I see where you're coming from, but Dean Bailey himself should be ashamed, because he has confronted the media numerous times, saying we don't believe in tanking and we go out there to win every week. Then supporters like me who want to win, see that rubbish that Dean Bailey put on the field today.

We must hear different press conferences.

When he was a guest on On The Couch, he was asked whether the PP changed how he coached, and he replied that it didn't change anything and that he was only concerned with 'developing players.'

He has been very careful about this, and I suggest you look through a few articles to see how his language has been very careful.

And he shouldn't be ashamed, I'd be doing the same thing. And there is nothing I love more than the Demons.

I agree- the tankards are out in full force. Full of the beverage that tankards are supposed to contain.

'Mydee', I don't normally drink at home, but I have some in the fridge from a past function. Do you mind, I may just join you for a relieving bevy.

Hears cheers, Mind You Guys, Were not there Yet.

Lets not take our eye off the ball.

That would be like failing in the '87 preliminary final.

My dee-lusional fantasy, take the rewards that have come from incredible frustration & disappointment, & March on 2010...

definitely in the third category.

bizarre game. so much rubbish. so many odd moves.

we were actually leaving with 5 minutes to go, but then they got those goals and we stayed.

So yeah, would have loved the win, but also love still being in with a priority chance.

Beat Freo and we still get the priority pick but don't get the spoon. Sounds good to me.

I hate to barrack for my own team to lose.

Its clearly a bad state of play.

Everyone can see it, including the AFL who can't admit it.

Should have been fixed years ago.

Going into today's game, there was a very slight chance that the Tigers could still end up with the first pick in the draft. Very slight but still some chance.

So I wonder whether a young Richmond supporter named Tom Scully was hoping McMahon kicked the goal or missed.

Might have been the first game Sculls found himself barracking for Melbourne.

He'll get used to it.

Sick feeling after just watching the game, i hate footy atm.

But i watched scully play for haileyburry and this kid is a deadset gun,in every department, kicked a ball soo hard and low was perfect, nearly nocked the player of his feet.

We have lost 51 games since 2007.

A couple of scrappy wins against pathetic opposition does not a winning culture make.

Something posters gloss over. Winning culture comes from having enough talented players to win constantly against ALL TEAMS.

Let's face it. The three wins we have had, we've still played like rubbish. It's not like we've played brilliant football and blown teams out of the water with great skills and class. The fact is that the three wins, opposition played even more shithouse then us.

Our only chance to win at the moment is hoping the opposition team plays like [censored]. How the hell do we win a premiership when our best chance is hoping the opposition doesn't turn up.

I want to beat Geelong and StKilda at their best and we need more talent on our list to ensure that.

Mcmahon is GOD and from this day I'll fight for his honour whenever Richmond fans bag him. I've got your back Jordan.

Yep, 100%.

I can not think how "87" felt because i feel gutterd atm......

I celebrated, and I dont give a crap. I'd rather a premiership in 5 years than a single win against Richmond in a year where we'll achieve nothing.

Agree. I celebrated, and didn't feel dirty.

For the greater good.

No!

I can't believe that anyone would have wanted that to go through.

I was so angry and uspset after the game, it was crazy.

The coaching staff should be ashamed of themeselves for all those stupid changes in positions.

If that's gonna happen again I'm not gonna go to the footy.

Worst game ever!!!!!

I'm with you, steveheals ...... but I will go to the footy but not wearing my favourite colours of "red and blue". I will be there to cheer the boys on. OMG, how disappointed and gutted did our guys look, who were out there to win. Very angry with Bailey and selectors

Trying to build a team?

It's not complicated.

This is how footy goes:

18 players are on the field for each team, all in different positions.

Each player works together to try and beat the opposition.

The only way of building a team is by winning.

Agree 100%

What guarantee is there that the nuff nuts in charge of selection will get it right

what number was Cam Bruce (76 I think)

Aaron and Liam in the pre season looked over by the rest

Winning is a culture that needs to be fostered not cheating to try and rort a corrupt system

The reason Melbourne have been so bad for so long is obviously that we have so many idiots as supporters.

Who in their right mind could think losing today was a bad thing?

So much emotion but very little though...

First thing I did after the game was buy a McMahon badge, 100% not joking

Agree 100%

What guarantee is there that the nuff nuts in charge of selection will get it right

what number was Cam Bruce (76 I think)

Aaron and Liam in the pre season looked over by the rest

Winning is a culture that needs to be fostered not cheating to try and rort a corrupt system

Cheating

These are the tactics of tanking, yes. Anyone who says otherwise is an ostrich. But they have been used by Bailey for the past 40 rounds.

Examples

Garland, Weetra, Meesen, Spencer, Frawley, Morton, Jetta, Bennell, Martin, Watts, and Maric at different stages getting getting games they didn't deserve and/or ahead of more seasoned professionals.

Players playing in alternative positions to aide their development (someone excelling is beside the point - it's still risk (losing on the day)and reward (developing said player)) - Petterd trialled at HFF, Morton at HFF, HBF, and as tagger, Sylvia across HB, Davey across HB, Martin at FF, FB, Ruck, and wing, Jones as tagger, Garland at CHB (Cheers for that one Bails!), and there are probably some that have slipped my mind.

