4 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

Have watched 1st Qtr on replay since returning from G. Those happy to shove Wagner under the bus are short sighted! He had a very good first Qtr. No way should he be lumped in with White as a dodgy selection. I agree that White had a shocker. Labelling players as VFL standard is dumb! Hannon was playing VAFA standard two years ago. Over the years I've heard the same thing said about Nathan Jones, Sam Frost, Cam Pederson, Oscar MacDonald, and so on. Bugg has copped a lot for his response to being impeded while he was trying to get to the ball. He will get several weeks for that! I loved the way he put his body in the path of a Swan who has was running at Big Max to remonstrate. Bugg has his deficiencies, but avoiding putting his body on the line is not one of them. I think we can do better with selection than we did against Swans... I look forward to Kent's return and I am keen to see J Smith again. Maynard may get a chance and I hope Weiderman can follow up on the progress he made last week. It's not all 'not up to AFL standard' in the VFL. The challenge is to have some synchronicity when a large number of players come in to the best 22. Something that was lacking tonight.

Personally I thought White was the wrong selection on team ballance, not a bad selection per say.  Garlett should have been replaced with like with one of Kennedy, JKH or Kent.  Playing Hunt forward to start was a loose loose.  I would have picked Wagner over White, I wasn't unhappy, but suprised to see White get a go an was hoping that it could have been some kind of inspired move, but not to be.  

Hinsight is a beautiful thing.

Sydney played like we have for most of the season ... roles reversed.

We'll live to fight another day - starting as of next week.  Our performance tonight was reminiscence of a few games last year. 

Credit to the other mob though, they showed us what that extra notch looks like.  We never gave up but lacked surety, poise and we couldn't manage to get that released player released (skills)

We're not out of it by any means.  Maybe someone else here has said it but it might have been the loss we needed to have. 

We lacked marking forwards...

I thought Weiderman may have provided a target & either Kent or JKH to replace Garlet...

Gotta trust the club as they have got it right most times this year...

43 minutes ago, jumbo returns said:

Lewis and Bernie really need to STAND UP...

I've probably been in denial for a good 18 months, but my feeling is that Bernie is spent as the dominant midfielder he once was.  I was actually hoping that we could rest him through this period of 3 X 6 day breaks, but injuries stuffed up any such luxury.  A game like tonight would have been the ideal opportunity to throw him in the guts and give us something,  but I get the feeling that it wasn't tried because the club understands his now limitations.  I find this sad, because I love Bernie and everything he has done for the MFC ...now go and prove me wrong Bernie.

Does anyone know why Hannan was playing in the midfield in the first two quarters? Was he tagging? I though we could have done with him in the forward line and a pure midfielder at the ball ups in his place.

Please no one state agan that either McDonald are poor kicks.  Showe'd tonight (as they have many times before) that they are anything but.  Thinking particularly of Tommy - has kicked 9 goals 3 this year and nailed a perfect pass tonight into the forwardline that shows he has the goods.  Was poor with some decision making early in his career and probably lacked confidence and needed to perfect his craft, but he certainly has now, so MOVE ON McDonald haters.

Wagner is a VFL player. Where are all the supporters that keep saying he is a Matt Suckling-type of kick? A 35th-on-your-list at best. 

2 hours ago, DemonWA said:

Injuries caught up with us today - nothing to be ashamed of. Last years grand finalists would always be a bridge too far with no Jones, Hogan, Watts, Garlett, Salem etc

Maybe the guys have been enjoying drinking their own bath water too - either way, it's a mid season reality check.

Perhaps Trengove will add to this AFL games tally after all?!

 

trengrove wont unfortunately 

14 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Please no one state agan that either McDonald are poor kicks.  Showe'd tonight (as they have many times before) that they are anything but.  Thinking particularly of Tommy - has kicked 9 goals 3 this year and nailed a perfect pass tonight into the forwardline that shows he has the goods.  Was poor with some decision making early in his career and probably lacked confidence and needed to perfect his craft, but he certainly has now, so MOVE ON McDonald haters.

Thought both were in our best by far tonight, Oscar looked calm, composed like a veteran and read the play really well.  T Mac led from the front but unfortunately lacked support. 

On a night where we had the fumbles and lacked composure trying to go forward their ball handling was exceptional. 

