That second quarter was a beauty though, super physical and very entertaining 

This is part of what wins finals - it's not sufficient, but it's necessary. We aren't close.

Talent + Endevour - pretty good

Hard at the ball in the contest - pretty good

Brutal - not within cooee.

 

2 hours ago, ding said:

lol what, last week didnt show you that our ruck isnt necessary to have a win?

Its between the ears, not on the team sheet.

 

 

You might win a game here and there without a ruckman but it's not going to see you on the positive side of the ledger.

We would have won all 9 games if either Gawn or spencer played 

I'm no longer thinking finals, not saying we can't get there and I'm hoping against everything we can turn it around but we are such a week to week team. There's zero consistency in our performances. Some of that is down to youth, some of it is down to injuries to key players, but a lot of it for me is attitude with handling expectation. 

Last week, zero expectation except for a big loss but we pull out of best performance for years. This week, expectation of not only winning but putting one of the "hoodoos" to bed. But we come out flat. I don't know how you break this cycle. One thing I am doing from now on is always tipping against us. I have correctly tipped us I twice this year, Essendon and Carlton. I'm going back to the attitude I had as a kid, if I get the tip wrong I'm happy and we lose at least I get the tip. 

Strange how we had numbers at the fall of the ball, extreme tackling pressure and high level skills last week. Where were they this week? What was the game plan when north went coast to coast up the southern side over and over again? Why were our players asleep in the first quarter?

Take the pay packet and shove it this week guys. You were pathetic, weak and hopeless.

Edited May 21, 20178 yr by Diamond

3 hours ago, Dappa Dan said:

Not that they're not entitled to be flat... but are demonlanders really surprised? We got up last week largely on the back of inspiration from Viney and Hoges. We're still kids. We'll win against teams we shouldn't beat. And learn from teams with better leadership.

Did anyone seriously EXPECT us to win this week? I don't expect us to win any week after Hawks and Freo.

The competition is so even this year anyone can beat anyone on their day (other than Brisbane). I hoped we would win today and thought we were in with a good showing but I didn't "expect" us to win. And that's not because I thought "typical Melbourne" or any other self loathing neurotic crap either 

1 hour ago, Jaded said:

He got punched in the stomach and went off vomiting. In the outside world that's assault. 

No matter which way you look at it, it's a free kick and a suspension. 

I wonder if our doctor will submit a medical report?

1 hour ago, Wiseblood said:

I thought Buggy was alright today as well.  He gets himself in good positions, as evidenced by his four shots on goal, and if he's more accurate then it's a great game, not just a good one.  His accuracy hurt us, but at least he was giving us something at that end when many others weren't.

And I know it's been said many times, but Michael Hibberd has just been super for us since he's come into the side.  Exceeding all expectations so far.

Hibberd's been huge for us, but a lot of the ball he got today was under duress and I thought his disposal wasn't particularly damaging despite racking up a lot of it. I suspect it was a team defence problem today though. We didn't seem to have that same run, drive or dare that we've had almost every other week this season.

1 hour ago, Wiseblood said:

Melksham I agree with, but I'm more on the positive side with Lewis.  Thought he was better today and kicked a real leader's goal in the last that we didn't capitalize on.  But he still needs to get better.

I think a lot of what Lewis brings is organisation and instruction out on the field. I can't be sure of this given I'm not out there, but we always appear more organised when he's out there. Was shown up for pace a few times today, but that'll happen. Doesn't mean he's not a vital part of the team. In agreement that he needs to get better though.

28 minutes ago, Hogan2014 said:

Goodwin is not going to start bagging his players & will deal with them internally...signs of a good coach

Players yet to mature to turn up ready to play ...wether its leadership is hard to say

Players yet to mature?  To turn up ready to play?  Geezus Is Jones, Vince, Lewis, Hibberd, et etc yet to mature?  Of course not!  There is a problem with leadership at this club that continues to haunt any list we out out on the park.  Screw the words from coach or players, we ALL have had a gutful of leadership issues at the Melbourne Football Club.  There is serious attitude problems that exist.  Mental weakness has screwed this club for decades.  The club seems incapable of moving on with mental weakness in its player list.  As a club this is our brand!

