If he said that we’d make finals I wouldn’t care either. 

Edited February 23, 20187 yr by Ethan Tremblay

2 hours ago, drdrake said:

I think a lot of people would have Melbourne outside top 8.  Even most supporters are hoping we make the finals rather have the expectation that we do.

I'm one of them, hoping we do with no real confidence that we will.  Ability wise we have the talent, mentally do we still have that mental fragility.

I disagree, the expectation is there that we will make finals this year internally and externally.

My VoN is also skeptical. We dropped off last year through experience and injury. I have my fingers crossed that we did not drop off because other sides worked us out, and that the same game style problems will not manifest themselves in 2018.

We need to keep up our best intensity, and also play smarter.

I'd ask the question of how many sides last year played the majority of the season without 1)their number one ruck 2)their number one key forward 3) their number one mid?

I would say the answer is zero. This is the reason why we will play finals this year. Combined with the fact the following players are a year older, Oliver, Salem, Brayshaw, Petracca, Hunt, Harmes & ANB. 

At the end of the day the proof is in the pudding and I'm confident we will be there come September.

3 hours ago, drdrake said:

I think a lot of people would have Melbourne outside top 8.  Even most supporters are hoping we make the finals rather have the expectation that we do.

I'm one of them, hoping we do with no real confidence that we will.  Ability wise we have the talent, mentally do we still have that mental fragility.

 

2 hours ago, Pates said:

Not the most unfair reason to be honest and it's the reason why so many of us refuse to get too excited. A big part of me still doesn't trust the club and players to stand up when it counts. Where I think things are different this year as opposed to last year is that we are slowly eroding the players that were a part of the "mentally scarred" culture of Bailey and (more so) Neeld. 

We have genuine fighters and players that have a little bit of FIGJAM about them. Robbo reckons the players are too selfish I definitely disagree with that, even in the AFLX i think we could see that the players are together and play for each other. The instagram/twitter stuff might've been a little OTT but it still had an air of arrogance about them that I didn't mind. That said arrogance needs to be backed up so I'd much prefer they get the job done when they're bloody well should (cough cough, North Melbourne & Fremantle). This needs to be the year we win when we're meant to win. 

Missing finals would be a massive let down, we need it. We have the quality to match it with anyone and when we hit our straps I really rate us.

Robbo didn't offer many tangible reasons, just more a feeling.

 

2 hours ago, Gorgoroth said:

I actually trust this club, they will lose every key game we should win. It’s a Monty. We were always going to lose to norf and then capitulate vs the filth in r23.

 

1 hour ago, Demon Spofforth said:

I think Robbo is a [censored] as much as anyone. But I didn't disagree with everything he said. I don't trust us yet either which is why I have to keep my hopes in check. They've let me down way too many times.

He was also very right about how we talked a big game last year and tried to be ruthless but we went too far re: suspensions and co. And then when it came to the time to be really ruthless and unrelenting - Round 23 - we failed abysmally.

So yeah, I can understand some people/commentators not picking us for the eight at this stage. 

I get why Robbo thinks this way, he has no concept of nuance.

...but surely you guys are not that beaten up by the previous incarnations to not understand development cycles. I know we don't like to hear the young list argument but how about this...all our game changing players where under 25 and most under 23.

We haven't had the luxury of a Nick Reiwoldt to carry us when things get hard.

Our young stars will stand up better this year and it has nothing to do with mental toughness, it's just they're a year older, more time in development and better able to meet the demands when things get hard.

They did it at times last year but they were inconsistent, that's what you should expect unfortunately just don't go down the mental fragility route...that's a total croc.

This is not a CS team, this is built on the back of Jackson and Roos.

Thank god for the Hun's paywall

Never rated Slobbo as a journalist. His alpha-male routine is tired, always was, but now he is just an embarrassing caricature of the schoolboy meathead type still trying to live off past glories when for just a brief fleeting moment in time as a teenager people thought he was cool.

The reality is he is just there to make up the column inches and talk crap on Foxtel for most of the dead-head, pie-scoffing, beer slurping idiot masses that think MMM is the finest in footy radio and that we are either a nation of tradies or people who aspire to be. He appeals to that type because that is his schtick, his routine, his "value-proposition". Most of the time he just regurgitates what others are already saying but just re-wraps it and presents it as "hard-hitting" - whatever the hell that is meant to be in 2018

There are many reasons why I don't pay for the Hun or Foxtel but journalists like him are definitely one of them because, quite frankly, he insults my intelligence. Much like the James Brayshaws, Bill Brownless and Brian Taylors of this world - although at least Taylor actually was a successful sports person.... which is sad when you think that really is the best Channel 7 has to offer.

