Post Game: Rd 5 v St. Kilda

[Mazer Rackham 14,971]

We still have a rabid and frantic attack on the ball. So there's that.

But where we once were, and still should be, like a stampede of wildebeest heading toward a worried family of warthogs, these days our frantic efforts more resemble the warthogs.

Every week we pretty much know what the oppo are going to do. And every week we are unable to counter it.

Sometimes they spring a coaching surprise on us. And we fall for it, every single time ,and are rendered helpless by it.

When was the last time we sprung a surprise on anyone? Maybe the selection of Preuss, but every other coach knew it was coming sometime. Before that?

Our disposal by hand and foot is shocking. Our inability to get clean mitts on the pill is disgraceful. I don't buy that the game has dramatically changed this year. St Kilda beat us with simple and basic Aussie rules football, executed moderately well. Something we are incapable of.

Our talent levels has not decreased. We do have fitness issues. But the glaring standout issue is our inabillity to execute basic football skills. Over to you, coaching panel.

[titan_uranus 25,045]

9 hours ago, A F said:

Did you watch the game today, mate, or check the stats at the end again? Gawn was ordinary, I'd say he was close to terrible. He constantly dropped marks, was run off his feet at ground level (I recall one really good chase down tackle from him, otherwise zilch) and his tap work was so-so given who he was up against. 

The reason I will take a ping is because Gawn was out in the media flapping his tongue all off season, talking a big game, and that's all well and good if you back it up, but he hasn't. That's the bloody embarrassing part. As was being outmarked by a 192cm KPF in Membrey on the goal line.

No excuses. He's a leader now and he's not bloody showing it. People are well within their right to question his leadership and output.

Yes, mate, I was there.

Gawn wasn't that good yesterday and I didn't suggest otherwise. But I can't stand the way people like you have just piled into him when he was one of about 20 players yesterday who didn't play well. At the very least, Gawn butters up and goes again all day for the stoppages. He's coming off an elite year and even this year has already put in more strong performances than most of our other supposed A-graders. And as for being "run off his feet", he was one of the few players I saw who was running defensively to try to get back after one of our many forward half turnovers. He's not slow for a ruckman but speed is not his asset so I don't know why you have to have a go at him for that either.

[Deesprate 1,324]

4 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

We still have a rabid and frantic attack on the ball. So there's that.

But where we once were, and still should be, like a stampede of wildebeest heading toward a worried family of warthogs, these days our frantic efforts more resemble the warthogs.

Every week we pretty much know what the oppo are going to do. And every week we are unable to counter it.

Sometimes they spring a coaching surprise on us. And we fall for it, every single time ,and are rendered helpless by it.

When was the last time we sprung a surprise on anyone? Maybe the selection of Preuss, but every other coach knew it was coming sometime. Before that?

Our disposal by hand and foot is shocking. Our inability to get clean mitts on the pill is disgraceful. I don't buy that the game has dramatically changed this year. St Kilda beat us with simple and basic Aussie rules football, executed moderately well. Something we are incapable of.

Our talent levels has not decreased. We do have fitness issues. But the glaring standout issue is our inabillity to execute basic football skills. Over to you, coaching panel.

Absolutely agree opposition coaches must lick their lips we never Spring a surprise. There plan A and then Plan A. Coaching indictment you can’t stop run of goals. Coaching 101

[titan_uranus 25,045]

9 hours ago, Skuit said:

Probably not the time to bring this up just yet, but . . .

We're undoubtedly playing [censored] football right now and our structural issues aren't anything new. Still, even accounting for some slide, the difference in our performance between our early finals' appearances and now is so stark as to be completely perplexing.

Meanwhile, it's not remotely far-fetched that by the end of this round the top three teams will read:

1. St Kilda
2. Gold Coast
3. Fremantle

Are the personnel of these teams and respective coaches now world-beaters and masterminds - as opposed to ours being hacks and newly out of their depth - or has something fundamentally changed in the game to have thrown it so suddenly upside down? Are almost the entire commentariat and massive body of football spectators who invariably had these three teams in their bottom six for 2019 also just clueless?

Sure, it's still early and even and I expect these teams to drop down (although the top three at the end of the last three even crap years were all in at least the top five at the finish of round five) - but its undeniable that there has been some form of disruption to date.

Has the AFL's rule tinkering - which in being fundamentally two-fold and structural is probably more than just tinkering - had a greater impact than what can easily be determined by the eye? Is the MFC, which has developed a game-plan of such small margin of error and recruited accordingly, copping the impact of these changes more than most?