18 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I've probably been in denial for a good 18 months, but my feeling is that Bernie is spent as the dominant midfielder he once was.  I was actually hoping that we could rest him through this period of 3 X 6 day breaks, but injuries stuffed up any such luxury.  A game like tonight would have been the ideal opportunity to throw him in the guts and give us something,  but I get the feeling that it wasn't tried because the club understands his now limitations.  I find this sad, because I love Bernie and everything he has done for the MFC ...now go and prove me wrong Bernie.

Bernie needed to go to parker in the 2nd qtr and do a job on him.... 

he would have relished it.

he is pretty much a specialist kick out from behind guy now. hibberd and salem can do that pls...

So tonight is what we call a bad night.  It was a night where nothing seemed to go our way, even down to how the ball bounced.  Why is it so? 

First, obviously, the team is stuffed on their fourth match in eighteen days.  This didn't help.

Next, remember that our game is built around exactly the same philosophy as theirs.  The difference is that they've been doing it for more than a decade, while we've been at it for a couple of years.  We basically just played against our big brother. 

We were down five of our best players at the start of the game and lost another halfway through. 

The umpires were truly disgraceful.  They didn't make us lose, but they certainly didn't help and may have contributed to injuries to several of our players by not pulling Sydney into line with their "antisocial" tactics.

Honestly, it was a [censored] game to watch.  We were miserable for 7/8 of the time we were watching them play, with a brief spurt of domination in the first quarter to give us some small hope of a result.  By and large I think we can just call this an aberration and move on.  Next week is an opponent not tailor-made to beat us, with a decent break for the players and half a chace of getting a couple of guns back. 

Also, I would like to add a note of criticism for Oscar.  He's improved out of sight recently, but tonight he [censored] me right off when he squibbed and let Franklin have a free mark and goal.  Yes, the game was gone by then, but it was his turn to go. He looked at what was coming and decided not to put his body on the line when he was in a position to cross in front of Franklin and get the spoil.  Maybe it was the smart call not to risk another injury when the game was already lost, but I think it was pretty poor. 

7 hours ago, Hogan2014 said:

We lacked marking forwards...

I thought Weiderman may have provided a target & either Kent or JKH to replace Garlet...

Gotta trust the club as they have got it right most times this year...

We lacked a fit (read uninjured) energetic midfield brigade to get the ball into our half.  Our forwardline did pretty well for the limited opportunity they got tonight.

1 hour ago, McQueen said:

Neville Jetta BOG for mine tonight.

Having a cracking year.

i love him hard 

2 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

I hate to say it, but did Goody make an error in selecting him?  Should we have given a JKH, for example, a run and left Hunt down back?  No one gets everything right, but it seems the selections backfired on us a little this week.  Very easy to say in hindsight, though.

Interesting about selection, as with the 4 games in 18 days I have been banging on about bringing in fresh legs. Goody has proved me wrong until this game, where ( and being overseas ) I only heard the last half and have read DL and AFL site, but it appears we were dead on our feet.  We had players in JKH, Kent and Kennedy who had good form at Casey, yet they selected 2 back flankers. Our spread and uncontested possession was horrible and these two weren't going to help that. 

Anyway the obvious happened , but unfortunately with the addition of more injuries.  

When you add Joel Smith, who was in the senior side when injured and who I think will become a regular, to the 8 players named several times on DL out already, that is half the side out , including basically our whole forward line.  

To have 8 wins up and be in the 8 at this stage of the season given the last 18 days is a great effort. 

We are on the improve and now need real luck with injuries for the rest of the season.

1 hour ago, jumbo returns said:

It's been posted by many on here and we finally have a base comparison - we cannot win AFL games with VFL standard players

White

Wagner

Neal - Bullen

Bugg (stupid tonight....deserves eight)

Stretch

Pederson (looked cooked)

Melksham 

Harmes (but there's hope)

Looked like 2014 all over again out there....

 

 

WTF, what a load of BS

When we were winning all these blokes looked the goods and we're kicking goals metaphorically (and literally).  Pretty tough call to single out these guys when 3/4s of our side looked spent and lathargic tonight.  Oliver had a [censored] night, perhaps he's a VFL player also.  Gawn was ok, but still not hitting his A game (with good reason).

If anything, I thought Harmes and Melksham were a few that actually showed a bit of energy and drive tonight.  Yes Harms missed a soda early in the second half, but that's hardly what lost us the game tonight (not to mention the clutch goal he kicked last week to keep us in the game in the fourth).  Let's not forget that a number of those you list are still essentially developing players who have continued to improve and pretty much all normally fearlessly and relentlessly attack the contest, hunting the ball and the opposition and take on the gamr in a manner that our game plan/style which has been so successful over the previous four weeks demands.

