vs Melbourne match thread

[dimelb]

... This brings me to a question that someone at the game may be able to answer for me. The roar when Goodsie came on and then again when he was announced as being on, was huge. Was that our fans making all that racket or where the Melbourne fans gracious enough to cheer onto the ground The Australian of the Year and one of the all time truly great champions of the game?

I think it was mostly our mob, but I was doing it myself so I couldn't be objective about it! However I've generally found the Demons fans a hospitable and knowledgeable bunch of people; I wouldn't be surprised if they joined in, especially when he came on.

[hot potato]

The D's fans are serious tragics.
Some of em live in Sydney and wear their D's tie to work every day.

[Meg]

I'm pretty sure it was just the Swans Supporters. There were a lot of us at the game.

Yes it was the Swans supporters and yes there were a lot of us. I was sitting with my Melbourne friends in the Demons' members area and I'm sorry to say the Demons' members booed when Adam ran on. I'm old fashioned - a champion is a champion whoever he plays for as far as I'm concerned.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Out of 24,000 from by perspective at least half if not more were swans fans

[Scottee]

I think the hideous spectacle that the match was is a natural outcome of the ridiculous, ludicrous, cretinous , moronic interpretation of holding the ball rule. The rule was traditionally to ensure that there were minimal stalemate situations and therefore less ball -ups and free flowing play. Essentially, if you didn't make an attempt to get the ball free there was a free against you, fair enough. Then we had the brilliant interpretation brought in that if you were over the ball and didn't get it out you were pinged, regardless of whether you were held. Then it didn't take long before the players and coached worked out that if you held the ball under by force then the player over the ball had transgressed and was paid a free kick against. Now it has got to the point that the tackler is actually stealing possession of the ball by holding it during the tackle.The first to the ball is therefore often being penalized. We now have the absurd situation where the tackler is not trying to get the ball and we now have rolling scrums based on this stupid interpretation. People I know from overseas who used to love the speed of the game are now turning away from the game. We are producing a lousy product with the current interpretation of the rules. There is a simple answer to this problem. PING THE PERSON HOLDING THE BALL IN, WHETHER IT IS THE PLAY MAKER OR THE TACKLER BY DEEMING THEM TO BE IN POSSESSION.The game would then start to resemble the game it was intended to be and there would probably be less injuries, faster games, more goals and bigger crowds.

Sorry, just had to get this rant out after that horrible spectacle.

[Melbournehammer]

I couldn't agree more with scottees view above. It gets compounded when it is Greco-roman wrestling on the basis that if a player gets sat on and can't get up they are not making a genuine effort where if they manage to roll over onto their back on even stand up it won't be holding the ball notwithstanding the fact that the ball is held in for as long or longer and no legal disposal occurs. Hence the player who wrestles best wins.

[ugg]

PING THE PERSON HOLDING THE BALL IN, WHETHER IT IS THE PLAY MAKER OR THE TACKLER BY DEEMING THEM TO BE IN POSSESSION.The game would then start to resemble the game it was intended to be and there would probably be less injuries, faster games, more goals and bigger crowds.

That's actually a rule now but I can't recall it ever being paid.

[barry]

Due to teams above us playsjg each other next week, a win against Brisbane will put us into 7th spot by the end of the weekend.

[Auntie.Gerald]

in the cold light of day and reviewing the Swans vs Melb...............I thought Melbourne this season is on the rise

No I wasn't happy with our passing game nor execution in general and yes if we brought that form any other week against half the teams in the comp we may have lost.......always difficult to say with confidence because the Demons lifted and probably played their best in 2014.................just like GWS did week 1 with the same style of footy as we play and beat us to the punch !

The Demons have abandoned attacking football for "Bloods" contested football and who better to test it against then the mighty predictable swans

Pauls direction is starting to filter thru and I must admit I do hope the Demons lift and rise above their seasons past..............I really don think there are many supporters that would wish a team to go through what Melb have gone thru the last 10 seasons !

[Doctor]

I see all the Derrickx bashers are out with their baseball bats again after he, yet again, did all that was asked of him, made a contest and hurt a few bodies along the way and again gave Myke a chopout and a chance to further ease into the season after a limited pre-season.

Anybody critical of his game last night has an obvious axe to grind and is not watching his game objectively at all...

I agree completely. I thought it was his best game for us last night. He put in a huge effort, got himself involved, got some good touches and tried his guts out. We played a team that was trying to keep the score down without being all that interested in scoring themselves and did ok. We were scrappy in the 2nd quarter but the rest was ok. A couple of fit key forwards will make a huge difference IMO.

[Auntie.Gerald]

BTW is it time for Jack Watts to retire and change the direction of his life

JW has the body language of a fella that just doesn't want to be on a footy field.............Jack you have hit the cross roads and it is time to find something else in life.......

If you were going to have your best year ever would you really being play football for Melbourne ?

[Doctor]

I dunno about retiring AG but I do agree with your comments about his body language and apparent interest.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Lloyd - in a small period of time this season we have seen too many Swans players not having composure and hitting targets........... for me Jake is the opposite and I like what I am seeing from young Lloyd !

[Doctor]

True, but we must remember that as the most junior midfielder or small forward in the team he's attracting less defensive pressure. I hope he continues to blossom but as he does he'll have to be able to cope with more attention.

[goods78]

I see all the Derrickx bashers are out with their baseball bats again after he, yet again, did all that was asked of him, made a contest and hurt a few bodies along the way and again gave Myke a chopout and a chance to further ease into the season after a limited pre-season.

Anybody critical of his game last night has an obvious axe to grind and is not watching his game objectively at all...

I don't think that Derrickx has the talent for senior AFL and its the coaches fault for picking him. In the ruck, he is obviously being instructed to crash in to his opponent and he occasionally gets a tap. I don't see why LRT could not be doing this exact role.

His skills around the ground are poor and LRT I think is clearly better. Add to that the flexibility to play LRT forward or in defence.

As I have mentioned previously, I think the coaching staff must have some health concerns with Pyke. Derrickx then gets played as a back up ruck, and if Pyke goes down LTR comes in as number two.