Not sure I agree with this.

Our losses this year look to be strongly reminiscent of our MCG losses last year - plenty of CPs and inside 50s but an inability to defend the ground on defensive transition.

Meanwhile each of Port, Essendon and St Kilda have played us the same way we were beaten by sides like Port, Hawthorn and St Kilda did last year - conceding time in forward half to us, conceding inside 50s to us, but scoring easily on transition because we don't run back and we leave our opponent's forward half empty for them to work with.

In my view, this isn't 2019's rule changes having a negative effect, this is the same problems as our 2018 game plan which are being exposed repeatedly because we're unfit and out of form.

As to the ladder, there are currently 10 teams on 3 wins (with the possibility that by the end of the round that figure is 12). It's not like there's much separating the three teams you've mentioned from the teams in the 9-12 bracket. Fremantle's win over GWS is a stellar win that deserves to be praised but other than that, those sides have hardly played the stronger sides whereas Geelong, Collingwood and West Coast have all played each other by the end of next week.

[Return to Glory 8,448]

Drove from Mt Eliza to Caulfield. No trains running so one of the slowest tram journeys of all time from there to Flinders to Richmond and back again....to watch an absolute rabble.

And so many flaws. But what was pretty glaring to me was the complete lack of nous on the forward line. Say what we like about Garlett, at least he doesn't telegraph to the opposition what he intends to do. We appear to seriously lack footy IQ. Petracca has skills as does Melksham but I can't remember when we last had someone with the smarts of a Gunston or a Breust. Probably Aaron Davey.

[Wells 11 5,422]

27 minutes ago, Dr.D said:

 

 

8. Josh Mahoney. He is also one that needs to look at himself. He has been great for our club with the likes of hibberd, melksham etc. but he has over-corrected his trade table attitude recently. We paid too much for Lever. 2 first rounders for a guy with acl history is a bit iffy. We were in trade bargaining position as he was out of contract but he coughed them up like nothing. Then we fast forward a year and we let small man syndrome peter bell accept far too less for Hogan when he was in contract. I look at port adelaide and think gee, butters or duursma wouldve been nice. literally exactly what we needed!

I agree with your other seven points DD but not this bit. Only one of two points may be true but both cant be. If we got unders for hogan then I think we paid the right level fr lever. If we paid overs fr lever then hogan was at the right level. Plus hogan had industry known issues.  We have seen but a glimpse of how good lever could be yet. The pies paid 2x pick 7 fr Trelor and they’re not complaining. There’s much to complain about atm but , providing lever has a decent career with us I don’t think this will be one them. 

[jnrmac 20,189]

So from qtr time up to 3.4 time they had 24 i50s for 8 goals, we had 21 i50s for 1 goal. Game over.

Same [censored] different day.

Too many players at the contest, not sticking tackles, defending too far up the ground, running at the player with the ball and allowing the 'chinese checker' over the top handball time and time again, allowing the switch kick repeatedly, dumb handballs to players in trouble, terrible marking, no fwd 50 crumbers, Jones and Lewis on the wings - FMD, bombing the ball pn Pruess' head with no crumbers and finally a pathetically lazy one-way midfield that allowed the Aints to transition the ball out of defence and into their fwd 50 at will.

TMac - WTF has happened to this guy?  Weid? - totally ineffective, Spargo? - may as well not have played, Hibberd and Jetta? - shadows of their former selves, Jones and Lewis? - it's time. Melksham? - lazy footballer who won't chase and WTF has happened to his kicking? Called it when he was 35m out that he wouldn't make the distance and bingo.

Petracca? tried but is the most frustrating footballer on the planet. Keep it simple stupid. 

As for the coaching staff... did absolutely nothing during the game. refused to stop the switch, pick up players/play man on man. No freaking idea. Jones and Lewis on the wings did my head in.

Goodwin has no idea. Stubborn, We get beaten the same way by inferior teams who control the football and run. So [censored] obvious.

My advice Simon go watch the Preliminary final you arrogant [censored], watch the game against Essendon and last year's against the Hawks in H&A and against the Swans.

We can see it here why can't you?

 

[Redleg 41,484]

13 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

So from qtr time up to 3.4 time they had 24 i50s for 8 goals, we had 21 i50s for 1 goal. Game over.

Same [censored] different day.

