On 27/08/2017 at 20:09, Wells 11 said:

I have a similar feeling today to the one I had in 87. That after the siren loss in a prelim took me quite a few weeks to be feeling myself again. Then as now, I had to stand back and appreciate actually how far the team had actually come. My hope is that, similar to 87 where the players went into the off season hurting and focused, that they use the pain to step everything up a notch and bring in a period of sustained success. 

If this doesn't burn nothing will. 

And then lose a GF the next year by 96 points? That's what happened in 1988.

Got ahead of ourselves and forgot to tackle . Seen that before. We need to make a statement with a trade or 2 . 

There's 18 teams in the comp. We finished 9th. Get the [censored] over it.

I was at the Preliminary Final in 1987. That was way more disappointing than the weekend's events.

I had zero expectations that MFC would make the finals this year despite being  seventh after round 22, let alone beat Collingwood. I have chronic MFCSS.

They are a team/club that cannot be trusted.

  On 27/08/2017 at 14:21, Bobby McKenzie said:

Thanks for your insipid performance on Sunday allowing the Weagles to pinch our spot in the top 8 by a measley .5%.You could have made it just a little less obvious that you were not really trying. 'Resting' two stars was indicative of your intentions. May you go out in straight sets in finals. Also hope Weagles get thrashed in elimination final. Ah!!  that feels better getting that off my chest. i wonder how many Demon fans would concur with my rantings?

 

 'Bobby', 'Bobby', 'Bobby'....Adelaide gave it a red hot go.

Sloane and the Crouch boys couldn't have done more.

As for resting players, if you had watched the game the previous week you would have seen that Talia pretty badly injured his ankle, he wasn't rested. Might have got up for a GF but what was the point of rising him in a game with nothing on the line.

I'm sure they wouldn't have rested Tex unless there was a good reason, they would be well aware of the possibility that they may only play one game until the prelim and would have preferred him to get some continuation.

No...as much as we like to blame the draw, umpires, Adelaide, injury during the season and other side issues...we only have our selves to blame.

  On 27/08/2017 at 22:11, rjay said:

 'Bobby', 'Bobby', 'Bobby'....Adelaide gave it a red hot go.

Sloane and the Crouch boys couldn't have done more.

As for resting players, if you had watched the game the previous week you would have seen that Talia pretty badly injured his ankle, he wasn't rested. Might have got up for a GF but what was the point of risking him in a game with nothing on the line.

I'm sure they wouldn't have rested Tex unless there was a good reason, they would be well aware of the possibility that they may only play one game until the prelim and would have preferred him to get some continuation.

No...as much as we like to blame the draw, umpires, Adelaide, injury during the season and other side issues...we only have our selves to blame.

 

After the shattering loss to Collingwood, I am perversely pleased we didn't get there in the end. To rely on other teams, West Coast and Essendon losing to sneak us in, would have been a travesty after our insipid game against the Pies. The players need to learn that nothing can be gifted and that they need to do it themselves for themselves and also for us, their long suffering supporters. I actually think that this will stand them in better stead for next year rather than having limped in, likely gone out in Week One and then feeling like they had achieved something. 

As the enormity of this lost opportunity sinks in, hopefully the disappointment will galvanize them all to have the pre-season of their lives and to work as hard as hell on the skill and mental deficiencies that left us where it did. Nothing but hard work and that burning in the gut will redeem what might have been this year. The determination to make next year the year they really arrive should be their sole focus and mantra. Simon Goodwin will have learnt much about the list under his first full season as Senior Coach playing the game style that he is drilling into them - as well as assessing this game style and evaluating his own performance as coach and the coaching panel in general. The trade and draft periods will also be crucial as holes are filled and not wall-papered over.

Having said all the above, we have made giant strides this year under often trying circumstances and let's not forget that. Jesse Hogan had the season from hell yet gave us a lazy 6 coming back from a busted collarbone to remind us not only of his talents, but his desire to succeed and contribute to the team as they pushed for September. Jack Viney played under duress most of the season, particularly in the final few rounds before succumbing - and a tilt in the finals potentially without these two (or playing them injured) would have got us nowhere. They can both now have a rest and full pre-seasons. Losing Gawn and Jones and others for significant periods also didn't help yet unlike previous years we didn't really fall away. The talented younger end of our list is improving and perhaps ready to explode. We are still mostly a very young playing group who have not played many games together.

We won two more games this year than last and should have won at least three others and were in winning positions in the last quarter in all our losses bar one or two. The loss to North in Hobart was my biggest disappointment bar the last game. Our percentage remained over 100% all season and when on song we played some exhilarating football. However most teams no doubt lost games they could have won and this should be factored in. However it was our inability to bury teams when in a position to do so that really needs to be addressed, particularly against the lower teams - which good sides do bury.

We will need to keep improving and significantly - as all the teams below us, except maybe Fremantle and Gold Coast, also seem very capable of pushing upwards next year. The competition is ruthless, nothing is a given - as the players have now found out the hard way.

It is in their hands to make sure that the football world knows that they really do have what it takes to succeed and that the ultimate disappointment of this year was only part of the learning curve and merely a blip on their way to greatness.

I await their response.

  

So it's all Adelaide's fault?

Don't forget to lump in Freo, Hawks, North, North again, and Pies in your list of dastardly villains who have kept us out of finals.

 

One notable club not on that list. Which could it be?

Don't blame Adelaide. We should have secured ourselves. The loss doesn't bother that much it was about the way they played especially in the first quarter. I bet my life if the Wce v Adel match was on Sat & the result was the same which meant Melbourne needed to win to get in to the finals. We would have been ready to play. It is better we didn't make this year this just proves we aren't ready. We would have been belted in the first week of the finals. Hopefully this heartbreak makes there attitude change. They need to go to school on the Swans watch them how they peform week in week out whether they are favourites or not.

