Demon Dynasty

Treating the supporters and members with contempt. Absolute trash coming out of the club, Simon and the Captain so far this season. That performance produced our worst Team Rating for the year and was similar to the rating we produced in the diabolical finish vs the Pies in 2024! Sttop talking, stop taking the mickey, stop with the Kumbaya culture and stop playing like amatures so often. Bloody unwatcheable rubbish being dished up for 3 out of the first 4 weeks and on track to finish bottom two or even spooners at this rate. The worst start to a season since 2013! DEELUSIONAL!

We've been playing in straight lines for years under Simon. I can't recall how many times i've seen our players running off HB and their first look is up the line. Often missing an inside handball or 45 kick option. Effectively burning the player coming from behind to support or running forward of ball early predicting and looking to take advantage on the counter. Of course sometimes you don't have time or space. You're pressured into the down the line. Or no one presents inside and/or they're well covered or even double teamed. But if they're there and you're still burning them often enough, guess what, some players aren't going to repeat these efforts. Coming off a wing into HF we so often look for that forward pocket target spot. Teams have known this from early 2022 or so and just load up into that zone for the spoil. They know we don't switch up or look for 45s (or can't hit targets to well when we do) coming towards the 50. We would have to be one of the easiest, if not the easiest teams to defend in the AFL. Now going into our third season playing this way. If Simon can't train / drill this out of the bulk of the playing group by now i can't see it ever happening under his watch. I had alot of faith up until about half way through last season. The way we lost to the Dockers was the final straw for me. I can only hope this all clicks for Simon and the playing crew in the next 4 to 6 (if he's seeing and recognising this...maybe he does and wants us to play this way??) and we miraculously begin to see some light and turn the corner. Not holding out much hope though. It feels like we're pretty much a lost cause.

There's a fine line between great pinny play & tilting Bubs

Mentha feels like quite a distant prospect right now DS. That could change quickly of course but he's struggling at times to hang in there at VFL level for now from what i've seen. Possibly another pre-season required (at least)?

I'd second this Bubs. AJ didnt have the greatest game in the twos but his attack at the contest (bringing ball to ground) and manic tackling / pressure is something sorely missing in our F50 at present and the team in general. While i appreciate Fritta has picked up his involvements and got busier in the last two weeks, he still hasn't hit the scoreboard. And if he's not finishing then really he just doesn't add enough elsewhere in his game to justify a regular spot imv. He's also competing for that medium forward spot with Melk yes? Conpetition for spots is also healthy and keeps players on the edge looking for constant incremental improvements in order to stay at the top. There's also no harm in spending a few weeks at Casey working on some aspects of your game. Some of the best players in the business have been asked to do so on occasions. And often come back refreshed and in a better mind set. It also allows us to try variations and combos with our forward 50 line up which, until now, has been our Achilles heal for nigh on three seasons. Had we been able to address this deficiency post LJ (who basically left in 2022 in mind even though body was still out there) & BBB (knees) i dare say we most likely make a GF in 2022 or 23. Maybe both!

Im with you Norm but i'd be going one further. Someone who's played very little at the highest level for this length of time surely needs at least 4 weeks minimum to train with the other senior forwards group. Get to know each other's strengths / manner in which they play / forward methods & ways of line coach. And just to find the pace of the game and get used to the extra noise etc at that level. Also give the mids & others a chance to recognise him and the way he plays at training and hopefully that confidence / connection on the track (if any) carries over into the real deal. You want to give him a fair shot otherwise there's no point. He'll probably struggle a tad in the first game or two. But no less a struggle than that we've seen from the likes of JVR & Fritta. By week three - four, sure, you then expect him to start hitting some KPIs eg; the scoreboard / score involvements / assists / pressure acts etc or it's sayonara. Anything less than a serious shot at it is an injustice and pointless imv.

If it were just to get a gig in the MFC seniors i'd also be asking that give Simon's conservative nature and want to play what he believes are his favs. However, as we've already witnessed with the likes of JJ & Bedford, there are other eyes watching Bubs. And they sometimes see the potential (or greater potential) than others might not see or choose not to.

No it isn't it's an injury to one key player. I don't believe many would 'throw in the towel' at this level unless they know they're on the way out either in a retirement sense (on the cusp) or to another club. Do some occasionally get overly happy with their lot and possibly aren't giving it their very best 98% of the time etc? Absolutely

Sorry today is April 1st yeh?

Very upsetting

100% this.. The results of what we are seeing on the field, whether they be finals, flags or years in the wilderness largely result from the head coach's design and machinations. Most often a few years in the making. Unlike the present share market crash brought on by a few overnight executive orders, most ups and downs on the field take a reasonable amount of time to play out.

