What a relief. I thought that the umpiring might have only looked bad due to my one eyed view. They were PATHETIC. But credit where its due I thought that the bombers killed us. A little hiccup for some of us who may have been getting ahead of ourselves. People need to understand that we are a very young side and we are going to have nights like tonight. But the positives will far outweigh the negatives when we get more game time into the youngsters. Tonight it was the more experienced guys that I thought let us down. Warnock,Macdonald, Bartram, Sylvia, Jones, Green, Moloney all decided to have an ordinary game together. How often does that happen? Better njow then during the real stuff. But the posives of Grimes and Trengrove getting a heap of it. Jurrah and Maric kicking a few. Bailey has done well with the kids so to snide remarks about where are the bailey fans now reaks of someone who should be supporting Carlton or Collingwood and not the dees! It only the NAB cup or very small sheep stations. Go Dees!

Where's joeboy's 3 word analysis?

I am back from the pub liquored up (drank more when we got more than 20 points down and am pretty sleepy)and my drunken observations are as follows:

- Grimes will captain this club

- I believe in Rivers again, he is relishing the role of a leader.

- Maric might live up to the hype that surrounded him on draft day

- Jack Watts need a hug, he is better than he thinks

- Jake Spencer looks like Napoleon Dynamite

- Evans could be more than a player

- Bartram is becoming very important, and looks to have improved on his foot skills somewhat

- Greeny struggled to lift when needed, hopefully a teething thing for the new skipper

- I think my wife may leave me for Dunn, that moe is hall of fame worthy.

Need to go to bed now.

This result is probably actually a good thing, as it will be a wake up call to the players that they have a lot of work to do and that getting sucked into media hype is a dangerous game. If we had of won this game, the hype would have gone through the roof and you could envisage a Carlton like performance where they won the pre-season cup but went on to win the wooden spoon.

Our games against Adelaide and Port showed that we can play some great footy, but tonight was a reminder that we can also put in a shocker. Consistency is the key and it will come as players develop and get more experience playing together. A couple of quiet weeks of low key practice matches is a good build up to round 1 IMO.

Here is my summary of each player, I was at Ethiad and wanted someone to kill me all game...

1 Matthew Warnock - not good enough for AFL, struggles unless he is on a gorilla

2 Nathan Jones - rusty... Got beaten too many times

3 Clint Bartram - did some good things, not the worst, didnt play his man

4 Jack Watts - didnt get opportunity, few bad mistakes, needs to do body on body work

6 Matthew Bate - tried hard

7 Jamie Bennell - kid looks confused, play him off a HBF or wing.

9 Jack Trengove - Stood up all night

12 Colin Sylvia - few flashes, well tagged

14 Lynden Dunn - needs others firing to get into game. Not the worst

16 Jack Grimes - Cant defend on his own but tried. Few errors late, but was mostly let down by team mates.

18 Brad Green - Did he play? Allowed to have an off game, but needs to be accountable as captain (like junior always did)

19 Addam Maric - been waiting for this. Great game, tried hard and shanked goals which is what we need...needs to work on defensive side of game

20 Colin Garland - Looked at sea.

22 Brent Moloney - Career in NFL waiting, Long bombs the go in that game. Someone needss to tell him out of a pack / bounce long is fine, but not everytime

24 Liam Jurrah - too casual, will learn, looks like he can turn a game at anytime

27 Jared Rivers - Big spoils, but no rum that we see from riv

28 Joel MacDonald - was as bad as he was Vs Kangas last year. Will get better or will play for casey

34 Stefan Martin - clearly improved... long way to go

36 Aaron Davey - struggled, well tagged. never given space, should have been tried up forward

38 Jeremy Howe - good signs

39 Neville Jetta - Tried hard, year or 2 off a midfield role...

40 Mark Jamar - felt sorry for him. How many times can you put a ball ddown someones throat and watch it go the other way

42 Jake Spencer - should never kick, but decent game

44 Rohan Bail - tried to much, not strong enough to shrug the tackles yet. Needs to improve kicking

47 James Strauss - This kid doesnt seem to handle the pressure... Cant see a spot for him unless injuries

50 Michael Evans - good signs

For some reason we were very very slack tonight, many times the bombers were alone at a bounce, the ball was like butter for us and we didnt move fast enough. Kicking backwards is a decent tactic if your trying to beat a zone, but when there is no one free to kick to on the other side what good is it? We just couldnt get the ball past the bombers half back line.