His opinion is just another load of worthless dribble in the mighty AFL media machine because right now predictions and forecasts are just futile exercises in making up the numbers before the season starts. No-one has any real idea, and here is the case in point: who honestly would have predicted Richmond for the flag in 2017? 

3 hours ago, daisycutter said:

devastated

I keep saying, we need a face palm emoji

4 minutes ago, dworship said:

I keep saying, we need a face palm emoji

I'll see if it can be done.

Robbo will have the Bombers winning the flag. If they do he will credit Hird with putting them on the path.

Seriously, can’t believe people are upset at his opinions.

 

That said, can’t understand why anyone might be a bit sceptical considering how wonderful we have been over the last dozen years.

1 hour ago, rjay said:

 

 

 

I get why Robbo thinks this way, he has no concept of nuance.

...but surely you guys are not that beaten up by the previous incarnations to not understand development cycles. I know we don't like to hear the young list argument but how about this...all our game changing players where under 25 and most under 23.

We haven't had the luxury of a Nick Reiwoldt to carry us when things get hard.

Our young stars will stand up better this year and it has nothing to do with mental toughness, it's just they're a year older, more time in development and better able to meet the demands when things get hard.

They did it at times last year but they were inconsistent, that's what you should expect unfortunately just don't go down the mental fragility route...that's a total croc.

This is not a CS team, this is built on the back of Jackson and Roos.

Its not the young guys that go missing in matches we should win.  The bottom line is we had 5 games last year we should have won, the only reason we didn't had nothing to do with ability it was all about application which is a mind set.

People who are claiming that they expect to make finals great, if we don't the season is a fail.  I don't expect us to make finals, hope we do but still will head to matches with no real confidence that we will win.

1 hour ago, rjay said:

 

 

 

I get why Robbo thinks this way, he has no concept of nuance.

...but surely you guys are not that beaten up by the previous incarnations to not understand development cycles. I know we don't like to hear the young list argument but how about this...all our game changing players where under 25 and most under 23.

We haven't had the luxury of a Nick Reiwoldt to carry us when things get hard.

Our young stars will stand up better this year and it has nothing to do with mental toughness, it's just they're a year older, more time in development and better able to meet the demands when things get hard.

They did it at times last year but they were inconsistent, that's what you should expect unfortunately just don't go down the mental fragility route...that's a total croc.

This is not a CS team, this is built on the back of Jackson and Roos.

Sorry but I am very beaten up by the previous incarnations of the last 12 years. And in that time I've heard plenty about development cycles as we've gone through rebuild after rebuild after rebuild. Still not even one final in all that time.

I'm definitely hopeful of finals this year and a premiership in the next 3-4. That's why I'm here. That's what will make the last 12 years worthwhile. But given our history (long-term and recent) and our relatively young/inexperienced list, I just don't think its outrageous for someone to suggest we won't play finals this year. That's all I was saying.

Robbos opinion ( and that's all it is an AFL journalists opinion )  could/should be very motivational for our whole football club. 

It is up to us as supporters to help the players prove him WRONG. Everybody has there part to play - so we can stick it up him if/when we do make the finals. 

Lets embrace the challenge and prove him wrong. 

Go Dees

 

Edited February 23, 20187 yr by DaveyDee

The summation of his reasoning is that he doesn’t trust the team yet. And ultimately that’s fair enough. Trust needs to be earned. It hasn’t been earned yet.

He’s wrong though. We’ll make the 8. May just sneak in but we’ll be there.

Not team first is a very unusual call. There's not many players who don't work both ways or have a crack in this side.

Too many suspensions is a lazy narrative as well. Hogan was unlucky to even be suspended. Vince and Lewis are old and stupid for sure, but they aren't 'bounty hunters and Bugg was a momentary lapse. Did anyone else even miss games? Melksham one VFL game I think. Come off it.

As is blaming a bad opening quarter against Collingwood as some wider symptom. We came from behind and overcame bad quarters in a lot of games and going in to round 23 we were 1 win short of finals and served up a [censored] sandwich against a team with no pressure. We also outplayed them for 3 quarters that day but didn't get the breaks in terms of free kicks (McDonald was manhandled all game) and goal kicking. It's more than fair to put some blame on that day but it's lazy to make it the headline story. The loss to North was worse. The last 15 minutes against Brisbane was worse. 

Robbo in all his football ignorance should stop attempting to generalise the Club or the League. His perceptions seem to be very insecure - falling back on his 'feelings' or 'hopes' (for some reason - does he bet?) and thus fails to make a point based on observable fact. The final ignominy of the last game of the previous season has tempered and motivated our players - a fact brought out of the darkened air in training and preparation for this coming season.  We now can run in the light with a team of depth, far greater potential and comparatively limited injury to players to date. Too much was asked of our young brigade to overcome the various losses of form and fortune of last season - be these injuries, suspensions, brain fades or just unexpected on-field talent; umpiring played a part in this, for some reason, disadvantaging our team several times in several on-field recoveries against 'greater' opponents. Sneaking up behind were the Tigers, as had the Bulldogs the year before. Robbo, you must barrack for a team that is not the MFC. It is too easy to generalise, to consensually dismiss a team operating in considerable hardship over many weeks. Perhaps this year may prove to be a far bigger year for the MFC than 'generally' acknowledged at this point.

Robbo may be a [censored] but I have reservations. I expect finals but I am not overly confident, because like others I don't trust the list entirely yet.

We will click soon just hope it's 2018 and not 2019

Hopefully pushes our price out a bit.

Not unhappy with that.

 

Typical Melbourne supporters getting in a tiz over the media.

Every season at least one team that is hyped up falls in a hole & fails to deliver.

We could have made the finals the last 2 years & fell over when things got a bit hard for the precious possums.

Regardless of injuries our losses to North & Collingwood were pretty gutless & we didn't deserve to play finals.

I was banned from this site for a month - for duelling with well-know duellist  - and checked out Demonology and the Big Footy AFL site and found it refreshing that the level of pessimism and doomsday sayers was under control, shall we say.

Since serving my sentence I've come back and found the same stasis of pessimism and 'not  looking on the bright side of life'. 

The eternal  sad sacks are fortunately balanced out by those who have a more realistic approach. These more balanced bloggers are usually the ones who point out again and again that there was a mid-season Draw anomaly where we played 5 games in 20 days - or something like that - and that our prime movers in Gawn, Jones, Viney and Hogan had injury seasons from hell, that the Tribunal did what it normally does, I.E. ping Melbourne players and allow favored players from other clubs to get off scot free for the same misdeeds, and that for a large part of the year the Demons fielded either the youngest or near the youngest team of the round. This is the team which finished outside the 8 by a percentage point about the size of a bee's weenie.

We shall see that we shall see in 2018. Most clubs are like us, hell bent on improving. I believe if we have a not too disastrous run with injury Melbourne will be more than competitive this year.

Who cares what brain drain Robbo thinks?

 

Edited February 23, 20187 yr by dieter

The [censored] slobbo also said at the half way mark of last season if we were go on to win the flag that it depended on hogan having a big September. Post the meth coke “break out “ game IIRC.  Trust me the dimwit will change his tune on us about 5 times over as we have big wins and the occasional bad loss this year.  And every time he’ll real in the masses , pure clickbait specialists. 

Take it to the bank for Rd 3 slobbo and purple warrior will raise again our 16 game loosing streak to norf ... when norf are 0-2 for the season, hoping that we choke again and give them another headline...

 

3 hours ago, drdrake said:

Its not the young guys that go missing in matches we should win.  The bottom line is we had 5 games last year we should have won, the only reason we didn't had nothing to do with ability it was all about application which is a mind set.

People who are claiming that they expect to make finals great, if we don't the season is a fail.  I don't expect us to make finals, hope we do but still will head to matches with no real confidence that we will win.

You're not reading it right...doing a bit of a Robbo. We don't have any match winners over 25. Nathan is a real goer but not someone that will really turn a game on it's head, some expect him to do more than he's capable. Lewis isn't the player he was at Hawthorn, pretty good to have on board though and Bernie has been more than handy for us...None of them are match winners.

My point is that when our young guys get more experience there are a few real match winners in the group who will stand up. Then if we lose the un-loseable it will be a shock rather than expected as has been.

1 hour ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Robbo may be a [censored] but I have reservations. I expect finals but I am not overly confident, because like others I don't trust the list entirely yet.

We will click soon just hope it's 2018 and not 2019

I trust the list 'Pennant', I think we've recruited well.

My only reservation is if they've matured enough yet.

45 minutes ago, rjay said:

You're not reading it right...doing a bit of a Robbo. We don't have any match winners over 25. Nathan is a real goer but not someone that will really turn a game on it's head, some expect him to do more than he's capable. Lewis isn't the player he was at Hawthorn, pretty good to have on board though and Bernie has been more than handy for us...None of them are match winners.

My point is that when our young guys get more experience there are a few real match winners in the group who will stand up. Then if we lose the un-loseable it will be a shock rather than expected as has been.

I trust the list 'Pennant', I think we've recruited well.

My only reservation is if they've matured enough yet.

You've summed up my thoughts entirely with the last two lines