'Couple'? After the bye we have Port Adelaide.

Whoops, for some reason I thought we played essendon after the bye an they are looking average at the minute. Well make that one winnable game.

Agreed, though in the 'three things' I'd have said something about our defence playing its worst game for the year.

If our backline had played like it did in Adelaide we'd have won for sure. They scored too easily going inside 50 and we weren't able to generate any rebound.

Yep agree. Maybe Roos thought Garland back means they could experiment with Grimes. They were wrong.

Howe needs more time and coaching about what to do in the air. My advise would be mark it if you can, if you can't fist it long and wide. If you can't impact the contest with a clean mark of fist stay down. McDonald, Dunn and Garland won't be out marked too many times when in good position, so if you have some confidence in them stay down.

Jetta was a disappointment. I still think he just lacks interest in being a difference maker (which he can be) and instead is a passenger until he gets a one on one contest (which he often wins and does well in). Or until he can tackle someone. I really wish he had the fitness to be a midfielder and tag at times. At the moment you have to put him on the best forward from the other team because he only seems to rise to a challenge. The easier it is the less he seemingly does. A frustrating footballer.

McDonald had a very bad day.

I'm not as excited about him as others on this site,

IMO He can get caught out of position, can make ridiculous disposal decisions even when not under pressure, and yep I know he has a bit of toe but I do get jittery when it comes down to him.

Also Salem MUST come in for a full game for Byrnes who I just cannot understand remains in the team! Some have said well he does because he does the 1 % but he does no damage forward and doesn't get enough of the ball.

Kent also may come back, but the one I really want to see complement the midfield is Aiden "Pigdog" Riley He is not unlike a cross between Viney, Wines, here's and blast from the past ..... Andrew Obst!!

Really want to see Kent and Riley back in the seniors. I'm predicting Salem will start either next week or the week after (perhaps full game in the VFL next week and full game for MFC the week after), and Riley will replace him as our starting sub. He'd be a great injection of defensive pressure in the fourth quarter with games in the balance.

Kent should slot right back in at the first sign of an injury though. Terlich to be rested next week following his concussion?

Howe peels off his opponent and flies third man up which was great, however if he is not going to mark it then a punch to the boundary is necessary. McDonald is good at this, Howe should watch some of his videos

Me too. It's a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time though - that filthy feeling of "should have won, no excuse for not winning". The only feelings I've felt in the last three years have been "I can't believe we still manage to be even worse than the week before" or "I don't mind the loss - at least we were competitive".

This must be what it's like to be a North Melbourne supporter.

I'll qualify it by saying I'll take this feeling every time over the standard post match feeling over the past couple of years.

Maybe its cutting lines fine but I simply dont think we SHOULD have won it, I think we COULD have won it.

A lot of little things need addressing still. We did contain them well but the sec we took a breath they stole away with much more determination than we 'appeared' to. The whilst not top shelf were more commensurate in what they could achieve.

We will be...

I love this feeling. This is the feeling that drives teams. I have recently dealt with it in my own team - you work hard, play better but can't pull it together for long enough to win the game.

It's motivation like nothing else and while I am not predicting anything the 55 Inside 50s surprised me against a good midfield, I think another Adelaide-like performance is just around the corner.

I'm starting to like how Dawes' first reaction when picking up the ball is to turn and dish out a don't argue to the nearest opposition player, but sometimes he misses an open player for the hand off

Just watched the replay again and I am filthy, We had this game.

The dogs jumped on us at every opportunity and were not penalised.
Twice our players were slung onto the ground or into the fence when they were already over the boundary line.

Picken held onto Jones all night.

The free against Daniel Cross that resulted in a goal was a disgrace. Cross got to the ball first and then Williams knees him in the head. Free to Williams Goal. FMD

How Cooney was not penalised holding the ball when tackled by Watts is beyond me.

The free against Dunn was unfathomable. What a maggot.

I now hate the Dogs even more.

Just watched the replay again and I am filthy, We had this game.

did we....

did we really ?

I only ask because if we had we could have/would have put it to bed. So my thinkings suggest we didnt.

We were definitely in the game but we didnt have all bases loaded ( or covered ) At the meerest slip, the slightest opening they got away. Yes we're far better but we DIDNT have this game. We just need to realise this imho

did we....

did we really ?

I only ask because if we had we could have/would have put it to bed. So my thinkings suggest we didnt.

We were definitely in the game but we didnt have all bases loaded ( or covered ) At the meerest slip, the slightest opening they got away. Yes we're far better but we DIDNT have this game. We just need to realise this imho

I don't know. We won the ruck, the contested ball, had way more inside 50's.

It's probably disrespectful to the dogs but we did so much right that I see why the view can be that way.

The whole game against the dogs was always going to be:

1. Midfield battle - I think we just got the edge

2. Manufacturing goals up forward.

A couple of free kicks helped but besides that it was some BS goals to Tom Williams and Crameri's very good game that did the damage. Frawley, Dawes and JKH battled away from us but we didn't have the difference making ability forward.

