HUN Melbourne season preview

[TelkoTheGreat]

By Mark Stevens

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...melbourne-demons/story-e6frf9ox-1225838881541

Backs: Matthew Warnock, James Frawley, Colin Garland
Joel Macdonald, Jared Rivers, Cameron Bruce

Midfield: Cale Morton, Brent Moloney, Brad Green
Mark Jamar (ruckman), James McDonald, Jack Grimes

Forwards: Colin Sylvia, Brad Miller, Aaron Davey
Matthew Bate, Liam Jurrah, Austin Wonaeamirri

Int: Tom Scully, Jack Trengove, Stefan Martin, Jamie Bennell


Emg: Nathan Jones, Lynden Dunn, Ricky Petterd

thoughts on that team?

 

[tornsword]

By Mark Stevens

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...melbourne-demons/story-e6frf9ox-1225838881541



thoughts on that team?

To be honest, not at all!
If Ricky Petterd hasn't earned his spot in the team so far ill jump because he's been our ONLY forward who's looked like he gives a s**t.
Jamie Bennell has gone backwards and is nothing like the player he was starting last year. Most certainly start a Strauss or Cheney on the bench before him!

Personally and this is very left field, i would play Bate at centre half forward, Petterd as our tall forward pocket and only use Miller off the bench. Bate has far better hands just think he's better value up the ground.

thoughts?

 

[omit]

Jones an emergency?

I know he's a bit of a scapegoat around here but really

 

[Supermercado]

So the article talks at length about Jurrah's loss, then picks him in a "best 22". How about a realistic 22 featuring Ricky Petterd who has smashed it in the pre-season.

 

[Pjkimber]

So the article talks at length about Jurrah's loss, then picks him in a "best 22". How about a realistic 22 featuring Ricky Petterd who has smashed it in the pre-season.

Typical Junk Journalism provided by the HUN.

 

[richskee]

When will Blease and Tapscott be ready for selection?

 

[The Great Gabsby]

When will Blease and Tapscott be ready for selection?

From memory I think Blease is only a week or two from returning to training. So once he's got a bit of training under his belt I'd say off to casey for a couple of weeks where hopefully he tears it up and then into the senior side maybe round 5ish ?

Tapscott's injury was relatively serious and we won't be seeing much if any of him this season. Last quarter of the season if any I think.

 

[KickLongTackleHard]

So the article talks at length about Jurrah's loss, then picks him in a "best 22". How about a realistic 22 featuring Ricky Petterd who has smashed it in the pre-season.

And Morton

 

[master bate]

As far as a best Melbourne 22 it really isn't too bad. The only 2 players he should have in are Jones and Petterd and they are in the emergencies. Yes he's named Jurrah, Morton and Garland despite them not being available for round 1 - but they are still in our best 22.

I agree with whoever said Bennell looks to have gone backwards this year, but he's still done more at AFL level than Cheney or Strauss so I'm not too hard on Stevens for that one.

 

[LITTLE STINGA]

Watts has to be in our best 22. The forward line will and has to be evolved around him. Miller is our last resort.

I think our best team would be:

B: BRUCE, WARNOCK, RIVERS
HB: MACDONALD, FRAWLEY, MORTON
C: SCULLY, GRIMES, TRENGOVE
HF: GREEN, BATE, DAVEY
F: JURRAH, WATTS, PETTERD
FOLL: JAMAR, SYLVIA, JONES
IC: MOLONEY, MCDONALD, WONAEAMIRRI, MARTIN
EMERG: GARLAND, MILLER, BENNELL

 

[carn dees]

To be honest, not at all!
If Ricky Petterd hasn't earned his spot in the team so far ill jump because he's been our ONLY forward who's looked like he gives a s**t.

Agree Ricky.P definitely starting 22.



Jamie Bennell has gone backwards and is nothing like the player he was starting last year. Most certainly start a Strauss or Cheney on the bench before him!

Disagree, where 3 praccy matches into the year and jamies played 2 at most. I still think jamie has extremely high potential to be good if not great player for us.

....

 

[saj_21]

As far as a best Melbourne 22 it really isn't too bad. The only 2 players he should have in are Jones and Petterd and they are in the emergencies. Yes he's named Jurrah, Morton and Garland despite them not being available for round 1 - but they are still in our best 22.

I agree with whoever said Bennell looks to have gone backwards this year, but he's still done more at AFL level than Cheney or Strauss so I'm not too hard on Stevens for that one.

Agree with you on the best 22, i would have Petterd and Jones in the side and they obviously will be due to some early injuries.

I don't think Bennell hs gone backwards, he just hsn't improved his defensive game nor has cheney for that matter. Struass could surpass both these guys early in the season, i am hoping he is Grimey mark II.

