Maldonboy38

Green - 2010 Green missing Jones - strong, important contribution Bartram - hardly noticed him Watts - lacks constant intensity (note - kick it to him when he leads so well. team mates stop ignoring good leading!) Gysberts - poise and efficiency Bennell - hardly noticed him Frawley - rust falling off Trengove - classy but patchy Morton - worst sub ever Sylvia - strong when required Dunn - really dumb game Grimes - just steady today Garland - reliable but limited Moloney - power and presence Jurrah - superstar has arrived Rivers - reads play brilliantly Wonaeamirri - rusty but strong Martin - quick, agile, aggressive Tapscott - strong but uninvolved Davey - tagged strongly again Jamar - all australian ruckman Bail - excellent tagging role (can't wait for Jordie to get back so this bloke can run free again) .

I am one of those who questions his ability to hold his spot over the next 18 months / 2 years considering other potentially more skillful young players coming up behind him. But he was sensational today. I think his work in the 2nd quarter also needs a mention. He took the game on and ran through spaces, more than many others were doing at the time. He set up that brief spell of 3 goals by sheer hard work. At the moment we cannot do without him. He has a crack, shows heart and leaves nothing behind. .

Leave him in. He was rusty and poor today but this won't last long. Terrible decision to have him as our sub today. This bloke is a ball carrier and can actually hit a target inside our 50. Frawley today 1st quarter was horrible but then the 2010 Chip appeared. Morton might also be rusty again at the start next week, but he will run into form. .

Out Dunn. In Petterd. Dunny played a dumb game of football today. We need his size, his long kicking, and his ability to take a good player out of space. But apart from a couple of marks and a goal, he spilled marks, kicked poorly and was often in team mates way. He became a player we had to go around at times. .

His intensity worries me. At times he doesn't just look laid back, he is just not intenese enough. But he was not terrible today. I am getting sick of his team mates ignoring really good leads, inside 50 and at half forward. Even kids around me at the Punt Rd end were noticing it and crying out "Watts, Watts..." Brad Green looked but ignored him twice, kicked to a pack where it was run out of our forward line. Caset is no good for him at the moment but he must have a crack at the Suns. .

Overview of today's game: GOOD Perseverance. We stuck at, and out attack on the ball at stoppages was really strong. Jurrah. MCG superstore had no Jurrah badges left after the game. Any wonder? Freak. Stoppage work. Big improvement. We would be lost without Jamar's class and Moloney's grunt work. However, if Lions did take possession at a stoppage we were weak in stemming their forward spread. Ticker. Really good today Watts' leading inside 50 Welcome back Gys. Gun. BAD Kicking skills into half forwrd line. Frawley's short passing (at least 5 went to team mates' feet instead of chests) Team mates not honouring great leads from Watts, Jurrah and Wonna. Inexperienced midfield the probable cause, but too many great leads missed or ignored. First quarter. Embarrassingly bad. Our pre-game must change, our 1st quarters are poor almost every game. How many 1st quarters have we won since 2008? UGLY Dunny with that horrible head, foul lip fur AND damage to the nose. Dingo ugly. Backline fumbling at ground level. Non-existent half forward line. This was excruciating to watch today, especially in the last quarter Morton - as rusty as you could possibly be from a sore finger. Very bad sub choice. The amount of times the Lions had free players in the middle of the ground after a turnover on a wing / halfback. If their forward line wasn't worse than ours, they would have slaughtered us. Either our structure has a gaping hole in it, or some players are not playing to team rules. Full of holes at times today. Watts intensity at a contest. SPRINT boy!!!!!! If Davey is tagged, someone legally block or bump the tagger. Get stuck into him and let him know that Martin or Jamar or Chip will run through him if he keeps it up. Someone stand up. By the way, I 've never enjoyed a win less. I wrote during the week that a win is a win is a win. When the siren went I just rested my head in my hands. I did the one thing during the game today that I hate doing, and hate other supporters doing - I spent the last quarter whinging. Never done it before and hope I don't again. It was hard to stomach. .

Spot on! I am getting really frustrated watching team mates not honour his leading when he leads at the right time, to the right place, and has 2 metres on his opponent. Kicking toward the Punt Rd end in the 2nd quarter, 3 leads totally ignored, and two of these were from Brad Green. .

