2020 - 'Fool's Gold'

[Billy Demon]

There is an expectation that we will bounce back into the 8 next year basically on the back of a better pre-season. I’m not so sure, and if we don’t then we have witnessed a wasted 2 years. So where do we need to invest for an improvement in 2020. For me, our backline with its best 6 playing is at least in the top 8 in the league. So pretty happy there. That leaves midfield and forward line which need a complete overhaul. Midfield is too slow, no endurance, no gut running. And it will probably be just as slow next year. Forward line maybe gets let off a bit because the delivery from the midfield has been putrid. Let’s be honest, our skills are sh*t, particularly our kicking - and on that measure quite a few MFC players should not be on an AFL list. On average about 8 guys get de-listed each year. I think we need to part ways with at least 10 for next year. Not saying they are on thin ice, but Viney and Jones probably need new roles next year.

But all the guys who have been borderline for the last few years need to go. For me both Wagners are good VFL players but not AFL standard. There are plenty of others who we need to make a call on and go for a full blown trade effort for next year. If we continue to rotate some of the guys we have played this year in and out of the VFL/AFL sides expect another bottom 6 finish in 2020. How much longer can MFC supporters endure. We are still high fiving ourselves for the 2018 result and thinking that magically this list will return that favour in 2020 might be ‘fools gold’.

 

[Russian Demon]

I'm not being miserable about 2020 for another 157 days, because I need every one of them to feel miserable about 2019.

 

[Topkent]

Your bottom 6 players don't make you finish bottom 6. Having your best players be inconsistent does

 

[harry000]

Your bottom 6 players don't make you finish bottom 6. Having your best players be inconsistent does

Yep! Richmond won a premiership with a bottom 6 that don't look great on paper.

 

[demondavey]

Your bottom 6 players don't make you finish bottom 6. Having your best players be inconsistent does

That’s true. You need your best 6-8 to be playing well consistently.

 

[mrmonkey]

It does bemuse me how we are consistently considered favourites for games ie the saints game. We have been terrible this year yet people keep thinking we'll come good even by round 19. Also little flaws that were there last year but were hidden underneath our good form. For example close observers had noticed certain players lack of skill errors like hitting easy targets by foot. Sure there may have been a confidence drop but I still think it's been there the whole time. For example on SEN Cooney was talking about Brayshaw is a shadow of himself from last year. He then went on to say his kicking is way off. Yeah he doesn't look the same player but his kicking has always been problematic it's just gone unnoticed.

 

[Topkent]

It does bemuse me how we are consistently considered favourites for games ie the saints game. We have been terrible this year yet people keep thinking we'll come good even by round 19. Also little flaws that were there last year but were hidden underneath our good form. For example close observers had noticed certain players lack of skill errors like hitting easy targets by foot. Sure there may have been a confidence drop but I still think it's been there the whole time. For example on SEN Cooney was talking about Brayshaw is a shadow of himself from last year. He then went on to say his kicking is way off. Yeah he doesn't look the same player but his kicking has always been problematic it's just gone unnoticed.

It's like how even during last year people thought Tyson was a beautiful kick. There's a serious lack of research in AFL footy.

 

[Sylvia Saint]

2020 is all set up for us. Longer and better pre season (Burgess), an easier draw, the likelihood of two of our three most important players (Melksham and McDonald) being fully fit, the likelihood of May playing more than just 5 games. The possibility of getting A vDB and Joel Smith back. Fritsch to play in his rightful position. Oliver, Brayshaw and Viney to surely not play any worse than 2019. Petracca building to his prime. Gawn only 28-29 years of age. The possibility of getting a ready made star at pick 2 or 3.

There are three major reasons why we won’t progress:

1. Home ground advantage. We have ZERO home ground advantage. Since Goodwin took over, we have a negative record at the MCG and that’s including two seasons where we were supposedly good. Hard to climb the ladder when you have no home ground advantage.

2. Last year we won 16 games and I’d guess off the top of my head around half of those victories at least were ‘convincing’ performances. Take the performance against Adelaide in Alice Springs as an example. In 2019, NOT ONE good solid 4-quarter effort 18 weeks in. Not one. That’s hard to turnaround.

3. Simon Goodwin yet to prove he’s a bad coach, but yet to prove he has the brains to overcome what he will need to overcome in 2020. How does he counter 6-6-6?

2020 will be a veryyyyy interesting year and you can be assured there’ll be twice the media scrutiny on us then. We got off pretty lightly this year.

 

[Johnny Karate]

2020 is all set up for us. Longer and better pre season (Burgess), an easier draw, the likelihood of two of our three most important players (Melksham and McDonald) being fully fit, the likelihood of May playing more than just 5 games. The possibility of getting A vDB and Joel Smith back. Fritsch to play in his rightful position. Oliver, Brayshaw and Viney to surely not play any worse than 2019. Petracca building to his prime. Gawn only 28-29 years of age. The possibility of getting a ready made star at pick 2 or 3.

