GAMEDAY: Rd 08 vs Sydney

[dl4e 5,851]

We seem to be working up to a loss. I look at the sides and think we should easily do this but it just does not work out that way. Just don't know about result.

[sisso 2,621]

We should win we are the better side with more match winners 

[old dee 24,073]

2 minutes ago, dl4e said:

We seem to be working up to a loss. I look at the sides and think we should easily do this but it just does not work out that way. Just don't know about result.

Half a century of failure will no that. I would love to be confident but there are too many bad memories. 

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

Totally different side and confidence than it has been over the last decade. That much is apparent. 

Sydney will come to play with some confidence.

Should be a close one...6-7 goal win to us.

[Jaded No More 68,976]

Melksham’s wife had a baby this morning. Could he be a late out? 
I mean it’s not like he did anything in the birthing process... 

[olisik 4,060]

Just saw on the socials that Melksham just had a baby. Could he be a late out?

 

[Fritta and Turner 4,685]

2 hours ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

I'm moderately confident about this one. Perhaps last week was the close win we needed to have. Make no mistake we'll need to be fully switched on tonight though. I'll be making the most of the day by visiting a new micro brewery down the far end of Victoria St whilst sampling some Vietnamese delicacies enroute to the G so maybe duck for lunch and swan for dinner. 

Gee your game.

[Marty 419]

Petracca mentioned how sore they were after a bruising game against Richmond, I felt it was more that than being tired against North.
North put a lot of work into BB, I’m predicting swans put that work into Fritta tonight, so I’m hoping Tmac and BB can kick a winning score. 
Defense is key though, will our structure come undone with the loss of Tommo and can Hibberd blanket Papley? North kicked 73 points against us last week which is the most we’ve conceded this year. Keep the swans below that and we’ll win!

[Fritta and Turner 4,685]

I hope someone clocks Fritta and he kicks another 6.

[Sir Why You Little 37,420]

A lot of our players were flat last week

Waking up at 3am to get a Chartered Flight can have that effect. 
 

Home Game Melbourne v Sydney. Tracc BOG

I think we will be up for the task

[Demon17 5,251]

2 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

This is my general assessment of what I think of tonight's game and I hope I'm wrong.

First time this year I saw signs last week that a few of our players looked tired and flat. I actually don't think it's the physical aspect, but more mental. Mental in terms of sustaining the momentum we have. Players from successfull clubs have been on record to say that it's very difficult in maintaining that mental grind from week to week. Considering this is all new territory for the Demons, I think we'll drop our guard in the next few weeks.

Teams will now hunt us physically and Sydney are a great side in not only being physical at the contest but grinding games out mentally.

Unfortunately I think tonight will be our first loss of the year and to be honest it's probably not a bad thing to just reset a little. I'd rather a loss tonight then Carlton or Adelaide in the next two weeks.

I hope I'm wrong.

I suspect you might be right.

Keeping up for 7 weeks straight is hard for the inexperienced in this mindset.

It will/could  show up some weaknesses for fixing now rather than when its too late. The team's not perfect thats for sure. Especially the premiership defenec we had befroe Tomlinson's injury.

Or could just be more of the same and 8 - 0 after the game?

Importantly the Swans will beat many good teams this year in Sydney so rather lose to them than Blues or Pies.

[Mr Steve 3,820]

No-one ever told me about the stress of following a winning football team. It well and truly beats the opposite but still stressful. 

[spirit of norm smith 16,677]

4 hours ago, Monocology said:

Sydney still give me the heebee-jeebees.

They always talk about the Spirit of the Bloods. Many commentators say they never bottom out and are always strong.  Really.
It’s also the extra salary cap concession they have previously had to keep them grabbing players and also their “academy “.  
Heeney,Mills,Blakey,Campbell,Gulden.  

[dazzledavey36 56,242]

Just to get some facts correct. The players did not wake up at 3am last week to travel to the airport.  It was only Max Gawn who had to get up that early as he lives in Blairgowrie.

Blairgowrie to melbourne airport is 1hr 50min drive.

