2018 Demons

[FootyGuy13]

Just finished the round 6 game vs the bombers.

Ugly first half, but they somehow found a way to keep the game close. Seems the entire team had a terrific second half, but several who stood out for me:

Dominant ruck game from Max, and I liked him pushing forward toward goal.

Great game from Melksham, impacting play inside 50 with and without possession.

The way Spargo and Fritsch played, I can see why Jeff has a hard time getting back in the side. Also Hannan who I haven’t noticed before.

Also good to finally see McDonald out there.

This one was pretty much what the doctor ordered after the Hawthorn/Richmond losses. I’m sure it helped the mood of supporters quite a bit, especially looking at a stretch of very winnable matches coming up.

What's your thoughts on the Essendon supporter's interaction with Gawn and Gawn's reply with the goal?

Just recently learned the punter for my NFL team was briefly a Demon:

View attachment 601507

If you look it up you'll find that, not only was he not good enough to make seniors, Cam Johnston wasn't even good enough to play reserves (back then were the Casey Scorpians). He was mainly playing for Casey's reserves team.

 

[AmericanAFL]

What's your thoughts on the Essendon supporter's interaction with Gawn and Gawn's reply with the goal?

If you look it up you'll find that, not only was he not good enough to make seniors, Cam Johnston wasn't even good enough to play reserves (back then were the Casey Scorpians). He was mainly playing for Casey's reserves team.

I’m not sure what Aussies call a draft pick who turns out like Cam did, but in the states he would be labeled a “bust”. Which worked out well for the Eagles- he’s been terrific in his first year.

As for that fan, that was over the top, even by crazed American fan standards. Glad Gawn made the kick and let him hear about it after.

 

[Topkent]

I’m not sure what Aussies call a draft pick who turns out like Cam did, but in the states he would be labeled a “bust”. Which worked out well for the Eagles- he’s been terrific in his first year.

As for that fan, that was over the top, even by crazed American fan standards. Glad Gawn made the kick and let him hear about it after.

Just as an extra the MCC is the Melbourne cricket club which is who actually owns the MCG. I could be wrong but I think membership has a waiting list of roughly 20 years. It's a strict dress code and quite high brow. Not for you're average punter.

There's a good 15-20k of them who would be Melbourne supporters.

 

[Topkent]

AmericanAFL looks like you've picked the dees, great to have you on board mate

Bad avatar choice mate lol. That logo was used while we were a complete basket case and destroyed as we improved. Only lasted ~ 6 years

 

[AmericanAFL]

AmericanAFL looks like you've picked the dees, great to have you on board mate

Thanks mate.

Bad avatar choice mate lol. That logo was used while we were a complete basket case and destroyed as we improved. Only lasted ~ 6 years

Fixed!

 

[AmericanAFL]

I am. Have been following Philly for about 10 years. They had a a few broadcast games here at the time. McNabb, Westbrook and Dawkins were fun to watch. And having the connection to Aus through Sav Rocca got me invested. Was an emotional wreck in both the NFC championship and superbowl games last year so hate to think what I'll be like if the Dees ever salute. Bring on Mon morning

Were you able to catch the game?

 

[dee_mac]

Were you able to catch the game?

Oh yeah, Watched it live - mostly between my fingers with hands over my face. Definitely pinched one there! I've never seen a playoff game end with a double-doink although perhaps not a surprise given Parkeys year. I saw afterwards that that Hester actually tipped it! The game was ugly in patches but the fact we marched down the field and scored a TD on 4th down when nothing else would suffice, against the No 1 defence is pretty encouraging. Would've liked to see more Josh Adams trying to ram it home than Sproles but all good.

 

[AmericanAFL]

Oh yeah, Watched it live - mostly between my fingers with hands over my face. Definitely pinched one there! I've never seen a playoff game end with a double-doink although perhaps not a surprise given Parkeys year. I saw afterwards that that Hester actually tipped it! The game was ugly in patches but the fact we marched down the field and scored a TD on 4th down when nothing else would suffice, against the No 1 defence is pretty encouraging. Would've liked to see more Josh Adams trying to ram it home than Sproles but all good.

That’s a pretty good summation. I think most of us were ready to ditch the running game all together by halftime. Great job by their interior lineman- their was just nothing there, and even when there was the slightest chance, Mack and their other edge defenders were coming around the edge and cleaning up from behind.

Set that alarm clock for same time next Monday!

