Jump to content

Reality Check

Featured Replies

Posted

Today's disaster is a timely reality check of where we are as a football team.

We are young, and our best is great to watch, but our worst is awful, and that will be the case until we get games into our young guys. Simple as that.

46 points is a disgrace on our home ground. Players went missing today and that is really disapointing.

All our good early work this season can be undone with crap like today. For all those who talk finals, wake up. If this team cannot beat the Eagles at the MCG then we are still a very long way to go.

Faith must be kept, and it will, but we have to be better than today.

 

Absolutely. But it wasn't just our young guys who were bad today. Davey, Sylvia, Rivers, Johnson; all these players and more were really disappointing.

  • Author

Agreed. I guess i meant that our young kids will suffer ups and downs, but yes our senior core needs to better that that!

 

I was working today, so I only got to see a few bits on the AFL website and the last few minutes on the radio. Seemed from what I could see that we were back to overusing the ball at half back and handballing in circles with no targets up forward. IS that about what everyone else saw?


Davey, Bate and Bruce who have all been big movers this year, and all came off in the end hurt. Bate ankle, Davey got smashed in the scon, and Bruce may have nicked his hammy.

Just like the North game - we seemed to switch off/lack intensity against a non-contender. McDonald can hold his head up high - Sylvia and PJ were ordinary - Davey seemed injured.

Some of you may hate this, but face the facts (and think of the good teams as you read):

- too much handball, not enough kicking

- poor team selection and placement

- poor match day coaching

We basically have the players, but they need good development and coaching.

Bottom line is Bailey has to go, and probably his assistants.

No more excuses from the Bailey apologists - today was the inevitable proof, it was just a matter of time!

 

Inconsistencies are to be expected but today the inconsistency in intensity between Melbourne and WC was unacceptable.

We didn't come out wanting the ball.

Really disappointed particularly in some of the guys who have been around for a while. Sylvia was terrible, PJ is a poor poor footballer and as much as I've been a great fan of Rivers, he is really struggling. His lack of pace is so glaring and costly.

Of the kids I thought McKenzie was brilliant and Grimes as always is superb. Junior as always was leading from the front.

We played like crap and had little intensity at the ball. I know we had some injured players but our lack of run was obvious.


  • Author

Overused the h/b, we were strangled across half back, and reactive in the coaches box.

we have a plan A and when it works it is great, but our plan B stinks.. we dont have one.

Teams will work us out pretty quickly.

Bottom line is Bailey has to go, and probably his assistants.

Pathetic.

Some of you may hate this, but face the facts (and think of the good teams as you read):

- too much handball, not enough kicking

- poor team selection and placement

- poor match day coaching

We basically have the players, but they need good development and coaching.

Bottom line is Bailey has to go, and probably his assistants.

No more excuses from the Bailey apologists - today was the inevitable proof, it was just a matter of time!

Not sure if Bailey needs to go, but his selection of Mahoney as his forward line coach was a serious lack of judgement. Mahoney has to go, he is fuseless. As for the players, all bar James McDonald should give their match payments back. Trengove and Scully need to be rested, Miller should come in for Johnson, Davey needs to be told to kick the bloody thing long and none of that short crap, Sylvia has to go back to Casey, Grimes should be told to never kick sideways or backwards and get greater awareness. Rivers is just about finished (he is sooooooo slow) and Jones needs to get a rocket put up his arse.

What i am frustrated about, is this constant need to handball. Kick the bloody thing long.

Rant over.

Bottom line is Bailey has to go, and probably his assistants.

No more excuses from the Bailey apologists - today was the inevitable proof, it was just a matter of time!

You're either a troll, have a personal vendetta or have absolutely no idea.

We were rubbish today, and Bailey has to take some responsibility when the side performs like this. But to take one crap performance from a young side and call it categorical proof (or "inevitable" proof, whatever the hell that means) that the coach isn't up to the job, is just ridiculous.

The one positive to come out of games like today, is that there won't be any more ridiculous posts saying we're a chance to make the top 4. On the downside, we'll have equally ridiculous posts saying that the coach needs to be sacked.

  • Author

What i am frustrated about, is this constant need to handball. Kick the bloody thing long.

We constantly handballed because we lost our fwd structure, everytime we looked up our fwds had been dragged out of position and there was nothing to kick to.

Edited by Demon3


Good reality check for the boys. This was coming.

I thought it was a bad team selection to be honest. Rivers shouldn't have played. Nor PJ.

I want to see Morton, Cheney and Gysberts in next week.

keeping things in perspective guys. This is gonna be a frustrating year. we are probably still going to finish 10th-13th.

This year IS still about development. And if we keep developing our list, and getting games into our super talented youngsters will inevitably lead to natural improvement!

I have said it before and I'll say it again... our real rise up the latter will come in 2012 once these boys have had an extra 44 games playing together, and an extra 2-3 pre seasons to build their bodies.

If anyone wants evidence on the importance of getting games into players, just look at how James Frawley improved after 40 games of afl.

