dpositive

Hope your happy today Rusty GO DEES

Hopefully he can take the defensive role currently assigned to Watts releasing him JW to the running forward role that he can provide. Will eagerley look at the JW thread to see if only his mistakes are mentioned

wasnt going to comment as I think I agree with most of the topics Of course I have never played sport at elite level but have played plaenty of sports to my maximum There is no doubt skill drops off as fitness falls. Concentration and decision making are skills affected also There is an ability to rise and play "above your level" but this is very rare and certainly cannot be sustained. In a team sport one players skills can be compensated for or exploited by alert team players. when confidence is involved and effort reciprocated performance can improve. It is a complicated issue and one I hope the coaches are monitoring closely. It may be an argument for using the squad and resting players after requiring them to use their maximum effort for a particular session or perhaps as many think it is necessary to continue to grind them on to build fitness just hope we can see some improvement

I reckon Jack has so many conflicting instructions (game plans) he could well be overthinking any situation. I still say his instinctive actions is often not supported by team mates causing him to look slow or indecisive. He also is often in the right place but is ignored or delivery is so poor that he appears awkward He does not enjoy the bonus of being in a successful unit with others used to success when they all get a bit of success it may well allow Watts to be more dominant with fewer possesions As others say I enjoy it when he gets the ball disposal is so much better than many others I really do not want to see him placed in defence for long periods, Green and Bruce who were out and out strikers were never the same after enduring defensive and mid field roles continuosly Jack is a naturally mobile attacking player the more I see of him the more he reminds me of Keith Grieg smart mover who makes space and moves fluidly I think Greig played as attacking defender at times. Hope Jack continues his progress and enjoys all the comments from all of us

Didnt see the positives coz I was returning over the top during the day Plenty of snow at Hotham fo those interested. I blame myself for the loss coz as soon as i got home to watch we went downhill ( sorry for skiing pun) Good to read the posts as most are positive. I still reckon we get the worst of the umpiring it must be pretty hard to get up and give again when youve got blokes sitting on and kneeing you in the head(wasnt the head supposed to be protected) or to tackle again and again the guy with the ball to effect a ball up when a free is given against you when you kick a ball out of a similar tackle, the lack of run was obvious but the cruel bounce of the ball FGS???? We must have some luck soon and I think that comes with the players persisting coz I reckon there is enough talent and skill there!

Says what exacly? That the coach has played a player in the wrong position? Surely a loose man is that and is why he collected 34 touches? Maybe Watts is fast enough to create a loose man in attack? I did say before the match I liked the potential of Watts at CHF floating around the centre leaving a hole for Clarke to run into, and subsequently leave Howe to jump at FF Dont know what happened to that plan but Watts in the backline doesnt seem to do much. How many of his kicks Hb etc went to another player? If Watts can get it 34 times it is usually then delivered to someone acurately

which is why i hoped the combination would achive improvement maybe like the players the coaching team are learning new structures

with Clarke Howe and Cloke it could be very congested in the air. I prefer the price inflation scenario that might mean a midfielder would be available. But bringing a magpie to the demons sort of doesnt feel right to me.

I agree with this although can remember many 5 year plans being presented. Without adequate resources an often conflicting approaches to failure these plans were reviewed every 3 years so there was never any completion. I think the time frame is shorter than we acknowledge and I like you do still feel confident that there is some coherent coordinated approach with adequate resources.

the side does seem to have a good structure solid at back midfield good mix and talls and shorts on forward. It remains to be seen if the intensity that is needed can be shown early to get the confidence up and develop the run that is there I like Clarke and Howe as the big leading forward making space and the flyer in the goal square if Watts can play mobile across and around Chf leaving the space for Clarke to run into and give some delivery into those spaces or deeper to Howe we may have some exciting scoring paths and with Davey and Jurrah scouting anything could happen I sense it is also important to maintain that forward line pressure and if the team can runboth ways as has been stated evrywhere a win is certainly on the cards I'll be picking em again even tho my tipping has already been deestroyed Great reports and thoughts and still plenty of enthusiasm Its all good GO DEES

Thanks again KC I did see most of this game on the TV and was interested in your report as the Commentators who I generally like did seem a bit harsh on Green an dWatts particularly. It was also good to see some of the string of possesion as players moved ahead "spread" confident that the ball would be delivered to where they were going There are some good features of the Scorpions play that hopefully can be taken up to the Dees Do you see such a big difference between the two levels? It seems there are many players at all clubs who rotate and the intensity doesnt translate on the TV (never has) but I have seen some VFA matches that were harder (more intense) more skillful than some AFL in the past. Is there hope that some of the successful attributes of the Scorpions can be taken to the AFL

I also have noticed that the Ch7 promo "We love the footy" or something has random shots of playyers and supporters etc and while most teams colours are included one club is noticebly absent, although on reflection GWS may also be not there Not inciting conspiracy but it does seem a bit of an omission that one of the oldest and original clubs doing everything to maintain the footy tradition is not even on the screen. I would love to be corrected and someone can assure me that I am wrong

Agree with all you have said and would only add that I am not dismissive of Morton From my v limited viewing (free TV only) he seems to be often in position and does display good skills Like Watts has an efortless efficiency which is easily overlooked when we do need some authority (ie Mitch) It appears to me that Morton like Watts sometimes is about to make his instictive move and then hesitates due to those around him not being aware of that instinctive move, As they play together these moments mesh together seamlessly. I did see some moments in the Casey game where this instinctive action occurred so maybe success and confidence has somethging to do with it

Agree Really did like the analogy" hadnt heard that expression before

How do I find that KC's report?

