btdemon

When I studied the fixture earlier I was of the opinion that it was tough and if we made the finals we would deserve to be there. Like most of us, I started to think we were better than we are and we beat many of these teams leading up to the last round. I’m back to thinking we’ll struggle and if we make it it will be after beating some good teams. If so, then we’ll deserve it. List wise there are still pieces missing

I don't see his decision making as the problem. Yes, he hangs on to the ball too long sometimes but he is usually looking for the best option. When he is in heavy traffic this often works to our advantage. His biggest weakness imo, is his kicking. It's rare to see a left footer with such an inaccurate, floaty trajectory. When commentators say he is a good kick it drives me mad. We as supporters know that he isn't. If he could work on this it would take him from a good inside ball winner to a really potent mid. Most people know how difficult it is to correct your basic kicking technique. This is something you evolve from childhood, but there have been some who made major adjustments to their technique. These changes are usually made to set shot goal kicking approaches though, not field-kicking under pressure. Maybe he needs to do what Nev has done. Kick within his limits. Nev is a great user but doesn't try to kick more than about 40 metres. He rarely wastes a kick. The coaching staff should be hammering Tyson about this. He is potentially a great asset but will end up as a marginal player if he doesn't rectify this. Roos seemed to know what his strengths were and played him accordingly. He ain't no outside player. He does however, have the ability to be at the fall of the ball repeatedly.

He looks like a reasonably quick opportunist forward as well. If he could play the role of a small forward who is a great mark and kick then he'd be very hard to match up on

Imagine.......... it was us who had taken Paddy McCartin over Christian Petracca. In his third year with patchy form, limited impact, injury worries and a cloud over his long term health, he would been lynched on this site by now. In the wider football public the club would been ridiculed for adding to its pantheon of bad early round draft picks. The Saints would have Petracca, who would be now beginning to star. We would hate his talent and arrogance and secretly wish we had him........... WELL WE DO! YESSSSSSS!!!!! What a 'sliding door moment' that was

people are forgetting Darcy Moore and Nakia Cockatoo. In the same draft as Petracca, Wright and McCartin. Both of these guys could be stars IMO

Let's make it happen!

I have said the same thing, a couple of times. But I agree totally. Its the bullocking way he gets the ball and then stands up in the tackle and handballs to advantage. Michael Voss all over again and its got nothing to do with red hair. Its the strong frame, the belligerent attitude and the ball smarts.

In his TAC highlights package he most reminded of Michael Voss. Knew how to get the ball an then was able to stand up in the tackle and give it off to advantage. He seems to have quite a burst of initial speed away from the pack as well. Love the look of him. The midfield is getting some size and grunt about it now. Oliver, VB, Brayshaw, Tyson, Jones, Vince, Viney and if Trenners comes back it will be very solid. It still needs a bit of real pace. Petracca may provide this but I expect he will play as a high half-forward rather than a true mid. Kennedy is a handy quick and a have been pretty impressed so far but i'm not sure that he'll spend that much time in the middle. Stretch has impressed me so far. He is not blisteringly quick but he rarely seems to do anything wrong.

I, for one, am not going to spend the rest of the season speculating about something that I have absolutely no control of. I heard a Dees supporter on the radio last night expressing his concern hat Hogan and McDonald might go. Until the Dees are a strong club then every player we have that is any good will prompt that speculation. In the minds of many, they can't see why would a decent player want to stay at a club that has little chance of playing finals. The club is getting stronger and hopefully we might even play finals either this year or next. Maybe it won't be long before good players from other clubs are seeking a transfer to the Dees? Until then, I'm going to try my best to enjoy the work of Hogan and McDonald (and Petracca and Salem and Brayshaw and Oliver and Viney and Kent) and all of the players who look like being really good. Try and enjoy.

I want to enjoy the next two years with Jesse. If he goes I'll deal with the disappointment then.

With his contract in place until the end of the 2017 season he would be absolutely insane to sign something at this stage unless it was the largest contract ever offered. He has to wait. The club are obviously wanted to sign him up but he is wise to put off the talks until at least the end of this season. If he has a great season and kicks over fifty the club will have to offer him something more substantial than what they are offering now. I don't like the speculation and would be devastated if we lost him, but the future strength of this club must be built on more than just one star.

Do we have room for his and James Harmes' teeth in the one team?

I ask the question, do we have room for both James Harmes and Jake Melksham's teeth in the same club?

I agree. In his AA CHB year Neitz was marking everything he went for in the same way as TMac. He wasn't particularly creative or mobile but rather, he was powerful and disciplined. He had great judgement of the flight of the ball like TMac but ran in straighter lines. I was very sceptical when ND pushed him forward. I didn't think he would have the creativity, in fact he didn't. He developed a very straight forward style. Attack the ball and get it. If you remember, his kicking for goal was a real problem and he used to wave the ball around like a school kid in his approach. He had to work hard to correct this but eventually became a super effective spearhead. But he was never brilliant, just a great footballer. Schwarz was a beautiful kick. A bit ragged in his first year (complete with long hair and headband) but watch that footage of him in '94. Kicked them from everywhere. Later in his career when he was big, slow and anchored to the ground, he became a beautiful deliverer of bullet-like 40m passes to Robbo and Neitz. He was a creative architect at high half-forward. A really smart player Hogan's kicking is a worry. He is fine from within 35m but watch the way he holds the ball and how his leg and foot are not at full extension. That's why he kicks low and not especially long. But he has a pretty good accuracy rate from his range so that's ok for now. His field kicking is better and more natural but again not particularly penetrating. I hope he can work on it because he is so good at the contest. If you watch that amazing footage of him skateboarding we can see that he does have great balance and coordination and that bodes well for his further development.

Probably the most evil person in the Western world. Not joking

That's very flattering Jumbo. I'm not even a footballer, just a keen tragic.

Jimmy's kicking was meant to be his great strength. So many of his kicks under match pressure don't hit targets. He takes too long to balance, then leans back and lengthens the ball drop. It results in the ball floating off target or over the target's head. He needs to address this immediately or he is not much good to us.

Does this mean that we can stop bemoaning the fact that we took Jimmy before Ollie? I hope so.

Check this. Does it bother anyone else that the quote infers that they haven't yet spoken to Watts, Frawley, Sylvia or gawn's management? "Neeld said Melbourne fans should rest assured that the club was leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to retain all three former first-round draft picks as well as securing the Demons' young stars of the future. "We'll go and speak to their managers and see what they're thinking and speak to those players and continue to speak to them like all clubs," he said. "We'll follow down that path, but… when we've got something concrete to say we'll offer it." http://www.melbournetimesweekly.com.au/story/1522036/neeld-readies-as-rival-clubs-circle-demons/?cs=12

You BEAUTY!!!!

For those not old enough to remember Royce Hart, he was a brilliant mobile CHF who could take contested marks, float across packs from nowhere, and turn on a sixpence. Also a great finisher. This is the type of player forsee when I watch Jack Watts.