[whatwhat say what 23,786]

watched swannies do the tigers at the g a few weeks back - their 'kick and catch' approach to the game and speed of ball movement by foot was really good

they seemed to revel in the wider open spaces of the mcg

will be interesting to see how this evening goes; it feels like a game we COULD drop but i hope i am wrong

either way, should be a ripper content of 1 v 4 on the ladder

[loges 6,767]

2 hours ago, siam juntaRus said:

So have we.

Er yeah. The message was, don't take them lightly.

Edited May 8, 2021 by loges
incomplete

[Fork 'em 7,052]

28 minutes ago, Mr Steve said:

No-one ever told me about the stress of following a winning football team. It well and truly beats the opposite but still stressful. 

You think this is stressful.
Just wait till finals.

[Deemania since 56 6,804]

5 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The club’s momentum was disrupted early last week against North Melbourne but the younger players stood tall and steadied the ship in the second half. The task is to continue in that vein tonight against a team that has for years maintained mastery over us on our own home turf. 

The Swans are coming up against a different team with a different game style this time - with different talents (widespread, at that) so the only real problem for us is the same old umpiring outcomes.

 

[loges 6,767]

29 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Just to get some facts correct. The players did not wake up at 3am last week to travel to the airport.  It was only Max Gawn who had to get up that early as he lives in Blairgowrie.

Blairgowrie to melbourne airport is 1hr 50min drive.

And how did he go ?

[Deemania since 56 6,804]

3 hours ago, Deeoldfart said:

We have become the hunted rather than a hunter, and every other team will be trying to unpick our winning formula.  It will happen at some stage when we are one or two percent off our game, but I doubt that will be today.  The midfield battle will be pivotal, but I think the Max / Dogga combination, plus Tracc and Clarrie, and Langers on the wing, will give us the edge. If we win in the middle, I’m backing at least a couple of our ‘hard to match up on’ forwards to get off the leash, leading to another 100+ points score, and our miserly ‘team’ defence to keep them to 70 or 80 points.  Pre-match jitters have already kicked in for me, but so far this season this has been a positive omen.  Dees by 4 or 5 goals, but any way we can come away with the 4 points works!

 Predicting a big game for Brayshaw against the Swans, tonight. He's going to turn the corner a little to become a real driving force out there in the wild sides.

[Guest]

I have a gut feeling tonight be the night our streak ends. Or it could show a maturity lacking in previous Melbourne teams.

Injuries to key players, a less than convincing performance against weaker opposition, an appointment with a team that has had our measure and sky high confidence (which too often has become hubris) have been a horrible equation for us in the past.

I hope that the opinion of Jason Dunstall, a much more wiser one than mine, was correct last week when he said that the fact we dug ourselves out of the hole we were in last night showed we were a good side. 

My prediction is Demons by 8 points.

[Sir Why You Little 37,420]

34 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Just to get some facts correct. The players did not wake up at 3am last week to travel to the airport.  It was only Max Gawn who had to get up that early as he lives in Blairgowrie.

Blairgowrie to melbourne airport is 1hr 50min drive.

Ok so the rest of the team got up at 4:30 am

Still a shiit preparation 

[Jaded No More 68,976]

2 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Ok so the rest of the team got up at 4:30 am

Still a shiit preparation 

Sure. But North were on the same flight. So unless they all live at the airport, they had the same preparation on top of flying back from Perth the week before and the whole Covid isolation thing. 
It is a poor excuse for last week. 

Edited May 8, 2021 by Jaded

[Sir Why You Little 37,420]

1 minute ago, Jaded said:

Sure. But North were on the same flight. So unless they all live at the airport, they had the same preparation on top of flying back from Perth the week before and the whole Covid isolation thing. 
It is a poor excuse for last week. 

I have no interest in Nought. They were primed for a win. 
getting up in the dark to go to the airport completely stuffs the whole day. I have done it often. When i heard that this was our preparation for last week i was not at all suprised at the sluggish start. 
i was impressed with our finish. 
Tonight i think we will be “on”

[DubDee 26,615]

53 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Melksham’s wife had a baby this morning. Could he be a late out? 
I mean it’s not like he did anything in the birthing process... 

3 kids by 29!
Melksham has always had excellent  delivery