Is Lumumba on big coin? Played 1 good game (round 1) where his DE was 100%, I haven't checked it since but I'd be surprised if it was over 50%. Shocking by hand and foot.

Too much is still left up to Nathan Jones, he's looks sore, I'd rest him against the Hawks because he needs it, and the rest of the mids need to wake the [censored] up.

Get Bernie in a more attacking role and give Garlett more minutes in the middle.

Tom McDonald is something else. Has killed every game.

Salem was fantastic again, he has it all.

Hogan would kick 80 in a top 4 side, but don't tell him that.

We really need frost as a key defender for the likes of Tippett, Griffiths etc...

I thought we were going to lose by more, and I thought the scoreboard flattered us.

Well done Billy.

Honourable mentions to Salem, Brayshaw, Hogan and Tmac. As for the night at the football it was another night of garbage to watch.

The MFC under PJ is trying their guts out to get the club on track including the Breast Cancer game as one of our nights as a club to put on a good show. The players once again for the 2nd week running served up appalling garbage to watch.

The club is doing everything right it possibly can.....as for many on our list they just serve up dog shyte.

We have some good young kids on our list, we still have far too many inconsistent senior passengers.

It's getting harder to sit out a full game as every year goes by.

I thought our pressure was fairly good but our players just aren't good enough, the midfield most of all. It is just depressing watching each centre clearance when the opposition wins it and then just gets an easy kick into the forward 50.

We would have win tonight with just two other players. Pick them, Fyfe and Mundy or Hodge and Lewis.

Everything, every single little thing revolves around the main four in the middle.....and ours doesn't include any of the above four, or Kennedy and Hanneberry for that matter.

We desperately need Brayshaw and Petracca to be those two. It ends there. The rest flows, we have talent everywhere except our best two mids. Our aren't good enough, it's very simple.

Hodge and Lewis make mcEvoy or Ceglar look good, spencer would look good playing for the hawks.

I think Spencil has a dip but his athleticism is more along the lines of the Shockmaster's 'explosive' entrance.

https://youtu.be/p7Q4EVpIFIk

Thats a fricken Storm Trooper hat on his head hahahaha! LMFAO

Thats a fricken Storm Trooper hat on his head hahahaha! LMFAO

With glitter paint!

If Hawthorn want Petracca they need to trade for him.

Nothing has changed, I still think Brayshaw, Salem and Hogan are our future.

I look forward to seeing ANB come through, I'd fast track the kid. Too many of our senior players aren't up to AFL level.

Viney will be a welcome addition.

McDonald is having a good year.

The ruck position is Spencer's to lose. It always was, Jamar is undersized as a ruckman, he only gets by because Gawn is useless, this job is yours to lose now Jake - own it!

I think we did ok today, Sydney are a class outfit - who had a bad day - and we are an ordinary side atm. Thankfully we have some promising youth.

FFS Watts was the sub, he came on and set up 2 goals. He was clean. Harsh to include him

Not harsh at all - he did a couple of nice things but he should have come on and had a manic attack on the ball. He must know he is at the crossroads.

Dawes was largely ineffective and Howe simply doesn't work hard enough. I didn't notice Garland much and Pedersen didn't do a lot .. the other 5 have a lot more to offer than their output at the moment (N Jones, Vince, Dunn, Tyson & Lumumba) As I said previously, we need a lot more from our experienced players than just 'ok' or 'alright'.

By the way, I wasn't singling Jack out anyway - if I was, you might have a point. I named 10 players who aren't doing enough.

Those here pointing the finger at the young players are looking in the wrong direction - our established and experienced players aren't doing nearly enough and they are not leading the way - Watts included.

Besides all that, my original post was more a reflection on the form of those players for the whole year (so far) - not just tonight. More is expected and we're not getting it.

.

Edited May 9, 201510 yr by Macca

If Hawthorn want Petracca they need to trade for him.

Gunston or Breust please

To be fair also we have just played probably the 2 best teams in the comp atm... Fremantle smacked Essendon tonight, now 2 games clear undefeated, hasnt been done since we did it in 56, Sydney similar sort of team with huge mids and gun forwards.....we are about where we should be really, lets see where we are after the Queens Birthday..

