Sure I'm disappointed but looking at the game in isolation there was very little between the two sides on the night. Had we been able to pick up the ball at the first attempt in the middle & inside fifty and hand it off cleanly, particularly in the first half, then we're probably looking at a different result. Again, when we're able to lock the ball in our forward half for long spells we have so little to show for it on the scoreboard and letting them out the back to score on the counter undoes it all. 

This result only looks bad when we bring our other losses into the equation and what it might mean for where we finish the home & away season. After eighteen games no side has been able to put us away and I'm still confident that we can go all the way if we can get the double chance. I'm also not keen to chop and change the side. If this is our best 23 for the game style we play then they need to find form as a collective in the next four weeks. Anyway try and enjoy your Sunday everyone. Living deep in doggie territory I've already snuck out to the shops and back before I see any red, white and blue on show. 

Top 2 was always going to be a stretch, and at one point this year we were definitely one of the top 2 teams, if not the best team. Sadly it looks like we will go down as one of those teams that peaks too early, it’s hard to control that sort of form because you just have to take advantage of it when it comes. The challenge for the FD, mainly Goody, Yze, and Williams, is to re-energise the players to capture that form back. That is going to be a super tricky thing to do because the players are nowhere near gelling to the same level they were early in the season. 

It seems as if we will play GC next, that is no easy task, but there can be zero doubt the we are both good enough and should win it. Rather than seeing this as a crisis the players and coaches should see this as the ultimate challenge to prove the doubters wrong. 

One of the few positives last night is that even though he missed some crucial kicks early, Brown looked dangerous and getting him into form could be the one of the most important things before the end of the season. 

Top 4 is a chance but dropping the stupid points against Adelaide, GWS, Collingwood, and Hawthorn now mean we will have to make them up elsewhere. 

1 minute ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Sure I'm disappointed but looking at the game in isolation there was very little between the two sides on the night. Had we been able to pick up the ball at the first attempt in the middle & inside fifty and hand it off cleanly, particularly in the first half, then we're probably looking at a different result. Again, when we're able to lock the ball in our forward half for long spells we have so little to show for it on the scoreboard and letting them out the back to score on the counter undoes it all. 

This result only looks bad when we bring our other losses into the equation and what it might mean for where we finish the home & away season. After eighteen games no side has been able to put us away and I'm still confident that we can go all the way if we can get the double chance. I'm also not keen to chop and change the side. If this is our best 23 for the game style we play then they need to find form as a collective in the next four weeks. Anyway try and enjoy your Sunday everyone. Living deep in doggie territory I've already snuck out to the shops and back before I see any red, white and blue on show. 

Good luck go early and go fast

Calls of season over are clown school. Season very much alive, we’re the Dogs brilliant last night? No not really, they out worked us and we’re smarter around the contest. They had smalls at the drop of the ball at a lot of marking contests where we didn’t. They were also able to move the ball to easily from our players guarding space opposed to guarding a player, missed set shots again a concern. We all know our mindset has been hit and miss but considering what’s happening this season at other clubs we’re still very much alive and a genuine chance to win the flag.

9 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

Bont’s two goals came from the same set play which hurt not only scoreboard but the fact we didn’t learn. I didn’t think his goals were that dissimilar to Petracca’s goal.

Both Bont goals came from being left unguarded goal side, also his deadly left side for kicking.  It doesn't take rocket science for someone to man up his left side/jostle a bit instead of all dive for the ball.  Terrible lapses in concentration by us. 

1 hour ago, loges said:

Good point on who they had missing , it's irrelevant , wish people would stop quoting it.

Agree quoting who they have out only proves they have greater depth than us.Could any of those outs played better than their replacements last night. Smith dominated his wing so Treloar not missed. Duryea and Dale on half back flanks could Wood have played better. Maybe Shcache wouldn't have got a game if they were available.

