Demon Dynasty

Fair point and he has only played 20 odd matches. They say big fellas take longer to come on as well. We do hav to sort out our big man dept though as we have 4 on the list. 3 if you assume its the Russians swan song. But then 4 again if we include King in the mix.

D'land at its best! Jumbo, Michie may well be VFL standard only as you say but, if he is and i'm not saying he is, there are others around him that might also deserve the badge you have bestowed upon him. CBD that statement isn't quite correct as you can see below. He isn't the highest ranked in either Goal Assists or Goals per game averages so not sure where you're getting your info from. He is up there yes but not leading them as you state. If there's any truth to Jumbo's statement about being VFL standard only, and there may well be, there others that probably also qualify (if you agree with Jumbo) who actually rank worse than Viv in many key areas. Just saying. Take a look gang. I've given you the top 5 plus i've added the regular names that come up quite often amongst D'landers as potential trade bait/VFL standard only type arguments etc as well as a few stand out new (roos drafted) players to see how they're all fairing in a comparative sense. All stats are up to and including Round 9 which is a statistically significant sample in the context of a season (stats courtesy of Footywire). Averages Per Game Tackles 1. Spencer (6.3) 2. Viney (5.3) 3. Vanders (5.1) 4. Brayshaw (4.6) 4. N Jones (4.6) 7. M Jones (4.0) 7. R. Bail (4.0) 14. Salem (3.6 in only his 2nd year!) 21. Grimes (2.5) 22. Howe (2.44) 23. Toumpas (2.4) 24. Michie (2.3) 26. Watts (2.1) Uncontested Possessions 1. Viney (14.0) 2. N Jones (12.4) 3. T-Mac (12.1) 4. Crossy (11.89) 5. Tyson (11.86) 6. Grimes (11.7) 9. Michie (10.0) 11. Toumpas (9.4) 13. Howe (9.1) 15. Salem (8.7) 16. Fitzy (8.5) 19. Bail (8.0) 22. Watts (7.0) Effective Disposals 1. Cross (15.6) 2. Viney (15.0) 3. T-Mac (14.9) 4. N Jones (14.7) 5. Tyson (13.7) 6. Fitzy (13.5) 7. Howe (13.2) 8. Grimes (13.0) 11. Michie (11.3) 16. Spencer (10.2) 20. Toumpas (9.4) 21. M Jones (9.0) 22. Watts (8.5) 23. Bail (8.3) Goal Assists 1. Michie (0.67) 1. M Jones (0.67) 3. Watts (0.63) 4. JKH (0.60) 5. Newton (0.57) Goals 1. Garlett (2.0) 2. Hulk (1.7) 3. Pedo (1.2) 4. Newton (1.0) 4. Fitzy (1.0) 6. Watts (0.63) Contested Possessions 1. Tyson (9.6) 2. N Jones (9.4) 3. Vanders (8.7... DE of 49%! ughh) 4. Crossy (8.4) 5. Vince (7.9) 10. Spencer (6.7) 12. Howe (6.1) 15. M Jones (6.0) 15. Michie (6.0) 18. Grimes (5.2) 20. Fitzy (5.0) 20. Riley (5.0) 26. Watts (4.6) 27. Toump (4.6) I'm going to get served with divorce papers if i keep going so i'll finish up here. Let me know if you want any other particular stat averages or if you would like to know where a particular player sits that isn't listed and i'll post them when the war office is absent!

WYL can i have some of what you're having mate! I've yet to see why he is worth holding on to (until now) other than one half decent game against the doggies

I would be looking at Gawn and Fitz well before Spencil at this point. Not saying Spencil is a match winner or miles ahead either but i think he is a "possible" AFL regular in our best 22 going forward (until we come up with a another soldier (eg., King when ready maybe). The other 2 talls aren't IMO.

Certainly took no prisoners that day. If only the club as a whole showed some of his fight and thuggery over the following decades. We might have won a few more matches and crunch finals. There were individuals like Balls, Keogh, Yeater, Jakovich and a few others but as a whole we just haven't flown the flag enough.

