Demon Dynasty

One of the worst openings to an Olympics ever!! I didn't know Beatlejuice was hired as a choreographer! Back to the footy

Leave Abbey alone BBP!

Why not! Can't stand Port and would love to see them miss the double chance / home finals. Hec I'd love to see them miss all together. That song pre match and Kochy always predicting they are on for the premiership every season ?

If we are ever forced into using either of those in that role for an extended period you can kiss season 2021 goodbye TU

Yes he had one very good game since going back BDA. That was in a non-rucking utility role between the arcs and pushing forward a little. Played a VG game alongside AVB and Melk with Chunk easily BOG in that match but unfortunately incurred the calf issue at some point. Pretty sure Chunk would've got the call up before AVB had he not been injured. Dogga might be doing similar but he does make a decent ruck fill in for Max when resting. Super mobile on the ground and almost like having an extra mid. A little like Hogan when he played in the HHF role in 2018, albeit i don't think he ever rucked at all. However, Dogga's form has slowly ebbed away these past three or four weeks. I'm not sure the Weid is much chop in the ruck either. I'm also still not convinced he's able to take things to the next level and bring what he did that day in the VFL to the seniors. Having said that though i still think there might be a place for him across HB if an injury occurs to say Petty (Lucifer forbid). But even then Smith would be well ahead for that role at this stage i'm guessing Present line up well settled now though and going to be VERY difficult for anyone to force their way in other than if we incur an injury. Hopefully zero of those. But also no VFL now has made it almost impossible, outside of injury, for alternatives to show off any form they might have and force their way in. Yes, there is always the ability to train the house down but i'm not sure that holds as much sway with the selectors on its own without a Casey run. I'm also still not convinced that our depth bats very deep. A few injuries (touch wood) and i think we might struggle to fill a gap or two. Based on form in the last few VFL games the only genuine "filler" candidates that IMV the selectors might consider in order are (to various degrees and depending on the role needing to be filled and their fitness status)... Chunk & AVB; then Sparrow, Melk, Lockhart & Smith; then Weid One player i would love to see get a run, but very much doubt he will at this late stage and unlikely to be ready for the step up right now anyway is Declase. The other is Rosman but again way too early me thinks. Will more than likely get some looks at both in 2022.

There's not really any obvious replacement banging the door down though Dazzle? Especially given there's no door to bang down thanks to the VFL not bringing in the big $$ and getting the chop courtesy of Gil & Co.

This is the way

Viney to Libba. Harmes takes the Bont.

Probably not their final line up. Expect a late change or two.

Don't mind this also ? The other option is to add an extra or even two at stoppages between the square and lateral of it. Very much on the outside looking for the receive with say one free and another covering any +1 if the opp are using. Otherwise two are free. One covers the defensive sweeper role to prevent opp mids from running straight out of stoppage towards goal and/or to try and get on the end of an opp dump kicking / handballing under pressure in panic (or as part of their game style a la the Tigers / Cats) and another on the fat side outer ring looking for the receive to run it through the middle & directly inside 50 opening up the entire ground for leading forwards. Fat side extra can also cover that outlet where teams like the Hawks and Tigers love to handball / short kick to into the fat side if we don't win the clearance. Leave at least two forwards playing a kick or thereabouts behind (this might be the square or near it depending on where the stoppage is but also higher as they follow each stoppage up the field) and the remaining two about half a kick from stoppage looking for the dump kick under pressure.

Thought it was dump as well

Try inner east / south east....there's a few living down Brighton / Middle Park way

The bleach might be effecting more than his hair

Hey PF.. .. I'm lovin' your new wheels mate!...

Adding this into the last post also. So if it's more inbuilt and cant be fixed through experience then personnel changes might work. Melk & Chunk maybe? I'm thinking those two for ANB & AVB?

Thinking about the above and in terms of the red mist vs poise and calm in a storm lacking through the middle....does this enhance the case for a return of Chunk (once fully fit) in place of someone like ANB or AVB??

