Season 2022 - Melbourne

Football Discussion Non Essendon Stuff
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Melbourne

Coach – Simon Goodwin

2021 –

Points For – 5th
Points Against – 1st

Top 5 Best and Fairest

  1. Clayton Oliver
  2. Christian Petracca
  3. Max Gawn
  4. Christian Salem
  5. Jake Lever

2021 Rising Star Noms

Luke Jackson (Round 7)
James Jordan (Round 8)
Trent Rivers (Round 11)
Jale Bowey (Round 22)

Ins – Luke Dunstan, Jacob Van Rooyen, Blake Howes, Taj Woewodin, Judd McVee

Outs – Austin Bradke, Kye Declase, Marty Hore, Neville Jetta, Nathan Jones, Jay Lockhart, Aaron Nietscke, Aaron Vandenberg

My Prediction

Not sure what my prediction is worth with this team. I havent been so wrong since picking Richmond to finish bottom four when they won a premiership. Whatever they are doing at Melbourne is working very well, I dont remember a premiership team every having four rising star nominations.

The backline was the best in the game last year and hard to see it dropping off too much. Day and Lever both had great years last year with minimal interuptions. Bowey and Rivers were both great finds last year who stood up under pressure and use the ball very well.

The midfield looks outstanding, Oliver, Brayshaw and Viney mean that you wont get beaten too often in a contested game. Langdon has been an important pick up for outside run and then there is Petracca who has everything click last year and when he is going, is almost unstoppable.

If there is a weak spot in their line up it is the forward line. Ben Brown and Tom McDonald aren’t the greatest one two punch the football world has ever seen. The development of Jackson was massive and he looks like he is developing into a freak. Fritsch is a unique player and a tough match up. Pickett will improve this year as his fitness improves. There is no reason the forward line shouldnt improve this year.

The rucks are outstanding. Gawn had a career best season and was outstanding in his leadership, Jackson is emerging and will be ready to take over ruck duties as Gawn slows. The coach has the good stuff. Whether is it taking the boys out for a beer and a punt or what he is up to on the track. He has all the players pulling in the same direction and a game plan that holds up.

The Dees were kissed on the proverbial last year. They had a good fixture and for the most part had a very good run with injuries. That being said, they have good young players, they have good depth and didnt lose any best 22 players last year so there is no reason they shouldnt challenge again. They will finish top 2 if they want to.

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Bottom 4 for mine.

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Should’ve taken Parish.

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Dunstan checking in is an intriguing one. I was certain he was the second coming of Lenny Hayes when he Dean Polo’d us early in 2014, but turns out it was exactly that.

For a contested ball-winner with limited abilities elsewhere to try and break into this Melbourne team…well I wonder why he elected to go there and not elsewhere. Good depth I guess.

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Interesting choice for him, but makes sense for them. Until/unless some of their youngsters like Rivers/Bowey develop into midfielders they are very light on there for depth. First 5-6 are strong, much weaker thereafter.

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I can’t see him playing more than a small handful of games unless two of Petracca, Brayshaw, Viney and Oliver miss significant time with injury.

Langdon is the guy they really need cover for. They’re very light on outside run.

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For list construction he directly replaces N Jones.

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Dunstan has probably gone there thinking that Melbourne are a 9/10 chance of playing deep in finals, and there is a 1/20 chance of someone copping an injury deep in finals, meaning he has a 9/200, or a 4.5% chance of playing deep in finals. Ill take that.

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Tomlinson was supposed to be their Langdon cover. Or vice versa.
But his injuries, and seemingly a preference for playing further behind the ball - almost wing/half back have put that on hold.
Don’t know how he’s recovering, and you’re right, it is a current hole.

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Jones and Vandenberg both off the list

Opportunity will come for him.

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tomlinson was playing as a key defender last season.

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I’ll quote from the game write up where he did his ACL;
“ Tomlinson, recruited as a winger, has blossomed in a defensive role this year, allowing teammate Jake Lever to thrive as an interceptor in the back half.”

So pretty much as I said.

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i don’t think he was recruited to Melbourne to play on the wing though. he’s spent a lot of his career trying that athletic wing role and its just never worked. Melbourne got a great get with him, as he was looking great at CHB

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B: Adam Tomlinson, Steven May, Jake Lever

HB: Trent Rivers, Harrison Petty, Christian Salem

C: Angus Brayshaw, Christian Petracca, Ed Langdon

HF: Kysaiah Pickett, Tom McDonald, Tom Sparrow

F: Charlie Spargo, Ben Brown, Bayley Fritsch

FOLL: Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney

I/C: James Harmes, Luke Jackson, Jake Bowey, Alex Neal-Bullen

Emg: Jake Melksham, Michael Hibberd, Luke Dunstan, Sam Weideman, James Jordon

Top 4, not sure if this is a dynasty Need a fit Brown and McDonald again to go all the way.

Like what Luke Jackson brings to the team.

like the dogs they will be top 4. Should go deep in finals, need to have luck with injuries again.

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They kicked the poo out of Norf today, 88 points the margin. Who thought a practise match between last year’s premiers and last year’s wooden spooners was a good idea?

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Tomlinson is too slow to play on the wing

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Top 4 guarantee’d

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Who would be ahead of him if Oliver or Viney got injured? Maybe even Petraca.

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I believe they would switch up their midfield rotations and probably move someone like Harmes through there more often. Viney is the only one in that group as limited as Dunstan and he’s still a level above.

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Harmes is already their 6th mid, and pretty average at that. Shifting him up the order just creates a new hole.