Say what you want, I’m proud of this club this year.

[bing181 9,237]

If anyone had said at the beginning of the year that we would overcome our hoodoo teams (North and St Kilda), consistently win away, finish 5th on the ladder, win two finals, in our last 5 matches against teams in the 8 win 4 out of 5 including beating one of the grand finalists, and all this after last year consistently losing to teams below us on the ladder and not even making finals ... we would have all taken it with open arms.

We are back.

[layzie 33,805]

My word I’m proud. They’re our boys. They have restored a lot of pride in what it means to wear the red and blue jumper. There’s a pulse in this club again we’ll and truly.

[DutchDemons 1,430]

I would have [censored] my pants with excitement if I’d been told we would make a PF at the start of this year.

[WERRIDEE 5,479]

Really proud with the club this season the future looks bright but the game against West Coast can't be swept under the rug. Usual Melbourne when the pressure hits we go to water.

Couldn't hit the side of a barn with hand or foot only Brayshaw tried. Lewis disgusting Jones wasn't much better our leadership was poor.

Tyson is finished should have been dropped for Smith and Spargo has to learn how to kick if he's going to make it. We must learn from this and make sure we go on to bigger and better things. Fully fit Hogan and Lever will help this.

[Gorgoroth 12,951]

8 hours ago, rjay said:

 

GWS 5.4 9.7 15.10 19.11 (125)
WEST COAST 3.0 4.2 5.2 9.4 (58)

Last years semi result.

Scoreline looks familiar....

Obviously it scarred the Eagles so badly they are in a GF next weekend...

It 'aint necessary so Robbo

 

Yep, pies lost a prelim by90 and won the flag the next year, if we learn like we did last year then that means it’s not all been for nothing.

[Gorgoroth 12,951]