Can't wait for Watts, Scully, Trengove, Strauss, Bennel, McKenzie, Jurrah, Wona, Bail to have played 50 AFL games. Garland, Morton, Grimes, Pettard, Bate, Frawley to have played 70-90 games. Gysberts, Tapscott, Blease 25 games.

That's when we'll start to dominate.

Look at the moment- Watts, Scully, Trengove, McKenzie, Jurrah, Bail, Gysberts, Tapscott, Blease etc all played less than 10 afl games!!! they are babies to AFL. To have too high expectations would be silly

46 points is a disgrace on our home ground. Players went missing today and that is really disapointing.

Amazing noone has corrected you on this yet.....we lost by 29 points.

Sylvia's been rubbish in all our 3 losses.

He was certainly horrible today and has been quiet the last three weeks.

Some of you may hate this, but face the facts (and think of the good teams as you read):

- too much handball, not enough kicking

- poor team selection and placement

- poor match day coaching

We basically have the players, but they need good development and coaching.

Bottom line is Bailey has to go, and probably his assistants.

No more excuses from the Bailey apologists - today was the inevitable proof, it was just a matter of time!

You sir, are an idiot. This is the reason why I dont come on this site after a loss.

We are still a very young team that has now played all of 8 matches together. It will take time.


Some of you may hate this, but face the facts (and think of the good teams as you read):

- too much handball, not enough kicking

- poor team selection and placement

- poor match day coaching

We basically have the players, but they need good development and coaching.

Bottom line is Bailey has to go, and probably his assistants.

No more excuses from the Bailey apologists - today was the inevitable proof, it was just a matter of time!

Did not take long for the "Bailey Bashing"

- too much hand ball or no targets to kick to?

- poor team selection, who would have made more of an impact today?

- poor coaching or out coached?

Just like the North game - we seemed to switch off/lack intensity against a non-contender. McDonald can hold his head up high - Sylvia and PJ were ordinary - Davey seemed injured.

Agreed.

Simply the two teams that have denied us the corridor have smacked us.

North and West coast.

Once we have to go around the corridor we seem to freak out and run around in circles handballing to no one, brought back memories of the Daniher years.

 

This was no reality check. This was an absolute bloody disgrace. Yes the umpires were yet again useless but we were shocking.

It is just like Melbourne to come to a game favourite to win and then not turn up. We never wanted this game and we never had the guts to win it.

I cant think of one player who earned their match fee for the game they were all pathetic!

Heads must roll on this performance. I hope the 2s played well.

If we cant beat the Weagles at the G Port are going to smash us in Darwin :(

Today's disaster is a timely reality check of where we are as a football team.

We are young, and our best is great to watch, but our worst is awful, and that will be the case until we get games into our young guys. Simple as that.

46 points is a disgrace on our home ground. Players went missing today and that is really disapointing.

All our good early work this season can be undone with crap like today. For all those who talk finals, wake up. If this team cannot beat the Eagles at the MCG then we are still a very long way to go.

Faith must be kept, and it will, but we have to be better than today.

Don't let the Coaches off. Thought they were very ordinary too. 240 handballs, handball at all costs. No forward structure. Rivers on Kennedy far too long. Priddis unmanned for long periods. No counter to the Eagles pressure.


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Featured Content

  • PREGAME: Carlton

    The Demons return to the MCG as the the visiting team on Saturday night to take on the Blues who are under siege after 4 straight losses. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
    • 36 replies
  • PODCAST: North Melbourne

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th July @ 8:00pm. Join Binman & I as we dissect the Dees glorious win over the Kangaroos at the MCG.
    Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
    Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

      • Thanks
    • 4 replies
  • POSTGAME: North Melbourne

    The Demons are finally back at the MCG and finally back on the winners list as they continually chipped away at a spirited Kangaroos side eventually breaking their backs and opening the floodgates to run out winners by 6 goals.

      • Haha
      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 173 replies
  • VOTES: North Melbourne

    Max Gawn has an almost unassailable lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award followed by Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Kozzy Pickett & Clayton Oliver. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1

      • Thanks
    • 36 replies
  • PREVIEW: North Melbourne

    Can you believe it? After a long period of years over which Melbourne has dominated in matches against North Melbourne, the Demons are looking down the barrel at two defeats at the hands of the Kangaroos in the same season. And if that eventuates, it will come hot on the heels of an identical result against the Gold Coast Suns. How have the might fallen? There is a slight difference in that North Melbourne are not yet in the same place as Gold Coast. Like Melbourne, they are currently situated in the lower half of the ladder and though they did achieve a significant upset when the teams met earlier in the season, their subsequent form has been equally unimpressive and inconsistent. 

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 1 reply
  • REPORT: Adelaide

    The atmosphere at the Melbourne Football Club at the beginning of the season was aspirational following an injury-plagued year in 2024. Coach Simon Goodwin had lofty expectations with the return of key players, the anticipated improvement from a maturing group with a few years of experience under their belts, and some exceptional young talent also joining the ranks. All of that went by the wayside as the team failed to click into action early on. It rallied briefly with a new strategy but has fallen again with five more  consecutive defeats. 

      • Clap
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies