MATCH REVIEW: Call it catharthis

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

This might be controversial, but I'm starting to wonder if Roos is the right man for this job. Essentially he's a mercenary, brought in using AFL handout money to right a sinking ship, but I'm starting to question whether his heart is truly in this. We have the successor in place, the bloke who's looking to forge a long and successful career. Roos is just marking time until retirement. Don't get me wrong, I love Roosy, I'm just not sure if he's giving this gig everything he's got, it's not like his career or reputation is depending on it.

[Moonshadow 17,675]

Delist Or trade Gawn NOW. I don't care if we have to pay out his contract.

That's the ticket. Yeah, nah......

[watchtheeyes 1,417]

Thought Gawn was ok this game really, played the link up man on several occasions. As long as he keeps it simple, I think he deserves a place. But not as the primary ruckman, at least not based on what I've seen.

While I don't think McKenzie should be in the side, you can't help but feel sorry for him for last night. When that final siren sounded his footballing mortality would've smacked him in the face.

[Wiseblood 24,637]

If anything this pre-season has shown us that we can put little stock in to what happens on the training track or during the intra club games. We get WAY too excited over someone kicking a ball well or tearing it up in a time trial. Clearly we have a long way to go and it's easy to get blinded over the off season to this. We salivate over the reports, and don't get me wrong in that I appreciate them from guys like GRRR, but we can't allow ourselves to get carried away with someone looking the goods under zero pressure on the training track.

[jnrmac 20,053]

Delist Or trade Gawn NOW. I don't care if we have to pay out his contract.

I think thats harsh but I don't get the love for Gawn, He has done nothing and has been on the list since the 2009 draft. Am yet to see why the raves.

I know one thing, If Jamar goes does we are going to get hammered.

[DeeZee 7,361]

I thought Gawn was better than Jamar, takes more marks and looks more of a threat up forward.

It is disappointing though that none of our home grown players have come on and started to stamp their authority on games, like Toumpas, Viney etc...

It takes players from other clubs like Lumumba and Garlett to highlight how ordinary our current players are.

There is hope for the future though with guys like Salem, Vandenberg, and hopefully a Brayshaw, stretch and Petracca.

What I don't get is the panic during games, choosing the hardest option, which could cause a turnover, rather than protecting the ball with your life, and playing the percentages.

But I agree with Roos when he says the mistakes ain't just the fault of the player with the ball, it's the lack of leadership around the ball and not providing enough options for the man with the ball.

[jnrmac 20,053]

Thought Gawn was ok this game really, played the link up man on several occasions. As long as he keeps it simple, I think he deserves a place. But not as the primary ruckman, at least not based on what I've seen.

While I don't think McKenzie should be in the side, you can't help but feel sorry for him for last night. When that final siren sounded his footballing mortality would've smacked him in the face.

Well thats a problem. Its not his job. He needs to do his primary job and then if he plays a link up man he becomes potentially valuable..

[chook fowler 19,444]

Gawns brain suffers from being in the stratosphere. That brain fade where he played on after marking and turned it over is a case in point. Worth persevering with though

[DeeZee 7,361]

He played on because the silly ump didn't pay the mark.

[timD 994]

The part I'm struggling with is that we showed some genuinely good signs in the first half of last year. We've picked up 5 players (Lumumba, Garlett, Frost, Newton and vandenBerg) who all appear to have improved our best 22. Hogan also improves as structurally. Some of our emerging players look like they're taking steps (Watts, Salem and Kent) We've had another pre-season to improve our fitness levels and become more accustomed to the Roos philosophy on football. Why then are we sucking so badly?

I really hope it's an application issue because that can be excused away by the pre-season factor. To my eye, our last 6 quarters of football have been at about 70% effort. It doesn't matter how good you are if a third of the team are going hard at the contest and running hard both ways, you're going to lose . . . to anyone.

This is the bit that I don't get, too. I'm hoping, like i said last week, that it is a preseason application issue.

It's all we've got. The other idea is that we are genuinely bereft of talent and leadership. I don't really want to think about that, so let's go with the "it's only preseason" idea.

[Wiseblood 24,637]

This is the bit that I don't get, too. I'm hoping, like i said last week, that it is a preseason application issue.

It's all we've got. The other idea is that we are genuinely bereft of talent and leadership. I don't really want to think about that, so let's go with the "it's only preseason" idea.

I'm with you here. I'll be watching Round 1 very closely to see how we respond and what the effort and application levels are.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Would've Spencer given us more than Gawn last night?

No.

[timD 994]

I don't particularly like it when I am misquoted for somebody to make a point

I have consistently said the skills have improved at training, it is whether we will see the improvement in games is another matter

We saw it in bits and pieces against Freo

We saw it for a half against the Bulldogs

And we saw it from a minority tonight

I think watchtheeyes report/review mostly very good

The nerve!

You deliberately post overly positive reviews - and you boast about it. Simply put, you brag about deliberately attempting to deceive readers. Then you don't like being misquoted, after trying to mislead people here.

I called this troll-like and frankly, cannot see how you could consider it in any other way.

