.

It's too simplistic to correlate inside 50s with scores. With repeat entries, you have an entire side defending and neutralising those entries. Geelong and Collingwood have spent years often losing inside 50s and winning matches. Because if you can slingshot back into a relatively empty inside 50 at the other end, you get easier chances. So they've made their relatively poor contested winning midfields work by focusing on post clearance and winning defensive 1v1s inside D50 and then transitioning the ball up the other end with precise and fast ball movement.

I do wonder how much our poor ball use from the midfield prevents our forwards from leading up at the ball carrier. If I were a forward, I'd be leading up at Kozzy, Bowey, Salem, Langford and Lindsay. That's about it. The rest of them wildly kick to the disadvantage of the forwards. Viney was back to his worst again yesterday. Like Rounds 2-5. Compare Langford's kick on top of the head of a Port defender, which allowed Turner(?] to have the sit was brilliant. I think we can turn things round, but I agree with you, @Howard_Grimes , we need to make some bold and aggressive trades.

What a pathetic performance.

May loses a contest against Horne-Francis, runs underneath the ball and Max has to make a dangerous tackle. May then lets Burgoyne mark uncontested 15m out. 🤦

They have managed Lindsay...

We create more than enough shots to win. And your argument is our kicking inside 50 is bad, so get rid of our best kick inside 50? Spargo is statistically our best kick inside 50.

What lack of connection? We can connect. We can't kick straight.

Hope you bookmarked it.

Yeah, so we'd have to leave out Melky or Fritta. And because of the second ruck issue, you probably have to play JVR, then a more seasoned body around them in Petty, then Jeffo and Melky/Fritta. The problem is it throws out our balance I reckon.

How would you structure the forwardline, Dazzle?

Ah, the good old "Demons Melbourne".

Maybe we'll try for Cadman again... 😉

You want our best kick inside 50 and probably our best kick under 40m to be moved on? Practically the only player who can kick inside 50 and hit targets? Not sure I agree.

@William , they've been reading your posts on Demonland...

So is Aliir playing? Just skimmed a slightly confusing and potentially misleading Zerohanger article saying he has the flu, as does Hinkley...

I hope we're working on extensions for Lindsay and Langford to take them through to 2028. They've shown more than enough to suggest they'll be stars and we don't want them all coming out of contract in 2027.

Is this called for?

Yep. He was.

I'd be surprised if he isn't sub.

And allows us to manage Trac or Clarry at some stage in the back end. 👍

An underperforming defender or two. It's going to be a tough cultural balance if we do...

He'll be worth more, but I'd be less inclined to trade him as one of our three consistent goalkickers, alongside a 438 year old Melksham and Kozzy.

Very true, but that because tougher now too that he seems to have turned a corner...