 

[TheCount]

How's the season re-watch going AmericanAFL ? I'm just starting Round 7 vs St Kilda while I knock over some work.

I dislike St Kilda so much, and I think I can comfortably put my finger on why ... I mean their supporters are singing the club song acapella, seconds before the bounce for crying out loud ... peak flogness.

 

[TheCount]

Actually, before you watch this game against St Kilda, there are two very important things you need to know.

Firstly, for probably 3-4 years, Melbourne and St Kilda's fortunes seemed linked. We skulked around the bottom of the ladder together, and began out list build's together - theirs was after they spent a few years in finals, and played in 2 losing Grand Finals (3 is if you include the draw in 2010 - which was then replayed the next week, which is no longer what happens) while ours was our what? 3rd attempt to finally work our way out of the shithouse? We then began climbing the ladder together, even tho, until last year, we hadn't beaten them in like 10 years, but the comparisons consistently happened "Who is the better team/Who has the better list?/Who would you rather coach? etc etc

Secondly, as part of being on the bottom of the ladder, in 2014, we had the first few picks in the draft. They had pick 1, and we had picks 2 and 3. For basically the entire year, the talk was that Petracca was the no brainer No.1 pick, so he was clearly going to be picked up by St Kilda, while Melbourne would take Angus Brayshaw, and Paddy McCartin, a big strong key forward, with picks 2 and 3. However, through that year's trade period, St Kilda got spooked, a young key forward was traded from one club to another for an absolute kings ransom, both in the value of the trade, and the massive size of his long term contract, so with St Kilda's champion key forward on the wrong side of 30, with only a year or two left in him, they flipped the script, and picked McCartin, leaving us with Petracca and Brayshaw.

McCartin is number 32, so keep that tale in mind when he gets near the ball.

 

[AmericanAFL]

How's the season re-watch going AmericanAFL ? I'm just starting Round 7 vs St Kilda while I knock over some work.

I dislike St Kilda so much, and I think I can comfortably put my finger on why ... I mean their supporters are singing the club song acapella, seconds before the bounce for crying out loud ... peak flogness.

I finished the Essondon round 6 match late last week and shortly after started the Saints game but I didn't get very far- only a few minutes. I'll probably start it from the beginning later today.

 

[AmericanAFL]

Actually, before you watch this game against St Kilda, there are two very important things you need to know.

Firstly, for probably 3-4 years, Melbourne and St Kilda's fortunes seemed linked. We skulked around the bottom of the ladder together, and began out list build's together - theirs was after they spent a few years in finals, and played in 2 losing Grand Finals (3 is if you include the draw in 2010 - which was then replayed the next week, which is no longer what happens) while ours was our what? 3rd attempt to finally work our way out of the shithouse? We then began climbing the ladder together, even tho, until last year, we hadn't beaten them in like 10 years, but the comparisons consistently happened "Who is the better team/Who has the better list?/Who would you rather coach? etc etc

Secondly, as part of being on the bottom of the ladder, in 2014, we had the first few picks in the draft. They had pick 1, and we had picks 2 and 3. For basically the entire year, the talk was that Petracca was the no brainer No.1 pick, so he was clearly going to be picked up by St Kilda, while Melbourne would take Angus Brayshaw, and Paddy McCartin, a big strong key forward, with picks 2 and 3. However, through that year's trade period, St Kilda got spooked, a young key forward was traded from one club to another for an absolute kings ransom, both in the value of the trade, and the massive size of his long term contract, so with St Kilda's champion key forward on the wrong side of 30, with only a year or two left in him, they flipped the script, and picked McCartin, leaving us with Petracca and Brayshaw.

McCartin is number 32, so keep that tale in mind when he gets near the ball.

This is really great background/contextual information- really helpful as a new supporter in general, but also will make viewing the St. Kinda match more enjoyable.

Anytime you want to drop this kind of info before a match I'm about to watch, please have at it.

 

[Topkent]

This is really great background/contextual information- really helpful as a new supporter in general, but also will make viewing the St. Kinda match more enjoyable.

Anytime you want to drop this kind of info before a match I'm about to watch, please have at it.

Also st Kilda was the last team we beat in finals match prior to this season which was 2006

 

[TheCount]

This is really great background/contextual information- really helpful as a new supporter in general, but also will make viewing the St. Kinda match more enjoyable.

Anytime you want to drop this kind of info before a match I'm about to watch, please have at it.