Gunston or Breust please

Or both... and Isaac Smith.

Gunston or Breust please

Both.

To be fair also we have just played probably the 2 best teams in the comp atm... Fremantle smacked Essendon tonight, now 2 games clear undefeated, hasnt been done since we did it in 56, Sydney similar sort of team with huge mids and gun forwards.....we are about where we should be really, lets see where we are after the Queens Birthday..

We are back in our rightful place on the ladder...bottom 4! Wew! Got ahead myself early in the season.

well at half time I was bored, but the 2nd half was a bit more enjoyable to watch. We started to play on and run a bit more. Hogan was more exciting and I was impressed with Salem tonight. Tommy Mac was brilliant and yes I still get nervous when he tries to run with the ball. But to keep Buddy goalless was well done, especially how many times that ball went down to there forward line.

Can someone please tell me why Spencer refuses to kick the ball. Whenever he gets it he looks for the handpass. Im sorry but either put Jamar back in or give Gawn a go.

We got smashed out of the middle and we just couldnt lay a tackle especially in the first half. In saying that I was impressed with Brayshaw. Maybe he could show the others how to lay a good tackle.

Happy to see Stretch start the game and see him kick a goal with his first kick.

At half time I was expecting a 60-70 point loss so 38 wasnt to bad. We also missed some easy shots.

Oh a message to Howe and his manager. If he can find a club that is stupid enough to pay him that rumoured 600k then thats a good effort, because on tonights match he'd be worth half.

Edited May 9, 201510 yr by dees189227

There was only about 25000 there tonight and im tipping a fair few of those who are posting on here were watching from the comfort of their couches. An issue for another day but poor turnout by YOU.

Being at the ground we worked hard to pressure and harrass Sydney but where we kept getting hammered was not pinning the ball or the player in the tackles and contested situations. Far too many times we got tackled and the ball was either held up or turned over and then when the swans players were tackled they either broke them or got the ball free and out to a player who moved it on quickly. Quite simply, we were completely outmuscled around the contest tonight. There is no quick fix for that as it takes time to build our young midfielders up and we simply dont have the same amoutn of tall strong midfield beasts to compete with both Freo and Sydney.

The Swans were far better at their transition from defence to attack and held their structure better so that they always had an option to kick too on the break. And they hit targets.

Too often our forwards were sucked too far up the ground leaving no marking targets at half forward or loose swans there. This is where those watching on TV will never get an understanding of what is going on. Multiple times the demons were moving out of half back and there was literally nobody to kick the ball too. That's what then causes hesitation and indecision and that is when they then turn the ball over or stuff it up.

Picket Fence please give it a rest. You are so Toumpas focussed you cannot see past your nose. He was so far from our worst tonight its not funny. He ran hard, competed hard and when there was an option available he took it. But when your only target is garlett amongst three swans defenders i don't blame him for hesitating or trying the impossible.

People say Watts had no impact, again, he was the sub so pretty hard to influence the game from there. When he came on the game was over but he still had a crack. Again not the problem.

At the ground Pyke absolutely destroyed Spencer. Spencer offers absolutely nothing. I have always said he competes hard but that does not cut it at AFL level when you are a liability otheriwse. A horrid passage of play occurred when he gave a handball off to jonesy running through half back but then failed to follow up and support by laying the block/shepherd and it resulted in jonesy getting smashed. He has absolutely no football nouse nor skills.

Howe was poor tonight. Dunn had a bad night. Dawes was sucked too far up the ground and even still didn't offer much. But quite simply- we were hammered by a bigger, stronger, faster, fitter and more skilled team. Anyone with common sense should be able to see that. We competed hard- drawing even or thereabouts in many of the contested categories but you cannot change phyisics and these simple facts.

Next week will be more of the same. It is the weeks after that where we might have some hope again.

Heard on the radio that the Hawks have approached Christian Petracca......

What station and who reported it?

MIDS, MIDS, MIDS, and a ruckman.

