Universal Love 2016/2017 Pre-season Thread

[MRB37]

Just one simple question regarding the bolded bit. Do you expect Melbourne to acquire some ready-made midfielders like Gibb, Heeney, Rockliff etc.. to improve their present midfield, or do you believe it will be "Organic" growth?

They just did with Jordan Lewis.

 

[the universal]

I rate west coasts midfield on par with our midfield. Like us they also have a very good forward line and average backline. So when we play them, the team that gets a slight advantage in the midfield looks like they are dominating due to the forward line's advantage over the backline. They towelled us up late in the season but we kept them goalless in the second half early in the season in Perth and destroyed them at AO late in 2015.

I would say both ours and Eagles backlines are better than just 'average'.

 

[marty36]

I would say both ours and Eagles backlines are better than just 'average'.

what where the stats last year on goals against?

 

[baldandbroke]

I rate west coasts midfield on par with our midfield. Like us they also have a very good forward line and average backline. So when we play them, the team that gets a slight advantage in the midfield looks like they are dominating due to the forward line's advantage over the backline. They towelled us up late in the season but we kept them goalless in the second half early in the season in Perth and destroyed them at AO late in 2015.

Remember they added Mitchell - they will be pretty formidable this year barring injury.

 

[hey shorty]

Remember they added Mitchell - they will be pretty formidable this year barring injury.

Maybe.

The cliff has to come for Mitch at some point, and traveling every 2nd week from Perth might just tip him over the edge. If he doesn't fire, they'll be a slightly above average midfield especially without Nic Nat

 

[Vader]

Maybe.

The cliff has to come for Mitch at some point, and traveling every 2nd week from Perth might just tip him over the edge. If he doesn't fire, they'll be a slightly above average midfield especially without Nic Nat

They're only expecting to get one year out of him anyway. Like JPod and Thommo, the decision to sign him had more about his future coaching career than about his current playing career.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

what where the stats last year on goals against?

Marty is that all done to the defenders ?

What about pressure in forward half and how much ball the mids win?

 

[Donkey Magoo]

Just one simple question regarding the bolded bit. Do you expect Melbourne to acquire some ready-made midfielders like Gibb, Heeney, Rockliff etc.. to improve their present midfield, or do you believe it will be "Organic" growth?

Jordan Lewis ?

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

I rate west coasts midfield on par with our midfield. Like us they also have a very good forward line and average backline. So when we play them, the team that gets a slight advantage in the midfield looks like they are dominating due to the forward line's advantage over the backline. They towelled us up late in the season but we kept them goalless in the second half early in the season in Perth and destroyed them at AO late in 2015.

except for the game against us the WCE midfield really struggled away from home and at times were really poor without Nic-Nat

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

I don't think we can judge a midfield purely based on if they beat us or not.

Imo, some serious over rating of the West Coast and Port mids here atm.

Yes West Coast towelled us up in the last minor round game, but we had a mare. I would honestly look at our midfield with natural improvement from the Crouch Bros, Charlie and Milera as on par if not slightly ahead of West Coast.
Gray is a brilliant midfielder, Boak and Wines had off years. I'd say at this point Ports' midfield is more dynamic in having the contested bull (wines) and two inside/outside creative types in Boak/Gray. However only Wines has any improvement left. I believe with a full preseason Brad Crouch will excel as an Inside/outside mid role, with exceptionally good ball hunting ability.

We out played the GWS midfield for 3 1/4's, yet they have a far, far superior midfield unit.

Imo- GWS and Bulldogs are the top two teams, while Sydney are only a micro step behind, with Mills and Heeney both with massive scope for improvement.

Geelong a rung below that with Hawthorn (Although both are fragile due to Geelong being a two-man team and Hawthorn being turned on its' head)

Then Adelaide/Port/West Coast/Fremantle in roughly that order. Depends how the chips fall.

Finally Melbourne, who have huge scope for improvement in a few years. Collingwood also get a mention for having a star studded midfield, but they can't get their s**t together for whatever reason. Adams, Treloar, Pendelbury, Sidebottom, Wells should be a far more formidable unit than has been displayed.


I believe with natural improvement we can easily supersede port, Hawthorn* and west coast, while pushing Geelong but we are unlikely to jump them Imo.