Much rather Jane Bunn O.O

Robbie the only access we have to coaches is after the match and occasionally on the demon website. They are never going to relay their true feelings/thoughts/strategies overall or player specific to their fans or in public..ever. We can only go on what we see on the park each week as apparently, according to the coaches anyway, you play how you train. When you consistently see the same players either unwilling or selectively choosing when to commit to a contest OR incapable of impacting contests then you can only presume that unless they prove otherwise, they are not capable of playing AFL football. As to why they continue to be selected week after week this is mostly a reflection of the quality of our list. But as paid up members of the club we are entitled to be sceptical when the team continues to lose....week after week after week. When they start winning more than 1 game every now and then and can string 3 to 4 wins together against quality opposition then I'll believe we are finally getting somewhere. Until then the coach, the FD and the football club as a whole are no doubt trying their hardest but we are still losing and losing badly just as we've done for the last 8 years. When they prove me wrong and we make finals I will shut up and just watch.

Why is a bun that makes em look girly called a MAN bun? o.O

No its not the only basis titan but in yet another capitulation it's a mighty good start. I'm sure Roos & Co have match ups and "team balance" in mind etc when making their selections but personally I would refuse to play anyone who either refuses or is incapable of laying even 1 tackle in 100 minutes of football. The basis of any solid team starts and ends in "effort". Talent helps but if you go into a match with players who arent going to give it or give it only when they feel they have to then you can forget about ever building a winning culture, let alone making finals. We will just dead cat bounce for decades as we have done for almost a decade now.

This is all about The Rev and the Big Freeze on Monday DD and nothing to do with us, other than the connection of the Rev having coached us admirably. We are now completely irrellevant in an AFL context other than in our own bath time. I'm afraid our Football dept has officially lost the plot and if i was to select between a car crash and a competitive effort on Monday i'll be definitely selecting the former. Jetta, Watts & Bail had 0...i repeat ZERO tackles in a losing (thrashed) side last week. Grimes in our top 10. Spencer not the worst (had 6 tackles....3rd only behind Brayshaw & Vince) and yet we see only one of the former getting dropped and a few of the better players (out of a bad bunch last week) getting punished. What a moral sapper for the core group of players who generally go "ok" most of the time. There will be nothing standing in the way of the pies and a 100 point plus massacre on Monday. In fact they could and probably will end up calling this the "Monday Massacre" match after Monday. I can only think of 2 reasons for the bizarre changes/non-changes this week. 1. Roos has already made his mind up on certain players, regardless of how badly or reasonable they play; OR 2. KEN Roos has gone..........

Song you of all people should know that D'landers are so starved of seeing any quality AFL talent that even young very good "ordinary" footballers are always considered our next "superstar savior' before they've even played a match!!

About the only bird we might kill on Monday Dee is a sparrow from another mis directed Dunny torp!

There might be a few extra with The Rev's Big Freeze walk from Fed Square on OD. I'm having trouble getting motivated to watch us as well but i'll go along (with some family in tow) to support the Rev and watch us massacre the Pies... "cough"

I personally think this was our best opp as well with the list above. And as my bro kindly reminded me last night, the turning point late in the season, was the loss of Jackovich in Rnd 17. One man doesn't make a GF appearance but he sure was a huge out. The following stats can't be ignored when considering he was there for the bulk of the season, albeit not able to take the park in all matches leading up to Rnd 17. 51 Goals in 13 matches to round 17 4th in the AFL goal kicking averages, averaging just under 4 goals a match Only bettered by 3 other greats that year in Ablett (3rd) with an average of 5.2, Dunstall (2nd) with an average of 5.3 and Lockett (No.1) with an average of 5.60 per game. He beat 3 other goal kicking power forwards that year in the goal averages including, Modra, Sticks Kernahan and the King himself, Wayne Carey. He was our leading goal kicker on 8 of the 13 matches he played to Rnd 17, kicking 8 goals in the opening round against the Cats which we won by over 10 goals and another 8 goals (to 3/4 time!!) against the Hawks in our win over them at their home ground (Princess Park) in Round 17, before leaving the ground injured never to play another game for the Demons! We also had one other player in the top 10 goal kicking averages that year, Gazza, sitting on 10th with 78 goals at 3.3 goals a match over 23 games. The Ox also had a pretty amazing year kicking 60 goals in 25 matches. There's always many "if & buts" involved in any season but to me this was the season that looked like we could go all the way with a lethal goal kicking forward line up i had never seen before that year. We were capable of beating almost any opponent with the big bull Jacko on the park and firing.

