1 hour ago, Return to Glory said:

Lost at the selection table

I'm genuinely intrigued by this.  Because clearly a lot of ppl agree so I must be missing something.

My view is that we lost the game because we couldn't lower our eyes and find targets inside 50.  I'm not sure who we're bringing in to fix that?

Sure the Brown's are out of form / touch... but does anyone really think that Weid would do any better?  Really? And JVR has shown promise but in his first game, I don't think he could have done a heap better.

At the other end Disco comes in for his first match and does ok before going off.  Our defence is a rabble when we get caught on the turnover - but who's doesn't?  Who would have made a difference that is available?  Hunt?  Tomlinson?  They were blamed for our loss last week by many on here.  Rivers hasn't exactly been setting the world alight back there when played this year either.

There's a number of players performing below par the run through the middle / half forward.  Would Bedford / Chandler etc really have made a difference?  Really?  Dunstan to fix our forward connection?  I don't think so.

 

I honestly don't think it is personnel (obviously others disagree).  We seem very flat, tired, low on form, low on confidence, low on dare and like the opposition have worked us out.  Clearly a number of players are playing sore (Gawn, Petty etc) and a few don't seem the same since coming back from covid.  The bye has come at the right time for us to freshen up.

Maybe its time one of Salem / Brayshaw / Bowey goes to a wing to give us a bit more polish forward of centre?

2 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

I suppose starting 10-0 has given us the ability to be brave and drop games through loading. We did lose this game last year too. 
However I’m not sure that loading is the reason why we can’t hit a target going inside 50?

Agreed.  And if you rely on so-called 'loading', then you run the potential of destroying the confidence of these young men.  I would much rather go hard and win, than manage the 'load' and risk an exponential drop in confidence, which then sees the season drop away at a remarkable rate.  Blink, and the season is gone.

We really should just turn it in. We aren't going to do [censored] this year, anyone who thinks so just take a deep look at how crap we were today. May has ruined the fabric of the club he's a total [censored] for saying what he did.

10 minutes ago, JimmyGadson said:

Everyone relax. 

We're just in a loading phase.. 

6 minutes ago, JimmyGadson said:

Everyone relax. 

We're just in a loading phase.. 

Any little remaining fantasies Melbourne supporters will hold onto..

#loadinglife4eva

Hmm, the only thing enjoyable about that match was loading up on the filth @ $4. 

A few problems ....  injuries, marked drop in skill level - fumbling, missing targets, failing to make a contest in the air, let alone take contested marks, players woefully out of form.

I hate the filth.

7 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

JJ was good. Worked so hard and was composed with the footy. 
Hibbo also blanketed Elliot well. 
 

Props to our magnificent captain who couldn’t walk and was still out there fighting. He is a rare gem. We don’t deserve him. 

Yes agree and annoyed I forgot about them

They were both terrific. 

Edited June 13, 20222 yr by dazzledavey36

Just now, I'va Worn Smith said:

Agreed.  And if you rely on so-called 'loading', then you run the potential of destroying the confidence of these young men.  I would much rather go hard and win, than manage the 'load' and risk an exponential drop in confidence, which then sees the season drop away at a remarkable rate.  Blink, and the season is gone.

But you also risk being flat come finals if you don’t do it. Dogs dropped out of the 4 late last season. Brisbane dropped their bundle in finals. It is a fine art when the season is so long. 
It worked for us last year so it stands to reason we try to repeat the same thing again. Doesn’t mean the result will be the same. 

25 minutes ago, Thehardtackler said:

I think the press wanted this decline. They kept asking whether we were unbeatable, until we were beaten. Now they think we are falling apart. I think we can right the ship pretty easily with some steady heads.

Yeah it's the Press's fault.  

We have a new club house leader folks

We prob Won’t review this game. 

14 minutes ago, Ungarieboy said:

And why do we insist on going with a forward pocket as our medical sub, it exposes us significantly when an injury occurs (unless to Spargo or Picket)!

Agree - with TMac no longer in the team this is an issue (unless Mitch Brown can be a solid swingman)

45 minutes ago, 1964_2 said:

All you blokes that sook up when we lose are not real supporters. And gee I hope I never see one of you w$nk$rs talking positively when we are back on top of our game again! 

Well if you're looking for willmoy, that's me, I'll be the one with the name willmoy on my tshirt. or cardigan or coat.

4 minutes ago, Trisul said:

It's not loading it's the umpires and the press

We were good, even blistering in patches. Showed some of what we’re capable of, but does anyone else thinking we are making the job hard on ourselves? Running straight into traffic rather than trying to evade and look for the out. Fumbling at key moments, dropping marks we’d usually take, missing handballs. It’s all really scrappy, and frankly reminds me of 2019/20. It’s like we’re “almost there” but then making critical errors that hurt. 

