The umpiring was worse the the Bulldogs game in 1997 where Stynes got pinged and umpire Caulfield handed the Dogs a win. It was just that bad. So very one-sided.

The umpires were clearly swept up in the atmosphere. They simply cannot be allowed to umpire the finals.

No danger of that -they were a laughing stock.

Well let me tell you, this was a dead rubber against a side with more at stake. We were always going to lose. It's just so Melbourne.

Personally, I don't care that we lost today, for two reasons. Firstly, it does mean a better series of draft picks. Secondly, there is no way we can wallpaper over the gaping cracks that exist. Also, any fantasy that TV would be coach is gone.

In a few cases his tap was the only time we touched the ball between the bounce and their goal. He has some magical chemistry with their midfielders.

Lol....is there a stat that captures 'Taps to the opposition's advantage' ??

And whatever happened to just thumping or punching the ball forward (or at least attempting to....even with say a 3rd man up) when your losing most of the middle clearances when trying to tap??

Edited September 4, 201114 yr by Rusty Nails

I didn't take the loss to port as hard. First game on what will be their néw home ground; old port champions there with guard of honor; big crowd roaring them on (something they haven't had for a while); few re-signs by young players; and last but not least, playing to avoid the spoon. That's equivalent to a rocket up your backside. We had little to play for and lost due to inaccurate kicking. No damage done.

I don't judge Viney on these 5 weeks. The club he inherited was/is totally demoralised. Let's have a big preseason and get back on the horse. We'll be better. A crap year like this year should teach the kids it's not just going to happen. They need to work like mad.

Go Dees!

I didn't take the loss to port as hard. First game on what will be their néw home ground; old port champions there with guard of honor; big crowd roaring them on (something they haven't had for a while); few re-signs by young players; and last but not least, playing to avoid the spoon. That's equivalent to a rocket up your backside. We had little to play for and lost due to inaccurate kicking. No damage done.

I don't judge Viney on these 5 weeks. The club he inherited was/is totally demoralised. Let's have a big preseason and get back on the horse. We'll be better. A crap year like this year should teach the kids it's not just going to happen. They need to work like mad.

Go Dees!

Other than perhaps Pride and self esteem.

Other than perhaps Pride and self esteem.

Agreed. What I'm saying is port played out of their skin.

Agreed. What I'm saying is port played out of their skin.

Wish we could do that every now and then,it would be great to win a game we were expected to lose; come to think of it it would be great to win a game we were expected to win.

Today's game was lost at the selection table, to many kids. Thank goodness the season is over and don't have to look at that rubbish again for 6 months.

Watts back to 2010 form makes me really sad...

Ring the changes at our club in ALL areas. GRRR...

Should have rested the bottom 6 in experience/size and sent them on an early holiday straight after the West Coast match. Watts included. I'm referring to only those we decide to keep from here of course. Could have brought them back a little earlier than the rest and wacked them in the gym before the rest to get pumping earlier.

Whatever it takes. Bring in biggest/toughest or just more senior players from Casey (yes even Juice if needed) for last 3 to allow this to have happened. Dunn etc.

I wanted to see some bigger nastier men running out next year, instead of too many skinny boys. There's always going to be the odd one or 2 in any teams when you're bringing in the odd newby and giving them a try out. But we have way too many who just aren't up to a hard nosed physical stoush when the heat is on and the opposition starts to crack in.

And.....we also allow too many players to get a look in too easily. Need to earn it big time in Casey unless there's injuries of course. If they don't earn it they shouldn't be getting an easy walk up gig. Unless they're a proven past performer coming back from an injury, a key part of the jigsaw and have fully regained their fitness and some form after a few Magoo games.

Too late to do this now though. What a waste of 3 weeks.

Wish we could do that every now and then,it would be great to win a game we were expected to lose; come to think of it it would be great to win a game we were expected to win.

We won 8 games for the year - presumably in each one of those we were either expected to win or expected to lose.

