Demon Dynasty

I was hoping Gerard might ask a few questions along those lines SW but alas. Is probably under some sort of confidentiality agreement anyway.

The Adelaide review has barely commenced and Tex has rescinded the captaincy already!

For good reason. Heard on the grapeviney he had to as he's about to sign with us!

One stat i thought interesting was kicking the first 3 to 4 goals you win approx 75% of matches. Something that's frustrated me as much as any issue over the decades are our far too common sluggish starts. Getting behind by 5 to 6 is also not unusual ?

Dust off your old boots PF. You're up in 2020!

As long as we don't see Shane anywhere near the place.

Club / Pert etc might be thinking it's best to put a little space / separation between the horror that was 2019 (related Co Captains) and the hope / optimism they need to build for 2020 (Big Maxy) LH. Bit of water under the bridge. Heal a few wounds, then give Maxy some clean air and a fresh start into 2020.

We should have passed this point point prior to this trade period 58er. We are a year behind at fine tuning/trimming the tail end of many NQRs. That delay is impacting/restricting our ability to take the next step up and unless seriously addressed we are likely to continue to dead cat bounce. Part of our poor performance this year stems very much from a lack of quality competition coming from underneath. Competition for spots in the bottom 6 to 8 places at the better clubs (top 8 or so) is usually very intense, forcing the less established players to really push harder and up their game or be leap frogged by those pressing to take their place. Pressure to retain spots very much lacking this year. Partly a quality of list factor built in from 2018. Add to this the never ending injuries which meant just about anyone, even those who showed a smidgen of form at Casey, were getting a call up. To the point that in the case of some, they were getting a recall even when they hadn't truly earnt it. In summary this list is in need of a major overhaul over the next two to three trade periods IF we are to become a regular finals contender and compete with the big boys.

My understanding Bin is the attempt (training/effort/emphasis) to up the amount of possession / tempo game style commenced during the 10 day break after the Rnd 6 match against the Tigers. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/demons-use-extended-afl-break-to-reset Goody pretty much put the cue in the rack vs the Tiges, looking to defend defend defend with numbers behind the ball and T-Mac switched to defence for the first time in the season in order to prevent a blow out looming post the Saints debacle. On the 10 day break he then went back to type, focussing mainly on his usual 2018 contested brand /style with more emphasis on numbers at the ball (possibly bringing a forward out on occasions for a +1 at stoppages but that's pure conjecture on my part and i would need to go back to the replays) and two way running (where we clearly continued to struggle with transition) but playing on at break neck wherever possible. In other words, not that different really....just some re-focus, re-emphasis on extra numbers/winning contested and transitioning to i50 a little more quickly without trying to be so precise (more chaos if that was possible!??). As you say, Goody then 'attempted' (my emphasis) to add an extra layer of possession/ tempo on top after the 10 day break but post the Hawks in Rnd 7. Unfortunately too little too late. Our ability to carry it off for more than a few minutes on limited occasions wasn't there, most likely due to a lack of time available in between matches to train it as a group. Almost impossible to pull off mid season. Add to this a lack of pre-season fitness among too many at the time including the two captains. The 10 day break and the bye the only genuine times that would have allowed a reset and to train the 'new layer' into whoever was available at the time. In summary i agree that there was an attempt to commandeer an increase in minutes using a possession / tempo option to the game style. However, my understanding is that the extra training to increase the minutes attempting to use it in game may have commenced during the 10 day break. Not after the bye. When you say you are surprised that most DL posters didn't notice. I'm not at all as it was very stepped and gradual post the 10 day break / Hawks match and we mostly couldn't sustain it for more than a few odd minutes on random occasions. Occasionally yes, it worked a treat in some parts of some matches but like most aspects of our game this season, it was continually picked apart by the opp and/or we just failed to execute for long enough and perpetually gave the ball straight back.

My dog often says that on his morning walks. And proud of it.

Correct. 10% off last year but moved up the rankings by 3 places. Tended to play the first half as a HHF looking to mop up ground balls and score (conversion poor so that part didn't factor in much) so might explain part of that drop off statistically vs a little more work between the arcs last season, racking up a few more numbers? In a horrible year where many fell away around him i would say he held his own. But yes, this year we would want it to be the year of the Traccattack. The time is now. Also correct on both counts but, as NS just posted, he needs a bigger tank. Certainly not expecting a T$ or Kelly type motor but the tank needs improving nonetheless. If Burgess, the FD and Tracc himself don't find this in the off season then shame on them all. It's easily the most obvious change that needs to be added to his game and to convert that explosive power & balance into more damaging mid field minutes in 2020 and beyond.

Burgess, a bit of a look in the mirror and some adjustments on the track will hopefully fix that. Should be a gun by now and showed he is close on occasions this season. 2020 is the year we need to see a big break out from the Traccattack in the mid field! Potential game changer if he does. Gus, Clarry and Tracc in the mid field! Yes please. Defensive lock down work from Viney on some of the Opp's big stars like Dusty, Danger, Pendles and the Bont and we get ourselves competitive once more. Up and firing at their best with some game style and structural adjustments with some outside run added to the mix and could take us into a finals series. But then there's always our abysmal forward line / craft. Boy do we have some work to do on list and other factors. Should be a very hectic off season!

Not a chance unless it was a clincher to seal a deal for a marquee must get 'missing ingredient' star player and possibly the difference between making a GF or not. Or maybe a few! eg; Jeremy Cameron or Tim Kelly.