There are three major reasons why we won’t progress:

1. Home ground advantage. We have ZERO home ground advantage. Since Goodwin took over, we have a negative record at the MCG and that’s including two seasons where we were supposedly good. Hard to climb the ladder when you have no home ground advantage.

2. Last year we won 16 games and I’d guess off the top of my head around half of those victories at least were ‘convincing’ performances. Take the performance against Adelaide in Alice Springs as an example. In 2019, NOT ONE good solid 4-quarter effort 18 weeks in. Not one. That’s hard to turnaround.

3. Simon Goodwin yet to prove he’s a bad coach, but yet to prove he has the brains to overcome what he will need to overcome in 2020. How does he counter 6-6-6?

2020 will be a veryyyyy interesting year and you can be assured there’ll be twice the media scrutiny on us then. We got off pretty lightly this year.

Agree with most of this. However, I don’t really take issue with not dominating sides like we did Adelaide for 4 quarters. It’s rare to have perfect games and the competition is quite even. The issue for mine is the gap between our best and worst. The 2018 prelim, 2018 round 4 against the Hawks, round 2 this year against Geelong and a series of 8-10 goal losses happen too frequently in my opinion.

 

[Topkent]

Agree with most of this. However, I don’t really take issue with not dominating sides like we did Adelaide for 4 quarters. It’s rare to have perfect games and the competition is quite even. The issue for mine is the gap between our best and worst. The 2018 prelim, 2018 round 4 against the Hawks, round 2 this year against Geelong and a series of 8-10 goal losses happen too frequently in my opinion.

Our biggest issue is reward for effort
Far too often we will play 3 good quarters and lose to a side who only played 1
We have to work so much harder and be so much more dominant for scoreboard impact and then we concede without much pressure at all. That's the biggest worry. The game needs to be on our terms for 4 quarters or we often lose where as the Tigers Eagles Cats and co can rope a dope us for 3 and then come out on top

That's not how a premiership side builds

 

[Johnny Karate]

Our biggest issue is reward for effort
Far too often we will play 3 good quarters and lose to a side who only played 1
We have to work so much harder and be so much more dominant for scoreboard impact and then we concede without much pressure at all. That's the biggest worry. The game needs to be on our terms for 4 quarters or we often lose where as the Tigers Eagles Cats and co can rope a dope us for 3 and then come out on top

That's not how a premiership side builds

Yep, you’re right in the sense that we can play 3 quarters of good footy but blow the game to s**t with one bad quarter. Geelong at KP in 2018 was a classic example of this.

Even though it could be ugly to watch I used to admire the graft of the Swans under Paul Roos. You could feel like you were dominating against them but look up at the scoreboard and it’s only a 13 point lead. Similarly, they could be in front by 13 points and it may as well have been 10 goals because they were so ******* hard to score against.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

We'll get an easy draw and finish 7-10 and everyone will pat Goody on the back

 

[schmuttt]

We'll get an easy draw and finish 7-10 and everyone will pat Goody on the back

As frustrating as it is I actually think they won't sack him unless we're bottom 6, the payout will be too much.

 

[mrmonkey]

It's like how even during last year people thought Tyson was a beautiful kick. There's a serious lack of research in AFL footy.

Beautiful left foot was often called.

 

[koshari]

Yep! Richmond won a premiership with a bottom 6 that don't look great on paper.

Richmond won a premiership on the back of a solid pressure based game plan and a sterling run of no injuries which meant they had such a good list at the end of the year that they won the vfl flag as well. as a consequence their bottom 6 were as good as any team would have been able to field at the back end of a season.

 

[Cannon82]

 

[harry000]

Richmond won a premiership on the back of a solid pressure based game plan and a sterling run of no injuries which meant they had such a good list at the end of the year that they won the vfl flag as well. as a consequence their bottom 6 were as good as any team would have been able to field at the back end of a season.

You are correct. And they were healthy but without the gift of hindsight I would have chosen Adelaide's best available 22 on the day of the 2017 grand final over Richmond's based on the average talent across the 22 players.

I guess my point is if you showed me Richmond's premiership team on paper prior to the 2017 season I would have told you the following players wouldn't even be in our best 22:

Kamdyn Macintosh
Jacob Townsend
Dan Butler
Jack Graham
Nathan Broad
Jason Castagna

Yet now they are all premiership players.

Richmond won a premiership on the back of a handful of ELITE players dominating and playing consistent good footy surrounded by a bunch of blokes playing their role for the team.

Scary thing is their team is better now than it was in 2017. Some of their 2017 premiership players cant even get a consistent senior game this year despite all of their injury issues.