binman

Weid is a hail Mary. And if he is pinch hitting the ruck that means, in all likelihood plays forward the rest of the time. He couldn't break into the teams a forward this season when we desperately needed a second tall forward. Can't see it happening next year, regardless of how good he is as a second ruck (and i rate his ruck work) And as much as i rate Tmac, and in particular the role he plays for us, he is at the tail end of his career, and a lisfranc is crap injury for any player, but particularly for a fella who is 100kg and his role involves running 10 plus kms every game. We need another genuine tall forward.

A huge problem for us in terms of Jackson leaving is how few players there are in the AFL who can play as a tall forward and reliving ruck. And players who fit that bill AND who are gettable right now are as rare as hen's teeth. We need a ready made replacement, no a draftee. Who else is even remotely available other than Lobb?

I was at opposite end of the ground - standing behind the goals at the Royal Parade end. I have hated Matthews ever since. That was such a satisfying win.

I haven't opened this thread previously, and haven't read any comments. So probably repeating something that has been said. My two cents. There's no such thing as a wasted season. I, like every other demonlad poster love the dees. The club has been a constant in my life. I started going to tbe footy regularly when i was 11. Predominantly by myself until I was 22 or so, when I finally found some friends who also supported the dees. I endured seasons where we barely won a game. i watched big carl try and make us feared I dreamed of a flag when the great barrassi came home. i watched robbie dance, Rhino Richards play like barrassi one day a princess park and lead us to a glorious win over the rampant hawks. It was the day Matthews assaulted Smith, one if my all time favorites. I reveled in the fairy tale of 87. Cried tears of joy at Whitten oval. And tears of pain at Waverley. i went to our last wver game at vic park. It was packed to the rotting rafters and shwarter and jackovich went bananas. One of my all time favorite games I've seen live. Going to the footy in the 90s and into the 2000s was an all day and all night event. Went with my demon posse, and carried on before, during and well after. I went to Robbie's memorial, the only time I've ever gone to one for someone i didn't know. Cried again. Last year was a dream. The dees made lockdown bearable. But it was just another chapter. It's about the journey, not the destination. Goody has made it clear the goal is not one flag. He has built a team and model with sustained success as its bedrock goal. For perhaps only the third time in all the years I have supported the dees, I really believe sustained success is probable. I hate with a passion we ate not playing this weekend. I still feel queasy. But I can't wait till the next chapter. Go redlegs.

Exactly. They are going nowhere without one, probably two gun big defenders. I really like Keith, but he's not good enough to build a defence around. You'd assume a big forward would go back. Naughton would be tbe obvious one, given he played down back as a junior. But does he want to? And they'd lose their best forward. Darcy is not strong enough yet and Bruce will struggle to get in the team. Maybe UH? Lobb would be perfect for the dees, at least in terms of replacing Jackson. Better forward, not as good Jackson in the ruck. But if Grundy comes in he won't need to do too much. Lobb is pretty inconsistent, but when on he can really clunk them. And he us generally a really good kick for goal. Find a way dees.

I wonder what the appeal of the dogs is for Lobb given the surfeit of tall forwards they have. The dees would be a much better fit

Say again - too many double negatives.

Totes agree LT.

I was only joking, but I agree it would be great for a really good player to come our and say I want to go to the dees. I wonder when really good players nominate a club it is code for, the club offering them a boat load of money (even though technically they can't do so whilst still contracted to another club). For average players, it is code for, I'm not good enough to get a regular senior game at my club becauseim not tbat good.

Reminds me of the Life Of Brian skit about the Romans: Recently, no players ever nominate Melbourne as their preferred destination, because why would they! What about Langers? Ok, i'll give you Langers - except for that metrosexual, no player nominated Melbourne as their preferred destination ! Dunstan? What? Who? Ok, except for Dunstan and the metrosexual, no player nominated Melbourne! Lever? Ok, ok. Except for Dunstan, the metrosexual , and Lever - NO player nominated Melbourne! May? Jesus!. Except for Dunstan, the metrosexual , Lever and May - NO player nominated Melbourne! Brown? What? Who? Which one? Ok, except for Dunstan, the metrosexual , Lever, May and Brown x 2 - NO player nominated Melbourne! Tomo? Alright, alright; except for Dunstan, the metrosexual , Lever, May, Brown x 2 and Tomo - NO player has recently nominated Melbourne as their preferred destination!

Since when is as an adult, considering the advice, and perhaps also feelings, of your parents when making big life decisions a bad thing (to be clear LT, i know you are not saying it is)? I wish my 19 year old son would take some of my bloody advice and consider my feelings every now and then!

Langers?

Fair dinkum, how people could knock the Dees list management the year after winning a flag after a 57 year drought is beyond me.

I was thinking about your question about our record at the g, and in particular your observation about the width of the g. A big element of our defensive sytem is covering the corridor and stopping teams using it. We also like to let teams switch, but get accross en masse and stop them at their hb. Both strategies would presumably be harder to do on a wide ground such as the g. And conversely, probably easier at a narrow ground like docklands. Both strategies require strong all team defensive running g and spread, so if, for whatever reason, we are off in this regard, our defensive sytem is vulnerable, particularly if teams move the ball quickly - and particularly at tbe g.

Footy had undergone an incredible transformation since the lions three peat. It's incredible how taxing it is now, how intense the pressure is, and above all how much high intensity running ALL players have to do now. I suspect those factors, combined with tbe harder draw the gf winner cops, mean it will be harder than ever to go back to back now.

All I want for Xmas is two elite kicks and an above average tall forward.

Was just a silly joke by me logster

For me an interesting questions is the philosophy of not resting players and how that philosophy intersects with getting the program right We didn't do it last year, and it worked. It is hard to argue it worked this year. Half the season, we looked like extras from a civil war film with all the bandages and limping.

I remember hearing a journo (Sam Edmund?) say early in the season that he had been told by a dees player that the preseason was the toughest they had done

Calm down mate.

Obviously I don't know what personal factors might be part of his decision, but on the face of it it seems a strange choice by Jackson if you ask me. To add to your point about the fish bowl he is about to jump into, Jackson is going to have to make one of the longest internal national flights in the world every second week ie Perth to the east coast. Five hour round trip in a plane would be hard core for a player his size. I remember hearing pavlich say that was the toughest part of his career (amazing he played 300 plus games). Surely the smart play was a two year contract, eek out whatever success he could at the dees, learn the craft under maxy, and then head home if still keen.

Go redlegs

Andy, i promise Ever Dee is not me! ED you took the words right out of my mouth.

I see what you are saying, but one rider i'd add is that if we had more players with above average kicking skills, and less players with below average kicking skills, we likely would have won four or more of the games we lost, including our two finals. We have too many players with absolutely terrible kicking techniques and that chicken really came home to roost this year, both in terms of missing shots that shouldn't be missed at AFL level and gifting opposition teams goals through woeful turnovers. And the issue was exacerbated by: Tmac, one of our most accurate kicks for goals, and an excellent field kick being out of the side Salem missing a big chunk of the year, and never getting back close to his best The decision to drop arguably one of our top 3 most skilled kicks in Bowey The pressure opposition teams brought - nothing exploits the cracks n technique more than pressure

Yep. And whilst the club put a positive spin on having to play three games at finals intensity in the last three games, of the home and away season, they no doubt had an impact physically - particularly the pies and blues games, which were as brutal as i can ever recall for h&a games, The lions game was also super physical And then we ran into the Swans in the q final and they were even more brutal than the Pies or Blues. No wonder we were banged up.