Demon Dynasty

Brown questioning Spargo's kicking ability over 45. Obviously hasn't seen enough of Charlie's set shots at goal over the years 😄

1st Q Howes 7.5 Adams 7.5 Smith 5 R. Bonner 8 Lual 3 K. Brown 6 Billings 8.5 Woewodin 4 H. Sharp 8 Fullarton 5.5 Laurie 3 Henderson ?? Kentfield 6 Hardie 7 Verrall 5 Culley 3.5 Spargo 4 Baldi 4 Mentha Jnr 7 Note: No discussions entered into.... throwing darts is a less than perfect exercise

Team & Player Ratings to Rnd 17, 2025 vs H&A Season 2024 * Played less than two full matches < Subbed out at least once or more > Subbed in at least once or more Stats courtesy of footwire.com & wheeloratings.com

Erratum: Subbed on and Subbed off %s are either incorrect or missing. Correct figures are as follows... Tholstrup < 49% Sharp > 25%

Lead the no-merger rear guard with Alan Johnson. As passionate on the club staying independent as any player at the time (and there weren't many...he was swimming against the tide) and no doubt that was a part of his DNA given the flag / NS glory years. There was fight, grit and character. At all times a genuine Demon through and through. I spoke to him after a rally in the city around that time and was very inspired with his feedback. Never got to watch him live but apparently an absolute stalwart from all accounts and reveared by many. Vale Dicko!

Self inflicted DS given the ability that was on this list in the immediate years post 2021. Memberships down approx 15% - 16% on 22/23 tells the tale. Under any reasonable pressure from an oppo over more than about one or two quarters or so (at approx AFL average pressure rating) this team is incapable of winning most of the time. We are also incapable of bringing that pressure (in a team sense) for more than about one quarter (sometimes two) in most matches. The course of most games has become super predictable now. The method in which we use the ball, constant panic playing on & turnovers etc means we have become (for mine) almost unwatchable bar the wizard moments we see from Kozz and Melksham's forward craft. Hardly inspiring.

Fair point DZ but in the end whatever is happening it is not resulting in many wins. We are sitting on something like a 27% win ratio over the last 22 rounds or so yes? That's nearly two seasons now. Something does not feel right within the four walls given the quality (on paper) that we had on this list. I say that in past tense as i feel Goodwin & Co. have now blown any chance of a serious retrieval from here. Not with a fair chunk on this current list anyway. That's not a general criticism of all players either. Some of whom were great servants and whose time has now passed them by in terms of being at their peak.

Couldn't agree more rufus. We are too laconical in general. The will to win is something that appears to be optional and the picking and choosing an acceptable trait. Players also racking up weeks, sometimes months, of horror performances yet still getting a game or just dropped for a week or maybe two max to work on something and then straight back in. Ruthless should be our first and last trait in every much but since about half way through 2022 it appears that only select players do this with some others cherry picking when and where thrown into the mix on occasions. Not expecting top line performances from every player every week, especially rookies, but you would hope for minimum levels of white line fever from 80% or so most weeks. Should've been at least one more GF appearance from the 2021 list post 2021 but alas. Too many happy clappers and back slappers on and off the field and for whatever reasons Simon has been unable to get the best from them (other than random blocks of H&A games) since the flag.

Possibly because their pressure rating was also well below AFL average in that first quarter D Rev.

Round 17, 2025 Adelaide Oval - Crows vs Demons With another season down the gurgler and now running out of attachment room on this site i'm just going to post the Demon Player Ratings for the remainder. Not sure i agree with Chandler in third place. Too much emphasis in the rating on tackles? He had a massive 10 for the match but was also the only player on the day with a negative meters gained result (-1) Adelaide basically decided to turn up the wick at about the ten minute mark of the second Q (once they thought our lead was getting a tad out of hand) and we couldn't go with them. It's a pretty easy formula against us for most teams now. Coast along and just play at a decent level for a while, then when you need to, put the after burners on (ie; ramp up the pressure and intensity) for a quarter or so and it's game over (for us). Player & Team Ratings > Subbed out TOG % > Subbed in TOG % Stats courtesy of footywire.com and wheeloratings.com

I think you'd need a much larger data set to be able to say that WW. Three hit outs and one happens to go to advantage and you're claiming he is a success here. He doesn't get that many hit outs in general and averages about 1.2 to advantage per match. Having said that, most ruckmen (Max one of the exceptions) don't add much value in general just with their pure ruck work. Around the ground and clearance efforts, that's a diff matter.

