A lot of dumb wet weather football played

we need midfield midfield midfield & brains brains brains

Disappointing selection and coaching for me today.

Not that anyone could have helped us win this afternoon.

This is the toughest assignment in footy by far. Combine that with the worst midfield in the AFL, plus pouring rain, and the result is just about right.

I have no doubt we would have lost by a lot more under Neeld, and when you consider that we lost by over 100 against Essendon and West Coast at home, this result puts a lot into perspective. We did fight all day and our tackling shone through. Everyone put in physically and that is all you can ask for right now.

Bring me a midfield dear AFL.

Please also keep in mind that its been a long time since we've played in this sort of weather. In fact, guys like Kent, Terlich, M Jones etc have never played at AFL level in this sort of rain, or indeed in Geelong. We had no idea how to handle the conditions as a whole, which is where Frawley and Garland and Jones experience shone through. They knew how to handle it, but a lot of our kids did not. Good learning experience.

  On 13/07/2013 at 07:05, stuie said:

Yep, my opinion is that in the first half the effort was poor. Thought we showed a lack of guts and mental preparedness given the conditions. Second half was a bit better in that area.

Stui you are completly correct We do not run at the ball until we do we will always be smashed at the contest the side is still soft.

And by the way why are we still weak in body? Do they not do weight training? We are pathetically weak compared to Geelong. This contributed to our inability to make and break tackes Happened all day Geelong just brushed us aside.

We lost...yep we did.. Great surprise. Who ever got to go and watch Im envious, in a fashion, though the cattery has never been a friendly place.

Ive only ever been to the cattery 3 times in all my football following life. Never seen a win. Over the journey we ( many followers and I ) always believed that the ground was SO Home -advantaged that it was worth a goal a quarter and a couple for the game. At least 5-6 goals in before you start. Over the seasons course it leveled out back then as every one got a bit of a start against the "visitors" but the Cats was a different game at Kardinia.

so where was I ...Oh yeah, we lost. By 68 points against a seriously in-form team at their place. Theyre what...2nd ...and were 2nd last

Theyre in finals form and we finally finding some form.

Why is anyone really upset or seriously surprised.

Yes from this game we can learn a few more things, and then we move on to next week, and the week after and before too long the pain is over for another year.

Craig is in good form not great form. Hes in two minds bit then so is the club. Singular of purpose but split as to action.

A number of players will see the seaosn out and will be their last at Melbourne. For some it will end a longish association and for others but a temporary sojourn.

The wash up will be a good rinse and clean out at Melbourne starting 2014 quite different but thats then and this is now.

Were just starting to learn how to run again after a fair period of having our legs shackled.

We lost at the cattery against a feral opposition, not fussed.

Some players by some accounts let themselves down , yet again.. Im more concerned by this.

Serial offenders need dealing with.

  On 13/07/2013 at 07:27, Soidee said:

Why does the AFL continue to fixture games at Geelong for sides who clearly are not competitive? Bottom 4 teams should not be playing against Geelong at Geelong. It's bad TV it's bad to watch.

because they know the locals will still come to the game and fill the ground

Thought it was Maxy's best game for the club. I'm not sure it was worth sitting in the rain for it though. Our midfield is frustratingly lazy and obviously inexperienced at times. I wholeheartedly concur RE: the terrific work of our defence, all things considered. Col Garland should be so far ahead of anyone else in the Bluey, it isn't funny.

I thought Craig was thoroughly out-coached today. Obviously had a lot less at his disposal, but we did not attempt a wet-weather football game style. We needed to play long kicking, old fashioned wet weather footy. Our ball movement was too slow anyway and we didn't take risks at the right time.

Good to see Jimmy Toump stringing some disposals together and wasn't at all surprised to see Colin Sylvia having little impact or exerting any effort. Sums up his career for me.

  On 13/07/2013 at 08:00, Grapeviney said:

Caught behind all day, forward and back, absolutely unforgivable in wet conditions.

Lost count of the number of times a quick kick fell short into a Geelong player's arms, standing 5 + metres in front of their Melbourne opponents.

