Maldonboy38

I have watched Casey a few times this year: not as much as most previous years but enough to see a real lessening of team talent each week. By team talent I mean the way the 22 interact and flow on the field. I hate to say it, but the team seems to lack cohesion in a similar way to the Dees under Neeld. I don't know the coach but have heard him at a number of quarter time breaks and he seems fine to me, if a little uninspiring at times. My own insight is that it is not the Casey Demons who are the real problem, it is the lack of other talent being attracted to Casey who are genuine good quality VFL players. And I have to have a say on Gysberts. WE stuffed up a very good, natural footballer who was a great decision maker and had amazing hands in tight. He was a bloody good footballer who came to a club that killed his career. He was injury prone, but our handling of his injuries continued to deepen the impact of his injuries. And the China thing - if that was an average workplace, Worksafe would have had a field day. As for those who say he does not have ticker, he definitely was not like that when he arrived. He was known for his workrate, and that he would still be in and under packs late in games. That disappeared while at MFC. I do concede that he never got his fitness back after the 2nd preseason was filled with injury.

I always love a player debut, so good luck to Dom Barry. His tagging work has been strong and he is quick. That is a very interesting team the Dees have put out there. I am unsure whether I think it will work against the Doggies, or whether it will expose our shallow list and soft underbelly. Nicholson is very hard at the ball and runs all day but is the another member of the "I kick like Ben Holland" club. With him and Terlich in the team I suspect our turnovers will be horrible. and if the Doggies do 1 thing well - it is score from turnovers. A bit worried about this to be honest. Once again, can we score enough goals?

I had a conversation with someone today who has strong relationships with many of the players parents and hosting families. The talk around this group is that 6 players are already earmarked for delisting, and 3 of them are definitely Strauss, Byrnes and Tapscott. Blease is in the spotlight but will probably survive, as is Clisby. The reason I am including this in this thread is that Strauss, Byrnes and Tapscott are actually good users of the ball and considering we are the turnover kings I thought it might be more like Nicholson to be a definite delisted player because his kicking is so bad. Our kicking when under no pressure is particularly poor and costs us games. Terlich, McDonald, Viney and Grimes are the worst, with Bail and Garland not far behind, but many others have bad moments. It is not fitness, and many of the perpetrators are not "dumb" footballers.

Sorry, I forgot all about Georgiou. His defensive work was outstanding. He played on much bigger opponents and was able to spoil and use his body to great effect. Also, if he was involved in play as it moved up the ground, when that play was over he sprinted back to his player/position ready to defend again. He was very good.

Can't get there today - my son's local game is at 3pm and finishes at 5pm. Reckon it will be very close, hard and tight with one side kicking 3 or 4 goals in a row in the last quarter to win the game. If we match them physically we win. Kent, Bail, M Jones and the ball-carriers and those able to forward spread will be very important. Carna Dees!

I was at the game today and after reading through thie thread thought I would make some comments. Box Hill had some serious tall boys up forward, but they won it through some outstanding midfield running and a touch of class all over the field that even the MFC players didn't or couldn't match. They also won it from some of the worst kicking forward of centre from the Scorpions that I have ever seen at VFL level. I reckon the kicking today was not up to Eastern Football League Div 1 here in Melbourne. Poor old Dan Nicholson showed why he is not getting a game. I was sitting with the woman he used to board with when he first came to the club who was talking him up all day so I was watching him very closely. He hit one target by foot all day. Atrocious. Gawn. Great game. Hard work, gut running and beat big boy McEvoy in the hitouts (I think). But he does still drop some marks that only he gets his hands to. Barry. Very poor game. Nowhere near it. Nicholson. Nowhere near AFL standard. Toumpas. Needs to get into it more but did look a class above when he used it. His tackling and aggression were a real highlight. Blease. Very good game. In the VFL player reviews he has been criticised for letting his player get goal side, and that did happen twice today that I noticed, but his movement around the ground to set up the next play was very good as was his tackling. The only Dees player who today showed he is worthy of promotion. Tapscott. Some of his play was really, really good and he was confident and focused with ball in hand. Just didn't get it any where near enough. He did play a lot better than I thought he would against a very good Box Hill side. Michie. He may have got a bit of the ball but I didn't notice it during general play. His possessions didn't seem to advance the Scorpions toward goal or hurt the opposition. Strauss. He does kick well but he did absolutely nothing else. Nothing. Fitzy. Boy he goes hard at it in the air. Box Hill double teamed him all day with one player body-on-body and another coming over the top or dropping in front. He impressed me as a forward target but it seemed the other players were too dumb to cut out the third man up and give him a better chance to mark. Harmes. I was impressed with this kid. Didn't get a heap of possessions but he is a good size, makes amazing 2nd and 3rd efforts and has a genuine crack at it. What I enjoyed the most about him is I reckon he can kick well under pressure. Apart from Blease I can fully understand why Roos isn't changing the 22 too easily. He has few to choose from as genuine AFL standard alternatives. [Edit] I forgot JKH. He get to the right places with pace and zip but wasn't particularly impressive today.

