Following the controversy over the clash between our strip and the umpires strip, I was thinking about how much the AFL has cost us financially through their mismanagement.

In considering the costs, I thought about:

• Membership reductions
  
• Possible finals revenue
  
• Prize money
  
• Sponsorship
  
• Future gate receipts
  
• etc
  

Although it's only one match, it would've been a win against a top four contender and one of the pre-season premiership favourites. I can see this bringing in a lot more supporters and in turn, more sponsorship dollars.

It's particularly hurtful considering it was on our only Friday night match for the year.

Edited May 10, 201015 yr by Gooner

I wouldn't imagine it would but it may have also cost us.

* Self belief in the players to close out these close matches against quality opposition. It's happened to them twice now this year. Will it play on their minds next time around?

I was thinking about how much the AFL has cost us financially through their mismanagement.

They admitted their error, apologised - end of story. We're only Melbourne - they couldn't give a stuff. If we were one of the big 4, they would have ensured it was corrected BEFORE the game started!!!

Get over it people. We lost because the Bulldoga were able to go a little extra in the last 5 minutes. Had we not made some crucial errors at crucial times we would have won that game. Blaming someone else is what losers do. Time to move on.

They admitted their error, apologised - end of story. We're only Melbourne - they couldn't give a stuff. If we were one of the big 4, they would have ensured it was corrected BEFORE the game started!!!

Sorry to keep repeating myself but they have not apologised. That is what makes me angrier. The words used were " we made a mistake and it won't happen again. The words we are sorry or we apologise have never been said.

Get over it people. We lost because the Bulldoga were able to go a little extra in the last 5 minutes. Had we not made some crucial errors at crucial times we would have won that game. Blaming someone else is what losers do. Time to move on.

That would be the error whereby someone passed to an umpire who neatly sidestepped the ball, allowing it to keep going to the four buuldogs players who ran it down the ground for a goal right?

As long as we learnt something about winning close games.

That would be the error whereby someone passed to an umpire who neatly sidestepped the ball, allowing it to keep going to the four buuldogs players who ran it down the ground for a goal right?

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Good one, Ralphius. If it had been Peter Carey, he'd have marked it, which at least would have minimised the damage!

That would be the error whereby someone passed to an umpire who neatly sidestepped the ball, allowing it to keep going to the four buuldogs players who ran it down the ground for a goal right?

I was as [censored] as the next person but that fact remains there was another battle for the ball after Bartram did that, we lost it and Lake kicked a point, not a goal. Bartram then had the chance to clear the ball in the Doggies forward pocket, he overan it and Griffen swooped, game over. Who lost us the match, no one, The Doggies won it because they didn't shite themselves like a few of ours did at the end. Again, Blaming the umpires is what losers do. Do you reckon Tom Scully is bitching about the umpires. No chance he's kicked himself for his 8 clangers and moved on.

Edited May 10, 201015 yr by Roost It

Blaming the umpires is what losers do. Do you reckon Tom Scully is bitching about the umpires. No chance he's kicked himself for his 8 clangers and moved on.

Forget about the umpires, they didn't shower themselves in glory Friday night but they only wore what the AFL dished out for them (no doubt proudly, this lot on Friday night seemed to enjoy basking in the limelight in their bright pink "look at me" outfits).

But most of us have moved on and are focusing on next Saturday.

However, the AFL made a huge mistake and that was after the MFC contacted them early in the week with concerns and were assured by the AFL that all was under control.

An apology by the AFL to MFC is hardly sufficient (and I'm not aware that an apology has yet been offered). Footy is big business, sponsors, members etc and the least MFC should be offered after an unconditional apology for not following through with their emailed assurances to us, is some offer of reparation by the AFL. Like, maybe a promise of an additional Friday night game at the 'G next season?

The other big value we can draw from the four point loss is a football one and it's in our hands. I'm hoping the boys are pretty angry about losing to the Bullgogs, and one big lesson is never to let the opposition get away at the start like they did. Hopefully we'll start with intensity and get early goals on the board.

After the one point loss to Collingwood, we won our next 3 games. If we take that attitude from Friday's game, we're winners!