Just now, Dr. Gonzo said:

The competition is so even this year anyone can beat anyone on their day (other than Brisbane). I hoped we would win today and thought we were in with a good showing but I didn't "expect" us to win. And that's not because I thought "typical Melbourne" or any other self loathing neurotic crap either 

BS

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

The competition is so even this year anyone can beat anyone on their day (other than Brisbane). I hoped we would win today and thought we were in with a good showing but I didn't "expect" us to win. And that's not because I thought "typical Melbourne" or any other self loathing neurotic crap either 

Yeah I was the same. This mob smashed the best team in the comp. Put ten goals on them in a quarter. It's not the end of the world. Some are expecting us to go from absolute jokes a couple of years ago to winning every game now. I'm annoyed we lost, and we've been set back a lot this season with injury... but we're on the right track.

Still waiting for the time we string 3 or 4 wins on the trot together........waiting.....waiting..............

1 minute ago, Diamond said:

BS

 

2 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

The competition is so even this year anyone can beat anyone on their day (other than Brisbane). I hoped we would win today and thought we were in with a good showing but I didn't "expect" us to win. And that's not because I thought "typical Melbourne" or any other self loathing neurotic crap either 

Bravo Gonzo for not been a self loather!  Happy for you to watch Dee's bottom feed the ladder for next 20 years. Some of us want to support a winning team.  Some long standing supporters have the same head weakness as our clubs recent history.

One of the most disgraceful umpiring exhibitions I have ever seen, particularly in the 2 qtr they seem to have no control or idea of what was going on. But the good teams overcome these challenges with skill and effort and good decision making. Hmmm, I went to Adelaide last week to see us route the crows, that was a beautiful thing, reckon I will just think about that for another week and consider the promise of things to come, bit like a fart I suppose?

 

 

1 hour ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Scott is sooking over jumper punches and has laid the ground work to make sure the MRP don't site his players. 

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says the match review panel must now be consistent and tolerate 'jumper punches"  after a volatile win over Melbourne was marked by a succession of fiery incidents in the second quarter.

Several players, including North's Ben Cunnington, could be scrutinised after the spiteful encounter.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/north-melbourne-kangaroos-coach-fires-up-over-nasty-game-20170521-gw9rdd.html

 

As an aside the Ch7 News Sports report said that Bernie had over acted when he was hit in the stomach.  Its one thing for real time game commentators to be biased, its another for News editors and reporters to be pedalling such rubbish.

This also indicates that the jumper punches, gut punches, throat punches and sniping of the likes of Oliver were actually a team tactic and that Scott expects to get away with it "Scott-free".

3 hours ago, WattsUp2312 said:

Another golden chance of a win wasted. I'm really puzzled how we had no intensity in Q1 and Q3....they just didn't come out fired up. I didn't think our defence was that bad...it was the midfield switching off and being beaten that leads to missles coming in with ease

Why do you reckon our mids were "off"? Last week we nullified Jacobs and had the ball drop to his feet creating a contested game. This week Goldstein kept tapping into space for their mids to work in and there wasn't a hell of a lot we could do about it.

1 minute ago, Akum said:

This also indicates that the jumper punches, gut punches, throat punches and sniping of the likes of Oliver were actually a team tactic and that Scott expects to get away with it "Scott-free".

It was absolutely a team tactic, and we had no answer.

We just aren't brutal. See the Hawks destroy Hannebery in to 2014 Granny above.

Need talent, need guts and hard at the ball, need brutality.

We are 2/3, usually.

 

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Why do you reckon our mids were "off"? Last week we nullified Jacobs and had the ball drop to his feet creating a contested game. This week Goldstein kept tapping into space for their mids to work in and there wasn't a hell of a lot we could do about it.