Yeah no problem ... I'm slowly making my way back through the season of wins - don't feel the need to relive our losses, as I don't trust myself to not get angry all over again, even with the benefit of hindsight. But I'll drop any necessary info, or anything mildly interesting I can think of with each opposition.

 

[TheCount]

Just finishing off this St Kilda game now ... and it's really reenforcing what I've been thinking while rewatching all of these games with a mind to next season, and I have already mentioned it previously ... I'm really not seeing much to suggest that we'll miss Hogan a great deal. He comes out of this game with 3 goals and 25 disposals, but if you consider that he's getting the 25 touches from spending a lot of time up the ground, which most teams are letting him do, as he's not going to kick goals on them from 80m out, but in terms of replacing him in his actual role as a goal kicking key forward, of his 3 goals, one was a crumbing goal, another he just worked himself into space going inside 50, and the last he ducked into a tackle and won a free kick ... none of them were goals you'd be relying on your key forward to kick.

Conversely, Tom McDonald put on a key forward pack marking clinic in this game, and even Weid took a ripping grab to kick his first goal.

Also on the topic of next season, I'm so glad we're rid of Tyson. With the exception of the goal he kicked off a couple of steps from 50 on the angle, he was utterly diabolical in this game ... had the proverbial "Casanova Fingers" ... everything he touched, he ****ed.

 

[Topkent]

Just finishing off this St Kilda game now ... and it's really reenforcing what I've been thinking while rewatching all of these games with a mind to next season, and I have already mentioned it previously ... I'm really not seeing much to suggest that we'll miss Hogan a great deal. He comes out of this game with 3 goals and 25 disposals, but if you consider that he's getting the 25 touches from spending a lot of time up the ground, which most teams are letting him do, as he's not going to kick goals on them from 80m out, but in terms of replacing him in his actual role as a goal kicking key forward, of his 3 goals, one was a crumbing goal, another he just worked himself into space going inside 50, and the last he ducked into a tackle and won a free kick ... none of them were goals you'd be relying on your key forward to kick.

Conversely, Tom McDonald put on a key forward pack marking clinic in this game, and even Weid took a ripping grab to kick his first goal.

Also on the topic of next season, I'm so glad we're rid of Tyson. With the exception of the goal he kicked off a couple of steps from 50 on the angle, he was utterly diabolical in this game ... had the proverbial "Casanova Fingers" ... everything he touched, he ******.

I agree completely. His 25 disposals weren't like Carey's from the 90s where he would take 15 marks and impose himself on the game. They were just him in the midfield getting modern day disposals which aren't that valuable.

His forward craft was very Jarryd Roughead. Would kick most of his goals from intelligent movement like a small forward. He plays like Josh Jenkins

 

[jhong]

I was trying to think of what NFL team we mirror and I came up with the Packers. Green Bay . A spell of being champions under a legendary coach trying to regain that. My first awareness of NFL was when the Dolphins, Cowboys, 49’s and Redskins were “glamour “ clubs . I am a big fan of the commentators on nfl , who try to explain what’s going on without making us newbies feel like dummies. To me it’s like a moving chess game . Darren Bennett - San Diego chargers . Ex melb . Look him up .

 

[LeverPuller]

I was trying to think of what NFL team we mirror and I came up with the Packers. Green Bay . A spell of being champions under a legendary coach trying to regain that. My first awareness of NFL was when the Dolphins, Cowboys, 49’s and Redskins were “glamour “ clubs . I am a big fan of the commentators on nfl , who try to explain what’s going on without making us newbies feel like dummies. To me it’s like a moving chess game . Darren Bennett - San Diego chargers . Ex melb . Look him up .

Nah. We’re the Browns.

 

[Topkent]

Nah. We’re the Browns.

Their last top level championship was 64 and their history of draft picks makes ours look good

 

[harry000]

I was trying to think of what NFL team we mirror and I came up with the Packers. Green Bay . A spell of being champions under a legendary coach trying to regain that. My first awareness of NFL was when the Dolphins, Cowboys, 49’s and Redskins were “glamour “ clubs . I am a big fan of the commentators on nfl , who try to explain what’s going on without making us newbies feel like dummies. To me it’s like a moving chess game . Darren Bennett - San Diego chargers . Ex melb . Look him up .

I wouldn't align us with the Packers. They have still been a very strong franchise in recent times. Super bowl champions in 2010. Division champs in 9 times since 2002. Led consecutively by amazing quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rogers.