Sydney's big bodied mids were great at applying pressure and causing turnovers and/or stoppages, where their clearance ability came to the fore. They are a well drilled team full of skilled and hard running mids. We desperately need at least 2 guns next year (Prestia, Shiel, Treloar???) and we need a good ruckman (Gorringe, Leuenberger, Smith???). Our midfield struggles against most sides, and is wafer thin once one or two are injured. Viney has been missed, but he's just the tip of what's needed.

I take my hat off to TMac, Salem and Hogan. Great to see Stretch get a few kicks. Brayshaw goes in hard to get it.

well at half time I was bored, but the 2nd half was a bit more enjoyable to watch. We started to play on and run a bit more. Hogan was more exciting and I was impressed with Salem tonight. Tommy Mac was brilliant and yes I still get nervous when he tries to run with the ball. But to keep Buddy goalless was well done, especially how many times that ball went down to there forward line.

Can someone please tell me why Spencer refuses to kick the ball. Whenever he gets it he looks for the handpass. Im sorry but either put Jamar back in or give Gawn a go.

We got smashed out of the middle and we just couldnt lay a tackle especially in the first half. In saying that I was impressed with Brayshaw. Maybe he could show the others how to lay a good tackle.

Happy to see Stretch start the game and see him kick a goal with his first kick.

At half time I was expecting a 60-70 point loss so 38 wasnt to bad. We also missed some easy shots.

Oh a message to Howe and his manager. If he can find a club that is stupid enough to pay him that rumoured 600k then thats a good effort, because on tonights match he'd be worth half.

Only been done 8 times.....

It's gonna be hard to grow as a footy club if we continue to show up with those performances. Horrible ball movement, turnovers that were worse than 2 years ago. Looked like we gave up trying to find targets. In addition, we are as slow as we've even been. Simply don't have the run and dare through the middle. Last quarter and a bit saved us from humiliation, but the blunt truth is that we never look like we're a chance against teams like Sydney, and that's what hurts, no matter what the final margin is.

Woeful performance, game was done in the first 20 minutes again.

Jones & Tyson have both looked hampered by something all year.

We look woefully slow, can't remember anyone breaking the lines except for Lumumba. Toumpas showed intent but his lack of pace doesn't help us at all, I'd rather Matt Jones.

Howe was M.I.A.

I miss the 90's when we used to run off half back with an exciting chain of handballs and overlap.

We were timid and weak. Tackles getting broken everywhere.

But worst of all, the skills. Oh god the skills. What hope have we got when we kick like that.

Edited May 9, 201510 yr by Buzzy

Anyone else think there is this mentality that we can't beat these sorts of teams so we don't really attack the game the same way we would a side like Richmond or the Suns?

Blokes were so scared to leave their opponent to help out, seemed like we were in damage control before the ball was bounced

watts should never have been sub. either drop him or play him in the vfl; he adds nothing to midfield rotations, so roos once again shows - as he has admitted in the past - that he has no idea how to use the sub.

tommy mac is playing like the best backman in the competition, hogan is going to be a superstar based on current trajectory, i'm loving the look of salem across half-back (no way i'd be moving him into the midfield, he and tommy were the only players running the ball), brayshaw and stretch look super promising, and you can't fault the endeavor of jones, tyson, and old man contributions of cross.

but my god our midfield. smashed. absolutely destroyed.

Need to make the most of set shots. We don't get them often, but then to miss saps confidence. It's one aspect of the game of footy overall that fails to improve. For a side like Melbourne, it's even worse.

It's gonna be hard to grow as a footy club if we continue to show up with those performances. Horrible ball movement, turnovers that were worse than 2 years ago. Looked like we gave up trying to find targets. In addition, we are as slow as we've even been. Simply don't have the run and dare through the middle. Last quarter and a bit saved us from humiliation, but the blunt truth is that we never look like we're a chance against teams like Sydney, and that's what hurts, no matter what the final margin is.

We are a team at the early stage of a re-build coming up against premiership contenders. Everyone is forgetting that the team on the park tonight is still gelling and getting to know each others strengths, weaknesses etc etc. The kids are very impressive. I don't hide from the fact that its been a frustrating ride for us die hards, but this crop of youngsters has shown plenty in 2015.