15 minutes ago, Abe said:

the umpiring was disgusting. Some of the worst I've seen. 

That's saying something, because I thought the first Qtr/half was worse.

We deserve to play finals more than West Coast so [censored] them. 

Very disappointing. Fell to bits really, even when coming back there wasn't really a moment where I thought we'd win. The burden of expectation weighs on this club like an anvil.

I hope the results go our way so we can at least break that drought and move on but there's a lot of questions to be asked. Our issues are psychological. It might be harsh be we are still soft when it counts. I don't agree that we haven't improved, we have come a long way but the psychological issues will be the hardest to overcome going forward.

3 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

It earmarked finals last year. That didn't work out so well either.

Too many spuds in our team. Particularly in defence. Can't take a contested mark to save ourselves. Midfield was smashed.

Outcoached. [censored] off melbourne

Last year was ambitious. This year was a given. 

7 minutes ago, Demon17 said:

Was this part of a cunning plan to now finish 8th and avoid playing the swans at the SCG. Instead now probably Port at Adelaide Oval - a happy hunting ground for us?

Hope so

1 minute ago, jnrmac said:

It earmarked finals last year. That didn't work out so well either.

Too many spuds in our team. Particularly in defence. Can't take a contested mark to save ourselves. Midfield was smashed.

Outcoached. [censored] off melbourne

Perhaps our strategy needs to be not earmarking finals. We're rolled gold experts in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Very few clubs can fockup as well as us. Masters.

16 minutes ago, Jaded said:

I'm just glad I'll be on a flight back to Melbourne tomorrow night so I can avoid the agony of waiting on the Adelaide West Coast result. 

Being a Melbourne supporter is a full time shitfest of a job. 

If Geelong beat GWS tonight then Crows will put the cue in the rack vs WCE as they can't lose top spot (and the chance to play Richmond in their first final).  They will want to minimise risk of injury.  If Geelong win watch them rest Sloane!  WCE will romp it in.

The only chance we have of the Crows trying to win is if GWS beat Geelong and if the Crows want to keep top spot.

The equation is simple:  barrack for GWS tonight, as unpalatable as that might be. 

Well...as I sit on the train home... wasn't that just a day of shlt.

I saw today as a dress rehearsal for the finals proper. Simply, we're not ready yet

 If we sneak in we'll be monstered if we play like that again.

Kudos to Collingwood....yes they knew how to play the game. We didn't.

Time for serious wine medication soon.

Not your finest day MFC

2 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

We deserve to play finals more than West Coast so [censored] them. 

Absolutely ET. And the punch line can be that we meet and beat Richmond in an elimination final.

42 minutes ago, Franky_31 said:

Oscar Harmes Tysonand Hannan. Please pick a side for next week just to drop them.

Seconded.

1 minute ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

We deserve to play finals more than West Coast so [censored] them. 

Based on today's effort, you couldn't be more wrong. We had 120 minutes today to prove we deserve to be play finals, playing against a team that clearly doesn't. We failed. It's that simple, and there's no other way to dress it. 

1 minute ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

If Geelong beat GWS tonight then Crows will put the cue in the rack vs WCE as they can't lose top spot (and the chance to play Richmond in their first final).  They will want to minimise risk of injury.  If Geelong win watch them rest Sloane!

The only chance we have of the Crows trying to win is if GWS beat Geelong and the Crows want to keep top spot.

The equation is simple:  barrack for GWS tonight, as unpalatable as that might be. 

This had made me feel even worse.  Damn you LH!

20 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

I'd prefer Apex at the ground as well.

You are in much better form than our boys were today RTG

20 min into the first quarter and we laid 2 tackles. 2 [censored] tackles. Frees in the first 5 to 0.

There was the game right there.

1 minute ago, Webber said:

Based on today's effort, you couldn't be more wrong. We had 120 minutes today to prove we deserve to be play finals, playing against a team that clearly doesn't. We failed. It's that simple, and there's no other way to dress it. 

We've had 23 rounds to prove it, not just one game.  We're in the eight at the minute which means we deserve to be there.

1 hour ago, Wiseblood said:

Just got home, haven't seen a second of the game, but it's clear that we went with the choke this afternoon.  So terribly deflating and disappointing.

I know our season isn't over just yet, but at the same time, I'd be shattered if it was as I'm not ready for it to be at all.  If this does end our season it will leave a very sour taste in the mouth.

For those who watched the game - what was the problem today?  Did we look nervous early and couldn't claw our way back in?  Or did the Pies simply want it more?

A few decision weren't paid that went against us... 

29 minutes ago, hemingway said:

Reality was that Collingwood came to play. They ran with numbers, used handball effectively around the ball, ran into space all over the ground and took contested marks when it counted. They simply outplayed us all day.  And you would have to think that Buckley outcoached Goodwin. Same old bad habits by Melbourne. For me, the game pretty much depicted where MFC is at. All the warning signs were present in the Brisbane match. 

Spot on.

Also most of our team havent played 50 games together yet!