He was on Dawyne's segment today. He mentioned Pert should be getting involved with another review or something to that effect. When Dwayne tried to mention Pert is no longer there Chris was ranting so strongly that he didn't hear Dwyane and just kept going 😄

The Saints have added a bit of toughness around the ball plus the run and gun has another pre-season under the belt. They look pretty good.

You have the number for the HUN's classified's dept Mr Old? Many moons ago and at a different level Disco I agree though. He is capable of some superlative work around goals at times. However, he was trialled there for sometime earlier on and failed to bed down a spot. Lacked wheels and a pressure / defensive side maybe? Also been trialled through the middle a bit. This is looking like last chance saloon for him down back. Or maybe not who knows. But he's been a journeyman in a positional sense so far at Casey.

I would never write Jack off DZ. Such a great servant and stalwart who has given so much. However the signs are not good in a mid field sense. Whether it be the old crash bash / Richmond style we had our success with, or a new game style whatever that might be. And tbh i'm unable to make head or tail of anything that Simon might be trying to change up. Can't see anything that would suggest he is attempting to do 'this' or 'that' with the players. Not so far anyway. Jack's certainly been at the forefront of our old crash & bash and now probably paying the price. And the trouble is, with a 0 - 4 start, Simon doesn't have the luxury to experiment too much. But he also can't sit still and continue to watch a train wreck through the middle and at stoppage. Amongst other substantial issues! It seems we are waiting on McVee to return before running Rivers through the middle. But if that's not this week or next why wait? Play someone else in River's role and move him into that role now. Who could replace Rivers before McVee returns if needed? Mr X? Sesto? Another one we are missing at the coal face is the Kolt. He might be the replacement we need for Vines in the middle. Cully a long way off and his capability unknown at this point. Might come in at some point late in season. Maybe earlier if he goes nuts at Casey.

Sesto is looking more at home down back and is a lovely kick at times. At other times he tends to pick the wrong options, biting off more than he can chew and turns the ball over in dangerous places a bit too often for mine. Reckon he needs more time / experience at VFL level in this role to work that out of his game before a call up to AFL level where the oppo's closing speed to intercept & spoil is often alot quicker vs VFL. Likely to get found out right now and then he'll just be sent back again and asked to work on the above. Not far away though if he can clean that side up a bit. If he could play as a mid or hhf he'd be a handy asset for the kick coming inside 50 which he can weight / slot beautifully at times.

Fullo should be straight in for JVR on that performance. Some say he can't ruck and yes would probably get monstered at 666 and/or a major around ground role. But up forward as a chop out he held his own and even won a few to advantage. Culley will be an interesting watch as he builds up his fitness and tank over the coming weeks. Looks to be clean and quick with hands and has some serious wheels on the receive from stoppage. Played limited time though and probably at least three (plus+) weeks away. Hard to gauge his defensive side from just one limited entre' game also. Adams a potential in for Petty this week to give him a look at what the next level is like or too early / risky? Laurie did a few good things but a bit too quiet in that first half for mine. Thought Brown had a pretty decent second half. Involved in plenty and managed to work his way through congestion, as well as getting to plenty of loose ground ball. He really hunted the pill and the ball carrier and could bring a level of attack and aggression at the drop around half forward and maybe as a sweeper or pocket player at stoppage similar to a Nibbla type role imo. That could free up the likes of Tracc to play there more natural offensive role. Much prefer him coming in vs say Billings or Spargo at this point. Spargo needs plenty of game time at Casey prior to another call up imo. And while AJ may not have had an outstanding game i just love the attack, effort, tackling and aggression that this bloke brings. He plays to hurt and those around know he's about. Something sorely lacking in our forward line much of the time. The moment he shows any sign of form i'd have him straight in. At this point that would be for Fritta. Hec i'd probably take the punt and just stick him in there regardless. Maybe as sub? I left Baldi out of the votes but his second half energy and attack on the oppo was pretty solid and, similar to AJ's attitiude, i loved the aggression. Baldi, Brown & AJ are all competitive beasts and you know they'll bring pretty crazy effort most weeks. Can probably throw Cross in there as well. 6 Fullo 5 Cross 4 Hardie 3 Brown 2 Sesto 1 Adams

6 May 5 Claz 4 Gawn 3 T-Mac 2 Tracc 1 Bowsa

Team & Player Ratings to Rnd 4, 2025 vs H&A Season 2024 Normally wouldn't start looking at the season averages until we hit roughly round 5 or 6 to ensure the numbers and trends are somewhat more meaningful. But after four rounds my curiosity is killing me so i'm going to cheat a little and go a week early. Some players already have 4 games under their belt so there is a bit of a base to go on. Others have only played 2 or 3 so we need to wait a little longer before casting the eye and judging too harshly and too early. A few have only played less than two matches and their rating isn't an average for comparative purposes and should be treated with caution. Those players are denoted with an asterisk. The Team Rating to this point in the season, albeit very early, is tracking roughly at the same level as season 2024. The return of Lever, McVee and to a lessor degree Mr X, can't come soon enough. Tracc coming from a long way back is presently about 30% off where he was at in 2024. Max also 14% off after four rounds. Rivers 19%, JVR 14% and Jack a whopping 27% down. A fair number of key critical players that are a long way from their 2024 levels to date. And one could argue that 2024 isn't a great reference point for some either! * Played less than two full matches < Subbed out at least once or more > Subbed in at least once or more Stats courtesy of footwire.com & wheeloratings.com

