Macca

My comments were in relation to who actually plays in the forward line with a full list (with quality added) Hunt goes to being a back-up if we had a top-rate forward line. Or plays elsewhere within the team as a utility type. Perhaps starts from the interchange. It has to be remembered that the club will want to add as much quality to the list as is possible. You can never have enough good players (all things considered) If you were the coach you'd be demanding some quality players to add to what we've got. He won't be sitting back hoping for the best.

Hannan jogs around too much ... no urgency. Lockhart gets another year. Weideman has been a major disappointment whilst T-Mac hasn't been much better. Agree on Spargo & Garlett. Hunt is too hot and cold and doesn't play in front. Could be way better if he puts his mind to it. But out of the 6 possies I've only got 4 in from the present list (Petracca, Melksham, T-Mac & Fritsch) No room for he's ok or he's alright types. I want a gun forward line.

These things are selective ... schoolyard type rules. It's who you know and who's on the nose or on the outer. You'll never see fairness or consistency. Gain any advantage you can get is the only way to win the fight.

Our forwards also won't adhere to the fundamentals either although with a change of personnel, we were much better yesterday Playing in front, making space, defensive pressure, multiple leads and leading patterns, marking ability, the forwards playing as a team and other factors have been sadly lacking. And we can't kick straight for goal. It is the worst performed forward line I have seen at the club (all things considered) and I'd be surprised if we don't see a line up that looks more like this next season ... HF : Petracca KPF (Rec) Melksham F : Fritsch T.Mac Small Fwd (Rec) Weideman as a back up 2nd or 3rd forward whilst Hannan, Lockhart, Spargo & Garlett have it all in front of them. That's if all 4 in fact remain on the list.

As for Brayshaw, one of many who hasn't reached the heights of last year. I'm not one to single out individuals in a team sport ... so our forward line letting us down badly this season I see as the main problem Looked at another way ... lets just say our forward line was functioning 'well' this season. We'd have a lot more wins on the board and would be pushing for finals. But easier said than done ... we lost Hogan and the other teams have done their homework on us. But the yips in front of goal? That's entirely on us. We've blown at least 4 winnable games through poor kicking for goal. 5 & 12 should read as 9 & 8. And then this conversation is way different. On nearly all the threads. We've shot ourselves in the foot (no pun intended)

Yes, Alaphilippe faltered a bit last night And with 3 tough mountain stages to come (Thurs, Fri & Sat) it's all ahead of him No real help from.his team forthcoming either ... he's done well to be going so well this far in though

Not necessarily but it's not like Danny Frawley has any relevance. Another dinosaur. Dermie's comments are a bit off the mark though ... we're not so much downhill skiers, more like whatever the phrase is for shooting ourselves in the foot. That's it Rangie ... 'We shoot ourselves in the foot' We don't beat up on the easybeats and then cave-in against good opposition (like we used to do) We simply keep finding ways to lose through our own ineptness. Especially with regards to our general field kicking and our shooting for goal. Our endeavour, energy, effort, hard-ball gets, clearances & contested work isn't too bad. But with ball in hand we butcher it.

And under mutual agreement he coached out the 2004 season after being told it was his final year and they then tanked the rest of the year. After being 4 & 4 after 8 rounds the Tigers proceeded to then lose their last 14 games. Sacked then tanked. Odd combination but it happened.

Once again our forward line cost the team a victory. This time around we at least looked dangerous going forward and our forwards generally got to the right spots, played in front and won their own ball. A change in personnel up forward was like a breath of fresh air. But we can't kick straight. Which has been a problem for at least 2 years now. Our poor conversation rate has happened at least 6 times this season and about the same amount of times last year. Perhaps the numbers are even worse than that and the yips might stretch back further than 2018. The fix is a ton more practice and to recruit players who know where the goals are. The club needs to look at the kicking actions of a number of our players as well. Especially the balldrop.

The bigger issue is our depth of key forwards There is none that I can see and the ones that we've got aren't exactly A grade. Yet we have any number of NQR inbetweeners on the list ... year after year after year. A list management re-think needs to occur. Take rucking for instance ... we used to have an excess of back-up and now we're getting the total number of ruckmen on the list right (as the game has changed) The mid season draft covers the need for an extra ruckman. Key forwards aren't as effective as they once were due to how the sport is played but you've still got to have good ones otherwise a forward line can be rendered ineffective. Backmen make mistakes when they're under seige or if they are confronted with goal kicking forwards. And September footy often sees the key forwards stand out more. Since '64 we've played finals about 13 times and nearly every time those finals years were on the back of good functional forward lines. Conversely, we've struggled nearly every other time because our forward lines were ineffective.

