While I'm as frustrated as everyone in here about the first half today, the thing that sticks out like the dangly bits on a male dog (in my opinion) is the lack of "team" work. You look at the top sides compared to us, the biggest difference is how they play for the other bloke wearing the same jumper.

The biggest frustration for me is the lack of shepperds that we lay. Why this is the most frustrating thing for me is because it takes that extra bit of effort to protect your team mate, to allow him that extra bit of space to deliver with less pressure. It is extra effort, not skill, to lay a hard shepperd, and until we can improve in this area, you can throw everything else out the window.

Thoughts...

Comes with attitude which for us only makes appearances sporadically throughout a game.

Great last week. Shite this week.

They need to fix their mental intensity.

Inconsistent effort needs to be and is being addressed. Its up to the players to begin to switch on for four quarters.

Leadership is the big issue IMO.

agreed melbourne players often run past opponent players to try be an option, but why not just smash the bloke

While I'm as frustrated as everyone in here about the first half today, the thing that sticks out like the dangly bits on a male dog (in my opinion) is the lack of "team" work. You look at the top sides compared to us, the biggest difference is how they play for the other bloke wearing the same jumper.

The biggest frustration for me is the lack of shepperds that we lay. Why this is the most frustrating thing for me is because it takes that extra bit of effort to protect your team mate, to allow him that extra bit of space to deliver with less pressure. It is extra effort, not skill, to lay a hard shepperd, and until we can improve in this area, you can throw everything else out the window.

Thoughts...

Agreed all day/night I was yelling for someone to shepherd. It is a team essential to back/assist your teammate but they seem to be so focused on their own man that the "team" efforts are forgotten. The same with gang tackling. When we are good you see the two, three players tackling instead of leaving it to a single player.

That was the major thing that lifted from the start of the second half, one incident in particular was when the ball was in the middle of the ground and it looked like Freo were going to take the it away from a contest and Joel MacDonald (who i thought was very important today) just bullocked his way through the traffic and managed to knock the ball towards the Melbourne players, this resulted in a goal (i can't remember who to). We look like a different team when we do those small team-oriented things.

Edited July 19, 201015 yr by Pates

It's why Jordie McKenzie and Trengove are 2 of my favourites because they instinctively do the 1%'s because they strive of the physicality.

Also alarmingly I think we are starting to get a few too many guys wanting to kick the long goal instead of hitting up a leading forward. They obviously have lost faith in their footskills and the guy on the lead. At this stage we should cough up goals sharing the ball too much, no too little.

agreed melbourne players often run past opponent players to try be an option, but why not just smash the bloke

I think your right. The players are coached to run wide of their teammate, away from the opposition player and look for the handball. I'd rather them lay a few sheperds, but I don't think it is the players fault.

One day we'll get 120 1 percenters.

I'm not sure of that's allowed.