Too many players at the contest, not sticking tackles, defending too far up the ground, running at the player with the ball and allowing the 'chinese checker' over the top handball time and time again, allowing the switch kick repeatedly, dumb handballs to players in trouble, terrible marking, no fwd 50 crumbers, Jones and Lewis on the wings - FMD, bombing the ball pn Pruess' head with no crumbers and finally a pathetically lazy one-way midfield that allowed the Aints to transition the ball out of defence and into their fwd 50 at will.

TMac - WTF has happened to this guy?  Weid? - totally ineffective, Spargo? - may as well not have played, Hibberd and Jetta? - shadows of their former selves, Jones and Lewis? - it's time. Melksham? - lazy footballer who won't chase and WTF has happened to his kicking? Called it when he was 35m out that he wouldn't make the distance and bingo.

Petracca? tried but is the most frustrating footballer on the planet. Keep it simple stupid. 

As for the coaching staff... did absolutely nothing during the game. refused to stop the switch, pick up players/play man on man. No freaking idea. Jones and Lewis on the wings did my head in.

Goodwin has no idea. Stubborn, We get beaten the same way by inferior teams who control the football and run. So [censored] obvious.

My advice Simon go watch the Preliminary final you arrogant [censored], watch the game against Essendon and last year's against the Hawks in H&A and against the Swans.

We can see it here why can't you?

 

Agree, with most of that.

Did you notice that our 2 best players Oliver and Brayshaw are going at about 60% disposal efficiency.

IMO that is down to the gameplan and congested forward 50, where they kick to a contest every time because no one has got free, which won't happen under the chaos game plan.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,305]

I don't think it's our defensive structure the problem is our forward structure. We win enough footy, we get it forward enough but we have no space to work in. Our key forwards can't take a mark and we have no crumbers sweeping the loose balls. A couple of times yesterday we were running into an open goal just had to work through the defense and stuffed up both to es allowing the Saibts to rebound it out.

Our forward line is a shambles, I think we desperately miss Hannan and AVB across half forward and TMac is in the worst form of his career. Petracca is played too close to goals needs to play more across half forward and Melksham is also out of form.

[Lucifers Hero 40,364]

Viney:  “They got more numbers to the contest – we’d kick it long or inside 50 and I just felt like they had more numbers there than us...that’s the part where I’m not too sure how it broke down..."

It is scary that even after the game he still did not know.  And I prefer he didn't tell the world he doesn't know. 

And, how could he not know?  Does he not know the game plan well enough?  As co-cap and on-field leader it is his job to know the game plan backwards and be alert to when things/players are not working to the plan and initiate changes in positioning, effort, moral etc. 

Jack's own work rate set the example but the rest of his leadership was terrible!  His leadership co-horts weren't much better.  It looked like Brown's cows out there!

Had hoped that with Lewis back our on-field leadership would improve.  Not so. 

[BrisbaneDemon 1,572]

40 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I don't think it's our defensive structure the problem is our forward structure. We win enough footy, we get it forward enough but we have no space to work in. Our key forwards can't take a mark and we have no crumbers sweeping the loose balls. A couple of times yesterday we were running into an open goal just had to work through the defense and stuffed up both to es allowing the Saibts to rebound it out.

Our forward line is a shambles, I think we desperately miss Hannan and AVB across half forward and TMac is in the worst form of his career. Petracca is played too close to goals needs to play more across half forward and Melksham is also out of form.

We’re the easiest team in the comp to score against, there is no other way to put it.  Alarmingly reading Jack Vineys interview I am starting to get the impression our goal coming into the season was to simply out gun teams and kick a bigger score.  In the interview below, not once is defence mentioned, this is our co-captain who isn’t concerned about our defensive structures.  Appears the whole football department is in denial.  Every week it’s the same old line, we just need to recover and next week it’ll be fine.....

 

Focus shifts to ANZAC Day Eve: Viney
http://m.melbournefc.com.au/news/2019-04-20/focus-shifts-to-anzac-day-eve-viney.mobileapp

Edited April 21, 2019 by BrisbaneDemon

[Deemania since 56 6,719]

15 hours ago, Graeme Yeats' Mullet said:

Yes,

You get to eat the bag of tish our team served up tonight! Congratulations...

Bon appetite ?

That was no fluke. McQueen applied canny logic pre-game to the situation across a number of noticeable variables that comprise a game of football. On judgement, he wins the prize.

[titan_uranus 25,045]

16 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I don't think it's our defensive structure the problem is our forward structure. We win enough footy, we get it forward enough but we have no space to work in. Our key forwards can't take a mark and we have no crumbers sweeping the loose balls. A couple of times yesterday we were running into an open goal just had to work through the defense and stuffed up both to es allowing the Saibts to rebound it out.

