Post Match Masochism - Round 21

[monoccular 17,577]

I watched little snippets of the first half - even saw one third of the goals - but cannot bring myself to watch this disheartening crap.

One goal in three quarters of footy against a team below us on the ladder can not happen to a team that wants to be out there playing to win.

I cannot force myself to watch any more.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

we were shocking for sure but it is also a fact that we kicked 14 behinds (2 rushed, inc the one Kent snapped) and beat them for clearances and inside-50s, getting 45 is close to AFL average. HTF you lose by 11 goals with those stats is beyond me

[chook fowler 19,569]

we were shocking for sure but it is also a fact that we kicked 14 behinds (2 rushed, inc the one Kent snapped) and beat them for clearances and inside-50s, getting 45 is close to AFL average. HTF you lose by 11 goals with those stats is beyond me

I applaud your creative thinking in pulling a positive out of the cess pool. However it means nothing when you think they were 3 men down and couldn't rotate for the second half. And we were playing on our home ground FFS.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,095]

There are two glaring problems with the team right now that need to be addressed if we're ever going to improve, and it's got nothing to do with running.

1 - We fumble everything:

Watch what happens at the stoppages. We get a clean hitout from Big Max directed straight to one of our mids. The mid fumbles his first grab, stalls his momentum while trying to get the ball under control and is tackled. The ball spills, a scrum forms resulting in either a secondary stoppage or an opposition clearance. When the opposing ruck gets the hitout cleanly to one of his mids, they take it cleanly with the first grab, don't break stride and either break cleanly out of traffic or handpass to a teammate with the extra time they have because they didn't fumble.

The same applies to our field play. I have never seen a team more likely to fumble a handball receive or when picking up a loose ball. It's exactly the same scenario. The couple of seconds extra they take to get the ball firmly in their hands is a couple of seconds they could have been changing direction, looking for a teammate or giving a quick pass. Instead, they continue running in a nice predictable path because that's where the ball is going and they haven't controlled it yet, giving their opponents an extra few seconds to close on them and make the tackle. While a couple of seconds may not sound like much, bear in mind that the majority of the players on the field have 20m sprint times under three seconds. That means that a player 20m in the clear will almost certainly be caught if they fumble the bouncing loose ball and have to chase it and go for a second grab.

2 - We Miss Targets:

Have a look at how we kick to our forwards. I saw one proper pass into our forward 50 today, and it resulted in a goal. That's one out of 45 inside 50's that actually came in at the right height and was placed ahead of the forward on their advantage side so they could run on and take the mark. Amazingly enough, this resulted in one of only three goals for the match. The vast majority of our i50s were high bombs to the pack, the sort of thing we used to do in primary school at recess so the freak kid could take pack marks. We saw repeatedly that the kick would go long to a 2-1 or 3-2 against us and the defenders would happily hold our forwards out of the contest and let the extra man have an uncontested mark. Yes, this situation was made worse by the GWS flood, but the fact remains that our forward entries were almost without fail low percentage bombs that were never going to result in anything other than a rebound 50 for the opposition.

Then we can look at our disposal over the rest of the field. I was reminded of that montage of the Saints kicking to Saint Nick that was doing the rounds earlier in the year. How often did the leading player have to stop and wait because the ball was kicked to where they are rather than where they are going? How many passes went 10-15m to the side of the target? How many handballs were at the feet or above the head of the receiver? How many Out on the Full were there today? Some of these issues come from the first point, that having fumbled the player now doesn't have time to get a clean disposal away, but far too often we are seeing players with time simply unable to execute the basic skills. Dawes took a mark on the wing, wheeled around and kicked it straight past the leading Watts to a clump of trailing GWS players. Riley took a free on the HBF and went across the ground to pinpoint a Giant who obliged by kicking the goal. McDonald repeatedly failed to take the first (and sometimes 2nd) option and wound up turning it over when he ran into trouble. You could watch the replay and see almost endless examples.

Further to this is of course our inability to kick goals. Again this is a basic skill and something you would expect a professional athlete to be able to execute regularly. Our score today was 3 goals 16. That's converting shots on goal at around 15% (Not counting the ones that didn't result in a score). For the season we have kicked 168 Goals 182 points, or 48%. We have the worst conversion percentage in the league, and there is only one other side below 50%. Today we saw repeatedly our players' inability to convert basic chances.

To me, it is these two basic areas more than anything else that need to be addressed. We fumble too often and we miss targets we should hit. Basic skills that most players learn before they hit puberty, and somehow our team have forgotten them.

[titan_uranus 25,045]

There are two glaring problems with the team right now that need to be addressed if we're ever going to improve, and it's got nothing to do with running.

1 - We fumble everything:

Watch what happens at the stoppages. We get a clean hitout from Big Max directed straight to one of our mids. The mid fumbles his first grab, stalls his momentum while trying to get the ball under control and is tackled. The ball spills, a scrum forms resulting in either a secondary stoppage or an opposition clearance. When the opposing ruck gets the hitout cleanly to one of his mids, they take it cleanly with the first grab, don't break stride and either break cleanly out of traffic or handpass to a teammate with the extra time they have because they didn't fumble.