10 Brayshaw, Angus 58 22yr 8mth 9 Jan 1996 187cm 87kg Sandringham Dragons Defender  Midfield 32 Bugg, Tomas 96 25yr 5mth 5 Apr 1993 184cm 84kg Pakenhem Upper Forward 47 Filipovic, Lachlan (R) 0 20yr 29 Aug 1998 200cm 94kg Sandringham Dragons Ruck 31 Fritsch, Bayley 23 21yr 9mth 6 Dec 1996 188cm 81kg Casey Demons Midfield  Forward 17 Frost, Sam 69 25yr 28 Aug 1993 194cm 95kg Sandringham Dragons Defender 36 Garlett, Jeff 178 29yr 1mth 3 Aug 1989 180cm 72kg Swan Districts Forward 11 Gawn, Max 99 26yr 8mth 30 Dec 1991 208cm 109kg Sandringham Dragons Ruck 19 Hannan, Mitchell 35 24yr 6mth 9 Mar 1994 189cm 87kg Footscray Midfield  Forward 4 Harmes, James 69 22yr 11mth 5 Oct 1995 185cm 86kg Dandenong Stingrays Midfield  Forward 14 Hibberd, Michael 123 28yr 8mth 3 Jan 1990 186cm 93kg Frankston Defender 1 Hogan, Jesse 71 23yr 7mth 12 Feb 1995 195cm 100kg Claremont Forward 29 Hunt, Jayden 47 23yr 5mth 3 Apr 1995 187cm 83kg Brighton Grammar Defender 39 Jetta, Neville 141 28yr 7mth 12 Feb 1990 180cm 82kg Melbourne Defender 37 Johnstone, Dion 0 20yr 3mth 1 Jun 1998 179cm 82kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield  Forward 2 Jones, Nathan 264 30yr 8mth 20 Jan 1988 180cm 87kg Dandenong Stingrays Midfield 45 Keilty, Declan (R) 0 23yr 4mth 8 May 1995 194cm 95kg Casey Scorpions Defender 24 Kennedy-Harris, Jay 34 23yr 6mth 21 Mar 1995 173cm 75kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield 16 Kent, Dean 63 24yr 6mth 24 Feb 1994 179cm 86kg Perth Forward 34 King, Mitch 0 21yr 8mth 1 Jan 1997 200cm 98kg Murray Bushrangers Ruck 8 Lever, Jake 67 22yr 6mth 5 Mar 1996 195cm 92kg Calder Cannons Defender 6 Lewis, Jordan 307 32yr 4mth 24 Apr 1986 186cm 86kg Geelong Falcons Defender  Midfield 20 Maynard, Corey (R) 2 26yr 11mth 7 Oct 1991 185cm 89kg Bryant University Midfield 28 McDonald, Oscar 62 22yr 6mth 18 Mar 1996 196cm 100kg North Ballarat Rebels Defender 25 McDonald, Tom 146 26yr 18 Sep 1992 194cm 100kg North Ballarat Defender  Forward 40 McKenna, Patrick 0 22yr 1mth 12 Aug 1996 186cm 85kg Gisborne Football Defender 18 Melksham, Jake 156 27yr 29 Aug 1991 186cm 83kg Calder Cannons Forward 30 Neal-Bullen, Alex 59 22yr 8mth 9 Jan 1996 182cm 80kg Glenelg Forward 13 Oliver, Clayton 60 21yr 2mth 22 Jul 1997 187cm 83kg Murray Bushrangers Midfield 21 Pedersen, Cameron 80 31yr 6mth 17 Mar 1987 193cm 95kg Box Hill Hawks Forward  Ruck 5 Petracca, Christian 63 22yr 8mth 4 Jan 1996 186cm 96kg Eastern Ranges Midfield  Forward 35 Petty, Harrison 1 18yr 10mth 12 Nov 1999 197cm 83kg Norwood Defender 3 Salem, Christian 70 23yr 2mth 15 Jul 1995 183cm 81kg Sandringham Dragons Defender  Midfield 44 Smith, Joel 11 22yr 6mth 25 Feb 1996 191cm 88kg Geelong Supercats Defender  Midfield 38 Smith, Tim (R) 6 27yr 7mth 20 Feb 1991 192cm 95kg Casey Scorpions Forward 9 Spargo, Charlie 18 18yr 9mth 25 Nov 1999 173cm 71kg Murray Bushrangers Midfield  Forward 15 Stretch, Billy 38 22yr 8 Sep 1996 180cm 77kg Glenelg Midfield 12 Tyson, Dom 107 25yr 3mth 8 Jun 1993 186cm 85kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield 22 Vandenberg, Aaron 35 26yr 6mth 3 Mar 1992 188cm 90kg Ainslie Forward 23 Vince, Bernie 229 32yr 11mth 2 Oct 1985 186cm 86kg Woodville West Torrens Defender 7 Viney, Jack 98 24yr 5mth 13 Apr 1994 178cm 87kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield 42 Wagner, Joshua 28 24yr 2mth 24 Jun 1994 189cm 84kg Aspley Defender 26 Weideman, Sam 20 21yr 2mth 26 Jun 1997 195cm 97kg Eastern Ranges Forward

 

Look at that list and the games played by most of our players. The majority of Our most important players are between 15 and 75 games. Next year by finals time they are 40-100 games into their career. We are coming up to the sweet spot.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,825]

13 hours ago, Watson11 said:

Terrible first half and 33 tackles not good enough.  But I have full confidence this group will use this to drive a ferocious season in 2019.  The young guys are proud and they will be far more gutted than anyone and have a lot to prove next year after dishing up 33 tackles and losing contested possession by 15.  That is not what this group stands for.

The most exciting thing over the last 5 weeks was the team learnt how to defend the entire ground.  Doing that with Lever back and we are a 5 goal better team.  Lever is a great intercept player and his kicking can break lines.

Think we really need Preuss. Max has had a huge load this year and if he carries that load he’ll be 80% this time of year every year.  I wasn’t at the game today but was at the last 2 and even then I thought Max was tired.  We need max peaking in September from now on, not tired.

Perhaps some outside speed but that had nothing to do with today.  I think today our engine room is young, looked tired, and didn’t even bring the B standard game in the first half.  Losing contested possession was completely foreign and they panicked and lost composure.  They’ll learn from that.

Selection had nothing to do with it.  Smith had 10% of our tackles!! Fritsch wouldn’t have helped the tackle count.

I think this will drive us to top 2 at end of round 22 next year.  The sky isn’t falling in. Would have been unbelievable to pinch a flag this year.  Progress next year will be making a GF.  I reckon we’ll do it

Agree with pretty much all of the above.

