Our off-ball defence is football porn. Mesmerising.

Tonight I kept thinking back to round 1 2019, coming off a prelim, sitting at the G and we got pantsed by port and their new brigade of butters drew rozee and dursma.

Interesting now looking at their progression and how little impact they have on games. 

46 minutes ago, John Crow Batty said:

If opposition can’t beat us they clog and slow up the play to make sure it’s a ruined spectacle for the the football public. 

Correct, I was at the game!

Just now, Rivers Run Red said:

Tonight I kept thinking back to round 1 2019, coming off a prelim, sitting at the G and we got pantsed by port and their new brigade of butters drew rozee and dursma.

Interesting now looking at their progression and how little impact they have on games. 

Yup, 3 of these media darlings are as soft as butter.  When they had Rockliff, Gray, a younger Boak and Wines they werent being exposed as such. Now they are. 

I feel that Rivers has been well below his best so far this season.  Seems to me to be lacking that real dash out of defense and long penetrating, well placed kick deep forward that are his trademarks.  Looks to be playing injured ever since he came back in.

Conversely, I didn't think Hunt was that horrible tonight with his disposal and looks to be building his game and confidence to back to the tenacious and compedent defensive role that he was playing last season prior to getting injured on the eve of finals.

I'm actually thinking maybe Rivers needs a few weeks off and/or a run in the two's to get his body right and mojo back and Smith comes back in for him rather than Hunt.  I'd similarly be giving Petty time to get him self in top form and fitness at Casey for a few weeks, rather than rushing him back.  Like Salem, too important of a player to be impatient with fitness and form wise, although I feel he is of the quality and maturity these days that he won't take long to find some solid form.

I really enjoyed it. Not for the tension and excitement, because it wasn’t that type of game, but for what it represented - a thoroughly professional performance that didn’t give the opposition a look in. 

It’s never easy away from home against a team with pressure to win. And Port came out and had a crack, tackling hard and putting pressure on. They even changed their style of play against us, refusing to kick long down the line to a contest and constantly switching the ball and chipping it around to nullify our midfield intercept/turnover game. It worked in terms of limiting defensive half turnovers but I love how we just said, fine, chip and switch it around, we’ll just set ourselves up so well in D50 that you won’t score. And that’s what happened - the time it took them to switch and chip and take uncontested marks just allowed us to set up so well deeper behind the ball.

We didn’t panic or look to force the issue when it was a bit of a stalemate early. We just focused on our defence and not letting them score and knew we’d eventually get chances at the other end. This just totally broke Port Adelaide, shattering their confidence and belief. In fact the whole game we didn’t seem to care about offence - and as they say in soccer, you can’t lose if you don’t concede. 

And that’s what it ultimately reminded me of.  A top soccer team travelling away to a difficult ground and just not giving the other team a sniff of scoring. A clean sheet, a couple of goals and a mature and professional performance to go home with the points. Nothing fancy, just strangle the life out of the opposition.  That’s what the best teams do.

The last quarter we just seemed to completely put the cue in the rack but let’s not forget early in the last it was 10 goals to 1. Sure Port had some forwards out, lost Wines and Lycett was hampered, but that was just about as dominant and complete a defensive performance as you could see. And if you appreciate and value good defending, then that was an enjoyable game. 

 

..

Edited April 7, 20223 yr by McQueen

Clinical win. It’s a strange feeling after so many years of having to play our best or better to merely win a game to watch us win so comprehensively in second gear. 
The last Premiership team to go 4-0 to start a season was Hawthorn in 2014, ominous. Win next week and we’ve bettered them, haven’t gone back far enough to find the last premiership team to back up with 5-0. 
It can’t be underestimated how difficult it is for premiership teams to come back and win after a short break, what we’re doing is remarkable!
Sure it’s ugly, we handball our way into trouble and our forward connection needs work, but we’re winning, without our FF, craftiest HB and with a few players looking underdone. Also, like last year, we’ve never been behind in the last quarter, hard to beat us without getting in front when it matters….Just keep winning, save the beautiful stuff for our next finals campaign.

