Preview Round 5 - Melbourne Demons v Brisbane Lions (Thursday, 11 April 2024 @ 7:30pm)

[BRAB]

Funnily enough there were similar disparaging posts about the state of our coaching staff when we had Tapping and Littlejohn. A lot of these assistant coaches only become rated on this board after they go elsewhere.

Adcock was the best coach we ever had.

 

[dlanod]

Adcock was the best coach we ever had.

Hudson will become the next Barassi if he ever leaves the Lions.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Wasn’t Tapping very highly regarded as a midfield coach. I don’t recall the criticism but I recall people around the place not necessarily on here being disappointed when he left. Same with Zane who also from what I’ve read is an excellent coach.

Nah. A lot of the people criticising our coaches now were back then while at the same time saying all the coaches that have left were quality

 

[twhowler]

That probably means we go:
Andrew > Brown (almost always takes the tallest forward)
Payne > Petty (Petty is next tallest)
Lester > JVR (JVR is the shortest and we know Lester cant line up on the really big boys

Starc is most likely for Fritsch, leaving Answerth and Wilmot for the next small forwards

Be interesting to see if Brown plays. He was subbed out with 5 possessions and no scoring shots. i'd say he probably survives after kicking 3 the week before but it was a very quiet game.

Fritsch is an interesting one and easily the most important.

He really is not that tall at 188cm. But he tends to take the ball really cleanly and at the highest point so you need someone with some height i think.

He gets the ball on the lead - a lot of that is about pressure up the ground. if there isn't much it doesn't matter who is on hium

The other thing he does well is position really well to mark the ball out the back.

With all that in mind i would lean towards lester. has a bit of extra height on fritsch and is good at going body on body.

It does theoretically create a problem with JVR but i am not sure how often all 4 of the above forwards will be out on the park together

 

[Elixuh]

I’d just like it put on record that the demons board has referred to my preview as a “thorough football analysis”.

It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my posting on this hellscape.

 

[M Malice]

Watching Footy Classified, Matthew Lloyd disdainfully dismissed our chances on Thursday night, when asked he replied ... Nah no chance.

He has never really rated us from my memory, I wonder if it stems from our 3Peat team putting an abrupt end to his Bombers fantasy of a dynasty in 2001.

 

[Elixuh]

Watching Footy Classified, Matthew Lloyd disdainfully dismissed our chances on Thursday night, when asked he replied ... Nah no chance.

He has never really rated us from my memory, I wonder if it stems from our 3Peat team putting an abrupt end to his Bombers fantasy of a dynasty in 2001.

Wasn’t he the one that said we were in for decades of pain? While his own club hasn’t fired a shot in decades.

Genuinely one of the least insightful commentators going round.

 

[M Malice]

Wasn’t he the one that said we were in for decades of pain? While his own club hasn’t fired a shot in decades.

Genuinely one of the least insightful commentators going round.

Drab panel on this episode, my rating Caroline Wilson > Kane Cornes > Sam McClure > Matthew Lloyd.

I watch multiple English Premier League Panel shows and in comparison the standard of punditry on AFL shows is atrociously sub standard.

 

[MSB ROYS]

Watching Footy Classified, Matthew Lloyd disdainfully dismissed our chances on Thursday night, when asked he replied ... Nah no chance.

He has never really rated us from my memory, I wonder if it stems from our 3Peat team putting an abrupt end to his Bombers fantasy of a dynasty in 2001.

Ex-Fitzroy supporter who unfortunately drank the Essendon cool aid (I do give him a tick for loving Bernie Quinlan). Probably still hasn't got over the 2001 GF demolition and Essendon being irrelevant since then.

Also wrote off Collingwood's season as well, which is just ridiculous.

 

[martinson]

Funnily enough there were similar disparaging posts about the state of our coaching staff when we had Tapping and Littlejohn. A lot of these assistant coaches only become rated on this board after they go elsewhere.

I think you'll find that's the case with all teams.

Someone's always having a go at the coaching.

And then if you're having no success it becomes a crescendo.

 

[M Malice]

I think you'll find that's the case with all teams.

Someone's always having a go at the coaching.

And then if you're having no success it becomes a crescendo.

It's the grass is greener syndrome.

 

[martinson]

Nah. A lot of the people criticising our coaches now were back then while at the same time saying all the coaches that have left were quality

That's an exaggerration.

People everywhere question coaching after every loss.

As far as I could tell most were happy with the coaching when we were starting to win games.

When you've been around the top for a while and start to look vulnerable and have lost a lot of coaches it's only natural to question who's doing what.

From my perspective maybe drawing on board someone to assist Fagan in a more public and game day basis could really help .It's just an opinion based on observations and a few things I've heard , plus the load he's carried with the Hawthorn saga etc.

I'm a great believer in succession plans in any business. That's something most AFL clubs are very ordinary at.

 

[martinson]

Watching Footy Classified, Matthew Lloyd disdainfully dismissed our chances on Thursday night, when asked he replied ... Nah no chance.

He has never really rated us from my memory, I wonder if it stems from our 3Peat team putting an abrupt end to his Bombers fantasy of a dynasty in 2001.

The Essendon mob have never gotten over thinking they had the best team of all time with one flag to show for it.

It drove Hird to do injudicious things to get back the mantle he believed was rightfully theirs.

Still bitter about both eras.

 

[martinson]

Watching Footy Classified, Matthew Lloyd disdainfully dismissed our chances on Thursday night, when asked he replied ... Nah no chance.

