Mad_Melbourne

Pederson is not quick, Jayden Hunt is quick i agree, but in terms of contest to contest Smith is quicker and id almost suggest throughout the year Vince has been quicker defensively than Hunt. Seeing your one of the most mobile calls makes me think you’re taking the P one 55 I understand the want for Pederson in the side of form, but there is no way he is a logical player unless Gawn is out. Edit: look across the board at the sydney side and say one match up defensively that Pederson is favourable in, I can’t see it.

I really think we’ve made a large selection error, unless Gawn is going to be a late change. They have one actual key forward, who is athletic and we are going in with a larger and slower side even with the swap of Hunt for Vince. We do not need 3 proper key position sized players. Watch Franklin play up the ground and Sydney score goals out the back. I think 3 key tall backs is a grave mistake against most forward lines, especially someone who covers the ground so poorly as Pederson. Bloody heck, I hope I’m wrong but I think it would be a change that Sydney would appreciate

My old man last night said to me “ANB is a second tier player”. Thinking about him like this makes me happier about him. He’s never going to be elite, or even very good. But he’ll rotate from bad - good and often in the time frame of one game. Expecting this makes me appreciate that he really shouldn’t be dropped.

Has a very good game, but had a patch of football for 5-10, minutes that was absolutely dreadful

Spargo is absolutely stinking it up JKH isn’t up to AFL our players look rattled but slowly weathered the storm.

It’s fair, he hasn’t had the same output he had last year, but I think a lot of his work goes unnoticed. His work in the contest at ground level running through the contest is what he brings. He can compete in the air and often is able to get out the back. I have him ahead of Bugg, Kent, JKH and AVB (only based on needing time.) it’s a different role and I don’t think that Baker (only player really warranting a game) plays this type of footy

Honestly, how do you suppose he defends the space in front, without zoning in front of Hawkins? But doing that the ball would have been kicked to Hawkins just as easily. The next defensive alternative is to play back shoulder, but with the way the ball was moved to him, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Surely you can see that whilst understandably Oscar didn’t have his best outing, if the ball is kicked on a platter like it was that there is not much a defender can do? That said, the fact in that last quarter we kept players running through from the back of the contest as opposed to taking the defensive position and dropping into the space is what hurt. We did not have the ascendency that one would have expected trough the middle, and Geelong took full advantage of it in the last. Also Keilty ain’t up to it, will be delisted at season end. Unpopular position to take, seems a lovely kid, doesn’t have any stand out attributes that translate to AFL IMO

In: Hannan out: JKH. With all things considered the performance wasn’t bad, losing sucks though. No one really doing consistently well enough in the VFL to force any changes, but I think Vandenberg will come in 2 more weeks. I think Baker is close to a game but I also don’t really see him slotting into our midfield at the moment. Also, want to say it calls for Keilty are rubbish, his season this year has been nothing compared to last year, but I also think they’ve seen enough to suggest he probably isn’t up to AFL level and will be gone come years end.

He ain’t setting the world on fire, but id suggest 7 tackles would indicate he had roughly 15 or so pressure acts, meaning he’d have played his role quite well.

Respect should be given to umpires, especially at the junior levels. They are necessary for games to occur and give up their time on weekends for this to happen. Regardless of where the umpire comes from, there will consistently be calls that people see differently and assume are wrong, and thus no respect. It’s a horrible trend to let players off even for just tapping on the chest or the arm of an umprie, because it sends the wrong message. At junior/senior non professional levels, an umpire can send a player off if feeling intimidated or contact is made, if the afl allow players to touch the umpire it creates a clear issue if an umprie decides to send a player off. Granted haven’t seen the issues but touch an umpire and one week seems to make the most sense.

Dom is almost our best link up player, he runs the corridor lines really well, and is often in the right spot for that hit up kick. We do not really have another midfielder that plays this role quite as well as he does. Granted, he can hold the footy too long, in attempt to draw in players and give the ball off as opposed to the get rid of the ball and make it someone else’s problem, his disposal by foot misses sometimes also and it’s his mistakes rather than his good bits of play that he is judged by. He is not a bank 22 anymore, but he is still in there while playing the way he is, in my opinion.

Everybody hates Tyson, it’s the coolest. If hating Tyson is cool, consider me Myles Davis. This is my opinion on the hate Tyson receives on here. Plays a really good game, last week against St Kilda, it was his one or two mistakes he made that count. He had 2-3 shaky moments on the weekend, but all players do. But clearly not as poor player as people depict him as

Out: Spargo In: Viney makes the most sense in my opinion, limited pre season, looked a little off the pace despite his two goals. Didn’t play poorly, but no one did Moves Fritsch into his forward role again and we I’ll have Spargo and Gartlett fighting for spots.