With our top end pick (if we use it) we are almost compelled to take the best available young talent. And the history of drafting tells us that the best talent available at pick #2 is almost certainly a midfielder. The restricted talent available doesn't necessarily lend itself to drafting for needs like it is in the NFL for instance. That's why KPF's are often traded for. We could trade an established midfielder for needs though. Or just find a way somehow. I believe I'm right in saying that Lynch was a restricted free agent so all Richmond had to do was fit him into their salary cap. That's what you call a bargain buy. We should be looking at doing something similar but again, others here will know who might be available.

Trouble is the much safer bet with a top-end pick is the best midfielder type. And at this stage we're staring pick #2 in the face. KPF selections throughout the history of the draft has a history of turning up busts. Even so, the big blokes take longer to develop and blossom anyway and our needs are immediate. Maybe with a later pick but our best option might be to trade for a KPF. We could use next years first round draft pick especially if the club believes we can bounce back into finals contention next year. Much like we've done with May & Lever down back. Even Frost came to us through a trade. And there's always free agency but I'm not sure who might be available anyway. That's what our recruiting people are there for but I see our needs up forward as being critical to our success. The Tigers went hard after Lynch even though they looked to be in a position of strength. No thoughts of sitting back and now they've rebooted and could win it all again.

Poor kicking at goal has cost us another win. We are our own worst enemy. They ran all over us again which is another issue that needs to be addressed. Kick straight and we would have been up by 5 goals at 3/4 time. And with that sort of lead the legs find another gear.

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Goodwin makes the ultimate decision though. So it's on the coach. But I never had a problem with shipping Watts out even though I could see his value if we kept him. It wasn't a black and white issue and as much as Watts was great with ball in hand, he was average to poor in a lot of other areas. Garlett is in the same boat and it will interesting to see if Jeff is kept on the list.

The support for Goodwin diminished somewhat after he got rid of Watts. It wasn't pronounced but a number of people here aren't as all-in with him after he made that decision. With Hogan it was different ... Jesse wanted to go and we let him go. And given all the circumstances, we made the right move. The issue I've got is that we haven't replaced both players with upgrades. In fact, we were all-in with T-Mac & Weideman and it hasn't worked. Are people here happy to go with those 2 next season after what we've seen this season? A big risk if so. I see our forward line as our biggest issue and I was calling for the club to recruit at least 1 key forward as soon as it was obvious that Jesse was going. Not late to the party here.

Whilst I won't pinpoint it all down to Mahoney & Viney, it's not as though they are as valuable as Roos & Jackson so making the appropriate changes in order to try and get better is often necessary. It's nothing personal in the way I look at it whilst others play personalities. It's strictly business unless that person in the sights has been of excellent value. And that's why you have to be careful with regards to building great culture. It's not a matter of just sacking everyone. For instance, a club like Hawthorn can ship out their former greats and get away with it but when we've done the same thing it has hurt us. So it's horses for courses. And if it were Bailey or Neeld shipping out Frawley, Howe and others then the aftermath works differently if (as it was) when it is Paul Roos making those decisions. And the much loved PJ kept Mahoney & Viney on. Roos rubber-stamped that decision by default. But I believe in making changes to try and get better. In World sports that practise of making changes is exercised as a matter of course. It's all about winning 'right now' elsewhere.

With regards to Pert shaking the place up I'm not sure he can just wave a magic wand LH. We have a number of FD issues and quite frankly, our list is way short of being in any sort of premiership window. We need an injection of real experience with our assistants. Especially in the designated areas. A lot can change from one year to the next but we're now being exposed big time for our lack of skill, pace, marking strength up forward and our general goal-kicking ability and game plan. Amongst other on field issues including our terrible conversion rates in terms of scoring. The collective strength of our players being able to use their non-preferred side is deplorable. The other clubs have now done their homework on us where as previously we were just easy-beats. Hunters for a season or 2 and now we're being hunted. That's what happens in big time sport and there are footy clubs out there who do act professionally as if it is a big time world sport.

