Demon Dynasty

Nasher it's time to move on the troll and close it down mate. If you keep taking the bait from this bozo and allow him to post you know what i'm gonna have to do don't you!! Don't make me do it!

TGR gut running, leading up and hitting up those lead up targets as you work your way up the field has been happening as an AFL standard play for decades now. That includes hitting a lead up target coming inside 50 quite often.The top 4 to 6 teams are able to do this regularly with relative ease week in week out. The modern game has no doubt added a frenzied work rate to this style with so many interchanges allowing players to bust their gut for the whole time they're on the ground prior to their next rotation. The fact that we have been unable to implement this gamestyle consistently since 2006, and rarely over many decades prior to this season, is one of the many reasons why this club has now become irrelevant. Even the lowliest clubs each year manage to string together this style of play against middle to lessor ranked teams most weeks. Yes they do get intercepted and turn the ball over more often against the top 6 to 8 opponents but they still have this capability in their arsenal and are able to do so successfully on occasions to great effect and success on the scoreboard, including occasional upsets against somewhat higher rated opponents at times (eg., Richmond over the Pies today). Until we have the personnel with the will/work rate to gut run a match out and the skills by FOOT to do this (including delivery inside 50) we will always be languishing at the bottom of the ladder. IMO calling us a FOOTball club is a stretch at best. The Hawks know the value of this gamestyle and have grown an amazing list with gut busting running abilities as well as sublime skills by foot enabling them to hit up target after target as they work their way up the field. When they see an opportunity inside they are also able to pull the trigger and go inside (or switch...quickly) with hand or foot with soldiers always running past from behind to get forward of play (or on the switch) for the next receive or lead mark. Their gut running also means they are constantly on the move providing so many options and burning off less fit/capable opponents. To date i have yet to see this as an ingrained part of our weekly gamestyle in my lifetime of watching the MFC, other than for a few short match streaks within a season, a few individuals in the present list (eg., T-Mac, Viney, N Jones...mostly gut running...by foot...well) or at best maybe 1/2 seasons (max) in isolation (eg., most of 1987/88, parts of 1994, most of 2000, parts of 2004, 2005 & 2006). When/IF the MFC ever builds a list capable of doing the above across most of the 22 representing it, we should finally start to see us winning our fair share of games at AFL level. Until then we have effectively become irrelevant in the modern era as we seem unable to carry out this minimum standard of "moving the air conveyance" required at AFL level.

Yesterday he said we were tired and couldn't run. I don't see any other teams at this level struggling to keep up with the opposition by the end of a 1st quarter... wth is going on down there! Did anyone bother to ask him this?

Based on yesterday's performance we are 17 goals shy of being competitive with last year's premiers with a few of their best mid fielders out. This list will need to be churned for at least another 2 to 3 more drafts before we see any light. I would expect it might be the coach after Goodwin before we start seeing any significant improvement to our present "dead cat bounce" ladder position. By that stage most of our NQR crew from the "Neeld/Bailey" era would have been looked over for new blood that can actually play football (ie., can actually pass the ball/kick goals accurately by foot and run/tackle like berserk animals). Roughly about 14 could that make it from the current list and be there in approx 5 years (taking into account age/longevity of existing seniors). That means another 7 required for 22 and at least another 7 to 8 for depth and mid season rotations eg., a list of approx 30 decent AFL footballers who can/will play. It will take 3 to 5 years to get 60 to 100 games into many of the newbies and those on the present list who we hang on to. It might be Goodwin but it looks that far away at present that it might also be someone else who finally reaps a little reward post Goodwin.

Watching the Pies/Tiges. Shaun Grigg has had one helluva 3rd term here. Amazing work rate and effort! Another ex blue bagger.

