adding to this is that we won 48 quarters for the year which ranked us 4th best.

Apart from the Adel and Syd losses the other 8 losses can be broken down to quarters or parts of quarters where we switched off/let the other team get run on's.

It's not so much the flat spots in games that worry as every team has them, it's a very taxing game this modern AFL caper.

Its more the mindset going into games like Nth, Freo , Hawks and especially Collingwood in the last round.

We should have been breathing fire and ready to tear the pies a new one.

I imagine the rapid goal scoring patches of opposition came from:

1: being completely smashed at the centre bounce and fast take aways.

2: terrible delivery inside 50 for fast rebound and goal.

When we were grafting, the opposition scored, but not in those patches.  This has been the game style- make it a contest, win contest, score. I think we now need to add outside run, better passing accuracy and quicker in game tactical changes to avoid these mini routs and take us to the next level.

Not forgetting this was Goodwins first season as coach , and I guess he is on a steep learning curve as well ! . The buck stops with him now ??!!

Very damning numbers there - really the difference between a top 4 or even 2 finish with a great percentage and the September holiday we are all too accustomed to.

Also an indication not of lack of talent, but of Melbourne's long standing bugbear,  MENTAL SOFTNESS.  

 

3 hours ago, Grimes Times said:

adding to this is that we won 48 quarters for the year which ranked us 4th best.

Apart from the Adel and Syd losses the other 8 losses can be broken down to quarters or parts of quarters where we switched off/let the other team get run on's.

Again shows what a useless stat that really is (4th highest winning qtrs )  obviously didn't correlate to much as we finished 9th.

Some teams lost more qtrs and finished higher .

Stats are funny things.

Lies, damn lies and ....

Appreciate the sentiment. Obviously, I'd also prefer we stopped this happening and think we definitely have to stop it happening with the same regularity.

But, for balance sake, the times we got on runs must be considered (as fans of opposition clubs would lament their own side's defensive lapse).

ROUND

1 Kicked 10 in a row from the 6 minute mark of the 2nd to the 8th minute mark of the 3rd. Won by 30.

2 Kicked 7 of the last 9. Won by 22.

3 Never really got a run on (of goals) Did kick 3.4. in a row. 23 scoring shots to nine in the 2nd and 3rd terms. Lost by 29.

4 Kicked 5 in a row from the 14 to the 28 minute mark of the 2nd term. Lost by 2.

5 Never really got a run on. Kicked 4 goals to 1 in a 14 minute period in the 3rd. Lost by 13

6 Kicked 6 in a row from the 24 minute mark of the 3rd to the 4th minute mark of the last. Won by 38.

7 Kicked 7 goals to 2 from the 2 minute mark to the 30 minute mark of the 3rd term. Lost by 3.

8 Kicked 12 goals to 1 for halfway through the second to midway through the last. Won by 41

9 Kicked 6 goals to 2 from the 1 minute mark to the 26 minute mark of the 2nd. Lost by 14

10 Kicked 11 goals to 1 from the 12 minute mark of the 3rd term to the 18 minute mark of the last. Won by 35

12 Kicked 5 goals to 1 between the 12 to 27 minute marks of the 3rd term. Won by 4

13 Kicked 7 of the first 8 goals. Won by 57

14 Kicked the last 3 goals between the 19 and 29 minute marks. Won by 3.

15 Kicked 4 in a row from the 12th to the 27th minute mark of the first term. Lost by 35

16 Kicked 4 in a row from the 28th minute mark of the second term to the 9 minute mark of the 3rd. Won by 8

17 Kicked 4 in a row from the 9th to the 29th minute mark of the 2rd term. Lost by 46

18 Kicked the first 7 goals. Won by 23

19 Kicked 6 goals to 1 form the 3 minute mark to the 30 minute mark. Lost by 4

20 Kicked the first. Ew. Lost by 35

21 Kicked 7 of the first 8. Won by 24

22 Kicked 4 goals in a row from the 29th minute mark of the 3rd term to the 6 minute mark of the last. Won by 13

23 Kicked 7 goals to 1 from the 16 minute mark of the 3rd term to the 15 minute mark of the last. Lost by 16.

 

Now, I know as much as anyone how much the "lapses" hurt. But I think it is also part and parcel somewhat of today's footy. They are going to happen. Good sides probably just end up having multiple runs themselves during games to overcome the periods of dominance that the opposition will have.

As those above have said, 8 of our losses can be somewhat attributable to lapses.

But, by the same token, you have to consider how many wins we had by the same virtue.

By looking at the stats above, 11 of our wins came from run-ons (or what the other team would call their own lapse). Only the Dogs win can't be singled down to a period of dominance that was greater than the final result.

Interesting that, I'd argue, only two games this year we never got a run on. How's the improvement there from the previous 5 seasons!

2 hours ago, 45HG said:

Appreciate the sentiment. Obviously, I'd also prefer we stopped this happening and think we definitely have to stop it happening with the same regularity.

But, for balance sake, the times we got on runs must be considered (as fans of opposition clubs would lament their own side's defensive lapse).

Fair point of course.

The other thing I haven't done is compared this with other clubs - do other clubs have these moments of switching off during games, or is it just us?

The frequency of it is what worries me more than anything.

Also, welcome back!(?)

I may sound like a cracked record (the under 30s probably have no idea what I am talking about)  but could a professional psychologist help address these predictable recurring lapses?