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Featured Replies

7 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

Pathetic post-match presser from Goody. All the usual stuff in the same monotone voice. 'We're working hard' 'Better connection' 'We'll learn' 'There were some positives'... I get that what is said to the players is probably different, but does he even realize that this is his one chance to communicate to the people who make this club exist? It's becoming more and more apparent he knows the problems but has no actual answers.

 

Really? Is that all he came up with?
Were any hard questions asked? Like, why does Melbourne fail continually to play consistently from week to week? How come the players put in extra effort for 10 minutes but not for the rest? 

 
6 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

Pathetic post-match presser from Goody. All the usual stuff in the same monotone voice. 'We're working hard' 'Better connection' 'We'll learn' 'There were some positives'... I get that what is said to the players is probably different, but does he even realize that this is his one chance to communicate to the people who make this club exist? It's becoming more and more apparent he knows the problems but has no actual answers.

 

Goodwin just doesn't seem to get that, above all else, a football club must provide entertainment and enjoyment for its fans. Goodwin may be a nice guy, but nothing he does - from his selection of boring one dimensional players over the likes of Bennell and Kozzie, to his emotionless demeanour in the coaching box, to his cliched press conferences - that provides entertainment for the fans.

1 hour ago, Lord Nev said:

Gawn legitimately talked about 'positives' and 'things they'll learn' in his post-match.

?‍♂️

One positive is that he didn't say learnings

 

Very disappointing tonight but the boys did look very flat and maybe a little fatigued. 
They need to find a way to get up in 4 days against Freo and then it will come down to the GWS game I’d say. 


2 hours ago, Moonshadow said:

Miraculously if the Blues beat GWS we are still in the 8

Bugger

Looking at some of our medium forwards particularly Fritsch and Melksham both have talent but both can’t tackle both can’t chase both think there much better than they are, Fritsch misses way to many easy goals and both should be on the trade table.

 
1 hour ago, Whispering_Jack said:

As bad as we were in the second quarter, we shot ourselves in the foot in the third.

We spent most of the quarter in attack and managed 1 goal 3 to 2 points, a gain of 7 points. A decent side would have had a net gain of 30 points on the basis of the opportunities we had in that term.

Because Sydney just sat back in our forward 50, turned the game into a scrap and won it off a 4 or 5 goal burst. Same thing happens every time we play them, it's the easiest game in the fixture for Longmire.

20 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

Another disgraceful performance. 

It keeps happening. The players aren’t willing or capable of making the necessary mental changes to play consistent football week to week. And Goodwin is repeatedly failing to get them going. I agree with all those referring to the opening bounce. You could tell from the very start we were flat. Inexcusable. 

It’s time to accept a few realities about our list, realities many of us already knew. Oscar McDonald is not good enough and will never be good enough. He has had enough chances. He is an utter liability with the ball in hand and his defensive work has, somehow, regressed this year. He is a complete disaster, so much so that Goodwin threw him forward to get him out of the backline, but he was so bad there he then had to swap him with May. Just terrible. IMO, that should be the last game he plays for this club.

Same goes with Jones. It was bad enough that he turned it over with a left foot shocker, but for him to then follow that up minutes later with a rinse and repeat left foot shocker is all you need to know about him. He is done. He shouldn’t be playing. It’s sad, we should honour his achievements, but he is a wreck out there. 

Is it a coincidence that when we brought Smith back our defensive set up fell to pieces? I’m not sure. But he’s not a footballer. 

Melksham should have been dropped 5 times this year. He is lazy, selfish and pathetic defensively. So is Fritsch. I don’t think we can play both. 

I thought Langdon was our clear best all day. His missed goal was deflating and he clearly has a goalkicking issue, but at least he can hold his head up as an example of someone who played their role to the required standard. Gawn’s marking was great and I actually thought his tapwork was fine. The issue in the middle was the mids falling to pieces: fumbling, quick fire handballs to no one, poor decisions, lazy kicks. 

