Demon Dynasty

I shudder to think of the quarter time margin if they don't. Then there's the final margin. The only thing i'm hoping to see out of today'' game is zero injuries, especially to Max. Any other team would put Max in cotton wool for next year

You mean the threads where we pontificate and drool over all the amazing top line recruits and A grade free agents out there that mostly end up at the top 4/5 Vic clubs and interstate clubs?

Very sketchy CYB. Depends on who's in the team, who isn't and what stages they're at in their individual programs. Rnd 6 is usually a reasonable block of games and should tell the story.

Forget logic OD. Based on examples from some recent posts (some examples above), i reckon this thread has now had it's own JTS moment (see below) and is now in it's final throes...

We will know by about Rnd 8 or so in 2020 BBP. 8 months is quite a wait!

Goody realising that a focus mainly on crash / bash & overwhelm inside style of footy isn't going to win many games in the medium to long haul if this is your main go to method. Speed on outside, spread and an attacking overlap game style taking over. Also becoming expert at tempo / possession option when needed to ice match or protect a lead etc. Getting the inside/outside structures right - BALANCE. Getting smalls and mediums front and square more often. MASSIVE reduction in turnovers via improved skills, particularly by foot. Flow on - hitting a stack more targets inside 50 (and generally), resulting in greater ball retention and control of game/momentum. Big M as the new captain. Viney & Jones getting a full pre-season in. AVB making a miraculous comeback. Snatching a key forward, 2 quality smalls and a classy outsider in the trade. Burgess turning Tracc into an inside/outside beast who can tear a game apart through the mid field on a regular basis. Clarry as per Tracc. Get some run/gun and finish out of congestion...more kicking, fewer suicide/look away hand balls and instead looking to give first option to runners on the outside wherever possible. A broom through many NQRs on the list in place of pace/burst power marking and finishing skills including at goal. Uncovering a potential gun in the draft with serious X factor who can turn a match in 15 to 20 minutes of pulsating ball bursting footy! Goal kicking accuracy generally!

Provided they put him on game day strat & in the box vs the Aints that's at least two extra wins next season...sweet! 40% improvement on this year locked in already! Two heads are better than one and a new voice / perspective now that Macca's gone might be a good tonic.

Fingers crossed he is at home putting his feet up for a well earned extra week off Clint. Big P can handle the ruck duties for this dead rubber. Good experience for the followers to see how they go at connecting with his tap work, and visa versa, outside of training and for the coaches to monitor this (and his) progress at AFL level.

Bucky on SEN now speaking about Franklin's 300th and history of recruiting him. Likely to brush on the state of the MFC list also FWIW.

If we are smart they will rest Gawn and just play the big P regardless dees. Absolutely nothing to be gained risking our only A grade player in a nothing match and everything to lose.

And the 2018 Prelim!?? Oh hang on ...

That would probably do it C13. I also think the umps have had it in for us even more than usual since this happened...

Any chance we can put this on the agenda ...

Correct Bin. Only the most tainted minions know the NSC is something not to be meddled with!

If it's only Dec i will happily run around the MCG naked CC!

Am still holding a glimmer of hope that Burgess might come to the rescue OD but it's not looking great eh.

Out: All players not carrying a niggle, injury and all those required for next season. In: All fringe players / rookies (yes, including Bradtke & other first gamers), Lewis and anyone else who is expendable. Even i'm happy to sit on the bench handing out oranges at quarter time and running on with the occasional water bottle after a goal if it means making up a mock 22! NS's curse is ever present! ... ..."Barring major problems in the final round against North Melbourne in Hobart, it will give incoming fitness boss Darren Burgess - who was appointed in late July - a chance to make an immediate impact on the group that is expected to undergo a fierce pre-season after winning just five games for the season..."

Harry O, Trenners & Clark in recent times also DJ. We seem to have a penchant of picking up players that are prone to not quite cutting the 'resilient' mustard.

