Melbournes season is over, and only just beginning.
It is inconceivable that Melbourne can make the eight from here, but quite conceivable they can set up making the eight next year.
Tough choices: The Demons have decisions to make on Nathan Jones (left) and Jordan Lewis.Credit:AAP
The Demons need to abandon this season as a priority and manage things around being right and ready for next year. Players who are injured – and yes there are many – need not be encouraged back early.
This might sound like that dirty word that got them in trouble before. The word that not even the AFL dared utter even as Demons officials were punished for it. Tanking. But it is not tanking we are talking about. It is management.
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Melbourne dont want to try to lose from here for draft picks. A good draft pick might be a welcome consequence of what they do, but thats not focus of the plan. Thats why its not tanking.
Melbourne dont need to manage their list now to try to drive downwards for draft picks; they need to manage their list now so they can drive upwards next year.
Final countdown: Jake Lever is on the verge of a return for the Dees.Credit:Wayne Ludbey
Steven May has played one game this year. They need to wait until he is right, not half right, before bringing him back.
Jake Lever has been out long term after a knee reconstruction. If there was a push to be back as soon as possible to be part of something for this year, the Demons now need to hold off.
I dont agree with the idea that he be put completely on ice for the season, but there's no value in rushing him back. There is an advantage to his conditioning, touch and game readiness for next year by getting him back playing games this year. Likewise, Neville Jetta should play when he is ready, not a moment sooner.
That trio are the most important defenders at Melbourne and they are yet to play a game together. Getting some game time into them as a trio this year to develop chemistry as a backline for next year will be as important achievement as anything for Melbourne to salvage out of the second half of the season.
They are the easy decisions. These are the harder ones: Jordan Lewis and Nathan Jones.
Lewis should only play in the second half of the season when injuries to others mean he has to. Otherwise younger players should be chosen ahead of him.
Lewis is in the same boat as his close friend and former premiership teammate Jarryd Roughead who has already been jettisoned to the second by the utterly pragmatic Alastair Clarkson. Rougheads experience this year is the reason Lewis, and Nathan Jones for that matter, could have no complaint if their club adopted a similar club-before-sentimentality ruthlessness.
The difference for Hawthorn is they entered this season with a better handle on where they stood in development of their list and the rest of the competition. Melbourne didnt.
Melbourne came in believing, with some legitimacy, that they should be contending for the flag and so have had to approach the season with the view that they needed to hang on until they got players back and they would still be able to strike at the premiership.
That hope is essentially gone now. And two losses more than any other cost them. Yes there were the upset early losses but they were playing dreadfully then and lost. The more costly, damaging losses were those against West Coast in Perth and then on Saturday night when they actually played good football again and didnt get the result.
Against West Coast they played arguably their best football for the year, back to that high-wire act of fast aggressive ball movement and it largely worked for them.
On Saturday night they were far superior to Adelaide for most of the game, had what should have been a match-winning lead and found a way to lose.
Sam Weidemans missed set shot was the last and most obviously costly miss but it was no worse than Max Gawns minutes earlier, and Gawns was no worse than eight other misses under normal circumstances should have been kicked.
Weideman has been in and out of the side on form. Put aside contract talks and if he has put in an ambit claim for a new contract, he is indicative of the player that now just needs to play.
If they lose taking that approach they lose so what the season is done anyway. If they win so much the better either way they will be better of for next year. That is not tanking, that is smart list management.
Magpies loss a slow burn
This was the loss Collingwood had coming. The Pies had won a string of games in the last six weeks by playing only a quarter or so of good football. They were weakened by injury yet able to find something to go to another level through energy and fast ball movement to put the foot down when it needed to.
Hold steady: A late goal by forward Michael Walters was a match-winner for Fremantle.Credit:AAP
That was due to come unstuck.
Against St Kilda, Carlton and Port Adelaide they played one very good quarter in each and it was enough. Against Essendon and Port it was early burst that put the game to bed.
Their midfield has star power but save for Adam Treloar none of them are quick. Dayne Beams at his best adds cleanness and class but has not helped improve their leg speed. We have yet to see him at his best since he returned to Collingwood.
Once they were able to get the ball on the outside, or on the fast break out of defence, Fremantle made Collingwood look slow.
Interestingly Jack Crisp was moved out of half-back and Tom Phillips was pushed from a wing to half back. Crisp is a good line breaker but his disposal Saturday was dreadful. Philips was subdued.
Review the review
The AFLs goal review system gets more decisions right than wrong. That is not a defence it is a criticism.
The goal review should not get any wrong. The worst it should be is inconclusive and hand it back to the umpires on ground decision. You cant have a review system so flawed that it misses its fundamental point of providing greater certainty and integrity.
We have raised the review system several times before in this column, so lets just say this weeks video review offering was a new howler.Read More – Source
Melbournes season is over, and only just beginning.