[Macca 16,911]

If anything this pre-season has shown us that we can put little stock in to what happens on the training track or during the intra club games. We get WAY too excited over someone kicking a ball well or tearing it up in a time trial. Clearly we have a long way to go and it's easy to get blinded over the off season to this. We salivate over the reports, and don't get me wrong in that I appreciate them from guys like GRRR, but we can't allow ourselves to get carried away with someone looking the goods under zero pressure on the training track.

I don't ... never have, never will. And there's plenty that think the same way.

Let's face it, who ever has conversations with other people about training? (outside of the internet) I prefer to wait until the real stuff starts before being too judgmental

Roos does see "practice' games very differently ... even when the Swans were flying they never won these encounters - 1 win only?

Most here have us winning 8 games max this season and that is a mediocre year ... so, we're almost certainly going to see a mediocre team struggle our way to 8 wins (perhaps)

Our list doesn't contain enough good players - last year we had 2 above average players (N Jones & Tyson) Dunn, Vince & Cross were reasonably good (Cross missed a 3rd of the season so he misses out on the 'above average' category) Lumumba, Hogan & Salem have the best chance of becoming very good for us but after that, who knows?

It's going to take a fair whack of time to fix the club ... free agency has cruelled us as well. In 3 off seasons we've been unable to bring in any top quality free agents because we've been concerned about our compo being watered down due to losing free agents.

In theory, we could have brought in 4-6 top free agents in the last 3 off seasons. In actuality, we haven't even brought in one. And if you're not in the game, you're out of the loop.

[manny100 1,495]

I thought we looked very slow all night. We seemed to kick to congestion and contests - especially up forward which was frustrating. Natural forwards create space. Garlett was good at this, Hogan is learning and Watts is ok. Perhaps JKH will be good - eventually.

[jumbo returns 6,737]

Gawn is just another VFL standard player on our list.

[Henrietta Lumbago 331]

Dangerfield would have torn that game up last night, hard contested player with explosive leg speed. This has very little to do with anything but who cares.

[McQueen 17,864]

Couldn't even beat a C grade Bombers outfit in a practice game.

I think we'll bounce back and have a competitive year but last night really showed how poor we can be.

[Jaded No More 68,867]

Interesting that our best pre season game was against Freo, who were by far the most quality of oppositions and in the most hostile environment. We played impressive footy and stuck to the plan for all but 1 quarter, forgivable given the strength of the opposition.

This gives me some comfort, but realistically if players went to the past 2 games thinking it'll be an easy win, we are further up [censored] creek than I thought. Mentally this team is more screwed than physically. As Roos said, the disparity between our best and worst is schizophrenic. And we spend too long in games at our worst.

I'm scared of the season ahead.

[Henrietta Lumbago 331]

Interesting that our best pre season game was against Freo, who were by far the most quality of oppositions and in the most hostile environment. We played impressive footy and stuck to the plan for all but 1 quarter, forgivable given the strength of the opposition.

This gives me some comfort, but realistically if players went to the past 2 games thinking it'll be an easy win, we are further up [censored] creek than I thought. Mentally this team is more screwed than physically. As Roos said, the disparity between our best and worst is schizophrenic. And we spend too long in games at our worst.

I'm scared of the season ahead.

Starting to feel that way myself, every time I think about Melbourne.....

[dees189227 12,370]

I have just watched that Viney turnover on the afl website. What the hell!

1) why did he mark it ? He should have left it to Lumumba.

2) Why would he choose to kick across goal and who was that player he was trying to pass to

3) Why did he play on so quickly

4) Never ever do I ever want to see that again

[Akum 2,660]

Interesting that our best pre season game was against Freo, who were by far the most quality of oppositions and in the most hostile environment. We played impressive footy and stuck to the plan for all but 1 quarter, forgivable given the strength of the opposition.

This gives me some comfort, but realistically if players went to the past 2 games thinking it'll be an easy win, we are further up [censored] creek than I thought. Mentally this team is more screwed than physically. As Roos said, the disparity between our best and worst is schizophrenic. And we spend too long in games at our worst.

I'm scared of the season ahead.

My impression is that our very very worst performances seem to happen when we're favoured to win. Our worst games last year were St Kilda first round and GWS, both of which we were favourites.

Not sure how accurate this impression is - what do others think?

[Akum 2,660]

SURRENDER FOOTBALL by The Oracle

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser who passed away yesterday on the same day as the Melbourne Football Club's pre season crashed in an embarrassing heap, once won a Federal election using the slogan "Turn on the Lights". The Demons lost their NAB Challenge game yesterday by turning them off and playing like blind men in pitch darkness.

...

He also said, "Life wasn't meant to be easy."

Must have been a Melbourne supporter.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

It's all been covered but it was clear to to see that the mental scars still exist among players that have been at the club for any length of time.

If we don't fix this we fix nothing.

Edited March 21, 2015 by jabberwocky

[Pipefitter 2,150]

Delist Or trade Gawn NOW. I don't care if we have to pay out his contract.

Nah. He's very good at membership telethon.