Analysis Death-Riding Melbourne 2018 (now with poll)

Where will Melbourne finish?


  • Total voters
    130
  • Poll closed .

Big Gazoongas

Premiership Player
Joined
May 18, 2008
Posts
3,722
Likes
4,617
Location
Western Suburbs
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Arsenal, WWT
Wait, wait, wait, why are the same people who were saying Hamish was God and the pick swap with Geelong was amazing, and Cockatoo is useless now saying Lever is a dud?
What people are saying is that Jake is a 3rd tall intercept defender not a KP 1 on 1 defender. In respect to a 1 on 1 defender right now he is average at best.

He was found out numerous time last year when he had to be accountable.

So Melbourne paying $800 - $900k for the player Jake is right now is a waste of money.

Melbourne don't have the structures or defenders to allow Jake to play the same roll he played here.

Is he a dud, no.

Is he a key 1 on 1 defender, no way in hell.

Melbourne supporters coming here last year claiming he was a KPD have now seen Jake for what he is.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Oct 26, 2012
Posts
8,211
Likes
11,712
AFL Club
Adelaide
What people are saying is that Jake is a 3rd tall intercept defender not a KP 1 on 1 defender. In respect to a 1 on 1 defender right now he is average at best.

He was found out numerous time last year when he had to be accountable.

So Melbourne paying $800 - $900k for the player Jake is right now is a waste of money.

Melbourne don't have the structures or defenders to allow Jake to play the same roll he played here.

Is he a dud, no.

Is he a key 1 on 1 defender, no way in hell.

Melbourne supporters coming here last year claiming he was a KPD have now seen Jake for what he is.
Melbourne can play Lever as a third tall. However, the problem they currently have is that, with Tom McDonald out, they don't really have another good KPD available.

When T McD is back (which is still 5-7 weeks away), Lever should be able to go back to playing his "normal" role. Their problem is that finals may be all but gone by that point.

In the meantime I think Melbourne are quickly discovering what we already knew. Lever isn't currently capable of playing as a CHB or FB without his intercepting and rebounding game suffering significantly. It doesn't help that teams have figured out how to take Lever out of the game.
 

dracochapel

All Australian
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Posts
771
Likes
1,605
AFL Club
Adelaide
Hey, it was a great analysis until you introduced facts and logic and reasoning!

You're right, that's true. If i had the inclination i'd try it on a team like Melbourne to see where they'd spent all their draft picks... but it's Melbourne, so i don't care.
you'll never make it in the footy media with thinking facts and logic and reasoning matter. Cherry pick to fit your narrative Deaneus!
 

Big Gazoongas

Premiership Player
Joined
May 18, 2008
Posts
3,722
Likes
4,617
Location
Western Suburbs
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Arsenal, WWT
Melbourne can play Lever as a third tall. However, the problem they currently have is that, with Tom McDonald out, they don't really have another good KPD available.

When T McD is back (which is still 5-7 weeks away), Lever should be able to go back to playing his "normal" role. Their problem is that finals may be all but gone by that point.

In the meantime I think Melbourne are quickly discovering what we already knew. Lever isn't currently capable of playing as a CHB or FB without his intercepting and rebounding game suffering significantly. It doesn't help that teams have figured out how to take Lever out of the game.
Sure and you can debate if Jake will be as effective in the Dees system as he was in ours if they go in that direction BUT they have grossly overpaid if they use him in the same role as we did.

He's on "elite" dollars, certainly not the $$ you pay for a 3rd intercept tall. I actually think they will be forced to play him as a KPD in the hope he comes good and they can justify the spend.
 

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Oct 26, 2012
Posts
8,211
Likes
11,712
AFL Club
Adelaide
Sure and you can debate if Jake will be as effective in the Dees system as he was in ours if they go in that direction BUT they have grossly overpaid if they use him in the same role as we did.

He's on "elite" dollars, certainly not the $$ you pay for a 3rd intercept tall. I actually think they will be forced to play him as a KPD in the hope he comes good and they can justify the spend.
Oh, I agree that he's being paid more than what a 3rd tall should be paid. Last year I said I'd be happy to keep him so long as the Crows paid no more than about $600k/year.

That's still a lot for a 3rd tall, but he was an intercepting 3rd tall for us. As it is, we're likely to get 80% of the output from Doedee for $500k+/year less (plus 2 first round picks).
 

