Salems best game for the club by some distance

Jetta was fantastic. Tyson and Jones were solid. There were some really good signs from Salem and Toumpas. Watts had copious scoring assists, but needs to be stronger over the ball. Dunn was good one-on-one, but made some poor decisions when it counted in the last few moments. We still need to get fitter.

Lots of positives. Good game plan, improved midfield and lots of improved players and good youngsters. Watts needs to gives us more and Grimes is a worry but we're not far off.

A great effort by the team, yes we made mistakes and we could potentially have won it, but did not. The Dees showed that we can play more consistent, contested football and mix it with top sides which is more important than winning at the moment, though winning would have been a nice bonus. We need the players to be hungry to win and we need them to continue to improve we also need to also be seen as an attractive destination for the end of the year drafts, this year is about setting down the foundation for the next 5 years. Next week collingwood with Dawes back we may have a good chance and beating collingwood is so much better than beating any other club.

I have a feeling this is where we will be most of the year regardless if we are playing 1st or 15th. The mental barrier to win is still there. But gee there is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel.

You guys notice that every team we play lately is considered to be a bit flat and not playing their best? When does that stop being a coincidence and start being due to our pressure, strong defensive cohesion and contested ball. . Im disappointed as everyone but that will burn the boys. Look out Collingwood

First and last 15 minutes = 51-0.

Middle of the game = 44-75.

Geez we're an immensely improved team.

They tried their guts out, skill errors and lapses of concentration cost us. I have a feeling it won't be long before lapses will be a thing of the past and poor skill errors will be a nuisance rather than a match-defining element.

Well done Demons. Hopefully the loss pushes us even further!

This might sound strange, but for me the key moment was after Melbourne hit the lead in the last quarter and Nathan Jones had the ball after winning the centre clearance.

He had Matt Jones close who he could have chipped the ball to and would have been able to send the ball into the forward line. Instead, Nathan Jones wnrt for a longer option and was pushed off the kick and Port went and eventually kicked a goal.

From that point on I thought it would be all over.

All players make mistakes, even the good ones. And especially tired ones. I'm not sure why 90% of your posts today have been negative. We nearly beat the best team in the comp.

would have won at the MCG

Sick of selling games

Dawes lost us the game with his stupid selfish act,he better have a huge Queen's B'day!!!

Jetta was fantastic. Tyson and Jones were solid. There were some really good signs from Salem and Toumpas. Watts had copious scoring assists, but needs to be stronger over the ball. Dunn was good one-on-one, but made some poor decisions when it counted in the last few moments. We still need to get fitter.

Jetta has really come on 'Adam' and is in AA form as a small defender. Early call I know but has really done a job on Betts and Wingard.

Dunn went away from the game plan with that kick out at the end. Must have been listening to Tony Shaw rather than Paul Roos.

Well first 10 -15 mins of the first quarter we were 25 to 0 in the end we lose by 20.. We basically won the game from that point on. We can't be too critical of our boys, yes we were coming off a bye, yes port was coming off a tough game last week but they are probably the fittest side in AFL history not withstanding there the top side in the comp. I'm disappointed we couldn't come away with the 4 points but seriously we have come a long long LONG way. For us to outplay the form/top side of the comp for 3 quarters is an achievement in itself. Another 10 games this year and pre-season under roosy and we'll really start seeing what this side can produce. It's good were disappointed with the result which means we all have expectations of this side week in, week out!

Oh and Pederson was amazing.

Suprisingly, this was much less of a bitter pill to swallow than the Bulldogs loss. I suppose when you go into a game thinking you're no chance and spend most of the first quarter suspecting you'll end up losing by a hundred points, a relatively narrow loss is quite a steal.

On the other hand, spending all game thinking you're going to win and then still losing it to a nothing team like the Dogs is very frustrating.

Agreed. Happy for Pedersen to pinch hit in the ruck as before Gawn joining the side.

Pedersen continued his awesome form too. Has developed in to a reliable, tough big man. Easily the most improved player on our list I reckon.

Looking forward to next week I'm hoping that Cam's highish hit on a Port player doesn't cost him

I'd hate to lose him for next week. He is in the top 5 of our most important players (and that is possible the first time anyone has used that sentence)

All players make mistakes, even the good ones. And especially tired ones. I'm not sure why 90% of your posts today have been negative. We nearly beat the best team in the comp.