I think it was evident that West Coast were far fresher than us today when it counted at the start of the game.  If we can lift our game another notch to the point where we are beating teams like Geelong twice, and Sydney, hopefully the buys us top 4 and the opertunity to rest a fee more players like Gawn during the home and away.  I thought the club did very well managing Viney's return from injury than we have in years gone by.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[Demonsone 2,037]

3 minutes ago, Gorgoroth said:

10 Brayshaw, Angus 58 22yr 8mth 9 Jan 1996 187cm 87kg Sandringham Dragons Defender  Midfield 32 Bugg, Tomas 96 25yr 5mth 5 Apr 1993 184cm 84kg Pakenhem Upper Forward 47 Filipovic, Lachlan (R) 0 20yr 29 Aug 1998 200cm 94kg Sandringham Dragons Ruck 31 Fritsch, Bayley 23 21yr 9mth 6 Dec 1996 188cm 81kg Casey Demons Midfield  Forward 17 Frost, Sam 69 25yr 28 Aug 1993 194cm 95kg Sandringham Dragons Defender 36 Garlett, Jeff 178 29yr 1mth 3 Aug 1989 180cm 72kg Swan Districts Forward 11 Gawn, Max 99 26yr 8mth 30 Dec 1991 208cm 109kg Sandringham Dragons Ruck 19 Hannan, Mitchell 35 24yr 6mth 9 Mar 1994 189cm 87kg Footscray Midfield  Forward 4 Harmes, James 69 22yr 11mth 5 Oct 1995 185cm 86kg Dandenong Stingrays Midfield  Forward 14 Hibberd, Michael 123 28yr 8mth 3 Jan 1990 186cm 93kg Frankston Defender 1 Hogan, Jesse 71 23yr 7mth 12 Feb 1995 195cm 100kg Claremont Forward 29 Hunt, Jayden 47 23yr 5mth 3 Apr 1995 187cm 83kg Brighton Grammar Defender 39 Jetta, Neville 141 28yr 7mth 12 Feb 1990 180cm 82kg Melbourne Defender 37 Johnstone, Dion 0 20yr 3mth 1 Jun 1998 179cm 82kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield  Forward 2 Jones, Nathan 264 30yr 8mth 20 Jan 1988 180cm 87kg Dandenong Stingrays Midfield 45 Keilty, Declan (R) 0 23yr 4mth 8 May 1995 194cm 95kg Casey Scorpions Defender 24 Kennedy-Harris, Jay 34 23yr 6mth 21 Mar 1995 173cm 75kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield 16 Kent, Dean 63 24yr 6mth 24 Feb 1994 179cm 86kg Perth Forward 34 King, Mitch 0 21yr 8mth 1 Jan 1997 200cm 98kg Murray Bushrangers Ruck 8 Lever, Jake 67 22yr 6mth 5 Mar 1996 195cm 92kg Calder Cannons Defender 6 Lewis, Jordan 307 32yr 4mth 24 Apr 1986 186cm 86kg Geelong Falcons Defender  Midfield 20 Maynard, Corey (R) 2 26yr 11mth 7 Oct 1991 185cm 89kg Bryant University Midfield 28 McDonald, Oscar 62 22yr 6mth 18 Mar 1996 196cm 100kg North Ballarat Rebels Defender 25 McDonald, Tom 146 26yr 18 Sep 1992 194cm 100kg North Ballarat Defender  Forward 40 McKenna, Patrick 0 22yr 1mth 12 Aug 1996 186cm 85kg Gisborne Football Defender 18 Melksham, Jake 156 27yr 29 Aug 1991 186cm 83kg Calder Cannons Forward 30 Neal-Bullen, Alex 59 22yr 8mth 9 Jan 1996 182cm 80kg Glenelg Forward 13 Oliver, Clayton 60 21yr 2mth 22 Jul 1997 187cm 83kg Murray Bushrangers Midfield 21 Pedersen, Cameron 80 31yr 6mth 17 Mar 1987 193cm 95kg Box Hill Hawks Forward  Ruck 5 Petracca, Christian 63 22yr 8mth 4 Jan 1996 186cm 96kg Eastern Ranges Midfield  Forward 35 Petty, Harrison 1 18yr 10mth 12 Nov 1999 197cm 83kg Norwood Defender 3 Salem, Christian 70 23yr 2mth 15 Jul 1995 183cm 81kg Sandringham Dragons Defender  Midfield 44 Smith, Joel 11 22yr 6mth 25 Feb 1996 191cm 88kg Geelong Supercats Defender  Midfield 38 Smith, Tim (R) 6 27yr 7mth 20 Feb 1991 192cm 95kg Casey Scorpions Forward 9 Spargo, Charlie 18 18yr 9mth 25 Nov 1999 173cm 71kg Murray Bushrangers Midfield  Forward 15 Stretch, Billy 38 22yr 8 Sep 1996 180cm 77kg Glenelg Midfield 12 Tyson, Dom 107 25yr 3mth 8 Jun 1993 186cm 85kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield 22 Vandenberg, Aaron 35 26yr 6mth 3 Mar 1992 188cm 90kg Ainslie Forward 23 Vince, Bernie 229 32yr 11mth 2 Oct 1985 186cm 86kg Woodville West Torrens Defender 7 Viney, Jack 98 24yr 5mth 13 Apr 1994 178cm 87kg Oakleigh Chargers Midfield 42 Wagner, Joshua 28 24yr 2mth 24 Jun 1994 189cm 84kg Aspley Defender 26 Weideman, Sam 20 21yr 2mth 26 Jun 1997 195cm 97kg Eastern Ranges Forward

