AFL 360 (30/5) - Riewoldt and Murphy

[jumbo returns 6,488]

Still not sure about the Dees

Saint Nick was particularly circumspect as he spoke about the wins

He was after a 'big scalp'

Next two weeks could be telling.....again

[YesitwasaWin4theAges 5,805]

More ammunition for the Dees, thats good for footy.????????????????

[Jibroni 4,057]

I thought Nick was pretty fair in his assessment. Until we take a big scalp thats how it should be, even though our form has been a pleasure to see.

[Deefiant 427]

Didnt watch it but I am inclined to agree. I think there are still questions about how we respond when we are tested by a good team before thinking we can go all the way.

Although our form is looking good, i'm sure there'll be a slump somewhere. For it is more important to see our response to that than our purple patch atm. The season is long and a lot can happen in a short time. Just look at the sentiment on here from round 5 compared to today.

Also, I think the years of being a melbourne supporter has gotten to me and will only believe we're good enough for finals 5 minutes before the start of week 1 of finals.

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by Deefiant
Adding stuff

[McQueen 17,863]

Murphy said that (he thinks) the players know that something special is taking place. He reckons it’s noticable and similar to Richmond last year, anything’s possible for this group.

[P-man 13,168]

Riewoldt was very fair and measured. He balanced his view of wanting to see us remain consistent and perform against better quality opposition by saying that we’d done everything that could be asked of us against the last five opponents.

[SFebes 4,692]

We’ve beaten the bottom 4, a depleted Essendon and an injury riddled Crows after a slog in the wet. I remain excited but let’s not get too carried away

[binman 38,091]

3 hours ago, SFebey said:

We’ve beaten the bottom 4, a depleted Essendon and an injury riddled Crows after a slog in the wet. I remain excited but let’s not get too carried away

And a pretty good side in North. A side we had not beaten for years

[SFebes 4,692]

1 minute ago, binman said:

And a pretty good side in North. A side we had not beaten for years

North weren’t going very well at the time, can’t claim the high ground now they’re playing better.

[sisso 2,388]

I'm getting a bit sick of this "haven't beaten anyone" stuff.....who is all that great at the moment anyway, apart from us, West Coast and Richmond!?

[Dr. Gonzo 22,415]

10 minutes ago, sisso said:

I'm getting a bit sick of this "haven't beaten anyone" stuff.....who is all that great at the moment anyway, apart from us, West Coast and Richmond!?

Who have Richmond and West Coast beaten?

[Delusional demon 82 1,196]

I thought last week Adelaide were supposed to be a “scalp” however we beat them so well and by so much that they looked putrid and now they’re not a team , but one out of form and riddled with injuries and we’re just still flat track bullies who haven’t beaten anyone yet

If we had won by 5 goals with Adelaide in the contest up to the end the narrative on Adelaide would be different , and then conversely the magnitude of our win (almost stupidly) would have been seen as greater in the eyes of some , as it would be seen as a real scalp ! FMD , just maybe Adelaide got beaten by a better side. Let’s see how Adelaide are now a magically a “top team “again when they have a redemptive win on the weekend . 

Like us as supporters the media has preconceived biases towards our team , we don’t fully trust them yet , and we see the reality of the incredible stats of the past month , yet we don’t believe it , it’s something of an outlier or an anomaly  , as this is simply just not Melbourne like , and the universe will surely correct itself shortly and we’ll go back to our old ways . Well that’s what I (and many others mind you) thought of Richmond last year , maybe (just maybe) we might now be finally proven wrong about our own club too

 

[DistrACTION Jackson 6,418]

While I agree with Reiwoldt's views, it seems the media like to choose their narrative and stick with it no matter what. Take the Eagles for example, who granted are playing well, however 7 of their 9 wins are against bottom 10 sides. Also, their two wins against top 8 sides have been at home and one of them was against an injury ravaged Geelong, who were down to one fit man on the bench. Geelong were getting on top that day until they lost those players and then the Eagles ended up running over them. They don't seem to mention this at all.

[sisso 2,388]

52 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Who have Richmond and West Coast beaten?

Exactly, Richmond have had the easiest draw for a reigning premier of all time, only 2 games against finalists from last year, both of which they lost!

[binman 38,091]

1 hour ago, SFebey said:

North weren’t going very well at the time, can’t claim the high ground now they’re playing better.

They were terrific against us i thought. It was clear to me that they would be pretty strong this year. 

[sue 8,430]

1 hour ago, SFebey said:

North weren’t going very well at the time, can’t claim the high ground now they’re playing better.

Definition of a team not going well: Beaten by Demons.

[binman 38,091]

The other thing about the who have we played palaver is its only swans, tigers and wc who are 'top sides'. We don't play tigers again so rhat leaves only our games against the other two to 'prove' ourselves.

[BigFez 1,388]

I am so deeply scarred that I am just waiting for the wheels to fall off.  I suspect many in the media are waiting for the same thing.

Similar to what a previous poster said, I'll believe we are finals bound when we are a mathematical impossibility to miss out on finals.

Terrible attitude I know but as they say about being once bitten.  In our case we have been bitten a lot more than once!

Riewoldt's comments were pretty much spot on IMO.

[PaulRB 5,923]

We’re on a roll, healthy list permitting there’s no reason we won’t continue to improve as we have these past months. 

The noise from the media is just that, and irrelevant to this group (finally). 

Enjoy the ride... ?

[KysaiahMessiah 725]

The phrase "they weren't a good side then" is laughable. Sides don't become good or bad in the space of a week or two. In a pretty even competition we just go on and beat what's in front of us.  I don't care about the judgements, there are always agendas.  That being said, nor do I think we should be spoken about as top four material.  Could we be?  Definitely.  Will we, I reserve judgement as most should.  Am I enjoying the ride?  Absolutely ?

[DeleteUser 638]

11 hours ago, Jibroni said:

I thought Nick was pretty fair in his assessment. Until we take a big scalp thats how it should be, even though our form has been a pleasure to see.

Because beating number 4 on the ladder and last year's grand finalist by 91 points in Alice Springs isn't a big scalp. I'm not footy expert, but what silly comment (not by you, by him)

[Die Hard Demon 1,152]

Maybe .. just maybe we are playing so well that we aren't allowing the opposition to get a handle on the game. Our hands in traffic are incredibly quick, we're moving the ball so efficiently in and out of the contest. Our mids are putting immense pressure on the opposition ball carrier when we don't have the footy, causing turnovers etc. Then when we win the footy, we are spreading so well it doesn't really allow the opposition to shut us down. Even in our losses against Geelong, Richmond and Hawks we have been getting a heap of inside 50's .. the difference now is that we are converting those so much more effectively into scores. 

 

[DeleteUser 638]

You know what? This doesn't bother me. Haters gonna hate and if the media continues its beat down, it's just fuel for the team.

[SFebes 4,692]

7 minutes ago, Travis16 said:

The phrase "they weren't a good side then" is laughable. Sides don't become good or bad in the space of a week or two. In a pretty even competition we just go on and beat what's in front of us.  I don't care about the judgements, there are always agendas.  That being said, nor do I think we should be spoken about as top four material.  Could we be?  Definitely.  Will we, I reserve judgement as most should.  Am I enjoying the ride?  Absolutely ?

How about “they weren’t playing well back then”

[jumbo returns 6,488]

I suppose we are all terrified by the 'flat spot' that may, or may not arrive

If it does, here's hoping that the best 28 can carry the team through

I think the Tiges really hit their straps from Round 16 or 17 last year - their belief was so high at that stage that they would have shirt fronted a steam roller!