Disagree with this. Our defenders played in front for most of the day. Our forwards and mids struggled with this though.

He didn't do enough, but Kent did two exciting things. They were both perfect pick ups in the wet conditions. Keep playing the young fella.

poor skills, too many turnovers, too slow and unable to make tackles stick. Until we rectify these basic errors we are going to continue to get our butt whipped by the better teams.

  On 13/07/2013 at 07:27, Soidee said:

Why does the AFL continue to fixture games at Geelong for sides who clearly are not competitive? Bottom 4 teams should not be playing against Geelong at Geelong. It's bad TV it's bad to watch.

They mentioned on the tele early on that it's due to crowd sizes. The poorer teams don't bring the crowds and can therefore fit into the smaller stadium.

Imagine fitting a crowd versus a top 4 side in there? Wouldn't happen.

Good to hear we played with some effort.

We are just not very good.

Unless we have a ridiculous summer, this will happen again next year.

Oh, and AFL - draft assistance please. We played a team in our oh-so even league and played with as much effort as them and still got it into our third of the ground on 19 occasions.

19!

  On 13/07/2013 at 07:50, hogans_heroes said:

19 inside 50's lol

Geelong had a conversion rate of 47% (33 scoring shots from 70 inside 50) whereas we had conversion rate of 52% (10 scoring shots from 19 inside 50).

Given that several of Geelongs behinds were rushed I think we should all join hands and share the positive that this stat presents.

Go Dee's!

  On 13/07/2013 at 12:04, McQueen said:

They mentioned on the tele early on that it's due to crowd sizes. The poorer teams don't bring the crowds and can therefore fit into the smaller stadium.

Imagine fitting a crowd versus a top 4 side in there? Wouldn't happen.

and it works to their advantage. They must love it. 4 or 5 games a year , gifts

  On 13/07/2013 at 11:52, Deecisive said:

poor skills, too many turnovers, too slow and unable to make tackles stick. Until we rectify these basic errors we are going to continue to get our butt whipped by the better teams.

gezz we had over 100 tackles gezz if we could just make them stick we would of had 200 tackles

  On 13/07/2013 at 09:04, daisycutter said:

A lot of dumb wet weather football played

we need midfield midfield midfield & brains brains brains

Geelong won the centre clearances 16 to 2, so they get the ball out of the centre and get it to their forward line and then we have to get it out. They kick a goal it goes back to the centre where they win the centre clearance and it goes back in to the forward line. They kick a point we can't clear it properly so they get it back in to their forward line, and this continues for the whole of the game.

We can't get the ball out of the middle because we have no midfielders and we can't get the ball out of our defensive area because we are too slow with our decision making.

How can you possibly win a game under those circumstances?

We need 3 or 4 midfielders that can win possession in the middle; as much as I love him Jonsey doesn't get enough of it in the middle of the ground, he's great around the stoppages but at centre clearances he's just not getting it enough.

Based on what I saw today,

Our defence can be there in winning premiership team. Garland, Frawley, T Mac, Grimes, even Terlich did a bloody stellar job under immense pressure.

Our forwardline is jam packed with talent and will definitely be ominous in years to come.

Our midfield is far and away the very worst in the competition. Some young talent but wow, so inept at the moment.

So really I'll add to the chorus here - draft mids, draft mids, draft mids....

surely Brian Royal is gone at the end of the year

  On 13/07/2013 at 18:13, hogans_heroes said:

surely Brian Royal is gone at the end of the year

FCS if you don't have the cattle you are always going to be in trouble, it is not always the coaches fault, having said that i'm sure a complete review will be taken and if it is another coach he will bring in his own men.

  On 13/07/2013 at 07:27, Soidee said:

Why does the AFL continue to fixture games at Geelong for sides who clearly are not competitive? Bottom 4 teams should not be playing against Geelong at Geelong. It's bad TV it's bad to watch.

The AFL talks about equalisation, and in every respect as far as they are concerned it has to do with revenues and resources. This is the easy stuff for them to get right, they just need to dish it out where it's needed.