Agree with all you say and for all those reasons Watts is still very young and has the Federer stamp of ease of execution that could make him the equal of Trengove cant wait to see combine Both different characteristics completely different Watts a little like Greig Trengove a little like Williams

Like all of these comments unsure about Bate I think he still has plenty to offer the structure but could do a little more on second efforts sheperding making space and running into space Although i saw him doing a little of that onlt to get ignored when offering Also would be disappointed if Watts is used in defence as other threads have indicated we do need to reassert our attack and Watts is one player with skill and ability to deliver. Bruce and Green were devalued as attackers (Strikers who scored or created scores) after they spent prolonged time in defence It may have been a necessity for the team back then but IMO we have a great squad of defenders We need them to continue to work with each other and deliver more precisely

an isolated incident or even a number of isolated incidents over the continuous passage of any game can be taken out of context. We are unlikely to know what is the reality of the individuals or the team. Coverage of any beaten team in the rooms is restricted and is certainly different to the scenes in the winners ANY TEAMS I am sure that no Melb player enjoys defeat but the reality is they must accept it and strive not to endure it again If they have done everything they can to avoid the defeat and are spent at the end of the contest it may even be time for a wry smile with your opponent and prepare for the next contest Not sure where Im going with this like others a little bit each way It seems just another way for the press to dump on MELB WINNING IS THE ONLY RESPONSE.

good asks i also saw that determined effort and it was impressive Couldnt recall much else of his play though KC report will no doubt tell

IMO Speed of ball delivery was really evident against hawks where low spearing or passing kicks went bteween hawks while we sent high floating balls wether short or long. Our kicks went to contests many times dees outnumbered whilke many hawks went to uncontested players with space and room for somene to run past or onto next kick. Perhaps confidence for winning can come from Scorpion duty? I too hope coaches are aware of whats happening with their structures and the opposition structures. It does seem a little like a return to Balme days when there was no change to structure until tooo late and then reactive defensively rather than pro active moves

It would be great if we could just ignore the fact that hes there, that our players treat him as an elite player and cut him out of the game, that he has a normal poor game, That the demons record a substantial scoreboard victory, that Watts,Morton,Gysberts,Grimes,Tremgove and all our emerging talent play better than him that our seasoned older players including Green, Davis,Bate and Dunne all play well that after the game the team assembles and again ignores him beyond required formality so that HWNCBM is shown what an opportunity he has forgone for the money. Actions will speak louder than others words

I am still waiting for the coach to get the team and the plan to match the actual opposition we confront for the players to respond with some passion and pride for the game they are playing (not for the future they think they may have) for the club to address our apparent difficulties with tackling and holding the ball (We seem to be on the opposite end of any umpiring decision in either case) for a repeat of the effort against the saints for a complete game For players to be placed in positions more suited to their skill and those skills to be exploited for the benefit of the club oh wtf for anything positive!!!!!(other than Mitch)

I have been disappointed with the efforts of both who are seasoned players with high skill reputations and standards which have been displayed in some matches. I think it is the coaches responsibility to recognise the skills and ensure they are able to be expressed at the match time. I hope the coaches have more than a one track tactic and can get these seasoned players to inspire some greater efforts from other players. I would keep them but expect much more of them. If they fail to deliver to the standard 1 expected and 2 they are capable of then prepare them for separation from the club. It must be in their own hands and they must be aware of this. They are good can be better players Again being a better player does not mean only building your own stats but certainly improving the team result through your own effort must be the major consideration. These players plus Green and others are the players who can continue the improvement while the next generation are inspired to perform better.

Thanks KC hope we still get your usual comprehensive and insightful comments

Agree with many of the points in this thread have stated previously without wishing to "blame" umpires that perhaps WE our players our supporters our coaches are not doing the right things to gain the umpires decisions Our players do seem to not have necks and backs (even the obvious) whilst our tackles are often in the back or high I did hear the umpire comment on what I thought was a high tackle to a Geelong player(maybe serial ducker Selwood) that he had ducked into it Maybe Melbourne players are giving that impression often and the umpires dont see the free It could be technique and I wonder if the club has had the umpires advisory to the club to give some training?? It may be that that acknowledgement that we see aproblem also gains some respect and an improved attitude from the umps. Its a subject that I am always told is rubbish All sides are treated the same but it is interesting that free kicks are not broken down and analysed or maybe they are and we dont know Again it could be player or location technique I close with just two examples from the past I remember a Melb player being rubbed out for an "attempted trip" the next week A geelong player was not reported for an "actual" trip ( We couldnt even get the technique of how to trip and were penalised)