Our guys were not at the fall of the ball, and most of all we were not adaptable enough to what was happening. Our backline struggled because the bombers had multiple small(er) options which cause havoc.

We will improve no end, but given the bombers had so many not only senior, but important players out today i think we need to assess where we are at. While the HS is saying we will / should be pushing for finals, we may struggle. Its next year and the years after we will / should be winning prems.

Tonight hurt alot, i hope it hurt the players just as much.

I am far from Bartram's biggest fan, but god he has improved out of sight.

Sure, he has to know his limitations in terms of disposal, but his defensive game was quite good, considering he was playing on someone like Davey who is so hard to shut down in crumbing situations.

Also really happy to see Maric deliver. He is a very very good user of the ball, as is Strauss who just needs to stop looking like he is about to poo his pants everytime the ball goes near him. He backed himself with some kicks tonight and they were beautiful kicks. That is his one strength and probably the sole reason we drafted him, so it's good to see him use that weapon.

Spencer taking pack marks and hitting targets by foot also a highlight. He is far less spasticated than Jamar was at the same age.

Overall very very disappointing midfield performance. Sylvia was good, and Trengove did as much as you can expect from someone so inexperienced, but Moloney and Jones were like two tanks who ran out of petrol. I don't see how both are necessary in the same team, as both serve the same purpose. They were both horrible below their knees tonight and very slow. They get first class service from Jamar and that still does nothing for their ability to win a clean possession.

Finally, I'm loving Jeremy Howe. That kid can mark a football (Bate, please take notes!), and he has very good evasive skills. Impressed me tonight.

P.S.- Bring back Frawley!

at least we don't have Mark Williams, what a shithead!

And a cheat, I can't believe he claimed that mark and the umpire paid it.

And a cheat, I can't believe he claimed that mark and the umpire paid it.

Speaking of umpires, the bald guy that looks like a serial killer needs a good punch to the face, as does Angus Monfries.

I'll just do the 3 word analysis thingy:

Bail - provided some pace

Bartram - kicking is improving

Bate - I'm not convinced

Bennell - showed impressive signs

Davey - missing when tagged

Dunn - presented and goaled

Garland - solid without starring

Green - a missing captain

Grimes - 'good times' ahead

Howe - marking was good

Jamar - a mediocre night

Jetta - aggressively got involved

Jones - one to forget

Jurrah - I love him (no homo)

Macdonald - WWE after AFL

Maric - diamond in rough

Martin - well, he tried

Moloney - crashing packs failed

Rivers - general in defense

Spencer - looked unco, again

Strauss - can't doubt him

Sylvia - a quiet game

Trengove - future AFL superstar

Warnock - depth, nothing more

Watts - he went missing

Evans - he went alright

Hird - watch your spending

Edited February 24, 201114 yr by eth38

Tonight hurt alot, i hope it hurt the players just as much.

"Nah , not really." - Jack Watts .

Boy am I sick of this comment whenever someone is negative. We were terrible tonight and there was plenty of evidence, nab cup or not, that we aren't as good as many believe. I don't have a problem with people expressing that.

Yeh totally agree some munter thinks he is creative coming up with that. Tonight I finally had it explained and now am much poorer for the experience.

From Nathan Jones FaceBook page

"Really disappointing for us tonight!! Back to training, a real solid month coming up to get ready for Rd1, got some things to really work on"

Well, I just got home and can't be bothered reading what others have said, so I'll just put up my thoughts on the game.

