Pates

In a different idea, thoughts on Hannan being a winger? He's quick enough, got good hands, and usually good disposal. I just question his tank given the time off he has had.

I have often thought that Hunt could be a good winger for us given his pace but he just doesn't seem to get enough of the ball. Even when he's put into spots where he really should get it. I feel like Hunt is in a similar position to Spargo in that I actually don't know where he fits into the side.

Both are very lucky. I had Hunt or Melksham being dropped and AVB being on notice. Both should be told their spot in the 22 is on the line this week.

Tommo out is a big call but I like it, he hasn't done a hell of a lot except do some absolutely bog ordinary turnovers. Rivers is maybe a little unlucky but I'm ok with him coming out for Jetta who I still feel has much to give this year. In fact really I'm happy with all the changes. I think Oscar has deserved a recall and was actually hard done by to be dropped after playing quite well in the west. Bennell and Weid coming in had to happen, I think there would've been such a big outcry from the footy world that Goodwin wouldn't have anywhere to hide. For me all of these Ins/Outs address the issues I've been talking about: Hunt for Weid - Ineffective Mid forward for a tall (hopefully) marking forward Tommo for Bennell - Poor disposal inside 50 for good decision making and good kicking Smith for Oscar - Defensive structure which I think hasn't looked right since Smith came in Rivers for Jetta - Perhaps the only one hard done by but we regain experience and usually a good kick/decision maker I also think Rivers may be a victim of Pig returning to some form, hopefully Hibberd continues to play well. One thing I want to see now is Sam get a clean run at it, baring him getting 1 possie and giving away a 50m penalty (basically a Spargo WC game) I think he should stay in to be given an opportunity to gel with the picked 22. I would also like to see him only take forward 50 rucking duties with TMac being the chop out ruck (and rest Gawn in the forward line for periods). For me this is a lot more like what I think our best 22 should look like.

I think think the bigger thing about Max and the possible reason for this is that he has a cool head. If he takes a mark say 60m out he doesn't rush and bomb, he'll turn and look for a pass. This is one of the things that Jimmy Bartel was talking about during the coverage of the match on the weekend (while BT was trying to pump our chances up), he talked about how there is a tempo to footy where you have to know when to go fast and when to hold for a breath to sum up the situation. When we receive the ball we are one pace, manic. It seems to be about catching the opposition out to create overlapping runs and goals out the back (I actually remember that was a trademark of ours in 2018), but the trade off to that is that we are very vulnerable on the turnover and the opposition have also worked this out so when we don't have the overlap because they have got back in numbers we run ourselves into trouble. Max is one of few (Salem and perhaps Petracca being the only other two I can think of) who does take that half second pause to see what the other team has done a looks to place the ball in a position for one of our forwards to mark it.

Gary Lyon isn't happy.

I'm curious to know, since you're dropping Tommo and Langdon, what exactly has Hunt done in the last two weeks to warrant selection?

To be clear I'm not excusing his sub par performances. What you have said at the end there is exactly what I believe. The reason why I bring up Smith is that I felt we were a lot better balanced as a defensive unit with Oscar and May as our two tall defenders, and the way that Smith has come into the team (albeit Smith has improved in his role lately) Smith would run off his man too often and end up being the third one up and spoil Lever. I point this out because it may have affected AT TIMES Lever's decision on where to position himself for contests. This speaks more to the lack of trust and cohesion within the back 3 rather than Lever's form itself which hasn't been good enough. He also doesn't seem to have as much confidence about going for intercept marks instead choosing the kill the ball by punching it, again this to me points to a low confidence in the whole unit because he's worried one of his own teammates might spoil his mark attempts. He needs to be better than what he's doing, and the defensive unit as a whole needs to function better.

I feel like one of the issues with Lever is having Smith in defense as well. Smith isn't a Key Position Defender, if he is any kind of defender it is a floating intercept marker and that is the role that Lever plays. I feel like this creates confusion between them. For me, and I'm sure there will be many who disagree, but I feel our defensive set up makes a lot more sense with having OMac is the line up as the second tall behind May as the key defender. I feel like this creates clarity behind each role, rather than confusing who should be going up for the intercept and who should be providing the foil on the forward.

They look alike, that's where the comparison to Hunt should end. One gets his hands on the ball, the other doesn't. Langdon gets enough of the footy but isn't damaging enough, which was the same flaw he had back at Freo but clearly it hasn't been resolved in his first pre-season with us. With such similar (poor) ball use from his fellow Dees I'm not surprised. EDIT 16 disposals from his last two games is not a fantastic return from a winger with high raps, so I'd be expecting more from him plus first initial criticism to be more efficient.

I like the look of Kozzie and he was a needs based trade. We had been crying out for a small electric forward for years (we should've been looking and chasing hard at the end of 2018), Kozzie was the clear standout and has shown enough for me to believe he will be good for the club. The trade isn't the problem, it's the club's inability to ensure it turns into a win by finishing higher.

This is true, and also Tracca and Salem are probably the only two I can think of that can see space and demand the forward lead into it by placing the pass there. Kozzie was another that actually honoured a lead. Everybody else just bombs away indiscriminately.

I mean this is the other concerning part to our team, Tommy keeps getting a game when he is doing sweet bugger all. I really think that both of them play better when there is another tall option in the team. TMac - CHF/stints in ruck Weid - FF ---- Gawn - rest period in forward line as tall marking option, push Weid into CHF

Development! ??

