A lot will need to change in the weeks leading up to QB for us to beat them.

We are barely travelling at the moment.

No i think the MFC will rise to the challenge, as the Filth have said..to them it is just another game.

We just have to play well in big games to win respect, no excuse will do anymore.

Normally i'd agree it would just be another game for them, but after the 1 point between our combined games last year and the Pies knowing we rise for this game they'll come out firing, I fear if we keep playing the way we are and so do they we may get smashed this time However still a long way to go so form can change.

Edited April 25, 201114 yr by Deemort

Yet more proof that half the people on this site don't know what they're talking about. 'Why you Little' - gee thats embarrassing. Essendon had the worst of the umpire decisions all day but proved to match it with Collingwood. Essendon didnt even play well yet found themselves 2 points down with 5 mins to go.

90% of what makes Collingwood so good is their work rate. Players never stop running, with or without the ball. I wish Melbourne had their work ethic.

exactly. Pendlebury and Swan are jets but if you look at that team individually, there is nothing special about them.

The back 6 are vulnerable if you can separate them like we did last year when Petterd was left with his opponent. (HShaw?)

But their workrate is [censored] amazing. They will tear us a new one if we don't improve.

And at the end of the ANZAC day armwrestle, it's Cloke and to a lesser extent Dawes who proved too much for the Bombers to handle.

Until we develop at least one gorilla forward of this type, we cannot be serious challengers.

Question is, who on our list will become this player/s and how long do we have to wait for them?

Cloke was drafted 2004, played his first game 2005. He certainly wasn't a "gorilla" then.

He's now in his 7th season of senior AFL footy. He's bulked up.

Give the same opportunity and window for our boys to do the same.

We better come close. It's our grand final.

I read comments like this and have to look at who posted it to know whether they're facetious or serious. Thankfully on this occasion I concluded facetious.

On QB - the results last year might as well have been 20 years ago for all their relevance now. Collingwood are not in our league and it will take a Herculean effort on our part - and a poor one on theirs for us to be in this match.

I expect we're going to get a lesson in this match this year.

Yet more proof that half the people on this site don't know what they're talking about. 'Why you Little' - gee thats embarrassing. Essendon had the worst of the umpire decisions all day but proved to match it with Collingwood. Essendon didnt even play well yet found themselves 2 points down with 5 mins to go.

Yourself included I would suggest.

Any thought that Collingwood did not play that well either today?....Hmmm.

You have to worry about "strategic" mindsets where the umpire is a big impediment to progress on the day.

I read comments like this and have to look at who posted it to know whether they're facetious or serious. Thankfully on this occasion I concluded facetious.

On QB - the results last year might as well have been 20 years ago for all their relevance now. Collingwood are not in our league and it will take a Herculean effort on our part - and a poor one on theirs for us to be in this match.

I expect we're going to get a lesson in this match this year.

Good conclusion Nasher

It's not rocket science. The reason we got so close to them last year was fierce tackling.

I worry this year cuz the boys dont seem to want to get their dirty.

I knew Essendon would get smashed the minute they decided to put Hill, Ryder and Bellchambers in the same team. The way to beat the Pies is tackling pressure (McKenzie highly important here) and a mobile forward-line (Jurrah, Petterd, Wonaeamirri, Bennell very important here). Winning the clearances is also going to be massive, and so the Jamar/Martin combo is going to be huge for us.

Totally agree. With the less rotations, the defensive structures will be hard for the wobblers to maintain. A classy, speedy, mobile forward zone wil play havoc with them. But winning enough mid ball and using it well is imperative. Our defence is not playing in form yet and is not cohesive enough to beat them, IMO.

I must be watching a differant game.

Agree.

What's that got to do with mind games?

I wish I lived in Cloud Cuckoo Land like some of our fans, would be a magic place.

I'd love that too.

It's not rocket science. The reason we got so close to them last year was fierce tackling.

I worry this year cuz the boys dont seem to want to get their dirty.