In my opinion spread is not going to be helped by one outside midfielder, sure someone like Gaff who can run those outside lines is handy, but spread happens from good skill execution in space, off a turnover/intercept possession or as seen on some of our kick outs. Gone are the days of needing a genuine outside mid and it is more necessary to have players execute with the footy well when we are on the break. When we are able to hit targets, we move the ball as quick as any other team and it’s not footspeed that this movement is dependent on. This is not to say that an outside mid is not a weapon, but players with good decision in congestion become outside players as they are able to judge when team mates will win the footy and then spread. Our biggest issue is the over commitment to the contest, which we are finally starting to correct and has lead to better ball movement over the last couple of weeks. By moving the ball better, it will highlight our lack of need for a genuine outside mid as our game style is more relient on using our half backs as deliverers of the footy, and then having overlap from the mids. But don’t get me wrong, Gaff would be a handy addition and an upgrade on someone like Harmes, but I also think his lack of versatility would not be in his favour in our team.

I dont really understand this, whilst he does have his limitations as all players do, his ability to find the footy but also find space is pretty vital to our side. Not only this, but we do not really have any player waiting in the wings that can play this midfield role as well as he does. Trengove, Maynard and Brayshaw are the three who are possibly waitining in the wings and an inform Brayshaw would definitely apply the most pressure, but alas he is not there yet and has not put up consistent VFL numbers yet.

Jake Lever is one of the few key position defenders it would make sense to chase as he is a 10+ year player and he will slot in ahead of OMac, but IMO we are not desperate for another key position defender and giving up two first rounders and taking ourselves out of the draft for 2 years is probably not worth it. 1st and secound round pick, this and next year is where i think the deal will sit with us, but Carlton with Bryce Gibbs and a first rounder seems like a more logical option.

Did anyone else notice the last quarter centre bounce where he shoved Bryce Gibbs over. Whilst Gibbs is not known as the strongest mid, a 2nd year player shoving a seasoned veteran clean over was a testament to his strength. The second thing i noticed was at one stage Charlie Curnow was running with him, I knew straight away Clarry was going to find the football, but I think it's a high amount of praise from Bolton when it was clearly for him to learn and our midfield included Jones, Viney, Tyson and Lewis

Yeh, I was more just debating the issue, I think his highlight is that he moves his arms above the tackle more often than not allowing him to get it out to space, but this can lead to it being intercepted once or twice. Is really raw and will iron out the kinks, but I can't even think now of a player in the afl I have seen handball so well (albeit from 3 nab games) when they are in their first season.

I think you are wrong, Jetta would have been immediately under pressure and the handball was likely to be cut off. Salem was by far the best option of the lot a player in space who has the time to make the right decision, can either clear the ball or as he did spot up and find the right target. Technique issues on handballs and kicking are always debatable the fact that he can handball the ball so comfortable from above chest height is a real asset as he will continue to get his hands free in the clinches.

I was just creating a distinction between first option and best option more than anything, too often for the last 5-6 years Melbourne players will panic and handball to the first option which is often someone immediately under pressure. To me this is Clayton Olivers greatest asset, that he can pick out the best option and has great awareness in congestion.

100% this will be encouraged by the coaches, his ability to handball through congestion or to moving targets in space is not necessarily picking his first option but the best option. His hand balling is creative and it is tough to find someone who has the time in a stoppage to be creative. Fyfe does this by drawing in two opponents creating space to allow him to give it over the top to a team mate, whereas Oliver does it through his ability to see what is happening and how it could pan out and picking the option in the best position.

Just purely out of curiosity and not to continue the debate, do you also get a Melbourne membership? Considering MCC does not increase our member tally is all. I get both an MCC and reserved seats for Melbourne games, MCC is more for other events at the G but would probably give that up ahead of my Melbourne membership. Im real excited for Clayton Oliver, was a real big fan early on and his competitiveness was what won me over, but his ability in stoppages was what caught my attention. I wonder how this translates as an 18 year old as obviously he will be playing against much more seasoned players. In terms of his decision making and vision this shouldn't be affected but possibly his ability to draw tacklers and stand up in them may take a hit

Heard it from McCartney at the coach the coaches presentation in Casey. He even picked him out in a bit of footage also. I think it was a reference to his complete desire to improve and play but also his football smarts.

I was guessing this to be the consensus from demonland, nothing wrong with him making fair assessments of where he is sitting in the midfield and at the end of the day, he should want to get his body ready for an AFL standard. Regardless of this, Brendan McCartney has a very high opinion of Clayton Oliver and said that he is a "really special talent" and "has somethign that most draftees dont have"

Loved hearing Jade Rawlings speak about Jesse Hogan in Casey but also having a good chat about it. The emphasis being put on things that he has been taught and coached well to be able to implement them in his game consistently. Jade Rawlings talking about how they spent a substantial amount of time, especially early on, teaching him to use his hips more than his arms, pretty obvious progression but alot of unders key forward rely on being bigger and stronger and pushing players out of position or beating them on the lead rather than moving them out of the way in the simplest form. He highlighted how competitive he was as a person and how frustrated he got while it was not working for him in training, obviously the effort paid off.