Roos has elevated Casey players who have displayed consistent form in two way running, with an emphasis on the defensive. Riley, Kent, McKenzie and Nicholson are probably those who fit this category over the last few weeks. So if anyone comes in I reckon it will be Nicholson but I just can't see that happening. I am looking for Blease to get a go, but the Casey player review keeps highlighting his mental lapses in defensive mess-ups so I can't see him getting a run too quickly. North Melbourne are big bodied and fit but Roos has said on multiple occasions he isn't doing too much planning around the other team. Rather, he concentrates on what we are doing so he is more than likely to bring a player in to correct a team weakness or team balance. Unless there is an injury I can't see the need for a change. The team is well balanced, steady and when we do actually attack we look ok.

Just like last week against the Pies, the game against the Bombers will demonstrate our lack of class up forward. It will be a close game, and I reckon we can match them down back and across the middle, but their back line will smother our forwards and rebound it quickly making scoring opportunities on the rebound. If we can deliver it well to Dawes and others we have a chance. A winnable game, but I reckon the Dons by about 15. I hate typing that. I absolutely despise Essendon.

Because he got clean hands to about 10 others, where he was heaps taller than his opponent and simply spilled the mark, without it being punched away from him. 3 contested marks is a very good effort but he got to a lot of contests and lacked the polish to actually take the mark. Persevere with him though - his marking will get better.

A very clear lack of class in the forward 50. And very little running through forward 50 by our midfield.

Apart from your opening 3 words, can't agree more. Frawley in particular, but lots of players today could have/should have taken easy marks out in front, chose to chest mark, and allowed second rate defenders like Frost to spoil. Even Dawes got sucked in a few times and he does know better.

N.Jones - outstanding captain's game Grimes - steady without turnovers Salem - given football lesson Watts - not too bad Dawes - beaten on day Viney - unpressured crap kick Tyson - couldn't break tag Frawley - stop chest marking! Dunn - great attacking defence Cross - wonderful tagging performance Garland - rare horrible game Pederson - keeps on working Vince - too many turnovers Kennedy - Harris - poor game today McDonald - our leading stopper Gawn - learn to mark Howe - an OK game Bail - possession without impact M.Jones - ineffective hard running Terlich - injured after break? Jetta - great stopping game

Agree with you 100% Clint. Surely they can run backwards for 5 steps or so, so they can actually look across a 180 degree sweep to make a decision QUICKLY. Having said that, I reckon this slowing down is a team rule - they have done it ad nauseum this year in almost every game. The frustrating thing as a spectator is there are clear and excellent leads being ignored or not seen.

Just got back from the game. I have to admit being really disappointed today, and feeling we took a bit of a step back but it came down to 2 things. 1. Class. Our only class player in Tyson was brilliantly tagged out of the game. Even our players who get some of the ball lacked a lot of class a lot of the time. The Pies midfield showed poise, discipline and structure every time a stoppage was held. 2. Wanted: 1 forward line and 1 backline delivery player who can really kick. And a reminder to our players that you are allowed to kick to the 1st lead up option (stop ignoring great leads from Dawes, Pederson and even Watts) and we are allowed to run through our half back line. The static play through half back was cringeworthy, but credit to the Pies for blocking the leads through the wings and corridor.

Roos is more into team defense. He will definitely have match ups planned, but the match ups are only the basis for the back six + midfielders to defend that part of the ground as a body of players. Pendlebury is the worry for me. He is so creative and influential and I can't see anyone from the Dees having the nous or class to match him or beat him. I reckon both sides match up across the 22 pretty well, but I give the Pies the edge in the middle. The balance of the game lies with players like Swan, Elliot, Fasolo or Salem, JKH, Bail who will make the game for one side or the other. Smaller players finding space to run into to kick goals. We are a genuine chance in this game, but we keep losing very winnable games by small margins.

With Monfries and Hartlett out, it does bring us closer, but can't see a win coming. Great to see Jetta straight back in, along with Frawley. Respect for Roos is also really building. Nothing diverts him from the principles he believes in. It is not so much that Toumpas is dropped, but rather the player who earned a spot - Jetta - is brought straight back in to fill his earned role. Love it.

Dawes deserved his one week. You can't swing an arm like that and make contact to an opponent's head and not get rubbed out. Did Rance fall too easily - yes, but the act of bringing an arm down should not go unnoticed. As for Ablett, it was a tiny incident with minimal impact. It has nothing to do with the who (Ablett), it has to do with the what, and it was anothing incident. The other incident involving Ablett annoys me more. Cooney turns his body to the side to make a contest and protect his body (perfect attitude and technique), while Ablett puts his head down to deliberately force illegal contact, and Cooney gets reported!! Ablett is at fault there, not Cooney.