6. Moloney - great game again 5. Rivers - Best game in years 4. Jurrah - match winner 3. Jamar - controlled the game 2. Jones - we would have been tampled without him when for a period in the second quarter (I think) he alone stood up. 1. Gysberts - we waited a while and he didn't disappoint. Great stoppage player. .

If you are over 15 and don't understand a simple, well-known phrase like that - you need help. Perhaps you would fit in better with the Collingwood fans whose age is usually higher than their IQ and can count to ten using their teeth. .

I don't have all the info and understanding of the FD but Petterd being dropped seems unfair. He wasn't great last week but he wasn't Robinson Crusoe either. Jones and Dunn VERY lucky to hold their places ahead of him. There is a huge upside with Petterd - he can take a contested mark inside 50. Morton for the sub. He lacks match fitness so wouldn't last a game out, but can really go for it for 1 - 2 quarters, barring injury to one of the starting 21 prior. .

You learn to win by winning. We have to start by getting a win, and part of me doesn't care if it is by 10 goals or an ugly 15 points. What I want to see is a red hot go, some genuine ticker, onfield leadership and some sign that our structures can work, especially in defence. Yep, I would love to see a 10 goal win where our very best is on display. But 2 of our best midfielders are out injured - Scully and McKenzie, Frawley is slowly on the return, and Cale Morton is coming in for game 1. It is highly likely we will thump the Lions but a win is a win is a win. As for the Lions, do not underestimate them. Voss has made some really bad list errors, but his list is now where ours was in 2009 and I reckon he is the kind of coach players will play for. If we expect a VFL side to turn up it is likely we will play VFL standard footy and get beaten.

Davey has been needed at halfback because of the ordinary skills of our defenders coming into transition (Rivers, Joel McDonald, Bartram, Grimes)over a number of years. When he is placed in the midfield, opposition teams know if they tag him hard we have lost his kicking skills and our stoppage work crumbles. At the same time we have since 2008 been rebuilding our midfield. If, and it is a big if, but IF we can get Trengove, Sylvia, Moloney, Scully, Grimes, McKenzie and Gysberts to be the main midfield framework, and then IF we can get players who can kick into our halfback line (Strauss, Blease??) then Davey can return to the forward line and be given license to murder oppositions with his kicking skills, pace and defensive pressure. On the MFC website they ar running the "choose your best 22" and I have had Davey at halfback. Get him out of the middle and let him play that quarterback role. But I am changing my mind rapidly about this. Half forward for mine. Imagine the defensive pressure he and Wonna will put on in our forward 50. This all depends on Scully and McKenzie getting back into the mix, and our backline showing some kicking skill. Frawley is usually a reliable kick (Sunday night was a shocker) and Tappy is showing something special. 2 new backmen need to be found and developed in 2011. All the above will then free Davey up. .

Selectors have done the right thing here. Naming Martin at HF and not Watts, naming Grimes in the middle, and keeping Warnock's name in the mix as insurance for Garland - who I expect will play. This slight shake up at the very least communicates that no one player is a rock-solid guarantee for a position. Disappointed that Bennell is given another chance and not Maric. Both were really ordinary last week but Maric had 1 quarter when the game was over. Stoked to see Gysberts and Wonna. Our weakness at stoppages will be interesting to watch as this is best area of Gysbert's game. And Wonna is magnificent at helping keep the ball inside our 50 metre zone. For mine, I would love the bench to be: Watts, Morton, Dunn and Petterd, but I reckon Jones will keep Dunn out. .