Following the controversy over the clash between our strip and the umpires strip, I was thinking about how much the AFL has cost us financially through their mismanagement.

In considering the costs, I thought about:

• Membership reductions
  
• Possible finals revenue
  
• Prize money
  
• Sponsorship
  
• Future gate receipts
  
• etc
  

Although it's only one match, it would've been a win against a top four contender and one of the pre-season premiership favourites. I can see this bringing in a lot more supporters and in turn, more sponsorship dollars.

It's particularly hurtful considering it was on our only Friday night match for the year.

Posts like these makes me laugh, I'm surprised you didn't draw up an actual dollar value in all of that rubble. Fact of the matter is, the loss sucks once that final siren sounds and for a little bit afterwards but you move on and get over it. In the long run, it's for the greater good that we lost against the Bulldogs and Magpies, we were competitive, we rattled them and they got the 4 points. For a team that's no where near being a legitimate grand final threat, this is a great thing, better draft picks next year - all the while proving the strength of our list. With Gold Coast's influence on the draft, every spot you finish higher on the ladder knocks you back a couple of more picks. Getting the best guy/s possible next year will be the icing on our premiership cake.

I think it'll be costly to West Coast if we play the way I hope we will in response!

As long as we beat the Weagles next weekend i don't think it will hurt the club too much apart from not getting 4 points we should have, as the media has been very favourable to us since.

The Team is moving forward-as long as we beat the Weagles. Remember at 1/4 time last Friday we were $7.00 to win.

i haven't watched the replay so i don't know how the commentary called our effort.

In a weird way, I almost feel that as a young team on the rise, these close (possibly unfair) losses to highly rated opposition a benficial from an outside perspective.

People are all about the Dees at the moment (including the media) and I think these losses build to that momentum. They don't help my heart though!

I was as [censored] as the next person but that fact remains there was another battle for the ball after Bartram did that, we lost it and Lake kicked a point, not a goal. Bartram then had the chance to clear the ball in the Doggies forward pocket, he overan it and Griffen swooped, game over. Who lost us the match, no one, The Doggies won it because they didn't shite themselves like a few of ours did at the end. Again, Blaming the umpires is what losers do. Do you reckon Tom Scully is bitching about the umpires. No chance he's kicked himself for his 8 clangers and moved on.

I can recall two costly passages that cost goals. The first was Chip's kick in to the oncoming player and the second was Bartram's attempt to paddle the ball along or pick it up, with 4 dogs players around him, instead of kicking the ball forwards and chasing it which would have seen a ball up or out of bounds.

A related question is how much did the umps looking like Demon player affect the Doggies? I suspect they often felt under extra pressure with our additional 3+ Demon "players" on the field. It may be that the umps kept us closer that it would have been with out them, despite the Melbourne errors... Just a different perspective as we move on to the more important business of next week...

In a weird way, I almost feel that as a young team on the rise, these close (possibly unfair) losses to highly rated opposition a benficial from an outside perspective.

People are all about the Dees at the moment (including the media) and I think these losses build to that momentum. They don't help my heart though!

Good post. Resonates with me.

Adrian Anderson also stated that in an effort to even the ledger that next year the Umpires would wear a traditional white strip to more closely resemble the extra men the Bulldogs played with all night!

Edited May 10, 201015 yr by grazman

How much is a loss worth - lots! Against North they learnt they still have a long way to go. Against Collingwood and Footscray they learnt they can still lose it in the last fwew minutes - and in the future when it counts they won't lose every again like that.

How much is a loss worth - lots! Against North they learnt they still have a long way to go. Against Collingwood and Footscray they learnt they can still lose it in the last fwew minutes - and in the future when it counts they won't lose every again like that.

And against the Bullgogs they've also learnt to start with intensity so we're not playing catch-up for the first half. Unless you enjoy the pain of losing by 4 pts.

We didn't lose because of the umpires.

If we miss the finals by 1 game, it will be our fault. We should have won this game regardless of the two non-allowed goals and the pink umpires. We should also have won the Collingwood game (not just because Petterd should have held the mark, but like the Dogs game we should have held our lead).