I don't know what it is for the Pies, but it is a huge win for us. Neeld was a horror and some of his moneyball recruiting was way off, but as far as the major/central part of his recruiting strategy he did get a few things very right.

We can but we won't. With all the development we are seeing in our players, I can't see them stopping the 10+ Port midfielders running through the corridor with risk and abandon. Players like Bail, Terlich, Grimes, will be vital in this game. One of our main strengths is in our marking ability, so with Dawes out this significantly alters the one thing in our favour. Port by around 40 I reckon.

I am a huge fan of what Basset has done at Norwood. I still like Ratten. Beveridge is a smoky. I had not considered him at all but Hawk supporters love his work with the younger players. But to be honest, I have no idea who is on the Dees radar. Our board no longer leaks and their planning is all done away from the media, quietly and effectively. Looking at the style of PJ and Bartlett, I reckon they already know who they want and have a program of how/when to recruit get him, but are just waiting for the right time to sign off and announce.

As for the direction of the club, it is building some strong foundations and appears to have enough business acumen to form a strong business model. This is something we haven't had in some time, if ever. PJ and Bartlett need to take a lot of credit for this. This will be tested/measured when AHG come up for the sponsorship renewal. If they re-sign you can bet your bottom dollar the business/personnel side of the club is resonating in the broader business community. The current list is good without being great. The difference between the top and bottom sides usually has to do with 2 thigs: 1) The bottom players in the entire list - for us Harmes, Hunt, King etc. 2) And secondly by the bottom 4 players in the best 22. Jetta, Salem (only because he is young), Byrnes, Terlich who continue to look shaky at many times during a game. But our biggest list problem is the lack of development in Strauss, Tappy, Nicho, Blease, Fitzy etc... who have been on our lst a while and keep on coming in and out of the team. I am a huge Blease fan but if this season continues as it is going, I reckon he is gone at season's end. All these players are probably going to be replaced with Michie, Riley, Jordie etc... The turn around in confidence and positivity at MFC at present is remarkable, but the work is only just beginning. We are a long way from being a strong, leading, successful club. Benchmarks for me: 40,000+ members Defeating teams in the top 8 Repeat sponsors Free agents and traded players lining up to come to MFC October 2014 - February 2015 will be a massive time for MFC. This will show how far we have come and if we are building something special.

It comes across as harsh, but not just for the sake of it. It looks like defensive running is the non-negotiable. Even Michie got 30 possessions but is plainly told his defensive running needs work. So it looks like Roos practice is not so much to drop players from the AFL 22, as it is to elevate people who earn it by repeated efforts at VFL level.

Just watched Nathan Jones on Talking Footy. I have to admit to being surprised at how well he spoke. My questions about whether he was a suitable captain in years gone by had nothing to do with football ability or on ground leadership. It was about his public speaking and being up front representing the club in the media, at functions etc... On Talking Footy tonight he was very, very good. No constant umming and aaahing, he answered the questions, he talked up the club, and most of all was honest about some of the tougher questions. When asked if he thought Jack Watts' introduction to the club and first season was handled poorly by the club, he was up front and said "yes", he thought that Jack was handled badly by the club. And in passing, that passage of play where he was monstered on the ground by 3 Richmond players, and he kept fighting and wrestling until he stood up and handballed to a team mate - inspirational.

As for comments on Grimes' game on Martin, the scoreboard at the MCG had Martin with 18 possessions up to half time. That means he only had 13 after half time. That's a win to the Dees. As for tackling, have you ever noticed that most teams struggle to tackle Martin? He has serious body strength, a natural fend off, and his first 4-5 steps are super quick. As for the Port game, the only necessary "in" is Jetta to play a stopping game on Wingard. Normally a payer like Frawley would jump straight back in, but who comes out? This is not as easy to answer as it sounds. Gawn? No. He and Jamar rotating through the ruck/forward is too much of an attacking bonus. Garland? No. Still our best backman. Dunn. No way. Too strong and reliable now Howe? No, just finding his feet and learning that he can fly for marks inside defensive 50. Terlich. Probably the closest to being in the gun, but he plays a totally different role to Frawley so not an equal exchange Grimes. No. Apart from some really bad mistakes his intercept marking, and constant pressure are essential. MacDonald? Probably the best fit. Some of his errors and decision making could place him in the gun, but he is a great stopper and could keep a tight reign on Schulz. This week I don't have an early insight for ins/outs, but an interesting discussion coming up.

Gawn's tap work is much better than I remembered it - he sets up play about 4 metre away from the ruck contest. This is not easy to do, and he has the height to impose this act on a stoppage. Having him play half his time as a full forward could be a great bonus to our starting 18. He can take a mark, and with his height he will cause some major headaches for backline coaches. Why the Tiges let him go for so many one-one-one marks is beyond me. Third man up would have given Richmond many backline possessions if they had half a brain to think this through.