 

Look at that list and the games played by most of our players. The majority of Our most important players are between 15 and 75 games. Next year by finals time they are 40-100 games into their career. We are coming up to the sweet spot.

Compare that to WC list 

[Hot as Hell 466]

The players took some really big steps forward this year in leaning what they need to do to be a genuinely successful  team. 

What a great emotional roller coaster they took us on, and what a range of visions they have given us about how the next 5 years can look.

Well done Melbourne on and off the field. We are again a club to be proud of and a club to fear.

[spirit of norm smith 16,459]

25 steps forward

3 steps backwards

huge positives in 2018

Contestes footy kings

Highest scoring team

really exciting 

found some stars Viney Gawn Oliver

delivered finals and found out (the hard way) about finals intensity

 

[Gorgoroth 12,951]

21 minutes ago, Hogan2014 said:

Compare that to WC list 

Yeah big difference here are just a few examples

yeo - 131

shuey - 176

Kennedy - 220

Redden - 187

Hutchings - 94

Cripps - 143

[rufus 1,162]

29 minutes ago, Hogan2014 said:

Compare that to WC list 

Maybe because of this there was no shame in being beaten by WCE. By why did we shirk it? We undid a lot of the gains yesterday. The first two finals might have started to put to bed the notion that things just get too hard for this club. Yesterday was an out and out disgrace.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

9 hours ago, Pates said:

 we can learn from the experience we’ve gained in three finals and think about how we can overcome these obstacles in the future. 

I was hoping for 2 all year, even from the start... We got three. Big year.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,825]

On ballance, I agree entirely with the opening opinion of this thread. 

As much as I was hoping for a fairy tale this year, it would have been a fairy tale to eclipse them all.  To come from 5th spot with a young side that hadn't made finals in years, almost totally absent of finals experience is practically unprecedented.  Traveling to Perth for a final and win against the side having a week off is similarly almost unheard of and as much as I thought we were capable and was hoping for a win yesterday, the nightmares of 1994 was also in the back of my mind as a supporter.  It is genuinely very hard to beat them on their own track in such circumstances.  Had we won, my biggest fear as a supporter was a repeat of 1988 or 2000 and I'm not sure I could have handled sitting in the grandstands of the MCG next week watching us loose another grand final.  Next time we make one, we simply must grab the opportunity with two hands and win it, for the sake of my own sanity.

I hardly think I could have written a better script for us at the start of the season if I had tried.  Belting Carlton by 109 points in a game that the MFC of old would have coughed up and then belting Adelaide in Darwin when they were still being rated as a good side were some real highlights.  It's been a long time since we have genuinely thrashed teams and this season we pretty much made a habit of it for a while which was highly enjoyable.  Weid, Harmes, Brayshaw and Freitch were some of the real wins for us on a player development front I thought.  I'm estatic with the sucessful return of Vanders after such a bad run of loosing quality players to cronic injuries.

