Are the Dees a genuine top 8 side now?

[Tempy Tiger]

I’ve watched a couple of last seasons games over the past week to get through the boredom off the off-season. First game was against the Aints in Rond 1 and then the game against Power later in the year. Both games left me feeling flat about our prospects. Even when we were dominating Port we were only ever six goals up. We never bury sides, we rarely string wins together, and we are terrible at beating sides below us. As a supporter it leaves you on thin ice every weekend, what is coming this week? The thrill of a win from nowhere or another crushing loss to a team below us. I know we have now got a lot of high end picks in our team, but I’m yet to see a serious footy side that stomps on the minnows and kills games before half time.

Or maybe I’m just in a s**t mood because I’ve had the flu for a week...

 

[demondavey]

We are a genuine top 8 side of we want to be. I firmly believe it's now up to the players to take the next step.

 

[Willo 17]

Champion data had an article in today's paper rating the teams for elite and above average players per club. Sydney came up trumps with 17, Port next with 16, think it was Geelong and GWS next and Melbourne in 5th position with 12 [i think]. Adelaide a couple back [with 11?] and a couple more to Richmond. So if you believe Champion data's stats we have the cattle to make the finals. No real excuse as far as I am concerned, we should be there.

 

[Cannon82]

Champion data had an article in today's paper rating the teams for elite and above average players per club. Sydney came up trumps with 17, Port next with 16, think it was Geelong and GWS next and Melbourne in 5th position with 12 [i think]. Adelaide a couple back [with 11?] and a couple more to Richmond. So if you believe Champion data's stats we have the cattle to make the finals. No real excuse as far as I am concerned, we should be there.

Didn't they rate our's the worst midfield in the competition at the start of last season?

 

[Demon 16]

I would ******* well hope we are a genuine top 8 side now.

We were almost a genuine top 8 side last year (I actually think we were the 7th or 8th best side last year).

 

[Willo 17]

Didn't they rate our's the worst midfield in the competition at the start of last season?

Yes, Collingwood had the best going by them.

 

[Tempy Tiger]

Normally top eight sides hand out floggings on the regular. We never can seem to be able to do it.

 

[Willo 17]

Normally top eight sides hand out floggings on the regular. We never can seem to be able to do it.

Port got into the finals not beating a top 8 side last year. Only flogged the bottom 8, and we got Port by 23 points. But then we came close to losing to Carlton and Brisbane. Need the head space right with all of the players next season.

 

[Demon 16]

Normally top eight sides hand out floggings on the regular. We never can seem to be able to do it.

Our game plan revolves largely around winning stoppage contests, frontal pressure (which is a high energy strategy), and slowling the tempo of the game when we are in front. I doubt we will regularly smash teams under Goodwin - even if we become a top side.

 

[Proper Gander]

Traditionally, to be a top 8 side you need to be in the top 8. Currently we are more a drinking beer and eating leftover ham side.

 

[Crusty Demon]

If we don't make the 8 next season, I officially give up. Zero excuses in 2018..

 

[schmuttt]

I’ve watched a couple of last seasons games over the past week to get through the boredom off the off-season. First game was against the Aints in Rond 1 and then the game against Power later in the year. Both games left me feeling flat about our prospects. Even when we were dominating Port we were only ever six goals up. We never bury sides, we rarely string wins together, and we are terrible at beating sides below us. As a supporter it leaves you on thin ice every weekend, what is coming this week? The thrill of a win from nowhere or another crushing loss to a team below us. I know we have now got a lot of high end picks in our team, but I’m yet to see a serious footy side that stomps on the minnows and kills games before half time.

Or maybe I’m just in a s**t mood because I’ve had the flu for a week...

I'd argue we had the game wrapped up against Port at half time, and the Saints game was over midway through the 3rd quarter. Our biggest problem is turning up mentally every week, even in some of our wins we started the game horribly (Gold coast game, Queens birthday, Saints game). Our losses to Northx2/Hawks/Freo/Pies r23 were unforgivable, the common theme was we just couldn't be arsed early in the game and played catchup all day.

 

[Supermercado]

Traditionally, to be a top 8 side you need to be in the top 8. Currently we are more a drinking beer and eating leftover ham side.

And with our luck it'll be the sort of leftover ham that leaves you with the shits.

 

[Klyntonius]

And with our luck it'll be the sort of leftover ham that leaves you with the shits.

