Pitchy

He makes it sound like we will forever be last and crowdless. So bleak and so so wrong.

Toumpas seems to have fallen out of favour badly with coaches. He was doing OK for a while there mid year. I think his trajectory is solid enough to hold onto hope. Those decision making errors are frustrating but often the creative thinkers get caught in ugly positions early in career. He was tackling better this year and working inside more. I think another year could see a solid inside creative goal kicking mid emerge. Will never be fast but could make up for it with other attributes.

Our half forward line read; HF: Michie Dawes Harmes Did anyone actually expect us to score enough to win that game?

Great article, thanks for posting!

Blistering, pretty much none of what you have said there is accurate. I should edit and say that Josh Mahoney was indeed very good to Liam and in general within a terrible climate! And I'm glad that he is one of few still there today. All the stuff you said about the St Kilda game is inaccurate though, he was on fire, Gerard Healy was joking about him being dragged during the telecast, please re-watch.

That St Kilda game still haunts me. Liam was ready to kick ten that day but we were intent on tanking and dragged him repeatedly when he looked like tearing the game apart. Final round, we were bottom, St Kilda top and it wasn't supposed to even be close. Yet, Liam simply dominated and we were sell up midway through second quarter when he got dragged. A potential breakout 8-10 goal game ended up a farce. Following a win that day, Liam should've been celebrated as the new great forward in the game, instead he and the team left dispirited by the tanking and the internal politics at the MFC and we became the mess we were for the following years. A real turning point moment in both his career and the fortunes of the MFC. He of all people, coming from such a foreign world, needed a stable and supportive environment. The MFC let him down that day and in the year and a half that followed. I can't help but think that if he turned up now, the fresh faced excited kid we all saw, that the Paul Roos era would guide his optimism and talent to the highest realms of our game.

Watts has to play if we are to be any chance of winning. Sure, Watts and Toumpas simply do not win enough inside ball and that is what they need to work on. But they have outside polish to help us kick a winning score. The Port capitulation I blame on effort, but I more so blame it on Paul Roos and his coaching staff's team balance. Port are best running midfield in the comp and we needed to win the inside ball. To keep it off them. But instead Roosy dropped two inside mids (Newton and Riley) and made bull Viney sub. We couldn't get our hands on the ball once frontline of Vandenberg, Jones etc. tired. It seems Roos has acknowledged his crucial error of last week and has started all three extra insiders on the park. With them winning it inside, Watts and Toumpas can be handed the ball on the outside and we can push for scoring plays. So my bench is Watts, Grimes, Toumpas, Brayshaw.

Attitude, effort, skill, nous, tackling, time in close, dash - he has it all. He is the big mid we have been needing. So glad they gave him extra time in the midfield this week, he is a ball magnet who wins 50/50's. Will only get better and better. Well done Aaron! Keep it up!

It seems as though Lethal has only a casual interest in football these days and makes his observations based on the immediate play and not an overall sense of the player. Hogan is a trick skater! His ground level coordination is superb, not that everyone on this forum doesn't already know how wonderful he is.

He is a single grab mark. Is tough in the contest. And... IIRC... he slotted a match winner from the boundary last year? He is just a late bloomer and does have skills! Like Stef Martin at Bris now. Pedo is also a little unfashionable, if he had a sweet haircut (say... a mullet!) and was tearing it up like he did on the weekend we would all be doing cartwheels. At the very least, he is far better than Dawes.

I feel the same way Hogan's Heroes.

Yeah, surely someone with his mobility and that clean below his knees should be looking to become a big bodied mid?