Conversly as we have had no injuries and no VFL we are unsure who comes in and if our depth matches theirs. Hawthorn proved last week that without their so called good players as long as the replacement have a dip and play their role you can win

I suspect the solution for us is to freshen the team up and rest a few and see who we have to step up if we get some injuries in the finals

We can still win it but we must fix our structure around stoppages.

Bulldogs are very good in this area, and backed one or two on the inside to get it to the players waiting outside. 
We were like flies to the proverbial you know what, and had far too many on the inside.

Also letting match winners like Bontempelli go unmanned with no body pressure whatsoever in stoppages is asking for trouble.

What happened to our forward pressure from ANB , Pickett and Spargo to allow Bailey Dale and Caleb Daniel so much space all night?

11 players in total with less than 60% disposal efficiency last night….we had 8 of them:

trac @ 35%

Pickett @ 38%

gawn @ 38%

Brown @ 45%

ANB @ 48%

fritsch @ 50%

oliver @ 57% 

brayshaw @ 57%

 

8 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

And for all that we were within 4 points with less than 10 minutes to go. 

Yeah we lost, not saying we deserved to win

Looking forward to playing them in September, I'm confident we'll have their number.

These points. But as well, 

we fumbled badly.  Did not have clean ball, perhaps only one run resulted in a goal. I can be corrected.  
 

dogs got the run of the frees, not sure 50/50 should only go one way but....

and our delivery into the forward line, for the most part, and shots on goal.....

they kicked better and Hannan kept his feet.  We can do better but obviously need a refresh 

was unhappy at the half much better at full time     Go Dees. We can do it !

Any thoughts on Gawn's insistence on always kicking over hand-balling?  I think Gawn's kicking has improved significantly this season, but I'm confident he still sits in the bottom two or three kicks in the 22 on any given day.

When I see players running past for him to dish off too - players that can actually kick well, I get extremely annoyed. He repeatedly ignores them and kicks it himself. Last night he had 18 disposals with 16 kicks at 38% DE. I did notice last night he did a lot of quick kicks out of the contest (to no one) so perhaps it was a puzzling directive.

Pease stop kicking it. It's getting selfish

1 hour ago, loges said:

So they're peaking beautifully and we're bottom 6 but we got within 4 points against that umpiring???????

Yep. We ultimately lost by 4 straight kicks (and boy do we struggle with straight kicks), and as much as it kills me the way Australian Football is umpired at the top level - unquestionably the ugliest, most disappointing aspect of our game - there’s just no appetite to improve it, let alone have the conversation. The Bulldogs will continue to be gifted the umpiring golden egg, and it may win them another flag, but it simply isn’t going to change, so can’t be factored into last night’s loss and what it say about our current form. The other objective truth is that our past 6 weeks of results put us in the bottom 6. Our ladder position exists now only as a reminder of our early form and an opportunity to extend the season, for what that’s worth. If we can re-discover that form, great, but that opportunity will be worth nada if we don’t. 

We play a ballistic demanding style. Our younger players (Jackson, Rivers, Pickett, Jordan) have tired somewhat. No criticism. They need a freshen-up and preseasons. I don't think the commentators recognise how important these young players were to our early season form.

All is not lost! We are loading. We can get that form back. If not, imagine 1-2 years time when we have the sweet-spot of preseasons into the youngsters and the core are at their prime.

I have followed Melbourne for 40 years. This team is the best constructed with the greatest chance of success over the next few years. We just need to rack up Preliminary Final appearances. Anything can happen from there.

Although I was [censored] off last night with the result, I’ve woken up feeling quite optimistic. We had our chances early. If we can start converting we’ll be hard to stop. 
With everything that went against us and some lapses of concentration around stoppages in our D50 which can easily be fixed, I think this was the first step to being back to where we were at the start of the year. 

Edited July 25, 20213 yr by Megatron

I don't feel devastated as after our other losses. I got a sense that we were not playing our full hand so as to not reveal our plans for them before finals and allow them to counter. In a final, Bont won't get all that space and no way Daniels will be left on his own. 

I am a little optimistic as well after last night.

