12 hours ago, Dappa Dan said:

Yeah I know I'm not in the popular camp on here. Demonland are glass half empty sometimes. You think we'll lose to 2 of Richmond, Essendon and Hawks? (I assume you're chalking up Crows as a loss, and who wouldn't after last night).

My thoughts have to do with Hogan and Lewis coming back. They're just so important.

Hogan. Against Blues, we kicked a winning score without him kicking a goal, and that was partly related to the dump kicks by midfielders always heading to Hogan, with Jesse crashing packs and cleaning up 3 players. Or at very least, drawing two defenders. If he kicks 4, and the team kicks another 6 from his involvements... we win the last two games easily. A player like him simply cannot be replaced. There isn't anything he doesn't do. And how often does he get to a contest and NOT win it, or spill it to advantage? How often is he absolutely beaten one on one? Now compare that to Weed, Smith, even Watts. Weed and Smith haven't done a damn thing for the club in our two losses. Literally nothing. Watts has done great, but is often spoiled and taken out of contests. I really do believe we're at minimum a 5 goal better side with Hogan in.

Lewis is a lot of similar things, but in the backline. Not often beaten. Makes about 3-4 other players better. Think about how badly we cleared the ball with Melksham, TMac and Vince. Going back to the bad old days, our worst kicks were always blamed for delivery, when it's more down to the targets not leading. Lewis out there directing traffic, we clear the ball SO WELL. We create 5 opportunities a quarter based on good zoning. So Lewis alone, again, we're a 3-4 goal better side.

Both players straighten us up remarkably, and not only get it inside fifty, but to good places that it's easier to kick straight from.  I'll be interested to come back to this in a month. I think by the bye we'll be as far as 7-3. 

Yep, i think we will be beaten by Richmond next week, and probably the drug cheats as well. We SHOULD win both of those games but i honestly think we wont. I DO think we will pump the Hawks. 

It all depends on not just the ability of our team, but if they have the belief or not. Doubt starts creeping in again and we will be embarrassed.

On 16/04/2017 at 0:16 AM, ding said:

Interesting.. I actually see us losing 3 of the next 4, before wining back to back.

No way are we playing finals with our current skills.

[censored], clicked "like" before realising who u were.

Ding has it right.

If we cant beat Freo at the MCG, or [censored] after having 8000 chances to put them away, we are [censored].

 

Finals are a dream, and nothing more.

 

Still steaming about Harmes and his open shot for goal. unforgivable for a pro footballer.

Edited April 16, 20178 yr by faultydet
*p.ussies is censored? bloody hell.

On 16/04/2017 at 2:53 PM, Goffer said:

My family's from Galway, so the old man hates Mayo with a passion. I think he's started to feel some real pity for them though, even going so far as to barrack for them during the All Ireland last year. It'd be like MFC supporters cheering Collingwood in a GF because they had lost 8 in a row and they were starting to feel sorry for them 

For what it's worth I prefer Mayo to aioli.

On 4/15/2017 at 10:53 PM, layzie said:

Good old Yeats 

Great player....

We are 2 qts away from being 4-0

Our best footy id great 

what's causing the lapses & reverting poor turnovers..  leadership ? 

 

On 17/04/2017 at 2:21 AM, ding said:

Yep, i think we will be beaten by Richmond next week, and probably the drug cheats as well. We SHOULD win both of those games but i honestly think we wont. I DO think we will pump the Hawks. 

It all depends on not just the ability of our team, but if they have the belief or not. Doubt starts creeping in again and we will be embarrassed.

That's VERY glass half empty. We've scored 120, 86, 97 and 104. We've got firepower now. Even without Jesse, and with one KP down on the day (Weed) we still kicked almost a hundred and over a hundred without them. I really think we're doing most things right. Just our defense is two players short. Against Tigers I  like Jesse and Watts against Rance, and I like Tmac against Riewoldt. I rate our midfield to belt the living snot out of them like they usually do. Then after that, Lewis into backline will do what he did in the first two weeks. bingo bango... 5-2 lol

1 hour ago, Dappa Dan said:

That's VERY glass half empty. We've scored 120, 86, 97 and 104. We've got firepower now. Even without Jesse, and with one KP down on the day (Weed) we still kicked almost a hundred and over a hundred without them. I really think we're doing most things right. Just our defense is two players short. Against Tigers I  like Jesse and Watts against Rance, and I like Tmac against Riewoldt. I rate our midfield to belt the living snot out of them like they usually do. Then after that, Lewis into backline will do what he did in the first two weeks. bingo bango... 5-2 lol

I said in another thread that i just shook my head when comparing our lists on paper as we just look FAR better than Richmond. Despite this, they are clearly playing better as a team than we are atm. Their confidence alone gives them a headstart, as will the likely 80/20 crowd split.

Our form is simply not as good as some are trying to make out. First half of the season is supposed to set us up for the tougher run of matches to come, but so far we have had only played 1 good game out of 4. The Saints win was good, the Carlton game poor (win notwithstanding) and the next 2 games we pizzed up against the wall. I will start to tip wins when they seem likely, not simply because i own a MFC membership.

Its well overdue that we made a real statement. Let it be this week. My glass might just become half full.

Again and again and again! Nothing changes . Sheesh this team really should be called Hemlock FC!

38 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Again and again and again! Nothing changes . Sheesh this team really should be called Hemlock FC!