How's that being negative? I was merely pointing out where I thought the game was lost.

Melbourne did lose the game.

Well, take heart lads and ladies,we are now officially supporting an actual football team!!!!!!

We ran out of legs against the fittest team in the comp who also happen to be the top team.

Pretty good effort by the boys today, I thought we'd win and I'm disappointed we didn't but I saw enough today to show we have a future and no team will be able to take us lightly. What pi55ed me off the most was they lack of acknowledgement by the turkeys calling the game, they just can't understand that we are a good side and this is not 2012 or 2013.

Bring on Collingwood.

Gawn was innefective, and with Dawes out, we were a bit short up forward, but some skill and decision making errors apart from our poor start really cost us the points here.

Aside from making a few too many poor decisions, I noticed that certain players just went away in the last. Did Watts get a touch in that quarter? Bail? THey were a big part of us dominating in the middle 3/4 of the match, but at the end when we really needed someone to stand up there was no sign of them.

Still, as Dermie said, we are being killed by silly turnovers and bad decisions, and that is a lot easier to rectify than if we just couldn't get our hands on the ball or were being cut to pieces by their run. This is just a matter of getting our players to stop doing stupid [censored]. Once we get that we're a 30-40 point better side.

I couldn't agree more!

Proud hopeful and cant wait till we get our best team on the track including Hogan.

When I think what could be I start to salivate

Regardless of Today's result, I can actually watch a whole game in the belief we are half a chance ,

I remember too well 'the feeling' when we are 30 points down in a first quarter with no score on the board.

I would switch off knowing what the result would be

Now we can take it up to the best of them .

I'm sure winning will come.

Roos said it himself its a work in progress .

Personally I reckon Roos is three months ahead of schedule as to were he thought he might be at this stage of the season.

Imagine when Hogan comes back with Dawes in the forward line.

Footnote : We still seem to be on the wrong side of the Umpires the Holding the ball decisions against us were Bloody Ridiculous in most instances and those not awarded to us just as damaging

Great effort, but shot ourselves in the foot too often.

St Kilda, Doggies and today were all games we should have won from where we were 15 minutes from the end and with the general flow of those games.

Loving watching this team play these days though and can not wait for QB now.

You guys notice that every team we play lately is considered to be a bit flat and not playing their best? When does that stop being a coincidence and start being due to our pressure, strong defensive cohesion and contested ball. . Im disappointed as everyone but that will burn the boys. Look out Collingwood

It's almost funny now. Every side that loses or almost loses to us goes into mini crisis mode.

[censored] the lot of them I say. If they don't want to give respect, we will just have force it out of them.

Not disappointed at all. I was disappointed against the Bulldogs.

Anyone that has watched Port all year knows that whole game was not how they want to play.

They had to play the game on our terms and they're clearly skilful enough to still win. But they had to fight bloody hard to put us away, and they had some tremendous luck that helped them get the 4 points.

We were shell shocked early and got off to the mentally hopeless starts the last seven years have given us. But we regrouped, fought back and stuck to our game plan.

Put in Chris Dawes and his regular 5 tackles and pressure and we probably could have won.

We were let down by Grimes who is just an embarrassment to Jones being co captain.

Gawn was ineffective and maybe a bad selection given that we needed run and spread against Port.

And Toumpas shouldn't be sub. A sub should be a line breaker or someone that demands the ball in space.

Jetta was excellent. So was Pedo.

Could not care less about Tyson's mistakes. He does 20 great things for 1 mistake, when we are a winning team you won't even notice his mistakes. Thought he was huge again.

Viney is every bit as good as Wines, and miles better than him today.

We're building nicely.

I know what it's like to be a Norf supporter now. Saints, GWS, Suns, Dogs, Port. These five games we lost practically the same way; gave it away when we had a fighting chance. Likewise the Swans match where were highly competitive.

Really infuriating to have a win within your grasp and let it slip, but I do think it will empower the team to keep improving.

In the end though, silly rushed behinds in the fourth, lapses in concentration in the first, and turnovers all over the place from the usual suspects is the reason we lost today. Change two or three players and that was a win for us.