A BIT OF A MYSTERY by Mean Gene

The game's over and it's 0 and 9 ... but it was still a bit of a mystery how it ended so badly.

For three quarters they actually put up a fight and, but for the circumstance of their lack of experience and their low levels of self-confidence, they might have been even closer than 16 points in arrears at the final break. At that time, the Demons had gone a long way to dispelling many of the accusations fired over recent weeks at the entire club from the top down and certainly at the playing group.

They opened up with the game's first two goals and three of the first four but after that, only three of seventeen and they finished with none of seven in the final term.

They led by a point at quarter time, having gifted two away with some poor disposal out of defence (an umpire gifted the other one). In much the same way as they did against Hawthorn a fortnight ago, they wasted their hard work in a few minutes early in the second quarter when they conceded three goals to the Blues. However, this time they would put up a much better fight and they held steady in the second half of the term. Indeed, a little bit more class in the on ball division and some better efficiency up forward might have seen them a lot closer at the main break.

The main problem was that they were being whacked at the stoppages but, at least there were some shining lights. James Frawley and Jared Rivers were holding things down in the backline and Jack Grimes was doing well. Rohan Bail, Sam Blease and Dan Nicholson all added some pace to the mix - a feature that has been missing at Melbourne for so long. Mitch Clark was scoring goals (he could so easily have had five by half time) and Nathan Jones added a touch of hardness along with Jordie McKenzie who was doing a good job in blanketing Chris Judd.

The dour struggle continued in the third and they again had their chances. At one stage late in the term, the inside 50 count was even but Carlton still managed an almost three goal buffer at the last change. In days gone past we might have even sensed the possibility of an upset in the offing but the troops looked a little tired as they went into the huddle.

So it was that the day was marred by a final quarter when they capitulated. Despite that, they finished with a mysterious and interesting statistic of having had the ball in their forward half for 52% of the game. And considering that the club was supposed to have acquired the cream of football's sports scientists at the end of last season, it's a mystery how the team fades out so badly at the end of games.

Melbourne 3.4.22 5.7.37 6.10.46 6.13.49

Carlton 3.3.21 7.8.50 8.14.62 15.17.107

Goals

Melbourne Clark 3 Blease Howe Jones

Carlton Betts 5 Robinson 3 Hampson Walker 2 Armfield Kreuzer Tuohy

Best

 Melbourne Jones Frawley Watts Bail Blease Clark McKenzie

Carlton Robinson McLean Betts Walker Scotland Curnow

Injuries

Melbourne Green (bruised lung)

Carlton Collins (jarred knee)

Changes

Melbourne Bartram (knee) replaced in selected side by Tapscott

Carlton Yarran (toe) replaced in selected side by Lucas

Henderson (hip) replaced in selected side by Bower

Reports

Melbourne Nil

Carlton Nil

Umpires Ryan Nicholls Fleer

Crowd 28,371 at MCG

The game's over and it's 0 and 9 ...

The season's over and it's draftin' time...

Another pathetic effort

Better effort, we nEed better diposal, we really really need a small fwd and miss bartram a lot.

I wanted to win but was happy with the effort

Another pathetic effort

What? Ran out legs, not quite good enough. Watts not convincing (2 very marginal efforts in last quarter) but not a pathetic effort.

A shame that 3 quarters of effort gets erased by one quarter of pure undiluted shite.

One thing that stuck out, I can think of at least 4 times that we had clear cut simple chances completely squandered by Bennell and Dunn. Twice Bennell had the chance to run into an open goal and chose a glory shot. These undisaplined acts cost us BIG TIME!!

There are more positives from the likes of Blease and Watts (although he did a couple of very poor kicks), Howe showed bits and Magner again was prominent. But when the going gets tough there are still too many passengers, a lot of players getting found out.

Edited May 27, 201213 yr by Pates

moloney to casey, not sure why everytime he gets the ball he insists on trying to fend off a tackler just kick the damn ball, this is not the WWE geez

Yep to the well and trade table we go nothing left to see.

Better effort for 3 quarters than capitulation.

We are so very very unfit.

I hope Brad Green is ok the rest of the players should watch the replay of his effort that's what's needed for 4 quarters.

Edited May 27, 201213 yr by Diablo Deemon

Fairly good 1st and 3rd quarters. Once again we were totally overrun in the 2nd and 4th. Fitness fitness fitness. Also, before everyone calls for Watts to be dropped, I don't think that would be very good for his development. He desperately needs to find some desparation, and I don't think he can do that in the 2nds. However, gifting him games in the 1's would be just as bad as sending him straight back to the VFL. I'm not sure what we should be doing about him.

Also, Moloney needs to GTFO of my football team.

Edited May 27, 201213 yr by Chook

Posted Today, 05:57 PM

Why do we look so slow and unfit .... It's beyond me. DEESTAR

Posted Today, 06:01 PM

Just not fit enough. WYL

We sure do look to be lacking the fitness but I'm hoping thats because were nowhere near the elite level, (that's obvious)that misso is training us for.

How slow is Trengove at times he looked like he was going backwards.

We had the chance to walk of the ground with our head held high at 3 quarter time win or lose but NO they said were the MFC we must give up and get flogged.

Moloney must go now he was belted by Ellard who is a VFL player at best and bring in couch.

I cannot accurately communicate how furious I am after being 16 points down at 3/4 time and equalling the Blues for most of the first three quarters, only to be beathen by 10 goals. I refuse to accept it is fitness and I refuse to accept it is game plan. How many chest marks did we drop without any pressure? The players run and spread into the right position, and people like Bail, McKenzie and Watts do pathetic, dinky little short passes that miss the mark by 5 metrres and we get burned on the turnover. This is not fitness, game plan, coaching or any other of these kind of of factors. It is concentration and maintaining skills.