I'm really just reworking / parroting stuff that's already out there Kent but thanks. Happy to put this up on any player requested... Is it possible (pure speculation just putting it out there) that Gus has decided, at some point, after signing till 2022 that he now wants to return home (homesick) and/or to play out the rest of his career with his bro, sooner than 2022? Or maybe the club has looked at him and to some degree agree with the article below and are looking to trade also. Or they are both in agreement and as an assist to help get him back home we are looking at a win/win package deal for Langdon ( one of Freo’s key ball movers in 2018, trailing only Lachie Neale for inside 50s, Nathan Wilson for metres gained and Luke Ryan for marks)? Excerpts from ESPN article in June.... ..."Looking at the individuals in the Demons' midfield isn't pretty reading either. Oliver, Harmes, Viney, Brayshaw, Nathan Jones and Christian Petracca are the club's top six for centre bounce attendances from 2018-19. All are ranked by Champion Data as average in terms of kicking efficiency, except Oliver (below average). In terms of uncontested possession percentage, Jones is listed as above average, with Brayshaw and Harmes average, Petracca and Viney below average and Oliver poor. It's obvious Melbourne's strength on the inside is now being outweighed by the lack of spread and skill on the outside. Which brings us to Brayshaw. The 2014 No. 3 draft pick is averaging a healthy 25 possessions, 3.2 tackles and 3.7 clearances per game, and has gained the 14th-most meters in the league this year. But Brayshaw personifies Melbourne's midfield issues - fantastic in the contest, tough as old boots and able to find the pill, but unreliable by foot. He has committed the 11th most turnovers in the league this year, with his disposal efficiency under implied pressure and physical pressure the second-worst and fourth-worst of the league's top 50 ball-winners. But as a high draft pick coming off a third-place finish in the Brownlow, and in the prime of his career at 23, he would still command some serious trade currency if the Demons were so inclined. Would the Dees consider dangling his name out there to a team lacking someone of his skillset? If so, who should they target in return?".

And Gus...

Here are some select (publicly available) stat averages on Harmes for this season vs 2018 (just highlighting a few players who have come up in discussions here for those interested... LN etc)... Legend: CP - Contested Possessions UP - Uncontested ED - Effective Disposals DE% - Disposal Efficiency % CM - Contested Mark Mi50 - Marks inside 50 1% - One Percenters CL - Clearances R50 - Rebound 50 i50 - inside 50s T - Tackles Si - Score Involvements MG - Meters Gained TO - Turnovers ITC - Interceptions T5 - Tackles inside 50 TOG% - Time on Ground % G - Goals

That feels about right LN. Possibly last years 'connector' role spending a bit more time between the arcs as there's a massive drop off in R50s, intercepts & 1%ers that defenders tend to rack up. And a drop off in i50s which would suggest (leading ground ball i50 as you have pointed out & tackles i50 up substantially on last season) he is being asked to play almost like a small forward higher towards the arc as well as getting into space to offer marking options (marks i50 up). And last week in the ruck also! He's now more versatile than Lewis!

You forgot a 'Meh' option for No.2 & No.3 BB!

In short LN .... I am not 'fully' convinced either as.. 1. Rubbish in rubbish out effect... eg; we don't have access to the better stuff the club's get from Champion data. 2. Player's roles and other nuances of the game aren't captured including off days, on days, a bad domestic dispute ... a freaky bounce that favours one player over another.(Milne in 2010 1st GF), crowd / umpire effect etc etc etc. Having said that the weighted scores do tend to reflect, more often then not, D'lander views of who has played well / mediocre/average, poor, shizen etc reasonably accurately week to week (player of year votes, general views in 3 word summary / coaches votes etc). As mentioned....i'm not totally in the "For or Against" Tracc camp. I just call things as i see them from match to match. Hence why im suggesting 1. He is playing a better season generally , albeit in a fairly different role vs 2018 and the weighted model is unable to effectively capture that nuance/change; or 2. He is playing better in short spurts at a much higher level during those short bursts vs 2018, yet not sustaining that level. In 2018 he wasn't hitting the heady bursts/peaks as often however he was playing at a (lower impact) level that was sustainable for longer (which impacts in a different way...maybe more effective in the long haul!??). This difference might have arose purely from being asked to play a fairly diff role this season? Or 3. He is giving the appearance (at times) that he is better than 2018 but this appearance is due to the "steaming pile of dung" effect rubbing off from so many around that are playing at a much worse level than Tracc vs their 2018! My gut feel is the answer is mostly a combo of 2 & 3 but more than likely it is also being impacted by point 1 to some degree. As for Harmes that is a TBC for another separate convo tomorrow or when i can find the time/focus lol. Ditto on the selected stats. Thanks for the heat map. I'm assuming that's this season. I'm guessing there's no way you could also grab his 2018 map?