Harmes looked lively in the fourth when given the chance to play mid/forward. Can we accept now he’s not a defender?

Just like 2016 and 2017, they get our hopes up and then fail. I don’t know how many more times we can have someone bake us in the media, or someone say “that will burn in our guts”. It’s a pattern and maybe we need a reset of some sort to break it. 

6 elite players short

1 coach short

1 home base training ground and social club short.

$h1thouse today.


I thought some  posters were saying that Omac helped the structure and helped May and Lever play well. 
 

Well I think we can put that theory to bed. He was [censored] useless and back to his normal footy iq. 
 

HE SHOULD NEVER PLAY FOR US AGAIN. 

I think Jake Melksham is a smart and incredibly talented footballer. Believe it, or not, he straightens us up in the forward line and directs traffic. The way he wrong foots the opposition is sublime. I was initially impressed that he (uncharacteristically) didn't whinge about a free kick paid against him during tonight's game. I also get that he's there to create opportunities and does this with aplomb. Notwithstanding this, he can go and get [censored]. His pressure is lamentable and has been all year. If he's injured, even more reason to [censored] off and rest up. I would rather he be managed than serve up this utter [censored].

Born in Feb 65 so my only claim to fame is that I was conceived ahead of Sep 64. 

I'm as flat as I've ever been in terms of watching this club.  There's lots of good analysis on here in terms of the origins of the multitude of ills but I need look no further than the effort based indicators.  18th in the competition for tackling says it all.  The two way running is another.  Sloppy handballs are another.   Goodwin has lost them.  It's terminal.

I long for the days of John Northey and the concept of having a red hot go.

 

1 hour ago, Deemania since 56 said:

May and Smith attempted to cover for OMac right up until the Useless One was moved out of the backline to the forward line. Smith had a few yards left but May, poor fellow, was almost exhausted by his two opponents and his role as fullback and this occurred in the first half. It affected the rest of his game as it has done so many times in  the past with Jetta and Hibberd attempting to cover for OMac. OMac's inclusion in the side has always led to two other Demon players playing against two opponents, full time. Otherwise, the backline leaks goals. This is what Lever was referring to in the radio interview last week without mentioning names. Why? Because Lever had to provide some cover for OMac as well play his own man/game as the Third Tall, not the Third Backup for OMac's inability. Some windsurfers on DL continue to defy the laws of gravity but it is time overdue for them to acknowledge that the penny has well and truly dropped in terms of OMac's usefulness to the team. What has it been? Four or five years? 

Lever had a great interview on the Dees Podcast this week. I'll have to go back and relisten but I'm certain he said he plays better without Omac in the team. His rationale was because it makes him (Lever) more accountable and he gets led to the ball more playing on a key forward who is targeted more often by the opposition mids but I thought it was an interesting comment nevertheless.

I sat down to watch today's game with optimism and enthusiasm. 

Now I'm convinced I just took the red pill.

Now I know.


54 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Has anyone raised the fact that the Swans have been in Cairns since Saturday (and training at Cazaly since) while we flew up this morning?

I don’t know about you, but being on a plane flight for 2hrs and then expect to play a side that’s been there for 5 days and already training there seems a bit rough.

The performance was inexcusable but this further highlights the inequality of this season.
 

 

not to mention up at 7am for the 2 hour bus ride before the flight (according to Trac).  terrible preparation

excuses yes.  but still

1 minute ago, Copuchas said:

Born in Feb 65 so my only claim to fame is that I was conceived ahead of Sep 64. 

I'm as flat as I've ever been in terms of watching this club. 

 

I hear ya Copouchas. I'm Jan '66 and flat, sad and tired of this

26 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

Another disgraceful performance. 

It keeps happening. The players aren’t willing or capable of making the necessary mental changes to play consistent football week to week. And Goodwin is repeatedly failing to get them going. I agree with all those referring to the opening bounce. You could tell from the very start we were flat. Inexcusable. 