The same applies to our field play. I have never seen a team more likely to fumble a handball receive or when picking up a loose ball. It's exactly the same scenario. The couple of seconds extra they take to get the ball firmly in their hands is a couple of seconds they could have been changing direction, looking for a teammate or giving a quick pass. Instead, they continue running in a nice predictable path because that's where the ball is going and they haven't controlled it yet, giving their opponents an extra few seconds to close on them and make the tackle. While a couple of seconds may not sound like much, bear in mind that the majority of the players on the field have 20m sprint times under three seconds. That means that a player 20m in the clear will almost certainly be caught if they fumble the bouncing loose ball and have to chase it and go for a second grab.

The fumbling is a good observation.

Add the running in and you've got three key issues to work on this summer. We don't spread hard enough, we don't transition from defence to offence fast enough, we don't see enough repeat efforts, and we don't lead properly (too many leads together, too many leads to the kicker's wrong or disadvantaged side, too many leads to the boundary). We're also still not fit enough.

[bing181 9,330]

Basic skills that most players learn before they hit puberty, and somehow our team have forgotten them.

Not forgotten, just not executed with enough (or any) intent - and at this level, once that happens, you come undone.

[Deecisive 1,709]

We get punished terribly through turnovers. This means that we are not getting back and covering. I dont know how many times today I saw a turnover to a GWS player who ran the ball out of our defense because all of our players were busy chasing their own men so no one could figure out who should run at the one with the damn ball. Where we on the other hand had no run out of the backline of any note. So many times we went backwards when we could have gone forward and the crowd saw it and hated it. we do not have the skills to fool around with crap passing that was often intercepted or badly kicked to a demon who often then failed to gather it in. When you get badly beaten by a badly wounded lowly opposition then 3 or 4 new players is not really going to make a difference, i am afraid we are going to face a lot more years of such misery unless these guys can pull their damn finger out and play like the AFL footballers they are paid to be. The AFL should actually allow melbourne to vary their salary cap so that we do not have to pay out our full salary cap so that we dont pay mega $$'s to rubbish players. We have some players still contracted for a couple more years, pay them out, use the salary cap there rather than continuing to give it to vastly overpaid non-performers.

[ijbfossil 77]

I hope Roos doesn't crap on about the tanking and losing culture etc in his presser.

Just say "they ain't any good and we need to gut the team bigger than ever before".

NO MORE EXCUSES.

Oh and for god sake don't let any of the players speak to the media during the week and say "we need to get better as a team, we need to be consistent, we need to improve etc etc bla bla bla bla bla.

Show something on the field FFS.

Could not agree more.

(I was at Waverley in 1979 - still the record losing margin in the VFL/AFL history v Fitzroy - 190 points - but I was younger then and could do other things and forget it - thought I was gutted after the Brisbane loss - but today was even more sickening).

[Ted Lasso 19,549]

How many times we give a kick or handball just too much air and give the opposition a sniff is amazing, it's like the players get the ball and [censored] themselves, Jones and Vince are the only ones who back themselves more than half the time

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

What did I miss?

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

Thanks [censored] I'm flying out to Sri Lanka this weekend for a wedding. Will miss the last two games, as it surely won't be televised over there.

See ya'll in 2015!

Already signed up as a member as it just rolls over each each. Signed but still stupidly in love.

[angrydee 842]

The most insipid performance I've seen in 61 years of watching this club play.

Sat through every game in 1981 and was not as disgusted as I am today.

186 was a better performance.

[angrydee 842]

And the teams that represented us in the 70's and early 80's at least put some effort into their performance,

[robbiefrom13 894]

uncontested marks = the MFC free kick. We give them all day. Then we run like buggery chasing the free man who got the ball, and we end up tired. Supporters too. Who dreamed up this drivel? Why can't we apply any pressure at all?

Jack Watts is never standing on a man when the opposition get the ball. Never goes to mind a man. If he was breaking team rules, he'd be dragged or yelled at.

No team lets the opposition have the ball like we do.

It really is pointless watching us when we allow the other team to do what they want, with their farty little circle work to wear us out.

We learned yesterday that Hogan isn't the messiah, either. In our style of play, he would make no difference at all.

If we stopped giving away control of the game by means of giving the other team free use of the ball, we would have a chance of getting closer to balanced levels of confidence. Then we might find out if our guys can actually play or not.

Oh for a Liam Jurrah to cut through the bulllshit - someone who could do it on their own a few times a game, strike a bit of fear into the other side, by playing with some competitive instinct. That is what Neeld crushed out of our guys above everything else - competitive instinct. Watts and Trengove more than anyone, of those left on our list.

Edited August 17, 2014 by robbiefrom13

[barneymfc 152]

uncontested marks = the MFC free kick. We give them all day. Then we run like buggery chasing the free man who got the ball, and we end up tired. Supporters too. Who dreamed up this drivel? Why can't we apply any pressure at all?

