CHASING TIGER TAIL by George on the Outer

The coach called for a competitive effort this week, which is rather strange given that the MFC team is supposed to be composed of professional football players. The groans from the supporters echoed throughout the suburbs again, as we could have expected a similar performance to that which we endured against GWS.

Yes, we were competitive against the Tigers ... the perennial 9th place finishers but we still lost by over 5 goals and if they had any semblance of skill, their 15.16 in front of goal could easily have yet another 10 goal plus hiding.

It is a sad indictment that Aaron Davey was the stand-out player for the side. His ball delivery and vision was simply sublime and he topped it with 3 goals and 20 odd disposals. He is probably playing his last season, yet no-one else seems to have the ability to try to impose themselves on a game.

There were others who try valiantly Jones N & M, Garland, Terlich, Magner, and even Mark Jamar who provided us with some real ruck competitiveness. (may we never see Jake Spencer trotted out again). James Frawley did his usual assassination job on Riewoldt.

But the backs were constantly under pressure as we could only manage 100 less disposals, 80 less kicks, 20 less inside 50s and 30 less handballs.

We simply dont have sufficient players prepared to put all the time. And this was against the forever middle of the road team in Richmond. This wasnt some powerhouse club. We will really see how competitive we are in the next 3 weeks, when we have to play Fremantle, Collingwood and Hawthorn.

Experience?... baloney!

Players get experience because they are good enough to play multiple games of football; duds dont! And we continue to fill the side with duds. In 2 years we still wont be experienced, because those filler players will have gone. to be replaced by either draftees or more filler players.

The coach has got to stop the experience mantra. What we need is a proper attitude to be shown to really make us competitive. The coach can only work with the cattle at his disposal, and try to improve and enforce a competitive approach. Giving games to fillers to give them experience is self defeating.

As R. Barassi said give me possessions, and Ill shut up!

In the meantime all we can do is chase Tiger tail this week, and next week it will be a similar story and the same the weeks after.

The supporters are getting all the experience they need..and its not good!

Melbourne 3.0.18 7.2.44 10.4.64 11.6.72

Richmond 2.4.16 7.9.51 12.14.86 15.16.106

Goals

Melbourne Davey 3 Dawes Dunn 2 Bail Evans Howe Nicholson

Richmond Martin Riewoldt 3 King 2 Chaplin Deledio Ellis Morris Nahas, Vlastuin White

Best

Melbourne Davey N Jones Magner, Terlich M Jones Garland

Richmond Ellis Vlastuin S Edwards Deledio Grigg Houli

Injuries

Melbourne Toumpas (ankle)

Richmond Nil

Changes

Melbourne Nil

Richmond Nil

Reports

Melbourne Nil

Richmond Nil

Umpires McBurney Hosking Foot

Official crowd 39,148 at the MCG

Jamar looked like a ruckman.

Dawes did his bit.

Tappy will make a player

Love Trengove - a really nice young man - but WHAT IS WRONG?

We fought it out i thought.
Our best game of the year, but we are missing the class/polish of some A-graders.
Dawes was solid.
Backline was quite good considering how much it came in there.
Definite steps forward, but we are walking forward from a very very long way behind the rest of the AFL.

Yeah 2 steps forward 3 steps back!

I dno if its just me but Evans has a bit of Dangerfield about him

Dawes was a great pick up.

Need to repair our midfield urgently.

Bookends are sound.

Look we got beaten easily but there were some good signs

I really wish the boys would hold the ball a little more - they looked good when they took their time....we were poor with disposal but am proud of the fight and we were a fuckin chance

Keep it up boys too many easy goals but I HAVE FAITH

Don't care who leads us but [censored] keep working

Edited May 19, 201312 yr by Unleash Hell

We worked hard for about two minutes. Endevour was there for three quarters, which is two quarters more than normal.

Just shows we aren't as bad as we are playing under Neeld.

Dawes was good as was Davey. Davey should be the reverse sub, play for 3 then off. He runs out of steam.

Garland is brilliant. And I will never speak ill of Jamar after watching Spencer for the last two weeks.

get Roos or Choco in as coach and I guarantee you this team will win 10+ games and be competitive every week

What I want to know is how can a Richmond player duck his head and headbutt one of our players in the nuts and get a free kick for high contact?

We looked a fair bit more settled and confident today, skills are still generally bad though.

Still hate Neeld.

I wonder where we would be now if we had Ablett?

Yeah 2 steps forward 3 steps back!

The name 'Bitter but optimistic' makes no sense.

I wonder where we would be now if we had Ablett?

Probably on the Gold Coast.

get Roos or Choco in as coach and I guarantee you this team will win 10+ games and be competitive every week

Delusional.

What I want to know is how can a Richmond player duck his head and headbutt one of our players in the nuts and get a free kick for high contact?

First game I've watched in a long time where the umpires didn't completely rape us, I can handle the odd one against us.

Better, but we still make a lot of simple mistakes which hurt us, things like kicking not the man on the mark, choosing the wrong option.

Calling fr the ball when in a bad position and it would be better to shepherd the player with the ball.

Delusional.

Nope.

I am spot on.

Another week where we lose the disposal count by 100 with the top 8 players on the ground all wearing yellow and black. You simply will not win games with those stats no matter how hard you try, which they did today.

Recruiters deserve a big tick for Terlich. Seriously impressive today.

Dawes will be a very good pick up if he can get the sloppiness out of his game.

Mags should have been playing from Round 1. Infinitely more valuable than Nicholson.

Davey must start every week. He will have off days but when he's on he can change the entire momentum of the game.

Our skills are the difference between us and where we should be when the effort is there, a full strength team and abit of polish and there is no reason we couldn't beat Richmond.

First game I've watched in a long time where the umpires didn't completely rape us, I can handle the odd one against us.

I think actually being first to the ball for a change helped.

Dawes was a great pick up.

Need to repair our midfield urgently.

Bookends are sound.

yes I agree. Its hard for the bookends when the midfield leaks like a siv.

No cohesion moving the ball forward at all. It was almost always luck when Melbourne scored a goal. I wonder what the coaches are doing to rectify this?

yes I agree. Its hard for the bookends when the midfield leaks like a siv.

hard to disagree

Clearly not good enough but can't fault the effort today buy the boys - saw some good signs and saw a lot to be worried about short term

The name 'Bitter but optimistic' makes no sense.

It made sense when I joined this forum. But we've been such a FU since, that you are quite correct, it makes no sense now. I am considering a change. However, I don't want to confuse Stuie.