We are more like the Redskins in my opinion. They are an old franchise that had a dominant period in history but nothing much since (only 4 division titles since 1990).

 

[TheCount]

I agree completely. His 25 disposals weren't like Carey's from the 90s where he would take 15 marks and impose himself on the game. They were just him in the midfield getting modern day disposals which aren't that valuable.

His forward craft was very Jarryd Roughead. Would kick most of his goals from intelligent movement like a small forward. He plays like Josh Jenkins

Yeah exactly. He does do it, but the last few games, his marks and disposals weren't even on the end of the bail out kick, pack crashing marks either, he's just an open man to kick to coming out of defence, presumably leaving an out number further up the ground where he's kicking it to. He is a very good field kick of course, so more often than not he's doing something good with it, but as you've said, he's not doing anything any midfielder can't do.

Likewise down forward, haven't seen much the last few games that you wouldn't expect to get from a small to medium sized forward. In fact, given Hogan usually likes to stand and wrestle or get the ball over the back, if that small to medium forward leads at the ball and/or works his way into space, I reckon we're ahead. Or, lets say Preuss comes in as his replacement, he'll be a better option overhead due to his size advantage, better in a one on one wrestle because he is actually the size that I suspect Hogan sees when he looks in the mirror, not to mention what a mate an I refer to as the "Mason Cox Factor" when defenders panic in marking contests because they're so outsized, and give away free kicks.

 

[Topkent]

Yeah exactly. He does do it, but the last few games, his marks and disposals weren't even on the end of the bail out kick, pack crashing marks either, he's just an open man to kick to coming out of defence, presumably leaving an out number further up the ground where he's kicking it to. He is a very good field kick of course, so more often than not he's doing something good with it, but as you've said, he's not doing anything any midfielder can't do.

Likewise down forward, haven't seen much the last few games that you wouldn't expect to get from a small to medium sized forward. In fact, given Hogan usually likes to stand and wrestle or get the ball over the back, if that small to medium forward leads at the ball and/or works his way into space, I reckon we're ahead. Or, lets say Preuss comes in as his replacement, he'll be a better option overhead due to his size advantage, better in a one on one wrestle because he is actually the size that I suspect Hogan sees when he looks in the mirror, not to mention what a mate an I refer to as the "Mason Cox Factor" when defenders panic in marking contests because they're so outsized, and give away free kicks.

Completely agree. I've been saying it for a while now but we are and will be a better side without Hogan.
I'd rather the 10 kicks I50 that would have gone to him spread around the other 5 forwards

 

[TheCount]

Completely agree. I've been saying it for a while now but we are and will be a better side without Hogan.
I'd rather the 10 kicks I50 that would have gone to him spread around the other 5 forwards

Yeah, it highlights why we were a better team without him there, particularly given we did seem to have a bit of an unhealthy focus on kicking to Hogan going inside 50.

 

[schmuttt]

Hogan doesn't make anywhere near the contest TMac does consistently in the air. No coincidence our forward structure looked great after Hogan went out of the side.

Jesse will still be a very good AFL player but he won't be a superstar.

 

[AmericanAFL]

Just finished the Saints game, and interestingly you all are discussing one of the main things I was curious about.

Early in the game Hogan takes a mark far outside the 50, and I realized that's something I've seen more and more of the last several games. At first I was chalking it up as a positive thing (maybe it's a sign of good work rate and helping out further from goal?), but I made a mental note to come here and ask if he was playing a different position than he had been playing earlier in the year (midfield/wing?). Meanwhile, Tommy Freaking McDonald was a beast in the air- wow, he took some great, strong marks in crowded spaces. I see why TopKent has been tipping him repeatedly. Announcers made sure to compare his willingness to go up and fight for a mark, with the exact opposite from some of the Saints (lol, McCartin). He wasn't perfect (terrible disposal attempt in the pocket to an open Petracca), but a few minutes later he took his best mark of the day. Great stuff.

Speaking of Petracca, I'm not sure what to make of him. He has raw athletic skill, but does he have the technical skill? Might be crazy, but is it possible his skill set could be better suited for the defensive end of the oval? It's hard for me to always make sense of where people are positioned on the field, but Fritsch took a flying mark in the defensive end at one point, so I assume he is playing defense at least some of the time. If so, I think I would rather see him forward and Petracca back. I really like both Fritsch and Spargo, and hope they continue to get lots of playing time.