No intensity or composure today hurt us

15 minutes ago, Ash35 said:

Please don't tell me to boot off cos I barrack for Essendon. I'm not here for any other reason that making a comment (not gloating, which I seem to get accused of)

Anyone who says "I hope we don't make finals, we don't deserve it" are kidding. The big game experience that the team will gain from playing even 1 final, whatever the result, will be an important building block to future success. If you qualify, you deserve it, it's simple as that.

North has knocked off Brisbane by 50 points today, so perhaps after last weeks performance against Brisbane, todays result isn't surprising. But I think the week off will help all teams to regroup. If I was a Dees fan, I'd be barracking hard for Freo and Adelaide and hope like hell you can play a final. You just never know.

On todays game, what were peoples thoughts of Petraccas last quarter? Obviously he is still young and probably needs to build a greater tank, but failed to impact the game when you needed him most.

 

We had 22 players that failed to impact the contest. Petracca was better than most. 

33 minutes ago, Rusty Nails said:

Dont know what's worse.  Travelling home on the Glen Waverley with a whole bunch of grumpy Demon supporters grumbling or listening to the Pies chant....COLL.   LING  WOOOOD in the last 5 minutes

The latter, by a mile. Couldn't get out of the ground fast enough.

It all makes sense now. We finish 8th - and play Port. Goodwin's tentacles run deep to Adelaide - they'll win. We also get Lever, and they get commensurate compensation.

This is all about the AFL ensuring its the tightest end in years also

6 minutes ago, Ash35 said:

Please don't tell me to boot off cos I barrack for Essendon. I'm not here for any other reason that making a comment (not gloating, which I seem to get accused of)

Anyone who says "I hope we don't make finals, we don't deserve it" are kidding. The big game experience that the team will gain from playing even 1 final, whatever the result, will be an important building block to future success. If you qualify, you deserve it, it's simple as that.

North has knocked off Brisbane by 50 points today, so perhaps after last weeks performance against Brisbane, todays result isn't surprising. But I think the week off will help all teams to regroup. If I was a Dees fan, I'd be barracking hard for Freo and Adelaide and hope like hell you can play a final. You just never know.

On todays game, what were peoples thoughts of Petraccas last quarter? Obviously he is still young and probably needs to build a greater tank, but failed to impact the game when you needed him most.

 

I've seen you around enough Ash to know your one of the good Essendon fans. You love your footy and love chatting about it. 

I agree with with about the whole "we don't deserve to make finals" garbage being thrown up here. If we make it we deserve it. You can't say WC deserve it any more or less, both teams have been inconsistent, but whichever team gets the chocolates deserve their place. 

Playing finals has been my goal for the team this year, I'm not worried about winning a final (of course I'd love that) but I just want to see us a part of finals action again. Getting that experience into the young players would be invaluable, and players like Jones deserve finals action for all the crap they've put up with. 

I will be barracking hard for GWS to win tonight to put the pressure on Adelaide, and barracking even harder for Adelaide. I can't see Freo knocking off Essendon (but who knows!). 

As you say, the writing was on the wall last week. A lot were happy to say "oh but Brisbane have improved", I think we have a reputation for being mentally weak. Lower teams know if they hit us hard early they can catch us off guard, they go into the contest ready to go hard. After all that though, we were in front by 32pts last week in the final quarter but only limped over the line. We keep that margin and we have more percentage to play with, likewise we allowed the Saints and Port back into the contest. As I said earlier I think we are mentally weak. 

As for Petracca, he was a big reason why we were back in the game at 3 quarter time. I don't know whether Goody changed things with him or if Buckley sent coverage to him but yeah he was missing badly at the end. He wasn't the only one. He's young though, he'll get better. 

15 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

What a shite performance.

Where are all the apologists for our appalling leaky backline?

I sat behind Punt Rd goals and I couldn't believe what I was seeing in regards to match ups in the last.

All this after a goal, Gus dropping back to man up Cox, Bernie sprinting to man up Moore.

Who the f#*k was in charge of the whiteboard?

 

Nobody can seriously blame the umpires. We were woeful for about 80% of the game. When we weren't playing soft gutless millionaire footy, we were turning it over like nobody's business. 

Pies wanted it. We didn't care. I saw half a team who just did the bare minimum. So few players stood up. A team that wants and deserves final works together to make it happen. 

Instead I saw dropped heads, sooking to the umpires and a complete lack of hunger. 

The year is on the edge of being a failure. We're 4 years into another rebuild. 

West Coast will blitz Adelaide by 6-7 goals tomorrow.

This will be a colassal failure. Jones, Watts, Tommy Mac, Tyson, Harmes, all need to be used as trade bait. I'm sick of perennial losers stinking it up and costing us when a big game is on the line. I could handle a mid season loss. Today was the final straw. Get rid of these [censored] hacks.

Mentally weak football club.

To lay 3 tackles in the first 20 minutes of what was a finals game for us was pathetic.

We lack pace and good users of the footy. Tyson is the turnover king of the AFL, as I have said a number of times.

Bernie and Lewis can't play in the same side. Goodbye Bernie.

Note that Roos smashed Lions at Gabba for their 2nd win in 10 games. Their other victim being us and we struggled against the Lions last week at the G.

I don't know another club that could have done what we did today and giving up a 5 goal lead again in the first quarter is just pathetic.