Still can't see what was positive about this. Under Viney we won one game - a fairly uninspiring effort against GC. We managed to lose to the worst team in the comp and get beaten by Richmond. We'd have been better off letting Bails see out the year and then making a considered judgement rather than the knee jerk stuff that went on after the Geelong debacle. I know most here won't agree with this but I am finding it hard to see what was gained over the past 5 weeks other than confirmation that Viney won't be the next coach.

I consider that evert once in a while you read something really sensible on the Internet and when it happens it ought be recognized and appreciated.

If one thing could be added - I could never bring myself to embrace anarchy because although it's relatively easy to destroy and bring things down, it really shouldnt be done until there's something better to replace it in the frame ( maniacal despots excluded of course and I wouldn't think the above fits into that category)

There is a positive.

Petterd, Jurrah, Gyberts, Gawn, Grimes and Sylvia.

There is a 1/4 of a team of quality players that can make a difference in 2012.

I agree with this. I know he's not popular at the moment, but Davey should be in that list too. The Dees did everything but kick straight yesterday. They came back from the brink twice and nearly a third time and generally looked the better team. It was very frustrating to watch. However, I am still confident that the extra experience, more mature bodies and the arrival a new coach with a new game plan will see a move up the ladder next year. We must find another quality mid to replace Scully if he goes.

Edited September 4, 201114 yr by btdemon

I consider that evert once in a while you read something really sensible on the Internet and when it happens it ought be recognized and appreciated.

If one thing could be added - I could never bring myself to embrace anarchy because although it's relatively easy to destroy and bring things down, it really shouldnt be done until there's something better to replace it in the frame ( maniacal despots excluded of course and I wouldn't think the above fits into that category)

I agree with this also but I am warming slightly to Viney, especially if, as I said on another thread, we surrounded him with innovative and canny tacticians. I do like his straight forward approach.

Did watts even play today? His form has been down last few weeks

I spoke to Watts after the Gold Coast game, and he said to me that he is absolutely stuffed, and that is why his form has dropped off over the last month of this season. I didn't see any of the game yesterday, but this is probably a major factor for his performance.

This is not giving him an "out", or any of the other young players for that matter, but the workload these kids have to deal with, especially for such young bodies, has to have an effect. It's happened to the Gold Coast kids for the past 8 weeks, and will happen to GWS, and any other team with a lot of kids playing. We're just in a position where our top line players aren't able to stand up when the kids drop off.

So what do you do if you have a young team and they're absolutely stuffed at the end of the season?

Do you work them hard in the offseason or take it slowly to build them up at the end of the year?

Jeez we need expert top level coaching don't we?

Supporters need to be realistic. Not positive, not negative.

The reality is that there is a lot to be concerned about.

1. Schwab?

2. Connolly?

3. Coach for 2012?

4. We have 2 'top shelf' footballers.

Trengove and Frawley. Premiership contenders have 8 to 10.

5. We have 15 other players who are clearly of AFL standard.

Jones, Watts, Gysberts, Sylvia, McKenzie, Grimes, Green, Garland, Moloney, Jurrah, Rivers, Martin, Howe, Jamar, Bail

That's a total of 17. We're about 10 players short of potentially being a good side.

Players who need to be axed, contract or no contract:

Warnock, Bate, Morton, Dunn, Maric, Newton, McNamara, Davey

The good news from an otherwise poor season:

T. Viney, J. Viney, Jones, Watts, Frawley, Trengove, McKenzie, Garland, Moloney, Rivers, Martin, Tapscott, Howe, McDonald, Blease, Gawn, Nicholson, Evans

In summary: A long, long, long way to go.

Supporters need to be realistic. Not positive, not negative.

The reality is that there is a lot to be concerned about.

1. Schwab?

2. Connolly?

3. Coach for 2012?

4. We have 2 'top shelf' footballers.

Trengove and Frawley. Premiership contenders have 8 to 10.

5. We have 15 other players who are clearly of AFL standard.

Jones, Watts, Gysberts, Sylvia, McKenzie, Grimes, Green, Garland, Moloney, Jurrah, Rivers, Martin, Howe, Jamar, Bail

That's a total of 17. We're about 10 players short of potentially being a good side.