Top 8 was my expectation, anything less would render a fail in my books. As to who we have lost to, none of the teams who have beaten us were/are setting the world on fire and our only win we literally fell across the line after squandering a 42 point lead. But beyond that what is demoralising me when we lose is it's the same mistakes every week. We give up easy goals in the same way in a stretch that costs us the game. We look impotent in the forward line. Our skills cost us chances of getting back into the game. We will need to go on the mother of all run of wins to salvage this season.

If we were irrelevant we wouldn't be talked about, we're being talked about so we're relevant. So let's knock that one away for now. As for the rest, I think so much of it rests on game plan. I remember when we were at our worst with Neeld the players looked unsure of themselves and confused. I'm starting to see a little bit of that creep in, especially when looking forward of the centre. Once we pass the centre there aren't enough players looking to change the angle and come inside, too often we get say 65-70m out from goal and go the bomb to no one in particular. I might be missing something but I think the defence is actually settling ok, I'm not saying it's amazing, but I do feel that we let a lot of cheap goals up through basic turnovers and the midfield not covering space well enough. We also win enough of the ball and win enough clearances to get ourselves into positions to be attacking, but they don't seem to be sure of what to do with it. Then all to often in order to almost force something to happen someone will play on without looking or handball off (looking at you Clarry) to someone in a worse position. I've kind of left the topic so I'll get back to it now, I am worried about the clubs future because I am becoming fed up with it. I'm rusted on Red and Blue but in a world where there is so much happening that's sucking the life out of me, watching Melbourne is just making worse. I don't know how much more I can take.

You obviously had your eyes closed for the Geelong and Hawthorn finals then. I'm not saying he should dine out on it and that makes him an automatic selection but it shows he was capable then, he should be capable now. I think a lot of it is confidence.

It's not charity selection if he's taking marks and kicking goals in the only form of practice matches we have available, and the first team is not doing either.

Or they'll take credit as giving Melbourne the idea if they do it. Anyway my opinion FWIW if Burgess feels he can get him out on the park, fit and firing, then I'd be up for it. We lack tall marking options up forward (or at least we aren't playing any ?) and on his day he murdered teams, we were one of them unfortunately. Plus it'll be kinda nice to have a Daniher in the Red and Blue for Neale to support. All this is predicated on the idea that firstly Burgess is able to get him right, and secondly that he'd even want to come to our rabble of a club.

Actually I think you would find that Jones has in the past been one of our better kicks inside 50 WHEN HE LOOKS TO PASS, I agree that he does go the long bomb too often but when he takes that pause and breath that Tim Watson was talking about with Lyon he actually delivers pretty well. Compare that to Langdon, Oliver, Tomlinson, Harmes, Viney (and basically the entire list), who even when they do look to pass they generally turn it over. Anyway, I don't see him in our best 22 but there's much worse depth out there.

Don't disagree with the outs, I just wonder if we will bring Jones in given he didn't play in the scratch match due to soreness. Pig's return to form has been one of the few lights (along with Petracca), I'd be looking at dropping Lockhart and bringing back Jetta. As a different thought (and throwing the magnets around a bit) we could bring back Oscar (cue collective groan from D-Land) and shift Smith into a forward role allowing us to stay with the three you've dropped, along with Lockhart for Jetta. To sum up my Ins and Outs would be: IN: Weid, Bennell, Omac, Jetta Out: Melksham, Hunt, AvB, Lockhart It would look something like this: B: Jetta O McDonald Hibberd HB: Lever May Salem ? Langdon Viney Tomlinson HF: Hannan T McDonald Bennell F: Pickett Weideman Fritsch R: Gawn Harmes Petracca Int: Brayshaw Rivers Smith Oliver

Thing is, if we lose this week the season is pretty much a wash anyway. So might as well look at development and surely he falls into that category.

Has to come in, and we have to drop one of our mid-sized forwards. Probably looking at either Melksham or Hunt (I'm thinking the latter given his last two weeks). Give him 4-5 weeks as a lead up full forward, use TMac/Thommo as the chop out rucks, and give him one hell of a speech that we are backing him in and we believe in him. Because the way he hasn't been played this year with our forward line being completely inept has been baffling.

Kozzie is a good (and important pick) no matter what the cost has been, it's up to the cub and the team to balance out the worth by pulling their collective fingers out. As @Axis of Bob has also said, this year the draft will be heavily compromised because of COVID. It's still going to suck if we finish low but I actually liked the club backing themselves in to make the pick a 10> pick, it's a rare piece of bold strategy. The disaster is the team (and right now the coach), not the trade.

I’m utterly deflated as a fan by how we’ve played since the restart, I really hoped that what happened last year was largely to do with injury, but I think the club made that same ASSUMPTION and haven’t adjusted accordingly. But with a fit list to choose from our efficiency inside 50 is still diabolical. But as a fan and member for 20+ I just don’t think I can cop it anymore, I’ve decided I’m not going to watch next week and I’m going to try to actively avoid it because it breaks me every week. I even had a dream last night that I got fired from my work because I got so angry at Melbourne doing stupid things and losing. I think I dreamed we did 30+ forward entries for nothing and the other team goes up the other end once and kicks a goal. I might as well have just watch previous games.