I heard Leigh Matthews state earlier this ANZAC round that usually you can identify sides that will win when drawing a line between two stats. "Contested ball" and "tackles". Sure you've got to be able to put a score on the board too, but invariably if a side is leading these two stats well, they invariably go on to win the game.

not too sure which game some of you were watching but im not looking forward to taking on either of these sides in the near future. I hate both of these teams with passion however towards the end of the game essendon showed 3 talls may work for them, Bellchambers is improving rapidly, Hille up forward could kick a bag and Ryder hardly touched it which is ominous. The Pies, midfield will smash ours and the 2 big blokes forward are hard for us to match up on other than Chip. Theie midfeild has more depth than the atlantic ocean. Our biggest chance is to play risky football and play on, move it wuickly into our forward line and dont allow amyone to drop back and float accross half back. All in all i think we are a fair way off these 2 sides and as much as i hate to say it the dons are not looking too bad at all.

not too sure which game some of you were watching but im not looking forward to taking on either of these sides in the near future. I hate both of these teams with passion however towards the end of the game essendon showed 3 talls may work for them, Bellchambers is improving rapidly, Hille up forward could kick a bag and Ryder hardly touched it which is ominous. The Pies, midfield will smash ours and the 2 big blokes forward are hard for us to match up on other than Chip. Theie midfeild has more depth than the atlantic ocean. Our biggest chance is to play risky football and play on, move it wuickly into our forward line and dont allow amyone to drop back and float accross half back. All in all i think we are a fair way off these 2 sides and as much as i hate to say it the dons are not looking too bad at all.

Couldn't agree more. We need a seismic shift in mentality if we are to even offer up a challenge to these two. Our results so far are ok, but the way we got them has been dismal. The bummers lost yesterday, but lost in spectacular fashion. We lost to Colingw@*in spectacular fashion last year too, but the way we played back then seems to escape us at the moment. God I hope we find it soon, cause I couldn't stand getting flogged by either of these two teams (or any others for that matter). Roll on Thursday and hopefully a shift in mentality.

But WHY are we miles of that level? Essendon finished 14th last year.

It's is upstairs where the change has come from.

Spot on it has to come from upstairs but it may not be so easy. Your point about essendon finishing 14th last year is pretty much my reasoning. Last year they weren't motivated to play the way they are now, whether it be they didn't want to play for knights or knights simply didn't have the ability to instill that mentality into the players. I feel that one of those 2 things is happening at Melbourne at th moment. We havent shown work rate or intensity all year, including the pre season so can you just turn it on? Something needs to spark it. We dont seem to have the onfield leadership to spark it either.

Edited April 26, 201114 yr by stranga

Speculating about whether we will beat Collingwood on Queens Birthday is so 'small-time'.

90% of what makes Collingwood so good is their work rate. Players never stop running, with or without the ball. I wish Melbourne had their work ethic.

work ethic, mindset, intensity, these things have got nothing to do with what number you were taken in the draft, or how many players are injured. the pies and lions are good examples of this, the dees and the saints are currently bad examples. if our current work ethic continues throughout the year bring on the silver fox .

work ethic, mindset, intensity, these things have got nothing to do with what number you were taken in the draft, or how many players are injured. the pies and lions are good examples of this, the dees and the saints are currently bad examples. if our current work ethic continues throughout the year bring on the silver fox .

Absolutely...How hard does each player want to work for the MFC jumper and cause, whether it be their first game for us or their 200th. I know it is easy to say, but it's what i witnessed particularly for Essendon yesterday. They didn't win, but Geez some of their newbies were outstanding.

With that mindset against Wet Coke we would murder them on thursday night.

Essendon have improved heaps this year, and Melbourne will have to be at their best to beat them. As for the Magpies, we need to be at our ABSOLUTE best and hope they have an off day to come close. Yes, we matched with them well last year on both occasions, but they are a much better team than us.

I am a person that believes ALL games are 50/50 (barring gold coast lol) so we are always a chance.