With the talk of (just a few examples)... Hunt missing an opportunity to pull up and go lateral following his run through the middle on Sat evening Lever also ignoring / not seeing an option or two out wide to his left with a few minutes to go and maintain possession / try to ice the clock but instead taking the safe, but IMHO, incorrect down the line bail out which then turned over and came straight back for a goal. Tracc continually mucking so many entries and opportunities coming inside 50 and burning team mates / the team so often Viney, while i didn't pay much attention on Sat evening, appeared to have a couple of clean exits from center / stoppages and had opportunities to hit up players inside 50 or at least kick to their favoured side but failed badly; and Lingers constantly bombing to the hot zone without seemingly being aware or capable of hitting up anyone loose i50 or kicking to their favoured side very often or at best on rare occasions... I figured it was appropriate to re visit this analysis from a much more learned scribe in Gazza. While i've no doubt many players from other teams also suffer in this regard, especially when placed under serious pressure, is this yet again becoming an issue for some (or too many) Demons? When i re-read this analysis it still has some eerily similar examples to what we are seeing of late. Our ability to assess and select the correct play ie; slow (possession/momentum/icing the clock) vs go quick option, go lateral vs down the line from HB (Lever), take the shot from 45/50 instead of trying to thread the needle (Tracc) or taking the % option vs forcing a 45 kick etc. So is the red mist (inability to quickly assess but instead panic under perceived or genuine pressure, scoreboard pressure), still a default for some in our group when they feel the heat? If so, is this fixable or is it too ingrained in said players and they are doomed to rinse and repeat! Is the club aware of it? Does it matter or am i beating this up too much? Thoughts..... https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-melbourne-problems-analysis-demons-on-the-couch-garry-lyon-red-mist-bad-kicking-playing-too-fast/news-story/8350ba20fe8a6cdc618b51cae33c412f

Personally i believe those issues are a part of the drop off in cohesion and confidence (especially in kicking skills ....ability to hit up a target). A drop off in confidence also resulting in player's willingness to take the game/opponenent on and instead pass off responsibility asap to someone else LDC. This is where you occasionally need an injection of younger talent being brought into the mix as they tend to have no fear or very little vs some of the more experienced boys. They also come in a little fresher and can bring an energy and attack on the ball (run and carry also) into the group that might be lacking otherwise. They of course can also bring with them inexperience and lack of a match day tank which may impact the team in other ways, especially late into a match when fatigue sets in. I see much of this aspect happening with the likes of Sydney and the Sons at the moment. They are getting great drive from their rookies. Look at the Hawks last week. 10 rookies that had played only 35 games or less. About three or so had only played 3 to 5 matches (if the coverage commentators are to be believed).

And the worst part is Gus was devastated after the game and looking perplexed at what went wrong. Well mate all you need to do is look at the set shot kicking, especially your own, and that will explain much of it. Yes Pate I've already commented on the Clarry incident. And this is another worry. Ever since Macca failed to handball to a screaming free Tracc just outside the square and instead swung around on his right to kick it himself while being tackled (about 4/5 matches ago) the selfless sharing stuff we saw earlier in the season when we were beating all and sundry has slowly ebbed away to virtually zero. Combine the two and it's resulted in a chipping away at unity, cohesion, then belief and ultimately form. If Goody, the FD, Gawny and other leaders aren't aware of this, and on to it by now, we are in deep doggy doo. I'm also not that impressed with the re-entry of Viney so far. For whatever reason, his body language since the return appears to me as an observer, rightly or wrongly, to be bloody awful. Also, we need to decide do we want a plodding / straight ahead mid field to continue with the likes of Viney and AVB both in or do we bring in Melk for AVB to attempt to connect more out of the middle with forwards like Macca, BB and Fritta. And do ANB and Viney hold their spots once (IF) Harmes gets back? Could we bring Harmes in for Viney/ANB if one doesn't hit form (ANB a fair way off lately) and play Harmes in a wing / mid field role with Gus and bring Gus into the middle (say 50%ish) for some decent outside use and connection with the extractors in Tracc & Clarry? Probably very unlikely at this late stage but just a thought. The other very slim chance but worth a look is bringing in Baker for Gus for a few weeks and just see what that gives us on the non-Lingers wing. I understand Baker probably doesn't have the defensive read and intercept capabilities of Gus but what he lacks there he might make up for with a speedier transition into the F50 to give better looks for our key and medium forwards.