It’s time to accept a few realities about our list, realities many of us already knew. Oscar McDonald is not good enough and will never be good enough. He has had enough chances. He is an utter liability with the ball in hand and his defensive work has, somehow, regressed this year. He is a complete disaster, so much so that Goodwin threw him forward to get him out of the backline, but he was so bad there he then had to swap him with May. Just terrible. IMO, that should be the last game he plays for this club.

Same goes with Jones. It was bad enough that he turned it over with a left foot shocker, but for him to then follow that up minutes later with a rinse and repeat left foot shocker is all you need to know about him. He is done. He shouldn’t be playing. It’s sad, we should honour his achievements, but he is a wreck out there. 

Is it a coincidence that when we brought Smith back our defensive set up fell to pieces? I’m not sure. But he’s not a footballer. 

Melksham should have been dropped 5 times this year. He is lazy, selfish and pathetic defensively. So is Fritsch. I don’t think we can play both. 

I thought Langdon was our clear best all day. His missed goal was deflating and he clearly has a goalkicking issue, but at least he can hold his head up as an example of someone who played their role to the required standard. Gawn’s marking was great and I actually thought his tapwork was fine. The issue in the middle was the mids falling to pieces: fumbling, quick fire handballs to no one, poor decisions, lazy kicks. 

Harmes looked lively in the fourth when given the chance to play mid/forward. Can we accept now he’s not a defender?

Just like 2016 and 2017, they get our hopes up and then fail. I don’t know how many more times we can have someone bake us in the media, or someone say “that will burn in our guts”. It’s a pattern and maybe we need a reset of some sort to break it. 

Respect to this Post. Agree on all points.

2 minutes ago, Roger Mellie said:

I think Jake Melksham is a smart and incredibly talented footballer. Believe it, or not, he straightens us up in the forward line and directs traffic. The way he wrong foots the opposition is sublime. I was initially impressed that he (uncharacteristically) didn't whinge about a free kick paid against him during tonight's game. I also get that he's there to create opportunities and does this with aplomb. 

That's pretty positive.

3 minutes ago, Roger Mellie said:

. Notwithstanding this, he can go and get [censored]. 

Well that escalated quickly  - Well that escalated quickly   Well That Escalated Quickly


I mentioned in the pre game thread we will win if we come to play. Unfortunately in the first minute I said to the Missus we are not on. Those 2 Trac efforts in first minute set the tone. Instead of kicking he decided to do fancy handballs straight to Sydney.

I am not going to go into the pathetic effort by most players just that I have realised we are not good enough with about 10 players today not up to AFL standard. We are doing well to be still in contention but I fear that will be over come Monday night.

Absolute pathetic excuse for a football team.

1 minute ago, DubDee said:

not to mention up at 7am for the 2 hour bus ride before the flight (according to Trac).  terrible preparation

excuses yes.  but still

GWS played in Perth on Saturday night yet were on the Sunshine Coast 3 days ago and then just took a bus to Metricon today.

Is this some hub protocol or did Melbourne royally [censored] up their logistics here today? Why wouldn’t they have flown to Cairns on Sunday or Monday?

 
Just now, DubDee said:

not to mention up at 7am for the 2 hour bus ride before the flight (according to Trac).  terrible preparation

excuses yes.  but still

A 4.5 day break and the cumulative impact of short breaks might be an issue but I don't see the travel as a big deal.  They were in the same time zone.  Most working people are up by 7.00 am.  Players have everything done for them. 

We shouldn't be letting everyone off the hook with travel and stuff.   Coaches and players had their chances tonight; they stuffed it.

5 minutes ago, Dame Gaga said:

I sat down to watch today's game with optimism and enthusiasm. 

Now I'm convinced I just took the red pill.

Now I know.

You  didn't take enough of those little suckers Dame G !


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