Jack Watts is never standing on a man when the opposition get the ball. Never goes to mind a man. If he was breaking team rules, he'd be dragged or yelled at.

No team lets the opposition have the ball like we do.

It really is pointless watching us when we allow the other team to do what they want, with their farty little circle work to wear us out.

We learned yesterday that Hogan isn't the messiah, either. In our style of play, he would make no difference at all.

If we stopped giving away control of the game by means of giving the other team free use of the ball, we would have a chance of getting closer to balanced levels of confidence. Then we might find out if our guys can actually play or not.

Oh for a Liam Jurrah to cut through the bulllshit - someone who could do it on their own a few times a game, strike a bit of fear into the other side, by playing with some competitive instinct. That is what Neeld crushed out of our guys above everything else - competitive instinct. Watts and Trengove more than anyone, of those left on our list.

right on the mark could not agree more on playing on instinct .example watts dead in front open goal just needed to instinctivly sprint into the open goal but he looked back to hand off to someone else

[Melbournepotter 383]

We stayed for the full game because my son wanted a kick on the ground after it. We ended up laughing at some of the comical attempts some of our players presented. Aside from that I can't disagree with most posters here re fumbles and lack of effort. However, one thing that we missed was having forwards to kick to. Numerous times groans went around the ground when we kicked backwards but when you looked forward, there were only gws players ahead. We need forward targets at least. Anyway, as supporters, we had lost interest by the end....performances like this kill any passion.

[pitmaster 3,581]

Bye bye Chippa.

I think that is the tipping point for me, and I'm sure for a few others. I just give up.

Yeah but on that game our compensation will be a fourth rounder

[pitmaster 3,581]

Would love to know what has gone wrong since the Port game in Alice Springs. We looked like knocking off the best team in the competition at the time and had already knocked up 3 gutsy wins. It was at that point you got the feeling that the penny had finally dropped and this side was going to match it with anyone. Barely 2 months on and now this? All the good work done earlier in season has been undone with today's travesty putting a bit fat exclamation mark on it.

The interesting thing for me - well one of them - is the calibre of the teams we beat and challenged such as Essendon, Adelaide, Richmond, Carlton and Port (got close twice), and the fact that in six games against the teams around us on the ladder we have not won one.

Two losses to the Dogs, two to the Giants, plust St Kilda and Brisbane.

There's something seriously wrong above the shoulders.

[Flemo56 409]

Young melb lass said it all 4 me afta the game when u could c that she asked the players as they entered the tunnel, "what was that, WHAT WAS THAT"! And that was my highlight 4 the day, too c we still have passionate young supporters.

The trench is still deep an dark!

[Wunders 397]

The only thing i am excited about is seeing hogan play next year. But if we can't kick how will he play well?

Please recruit players who can kick and handball.

I'll still buy a membership next year hope it turns around!

[Barney Rubble 1,576]

Bye bye Chippa.

I think that is the tipping point for me, and I'm sure for a few others. I just give up.

I sent an email to the membership department this morning.

My Demon for Life membership is cancelled.

After 60 years supporting the club, it's over as a member.

I will still support the DEES, but it will be passively.

I hope they prove me wrong.

[What 18,810]

I sent an email to the membership department this morning.

My Demon for Life membership is cancelled.

After 60 years supporting the club, it's over as a member.

I will still support the DEES, but it will be passively.

I hope they prove me wrong.

Understandable, and you wont be the only one sadly

I am emailing PJ today, hopefully it gets to him

There simply must be a comprehensive inquiry into the clubs culture and total lack of spirit

[Mydee 288]

In terms of the comments of Ralphus Maximus and others

I suspect that we have recruited too many athletes and not enough natural footballers and perhaps the discrepancy between junior and lower ranked footy is just too great, both in terms of skill levels and the nature of the game played.

Just some underdeveloped thoughts on the matter, I haven't entirely thought through the implications or even the hypothesis

[beelzebub 23,383]

Yesterday was far worse than 186 for this reason. Supposedly they were actually trying all game. At Kitty park it was a go slow protest.

I dont think we should easily overlook TMacs comment that we have gone backwards this year.. Why ffs . How can that have occured ?

I again suggest Roos was shellshocked and lost the coaching battle yesterday . He MUST shoulder some of the responsibility for no otrher reason than hes the coach and hes gets paid to do so. I still cant fathom how we got over run by a team with no bench .

I suggested before the game that they were tanking and they did, in the shape of half a dozen Shermans, Some Leopards and possibly Panzers. They rolled right over us !!!l

Yes its hard to create Bouef Wellington when all you have is Spam , but thats where creativity comes in and none was on display yesterday. If Roos suggests the cue was in the rack, then he needed to take it back out and change it up some. What was there to lose by trying ? Often in the middle of battle someone will show something if allowed.

To the club. No more apologist commentary. We know we're krap. DO something.

I could just imagine Sheedy laughing all day yesterday and why wouldnt you. he had a close call, he almost came to us.

Wish I liked cricket more

[Gorgoroth 13,024]

It's NFL season, Go Rams!