IN: Watts, ANB, Riley, McKenzie OUT: Dawes, Salem, Bail, Stretch On ANB: I know we want to pick players on repeated Casey form, but another historic way players get into teams is by back filling for injured players. We desperately need some speed as all of our pacey players have leg injuries. Apparently this kid has speed? And he just played a decent game at Casey? Give him a shot. On McKenzie: Give the guy a specific tagging role. On Watts: Do we want to kick a winning score? Then play Watts cos he is a deft touch who helps us score goals, even when his output is disappointing for someone his size/talent. On Riley: Get him in the middle showing some strength and hunger. On Dawes: Time for him to become a Casey regular. On Bail: Toumpas is my pick to replace Salem for skillful kicking across half back. Bail goes to allow Riley in. On Stretch: Good kid! Go back and find the pill for a bit.

I guess we are well poised to judge having just watch the top 3 [censored] us. Hawks v Freo Grand Final - Hawks winning it again. That's my guess.

I can't imagine how Roos could have done any better in the timeframe than what he has done. If I were him I'd have aimed for the following; YEAR 1 - SOLIDIFY THE DEFENCE Tick! (shaved 6-7 goals a game off?) YEAR 2 - START SCORING MORE Started well against GC Round 1. Two things he could do here would be; 1) Drop his estimation of Chris Dawes to a VFL regular 'depth' player. 2) Put Watts and Howe in the forward line without Dawes there. That would get us the extra goals against most opposition. YEAR 3 - OPERATION MIDFIELD! Let's face it the reason for 100 point drubbings is the appallingly under-developed midfield. Third year Roosy would be all about a maturing midfield and bringing in more players. One year on, Brayshaw, Petracca, Tyson, Viney, Sheil (wouldn't that be nice!) will be better. Then hopefully Toumpas or Stretch or ANB or even Trengove become regulars. If he can achieve this then he is a genius. Currently the club playing for him and growing in confidence. Culturally we are almost cherry ripe finally, just need to get those pieces in place and we are pushing above the Tigers into the top 8 realm.

I stopped posting to Demonland a year ago after being repeatedly ridiculed for saying Dawes wasn't up to it. Only Dazzledavey was there supporting the idea. Couldn't believe our luck when both Hogan and Watts missed this week and it would finally become clear as day why even Pedo would be superior in that role. I personally think Dawes is probably one of the nicest guys at the club and would be a great influence around the playing group. That makes him a coaches dream and unfortunately Roos has continued to play him overlooking poor performance. But if you want to score over 50 pointz a game we need everyone in the Fwd line to be fluent in their skills. Dawes can't mark. Time to give Watts a trial by fire at CHF. Watts is a facilitator who can kick goals himself and assist. Time for him to become a man and own the role. He was close to BOG v GC in Round one. Watts cannot shine with Dawes demanding the ball and wasting it. It's time Jack. (Or Pedo, just not Dawes!)

Pederson is a better mark Pederson is a better second ruck Pederson is a better target inside 50 Pederson is a better player than Chris Dawes

I genuinely think that the repeated failure to score has demoralised the midfield and team. Dawes has been the spearhead who has kicked 2.4 in 6 weeks of football averaging 6 effective disposals per game. This is deplorable. Watts 17 silky touches and 3 outrageously weak contest per week pale in comparison to the sustained key post failure of Dawes.

When Pedo hit form that was the turning point of season. Shouldve dropped Dawes then and there and let Pedo flourish alongside Frawley and Watts. Instead we went on goal drought led by Professor Slappy.

Definitely seems like a great bloke! But Dawes has to go to the VFL for the team to improve. Is not good enough at the top level. I've always felt that Neeld brought him across as part of the patronizing 'Collingwood are so good, even a premiership reject will help this terrible club' philosophy. Neeld showed no interest in our players with potential like Big Stef, Petterd, Jurrah, Jetta etc. He under coached them, while overpaying and praising limited athletes like Dawes. Even now, I cannot bare having to hear McGuire still pumping Dawes up, despite repeated horrible performances. Every time he mentions Dawes it is with the tone of; "a Pies premiership player is down in the gutter helping the insipid MFC". It's part of us being the patronized AFL basket-case that we are. Roosy's was right to identify Dawes leadership skills and positive cultural influence and play him early this year. Now Paul Roos has to be strong, show some vision, look past the $$ contract, look beyond the premiership medallion and see him for what he is: a C-grade tall who can't mark to the required standard. It's time to let Chris Dawes settle into the role he was carving for himself at Collingwood and the one he should have at the Dees. Hard working VFL back up tall.