Very much i think. But i think we need Hogan and a fit Kent/Salem before doing so otherwise he will just see the ball coming back at him most of the time. We don't presently have AFL standard forward pressure inside our 50 like most other teams do and until we get Kent/Hogan back, Garlett/Vanders are probably the only other mid/forwards that brings a little of that. Need one more goal hungry small too, buzzing around the Hulk for future years. Like a Milne or Betts type who is great at reading the play and slippery along with 1 or 2 A grade mid fielders who can kick regular goals as well and worry the opposition. Jetta might be worth a role of the die here for a few games when he returns. We have nothing to lose by trying all avenues to score. I would also play Dunn up there on occasions and see how he roles if Jetta doesn't work just for a change up. Dunn looks very flat and disinterested this year compared to last season and the change might do him the world of good. Our D is strong enough to handle Dunn out of there for a few matches and not like we aint getting our asses whipped with him there now. But ultimately we need to inject a world of pain and hurt (goal attack wise) around the Hulk to take advantage of his future dominance. Apart from Garlett/Hogan combo we really don't have much to worry the opposition in this present list either up forward or through the mid field. Newton/Kent/Brayshaw/Vanders are possibles once they've had a chance to develop. But this list is presently miles off it in terms of being competitive at AFL level with anyone outside the bottom 6.

Ok. I get where you're coming from. Agreed on that part although if i could compare him to say someone like Richo. Albeit he was marginally taller by about 1.5 inches, he was roughly about the same weight/bulk as Dawes. However, the effectiveness of the two cannot be compared. And i'm not saying all forwards can measure up to Richo on the move. Certainly not expecting Dawes to be able to either. But i'm afraid one was a very 'effective' mobile forward and the other is presently a very 'ineffective' mobile forward.

Watts dropped himself Like most of our other ordinary NQR players, wouldnt have made a skerrick of difference to the result. We only have a handfull of players you could call AFL standard and a few of those are injured. Hence the 17 goal drubbing.

I think it's a long bow to say Dawes is a mobile forward dee. I think he is one of the slowest immobile forwards i've seen for someone of his height. He hardly ever loses or moves his opponent off the ball. Nor does he clunk enough contested marks to make up for what happens when the ball hits the deck. Which most of the time is SBA...other than being left chasing someone's wake as they run the ball quickly out of our 50.

Highly unlikely. Gawn might take a few more contested marks around the ground than Dawes but that would be about the only highlight. Think he was our leading stat getter on that stat last year. Frawley, Dawes & Pedo lead our marks i50 last year albeit pretty low averages vs the rest of the comp. All 3 are NQRs and we need to move on quickly and start building a solid list of decent talls who can actually play decent footy at AFL level and help us to impact on more matches. All part of the building blocks needed to start winning games.

6. TMac 5. Pedo 4. Jones Boy 3. Garlett 2. Grimes 1. Cross

Especially Dawes...if he makes it next week that is

We would probably get a few more wins if they relegated us to the VFL. Looking at the game last night Norf's big men were super for 4 quarters. Ours have no impact at all.

Yep. Time to go fishin me thinks

Nice work!

Dawes is done & dusted. I would prefer Gawn up there at this point. At least he can take the odd grab even if he cant hit the side of a barn door

Nah try a week's load of dog poop in the back yard at half time... glorious

Hey at least Denis earned his Carlton with a better win/loss. 22.7% vs Roos 18.1% .. prior to this match

So after 8 seasons and 7 rounds of pain & suffering and about 20 (or more) No.1 draft picks....we got 1 player who's AFL quality and possibly All Australian ....well done MFC! Hec i wld rather watch this BS...

Hartung... 15 disposals 1 Goal 100% Disposal Efficiency Only against us

Footy is played mostly above the shoulders. But where's the drilled skills & ferocious tackling as a bare minimum at this level when nothing else is working? The ability to hit lead up targets under pressure to move the ball up the field when the heat is on. When u aint got the ball man up and tackle/spoil/pressure! FMD

We have no one dangerous in our forward 50 so the Hawks will pay them no respect and just back each other in the contest while the rest run off and create mayhem. Can only prevent this if ur forward 50 pressure is up to AFL standard. It's not. Our boys off HB rarely pull the trigger inside either. Up the line is too easy for the Hawks (and most clubs) who will just spoil and back their ball/foot skills to run & spread the ball back inside thier 50 real quick for the high % scoring conversion when its mostly one on one

Pedo couldnt kick 30 meters ... fm. Salem out with a hammy

Just curious Ding... when did u start thinking we might be here to play AFL footy like the other 17 clubs?

Hey we doubled our score from last week's first half in the first 5 minutes. I'm impressed! With our amazing "No pressure" forward line and sweet footskills we should only lose this by 80 or so