OK ... are we improving?

Whoopsy daisy.

What a shame to end such a promising season like we have.

Overall, great signs for the future with lots to work with - and plenty to work on.

Thank God that's over

Bring on the preseason training reports!!

Another coaching era has passed and it's arguable if we are any better. Let's hope Goodwin knows how to coach 

It's too late to microwave my membership but still might do it to make me feel better.

1 minute ago, Demonland said:

OK ... are we improving?

Hard to see beyond getting smashed by over 100 points due to a complete lack of effort combined with zero skills.

We had an OK season, we steamed the bleeding, we had some good wins, but my god we are still a very very ordinary side unless absolutely everything goes our way. 

Skills are woeful, attitude and leadership turns bad very quickly, a lot of question marks over our forward line and I guess our midfield to a certain extent. 

Lots to do this pre-season. I reckon if we make finals next year we may just scrape in. Wouldn't surprise me if we missed out. You can't put in some of the performances we put in this year, and expect to be a finals team.

22 minutes ago, 1 red eye 1 blue eye said:

Whoopsy daisy.

don't [censored] blame me 

Edited August 27, 20169 yr by daisycutter

Our forward line coach needs to take a hard look at themself

Wouldn't have been an AFL season without at least one classic Melbourne performance.

What a bitterly disappointing way to finish the season. Gutted.

I'm not losing perspective on what was obviously a big step forward season, and this game is clearly not reflective of what we have achieved. I need to stew for a bit longer before I can take consolation in that, though.

Just now, bandicoot said:

Another coaching era has passed and it's arguable if we are any better. Let's hope Goodwin knows how to coach 

Well said. I don't see any difference between Melbourne of 2016 and Melbourne of 2013. What a truly terrible post.

Got to get some players into the team who can kick and dispose of the ball efficiently.

Not the only reason we lost, but we're never going to go far if we can't stop these turnovers, they're just killing us, and killing any momentum.

MFC = Soft underbelly. Add as many contested ball winners as you like. If the ball isn't bouncing our way we roll over. It's in the fabric of this club. Over the last 2 weeks we lost any ability to talk players into coming to this club by selling them the idea that we are a changed club.

Just now, olisik said:

Our forward line coach needs to take a hard look at themself

FFS.

Smashed in clearances, inside 50s, cont pos and tackles, but yeah it's the forward line's fault..

 

Just now, stuie said:

FFS.

Smashed in clearances, inside 50s, cont pos and tackles, but yeah it's the forward line's fault..

 

Contested posessions, tackles and inside 50s are also responsibility of our forwards...

Thank [censored] that's done, now we can get into the real stuff. When's trade week?

Put the cue in the rack after last week. Although we had the Roos factor, the boys were looking forward to the off season. I wouldn't read too much into it. The Carlton game is more damning than this.

2 minutes ago, rufus said:

MFC = Soft underbelly. Add as many contested ball winners as you like. If the ball isn't bouncing our way we roll over. It's in the fabric of this club. Over the last 2 weeks we lost any ability to talk players into coming to this club by selling them the idea that we are a changed club.

This saved me a post.

 

maybe it didn't, but I agree 100%

Absolutely horrific way to end a pretty good year.

 

Sorry Roosy.

The boys looked physically cooked last week and both mentally and physically done this week. Today just showed how little mature leadership we still have. 

Off season list management will be interesting to see.

Good improvement this year considering the amount of games we got into kids and can only hope losing like that burns and sets them into preseason with a determination to accelerate the next phase of improvement. 

Just now, Nasher said:

What a bitterly disappointing way to finish the season. Gutted.

I'm not losing perspective on what was obviously a big step forward season, and this game is clearly not reflective of what we have achieved. I need to stew for a bit longer before I can take consolation in that, though.

You're right this game is not reflective of our overall season, but it is part of our reality.

We are not a skilled side, we are not a quick side, and most of all when things go bad we go to water. We lack leadership, and have lacked it since we sacked Junior. We have way too many players who can't execute basic skills, way too many players who play like millionaires but don't do the team things well, and we are so heavily reliant on Gawn to dominate. It took less than a season for clubs to work out that if you shut down Gawn our midfield won't touch the thing.

It is easy to get blinded by wins like the Hawthorn game or the Port game, but we've put in as many poor performances this year as we have good ones, and those are the games we need to really look at if we are to improve. 

I just hope to god that Goodwin can coach, because this club cannot take even a slight backwards step right now.

What an utterly shameful way to farewell Paul Roos.  I'm bitterly disappointed (along with every other genuine Melbourne supporter!). So hard to take!

2 minutes ago, olisik said:

Contested posessions, tackles and inside 50s are also responsibility of our forwards...

Right, so the forwards need to win the hitouts, then clear it from the middle, kick it to themselves inside 50 and then finish with a goal... Hmmm hopefully we trade all our mids for forwards then this year, maybe that will make us better?