Great post Bhima - good research and interpretation. Bailey seems to have put a real development plan in place and the following steps have taken place: 1. Delist players who cannot deliver Dees to a flag (White, Yze, Robbo etc...) as difficult and sad as this was 2. Draft players based on skill and potential, knowing and planning for no short term fruit, just long term. 3. Put body size on these young bodies and game time, rotating these young kids through the 22 4. Build team in 3 sections: a) backline b)midfield c) forwards. the forwards are the last drafting piece of the puzzle. 5. Use transition as the basis of a game plan Sunday night was a poor skills night in our back line, and poor game regarding intensity at and over the ball. But this can be rectified simply via coaching and the players having a red hot go. Now, can Bailey develop steps 6 and 7? 6. Our midfield bodies, positioning and skills so that we win at stoppages and can defend against opposition spread, and also spread from a clearanance ourselves with pace, structure and skill 7. Forward line structure, inlcuding 1 really big body. We have the skills (Watts, green, Petterd, Maric), we have the X factor in Jurrah, but no power forward just yet. Cook? Martin? Fitzpatrick? I reckon by the end of 2012 this development plan will be completed and the Dees will begin to be strong in 9 of every 10 matches they play. The development plan becomes a premiership playing plan. The potential, the plan and the players are almost all there (Other new kids like Viney etc... to be added). THEN comes a huge question. Can Dean Bailey coach and inspire the list he has developed to a premiership? I can easily trust him all the way through to point 7, and people calling for his sacking are sufferng from a lack of vision and understanding of the task agreed to be Stynes, Schwab, Connolly, Bailey and the Board. So, with all this in place and a developing game plan, between now and September 2012 I will be watching his coaching, and Green's captaincy to see if they can produce the intensity and gameday nouse to led us to where we should go. .

Roundabout 2004, maybe 2005, Malcolm Blight was co-commentating on a Melbourne game and we were getting flogged (I can't remember against who but it was a shocker, possibly 12 - 15 goals) His response was really penetrating and it has stayed with me as a means of measuring the effectiveness of players. He said something like, "have a look at all the games the team has played in which they got flogged. If, in each of those games there are a handful of players who always play really badly during a flogging, de-list them" This was part of his reasoning for cleaning out the Cats and Crows when he took over at both clubs. I am hoping there might be a stats nut somewhere on Demonland who can look back over the Bailey era (in which we have received a heap of floggings) and see if any player always plays badly on those occasions. I reckon the following names might come up: Cam Bruce - no need to worry here Nathan Jones Russell Robertson - no need to worry here Aaron Davey - I hope I am wrong. Any stats fasn want to take up the challenge? Thoughts? .

The word and name of Michael Newton, Juice, Newts, Mick, or any other derivative should never ever again be mentioned in the same sentence as the phrase "starting 22". Sorry Snoopy but he is a living, breathing example of the no-grunt malaise that has affected the Dees for far too long. He neverseems to hurt or bleed for the ball or for the jumper. Next. .

Re the enquiry about Strauss. James Strauss: Straussy was good. He was an emergency for round one and didnt play last week. So James was a little bit rusty, but still did a good job. This kid has obviously got something and the coaches like him. But we can't take too much from this assessment. One Dees fan who went to the game said the backline, including Strauss, was impassable for a good stretch of the 2nd half. I hope he can make it because we need good kicking skills to become an expectation, not a bonus. .

Quotes from Melbourne website: "Jordan Gysberts: Jordan had 14 clearances and 30 touches and was outstanding. He was really good around the stoppages and he used the ball well to set up the game. Jordan was the architect behind the game." Tom McDonald: Tom took six marks and had eight spoils, so he defended really well. He kicked and used the ball well. Tom rebounded strongly. Austin Wonaeamirri: I played Aussie as a midfielder and he had seven clearances up until three quarter-time. He finished with nine for the match. He showed a different type of fitness, which was good. Aussie is a smart player and it was the best game I’ve seen him play for Casey - from a consistency perspective. It was a really big game from Aussie. Sam Blease: Sammy started a little bit slow. I had him on Shannon Byrnes, who had five touches in the first 10 minutes. I then moved Sammy off him and spoke to him about my expectations of him and then he was very good. He started to play tighter - defending first and then attacking. Sammy showed plenty of run - some players looked slow around him, which is quite amazing. He got better as the game went on. Michael Evans: Michael is a very impressive young player. He looks like he’s a real chance in the future. He had 21 disposals and showed composure. Michael’s a good kick and is clean. He knows where to go, so for all Demon supporters, he’s one to watch coming through. If these players played as well as stated, there is now some serious pressure building on our starting 22. Gysberts MUST play this week. Wonna MUST play this week. The other three need more Casey time but will place pressure on our 22, especially our backline. Thoughts? PS. It also rated Newton highly but I can't, I just can't bring myself to ever consider him again. It might be unfair on a player showing form but he has played this trick numerous times before. .