One thing that definitely reminds me of 2019, kicking it down the throat of the opposition spare defender. We had so many inside 50s that were gladly snatched up by the Pies talls, and the most frustrating thing was it gave them confidence. 

I’m not at panic stations yet, but things need to change. We have a tough second half to the year and in no way are we playing anywhere near good enough to be top 4 let alone competing for the premiership. 

Edited June 13, 20222 yr by Pates

4 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

JJ was good. Worked so hard and was composed with the footy. 
Hibbo also blanketed Elliot well. 
 

Props to our magnificent captain who couldn’t walk and was still out there fighting. He is a rare gem. We don’t deserve him. 

Props to our magnificent captain who couldn’t walk and was still out there fighting. He is a rare gem. We don’t deserve him. 

We do deserve him and we are very grateful for what he has given us, time and again, and what he will give us in the future. It is the players who don't deserve him when they allow lesser teams to beat us on the field. 

50 minutes ago, 1964_2 said:

All you blokes that sook up when we lose are not real supporters. And gee I hope I never see one of you w$nk$rs talking positively when we are back on top of our game again! 

Mate, get pitted seriously. For someone who's only rocked up here since we won a flag that is the richest thing I've heard today. All you do is run your mouth attacking people here who go week in week out, it's fitting that your name is 1964 you belong there you big dinosaur.

It was like watching the same match three weeks a row.

Getting out marked by taller stronger bodies  is killing us , May out, TMac and an injured Gawn today 

41 minutes ago, praha said:

The big story here is 25 goals to 6 in second halves over that period.

Yup. 3 weeks in a row, oppo defenders taking marks, time and time again, off forward entry kicks. 
 

We don’t kick it to the advantage of our forwards or we continually do the long bomb, which evidently, opposition defenders can cope with easily.
 

In the 2nd or 3rd? When we kicked it to Cox twice, within a minute? There’s no unpredictability. Opposition teams just have to put a tall marking player 20 out from goals and the ball WILL go to him. 
 

Watch how Carlton move forward, their entries are very good. Makes McKay and Curnows jobs much easier.

Edited June 13, 20222 yr by BoBo

Well the positive thing is we are equal top, at the moment we don't look like it. 

I still trust we can do something in September. But top 2 finish is so important. 

Last few weeks we have not stopped kicking it to opposition defenders. Kicking ourselves out of games.

Fix that and with May back we'll be looking better.

Also think Tomlinson a better option for medi-sub for his versatility more so than consistently picking small forwards.  I know his form wasn't great last week but other options a little limiting. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Petty should not have played

We were plain dumb not to rotate some players through the Eagles/North rounds.

Rivers should have been the medi-sub

Poor player management through those two rounds.

Had we rested about half a dozen key players in those matches it may have at least given us a fair chance to win one of the last three coming into the buy.

Along with the May saga and Macca going down, the lack of player management stands out for mine.  Many  were jogging on the spot for a fair part of the match.

Their were hands on hips all round just after the warm up prior to the bounce as well.  Did they come into a huddle and do the usual rev up?  Might have missed that.

15 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Brayshaw, Petty and Oliver were our only positives for the day.

 

I thought JJ was good

and turner showed promise

 

Melbourne were no 1 pressure team last year, this year we are ranked 17th, just ahead of Essendon

12 minutes ago, Stevienic23 said:

The frustration is that we keep getting beaten the same way

Yep. And what's even more frustrating is we still persist with the same kick long to Max on kick ins every single time and kick long to a contest or opposition player in the pocket when going forward 80% of the time. We are really getting to predictable in these areas of the game .

 

13 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

But you also risk being flat come finals if you don’t do it. Dogs dropped out of the 4 late last season. Brisbane dropped their bundle in finals. It is a fine art when the season is so long. 
It worked for us last year so it stands to reason we try to repeat the same thing again. Doesn’t mean the result will be the same. 

It worked for us last year, because we maintained out systems.  When we lost, it was close.  The Adelaide game, it could be argued, was stolen from us.  Of course, as the reigning premier, we have become the hunted, but that is no excuse for not setting up, so our forwards get separation, making sure crumbers are at the feet of our talls in the forward line, and not letting our opposition get multiple, uncontested possessions, running the ball out of our forward line.  Over 4 quarters of footy, I would have thought that is Footy 101.

Edited June 13, 20222 yr by I'va Worn Smith