Well i started looking back and only had to go to the final round last season to see (probably) one of our lowest team ratings ever DZ. Of course that was our match vs the Pies where we posted a lousy 45.78 Our lowest rating for 2024. Not far behind was Rnd 21 vs the Dogs with a 48.85 A massive turn around from Rnd 1 when we toweled them up and posted a 72.4 Our other shocker for the year was vs Nth in Rnd 15 with a deeplorable 47.83 I'll stop there as i'll probably need to troll back through 2020 and/or 2019 to find our worst since putting these together (in a serious sense from 2018 onwards)

Thanks Frankie Would love to get Hodge down there Lewis seeing things that should not be happening at this level says it all. How have we regressed to this to become one of the worst ball using and pressure teams in the AFL now beggars belief. Pressure, Attack on Ball, Fitness, Skills, 2nd efforts, Foot speed, mids too stationary at stoppage, very few line breakers, lacking support running and spread from stoppage, Selfless play, 1 percenters, Goal kicking accuracy, lack of front and square crumbers, Forward entry craft and forward craft in general. A lack of key targets up forward and around the ground contested marking beasts. Players not looking in board as their first option as Lewis is suggesting. So much to fix but why / how are we even at this point? They say you play as you train. Have we dropped away here maybe? Leaders not driving standard hard enough?

Yes i was wondering this also DZ. I'm just recharging the laptop after another big day on the hustings. I'll take a look soon as it's done. I've also started putting the 2025 season player and team average ratings together which i'll finish and post this evening.

Round 4, 2025 TPP - Cats vs Demons Statistically our worst team performance for the year so far. Posting an Eagles / GCS 2024 esque Team Rating of just 50.6 That's 22% lower than our Team Ranking from 2024 of 65.1 The top 6 rated players posted a marginal improvement on our 2024 average The bottom 6 another mega fail, down 57% on 2024. Again we made the opposition look like Premiership contenders, with the Cats posting a massive Team Rating of 74.4 (not often seen). If they kicked straight the end result might have been quite a bit worse. Again unable to bring AFL level pressure other than quarters 2 & 3. May continued on from his reasonable return last week topping the table. Clarry building on his improved start to the season vs the 2024 deebacle. Tracc at No.4 just behind big Max but still a long way off his 2024 average rating by 20%. Obviously coming from a long way back and probably fading as the game wears on. Nice return from Disco. Something to build on maybe. Should NOT be dropped for sometime imho! Back the kid in. Not the savior but is showing something. Belief from the coach will be key here along with plenty of hard work, refining and games under the belt. Tracking as our best mobile TF (but not a Key Power Tall Forward as such ... more in the vein of a Georgiados type). Can also be swung down back or behind the ball if needed. Another shocker from Vines unfortunately with his worst rating for the season. Not looking good for the champ. Simon would be wise to manage this one from here in conjunction with Jack and try and get him back on track. Maybe not through the middle post his managed break and reset! We would need a minor miracle to turn this one around and at this point and look to be heading for a bottom three finish. Demons < Subbed out TOG % > Subbed in TOG % Cats Combined Player Ratings Stats courtesy of footywire.com and wheeloratings.com

That Simon refuses to play man v man in key areas of the ground instead of continually guarding grass is unforgivable. There's no ability to turn the pressure wick up using the game style Simon brings. Any oppo with decent AFL level skills and spread will break us open and pick us apart once the game opens up in 2nd halfs. That's another season down the gurgler. Barring a few who really put in every week this has been as amature a start to a season as i've witnessed since the Neeld era but he had a much younger team without the big names we presently have in the mix. There's just nothing to hang our hat on. So easy to beat. We'll be lucky to win about two or three games for the year at this point. Our ball movement is predictable, boring, poorly executed and very easy to defend. Incapable of putting many quality chains together and then connect with that last entry. Pressure and ground ball gets inside 50 is as poor as any team in the AFL, if not the worst of them all. If Simon has any answers his time to show everyone is quickly running out. If there's no major turnaround in the next three to four weeks we should thank him for his services, appoint an interim coach and commence the search.

Petty woeful unacceptable efforts on two occasions this quarter Hopefully Lever back next week.