They all tend to go up and clump together in the LH forward pocket (when looking at the goals from the center) and attempt to mark the same ball Deever. They do it as wrote as that's where we tend to kick it to most of the time. The opp does the same no doubt also under instruction and you end up with 5/6 players or more all attacking the same drop. We are too easy to defend when we don't mix things up a little more looking for other leads/targets up the guts or on the opposite fat side. This is all fine if the opp is missing a fair number of chances on the rebound but if they convert accurately (a la the Hawks on Sat night) even lowly to average teams are capable of beating us as we've witnessed on a number of occasions.

This is crucial to whether BB in eventually clicks for us IMO. Keep BB mostly deep? Macca roaming higher but playing a fair % of time at CHF for structure especially holding that CHF position whenever 666 is in play. Then there's Dogga. Do we use him as the decoy out wide to the non-Fritta flank or does he just ruck for when Gawn is on the bench and at other times he is also covering for BB and Macca when rested? I tend to prefer this latter option while he is a rookie in order to keep him as fresh as possible off the bench while he continues to build a tank and muscle over the next few seasons. And his marking ability/confidence.

He will struggle to get close to or at the top of his game this season IMHO given the intterupted pre-season. But here's hoping as if/when he does get there he's a very damaging / accurate / consistent goal kicking KF. Might give the impression that he is but if you watch his highlight reels he takes as many pack / contested marks as he does marks on a lead. His career averages back this up averaging 1.6 for both every match. While not doing as well this season (obviously) if/when he gets his mojo back he would be second only to Fritsch (this season) with career goal accuracy running at 59.5% (Fritsch no.1 at 62.5%). While i agree bombing it in to him probably isn't the greatest strategy i don't think it's that bad either about 50% of the time, provided...... it's done relatively quickly where possible in order to give him the best opportunity to either beat his opponent one on one and/or pack mark against up to two or three (which he is also quite capable of) rather than 4 to 5 (once the calvary arrives with one or two of our guys in tow making it almost impossible for anyone to pack mark). https://www.afl.com.au/stats/stats-pro#/Discover/CD_I291867/Brown-Ben Not that a highlight reel is a great example but i count approx four pack marks here (against two or more opp defenders), about four leads (i think) and two or three contested (from behind or one on one with ball being bombed on head). He is also a bloody clever player at times with ground ball and converting them into goals in a one on one situation .....sometimes even in a pack as we saw on the weekend... https://www.afl.com.au/video/523377/get-excited-watch-the-best-highlights-of-ben-brown?videoId=523377&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1605154806001

No worries buck. If we win the next two/three matches, IF, we just might be in a position to start managing a few of the boys that might need it and freshen them up for finals? That's assuming a finals series is held with the continuous lockdown merry go round that's occurring.

Just get a player they will respect and relate to in Lewis to come in and give them a reminder of the sacrifices and mental application/all out aggression it takes to reach the top....AGAIN. For some of the rookies they would not have been exposed to his wise advice during his time at the club. He was more than likely one of the biggest influencers in the club during his time there and from what i've garnered still has massive respect among most of the playing group who played with him during that time. You could even make it part of the post Hawks review so as to make it quite relevant and receive feedback / insight from a multi premiership player (and current media game day analyst) as to his thoughts specifically on what he thought went wrong in this last match and what went right. Definitely no hint of panic stations or need for a 'riot act', more a need for remaining switched on and the 'team' mantra being emphasised. Also some focus on improving set shots for goal and how critical accuracy is. Spend extra time after training or set a specific extra allocation of time on an off day to train this under load conditions from multiple angles with live players on the mark trying to put them off. Max and Gus ....guys get off the blog from here and get out there! Sacrifices! Every inch counts! He could also emphasise the fact they have a great opportunity to ram home their ladder position and make the most of what they've built till now. Don't let their foot off the pedal for a second! You won't get these chances very often, for some players their entire career!