And we keep coming back for more.

 

[stretcharmstrong]

Traditionally, to be a top 8 side you need to be in the top 8. Currently we are more a drinking beer and eating leftover ham side.

Add a “we’ll decide how hard, when and where to train” side to that list.

Not a genuine top 8 side. Not to say we can’t/wont make it in 2018. But on available evidence, it doesn’t look convincing.

 

[The Dr]

Can’t see us losing a game next year to be honest.


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[Headless]

Can't see us winning a game next year to be honest.

 

[HANDSOLO]

I have this not entirely rational fear that there is an infectious disease or something and we will never make the 8 unless all the Meeks players are gone and everything is cleansed with fire

So no

 

[Toump Ass]

Wouldn't surprise me to get hammered by Geelong and spend the next four weeks recovering from the mental damage, followed eventually by a late-season surge (with half our players injured) that sees us in the eight at Round 22 with a full list to choose from... before a 1 point loss to a decimated GWS that leaves us out of the eight by the smallest percentage in history.

So, no.

 

[Tempy Tiger]

I definitely think we’ll be an improved side next year. Bringing Lever in adds talent and composure to our back line, and I’ve said for a long time we are a better team without Watts. I really hope Frist comes straight back into the starting lineup. Why the hell did he ever go out? We went to s**t without him and I never thought any clear reason was given as to why he was dropped. I thought maybe he’d seen the Lever deal on the wall and was maybe shopping himself around?

 

[Demon bhoy]

I’ve watched a couple of last seasons games over the past week to get through the boredom off the off-season. First game was against the Aints in Rond 1 and then the game against Power later in the year. Both games left me feeling flat about our prospects. Even when we were dominating Port we were only ever six goals up. We never bury sides, we rarely string wins together, and we are terrible at beating sides below us. As a supporter it leaves you on thin ice every weekend, what is coming this week? The thrill of a win from nowhere or another crushing loss to a team below us. I know we have now got a lot of high end picks in our team, but I’m yet to see a serious footy side that stomps on the minnows and kills games before half time.

Or maybe I’m just in a s**t mood because I’ve had the flu for a week...

Team over uses the footy to the point of insanity nearly 200 handballs a game, clean that up and finals are a shoe in

 

[Supermercado]

I have no doubt we're in the mix for the bottom half of the eight, but we'd want to either have it sewn up with a few weeks to go or suddenly discover our inner beast in early July because our run home is unpleasant.

We don't know how teams will perform, somebody always takes a surprise fall yada yada yada BUT:

R17 - Bulldogs
R18 - Geelong away
R19 - Adelaide away
R20 - Gold Coast
R21 - Sydney
R22 - West Coast away
R23 - GWS

That's potentially unpleasant. We can't go losing games to s**t teams through lack of attention in first quarters if we want to get anywhere quickly. If lose to either Brisbane and North in R2/3 I'm going to prematurely declare the season over in the hope of being made to look stupid.

 

[Crimson Azure]

The Dees = Melbourne
Melbourne = Melbourne football club
Melbourne football club = Disappointment
Disappointment = Failure
Failure leads to fear, fear leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side of the 8.......

Which brings us full circle to the Melbourne Deamons which = No

 

[Demonkings]

We should definitely make finals next year. It would take something going monumentally wrong for it not to happen. And you imagine Goodwin could get sacked if we don’t. When you consider everything that went wrong last season and we only just missed finals, it’s only really MFCSS that would make a dees supporter think we aren’t a top 8 caliber side.

I just hope this team starts to put it together next year because the frustration of this last season would be too much to bear if something similar was to happen again. I wouldn’t mind if our performances against other top 8 sides is a little worse next year as long as we routinely massacre the s**t teams and show that we are a class above the bottom 6-8 sides. Just once, I’d like it to be my team that is the hot young team of the competition, because the potential and talent is certainly there.

It would definitely make going to the football a more enjoyable experience for all of us if we’re in the eight and we’re playing 16th and chances are you are going to see a 15 goal win. I’ll take that over the “beat top of ladder Adelaide in Adelaide then lose to 17th north Melbourne at home” experience of last year. So yeah, I just want to see us become a consistently good footy side. And furthermore, I think the level of young talent on our list gives us a reason to expect it.

 

[schmuttt]

I said it early in 2017 and I'll say it again, if Goody doesn't make finals end of 2018 I'd be showing him the door provided we could get a big name in.