Adam The God

The most surprising thing in this thread is that people have been bothering to listen to a footy podcast produced by The Age.

1 hour ago, Davos said:

I remember Essendon supporting friends laughing at us picking him up back in 2015. They though Pig was a great get (he was), but also thought giving Melk a 4 year deal was absurd.

Both acquisitions worked out for us in the end.

We should have given him a 10 year deal!

Meanwhile, Essendon are no better than 2015. 👏 Gotta love it.

23 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

His game against West Coast Eagles in 2018 in Perth was definitely one of the best games he has played in his career.

And I think this performance is so underrated amongst Melbourne supporters. Like he literally helped us get into the finals for the first time in 12 years.

And then I'd argue won us the final against Hawthorn in 2018.

2 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

some talk that the aints are offering leek aleer $800k a year over 5 years

big money for a bloke who is yet to play 15 afl games

Bloody St Kilda inflating wages all over the shop.

5 hours ago, old55 said:

Petty, JVR and Fritsch is a decent tall forward combination and I think Jefferson could play a role with Petty and JVR as partners taking the key backs.

We need to be continuing to pursue Wade Derksen at GWS who looks like he's having a good VFL year and is held out of the seniors by Taylor and Buckley. Lever, Turner, Derksen and Adams is a possible KB solution set.

Jackson is the only one I'm interested in, he solves the Max succession nicely and can function well in the transition. I can't see how we can get him without losing some other high value players. Kossie for Jackson doesn't improve us overall. I'd rather have Kossie and a workmanlike ruck.

Completely agree with the cheaper Derksen (and Aleer), and I'd also hope we're targeting a midfielder with good ball use.

We don't need to spend big on a KPF IMO.

22 minutes ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Viney, Oliver and Trac recalibrating to not always kick first option

This is a huge factor in our performances Rounds 2-5. Against GWS in Round 1 it was wet and windy day, and thus bombing from our mids was less of an issue as interceptors couldn't mark the ball as easily. It got it inside and we put on adequate pressure to lock it in.

But from Rounds 2-5, we bombed the ball repeatedly on turnover. We would create numerous turnovers over and over again and hand the ball back to the other side. Think that third quarter against North, where Viney and Trac, but particularly Viney, kept bombing it to the opposition outnumber. We created more than enough turnovers to be ahead at 3/4 time in that game. (it didn't help that we lost Jefferson early as it allowed them a taller extra behind the ball)

Against the Suns we were smashed at stoppage and our pressure was nowhere, but when we did get it, it was long and predictable. Aside from some chipping it around at the back, although we stopped pretty quickly doing this in that game.

The long bombing continued for this entire period and Jack Viney was a major culprit. Trac and Clarry didn't help in this department either. But when Viney got the defensive role against Freo, we started to think our way through things better and it helped thar we brought pressure and had a lot of space in our forwardline created by pressing our forwards up the ground.

22 minutes ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Understand though we aren’t the finished article and we will transgress occasionally

This is the thing that cannot be stressed enough. We are going to lose games this season and some of it may not be pretty, but less baby out with the bathwater stuff would be nice.

8 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Even Carlton are in the top handful of teams who transition well from the D50 to their forward 50 but are 18th for scores per inside 50. I'm not sure you can really hang your hat on that stat when it's not a complete picture of ball movement in regards to scoring.

Also, most of our scores are coming from forward half intercepts, not via the back half. The added defensive pressure, the tackles inside 50, the way we're changing angles on entry are all contributing. Clearly there was an emphasis on forward 50 tackling pressure too from round 6 onwards. It's been off the charts since the Freo game.

You said we had a fundamental change in our method in one week, when evidence like aggressive forward handballing and faster transition was evident from Round 1.

Let's just admit you [censored] the bed on this one and move on.

15 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Then why don't the stats support this? Surely we would have seen some of this in the earlier rounds.

The data does support this. We've been one of the top transition sides all year. Now we're better at scoring from transition chains.