I rate Jacobs highly but he was dumb last week & played into our hands in the manner you describe. Possibly poor coaching from Pyke as well

Goldstein is a level above.

We had to fight & scrap for our centre clearances and resultant forward entries were usually under pressure. 

Norf often walked it out of the centre unopposed and that creates silver service for forwards. That was down to Goldstein - and begrudgingly I'll concede probably good coaching from that hobbit Scott

8 minutes ago, Soidee said:

 

Bravo Gonzo for not been a self loather!  Happy for you to watch Dee's bottom feed the ladder for next 20 years. Some of us want to support a winning team.  Some long standing supporters have the same head weakness as our clubs recent history.

People are allowed to be upset, angry, [censored] off with the result. I am too. But I'm not gonna throw the team under the bus and resort to cliched "typical Melbourne" rubbish. North played well today, it's an even comp and we will have ups and downs. For Christ's sake were missing two of our key players, were down to our 3rd string ruck (who isn't really a ruck) and a skinny 8 game player as our key forward. 

The team is trying, this isn't the Neeld era where they don't even belong on the same field as the opposition. Viney tried hard today, Frost was good, Hunt tried to provide a spark, Hannan had his best game, Oliver was tagged out of the game and needs to learn how to cope with that.

Effectively the Roos did to us today what we did to the Crows last week. Their pressure was exceptional, they targeted our best mid and exploited our weaknesses (ruck and isolating Brown in the goal square).

But sure, if you feel better about kicking the club for being a bottom of the ladder feeder don't let me stop you wallowing in your misery.

3 hours ago, Watts Jurrah Dunn? said:

Vince doesn't get frees because the umpires know he's the boy that cried wolf.  Throws his head back and drops to the ground whenever someone touches him, so of course he's not going to get the ones he deserves. Get over it. We have bigger problems. 

If that was the only incident you'd say fair enough. The umpiring was deplorable I can't think of a worse umpiring performance for a Melbourne game I've attended

3 hours ago, america de cali said:

And we drafted JKH ahead of Ben Brown. 

You were on the Ben Brown bandwagon back then?

1 hour ago, titan_uranus said:

We have shown what our best football is like and it is more than good enough to be a finals side, even a top 4 side.

 

We have shown this year that we are not good enough to be a top 4 side.

With luck we may have made finals, maybe still could...but so far luck is not on our side.

Thinking we are better than where we sit is what got the Tiges into trouble, drinking their own bathwater & believing the hype.

I'm confident our FD has a good handle on where our list sits & it's not top 4.

Wanting it to be different won't change that.

 

1 hour ago, Farmer said:

Just shows how a loss can stir you up. None of his kicks were directly in front, all,on a bad angle for a left foot kick. Didn't play well but didn't shirk it, didn't give up. Is a good forward line mark for his height .

Oh, come on. An AFL player missing the one on 3/4 time? Is that you, Tom? That's 20 metres out and the angle is hardly acute. 

1 hour ago, Diamond said:

But "making finals" is irrelevant if we can't follow through and win the big one,

Disagree. I'll take finals this year. We're not a top 4 side. I'd like to pinch a final if possible, but losing one, as long as it's not a whacking sets the platform nicely for 2018.

40 minutes ago, bandicoot said:

You might win a game here and there without a ruckman but it's not going to see you on the positive side of the ledger.

We would have won all 9 games if either Gawn or spencer played 

lol yeah nah, we wouldnt have. Thats just dreaming

3 hours ago, sc93 said:

Puzzled by Goodwin's unforced decision making

Put's Hunt up forward when he was killing it down back, really don't understand the change

Plays Petracca up forward every week when he is so good in close, desperately needed him in the midfield for the whole game today

Petraccas only done one preseason in his career, he doesn't have the tank yet to go 100% in the guts. Don't wanna run him into the ground.

I will make a very controversial commen here and fully expect to be hammered, however I do not think this team will take serious steps forward while Jonesy is still skipper.  My opinion I own it.