 

[Dez!]

Watts has to be in our best 22. The forward line will and has to be evolved around him. Miller is our last resort.

I think our best team would be:

B: BRUCE, WARNOCK, RIVERS
HB: MACDONALD, FRAWLEY, MORTON
C: SCULLY, GRIMES, TRENGOVE
HF: GREEN, BATE, DAVEY
F: JURRAH, WATTS, PETTERD
FOLL: JAMAR, SYLVIA, JONES
IC: MOLONEY, MCDONALD, WONAEAMIRRI, MARTIN
EMERG: GARLAND, MILLER, BENNELL

Okay.

Garland is best 18 and Watts currently isn't best 22.

 

[tornsword]

I agree with whoever said Bennell looks to have gone backwards this year, but he's still done more at AFL level than Cheney or Strauss so I'm not too hard on Stevens for that one.

I do agree with this comment however at the same time we can't look at it that way. He has done more at AFL level but we need to be able to give others the opportunity. We are a team for the future so we need to be playing these younger players. Personally, I don't see a future as bright in Bennell, than i do in Strauss, Cheney i mean there is a reason he went 70 odd and they went early.
Other than that your points are all 100% correct.

The other one is

Watts has to be in our best 22. The forward line will and has to be evolved around him. Miller is our last resort.

I think our best team would be:

B: BRUCE, WARNOCK, RIVERS
HB: MACDONALD, FRAWLEY, MORTON
C: SCULLY, GRIMES, TRENGOVE
HF: GREEN, BATE, DAVEY
F: JURRAH, WATTS, PETTERD
FOLL: JAMAR, SYLVIA, JONES
IC: MOLONEY, MCDONALD, WONAEAMIRRI, MARTIN
EMERG: GARLAND, MILLER, BENNELL

Garland i would see as a definite starter for us!
My one problem with that team is Bruce in a back pocket. Brucey can't be accountable in the midfield let alone playing a game solely concentrating on a player not possessions. Personally, would have him anywhere but a pocket.

 

[The Professor]

My one problem with that team is Bruce in a back pocket. Brucey can't be accountable in the midfield let alone playing a game solely concentrating on a player not possessions. Personally, would have him anywhere but a pocket.

Someone obviously hasn't been watching Melbourne games for the past 10 years.

Bruce excels at shutting down opponents. It is his biggest strength and best position.

Hird, Judd, Steve Johnson, Brad Johnson, Tarrant on top of my head. Shows how versatile of a shut down player he is considering all those boys play different positions.

Isn't accountable. How embarrassing.

 

[master bate]

Personally, I don't see a future as bright in Bennell, than i do in Strauss, Cheney i mean there is a reason he went 70 odd and they went early.

Strauss went 19 predominantly due to his silky kicking skills, Bennell went 35 and Cheney went 53.

The thing about Bennell is that last year he did manage to compete as a defender and also was a good decision maker with a lovely balanced kick and hit a lot of targets. Hence why we appointed him as a future Andrew McLeod. This year he appears to not be defending well as well and seems to have lost his kicking to a degree. It makes me wonder if somehow we've coached the confidence out of him.

 

[Dez!]

Someone obviously hasn't been watching Melbourne games for the past 10 years.

Bruce excels at shutting down opponents. It is his biggest strength and best position.

Hird, Judd, Steve Johnson, Brad Johnson, Tarrant on top of my head. Shows how versatile of a shut down player he is considering all those boys play different positions.

Isn't accountable. How embarrassing.

Steve Johnson is Bruce's bitch.

 

[cannons]

I actually think the preview is pretty good when you consider that the author probably doesn't follow Melbourne as closely as all of us do.

Also, I refuse to say that Bennell has gone backwards based on a couple of pre-season games, especially when it's only the start of his 2nd season.

 

[KickLongTackleHard]

Agree Cannons, in all our eagerness for improvement and tiring patients let's not jump the gun on a 19 year old entering their 2nd AFL season.

 

[LITTLE STINGA]

Someone obviously hasn't been watching Melbourne games for the past 10 years.

Bruce excels at shutting down opponents. It is his biggest strength and best position.

Hird, Judd, Steve Johnson, Brad Johnson, Tarrant on top of my head. Shows how versatile of a shut down player he is considering all those boys play different positions.

Isn't accountable. How embarrassing.

Brad Johnson said that Bruce has been his hardest ever opponent so that's good enough for me.

 

[LITTLE STINGA]

Garland i would see as a definite starter for us!
[/quote]
He deserves a game ahead of Martin but that would leave us without a second ruckman. Garland's injury has been more serious than the rest of the 22 I picked so I'm willing to wait and see how he comes back from injury.