IMO, the biggest point of inequality outside of this, and almost never talked about, is the gift of home ground advantage to select clubs. Geelong are the most disproportionately coddled club in the competition. They received a mountain of state and federal funding for the refurb of Kardinia Park, a ground which they get to play on in 50% of their games. A ground that has peculiarities of shape, and a crowd which probably has less opposition supporters there even than the West or SA teams. The influence on the psychology of the umpires and players is unquestioned.

The other Melbourne clubs are by contrast playing in three circumstances ..... Neutrality ( against other Vics), gross disadvantage ( against interstate or Geelong away), mild to moderate advantage (interstate's at home).

As a relative minnow when it comes to crowd attendances, we seldom play Geelong away from their home ground.

For the past few decades, the MFC has had the poorest home ground advantage of all clubs, excepting arguably Richmond and North Melbourne, and it is only logical that this impacts on our win/loss ratio, as it does the other way for Geelong.

Good to see Col Sylvia stepped up for his 150th. Big song and dance all week and them....(drum roll).....nada.

Watching the replay now.

Observations to mid point second quarter:

Toumpas is going to be something special, is starting to find his feet.

Matt Jones is better and braver than I have realised.

Nicholson is confirming that he is simply not good enough - he lacks sufficient skill and he makes poor decisions.

so 2 out of 3.

And the effort is there. There's no giving up here - just difficult wet weather football which probably favoured the home side.

  On 13/07/2013 at 23:19, Webber said:

The AFL talks about equalisation, and in every respect as far as they are concerned it has to do with revenues and resources. This is the easy stuff for them to get right, they just need to dish it out where it's needed.

IMO, the biggest point of inequality outside of this, and almost never talked about, is the gift of home ground advantage to select clubs. Geelong are the most disproportionately coddled club in the competition. They received a mountain of state and federal funding for the refurb of Kardinia Park, a ground which they get to play on in 50% of their games. A ground that has peculiarities of shape, and a crowd which probably has less opposition supporters there even than the West or SA teams. The influence on the psychology of the umpires and players is unquestioned.

The other Melbourne clubs are by contrast playing in three circumstances ..... Neutrality ( against other Vics), gross disadvantage ( against interstate or Geelong away), mild to moderate advantage (interstate's at home).

As a relative minnow when it comes to crowd attendances, we seldom play Geelong away from their home ground.

For the past few decades, the MFC has had the poorest home ground advantage of all clubs, excepting arguably Richmond and North Melbourne, and it is only logical that this impacts on our win/loss ratio, as it does the other way for Geelong.

I recall when Daniher was our coach that we hadn't won once in the previous 19 years down there and we'd played them every year, so you can only assume that we've now played them for at least the last 30 years down in Geelong with a handful of games at the G as well.

I doubt that in any code, in any other Country in the World, that there would be a more lop sided disadvantage given to any team.

It must stop. We are not their freebee and shouldn't have to be, the games must be shared more equitably.

Roosey wouldn't have been too enthused with what he saw yesterday.

  On 14/07/2013 at 00:44, jumbo returns said:

Roosey wouldn't have been too enthused with what he saw yesterday.

What???....If you thought that he expected us to get within 10 goals of Geelong down there....He is not the football judge that I thought he was.....

  On 14/07/2013 at 00:59, Bossdog said:

What???....If you thought that he expected us to get within 10 goals of Geelong down there....He is not the football judge that I thought he was.....

In those atrocious conditions, a 10 goal loss is a shellacking.

No spread, no run, typical handballs to a player under pressure, collapsing onto an opponent's back etc etc....lost at the selection table.

  On 14/07/2013 at 01:09, jumbo returns said:

In those atrocious conditions, a 10 goal loss is a shellacking.

No spread, no run, typical handballs to a player under pressure, collapsing onto an opponent's back etc etc....lost at the selection table.

Nah! you reckon Jordie Mc, Magner or Couch would have made any difference to the scoreline.