34 minutes ago, rpfc said:

That First Crack vision was really insightful. Looks like the ANb role has been democratised and platooned with Langdon the headline act.

and it is a way for Oliver to tic-tac with CP5 and get CB attendances for Rivers with Oliver shadow boxing as a forward to release Petracca.

I am sure this is a evolution that isn’t hard to think up, but to get buy in from established stars to do this is always impressive to me..

I reckon our stars learned to be team players in 2020, and because they got a flag ajd 3 straight top 4 finishes doing it, when Goody asks them to do it again, they nod.

Just now, dazzledavey36 said:

I think you are undervaluing Laurie's tank.

Maybe I am.

I'm not convinced on Laurie's tank. I reckon Demonlanders undervalue Charlie's tank to a massive extent.

I think it's a no brainer. If Viney is ready, he comes in. If he's not, save him for KB.

12 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

What’s Gawn worth?

$1 mill, because he's more than a ruckman, but I think you'll find Max has taken unders to keep this group together.

1 hour ago, Dee in a Kilt said:

It's my understanding the way we lost against GWS in round 1 collectively dented the boys' confidence. At the same time, the players had to implement the new game plan. A drop in collective confidence and implementing something new is not a recipe for success.

Before the Freo game, there was recognition the boys focused on the new game plan to the detriment of the strengths Goody and the players always valued - the stuff that wins grand finals - contest, total team defence... Goody was quite open in his pressers and he said as much at the time.

Going into Freo, the team galvanised behind embracing contest and total team defence, starting with pressure in the forward 50. Then it becomes a 'chicken or the egg' thing where was this re-embrace of the Dees historical strengths a catalyst for the improved form of our leading players or was it that the instruction to 'stop over-thinking the new game plan' resulted in freeing the players up mentally?

From there, confidence feeds on itself. The Gabba game was huge for their self-belief and belief in the new game plan.

There's truth in the old saying "Success has many parents while failure is an orphan". Goody would have been incredibly lonely when we were 0-5. And it was not obvious he had any support from others in the club, especially without a CEO or the President-in-waiting Steve Smith. Another wise old saying is failure never defines you, but how you respond to failing can build character and your destiny.

Goody's response through the 0-5 period and the last 6 weeks has been compelling.

Godspeed Goodwin

The thing that is almost banned on here is discussion around fitness. Reversing the fitness program as posited by @binman on the podders, is very likely a large factor that is not seemingly taken into account vis a vis our first 5 rounds.

In game one, where we were full of new players and exuberance for the new season, we showed our game style that is now a more regular sight. Aggressive forward handball, scores from stoppage, fast transition, mixed with keepings off uncontested chipping at the back. We then ran out of puff in the last, although still should have won in the dying moments.

Round 2 against North was the strangest result IMO and points most clearly in retrospect to a heaving load management block. We looked sluggish but still should have been in front at 3/4 and dropped our bundle in the 4th.

Rounds 3 and 4 were even more sluggish. Round 5, aside from the 3rd quarter where we lifted our pressure rating and started to score, was another case of lethargy.

If you take this into account and add it to the context of trying to implement a new game style, it's got a high degree of difficulty.

The next fortnight IMV, will tell us whether Selwyn has got the program right and I need to create a new thread apologising to him.

Congrats to Tom McCarthy who went at #1 in the mid season draft today. A massive Dees fan.

1 hour ago, Demon Dynasty said:

McKay is also the 2nd highest rated 2nd ruck only behind Blitzavs (Champion Data).

Harry turns 28 at the end of this year. LJ turns 24 in September.

If we're going to pay a second ruck $1mill, I'd rather it be LJ who is younger and a better ruck, who will one day be a permanent ruck.

That said, I think $1mill is too much to pay for a ruck.

1 hour ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I never mentioned Round 1.

You conspicuously left this out as it didn't suit your narrative...

7 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Between Rounds 2-5 we had no game style. The White Flag was shown.

Something big happened before the Freo game.

Not true at all. I don't believe you went to the GWS game. Our brand was clearly on show in that game.

Over Rounds 2-5, we showed brief glimpses in otherwise limp performances. Almost like we'd been smashed on the training track...