 

Bring on an AFLW Premiership and 5-0!!!!

Edit: (I found it, Collingwood went 6-0 to start their 2011 season, that’s our next benchmark). 
 

 

Edited April 7, 20223 yr by deejammin'

1 hour ago, Nasher said:

That run Sydney made for the finals in 2017 was off its chops - if I remember rightly they were 0-6. If we ever see that again in our lifetime I'll be stunned.

Didn’t they go out the first week? From memory they were knackered having to play there guts out week after week.

2 hours ago, Nascent said:

One of the most painful wins I've watched but it's still a win. Gawn, Harmes, May, Langdon and Jordan played well, not much else to take out of it except it was a win without Oliver and Petracca starring.

Hope Wines is OK.

Just hope Wines does not have Covid more to the point. Yep, hope he is OK 

Some of you be tripping. Can't recall such a dominant display of defensive football in my life-time - including years of watching Melbourne being [censored]. Port never looked like scoring. Their first goal was a 50-metre bomb from the boundary stemming from a questionable free - close to three-quarter-time. I don't think they landed one structured goal throughout, and couldn't move the football all night.

In the last quarter last week Goody said we didn't need to bother about scoring - just defend. We owned this game from start to finish against a top-four-touted team, with none of our stars having much of an influence. What do people actually want? I think our backline and all-team defence has reached a height previously unseen in the history of the AFL. It's starting to win battles based on reputation alone. 

Not quite 3 goals in 1 minute, but 4 goals in 3 minutes during the 2nd quarter shows that we can go on powerful bursts that change a game well in our favour

Fantastic defensive effort tonight. To keep them to 1 goal for 3 quarters is a fantastic effort. Gawn's best game for the year. (Steamin's bagging fired him up). Jordon's best career game and Sparrow just gets better and better.

7 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

Also, that was some terrible umpiring.

There were so many instances of the players from both sides having no idea who the free kick had been awarded to.

Also, the decision to pay a mark to Drew after it had clearly bounced in and out of Viney's hands may well be the single worst umpiring decision I've ever seen.

(But the two deliberates against us for moving the ball forward, but then not paying it against the Port player who picked the ball up in our forward line in the fourth and just walked over the line, that was also bad).

Just loved the way Jack, with just a shake of the head, smile and STAND thinking I'll get that back. Other players, Jeelong spring to mind, would have seriously challenged the ump (and got away with it) and knowing our luck we would have a 50 mt applied against us. Just show's our team's mindset now.

7 hours ago, Webber said:

At best an example of our brilliant defence and defensive game-plan, at worst fumbly, ugly, over-possessing, wiffly footy. Assuming it was dewy, cos our skills were very ordinary. Last quarter fade-out fair enough considering 3 games in 18 days. I think. 

The structure is just incredible to watch, seeing us move down the field in a defensive structure is amazing. Pushing teams fwds to the boundary for shots on goal, so impressive. May looked a lot less grumpy this week with Lever back in haha.

We’ve looked fumbly and double grabby the last 2 weeks in particular. Credit to Port they did keep the pressure on for most of the game but we just look a little off at the moment, fascinating to see how we go next week against a “better” team.

We also don’t look confident in our fwds or concerned about the very deep zone other teams are putting up, the deliver into the fwd 50 is stuttering. 

8 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

[censored] you Melbourne. That was a trash display of footy.

Had the opportunity to really put the foot down but instead we tried to be too cute with our ball use going forward. 3 weeks in a row now that we've just played sloppy and let opposition back into the game.

Are McDonald and Weideman actually for real?? 2nd week in a row where they've had opportunity to cement their spot while Brown is out and both failed miserably.

Both could barely give a contest or bring the ball to ground. Sooner these two are phased out for good the better.

Petracca is a star and all but [censored] hell he's sloppy and selfish at times. 

Thank God for Steven May.