'Should' fix (the reasons for the poor output) not necessarily 'will' fix them LH. If we were a ruthless club I'd have a lot more faith & trust but we often fall short of how we go about it. Well run clubs never throw out the excuses in advance but we do it. Before the start of the season we were hearing about the pre-season and off-season surgeries whilst previously we heard that it would take 2 or 3 years to get the players fit (2012) Prior to that it was the 'development' reasoning during the Bailey years. "Take the losses now but we'll be a good team down the track. We're rebuilding through the draft alone." (another flawed concept) It's just excuses in advance and in big sports around the world, those sorts of comments are largely unheard of. But our sport isn't even semi professional by comparison thus the naive and amateurish comments from certain clubs. They should just get on with it and get the job done but the club has a history of yapping on too much about what our (the members & supporters) expectations should be. Roos made mention of the player managers upon arriving at the club which read to me as the players ruling the roost. But if the players are ruling the roost it means our Board, Admin & FD are weak. An across-the-board club issue rather than one particular aspect. In essence, scapegoating or finger pointing is not the answer. It never is. e.g. ... we sacked Neeld but then Roos sacked 30 players (over 3 off-seasons) At the same time we changed our board and Jackson embarked on a clean-out within the club (FD & Admin included) But many just wanted to get rid of Neeld as if it was just him being the problem. The same sort of thing is happening (to a lesser degree) with Goodwin but whilst Goodwin himself might be an issue, it's much more than that. It has to be.

Into the mountains over the next 2 nights as well as next Thursday, Friday & Saturday Alaphilippe leads and he extended his lead last night after another slashing victory ... Richie Porte is 04.44 behind (overall) But with 5 mountain stages to come, anything is possible Official Site - Live Coverage Stage 14 Profile (tonight) Stage 15 Profile (tomorrow night)

In practical terms it's a smart move (in today's footy) We should try it and see if we can retain or regain possession from those long bombs to the pockets. For all the work we go to in trying to convert our inside 50's, we might as well bomb it longer to the pockets and try our luck. Create a stoppage and win the stoppage (close to goal) It's difficult to rebound quickly in a crowded forward line near the behind posts. The Tigers did something similar in their premiership year. Ugly to watch for a percentage of the neutrals but those with a vested interest watch for the winning alone. The aesthetics are gone anyway.

My criticisms are solely aimed at fixing the sport ... tough love. I want the sport to be king I would prefer footy to be my sport of choice with daylight to my next choice. The way it used to be. By speaking up the way I do might encourage others to do the same. Sitting on one's hands is not my bag. You want change, speak up.

Not really ... I also talk to numerous people about footy and watch enough of it to know how the sport is played. There's no rule that says anyone has to like anything. We all have choices ... you have yours and I have mine. This is a fan site for the MFC not the AFL. The Demons just happen to play in a sport that I no longer like to watch. Personal choices Gonzo. Nothing more, nothing less. And I used to love footy. Face it, the sport has changed dramatically and the new version doesn't take my fancy. Most other sports aren't much different to what they were previously. Footy is unrecognisable from just 15 years ago. The sport is a mess ... most players are on the ball like it's the under 12's. Flooding and the forward press is an eyesore. The rules are ridiculously grey thus rendering the sport unumpirable. There are no wingmen, no full forwards, no space, no true CHF's. Dashing defenders are no more and players don't run and bounce the ball anymore. There would be no place for a Robbie Flower or an Allen Jacovich these days. I don't like watching it and make no apologies for my thoughts. They fix it and I'll watch it again. Until then, its just my team and my team alone. You know, like a Collingwood supporter.

Almost the complete opposite with me ... I've been calling the AFL poor custodians for more than 25 years But that's just me ... I'm a Demon supporter and tbat's it. I couldn't even tell you who plays who from week to week. My interest in the league is closr to zero. There are others like me and I suspect those people are the ones who aren't watching neutral games on TV (as much)

But I'm not doom and gloom about footy's future despite my concerns about the aesthetics etc. Crowds & memberships are very very strong My motive is that I want the sport to be bullet proof with very little criticisms of the spectacle that we see. Others who were never attached to the sport might criticise the sport in similar ways but their morives are different. Mine is a form of tough-love as I do wonder about whether people love the sport like they once did. TV numbers are always a good indication and the sport has to be attractive to the viewers