3 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

I have to admit I had already considered Goody gone after the Essendon game. This is a guy who has been nothing but stubborn in his tenure, and always playing his favourites.

What him and the coaching staff have been able to do is pretty amazing. I'm not sure what meetings took place the week of the Freo game, but clearly there was a change in our playing style from that game onwards like what the data suggests (no team changes angles more than Melbourne the last 6 weeks).

My guess is that they knew that if we rolled out the same method, we'll get killed by Freo. The plan worked which has then given clear evidence on how much it can help us

I don't buy the 'teething issues' excuse to start the season. There was a fundamental change in how we played from round 5 onwards. It was bold, but it's bloody worked well.

IMV, this is a ridiculous position. We didn't change our game style after the Essendon loss. We just got better at implementing what we were practising all pre season.

Plenty of posters who watched pre season training closely have started to say that our ball movement in game now resembles our ball movement in pre season.

The idea that they've changed the game style in one week really just shows a lack of understanding of the modern game.

Here's another one on us with Buckley...

Melbourne convo at 19.15.

42 minutes ago, ChaserJ said:

We might need to pop this is a few threads. Time to go Goody, We're Not Dead Yet and Game style threads... ;)

44 minutes ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

At best, Carlscum are 50/50 against Norf, ArmageDON and Port.

Hope you're right! I hate them.

Agree with SWYL. Wouldn't go near Walsh. Wouldn't go near McKay either for his price tag.

32 minutes ago, BDA said:

I think Carlton will sacrifice him for picks. They don’t have much good young talent and don’t look like competing so they have to try something.

I’d be tempted at the right price but not sure we have the picks to do the deal.

Carlton are likely to win their next 4. Essendon, West Coast, North and Port. I wouldn't be writing them off just yet.

12 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

I've always thought of the run to the 8 in terms of the pace needed to overcome immediate rivals, rather than target number of wins.

Surely from this point we will outperform Essendon by 1 win. Surely?

Then we need to find two more teams we can pass on the ladder.

The "Just do better than them" set;

Freo - one win and what looks like a truckload of percentage, but is actually a gross margin of about 150 total. Over ten games, if our margins average 15 points better than theirs, we gain that. Very hard to judge because we've been DOWN and then UP in clear blocks, but Freo have been up and down all over the place all season. But, 15 points a game better margins than Freo is absolutely realistic, so we really could pass them even if they don't implode.

GWS - similar to Freo, but closer to a 200 point gross margin between us and them. GWS have been more consistent in so far as they haven't had any blowouts, but there is a bit of a flat track bully question mark on them. This is not a day and age where you can prosper for long relying on a full forward to kick 7 goals 1!

The "Hope they stumble badly" set;

Bulldogs - percentage is plainly out of reach and the Dogs look like they are grinding along efficiently now, and have a relatively mild draw so picking up two wins on them seems a stretch.

Hawthorn - Now here are your flat track bullies! Cross your fingers this is true because a two win lead can evaporate very quickly. Percentage gap is about 250 points, which is a lot but if the Hawks don't find some mettle against strong sides they will cop it badly late in the season. Magpies, Dogs, Crows for the next three rounds, and they finish the season against the Crows (in Adelaide) Magpies, DEMONS and then Brisbane at the Gabba.

Geelong is always on the edge of a cliff, but I've let go of anticipating the fall. Be assured, I will watch it with joy when it comes.

Adelaide, well, definitely flat track bullies with their only win against a top-8 side being the Giants, in Adelaide, in a miserable 52-34 point game. Unfortunately their draw appears to stay pretty soft.

Collingwood - it is always possible they'll get done for chemical activities, salary cap rorts, match fixing, or just plain age finally catching up, but it doesn't look likely.

And the QLD sides?

RE Charlie Spargo and people questioning his role without knowing his KPIs, Goodwin said this:

"He's been such a great contributor in the last four to six weeks in the AFL team. He's been a big part in helping us in many areas of our team, but we'll get him back at the right time of the year."