 

That’s a very negative assessment of a game where we were 51 points up with 8 minutes to go. Live a little Dazzle the wins might not pile up forever

7 hours ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I thought an undermanned Port gave good effort all game right until the end, didn't totally drop their bundle skills wise either, continued to take risks and took on the game to an exent. 

They were just out classed by a much better team.  I'd be ok with that as a Port supporter as far as the players they put on the park.

Port kept the pressure up all night as you said, they just ran into the buzz saw that is our defence and couldn’t finish the shots from long ranges in the angles we did give up.

That was the first Melbourne game I can remember watching where my arssse was firmly planted in the back of the couch for four quarters.

We were in total control throughout and nobody stood out. We are turning into a beautiful systemic machine that just strangles other sides.

How did barracking for MFC become a relaxing pastime?

I'm loving this feeling.

We did the same thing early last season. Nothing pretty, just keep banking the points.

Ben brown next week will straighten us up a lot better in the forward line next week.

I feel Neal Bullen hasn't hit last year's form yet, but can I just say how much I enjoy watching Ed Langdon play. Just such a great pickup over the years

7 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

Also, that was some terrible umpiring.

There were so many instances of the players from both sides having no idea who the free kick had been awarded to.

Also, the decision to pay a mark to Drew after it had clearly bounced in and out of Viney's hands may well be the single worst umpiring decision I've ever seen.

(But the two deliberates against us for moving the ball forward, but then not paying it against the Port player who picked the ball up in our forward line in the fourth and just walked over the line, that was also bad).

The messages in the group chat last night were mainly “wtf was that free kick for?!”.

It was like the umps were searching for frees to pay, they didn’t “let the game come to them” and only pay what we’re actual frees.
New directive from the AFL, let’s make a slogfest an even harder watch for fans by paying more free kicks?

8 hours ago, Demonstone said:

Poor old Port are suffering a bit of an injury crisis at the moment and are hoping to bolster their list by recruiting some players from State leagues.

I believe they are particularly interested in Nat Fyfe's younger twin brothers.

Should they lose to Carlton next week, expect to hear a lot about Owen Fyfe and Norton Fyfe.

You forgot about Feef, Fyfe, Foe, Fum! 

Also that was the most ABYSMAL Umpiring I have seen in a long time. 

Edited April 7, 20223 yr by picket fence

This game reminded me of our clash in 1997 where the roles were reversed. Balmey decided to park the bus and we never looked like scoring. I think Juice Newton may have kicked 2 of our 3 goals. Balmey was sacked post game.

If anyone deserves to be sacked it's the director of umpiring. All year the umpires have focussed on paying frees for minimal contact or ridiculous blocking in ruck contests. It's got to the point where they've forgotten the basic rules like you have to bounce the ball (Mitch Georgiadis), and Lycett was allowed to hip toss Max in a boundary throw-in. It must be so frustrating for the players.

1 minute ago, mo64 said:

This game reminded me of our clash in 1997 where the roles were reversed. Balmey decided to park the bus and we never looked like scoring. I think Juice Newton may have kicked 2 of our 3 goals. Balmey was sacked post game.

If anyone deserves to be sacked it's the director of umpiring. All year the umpires have focussed on paying frees for minimal contact or ridiculous blocking in ruck contests. It's got to the point where they've forgotten the basic rules like you have to bounce the ball (Mitch Georgiadis), and Lycett was allowed to hip toss Max in a boundary throw-in. It must be so frustrating for the players.

Yes the Max toss was umpiring at its WORST. Since when can you throw a player over your shoulder and deny him a contest?? Only ever seen on WWE or WWF Wrestling

Goody, Gus and Gawn keep telling us how hard it is to win one game of footy these days, we’re doing it regularly now based on contest and defence, yet some aren’t happy about it and want to find negatives constantly. Of course improvement will come in our overall game, but don’t detract from what we’re doing extremely well right now.

Liking Viney going 1 goal a game so far, would be a bonus if he finishes around 20 goals for the year.

7 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

I like this from the match summary.

MELBOURNE is the game's finest ambush predator.

Quite like Riley Beveridge's stuff at the moment.