Our problems have been evident for a long time to those that don't have blinkers on. Several seasons in fact

Goodwin hasn't fixed them.  Time is running out

in a year when we have been gifted an incredible run with injuries this is unforgivable

It would be so Melbourne to completely stuff this up

The ostrich brigade will point to our ladder 'improvement' but it's meaningless if we don't win finals this year. 

1 hour ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Both Bont goals came from being left unguarded goal side, also his deadly left side for kicking.  It doesn't take rocket science for someone to man up his left side/jostle a bit instead of all dive for the ball.  Terrible lapses in concentration by us. 

The first was in Salem. Terrible

5 minutes ago, Left Foot Snap said:

I don't feel devastated as after our other losses. I got a sense that we were not playing our full hand so as to not reveal our plans for them before finals and allow them to counter. In a final, Bont won't get all that space and no way Daniels will be left on his own. 

I am a little optimistic as well after last night.

It puzzled me as well that those dangerous players were not manned up as I would like. 

29 minutes ago, norwood_demon said:

We play a ballistic demanding style. Our younger players (Jackson, Rivers, Pickett, Jordan) have tired somewhat. No criticism. They need a freshen-up and preseasons. I don't think the commentators recognise how important these young players were to our early season form.

All is not lost! We are loading. We can get that form back. If not, imagine 1-2 years time when we have the sweet-spot of preseasons into the youngsters and the core are at their prime.

I have followed Melbourne for 40 years. This team is the best constructed with the greatest chance of success over the next few years. We just need to rack up Preliminary Final appearances. Anything can happen from there.

Go redlegs.

We play boring football which doesn’t help.

 

Alarm bells need to be ringing & not due to last night loss to a top team as our record is great!

Last 5 weeks can't kick enough goals bar vs Port 

Struggling against bottom teams & missed banking points is this mindset??

Cant maximise our Rucks 67-18, and got smashed on both stoppage clearances 28-39 & clearances 41-49

Cant understand Spargo in the backline??

1 hour ago, Nicko said:

11 players in total with less than 60% disposal efficiency last night….we had 8 of them:

trac @ 35%

Pickett @ 38%

gawn @ 38%

Brown @ 45%

ANB @ 48%

fritsch @ 50%

oliver @ 57% 

brayshaw @ 57%

On a wet, cold night, I don't actually think DE means as much. So many kicks are just forcing the ball any way forward under pressure and in the wet conditions.

Last 5 weeks form and last 5 weeks scoring shots. At no point have we kicked more goals than points. Last 5 weeks we have not been beaten for scoring shots. Get better shots and convert better things turn very quickly. 

Rd 15 23 v 17

Rd 16 20 v 19

Rd 17 26 v 15

Rd 18 24 v 19

Rd 19 20 v 20

 

11 minutes ago, Demonsone said:

Alarm bells need to be ringing

Alarm bells lead to panic. That's the last thing we need. Calm, rational analysis and decisions are much better,

1 hour ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Sure I'm disappointed but looking at the game in isolation there was very little between the two sides on the night. 

. After eighteen games no side has been able to put us away and I'm still confident that we can go all the way if we can get the double chance. I'm also not keen to chop and change the side. 

Very much appreciated Rab.  This is the sort of post I needed this morning.

But also a point well made that doesn't get much airtime. We have weakness and so does every other team.  The Dees will go into the next round against the Dogs, in finals hopefully, knowing the Dogs are beatable and we have learned a few things from last night.

2 hours ago, D4Life said:

Since Viney has come back in has felt like see ball get ball has been happening again in the middle and around the ground.

Just need to re adjust this factor.

Personally I’d split Vineys time between mid & forward 50/50, as 4-5 tackles from him in the forward line would lift pressure in the forward half.

He is improving each week and will be valuable in the finals. 

I wouldnt let Viney anywhere near the midfield. His role should now be defensive Half forward/Forward Pocket and do the team things. If you cant do that then you might find yourself out of the team!