It's not even about skill level, it's about effort. The Saints showed far more guts last week and came within a few goals. We just stopped trying at half time.

That's the thing that is eating me up more than anything.

With run of the mill losses, the ones Roos warned us not to get too worked up about, we usually just don't have the skill to get the job done. There were a lot of those losses last year.

This is that other kind of loss, the one we saw all too frequently under Neeld - the one where the senior players don't step up when we need them and the general effort across the 22 is unacceptable.

Just the worst script you could have written.

Shocking indictment on where we are at.

What amazed me was the lack of daring, last week we took the game on a ran, if we had of done that, these guys are young and throve on confidence, we gave them that confidence and from then on the game was over

Dawes needs to be dropped next week. Makes forward line too slow and ball rebounds too easily. Would prefer to see Dawes out, Howe moved forward to have hogan, watts, Howe as marking options with Garrett and Kent at ground level.

I would bring grimes back in to play howes back line role and potentially also drop Kent for JKH. Would give the forward line more speed and less predictability. We also need to draft in some speed into midfield - jones, Tyson, viney, vince etc just all one paced.

Lets get it clear as there seems to be some falsehood in the game summary by posters on here. We stopped running in the early 2nd qtr. The overlap stopped and we started playing down the line. There was one decent quarter in this game. The only differences between the 2nd qtr and the 2nd half was GWS conversion ability and the self confidence that grew with that

I don't subscribe to the "how talented are GWS thread". We lost this because we gave up control on the ground. Jamar was nullified after dominating against Mumford. Umpires refused to give any 50/50 decisions (this fits snugly into an AFL directive), but can be offset by intelligent team play. Some playmakers disappeared. We didn't make the most of early dominance. We are a 50/50 team! 11 wins is our maximum capability in 2015. This game was winnable. We set it up in first Qtr but then our deficiencies set in. What were they?

Been sitting here contemplating what to say on the shemozzle, hard to put something in to words.

Quite alarming how poor Jones was, I'm assuming someone did a bang up job of tagging him out. Thought it was Ward in the 1st half, if it was then he did well in the 2nd to play as he did.

GWS are scary good. Man Shiel is awesome, have him up there with Wines and Bontempelli as the future.

Luckily I took a photo of the ladder last week!

There was never a need to take a photo die. It's traditional to just wait a few rounds into the season when watching the Demons, then turn the ladder upside down.

We will always be very close to the top after that!

Dawes needs to be dropped next week. Makes forward line too slow and ball rebounds too easily. Would prefer to see Dawes out, Howe moved forward to have hogan, watts, Howe as marking options with Garrett and Kent at ground level.

I would bring grimes back in to play howes back line role and potentially also drop Kent for JKH. Would give the forward line more speed and less predictability. We also need to draft in some speed into midfield - jones, Tyson, viney, vince etc just all one paced.

And Billy the KId at full forward

You can't say that Dawes exactly had good service from his midfielders, why does everyone always blame the forwards when we get beaten, struth the ball didn't enter inside 50 much in the last half and yet it's Dawes's fault. What about DYson, Lumumba Jonesd et al?

Sorry but how many other players punched the ball away into the crowd when it was clearly over the boundary? The look on Dawes face when he did that and got pinged indicated he knew he'd be lucky to get a senior game next week.

Don't feel too bad, been through it a hundred times before, stumped up my money, that's about all one can do, saw it coming to be honest, just another day, another loss.

I don't subscribe to the "how talented are GWS thread". We lost this because we gave up control on the ground. Jamar was nullified after dominating against Mumford. Umpires refused to give any 50/50 decisions (this fits snugly into an AFL directive), but can be offset by intelligent team play. Some playmakers disappeared. We didn't make the most of early dominance. We are a 50/50 team! 11 wins is our maximum capability in 2015. This game was winnable. We set it up in first Qtr but then our deficiencies set in. What were they?

Can only be mental. They just literally stopped working hard.

Terrible day but to see the future of the the club in VINEY,HOGAN, BRAYSHAW,SALEM,TOUMPASS (At casey) MCDONALD,TYSON, There is light at the end of the tunnel even though it is a very long way in the distance. Remember Rome wasn't build in a day

Yeah it took a few centuries

On my way home and still trying to fathom what I just witnessed.

Credit to the Giants who just didn't do a thing wrong after halftime, but our boys stopped running. Not sure if it was lack if will or fitness. Really disappointing.

Yeah it took a few centuries

Melbourne premiers in 2315.

I could honestly say not one of our leaders stood up and set an example today

It was jack Viney, Jesse hogan, Tom McDonald

I was particularly disappointed in the amount of finger pointing.

any positives that came from round one are now buried, until this team can work hard for 4 quarters consistently we are just going to dish up the same old thing over and over

we lost it in the middle. After half time we couldn't win a stoppage. It was one way traffic and they were clearing it at will. Is this the leg speed of our mids, Mumford's domination in the ruck, the lack of footy smarts by the mids or a combination of all of the above? Their ball movement was fantastic. Speed, skills and smarts. There is no substitute for class and GWS have heaps. Even Scully was allowed to look good FFS!

Hopefully Jones won't play another as bad. Tyson looked slow. Vince was short of a gallop. Vanders was quiet and Newton, who was good early, was rendered ineffective.

I guess we Dee supporters know not to get to far ahead of ourselves but that was awful.

On my way home and still trying to fathom what I just witnessed.

Credit to the Giants who just didn't do a thing wrong after halftime, but our boys stopped running. Not sure if it was lack if will or fitness. Really disappointing.

Are you driving back to Melbourne?

Talk about stopping to a walk.

legs walk, when they won't run.

Why can't we come out in the 3rd quarter and steam roll a team for once??

They better respond next week against Adelaide.

Melbourne premiers in 2315.

Damn, I already have plans grand final day that year

so much for the Paelo diet......

Where is BBO? I'm worried for his health. He drove all night to get there and hasn't been heard of since. Could he be into his second bottle of gin?

Following Melbourne is like barracking for a team of Charlie Browns in a league of Lucys

Lack of winning clearances was the biggest factor in the loss.