*functioning patella tendons pending

IMO Port's midfield has been seriously overrated for 2.5 years

Gray is a star, Boak had probably had two very good seasons, same with Ebert and Wines needs to find more consistency

 

[Swooping Crow]

IMO Port's midfield has been seriously overrated for 2.5 years

Gray is a star, Boak had probably had two very good seasons, same with Ebert and Wines needs to find more consistency

All massively overrated. Gray is the best of the bunch by bar, but he's a front runner. Ebert is LOL and Wines is overhyped. Boak has lost it.

 

[crowsup]

Jordan Lewis ?

Are you Squiba? But I thank you for answering the question for me. Outside help it is!
Do you think we could get Voss to come out of retirement as a player and help us out in the centre?

 

[Elite Crow]

Are you Squiba? But I thank you for answering the question for me. Outside help it is!
Do you think we could get Voss to come out of retirement as a player and help us out in the centre?

Why Voss didn't finish 2nd in his clubs best and fairest

 

[Squiba]

Just one simple question regarding the bolded bit. Do you expect Melbourne to acquire some ready-made midfielders like Gibb, Heeney, Rockliff etc.. to improve their present midfield, or do you believe it will be "Organic" growth?

Vast majority being organic growth. They have leaders in Jones, Vince and Lewis who don't look like tiring in the next year (bar Jones) and alot of young talent in Brayshaw, Viney, Petracca, Oliver etc. That is some top end young Midfield talent and with the right development and coaching I think they'll be formidable. But yes, the addition of Lewis is a big bonus to fast tracking that midfield group. They'll have alot of mongrel, that's for sure.

 

[GrommoT]

The Danihers like this

They must be Catholic. Tyson will have to get a wriggle on if we want to match the Danihers.

Spoiler

[0.7mb]

 

[BRL121]

They must be Catholic. View attachment 317853 Tyson will have to get a wriggle on if we want to match the Danihers.

Why are you whispering? Are you afraid of offending the Papists?

 

[MRB37]

except for the game against us the WCE midfield really struggled away from home and at times were really poor without Nic-Nat

They've already talked up needing more help from Redden and Jetta if they're too compete next year. They killed us in the last round on the outside where Gaff was sitting off every contest and we refused to put anyone on him. Maybe they see the fix to that with their talk of improving our contested stuff, but it wasn't the first time that the opposition sat an outside midfielder off the pack and we let them do that all game.

 

[conVINCEd]

They're only expecting to get one year out of him anyway. Like JPod and Thommo, the decision to sign him had more about his future coaching career than about his current playing career.

I reckon Mitchell will still be playing in 2018.

I know the end comes quickly but bloody hell he has a lot more in the tank than Thompson does.

 

[crowsup]

Vast majority being organic growth. They have leaders in Jones, Vince and Lewis who don't look like tiring in the next year (bar Jones) and alot of young talent in Brayshaw, Viney, Petracca, Oliver etc. That is some top end young Midfield talent and with the right development and coaching I think they'll be formidable. But yes, the addition of Lewis is a big bonus to fast tracking that midfield group. They'll have alot of mongrel, that's for sure.

So, what we are saying is that our organic product is not as good as Melbourne's organic product.
Or that WE don't have much confidence in them.
Or, am I wrong?

 

[Squiba]

So, what we are saying is that our organic product is not as good as Melbourne's organic product.
Or that WE don't have much confidence in them.
Or, am I wrong?

I don't think we'll be surpassed by Melbourne, but who knows. In our development system those lads would go a long, long way, but in Melbourne's, a system which has developed legends like the Toump and Watts from high draft picks, I'm not so sure.

So Melbourne with a higher ceiling, but Adelaide are more likely to succeed in developing a potent midfield.

All this depends on how far into the future we are looking aswell.

 

[Bicks]

 

[Elite Crow]

We need to develop a tagger, we are down on A Grade mids so we need to balance the ledger and take one of theirs out.

 

[Footypie32]

We need to develop a tagger, we are down on A Grade mids so we need to balance the ledger and take one of theirs out.

Agreed. I don't think it is a role you need to employ every week, but occasionally if you know the opposition has game breaker in the middle you need someone that can give them a bad day.

 

[Elite Crow]

Agreed. I don't think it is a role you need to employ every week, but occasionally if you know the opposition has game breaker in the middle you need someone that can give them a bad day.

If we play Geelong for example, we play Sloane head to head against Danger and tag Selwood and we've gone a long way to beating them.

 

[MRB37]

We need to develop a tagger, we are down on A Grade mids so we need to balance the ledger and take one of theirs out.

Campo doesn't believe in tagging.