As you say Jnr, predictability certainly has its benefits. It may have, and probably has, taken us a long way in 2021 and played a significant part in seeing us still top of the ladder as we speak. However as the season wears on and opp analysts have had the chance to break us down with over 17/18 weeks of data, plus watching the evidence on video using those teams that have had the most success, they start to prepare a little better and begin to find creative ways of chipping away at our strengths and enhance a few of there own to suit our predictability. The alternative wing should be used more often as you say. Put dogga out there with Lingers and a crumber, Kozzie , and at least hit that side up occasionally to keep the opp guessing and not just hitting up a crowded out LHS so often (always looking for Big Maxy). My other two bug bears are the predictability with which we use the left side then kick it in to that left hand pocket / flank far too often IMV. It allows the opp to easily set their defence / zone and bias it for that side of the ground....with ease as that's pretty much their only major focus. Makes their role and objectives pretty straight forward IMV and just doesn't ask enough questions of the individuals and their match ups either. Nor does it allow many of our forwards to try and expose their opponents one out often enough either IMV. Too easily defended and we usually have so many heading/leading to that side making it extremely difficult to score. We should, as a minimum, hold at least one KF and a medium/small on the fat side in case we get past / or through their down the line defenders or even go inside and open up the ground quickly. Allowing that free deep player around the arc or through the middle to kick to fat/favoured side and hit that KF/medium or small up or even better where possible, over the top for the joe-the-goose. I understand it may be a ploy that works alot of the time and allows us to lock the ball in / set up behind and then all going well gain repeat entries. However if your ability to convert a goal from that strat is so small, say15% / 20% or thereabouts (just guessing here no solid data), then the opp only needs to find a way through it on say one out of every 3 entries and they're likely to catch us out on the counter if they transition quickly and cleanly, especially through the middle. They will likely score a goal themselves here and all that effort, including 2 to 4 repeat entries, is for nought. Possibly break even at best. Taking this further, why would you look to kick almost always to the skinny pocket / flank IF you're not going to place manic pressure on your oppo defenders once the ball hits the ground? No doubt we probably attempt to bring this pressure as often as possible but in recent times i just don't think we've either shown it or been capable of keeping that heat up for very long during quarters. From the outside it is difficult to know what the exact strat/instructions are from Coach/s to their playing groups so who knows they might be demanding this manic pressure from most/all forwards (and mids) and this is where we are falling down as some may not be capable or able to for long enough. Some not capable at all? Or they might be doing exactly as asked and just playing the 1.5 diamond rolling zone or whatever it is. I'm pretty sure the latter is in play for kick ins which is understandable for parts of a game as it's probably impossible to enforce man on man for an entire match and may leave the defence too exposed out the back on a fast break also. Although the Hawks did seem to bring this on Sat night with great effect so not sure why it's not possible for us to achieve, at least for a large % of a match. If the coach is driving this loose team zone defence set up in our forward half on kick ins then IMHO i really can't see that strat getting us very far in a pressure cooker that is finals against highly rated teams/players. Other than for small patches and certainly not at the start of a match when it's critical to press the opp deep in their defence early IMO in order to effect early turnovers and score from them in order to pile on some scoreboard pressure. History shows that any 3 to 4 goal lead in a first quarter results in a win about 7 to 8 times out of ten. It's extremely hard to peg back and go on to win from there. Especially in a final or GF.