Jaded No More

I did notice that Melbourne put a merchandise survey on their website a couple of days ago, but it seems to die half way through. It also doesn't seem to have many design/item specific questions, so what's the point? Einstein, lingerie is a whole other dimension, and not my area of expertise, so I might leave that one alone

Good summary Rhino. Bailey made the obvious cuts, but also put his balls on the line when he traded a fan-favourite in TJ. That trade has paid off BIG, and is exactly the sort of stuff I expect Bailey to keep on doing. Ladder position means nothing at the moment, in fact, the lower we are, the better off we are. What interests me is the development of our young players, and IMO there has been a huge improvement in our list overall. Players have come on, they have shown new found versatility, they have been challenged and they have shown glimpses of an ability to carry through DB's game plan. I'm also happy that Bailey is not afraid to drop under performing senior players, or giving young kids big tasks (e.g.- Grimes on Chapman). So far, Bailey has done an excellent job given the state of our list and where we are in the rebuilding process. He has stuck to his guns, he has put a lot of time and energy into our kids, and it's slowly but surely paying off. Whether he can bring us what we all ultimately want, is another question altogether, but I'm positive that Bailey's work over the last 2 years will help us significantly in any future flag challenges.

Haha. You are exactly the sort of sample demographic I'm going for. Shame there is only one of you! <_< If a basic range takes off, we can look into Ralph Lauren inspired cardigans and skinnies, just for you. Try pressing F5 and refreshing the page?

Hello all, So after years of complaining about the very ugly and uninspiring range of merchandise available to us long suffering Melbourne supporters, I have decided to finally do something about it... hopefully. My final undergrad CAD project involves designing a range of merchandise for a company/label/organisation of my choice, so I figured this is a good way of killing two birds with one stone. I'm looking to design a range of casual merchandise, not necessarily the sort of generic stuff all other clubs have, but products you would want to wear outside of the footy as well. My theory is, that if you design a versatile, fashionable range, supporters will be more inclined to purchase. Because of trademark issues, and the fact that everyone wants a cut, AFL merchandise is often expensive, disproportionally so. However since we all have to buy and wear clothes, if a casual fashion range was on offer by the club, you might think twice about spending $60 on a cotton shirt, if it's not completely hideous and you could wear it say when out and about. This means no large logo placement, a better use of details and trims, and nothing that scream "I really want to let you all know that I barrack for Melbourne so you can laugh at me". The better and more widely appealing the range, the higher the sale volume, the more money the club makes, the happier we all are. Merchandise really is a huge revenue stream for AFL clubs, but ours seems to be seriously lagging behind. Hopefully, despite the time constraints, I can come up with a range that is good enough to send through to the club, for ideas and inspiration if for nothing else, and the more members who have their say and get involved, the more the club is likely to listen. There is life outside of a polyester red and blue polo! So this is where you come in, take a minute, fill the survey (I've got visual aids as well), make sure you select multiple options if available, and leave notes/comments/ideas (but no silly remarks about me failing this assignment because my lecturers is a Collingwood supporter). Thanks! P.S.- female Demonlanders, please do not be shy, because I will be designing us ladies some stuff too! P.P.S.- I don't have a Demonology account, but if you do, and you know of Demonology posters who might want to have a say, get them to come on board. Colours: Logos: Edit: Grey marle is not the sort of vomit colour that came out in the picture... so don't be put off. Grey marle is more of a light grey, the sort that you see used by most sportswear brands

Ha, me and him working together in the coaches box might just be the perfect solution to our dilemma. I guarantee that the only winning moves you'll see on matchday will involve me going to the bar.

he's telling you to get in the box and coach us. Brilliant tanking tactic as far as I'm concerned- supporters coaching for a day!

Given that Garland can play small and tall, has better disposal and decision making and can also possibly play as a key forward, I disagree. Frawley is very important structurally as well, but Garland is a lot more versatile and can play a better brand of attacking football. Choosing 5 is a very difficult task. You could argue that Warnock should be included as well, Blease and Strauss who are yet to play, Sylvia, etc etc

At his age, there is no guarantee that Davey will be around when we're challenging. If he is, he could be in decline. I specifically chose young player who I think will provide the core group of players that will potentially lead us to a flag. This is no indication of Davey's talent or importance to the team, just my general view of who I would least like to lose and which players I believe are the most irreplaceable.

The glaring lack of love for Garland in this thread shows how underrated this kid is. A true modern-day key position player, with all the defensive and attacking talent you could ever wish for. 1- Watts 2- Grimes 3- Garland 4- Jurrah 5- Morton

In bad news for us this week, the Pav and Sandilands will apparently be back this week to take on West Coast, while we know that Cox and Kerr are out 'indefinitely' with broken nails/chlamydia/tank flu. Suddenly the Dockers are a real chance, although West Coast are still the better team and should win.

I've changed the title of this topic, so please post relevant information in this thread, instead of starting a new one. Enjoy!

:D Edit: Hopefully the Grimes thing is a fake, or at the very least very very minimal soreness. Good management regardless.

Amen!