Finally!! We can't become a competitive team with a turnover potato as the major target. Put any other player over 6ft at CHF for better results. We just scored 3 goals against GWS.

I know Dawes could not kick a goal for a month and people would still say his presence is enough, agree to disagree on that. But 3 goals is the worst offensive effort I have ever seen from the club. So let's look at it that way for a tick hey?! And Nasher. The differences are many from the first few rounds... Watts - was playing midfield rounds 1-3. Is now settling as a high half forward. Blease - Hasn't been given a crack yet. More damaging in attack than Bail. Unfortunately historically he is also more damaging with defensive lapses but he can't be any worse than yesterday when the ball was swept out with ease time and again. Give him a shot! Pederson - is 5 times the player he was in Round 1. Most improved in the competition. Something has clicked for that bloke and he doesn't want to turn back. Will kick a bag if given space now. JKH - Was sub in Rounds 1-3 and yesterday. Start him and we are more potent. Dunn - playing wonderful football under Roos now and can kick goals. Would hate to see him leave defence too, but Frawley is not cutting it up forward. Kent - was building solid form before injury. There are goals in these players and would be very different proposition to earlier in the year.

We need goals more than anything and we look too top heavy up forward.... In: Blease and Kent Out: Salem and Dawes It's Sam Blease time! Fast, attacking, skillful... and, most importantly, a goal kicker. Blease is one of four current MFC players to have kicked a 5 bag in an AFL game. The others are L. Dunn, S. Byrnes and, funnily, M. Jamar. Kent is a little goer, loves a goal and has a bit of flair. Salem needs a rest to find more ball and tackle in the VFL. Try Kent. Also, time to swing Frawley back home to defence. As stellar as Dunn has been down back, Frawley up forward is a net loss. Swing Dunn for a bit. Look, I know Dawes won't be dropped, but he should be. Pederson has moved past him in all areas; hardness, pressure acts and effectiveness. If I were to drop a tall it would be out of Dawes or Gawn, def not Pederson. Dawes has quickly helped us become competitive, but the whole team has completely adopted his and Roosy's exemplary attitude leaving him now a hindrance to us actually winning matches. We looked sharper and more potent against Port when Dawes was out. Pederson is first picked tall forward now and Dunn is a seriously good AFL player now. I would like our forward line to read... HF: Watts Dunn Blease FF: Kent Pedo JKH Pedo is on the verge of kicking a big bag. He will excel with less top heavy forward line. ie. no Frawley or Dawes to demand the ball only to lose or halve the contest and have the ball swept out at ground level.

These are good points. Dawes does present well and was a focus for the defenders, and Fitz is hardly kicking bags at Casey. So a reprieve for this week, but he has a lot to prove in my eyes. Especially now that Frawley and Pedo have raced past him in effectiveness. And finally, those who think Dawes (8 touches, 3 marks) played better than Jack Watts on Sat are kidding themselves. Don't ask for his Jack's head and create more media pressure. Sure he looked a little lost but he is very much part of what we are putting together and will definitely come good.

Controversial to drop Chris Dawes? Out: Dawes, Bail, Byrnes In: Fitz, Kent, Blease Can someone who has access to deep stats please tell me how many times the ball was kicked to Chris Dawes and how many times that resulted in a gain to Sydney? He demands the ball and then doesn't win it. Frawley should be the number one target till J Hogan is in. Pederson is far better at the moment as well. Time to try out another forward again, like Fitz. Before anyone blathers on about Dawes' leadership and verbal abilities, just look at how many goals we scored. Time to restructure again and bring in goal kickers blease, kent and fitz.