Our forward line is a shambles, I think we desperately miss Hannan and AVB across half forward and TMac is in the worst form of his career. Petracca is played too close to goals needs to play more across half forward and Melksham is also out of form.

I think it's both, tbh.

Our high forward press means that we're asking our mids/half forwards to work magic when there's 36 players in the forward half. It also requires our backs to be able to cover the entire back half of the ground when the opposition does eventually break through.

[Lucifers Hero 40,364]

13 hours ago, bing181 said:

Or were they? I would suggest that internally, we knew the risks that we were taking, but went ahead now anyway, on the assumption (correct in my view) that this was never going to be our year for a flag, but next year might be.

If that is so they took a very big gamble and at this stage it has not paid off.  A flag is just one side of it. 

The other side is: Sponsorship (Jaguar is only a one year deal); memberships (thousands of new members joined this year that probably won't next), game attendances (who wants to see thrashings); broadcasting (there go our Thru/Fri/Sat night timeslots); funding for new facilities; etc.  All these will suffer badly as a result of a 1-4 start. 

Yes, a very big gamble and very cavalier of them to flirt with the hard work put in by so many over the last few years to get some respectability for our club. 

If your hunch is right, they better have a plan to get us up and running soon or we will be 1-6 in 10 days after playing Tigers and Hawks at the G.

Edited April 21, 2019 by Lucifer's Hero

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

2 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Been the mantra for a while now. Numbers, numbers, numbers to the contest. Observation from behind goals in 1st and 3rd quarters. 

I thought Frost busted his guts and did the work of two defenders yesterday. He often had to cover loose Saints’ forwards and won his fair share of contests inside our defensive 50. Our one dimensional plan of bombing to contests down the wing is a key ingredient to a recipe for disaster. It would work if someone could take a contested mark to at least make the opposition accountable and open up the game a bit. Think back to Tim O’Brien for Hawks against us in 2017 when we had them on toast but he constantly provided an outlet with his contested marking on the wing.

When the ball hits the ground you are simply not going to win every contest, but we think we will with most of our half backs/mids sucked in to that loose ground ball. Again like the Dons game the Saints set up beautifully with a couple of loose men in the middle and outer wing. Bang, they win the ball on the wing, switch to the middle and then to the other side and get us on the counter. Frost now, after originally sprinting 50m and winning the ball in the back half now has to sprint another 50m across the arc to cover more loose men while some of our other defenders/wingmen are still plodding back to defensive 50 with hands on hips. I felt for him and wouldn’t have blamed him if he took himself off for a breather. 

I always thought the lack of switching by us was by design. Not so sure now, the oppo seems so well set up we simply don’t have the options to switch. When an opportunity arises our mids seem to be jogging across the ground, I’d like to think it’s a fitness issue rather than laziness. 

It was a filthy day yesterday and never have I seen so many supporters leave at 3 quarter time in Round 5 of a season. Don’t blame them really.

Some really good first hand astute and balanced observations there DZ, thank you.

[loges 6,767]

Are people concerned that our best key position player at the moment is Frost, and why do most people keep giving Weideman a free hit. Time to realise some of that potential, you wouldn't pay him a third of what he's asking for.

[Deemania since 56 6,719]

26 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Viney:  “They got more numbers to the contest – we’d kick it long or inside 50 and I just felt like they had more numbers there than us...that’s the part where I’m not too sure how it broke down..."

It is scary that even after the game he still did not know.  And I prefer he didn't tell the world he doesn't know. 

And, how could he not know?  Does he not know the game plan well enough?  As co-cap and on-field leader it is his job to know the game plan backwards and be alert to when things/players are not working to the plan and initiate changes in positioning, effort, moral etc. 

Jack's own work rate set the example but the rest of his leadership was terrible!  His leadership co-horts weren't much better.  It looked like Brown's cows out there!

Had hoped that with Lewis back our on-field leadership would improve.  Not so. 

Viney does a decent battle in the game, yet he still has the occasional tendency to 'relay', when in possession of the ball: '...I've got it, you're trying to take it from me ... '; he then retains it (tucks it under his arm), takes on the opponent with the silent mantra '...OK, so come an get it...' and relishes still retaining the ball the other side.

However, he often loses the ball in this self-possessed habit; he quite often drops the ball and falls on it deliberately which leads to a 'holding ball' decision against him or a loss of team momentum in a cessation of play for a bounce. Other teams are now well familiar with this aspect of his game and use it to their own good advantage. 