What I'd give for a Bob Murphy at half back as well!

strangely the scoreboard suggests we didnt

its the only litmus of worth really

The difference between this season & last season is fantastic. At this point last year, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. We didn't' even know how long the tunnel was! It's almost unbelievable that change can happen so quickly. I'm not even convinced that Top 8 is out of the question this year however realistically, it's unlikely. I was at the game last year when we conceded 6 (?) goals to the 'Dogs in the last quarter when the win felt like a loss. The loss last night was nothing like it and, if we keep competing like that, I think we'll be a force to reckon with for a long time. Respect (like 'Winter') is coming.

I tend to agree - this year I am getting upset at not winning: the past few I was upset at not getting within 10 goals.

There have been three games we could / should have won.

We have come from a long way back, from the depths of despair: we now have hope and can go to many games thinking we have a good chance of a win.

strangely the scoreboard suggests we didnt

its the only litmus of worth really

I agree bb

The rest is just self delusion.

We have been crap for so long and want so to improve we see things as we should have won that.

No we should not have the Dogs played better and won.

Simple really they were better than us on Saturday night and got the four points.

did we....

did we really ?

I only ask because if we had we could have/would have put it to bed. So my thinkings suggest we didnt.

We were definitely in the game but we didnt have all bases loaded ( or covered ) At the meerest slip, the slightest opening they got away. Yes we're far better but we DIDNT have this game. We just need to realise this imho

No, we had this game.

We lost it, rather than the Bulldogs winning it. This was our game to win, but we're Melbourne, and we can't just pretend that 2008-2013 didn't happen. We'll get there, but I fear this won't be the last time we have a game and don't win it.

I agree that the game was lost by us rather than won by them. THe simple truth is that we didn't take our chances and they did. Generally, the chances they took occurred right after we had failed to take one of ours, and it was this fact that directly cost us, as we saw a six point lead turn into a five point deficit, then a chance to regain the lead suddenly turned into ten points down. I'm sure there were others, but these two stick in my mind due to their proximity to the end of the match and how close the game was at that point. What it all boils down to is that we let their negative tactics rattle us and we lacked the class and cohesion to work around them and finish cleanly.

I don't know. We won the ruck, the contested ball, had way more inside 50's.

It's probably disrespectful to the dogs but we did so much right that I see why the view can be that way.

The whole game against the dogs was always going to be:

1. Midfield battle - I think we just got the edge

2. Manufacturing goals up forward.

A couple of free kicks helped but besides that it was some BS goals to Tom Williams and Crameri's very good game that did the damage. Frawley, Dawes and JKH battled away from us but we didn't have the difference making ability forward.

What I'd give for a Bob Murphy at half back as well!

at the game I was furious at the injustice of 'one that got away' but watching the replay (sober) I felt that we just weren't the better team on the night.. we needed 5% more from everyone

if our arc of improvement continues we will be eating games like that up this time next year

At least we get a chance at redemption, although it will be a tough ask at Etihad.

I wish we got another crack at St Kilda.

Just watched FC and Kennedy the umpires coach said the decision against Dunn was correct. The game is in real trouble him, Campbell and Evans running the umpires.

Just watched FC and Kennedy the umpires coach said the decision against Dunn was correct. The game is in real trouble him, Campbell and Evans running the umpires.

Yeah I saw that too and just laughed. My mum commented that of course he's going to defend them, but I retorted that they gain more respect from the football public when they admit they got it wrong, or even just say it was to the letter correct but stiff. Blindly backing them does nothing, it creates more bad habits and confusion.

Looking at the free kick stats we were clearly favoured, but I felt that it was more the dogs tactics that have us ahead on the frees rather than really poor calls. The dogs came out with a bit of the old Footscray bite.

Aside from our developing and exciting midfield, the most impressive thing about Saturday night was the large MFC crowd. I don't think I've seen that since 2010, possibly not even since 2006. Very exciting.

Had Frawley kicked straight and Matt Jones kicked two simple shots on goal we would have been home. We peppered the goals at the start of the last, but we just couldn't get that psychological barrier of a two goal lead. We squandered our chances and the opposition made us pay.

No, we had this game.

We lost it, rather than the Bulldogs winning it. This was our game to win, but we're Melbourne, and we can't just pretend that 2008-2013 didn't happen. We'll get there, but I fear this won't be the last time we have a game and don't win it.

I noticed that 3 of the bullies goals made goal of the week candidates... just lucky around the goals

...

Cooney found some pace in the first

Griffen picked up after a dodgy throw in..

Crameri 'found some strength' and was lucky on the swing

etc

This is a game that we absolutely should have won. We were clearly the better team.

In some respects though, we'll learn more from blowing it. After all, this season is apparently about development.

That said, I was absolutely livid at the final siren though.