He has never really rated us from my memory, I wonder if it stems from our 3Peat team putting an abrupt end to his Bombers fantasy of a dynasty in 2001.

That's a stupid thing of Lloyd to say.

We've got a big chance.

Melbourne have been very flakey on occasions the last couple of years.

 

[briztoon]

I actually think Lyons matches up really well against Melbourne and their midfield “bulls”. Certainly much better than Rayner. Last time we played Melbourne at the MCG, Rd.18, 2023.

Disposals
Lyons 19 (10 Kicks / 9 Handballs)
Rayner 8 (4 Kicks / 4 Handballs)

Marks
Lyons 2
Rayner 0

Clearances
Lyons 4
Rayner 0

Inside 50’s
Lyons 4
Rayner 1

Goals
Lyons 1.0
Rayner 0.0

Tackles
Lyons 4
Rayner 3

Metres Gained
Lyons 346
Rayner 129

Of course in true Fagan fashion, Lyons was dropped for the next week and Rayner held his spot.

Lyons can match up on any midfield. At centre bounces or stoppages.

Otherwise he’s a very poor match up on most midfields, particularly Melbourne’s, as their “bulls” run a lot.

And as everyone keeps reminding you, Lyons is a very, very, very poor runner. Even from contest to contest.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Lyons can match up on any midfield. At centre bounces or stoppages.

Otherwise he’s a very poor match up on most midfields, particularly Melbourne’s, as their “bulls” run a lot.

And as everyone keeps reminding you, Lyons is a very, very, very poor runner. Even from contest to contest.

“Everyone” used to say the same about Lester too. Sometimes ‘everyone’ is wrong. Having recovered from osteitis pubis and had a strong pre-season, I think Lyons’ running capacity is not as bad as people make out.

 

[Tom14]

Wasn’t he the one that said we were in for decades of pain? While his own club hasn’t fired a shot in decades.

Genuinely one of the least insightful commentators going round.

 

[twhowler]

More i think about it, the more this is a 'show us what you are made of boys' game.

It doesn't mean we have to win, although i would still argue for our season 1-4 makes it close to impossible to contend so we kinda need to win.

But for this group - written off by most, Thursday night, at the MCG of all places, against a team that's been a bit of a bogey side for us since 2021 (we have had a couple of good wins but also heartbreak and a couple of beltings) - if we can't come out fired up, and actually keep pressure up for most if not all of the game - then to me it will just show a lack of fight, at least for 2024.

And whatever it is, surely, SURELY the coaching team has some plans for Gawn (maybe not just kicking it to him at the end of every quarter?) and Petracca?

 

[briztoon]

“Everyone” used to say the same about Lester too. Sometimes ‘everyone’ is wrong. Having recovered from osteitis pubis and had a strong pre-season, I think Lyons’ running capacity is not as bad as people make out.

I don’t recall many negative comments about Lester at all. Certainly not about his running capacity.

Lyons may have recovered. His running has not.

 

[Dalions]

“Everyone” used to say the same about Lester too. Sometimes ‘everyone’ is wrong. Having recovered from osteitis pubis and had a strong pre-season, I think Lyons’ running capacity is not as bad as people make out.

He looks cooked after 5 mins of game time, similar to how Matho always looked.
His defensive running is an issue, he had a great period between 19 and 21 and was a good reason for our rapid rise but the speed of the current game has passed him by.

 

[martinson]

More i think about it, the more this is a 'show us what you are made of boys' game.

It doesn't mean we have to win, although i would still argue for our season 1-4 makes it close to impossible to contend so we kinda need to win.

But for this group - written off by most, Thursday night, at the MCG of all places, against a team that's been a bit of a bogey side for us since 2021 (we have had a couple of good wins but also heartbreak and a couple of beltings) - if we can't come out fired up, and actually keep pressure up for most if not all of the game - then to me it will just show a lack of fight, at least for 2024.

And whatever it is, surely, SURELY the coaching team has some plans for Gawn (maybe not just kicking it to him at the end of every quarter?) and Petracca?

Petracca's one of those rare players where he's very difficult to match up on or plan for.

The best thing you can do is try to limit his supply and that starts with Gawn.

When he goes forward again he's a hard match up.

 

[p4p1]

Petracca's one of those rare players where he's very difficult to match up on or plan for.

The best thing you can do is try to limit his supply and that starts with Gawn.

When he goes forward again he's a hard match up.

Tracc has toweled up Starce in the past, not that there is anything wrong with that because he towels most players up. It's not a good matchup for us though.

 

[martinson]

Tracc has toweled up Starce in the past, not that there is anything wrong with that because he towels most players up. It's not a good matchup for us though.

Giving one player the job on Petracca when he goes forward is a bit of a suicide mission for whoever it is and soaks up your mental energy for anything else. Because he turns up out of nowhere like a tornado sometimes and breaks tackles. You need a team defence approach , players to be aware that when he's around someone needs to man up and put extra pressure. You need to be Petracca conscious but not to the extent you would be in a normal stopping job because if you genuinely put all your efforts into stopping him it means a couple of others are going to get a free run at it.

 

[M Malice]

 

[Elixuh]

Just quietly are Melbourne going as well as many of us think?

Lost to Sydney.

Have beaten Dogs, Hawks, Port and Crows.

They beat Port by 7 points, by kicking very straight. Port were very inaccurate and had half a dozen more behinds.