Whichever way you look at this pattern, it is not progressive. When this happens in the early part of the game in which he is fresh, it creates a stop-start sequence that interferes with team momentum and effective clearance. We see all other MFC players re-set, re-position, expecting to have to repeat the process that was initially successful just a second or two ago. Gawn most often has to re-ruck and re-clear the ball from that duel, time and again. 

Good football can often be characterised by not over-possessing. Get into position, get ball, use ball by hand or foot as quickly as possible, depending on how 'tight' the circumstances may be at that critical moment. It is not hold ball into a contest and come out with ball at the end of that contest. Such actions and brainwaves seldom work.

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by Deemania since 56

[John Crow Batty 8,879]

1 minute ago, Deemania since 56 said:

Viney does a decent battle in the game, yet he still has the occasional tendency to 'relay', when in possession of the ball: '...I've got it, you're trying to take it from me ... '; he then retains it (tucks it under his arm), takes on the opponent with the silent mantra '...OK, so come an get it...' and relishes still retaining the ball the other side.

However, he often loses the ball in this self-possessed habit; he quite often drops the ball and falls on it deliberately which leads to a 'holding ball' decision against him or a loss of team momentum in a cessation of play for a bounce. Other teams are now well familiar with this aspect of his game and use it to their own good advantage. 

Whichever way you look at this pattern, it is not progressive. When this happens in the early part of the game in which he is fresh, it creates a stop-start sequence that interferes with team momentum and effective clearance. We see all other MFC players re-set, re-position, expecting to have to repeat the process that was initially successful just a second or two ago. Gawn most often has to re-ruck and re-clear the ball from that duel, time and again. 

Good football can often be characterised by not over-possessing. Get into position, get ball, use ball by hand or foot as quickly as possible, depending on how 'tight' the circumstances may be at that critical moment. It in not hold ball into a contest and come out with ball at the end of that contest. Such actions and brainwaves seldom work.

 

Agree, Viney is a huge momentum killer when has the ball. Same as for Jones when in the guts. Being tough inside players means getting it out quick but they never do. Only Oliver is a good fast distributor but he was the third worst disposal efficiency on the field yesterday despite his high numbers. 

[Moonshadow 17,677]

2 hours ago, Redleg said:

Disagree Saty.

It is clean ball use and workrate, but it is also speed. I saw Saints run off us several times.

The game plan of a congested forward 50 doesn't allow us any one on one contests to win. However at the other end you have them a plenty or mostly uncontested marks/kicks and goals.

That is why the opposition is scoring at about a goal every 2nd entry and us at about a goal every 10th entry.

It is a flawed gameplan that the whole footy world except our coaches see.

The goals we get are from a flash of brilliance like Trac while being spun around or a great Melk mark occasionally. 

The opposition kick them off the ground, handball into the goal square unopposed, mark unopposed or run in unopposed.

You can't win with chaos footy alone, especially when you have no pace, disposal skill and alternative plan to shut down large groups of goals.

I repeat, if we went man on man early in the 3rd, we would have stopped their goal avalanche and given us a chance to fight back in the last.

It is pure arrogance to not admit when you are wrong and the Coaches are therefore guilty of that.

To be honest, to me, it looks like we give up when the run on starts as we know we can't stop it under the current gameplan and coaching.

Players are not playing instinctively and that is why they get the ball and either handball it off to a contest immediately or hold it too long looking for their best option and then get caught holding it.

We are playing a dumb brand of footy and until the Coaches do something about, it I don't think the players can.

Absolutely agree Red. Of course its speed, only a fool cannot see that.

Numerous times I saw our guys get out run on repeat sprints and fail to catch opponents or make position quick enough. I commented at the game that our guys were like witches hats while the zippy Saints midfielders just ran around us with ease

[Sorry kids 635]

Most Melbourne fans love Jack Viney for his love of the Club and ferocious attack on the ball. I would be interested to know what what he would get pick wise on the open market. Not that I want to trade him but just think he like his Dad is massively overated at MFC.  Mid second round pick for me.

[Adam The God 30,421]

2 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

Yes, mate, I was there.

Gawn wasn't that good yesterday and I didn't suggest otherwise. But I can't stand the way people like you have just piled into him when he was one of about 20 players yesterday who didn't play well. At the very least, Gawn butters up and goes again all day for the stoppages. He's coming off an elite year and even this year has already put in more strong performances than most of our other supposed A-graders. And as for being "run off his feet", he was one of the few players I saw who was running defensively to try to get back after one of our many forward half turnovers. He's not slow for a ruckman but speed is not his asset so I don't know why you have to have a go at him for that either.