In the last quarter, we dropped chest marks, got outmarked by smaller opponents, and rediscovered the wonderful gtift of handballing behind players who were running andfree. I am #$%&@# furious over this loss. We were in it with a good chance of winning it!!!

And don't get me started on Watts decision not to fly for the mark in the last quarter. He CHOSE not to go and they ran it out two versus one.

33 disposals to brock mclean how the hell does that happen

The effort was fine, especially after last week's game. We held Carlton for 3 quarters and were in with a shot, despite not being able to win any clearances or contested possession. For me that says that our style of play is OK and that the players are starting to get a better idea of what they are supposed to do ...... it's just that they aren't good enough at the moment.

We aren't yet fit enough, but we already knew that. Our players were out on their feet for the last quarter, which is why the game opened up. We also need a better midfield, because we were smashed in clearances.

But I was happy with our defensive intent.

we played some great footy at times and we showed a lot of heart and character. I think Neeld is getting somewhere. Wiser heads realise that the last quarter created a margin that was not reflective of the contest, as we could well have been in front at 3QT if not for the usual blunders gifting goals and some poor misses at goal. Taking Green out, our average games played today was 52. GC and GWS averaged 41 and 40. If they took it up to the Blues for 3 quarters everyone would be blowing smoke up them. It is easy to forget we are still a very young side and that's the main reason our concentration and fitness got us chopped up in the last. It is hard to cop that Sylvia, Morton, Davey, Jurrah and Moloney are giving so little, when they should be amongst our best, and if they were we would be winning games like that. Individually I was pretty pleased with youngsters Blease, McDonald, Bail and Grimes which is heartening. Trengove showed a bit for a bit.

Oh and people bagging Watts today are fools. 34 touches last week and a fairly decent crack today. Get off his back.

Edited May 27, 201213 yr by Curry & Beer

It's all about season preseason, preseason training for next bloody season.....hope ya's no what i mean.....lol

I only saw the last quarter and a half unfortunately...so from what I saw we were again very ordinary. Two things stood out for me during this period...inability to hold chest marks by numerous players (how on earth that happens in a professional sport is completely beyond me, doesn't seem to happen as often for other teams either) and a real lack of intelligence in our back half. We spoil into dangerous areas and we position our bodies very poorly in a lot of contests. These are things that can obviously be worked on but I hope it's not too late for some of our defenders who seem to have stagnated so badly over the last couple of seasons.

Intensity was ok for the last part of the 3rd and rubbish for the entire 4th.

I cannot accurately communicate how furious I am after being 16 points down at 3/4 time and equalling the Blues for most of the first three quarters, only to be beathen by 10 goals. I refuse to accept it is fitness and I refuse to accept it is game plan. How many chest marks did we drop without any pressure? The players run and spread into the right position, and people like Bail, McKenzie and Watts do pathetic, dinky little short passes that miss the mark by 5 metrres and we get burned on the turnover. This is not fitness, game plan, coaching or any other of these kind of of factors. It is concentration and maintaining skills.

In the last quarter, we dropped chest marks, got outmarked by smaller opponents, and rediscovered the wonderful gtift of handballing behind players who were running andfree. I am #$%&@# furious over this loss. We were in it with a good chance of winning it!!!

And don't get me started on Watts decision not to fly for the mark in the last quarter. He CHOSE not to go and they ran it out two versus one.

I hear you frustration mate, but if you've played sport at any kind of reasonable level you would understand how much fitness effects skills late in a game.

I was more disappointed by the looks of resignation about 2 minutes into the last quarter.

What? Ran out legs, not quite good enough. Watts not convincing (2 very marginal efforts in last quarter) but not a pathetic effort.

IMO the 3 quarters count for very little when you drop away so badly in the last, ran out of legs in the last why? Are we not fit enough? Why? We have been training as long if not longer then other teams. Ok for 3 quarters and pathetic in the end that's my opinion cheers

It's exhausting always being so disappointed.

We were competitive enough for 2 quarters. But to be happy with that is to concede utter life defeat.

I know some smart arses will bang on about meaningless positives, but at the end of the day we lost by a large margin again. We were invisible for a whole quarter. We got thrashed in the clearances. We are 0-9.

So forgive me for not giving two shits about the positives because they do nothing to override the sinking feeling that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually an oncoming train carrying horse manure.

How slow is Trengove at times he looked like he was going backwards.

He couldn't catch McLean, twice and McLean was only jogging.

So disappointed .... We just can't seem to get any luck. Every goal is a slug fest .... We never get an easy goal .... Nothing pretty about any of it. We are lucky to peice together 3 goals a half let alone kick 3 in 12 minutes. I just cant understand why we are so unfit and slow. It really looked like we wanted to have a 30 point loss .... These guys are simply scared to win .... I wouldn't have minded to 50 blow out in the end if they at least attempted to win the game by attacking through the corridor .... But no same old 1 dimensional crap.

We just lack so much around the stoppages .We cannot get enough clearances .Garland had a shocker(obviously).

Bennell just waits for it.

Still no spread and support .

Grimes was terrible by foot.

This is not an improvement. Remember this was the year we were bookmarked to make the finals. Every game has been a backwards step. There are so many players that need to go its not funny.

Gotta laugh at Moloney again. Still shopping yourself around are ya? Get off the beers mate, you will be lucky to get a contract at Melbourne let alone a decent team next year.