Yes almost identical to that although we did not have the rolled gold opportunities to score a second shot at the cup back then as we did in 2022 & 2023.

We still have 'Small Club' syndrome and MO imo Brownie. This club has never been able to step down of the porch and go [censored] with the big dawgs for more than a few consecutive seasons. We are constantly taking one step forward and two back both on and off the field and unable to maintain any momentum from our very short-run successful eras. Aside from the Peter Jackson era, we've lacked serious leadership at the top for many many decades and have far too often accepted mediocrity as our go to calling card. We are doing the same right now in accepting so many pitiful on-field performances in the last two seasons.

This hasn't changed in four seasons DV. Surely that tells you something!?

I doubt this board is capable of making a critical call on this in terms of it being unacceptable. Voss will probably go long before Simon so is the amount of heat he's under. As with all things MFC, the board often wilts under pressure and signs existing coaches too early and too long. Usually to the club's detriment. Rather than playing the wait-and-see game which was what we should have done after the second straight sets exit in 2023. What we are witnessing now is a club in a slow motion death spiral, on and off the field. With the MFC board, as it so often does, having gone to ground with its head in the sand. Not a peep from any of the top brass about this consecutive year of horribilus. At some stage they'll be presented with the financial and 2026 fixture impact though. $ issues usually cut through and clarify things and force outcomes, even on the most complacent.

Aside from Kozzy and Melk. Def our best tall forward prospect (at this point). Handy down back and can be played there anytime to good effect. But absolutely no reason why we can't trial him forward for the remainder of the season. Nothing to lose and better to cross this off as an option (yeh or neh) well before commencing proceedings in 2026. Our second best (tall) defender this season in T-Mac can't get a game under Simon though. Who for some perplexing reason, prefers to play an alternative out-of-form Lever. A player that probably cost us at least two goals directly from his clangers today (possibly more). No reason why you couldn't bring in T-Mac and move Turner for a trial run forward for the remainder of the season. Won't happen under Goodwin though.

At the coaching, fitness and player level. Bar a few cameos for maybe a quarter or a bit more, this team is unwatchable now and full on amature performances have become the norm whenever the oppo turns up a bit of heat. We crumble like a house of cards. So easy to beat under any reasonable pressure. Simon has us still trying to save games when 3 to 4 goals down with 10 to 15 mins to go. Then there's Simon's inexplicable decision to play an unfit fumbles Lever ahead of our 2nd best defender (prior to being dropped) in T-Mac. Senior players which need to be seriously considered for trade at year's end in order to start the rebuild... ❌️ Viney - Too slow, getting caught far too often, doesn't kick goals and can't hit a target by foot. Almost always plays on and panic kicks in straight lines into the F50 ❌️ Clarry - Sadly not a patch on the pre 2024 champion. Can play out a quarter or two but that's it. No tank to keep it going beyond that and zero ability to go with his oppo after half time in any defensive sense or just get back inside D50 to help out & intercept (on occasions). ❌️ Fritsch - A shell of the premiership player of 2021. Wants the easy ball out the back almost always. Refuses to work off his opponent and lead up at the carrier, mostly always running back to the goals hoping for a long over-the-top kick for the joe-the-goose. He's become a cheap selfish player that doesn't do the team things often enough including in a two way coverage pressure sense. Too easily beaten in one v ones i50 and up the ground as well. Downhill skier at best. ❌️ Tracc - where do you start. Often just nowhere near it in general and a massively flawed panic stations footballer with ball in hand now. Is he a chance to ever get back to the pre-injury rampaging player we once knew? I guess anything's possible but 2026 has to be the turning point surely! ❌️ Lever - There's no point intercepting if all you have in your kitty is down-the-line long bombs and, when under heat, continually panic handballing straight back to the oppo for easy turnover goals Depth / fringe 22 with occasional looks at AFL level when they knock the door down at Casey... Chandler - a good ordinary footballer who always starts the season well but peters out by about Rnd 8 - 10. Looks busy and is handy at times but just doesn't do enough to justify automatic selection in the 23. Rarely kicks goals after about Rnd 8 for whatever reason. Players on the fringe / Coin flip. Personally i would trade and/or delist the lot at years end bar Sharp who has shown something on occasions, albeit he has also been bog ordinary on many other occasions. IMV these players are all flawed footballers in their own way... Sharp* last chance saloon 2026 JVR - One trick pony whose hands / athleticism simply aren't good enough to justify a regular spot. 2026 or bust. Salem - Constantly getting caught / fumbling or being beaten in most one v ones now. Great servant, ever appreciative of the 2021 flag year plus other VG performances over the years but time to move on. Jeffo - Year four and we are still looking at a player who looks like he's in his first year. A handy VFL player at best. Sparrow - Doesn't have many weapons apart from the occasional goal when he gets away from his opponent. Gets beaten by opponent in one v ones far too often and can't play through the middle ie; mostly ineffective when he does. Aside from the occasional opportunistic goal, what else does he bring? Hore - Never gets on the park. Can't stay there when he does and just doesn't impact enough at AFL or VFL level Fullo - delist (Casey list only if he wants to stay on it)

