We are ready to challenge.

Its the best balanced side I’ve seen in 50 years of being a Demon.

Must win it this year. It’s our year. We must have the BELIEF

I'll trust us when we are going for back to back flags.

On 4/18/2021 at 10:13 PM, Dr. Gonzo said:

Ask me in another 4-6 weeks

Yes, and more than I can ever remember

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yes, and more than I can ever remember

Don't worry, if you're like me you will still have some nervous and stressful moments

I'm starting to trust, although at half time on Friday night, I thought we were gone unless Brisbane stopped or we suddenly brought the work rate. I said I couldn't see it coming, but I was very wrong. 

Where I'm at is if we bring enough intensity and focus (and kick straight), I think our system will beat any team in the competition. I really believe that now.

For example, I was worried a few weeks back about what the Geelong forwardline would do to us, but I think we can cover Hawkins, Cameron and Rohan. I also think we could cover Richmond too. Those two sides are the greatest threats IMO, so in other words, I think we can win the flag, injury permitting.

After following this team since 1966, I’m still hoping rather than fully believing.  The loss against Adelaide showed us up quite badly. The Bulldogs game was tactically brilliant and our second half against the Lions was sensational.  Aside from the Bulldogs game however, we have yet to put together four outstanding quarters of football. To win a flag, we need to be able to do that.  I’d also like to see us tear at least one team apart on the scoreboard to show ourselves that we can actually kick a huge score. 

With Langdon, Viney and BBB to come into the side we look very strong. I do worry though about opposition plans to blanket Clarry, Trac and Max and that will surely happen at some stage. I’d assume that there are strategies already in place to combat those tactics when they occur. I also have concerns about injuries and I fear that those are pretty much inevitable but hope that they involve weeks and not months. Apart from Tomlinson and Viney, we have had a very good run.

In the meantime I will watch every game holding my breath for long periods, releasing my tension with either abusive language or “Go Dees!” fist pumps. Come GF day when I see Maxy holding the cup aloft I’ll know that seeing is believing. Until then I’ll continue to hope.

I have more trust than at the beginning of the year. Still feel we could drop some games we should win. Like QB which has me nervous.

We are first rate in every aspect of performance. Coaching and game plan, fitness and conditioning. On field we have leaders, talent, experience and belief. We are in such a good space. The only variable within our control that we haven’t really nailed is set-shot conversion. We are liable to cough a game up at any time because of bad kicking. Hopefully not in a final. So other than our kicking, I have complete faith that we will consistently deliver performances.

 

Absolutely.  What 11-1 has shown me is our team makes it extremely difficult for the opposition to sustain a four quarter effort. We’ve seen teams go hard early against us for the killer punch, Richmond lasted 15 minutes before we shut them down. Lions simply couldn’t keep up in the second half. Teams have had little patches here and there but our ability to restructure quickly is impressive, opponents seem to run out of ideas and eventually we overwhelm them. The Sydney win was outstanding as that was the most brutal and physical game I’ve seen this year IMO.

Kudos to the Crows for finding a way to stick with us, although we contributed in the last 7 minutes by a couple of structural breakdowns that aided them and everything went right for them. Even with 40 seconds to go against them we still managed a couple of chances to win the game.

Enjoying seeing them play for each other. 

No

No

Still a long way off being trustworthy. Experienced players have a gap between their best and worst that is too enormous to be a premiership threat. Don't know how we fix that.

No trust yet. Losing two games to bottom 6 teams will cost us a top 4. 

On 4/18/2021 at 6:01 PM, Chook said:

Pretty simple. Do you?

No.

Knew they would lose today.. I’m not Nostradamus, it’s obvious we lower our colours against lesser sides. No I trust my ex more than the Dees, and she ate more [censored] than most.. 

I trust them more than I did at the start of the year but they have got a bit of a ways to go. They have proven they can get the job done and grind out when they are prepared to do the running and work needed but you can’t completely change something like this overnight. 

Great sides will still drop the odd game to a cellar dweller but they also show up for the big occasion. Will write this one off but there aren’t too many more mulligans on offer I would say. 

We are 11-2.  If we get to 16-6 (maybe 15-7) we'll be top 4.  That means 5 more wins out of 9 games.  That's absolutely probable from here.  If we get better than that then we are pretty much top 2.  It's been a great season thus far, I'm a believer that we are a genuinely good side.    Any of the current top 8 with the likely exception of the Swans can win the flag though.

I do now days, (and never before) this was one game not the season. 

I know I am going to sound stupid, but I really thought the SCG was a poor choice for us, too small, didn't allow us to take advantage of our fitness and repeat entries came a little quicker. We are a better team on big decks I feel.

Not until a premiership.

I trust the team a lot more than some of the ‘supporters’ based on the dummy spitting and wrist slashing going on on this forum simply because we lost a game.

No. Just when I started to think about trusting them the old school Melbourne mental weakness shines through again. While today’s loss may not end up being the end of the world, a win today while it would have only been against a bottom four team it would have been so much more. 
 

I am stoked with where we are at but still a long way to go for me to trust the team. 

On 4/18/2021 at 8:41 PM, Jaded said:

You can’t cure MFCSS with anything other than a premiership 

I am quoting myself for truth 

Yep, and we have to accept somethings won’t change with anything other than a premiership.