Unlike some I was frustrated, but not distraught following some of our close losses to good teams like the Geelong, Port and Sydney games (though the Port one was frustrating, because I thought we were robbed by the maggots).  I think there were even some big positives out of the Richmond and Hawthorn ones.  Out of all our losess, I could sense that we had a highly compeditive team that is capable of taking it up to any opponent on the day and I was able to watch every game from the start with an expectation we could/would win the game.  

Like many on this forum, I'm looking for us to step it up a notch again next year, keep building as a team and set our selves up for a genuine crack at a flag.  It's frustrating, but as much as I'd like it to happen, I don't think it's a given that we go further next year.  We didn't have a dream run with injuries this year, but it was hardly a disaster in that regards either.  Even one of the greatest premiership player/coaches of Leigh Mathews admits that you need an element of good luck to win a flag - surely after 55 years we are due a bit though.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,825]

12 hours ago, picket fence said:

PROUD??

No im not proud at all

No goals in a half of footy

Players slipping and sliding 

Missed handballs

Lack of skills missed targets

Some should have played their last games

Lewis, Maybe Jones, Tyson, Spargo to small and too slow, Neal Bullen? Frost?

Damning I know but EXPOSED in bright lights 

Schoolboys playing against Men

Pathetic performance.

NO GOALS IN A HALF OF FOOTY!!!?

no longer interested in Wins against shizen opposition.

Will not go to watch any game next year ! Same ho hum yeah yeah yadda yadda

THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS NOW IS A GF AND WIN

GUTTED!

Is that a promise Picket?  And if so, can you please extend it to this forum as well?

I sometimes appreciate your contributions to Demonland, and empathasize to a point, as we are all hurting from failing to bring home the ultimate to some extent, but you have missed the point of this thread entirely and the above is absolutely putrid bile and shows you have no insight or perspective on the realities of AFL footy.  Perhaps you will feel differently after you have sobered up a little, but if not, please don't pollute the digital world with this rubbish.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[picket fence 17,169]

52 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Is that a promise Picket?  And if so, can you please extend it to this forum as well?

I sometimes appreciate your contributions to Demonland, and empathasize to a point, as we are all hurting from failing to bring home the ultimate to some extent, but you have missed the point of this thread entirely and the above is absolutely putrid bile and shows you have no insight or perspective on the realities of AFL footy.  Perhaps you will feel differently after you have sobered up a little, but if not, please don't pollute the digital world with this rubbish.

No insights on the reality of AFL Footy??

NO GOALS IN A HALF OF FINALS FOOTY

There is reality right there pal!

Take of the rose colored glasses.

We were POLEAXED!

Nothing can erase this but a Grand FINAL WIN Next year NOTHING!

Not interested in improvements Only results! If you don't agree TO BAD!

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,825]

22 minutes ago, picket fence said:

No insights on the reality of AFL Footy??

NO GOALS IN A HALF OF FINALS FOOTY

There is reality right there pal!

Take of the rose colored glasses.

We were POLEAXED!

Nothing can erase this but a Grand FINAL WIN Next year NOTHING!

Not interested in improvements Only results! If you don't agree TO BAD!

Picket, no one here is really defending our first half yesterday as acceptable, but yesterday's result in isolation is not what this thread was about.  Sure there were underlying issues that yesterday's loss had in common with others we have had this year and something that needs to be addressed, but overall this year has been a huge step forward and is not defined by one half of very poor football when we were shell shocked by a side that has played very good football all year and shown where we need to get to.

In a lot of ways, the odds were stacked against us yesterday and it would have been more surprising if we had won. As some here have highlighted,  many good sides have been smashed in finals before and then gone on to bigger and better things.  Yesterday's poor first half is only endemic if we don't continue go on and learn from it and get better.

Edited September 23, 2018 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[picket fence 17,169]

4 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Picket, no one here is really defending our first half yesterday as acceptable, but yesterday's result in isolation is not what this thread was about.  Sure there were underlying issues that yesterday's loss had in common with others we have had this year and something that needs to be addressed, but overall this year has been a huge step forward and is not defined by one half of very poor football when we were shell shocked by a side that has played very good football all year and shown where we need to get to.