Our midfield is rubbish, so no issues there. Our inside 50 numbers are terrible too, but our forwards really do seem to be converting those opportunities now (thanks Jurrah! <_< ). So more than dropping players, we need to push our main forward threats into the middle, and create serious mismatches in our backline, which is where we excel. That means Jurrah and Bate onto the wing. PJ to ruck and Jamar up forward. Put Warnock on smaller, faster forwards, Frawley on big resting ruckman. Make both of these guys take the kick-ins. All of these moves are perfectly legitimate and can be labeled as 'list development and experimentation', but are likely to cause us to lose. It's really about changing what happens down back that is the key, because that is our biggest strength and what keeps us from getting smashed most weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if Bailey gave Frawley a run up forward as well. The intriguing one for me is Robbo. He is not playing well, but could easily kick a bag against crap teams like Richmond and Freo. Do we push him up the ground and play him as a defensive forward (the one thing he refuses to do), or do we drop him in what is likely his final season? Of course on top of all that, we need to really push the guys out on the track during the week and hope for some niggles. Anyone with a cough, a cramp or a sniffle takes a week or two off. We need to hold on for the next 3 weeks, and we can then go all out and absolutely obliterate Freo. Giving us all something to smile about, plus Scully and pick 3.' Edit: GO WEST COAST GO!!!

Every midfielder should be capable of winning their own ball and every midfielder should be capable of disposing the ball consistently well by hand and foot. Those qualities are not negotiable if you're looking to build a strong midfield. But of course there will always be those players who excel in winning the contested ball in tight situations, like McLean, and those who are finishers and excel in moving the ball by hand and foot and creating forward movement, like Morton and Sylvia. Players who can do both equally well, are A graders or elite. Those who struggle in one area or another, can still be part of a successful midfield, given that they have quality around them. Players that can't win a lot of their own ball in contested situations can be brought into the game, in the way that we bring Davey or Morton into the game. However those players also need to possess an ability to position themselves in the right spots to be on the receiving end. Dunn is someone who struggles to win his own ball, and while he can use it very well and has a great long kick on him, he rarely gets a lot of it because he does not position himself in the 'hot spots' where winning possession will advantage the side. The inside and outside label is just that, a label. Aside from the ruck, do we really still have defined positions on the ground? We might have 2 players on each forward flank and no CHF. You might play two guys out of the square at FF. Warnock might play CHB one week, and in the back pocket then to FB the next. Versatility is becoming hugely important nowadays, particularly given the increase in rotations. You have to have players capable of playing in a number of roles, and that applies to midfielders more than anyone else (since they have the highest percentage of rotations). But of course, each player will have their own unique strength and will most often play in a position which reflects that (unless you are errr... list managing and happen to put Jetta at FB )

At the risk of starting this argument again, Brock came second in the B&F last year. How can that be labeled a "mediocre performance"? He has had a poor season by his standards, but this is the first truly mediocre season that he has had, and for a 23 year old that's not too bad. That he is the first one getting tagged at the bounce is an issue. We need to get some quality around him ASAP, but that goes without saying. Our midfield sucks.

He tapped it towards Davey. It was one of the most beautifully instinctive and smart things I've seen anyone in a Melbourne jumper do in a long time. He knew Davey was behind him, he judged the bounce of the ball and tapped it backwards over his head. It was insane just how smart it was in the heat of the moment with 2 guys on his tail. In Jurrah and Watts we have two very intelligent player who will complement one another really well.

That'll make for some interesting media appearances Reporter: *insert dumb, irrelevant question* LJ: *death stare* We need to make that happen!

If Jurrah and I were the only two people on the field in a Melbourne jumper, Freo would still lose... and that's taking into account that I can't kick, mark, handball or run, and am likely to get completely psyched out if any of those pesky MCG seagulls came near me. In other words, Freo will be lucky to win one more game for the year, but that matters little as long as we don't win more than 1 as well. I'd rather avoid the spoon if we can still get ourselves pick 1 and 3! Another draw in the derby next week will be perfect, otherwise we should all be barracking hard for West Coast.

What the hell are you on about? I can see things in Watts that are beyond unbelievable for someone his size. He possess skills and an innate football ability that few do, and those are the sorts of things that will make him a star. Plenty of young tall kids grow a body and become good player, few become stars/elite. Watts has those extra things, like awareness, smarts, the ability to find time and space and a great blind turn, that will make him a unique talent. FFS, you sit here and tell us that Dunn has aggression, Newton should be ahead of Watts and that Grimes and Morton can't kick, and you think I have no idea about judging talent? That you've seen Watts and Newton in action so much, and that you still make the calls that you do, is a perfect summary of why most of what you say turns out to be false.

Well he already has a higher goals-per-game average than Bate, Newton and Robbo, so he's doing alright But he might want to bump up his goal average from 2 to say 4, because somehow I can't see him playing 500 games...

In 5 years time, Newton will be long forgotten, and Watts will be a star. The only laughable thing is that you are too dimwitted to get that.

She is awful. Annoying voice, doesn't know half the players' names and couldn't get her rhythm right. She joins an elite group of hopeless, crap commentators.

Because he played big chunks of the game in the ruck... What the hell? He had a good game, took some good contested marks, and made the most of every one of his opportunities. To label a player passionless is so silly, particularly a 19 year old who has not put a foot wrong since debut. Fluffed one kick badly, but this kid operates under pressure constantly and hardly turns it over. A player who has kicking concerns does not take the kick-outs every single time.

I thought that despite both collecting plenty of the ball, Bruce and Green really let us down with their disposal. Green's kicking today was really poor, and Bruce had his usual quota of dud disposals. Our backline deserves massive recognition as well, particularly Frawley. 6) Moloney 5) Grimes (first time in years that Chapman didn't kill us) 4) Frawley 3) Morton 2) Green 1) Petterd Jurrah, Jetta and Bennell also showed plenty.