The rumours of Lever Vic bound were rife well before the GF. Even if he had a decent game, and tbh i can't recall as i don't bother too much when i see interstates playing off, the Crow B&F votes would have been tainted. This from Jarman on 24 Aug 2017 ... “He’s already packed up. He’s going to go to the Melbourne Football Club. They’re not far off from playing for premierships. “I’m telling you now, he is goneski. And he’s goneski for a lot of money. He’s going for the money. “You can’t blame the young man because that’s why he’s going, he’s going for the money. The money is magnificent.”

Curcumstances dictate. If he wasn't Co Captain in such a flop of a season i would fully agree Mydee. Need to choose words a little more carefully if for nothing more than a club PR assist in what might be a very tricky off season trying to sell hope to existing and potential members/supporters. If you aren't going to bother then probably best to say stuff all.

One could argue our best 22 this year was pretty poor in general Jones but statistically at least he was well within the best 22. A poor year by Jones's standards though.

One of the great MFC clubmen who needs to be given a role or two and just left to play them in 2020. Forward for mine where he has less chance of his usual clangers off HB and focuses on scoring the odd goal and pressuring inside 50. With a full pre-season and some better off field management by Goody & Co, which imv was ordinary this year, he should bounce back from what was probably his lowest rated season since his very early entre' year or two. Love the Jones boy and hopefully the boys get around him in the off season and the season proper and get this train back on the track. I'm not sure who's running the media contingent down at the club but i would be recommending they don't say too much about pre-seasons, how they are ready to get back into it blah blah blah. Better off just confirming they stuffed up in 2019, the Club's got some serious work ahead of it both in the trade period and the off season (all aspects) and leave it at that. The proof of the player's "hurt feelings" pudding and efforts to correct the horrors of 2019 in the off season will be in the response we get in the opening round and the next five or so in 2020. Far too often this club talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. The only person i really want to hear from is Pert with a summary of the outcomes/actions following the internal review, trades/delistings etc and Big Maxy when he fronts the press after being appointed 'Sole Captain'.

Both him & Viney had an interrupted pre-season only managing to put in about half the usual build up. Reason for Edit: just saw this off the MFC site from Viney (extract).... ..."This is probably the first time l'm not having post-season surgery, so l'll be looking to have a rest for two to three weeks and let the body recuperate," he said. You get to the end of the season and you're pretty banged up, so you do have too give it a little bit of time to recover, but once that period is done, I will be into training. "I'm pretty motivated, after the season we had, to get into training," Viney said. "I haven't had a pre-season for three to four years now, so l'm just looking forward to getting my body into the best condition possible to get through a pre-season." End. P.S. That highlighted part is a worry. Would have thought he'd be always motivated and super motivated after a seaaon like that.

Hunt is still learning and at least works hard to get on the lead and front position Macca. Probably doesn't get there enough and yes, forward pressure bog ordinary. Good in a straight line, i'm not sure he has the agility to get away from his opponent other than on a fast break deep in the square. We can't cover too many 'outs' up forward as we don't (presently) have the talent to replace. Jeffy out (at his 2017 and prior form) is a big loss of class and pressure inside 50. Look at the two this year, and yes i realise this season isn't a great comparison with Jeffy coming in and out of the team and on his way out but Hunt is not fairing too badly on the marking and goal average front. Accuracy pretty darn good at 58%. Falls away badly on the pressure side as you say but this can be worked on and another pre-season, a year's experience up forward under his belt and some better delivery!?? Might work. I would roll the die for another year here given our poor position of strength this trade period. He also offers something else we lack big time right now... pace / speed and could, at a pinch play off the wing for short stints or off a HBF as per previously. https://www.afl.com.au/stats/stats-pro#/Compare?playerIds=CD_I994385,CD_I270653&comparisonTab=h2h

If we hadn't gone from 4th to 17th in the season we had i'd be more confident about landing a Cameron or even someone of lessor ilk Macca. Not so after this season. As i've said before imv Weid is a bust and probably remains as 4th stringer depth. We went too strong on him just as we did on Goody. This club is too easily impressed/excited by mediocrity far too often. I expect T-Mac will bounce back to somewhere nearer his 2018 form but he certainly isn't, and shouldn't be expected to be, the first stringer KF. Would be bloody awesome to land a big fish as you say. If enough $$ are thrown and the contract is attractive enough, who knows.

No arguments on needing them and the present bunch, aside from Hunt & Melk, not working hard enough to get front position Macca. Which is why i'd keep Hunt for at least next year. It's been an issue for years and makes you wonder about whoever is teaching these blokes the craft. Shocking stuff with most. Melk about the only one who seems like a natural but his forward craft probably comes from his days at the Bombers. I don't think we're much of a chance of picking a Cameron up and imv the other KFs are NQRs. Get two decent smalls in and get the ball to ground for the likes of Tracc, lockhart (wait & see), chandler (early days) and two decent quality small recruits to mop up. If we ever get some cred back we might then be a chance of trading in a decent KF in the following trade period ie; a year or two away at best.

Latest from SEN's Sam Edmund this morning... “Watch this space on Shaun Higgins. For everything you hear, he remains a legitimate chance to leave North Melbourne this year as long as the Kangaroos insist on only being willing to consider a one-year extension,” he said. “He’s contracted until the end of 2020, he wants more security than that. “Geelong is prepared to give him that. They’ve made informal inquiries, which is why Higgins was able to dismiss those reports last month. “I still think North give him the two years in the end, but if they don’t, he’s definitely going to look. He won’t move interstate, I can tell you that.”