Umpires. Sadly, we need them or the game really won't work, but can we please have some that are mildly competent?

Players. Sadly, we need them or the game really won't work...

But seriously, we looked like the Melbourne of three years ago out there tonight. It was a return to a lot of the bad habits that many of us thought a thing of the past. There were aimless handballing circles in the back 50. There were fumbles. There were blind long bombs to clusters of Essendon players. There were missed kicks under no pressure, dropped marks under no pressure, and hospital passes were many and varied. In short, even though the umpires were awful, what lost us the game was that we were worse.

I feel the need to single out several players for mention.

Garland. He played possibly the worst game I have ever seen from him. While he defended passably (but not as well as we have come to expect), his disposal was simply frightening. I'm sure others have mentioned the pass that never reached it's destination out of the back pocket. I'm pretty sure he's got a hell of a lot of push-ups to do in the coming week for the number of clangers he contributed.

Watts. He didn't do all that much wrong, and honestly, even a mis-hit pass into the forward 50 resulted in a goal which is a positive of sorts. However, he was completely uncompetitive when his opponent marked him tightly. He never looked like taking a contested mark. Tonight made it very clear to me that his body is not yet ready. He is far too easily moved away from the ball.

Warnock was solid when the ball came in high and long, but was burned on the lead every time. If he can't work on that pace he could have problems.

Strauss. I just cant see him making it. He may be a great kick, but there's little else in his game that says AFL.

Grimes was good. He stood out to me in a backline that seemed to be scrambling and tripping over it's own feet most of the night. He made some errors, as did they all, but in general was calm collected and got us out of trouble repeatedly.

MacDonald. Probably sitting out a couple of weeks, but I cheered when he did it. He was tough and uncompromising in defence, although he's another who was shocking with his disposal.

Sylvia was great. After seeing so many fumbles in the middle, to see him crash in and extract the ball was just magic.

Trengove is a star. I know everyone says it, but he will be a club legend. From his mark and goal to get us away onwards, he was all class.

Jurrah is a freak. Once again, we all say it, but it's true. He missed an easy running shot, only to make amends with a dribbler a few minutes later. Took a great mark in the middle. My big concern with him is sustained effort. We see him do these amazing things, but there are rarely any basics in between. He needs to get fitter and increase his workrate.

Bartram. Was very very good. Made some great tackles, took an awesome mark and didn't stuff up his passes. Pity he tackled someone's fist with his face and gave away that free.

Obviously there are many others I haven't commented on, but these are the thoughts that stand out for me. Overall, I have to say that it was a sub-par performance. There were far too many fumbles, dropped marks and missed passes. We even saw Jurrah drop an uncontested mark and miss a running shot from directly in front. It was a poor night to be a Melbourne supporter.

If I had to take a positive away from it, it would be that we were playing that badly and stil were only 10 points down at the last break. Without the fumbles and turnovers we would have destroyed them. Sadly, there's a lot of work to do to cut those out of our game.

Yeh totally agree some munter thinks he is creative coming up with that. Tonight I finally had it explained and now am much poorer for the experience.

If that's the best you can come up with, at least learn the meaning of the words you choose to use; or are you simply (operative word) being "creative".

Just watching an interview with Cale Morton and if he wasn't so ugly, he'd get a spot on the Footy Show or whatever.

Yeah, it's tough to compete with male models like Billy Brownless.

If that's the best you can come up with, at least learn the meaning of the words you choose to use; or are you simply (operative word) being "creative".

Yep thats the best I could muster, that being said, I think my complete disdain for the person who came up with this MFCSS is still quite evident in the post. Why cant you allow supporters to be disappointed with a poor NAB cup showing without trying to label as something greater. Hell i reckon its quite a natural response after being promised the world by players in the press during the week and then they fail to deliver. Is a disappointed supporter exclusive to the MFC or would you say that all club supporters may exhibit disappointment from time to time??? If all club supporters get disappointed then it ceases to be solely an MFC syndrome.