In a lot of ways, the odds were stacked against us yesterday and it would have been more surprising if we had won. As some here have highlighted,  many good sides have been smashed in finals before and then gone on to bigger and better things.  Yesterday's poor first half is only endemic if we don't continue go on and learn from it and get better.

Agree!

[Watson11 2,240]

27 minutes ago, picket fence said:

No insights on the reality of AFL Footy??

NO GOALS IN A HALF OF FINALS FOOTY

There is reality right there pal!

Take of the rose colored glasses.

We were POLEAXED!

Nothing can erase this but a Grand FINAL WIN Next year NOTHING!

Not interested in improvements Only results! If you don't agree TO BAD!

Picket fence. Yesterday was a shocker.  No defending that.  Plenty of young teams have been smashed in big games and gone onto bigger things.  Some have been smashed and disappeared.  I’ll be there cheering us to go onto bigger and better things.  That’s why they call people like us “supporters”.  

[DeeZee 7,395]

I can’t get over our lack of intensity and aggression.

Against Geelong it was there in spades and we looked brutal.

Hawthorn it was there but less so.

Eagles it just wasn’t there.

Was it tiredness from a young group?

Going into the game with the wrong mindset?

Not giving the Eagles midfield any respect?

Have to finish top 4 next year, playing a preliminary final in such a hostile environment as Optus was always going to be a difficult task.

[Demonised 1,354]

Can't agree with the naysayers who declare that we aren't top 4 material. We were. Indisputably. Take a look where we finished. 

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,825]

15 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Agree!

Cool, happy to move on.

Like I said in my original response to your post, as a long term supporter of the MFC, I can agree with alot of the sentiments regarding yesterday's game, you picked the wrong thread to post them in though.

Simmilaly, if we continue capitulating like we did yesterday over the next 3 - 5 years without bringing home a flag and/or we had lost a home preliminary final in the same way as yesterday after comming off a weeks break, I don't think your original post would be out of place.  But looking at where this present team is at in their development cycle there is still plenty of room for improvement to become a truly elite, premiership team and time for that to happen.  It's a marathon, not a sprint.

[rpfc 28,430]

We were great this season for where I thought we would be. However, we did struggle against the best teams until the end of the year (which is a good time to be in form of course).

I do think our backline needs more than Lever, our midfield needs more skill and must stick to the timeline of our young talent, and our forward line is schizophrenic to how the team plays; we don’t have small players to make the most of the chaos we create when we get it forward. Either get skilled mids and hit targets forward of center or hit the spots and surround Hogan and McDonald with a couple of Ryan/Rioli types and not ANB/Hannan types.

Still excited but work to do.

[titan_uranus 25,020]

Just now, rpfc said:

We were great this season for where I thought we would be. However, we did struggle against the best teams until the end of the year (which is a good time to be in form of course).

I do think our backline needs more than Lever, our midfield needs more skill and must stick to the timeline of our young talent, and our forward line is schizophrenic to how the team plays; we don’t have small players to make the most of the chaos we create when we get it forward. Either get skilled mids and hit targets forward of center or hit the spots and surround Hogan and McDonald with a couple of Ryan/Rioli types and not ANB/Hannan types.

Still excited but work to do.

Up there in the list of biggest disappointments for 2018, IMO, is Garlett.

The way we played this year, with the volume of inside 50s and ground balls to be won in there, should have suited him. Spargo was generally good but Garlett at his best would have been much, much more impactful.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,825]

13 minutes ago, DeeZee said:

I can’t get over our lack of intensity and aggression.

Against Geelong it was there in spades and we looked brutal.

Hawthorn it was there but less so.

Eagles it just wasn’t there.

Was it tiredness from a young group?

Going into the game with the wrong mindset?

Not giving the Eagles midfield any respect?

Have to finish top 4 next year, playing a preliminary final in such a hostile environment as Optus was always going to be a difficult task.

It's hard to work out isn't it.  Even the first time we played the Eagles over there a month ago we bought a heap more agression and intensity.  I think a big part of it is that we played too loose with them on the outside and gave them too much opertunity to get it out in the open where we couldn’t apply that physical pressure.