And why should we risk injured, even slightly injured players at the end of another losing year?

These are the tactics of tanking.

Please refute my assertion that we have been using these tactics for the entirety of Bailey's reign.

And if you don't want to refute that assertion, then in your mind - we have been cheating since Rd 1, 2008.

We are tanking, but all Bailey has done is step-up what he has been doing already.

First thing I did after the game was buy a McMahon badge, 100% not joking

Good man. If I managed to make it to the game I would've too.

Winning is a culture that needs to be fostered not cheating to try and rort a corrupt system

We have not cheated in any way shape or form.

There is nothing illegal about making positional changes, or not playing guys who aren't 100%.

We didn't play extra men, we didn't beat, scrag or hit any players, in fact the guys out there gave their all and lost.

How is that cheating? Where does it say that your defenders can't play as forwards?

The system is set up to help struggling clubs. We are a struggling club simply getting what is rightfully ours.

My god some of our supporters are naive. There isn't a single club in our position who wouldn't be doing exactly the same thing. We did not invent the system, but we sure as hell are going to take full advantage of it.

Self explanitory. I feel pretty dirty about it, but i did.

EDIT: For the life of me i can't figure out how to work these polls, so if any mod can add one for me that'd be cool.

I was sitting behind the goals today and i must say it took a lot for me to hope he kicked the goal, and even felt a little disappointed when he did but now looking back, im glad he kicked it as i would be far more disappointed if we wasted this season by not getting the best players we can in the draft, and as i said to the tigers supporters on the way out....they may have won the battle, but we will win the war .....bring on 2010!!!!!

I was sitting behind the goals today.....

So was I. The kick itself started out wide to McMahon's left and I thought at first that it was going to be a point. But then it curved back and I thought for certain it was going to clip the goal post on it's way through. But it swung back late and pulled through.

I don't really believe in fate too much. But after today, I think Tom Scully's fate is to be a Demon.

So was I. The kick itself started out wide to McMahon's left and I thought at first that it was going to be a point. But then it curved back and I thought for certain it was going to clip the goal post on it's way through. But it swung back late and pulled through.

I don't really believe in fate too much. But after today, I think Tom Scully's fate is to be a Demon.

Yeah imagine if it hit the post and that costs us Scully, it must be fate as i reckon McMahon would miss 9 out of 10 times from there lol

i reckon McMahon would miss 9 out of 10 times from there lol

He'd miss 9 out of 10 times from 20m out too!

I'm a big believer in fate, and Scully is definitely destined to become a Demon. There is simply no logical explanation for what happened today or how the game ended. The more I think about it, the more I think it is one of the most remarkable games of football I have ever been to.

First thing I did after the game was buy a McMahon badge, 100% not joking

Awesome!!! That Badge will be worth Serious $$ one day at an Auction. Good on ya Buddy.

I turned up because I wanted to see some of our younger players.

Same.

Whether or not McMahon kicked that goal has no bearing on our prospects for our future [edit: with regards winning culture etc] and finishing with an extra four points this year is of no benefit.

Whether or not McMahon kicked that goal has no bearing on our prospects for our future....

I think that comment is pre mature until the season is finished. An extra four points in this game could decide the PP access at year end.

I agree about the younger players. However the game was a terrible standard of football where it was hard to eke out any real enjoyment.

I was in a twilight zone yesterday. I was agressively cursing my own players with extreme hatred for scoring wonderful goals in the last quarter. This behavious later proved to me that this whole situation is out of control. I realise how desperately we need those picks so i now have to seperate myself from the game of AFL for the next 4 weeks for my own sanity. I cant cope anymore with barracking against the club i have loved for the last 20 years.

Of course I wanted McMahon to kick it. As I would expect 95% of supporters would.

I don't understand the comments about how supporters that wanted us to lose are pathetic or aren't doing the right thing. What these supporters want is to lose so that the club will be stronger in the future. It's common sense - the "cost" of losing to Richmond (negligible IMO) is far outweighed by the "benefit" of losing (potential acquisition of two key players for the next 12 years). On such a basic analysis the club was far better off losing yesterday.

So my point is this - if the club is better off losing yesterday, and we are all supporters of the MFC, why would we want our team to win? Why wouldn't we want what's better for the club?

I understand the feeling of wanting Melbourne to lose isn't a good one. But supporters wanting us to lose are actually supporting the best interests of the club and are wanting to see it succeed in the future.

Supporting your side for a win is not unconditional. If you were offered a premiership in 2011 but in 2010 we had to lose every game, who here would not accept that?

People that wanted us to lose yesterday had the best interests of the club at heart. I don't begrudge supporters who wanted us to win yesterday...it's up to the individual supporter to decide what they want. But I'm sick of hearing them complain about the others that wanted us to lose. We want to lose because we want MFC to win, it's that simple.

Edited August 3, 200916 yr by Scoop Junior