Team & Player Ratings to Rnd 16, 2025 vs H&A Season 2024 * Played less than two full matches < Subbed out at least once or more > Subbed in at least once or more Stats courtesy of footwire.com & wheeloratings.com

Don't hold me to this but i seem to recall there is a component of scoring (or conversion rate from entries via transitioning off the back half into 50) from ball movement that is fed into the ball movement ratings. Could be wrong though.

Melk & Kozz yes. Another solid effort from Bowsa. But as has been the tail in the last two or three seasons, too much left to too few DZ. Our follower unit has also dropped the ball in terms of effectiveness also aside from Maxy's herculian efforts some time again and the odd Clarry cameo. Then there's our entry methods (mostly still bombing and playing it in there in straight lines) and conversion i50. Just horrid far too often. In particular Tracc. His disposals and apparent shots at the sticks are mostly 'Look Away'stuff this season. You can't win many games at this level with that sort of work in front of the sticks. When i watch the Cats i'm reminded of how critical it is to hit the score board. Keeps them in so many games and helps them get over the line plenty of times, even if they're having an ordinary day out. Not always but most of the time anyway.

Round 16, 2025 People First Stadium - Suns vs Demons Melk winding the clock back big time. Not going to troll through the records but his rating would have to be close to his highest in the Red & Blue. Possibly his best. Not a bad day out from the wily veteran! Player & Team Ratings - Demons > Subbed out TOG % > Subbed in TOG % Player & Team Ratings - Suns Combined Player Ratings Stats courtesy of footywire.com and wheeloratings.com

Pattracca post the injury Skills ❌️ Awareness ❌️ Contest to Contest ❌️ Commitment over the ball ❌️ Contested marking ❌️ Clearance work ❌️ Goal kicking. Was already ordinary. Now regressed to being one of the worst shots in the league.

Thanks for the flag Fritta but time to look elsewhere. Game has gone past him. Adds absolutely nothing to this forward line and useless up the ground also.

Im at the 7 minute mark of the first quarter and no idea what the present score is. Havent read any comments. Took us about 11 mins to get our second entry inside 50. They've had about 10 and about 90% of time in their forward half. (Now 20 inside 50s to 6 with 1 minute left in the first). Can't string more than about three consecutive possessions together. Comtinually turning it over. Fumble city. Indisciplined stuff still happening. Coming off the bye and look dissinterested. Zero energy. Can't kick a goal to save ourselves. One of the worst Vic memberships this season yes? Aside from a May, Bowey, Kozzy and the odd Max contribution there is no spirit, fight, skills or white line fever in the bulk of this list. We are not AFL worthy or worth watching and on the verge of becoming irrelevant once more if we aren't already. The team and effectively the entire club is now in complete free fall and will need a complete review and most likely a full rebuild from the coach down. It will be a decade or more before we become a serious finals prospect once again.

What are the odds Tassie finishes building their stadium (once it eventually gets the nod) before we end up getting into a genuine home base (Caulfield or other lol)