Yep thats the best I could muster, that being said, I think my complete disdain for the person who came up with this MFCSS is still quite evident in the post. Why cant you allow supporters to be disappointed with a poor NAB cup showing without trying to label as something greater. Hell i reckon its quite a natural response after being promised the world by players in the press during the week and then they fail to deliver. Is a disappointed supporter exclusive to the MFC or would you say that all club supporters may exhibit disappointment from time to time??? If all club supporters get disappointed then it ceases to be solely an MFC syndrome.

Then I tend to think you might be misinterpreting the "syndrome". It's use is not generally directed at those who express disappointment because most of us do and one time or another, but rather it's directed at those who see the entire season as gone, on the basis of a single poor showing (probably the same supporters as those that will call for Bailey's head on a platter as well). Perhaps it should be called the Chicken Little Syndrome?

Then I tend to think you might be misinterpreting the "syndrome". It's use is not generally directed at those who express disappointment because most of us do and one time or another, but rather it's directed at those who see the entire season as gone, on the basis of a single poor showing (probably the same supporters as those that will call for Bailey's head on a platter as well). Perhaps it should be called the Chicken Little Syndrome?

Well isnt that a human characteristic, let me take a stab in the dark and attempt to nail it, a pessimistic outlook on life, hardly a trait exclusively exhibited by Melbourne supporters. Something about a mountain and a molehill......

People love to be dramatic and dress things up in life solely to separate themselves from the masses and sound important when the simple explanation often suffices...occam's razor anybody????

Edited February 24, 201114 yr by 36DD

Back to training and out of the spotlight for a month. Let the media now fall in love with Tulla Bombers.

Senior guys last night looked a little disinterested. We looked more lethargic overall IMO, would this be due to a higher training load perhaps after having a week between NAB games?

Annoyed by the lack of success at stoppages. The movement into the forward line will improve if we can win more ball here.

Yep thats the best I could muster, that being said, I think my complete disdain for the person who came up with this MFCSS is still quite evident in the post. Why cant you allow supporters to be disappointed with a poor NAB cup showing without trying to label as something greater. Hell i reckon its quite a natural response after being promised the world by players in the press during the week and then they fail to deliver. Is a disappointed supporter exclusive to the MFC or would you say that all club supporters may exhibit disappointment from time to time??? If all club supporters get disappointed then it ceases to be solely an MFC syndrome.

Stop wasting your time mate.

The same half dozen use the same reference constantly as if it elevates them.

It's very sad but I'm sure they all feel better for it.

People love to be dramatic and dress things up in life solely to separate themselves from the masses and sound important when the simple explanation often suffices...occam's razor anybody????

Explaining simplicity/succinctness (whatever you like to call it) by using Occam's razor as a reference point, is in itself doing what Occam's razor says you shouldn't do - now I'm really confused :-)

Explaining simplicity/succinctness (whatever you like to call it) by using Occam's razor as a reference point, is in itself doing what Occam's razor says you shouldn't do - now I'm really confused :-)

ha ha yeh the irony was not lost on me when I wrote it

I know it's been mentioned, but Maric looked very good. The talk about him having a good preseason and so forth seems right. We saw some disposal that warrants the tags that were on him coming into the draft.

I am new to this site, so that comment makes little sense. And even before tonight I though we were way of top 4 and not a certainty for finals. We are a young (and exciting) side, but we still have a lot of work to do as a team, especially in terms of development of young players. I am very much looking forward to season, and I only said hibernate as I have no interest in the NAB cup when Melbourne is out.

Don't worry, your comment/post didn't warrant that term.

Thanks to Utah for the score updates for those who weren't at the game. My phone didn't have much life left whilst at the game.

faultydet - take it easy champ.

I know it's been mentioned, but Maric looked very good. The talk about him having a good preseason and so forth seems right. We saw some disposal that warrants the tags that were on him coming into the draft.

That supergoal of his was a great moment. Am I the only one who thinks he looked surprised when the ball came back to him?