Seeing is believing fellas....

R&B i have it on good authority that the AFL hired Meatloaf in order to erase this great legacy from an earlier GF (spot the late greats!).....

Yep. He is lost starting through mid field. Excellent in his natural role as a HBFer. Play him here and watch him blossom again. Loves to see the paddock and play unfolding in front of him rather than around him using his pace and break away spead to run the lines and kick balls into our 50 on the rebound. Currently rank him about middle of the pack so far this year so room for improvement IF Roos plays him where he performs best.

no but i suspect will probably be using a megaphone from here on!

True but PR has cred and has given them some respect/rope from day one until now (nearly 2 years). MN had none and hung most of em out to dry from the moment he set foot in the door.

Jimmy showed "something" in that game and deserves some further match time to find his place, confidence and the pace of AFL. Only his 3rd season and last year was interrupted. At least another 2 pre seasons away (and a good 5 to 10kg) from potentially having a significant impact at this level on a consistent basis. Let's hope he makes it.

You can talk all the "line in the sand" talk u like. If you're carrying soft cok passengers in the team... even just 1 or 2... forget it. You need everyone on board with a kill or be killed approach and "showing it" with their actions for this to be effective. If Roos keeps playing the same present line up there will be no "line in the sand" moment for us THIS season. Just more losses/beltings by most from 12 to 5 and a few massacres against the top 3/4 if they decide to put their foot on our throat.

Agreed OD. But the difference is you bring in NQRs who arent soft at the contest and just go hard at it no matter where we are in the game. The ability to crack in and have a dip is more inspiring than watching a few pretty boys running around on the outside waiting to be given the ball... and then in many cases still choosing the wrong options/fluffing their disposals. The other NQRs will still fluff and choose poor options. Difference is you want NQRs who dont throw the towel in when the heat is on and will go back with 2nd 3rd efforts to try & rectify their own clangers. The few real foorballers (and up and coming ones) we have in the team that have to play with them, will be more inspired by the latter than the soft cok NQRs who dont go when they need to and choose when they want to have a dip. Nothing more demoralising. And its something that a few of the decent players we have are also starting to display at times. It becomes catchy. And once it catches on amongst your better players... we are looking at a potential 186 revisited against the top 3 or 4.

To avoid being totally massacred (12 goals or more)... OUT: Soft Cox & the bottom end of the NQRs IN: Tough nuts & other marginally better NQRs (even if they have less perceived talent than the soft cok NQRs)

Too many soft cox/NQRs in this list RP who "choose" when its their turn to go or just arent up to AFL standard. Roos is paying the price of backing them for too long. Needs to smack this lot around and toughen up on the lot of em and move on from NQR soft cox to start. Then build decent depth through the mid field ASAP to support Jones, Vince, Viney, Tyson, Brayshaw and Vanders. He will need to bring in other NQRs to replace the soft cox but the morale in the team will be better for it. Similar skills/talent or lack thereof but guys having a dip can inspire. Soft Cox do the reverse and their pathetic non efforts are there for all to see and can spread through the group like wildfire if left in the team. This leads to the lack of trust u were referring to. Then everyone starts to go into self preservation mode. There's only one person to blame for playing soft cox for too long so far this year and that's PR himself. All other teams kno we run shallow thru the mid with Jones the only player in the top 100 AFL ranked players. Put a hard lock down on Jones... game over. When we finally get rid of the NQRs/Soft cox and import 2 to 3 B grade mid fielders... we will start winning more than 1 game in a row against clubs from 8ish down. Until then sit back and enjoy being regularly massacred. P.S. We will still get beaten by most teams outside the bottom 6 in most cases even if he drops the NQRs & soft cox THIS SEASON...just not massacred (excluding the top 4 or so).

Don't you mean Jack Bruce. I would've used Cam Watts but .....nah