I am sick of re-inventions, starting again, rebuilding. I am sick of hearing from mild-manered coaches, players and leaders. I am sick of mildly going about our business like some 1950's MCC ladies auxilliary. No, I do not want thuggery - turns me off our great game. I reckon the last coach/leader at our club who wasn't mild was John Northey!! I want some ticker. I want us to play angry AND smart and not be sorry for it. I want to see my coach using negative psychology (a good rant or spray) in the face of a player who would respond to it. No short steps to packs, light-legged outside runners or tiny-thighed waiters dominating our team structure (yes, I know, we need some) Sitting behind the goals on Sunday night, it was great to hear some genuine anger, grunt, abuse and hot-headed-fan ranting from Melbourne fans. Too long we have golf-clapped our way through seasons!! Boy... I really needed to type that. .

Good discussion post. Most of us Demonlanders are patient. The strength of our posting after last night is absolute frustration that we served up the kind of game the whole club is trying its guts out to leave behind. And we are right to question Grimjes kicking, Jurrah's defensive game etc... But our main focus has to be midfield. We were monstered last night. The five great midfields mentioned to start this post all have big bodies and experience. For mine, Davey back to a half back flank to give him that quarter-back role as in 2009. Grimes into the midfield to use his decision making and game reading skills. In Gysberts, out Bennell. ASAP. In Scully or Morton(when injury allows), out Jetta In Jordie if Jonesy has another poor game. I am undecided here. There is a part of Jonesy's game that we need, the in-and-under game that our other recruits don't have the body for. I love this bloke but hislimitastions are getting bigger and his resourcefulness lesser. Then, barring injury play them in the same team, week in week out just like Carlton did with Gibbs, Murphy, Carazzo, etc... .

Green - is captaincy suiting? Jones - we need him Bartram - necessary but limited Watts - Get some mongrel (copied from above) Bennell - Front runner. Casey Frawley - will definetly improve Trengove - classy but intermittent Sylvia - gun needs help Dunn - lack of involvement Petterd - getting better weekly Grimes - kicking needs practice Garland - lost without him Moloney - one poor game Jurrah - learn to defend Rivers - good backline leader Martin - rising to potential Tapscott - grunt and poise Davey - half back line Jetta - Casey Maric - one more game Jamar - stuffed without him Bail - great run and carry

I have used outback toilets with more substance than this post. Reading the play is not his weakness. He is often in the right position a the right time. He now needs to learn to throw himself at it. As for playing deep - this is not his go at all. He can run all day and has a huge engine - let him roam a bit, including being deep, but don't stick him deep. As for Juice... please no-one type his name again as an option. Imagine the score from yesterday if he had been in the 22. Shudder. .

Would have loved to have shared the single malt with you. Your post is a cracker, Old Dee, and spot on in most places. I am not going to judge my whole season on this game, but when young fellas like Martin, Bail and Gappy can lead the way against a really hard unit like Hawthorn, and only Sylvia and Ribers show glimpses of onfield leadership, I reckon we are 1 year behind expectations. I have had a sleep and a couple of coffees, but I am still as annoyed, angry and jacked off at our attitude last night. Front runners who couldn't toughen up with little or no concrete shown by our leaders, and a tactical numbness shown by our coach. I hope this mongrel feeling wears off by the Lions game. .

This bloke is a gun who is not a reliable kick. Actually, he is a poor kick and this needs to be stated clearly even by those of us who love him as a player. He reads the play better than most, is courageous, can mark in a pack and runs into the right paces at the right times. But a coach needs to pull him aside at training and do kicking drills with him over and over again. He is too good to be making fuindamental errors, especially when not under pressure. 1. He should not be responsible for kick-ins. 2. He should be in our midfield but we need a large mobile skilled defender to take his place. We do not have one (yet). 3. He had a howler tonight but is the kind of plager who will rebound from this quickly. Look out Brisbane, Grimes will be BOG next week. .

This is the best post I have ever read on this site. 100% accurate. What's that definition of insanity: repeating the same action but expecting a differnet result? Please Dees, show some nouse. .