Players who need to be axed, contract or no contract:

Warnock, Bate, Morton, Dunn, Maric, Newton, McNamara, Davey

The good news from an otherwise poor season:

T. Viney, J. Viney, Jones, Watts, Frawley, Trengove, McKenzie, Garland, Moloney, Rivers, Martin, Tapscott, Howe, McDonald, Blease, Gawn, Nicholson, Evans

In summary: A long, long, long way to go.

Prof that is a fairly good summation!

I will agree with 90% of it.

The only thing I would add is we have no game winner.

what are these guys doing at training!?

certainly not working on their foot skills, that's for sure..

I take solace in that we have done the bulk of a rebuild and now are moving onto the next phase.

We will move into the next phase when our midfield does because I think the rest of our team is pretty good recognizing we still need one or two things.

Commetti said it all pre-game.

Something like:

"I originally had Melbourne tipped to win this game all week, but after looking at the team today, I have to ask who is going to kick the goals?"

The first quarter says a lot - 2.6 FFS!

I know Bailey has got the ar*e but come on, these line coaches must be answerable as well. These are the guys that sit and (supposedly) do nothing other watch a half dozen blokes play and feed information and data back to the head coach.

Big shake up required in the coaches box. Take the broom to all assistants as well.

We won 8 games for the year - presumably in each one of those we were either expected to win or expected to lose.

We were expected to win against Richmond and Port and we didn't, can you tell me any games we were expected to lose that we didn't?

Just one will do.

We were expected to win against Richmond and Port and we didn't, can you tell me any games we were expected to lose that we didn't?

Just one will do.

That's not nothing to do with what you said the first time.

Just to remind you, your exact words were:

Wish we could do that every now and then,it would be great to win a game we were expected to lose; come to think of it it would be great to win a game we were expected to win.

I.e. you said

- We didn't win any games we were expected to win

- We didn't win any of the games we were expected to lose

Given that we must have been expected to win or expected to lose every game, if you combine the logic of those two statements, then what you've said is that we didn't any games.

Commetti said it all pre-game.

Something like:

"I originally had Melbourne tipped to win this game all week, but after looking at the team today, I have to ask who is going to kick the goals?"

The first quarter says a lot - 2.6 FFS!

I know Bailey has got the ar*e but come on, these line coaches must be answerable as well. These are the guys that sit and (supposedly) do nothing other watch a half dozen blokes play and feed information and data back to the head coach.

Big shake up required in the coaches box. Take the broom to all assistants as well.

Was always going to happen.

I can see West, Mahoney, Royal, Williams, O'Donnell, and Dunbar leaving. And maybe the fitness staff if the new coach is keen for some poaching.

Connolls I don't know about. If we get a personality like Malthouse, I wouldn't have a clue about how Connolls will work with that, or vice-versa.

So the FD might have the personal dev people, the operational staff, Harrigton, Prendergast, and Burleigh left over.

That would be quite the overhaul.

We were expected to win against Richmond and Port and we didn't, can you tell me any games we were expected to lose that we didn't?

Just one will do.

I gave us no chance v's Essendon.

That's not nothing to do with what you said the first time.

Just to remind you, your exact words were:

I.e. you said

- We didn't win any games we were expected to win

- We didn't win any of the games we were expected to lose

Given that we must have been expected to win or expected to lose every game, if you combine the logic of those two statements, then what you've said is that we didn't any games.

Have another try Nasher i didn't say anywhere that

- We didn't win any games we were expected to win

- We didn't win any of the games we were expected to lose

They are your words not mine, have another go. If you are happy to twist what I've said, and it makes it closer to what you would like to think I've said; good on you.

This is what I said.

Wish we could do that every now and then,it would be great to win a game we were expected to lose; come to think of it it would be great to win a game we were expected to win.

That was a flippant remark but in your haste to have a dip at me you had to try and twist it.

Whilst the decisions to release White, Yze and Holland were of good timing. I still think McDonald and Bruce should of been kept for this season at least. The team seriously lacked experience and a mature head.