There was a contest at the 11 minute mark of the first quarter where he was completely out on his feet already and the St Kilda player skipped away from him. I knew we were gone then.

He then spent a few passages of play in the third, when we were murdered, trying to get easy kicks in the forwardline but failing to chase. He also played a kick behind the ball a few times, that is what I presume you're referring to when say 'running defensively', but was completely caught out of position constantly. Hard with turn overs but he was playing a kick behind the play, as was Preuss on occasion.

There's two things here. 1) he either has absolutely no tank due to a poor off season or 2) he's incredibly lazy and playing 'me' football. I would like to think if it was "1", he'd still be busting a gut and running himself into the ground. On the ground, it certainly doesn't appear that way to me. 

Off the back of last year, I was one of the posters saying Gawn could be captain material. He'd just shown that his first AA wasn't a Mark Jamar flash in the pan, but he's so inconsistent from year to year that I'd prefer he concentrate on his own game and fix that first.

On this point though, leadership continues to be a major issue at Melbourne. Jones and Lewis must surely be gone at season's end, but who do we turn to for leadership? A constantly injured Jack Viney who needs to focus on his own game or someone else? I'd say Lever and Viney if either could get on the park, but we can't rely on that just yet.

A lot of thinking to be done for all concerned.

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by A F

[Deemania since 56 6,719]

1 minute ago, Sorry kids said:

Most Melbourne fans love Jack Viney for his love of the Club and ferocious attack on the ball. I would be interested to know what what he would get pick wise on the open market. Not that I want to trade him but just think he like his Dad is massively overated at MFC.  Mid second round pick for me.

Agree somewhat with this idea. Born and bred Demon with a big heart for the Club and that is undeniable. However ... what is now years ago, I watched his across a playing career his dad, Todd, do similar good things for the MFC team. I held back quite a bit when Todd kicked the ball - certainly a long way and with power - but not well-directed and in tackles, bustling by all means but hesitant to dispose of the ball to better-placed teammates. Jack has these tendencies as well. It is often interruptive in the clearance and progression of the ball to the Team's advantage. In fact, apart from his first year, I really think that the overall skills of Jack have waned somewhat and recent injuries do nothing to improve this situation. 

[Gator 17,479]

11 hours ago, A F said:

Did you watch the game today, mate, or check the stats at the end again? Gawn was ordinary, I'd say he was close to terrible. He constantly dropped marks, was run off his feet at ground level (I recall one really good chase down tackle from him, otherwise zilch) and his tap work was so-so given who he was up against. 

The reason I will take a ping is because Gawn was out in the media flapping his tongue all off season, talking a big game, and that's all well and good if you back it up, but he hasn't. That's the bloody embarrassing part. As was being outmarked by a 192cm KPF in Membrey on the goal line.

No excuses. He's a leader now and he's not bloody showing it. People are well within their right to question his leadership and output.

The reason Gawn dropped that mark was he took his eyes off the ball because there was a St Kilda player coming the other way.  He really is down on confidence at the moment.

Why did Brayshaw and Salem spend the first 7 minutes on the bench to start the third quarter ?

As some would know, I'm a Goody fan, but would a Clarkson coached team ever be so disorganised behind the ball and so easy to play against ?  I think we both know the answer to that one.

Our team defence is terrible.   

[DeeZee 7,445]

It’s either 

A. The Coaching 

B. The players not following the instructions properly.

C. The cattle- No outside run with a lot of ball getters but ordinary ball users.

D. No connection with the forwards 

E. Fitness

F. All of the above

Edited April 21, 2019 by DeeZee

[At the break of Gawn 4,460]

46 minutes ago, Sorry kids said:

Most Melbourne fans love Jack Viney for his love of the Club and ferocious attack on the ball. I would be interested to know what what he would get pick wise on the open market. Not that I want to trade him but just think he like his Dad is massively overated at MFC.  Mid second round pick for me.

I love the way Jack Viney goes about it. But unfortunately, he’s not a very smart bloke at all. He’s just a see ball, get ball, kick ball player. Who is ultimately not a very effective player when you compare his effort to his output. 

He doesn’t have a qtr of the footy IQ of a Pendlebury, Cripps, Bont, Davis, Hurn, I could go on...

I honestly think in two or three years they’ll give the sole captaincy to Lever if he gets his body right and can reshape our backline. Lever has all the hallmarks of a great captain.