MattyB_76

Premium Platinum
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Posts
1,359
Likes
905
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Redlegs, Yankees, Fulham FC
Lever looks about 12 in that pic. One thing I would have expected with another preseason would be for Jake to bulk up a bit more. He looks skinnier than when he played with us.

Not great prep for someone you want to play as a key defender.

Sent from my HTC 2PS6200 using Tapatalk
Maybe he skipped their pre-season camp? ;)
 

GrommoT

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Posts
5,572
Likes
8,489
AFL Club
Adelaide
I’d like to watch Fogarty, when Lever takes an intercept mark, do to Lever what he did to caddy the other night...

It was late, it was grubby, it deserved a 50m penalty paid against it... but geez I f*ckin loved it!!..

And it rattled the tigers players. They weren’t happy about it at all!.. where Fogarty was definately would’ve been in the backs of some of the tigers players minds when taking a mark after that little incident..
Let's not poke the bear too hard - otherwise daddy warbucks spanner might send the boys around.
 

Golumless

I'm kind of a big deal on the east side
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Posts
22,607
Likes
25,061
Location
Wherever the ESH clubrooms are
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Newcastle, Colorado Rockies.
Wait, wait, wait, why are the same people who were saying Hamish was God and the pick swap with Geelong was amazing, and Cockatoo is useless now saying Lever is a dud?
Lever is a dud if you are paying 850k for him.

Lever is fantastic if you are paying 300k for him.

The pick swap, whilst now can be stated as an unnecessary risk with Wigg failing, we absolutely killed the Lever pick.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Bearded Clam

Premium Platinum
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Posts
3,964
Likes
5,108
Location
Goldy
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool, Glenelg, SRBR (Roaders)
Let's not poke the bear too hard - otherwise daddy warbucks spanner might send the boys around.
Haha... nah, daddy warbucks would currently be too busy running around Melbourne trying to shutdown all the bad talk about his darling boy coming from all the Melbourne supporters. Suppeorters who are starting to realise they, at $800k a year and two first round picks, have been sold a dud that is hopeless at anything other than being an unmanned 3rd tall intercept defender!!...

Far too busy with that to worry about us crows..
 

GrommoT

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Posts
5,572
Likes
8,489
AFL Club
Adelaide
Haha... nah, daddy warbucks would currently be too busy running around Melbourne trying to shutdown all the bad talk about his darling boy coming from all the Melbourne supporters. Suppeorters who are starting to realise they, at $800k a year and two first round picks, have been sold a dud that is hopeless at anything other than being an unmanned 3rd tall intercept defender!!...

Far too busy with that to worry about us crows..
I kinda meant if junior spanner got roughed up too much on the field.
 

kulak

Club Legend
Joined
May 16, 2006
Posts
2,485
Likes
3,076
Location
Sydney!!!
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
GWS
I saw the last quarter and a bit of Brisbane Melbourne.

Lever looked devoid of any confidence. Lost. And let it affect his play.

Eg there were at least a couple of occasions he had the opportunity to leave his man and win an intercept but he did not.

- Being an established player at the AFC must be a bit of a protected enclave. You know your role, your teammates know their roles, everyone executed to plan and we win (probably).

- Lever now has an unfamiliar role and unfamiliar and worse fellow defenders. Now he has ten things to think about instead of one.

As a Melbourne supporter I would not be worried about Lever struggling initially. The only way he steps up to more of a Rance / McGovern KPD interceptor role is if he works on it. Lever is 22. If they were going to let him learn, now is the time.

I would be concerned that he has so quickly dropped his morale when things started going against him.
 

deaneus

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you
Joined
Nov 24, 2007
Posts
18,465
Likes
34,878
Location
*sigh*
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
this week, the Hawks!
Moderator #870
They are a pretty cut up bunch about Lever on the Melbourne board. Its quite fun to read.
Is it what!

Lever certainly not the player I thought he was either. Guess he was just in a great side.
Damn straight he was just in a great side!
 

Thetrader15

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Oct 16, 2015
Posts
10,070
Likes
10,578
AFL Club
Adelaide
Oh, I agree that he's being paid more than what a 3rd tall should be paid. Last year I said I'd be happy to keep him so long as the Crows paid no more than about $600k/year.

That's still a lot for a 3rd tall, but he was an intercepting 3rd tall for us. As it is, we're likely to get 80% of the output from Doedee for $500k+/year less (plus 2 first round picks).
I'd pay the 850k for J-Gov!
 
Top Bottom