  On 27/08/2017 at 22:15, Key Deefender said:

After the shattering loss to Collingwood, I am perversely pleased we didn't get there in the end. To rely on other teams, West Coast and Essendon losing to sneak us in, would have been a travesty after our insipid game against the Pies. The players need to learn that nothing can be gifted and that they need to do it themselves for themselves and also for us, their long suffering supporters. I actually think that this will stand them in better stead for next year rather than having limped in, likely gone out in Week One and then feeling like they had achieved something. 

As the enormity of this lost opportunity sinks in, hopefully the disappointment will galvanize them all to have the pre-season of their lives and to work as hard as hell on the skill and mental deficiencies that left us where it did. Nothing but hard work and that burning in the gut will redeem what might have been this year. The determination to make next year the year they really arrive should be their sole focus and mantra. Simon Goodwin will have learnt much about the list under his first full season as Senior Coach playing the game style that he is drilling into them - as well as assessing this game style and evaluating his own performance as coach and the coaching panel in general. The trade and draft periods will also be crucial as holes are filled and not wall-papered over.

Having said all the above, we have made giant strides this year under often trying circumstances and let's not forget that. Jesse Hogan had the season from hell yet gave us a lazy 6 coming back from a busted collarbone to remind us not only of his talents, but his desire to succeed and contribute to the team as they pushed for September. Jack Viney played under duress most of the season, particularly in the final few rounds before succumbing - and a tilt in the finals potentially without these two (or playing them injured) would have got us nowhere. They can both now have a rest and full pre-seasons. Losing Gawn and Jones and others for significant periods also didn't help yet unlike previous years we didn't really fall away. The talented younger end of our list is improving and perhaps ready to explode. We are still mostly a very young playing group who have not played many games together.

We won two more games this year than last and should have won at least three others and were in winning positions in the last quarter in all our losses bar one or two. The loss to North in Hobart was my biggest disappointment bar the last game. Our percentage remained over 100% all season and when on song we played some exhilarating football. However most teams no doubt lost games they could have won and this should be factored in. However it was our inability to bury teams when in a position to do so that really needs to be addressed, particularly against the lower teams - which good sides do bury.

We will need to keep improving and significantly - as all the teams below us, except maybe Fremantle and Gold Coast, also seem very capable of pushing upwards next year. The competition is ruthless, nothing is a given - as the players have now found out the hard way.

It is in their hands to make sure that the football world knows that they really do have what it takes to succeed and that the ultimate disappointment of this year was part of the learning curve and merely a blip on their way to greatness.

I await their response.

  

Great post, spot on.

It's not them...

It's US !! ?

Let's be honest, here - we only have ourselves to blame.  If we had done the right thing on Saturday we would not have had to worry about anything else.

Adelaide have nothing to do with it.

Yeah look very little of my anger is directed at Adelaide. If we were in their position why the heck should we care about how much we should lose by so some other [censored] team can get in? 

Nothing to do with Adelaide everything to do with Melbourne

In the last quarter Adelaide were actually trying to get the result "we needed" and almost pulled it off. But I agree with everyone that this has nothing to do with them but this pathetic excuse for a football team.

I picked the wrong week to give up crack cocaine !!!!

  On 27/08/2017 at 14:21, Bobby McKenzie said:

Thanks for your insipid performance on Sunday allowing the Weagles to pinch our spot in the top 8 by a measley .5%.You could have made it just a little less obvious that you were not really trying. 'Resting' two stars was indicative of your intentions. May you go out in straight sets in finals. Also hope Weagles get thrashed in elimination final. Ah!!  that feels better getting that off my chest. i wonder how many Demon fans would concur with my rantings?

 

4

Not me Bobby. Why would they risk injury going into finals? Only got ourselves to blame and you can narrow that down to our leaders and our coach.

I watched Betts kick the fist goal for adelaide and then got in the car and drove to warnambool. When I heard the siren blow on the radio I thaught Melbourne you only have yourselves to blame.

  On 27/08/2017 at 21:45, CityDee said:

Got ahead of ourselves and forgot to tackle . Seen that before. We need to make a statement with a trade or 2 . 

How do you "forget" to tackle?

Nothing to see here ... move along

Adelaide had the chance to be my second favourite team. Their loss, they'll just have to live with it.

  On 27/08/2017 at 22:11, rjay said:

 'Bobby', 'Bobby', 'Bobby'....Adelaide gave it a red hot go.

Sloane and the Crouch boys couldn't have done more.

As for resting players, if you had watched the game the previous week you would have seen that Talia pretty badly injured his ankle, he wasn't rested. Might have got up for a GF but what was the point of rising him in a game with nothing on the line.

I'm sure they wouldn't have rested Tex unless there was a good reason, they would be well aware of the possibility that they may only play one game until the prelim and would have preferred him to get some continuation.

No...as much as we like to blame the draw, umpires, Adelaide, injury during the season and other side issues...we only have our selves to blame.

24 free kicks to 13 when WCE were out possessed and out tackled certainly helped them. WCE got away with murder.

  On 28/08/2017 at 00:38, Jumping Jack Clennett said:

24 free kicks to 13 when WCE were out possessed and out tackled certainly helped them. WCE got away with murder.

Always going to happen over there, you have to factor that into any game unfortunately. Not Adelaide's fault.

It's one of the reasons I thought we were only an outside chance after losing to EdBuck/Wood.

  On 27/08/2017 at 23:51, SFebey said:

How do you "forget" to tackle?

Ask Simon

  On 28/08/2017 at 01:18, CityDee said:

Ask Simon

Stuff Simon, sick of listening to his vague spineless talking. Its where you are at round 23 Simon