It is inconceivable that Melbourne can make the eight from here, but quite conceivable they can set up making the eight next year.
Tough choices: The Demons have decisions to make on Nathan Jones (left) and Jordan Lewis.Credit:AAP
The Demons need to abandon this season as a priority and manage things around being right and ready for next year. Players who are injured – and yes there are many – need not be encouraged back early.
This might sound like that dirty word that got them in trouble before. The word that not even the AFL dared utter even as Demons officials were punished for it. Tanking. But it is not tanking we are talking about. It is management.
Advertisement
Melbourne dont want to try to lose from here for draft picks. A good draft pick might be a welcome consequence of what they do, but thats not focus of the plan. Thats why its not tanking.
Melbourne dont need to manage their list now to try to drive downwards for draft picks; they need to manage their list now so they can drive upwards next year.
Final countdown: Jake Lever is on the verge of a return for the Dees.Credit:Wayne Ludbey
Steven May has played one game this year. They need to wait until he is right, not half right, before bringing him back.
Jake Lever has been out long term after a knee reconstruction. If there was a push to be back as soon as possible to be part of something for this year, the Demons now need to hold off.
I dont agree with the idea that he be put completely on ice for the season, but there's no value in rushing him back. There is an advantage to his conditioning, touch and game readiness for next year by getting him back playing games this year. Likewise, Neville Jetta should play when he is ready, not a moment sooner.
That trio are the most important defenders at Melbourne and they are yet to play a game together. Getting some game time into them as a trio this year to develop chemistry as a backline for next year will be as important achievement as anything for Melbourne to salvage out of the second half of the season.
They are the easy decisions. These are the harder ones: Jordan Lewis and Nathan Jones.
Lewis should only play in the second half of the season when injuries to others mean he has to. Otherwise younger players should be chosen ahead of him.
Lewis is in the same boat as his close friend and former premiership teammate Jarryd Roughead who has already been jettisoned to the second by the utterly pragmatic Alastair Clarkson. Rougheads experience this year is the reason Lewis, and Nathan Jones for that matter, could have no complaint if their club adopted a similar club-before-sentimentality ruthlessness.
The difference for Hawthorn is they entered this season with a better handle on where they stood in development of their list and the rest of the competition. Melbourne didnt.
Melbourne came in believing, with some legitimacy, that they should be contending for the flag and so have had to approach the season with the view that they needed to hang on until they got players back and they would still be able to strike at the premiership.
That hope is essentially gone now. And two losses more than any other cost them. Yes there were the upset early losses but they were playing dreadfully then and lost. The more costly, damaging losses were those against West Coast in Perth and then on Saturday night when they actually played good football again and didnt get the result.
Against West Coast they played arguably their best football for the year, back to that high-wire act of fast aggressive ball movement and it largely worked for them.
On Saturday night they were far superior to Adelaide for most of the game, had what should have been a match-winning lead and found a way to lose.
Sam Weidemans missed set shot was the last and most obviously costly miss but it was no worse than Max Gawns minutes earlier, and Gawns was no worse than eight other misses under normal circumstances should have been kicked.
Weideman has been in and out of the side on form. Put aside contract talks and if he has put in an ambit claim for a new contract, he is indicative of the player that now just needs to play.
If they lose taking that approach they lose so what the season is done anyway. If they win so much the better either way they will be better of for next year. That is not tanking, that is smart list management.
Magpies loss a slow burn
This was the loss Collingwood had coming. The Pies had won a string of games in the last six weeks by playing only a quarter or so of good football. They were weakened by injury yet able to find something to go to another level through energy and fast ball movement to put the foot down when it needed to.
Hold steady: A late goal by forward Michael Walters was a match-winner for Fremantle.Credit:AAP
That was due to come unstuck.
Against St Kilda, Carlton and Port Adelaide they played one very good quarter in each and it was enough. Against Essendon and Port it was early burst that put the game to bed.
Their midfield has star power but save for Adam Treloar none of them are quick. Dayne Beams at his best adds cleanness and class but has not helped improve their leg speed. We have yet to see him at his best since he returned to Collingwood.
Once they were able to get the ball on the outside, or on the fast break out of defence, Fremantle made Collingwood look slow.
Interestingly Jack Crisp was moved out of half-back and Tom Phillips was pushed from a wing to half back. Crisp is a good line breaker but his disposal Saturday was dreadful. Philips was subdued.
Review the review
The AFLs goal review system gets more decisions right than wrong. That is not a defence it is a criticism.
The goal review should not get any wrong. The worst it should be is inconclusive and hand it back to the umpires on ground decision. You cant have a review system so flawed that it misses its fundamental point of providing greater certainty and integrity.
We have raised the review system several times before in this column, so lets just say this weeks video review offering was a new howler.Read More – Source