I'm quite prepared to put this game down to 3 X 6 day breaks, No Watts, Garlett, Jones (& Pactically Viney) and comming up against the other form side in the comp who are at close to peak fittness/personal.  Even then, we hardly discraced ourselves.  If next week's game is a disaster, the things would look more ominous for some, but let's wait and see there, so far this year we have been pretty good at backing up after a loss.

Didn't see the match. Haven't read the thread. Expected a loss due to injuries and our fixture. Add Viney after the half and I'm sure it quashed any hope of a comeback. Not concerned as such (for this one). But can someone outline any positives for me? I see we kicked four goals in a handful of minutes. Did we still look threatening at times? Cheers. 

5 hours ago, Jaded said:

Gawn looked to have aged 30 years tonight. Clearly stuffed. Needs the break and the match fitness. Contradictory I know, but he looked slow and flat and also not very sharp with the footy or mobile. He will be better for the run. 

Watch his interview on the club site. It's not fitness per se, it's coping with the physical pressure, the body on body. 10 weeks out, and no matter how much fitness you can maintain, you still need to build back up to that.

7 hours ago, Demonland said:

Can we play on Thursday night next week?

CoincidenceLand

 

thank goodness none of us are involved in scientific research to solve major world problems.  The poor sun would probably cop it I imagine.

1 hour ago, Skuit said:

Didn't see the match. Haven't read the thread. Expected a loss due to injuries and our fixture. Add Viney after the half and I'm sure it quashed any hope of a comeback. Not concerned as such (for this one). But can someone outline any positives for me? I see we kicked four goals in a handful of minutes. Did we still look threatening at times? Cheers. 

Positives were the McDonald brothers and the defence holding up OK despite the onslaught. Many had Hibberd, Jetta, Frost and OMac in their best six.

Petracca kicked a couple of nice goals from outside 50.

First quarter, despite Sydney's bombardment, lead by three goals at one stage. But it was thumb in the dike stuff!

 

I think the important thing is that the club doesn't dwell on this loss. This was the most comprehensive loss we've had for the year and it was (only) 35pts. Albeit we got lucky with their inaccuracy in the first quarter. 

Once able to break free we showed the free-flowing football we're capable of in the first quarter but I honestly think the players looked cooked. Does it excuse the loss? No. But it does give context. 

We had significant injuries leading into the game and they telled, we missed Salems class in the backline, Watts class in the forward/half forward line, Garletts pressure and creativeness, Hogan as another tall target, Jones leadership, and then after half time Viney's leadership. We were also tired from the 6 day breaks, but credit to them they never allowed us fluid ball movement. 

It was a bad night, but we simply need to move on. We will get back Watts next week, Hogan probably as well, Casey are in good form so there should be players knocking down the door. Sadly Wagner and White both had bad nights and I think could be dropped. 

Reality check given, reload next week. 

(As a side note it continues my horrendous record of tipping us wrong this year!)

I know I'm clutching at straws here, and I'm not saying it was a large factor in our loss tonight, but it was clear that we were lost in the conditions last night.  How often do we play on a ground that was as wet and slippery as the 'G was during the game?  It just felt like many of our players, who were probably already a little nervous and tired, constantly fumbled the footy in key moments or slipped over while the Swans were able to keep their feet.

I know it's a small thing but it certainly added to our troubles last night.

9 hours ago, McQueen said:

"Go on, give it to Buddy - give him 5!!"

almost dry retched when he said that.

Stick to athletics you muppet.

In the last quarter when Frost was running way from buddy out of defence and Bruce was going 'look at buddy run. Look at the old champ'. While he was getting burnt off. Unbelievable. 

Can anyone find video of Jones' high hit on Hannan.  Deliberate elbow to the head which knocked him off his feet.  Carey tried to say Jones was 'just bracing' while going for the ball.  Didn't look like it to me - bracing means tucking arms in and taking the hit on the upper arm/shoulder.  And it didn't look like 'negligible impact' either.  To Hannan's credit he bounced back up again but that doesn't mitigate the severity of the hit to the head.

Wouldn't mind seeing it again if anyone can find it.

9 hours ago, DemonOX said:

Truck, hunt, TMac and omac r the positives tonight. 

And the fact we didn't give up but otherwise disappointing. 

I thought Hunt was terrible and looked injured

Reality is we have played 4 games in 18 days and a growing injury list of key players which would impact the performance of any afl club