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Getting so [censored] sick of it, 20 up at 3/4 time, should have 5-6 goals up at halftime, and they blow it again. Stupid turnovers in last 40 minutes screwed us

On 4/15/2017 at 8:07 PM, picket fence said:

That's what it feels like being a Melbourne supporter. My dad took me to the 1964 Premiership win ( which I don't remember) but  I was converted properly coz I loved the old style Demon jumper after seeing the mobil footy cards in the mid late sixties ( For those who don't know what I'm talking about think a glossy Tassie Johnson photo and others on your bedroom wall). The closest we got was probably 1987 ( Im not convinced we were that good in 2000 even though we made a GF). 

So I went today with a couple of my adult kids and they were pumped shouting cheering and very involved, I sat there today with a nondescript look on my face not getting in any way excited. I spose I was hoping for something but knowing full well another probable loss, particularly aftter that abysmal third quarter. So I don't seek closure , I don't seek the impossible, I just want before I get much older to see sustained success. I'm not convinced after today we are any closer to the premiership success we yearn. So excuss the melancholy and rhettoric but in all honesty being a Dees Supporter means you just get chewed up and spat out again, year after year after year! 

Picket, join your adult kids and get excited. They are showing you the way. 

You should feel humble that they want to go to the game with you. 

And I am sure they would be thrilled to see you share their enthusiasm. 

A melancholic grumpy old Dad is no good for your image.

A valiant effort last night - we live to fight another day...

Again and again and yet again! Its like a deathwish!

1 minute ago, picket fence said:

Again and again and yet again! Its like a deathwish!

We pay players to have the wrong attitude at the first bounce Picket

again & again & again.....

5 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

We pay players to have the wrong attitude at the first bounce Picket

again & again & again.....

Do we actually pay them for these displays??

 Surely not??

Just now, picket fence said:

Do we actually pay them for these displays??

 Surely not??

Sadly the AFLPA make it compulsory that we pay our players

there is little incentive to improve

Gotta say,  this is the first year where I've thought the umpires have lost the ability to pay reasonable frees rather than guess towards howlers. They seriously have lost the plot to either pay the obvious ones or refrain from blowing the whistle on nothing much. The number of apologies each week from their head is a joke.

Tough gig. The grey interpretations change monthly and we are asking them to make calls on micro second actions so of course they'll fail. On top of this we ask them to have ball skills (bounce, throw ins) and to adapt to the conditions. 

I agree with Hardwick - it's a tough, thankless job, not their fault... but head office needs to clarify, simplify and justify.

1 minute ago, Moonshadow said:

Gotta say,  this is the first year where I've thought the umpires have lost the ability to pay reasonable frees rather than guess towards howlers. They seriously have lost the plot to either pay the obvious ones or refrain from blowing the whistle on nothing much. The number of apologies each week from their head is a joke.

Tough gig. The grey interpretations change monthly and we are asking them to make calls on micro second actions so of course they'll fail. On top of this we ask them to have ball skills (bounce, throw ins) and to adapt to the conditions. 

I agree with Hardwick - it's a tough, thankless job, not their fault... but head office needs to clarify, simplify and justify.

Yep agree 100%

This has been a tough season to watch so far. On one hand, I personally think we have improved, but on the other hand, we are still a million miles off.

There is something about this club, mentally, that just isn't right.

Said it in the post match, but until we can show some consistency, especially against supposedly lower opposition, we are going nowhere.

Umpire decisions are frustrating but if we're good enough, we should win regardless how bad it is.

We seem to have really big deficiencies down back! Big forwards keeping tearing us apart every game whether it's both Riewoldts, hawkins, daniher (if he could kick straight), and now Roughead. I can see even a Travis Cloke, way past his prime, outmarking and kicking a bag against us.

How come our backs keep giving away easy frees but Hogan will struggle to get one. Not an expert but maybe we should learn from other teams on how they defend cause we simply can't do it!

10 minutes ago, worldwideweb_demon said:

Umpire decisions are frustrating but if we're good enough, we should win regardless how bad it is.

We seem to have really big deficiencies down back! Big forwards keeping tearing us apart every game whether it's both Riewoldts, hawkins, daniher (if he could kick straight), and now Roughead. I can see even a Travis Cloke, way past his prime, outmarking and kicking a bag against us.

How come our backs keep giving away easy frees but Hogan will struggle to get one. Not an expert but maybe we should learn from other teams on how they defend cause we simply can't do it!

Coz we havent got any accountable, disciplined hard nosed mongrel defenders! Oh I forgot , that have good skills!! and dont suffer brain fades!

10 minutes ago, worldwideweb_demon said:

Umpire decisions are frustrating but if we're good enough, we should win regardless how bad it is.

We seem to have really big deficiencies down back! Big forwards keeping tearing us apart every game whether it's both Riewoldts, hawkins, daniher (if he could kick straight), and now Roughead. I can see even a Travis Cloke, way past his prime, outmarking and kicking a bag against us.

How come our backs keep giving away easy frees but Hogan will struggle to get one. Not an expert but maybe we should learn from other teams on how they defend cause we simply can't do it!

It's all about the delivery into the fwd line.. Compare the silver service Roughead got to Hogan.. our midfield are more likely to try and handball it 50 instead of kicking it ATM..

On 4/16/2017 at 3:29 PM, Petraccattack said:

Typical overreaction to a loss.

We are finally heading in the right direction, and Picket you know full well there will be bumps along the way.

Yeah??? Still think that way?? I don't!.... typical oh so typical Melbourne, 53 years of it!

3 hours ago, picket fence said:

Yeah??? Still think that way?? I don't!.... typical oh so typical Melbourne, 53 years of it!

well I knew the Kangas would beat us so Im not slitting my wrists, as frustrating as it is