1 hour ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

My theory (purely guess work & way off the mark) is that had Oliver and Petty not missed JVR would play this week, in an attempt to get us back to our normal structure. But to play him with an already weakened side puts us under a lot of additional pressure if he doesn’t find his feet straight away. 

BA i agree to a point here but when you see the young fella (JVR) up and about like last week and looking VERY ready for a (probable) short stint at the big league AND he out plays his older opponent (for that spot) in Melk in a tough encounter under trying conditions away at the Cattery.

Mate i must be very out of touch with things at AFL level but from my amature seat i would've rolled the die and given JVR a shot this week.

We've seen some very solid performances from Melk over the years and he's a great servant of the club.  But based on recent form at Casey my eyes tell me JVR is now at or above his level (in short stints!) and more than ready.  I doubt we'll see him make his debut at senior level this year now though so these are just musings from lowly old me and subjective opinion.

Edited July 16, 20222 yr by Demon Dynasty

8 hours ago, brendan said:

Cats have peaked too early imo still a long way to go and it’s hard to stay at the top of your game as we know 

That's provided they are currently at the top of their game. I think they are too, but who really knows.

8 hours ago, Pates said:

Biggest thing we need to recapture over the last rounds of footy is the finals like pressure that defined us. We don't have to go all out to the point it'll exhaust us before the finals but we need to bring a lot more heat than we have in recent times. The likes of Nibbler, Spargo, and Kozzie need to up it to 2021 levels, while there's been issues with the key forwards for me it starts with pressure. Swan's system won tonight but they suffocated Freo at the fall of the ball.

Yeah, absolutely spot on. It started to come back against the Lions but has since deserted us. I don't believe that kind of pressure can be turned on/off at will either but it is built week on week as it requires buy in from ALL players and that may not occur simultaneously.

At present I think too many of our boys get sucked into a contest when they're not needed and are then unable to the release handball etc. When we were at our best almost every opposition possession in and around contests was under pressure, which forced the turnover. 

8 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

Means nothing if you don’t win the flag. 
Much easier to finish top 4 when you get basically 10 easy wins at a ridiculous ground only you know how to play at every single year. 
I will never support the theory that Geelong are genuinely still good. Never. [censored] them all to hell!!!!!!

Geelong..."The mid-season premiers". I hope so anyway.

9 hours ago, Jaded No More said:

Means nothing if you don’t win the flag. 
Much easier to finish top 4 when you get basically 10 easy wins at a ridiculous ground only you know how to play at every single year. 
I will never support the theory that Geelong are genuinely still good. Never. [censored] them all to hell!!!!!!

It is the single best advantage to a team in the AFL. Interstate teams have to travel constantly, but the Cats have this home ground advantage and travel less than most Vic clubs. It is virtually a given 7-8 win walk up start every year. 4-5 more wins at G or Marvel and it is finals every year.

 

38 minutes ago, Boots and all said:

Geelong..."The mid-season premiers". I hope so anyway.

They seem to have had a bit of a habit of peaking a little early in recent years. Love it, would love them going on a drought of 30+ years where they keep getting close but never winning.

3 minutes ago, Redleg said:

It is the single best advantage to a team in the AFL. Interstate teams have to travel constantly, but the Cats have this home ground advantage and travel less than most Vic clubs. It is virtually a given 7-8 win walk up start every year. 4-5 more wins at G or Marvel and it is finals every year.

 

I tried to explain that to some other fans when I said my frustration at us always being sent there, for me they have the best of all worlds. Less travel and a massive home ground advantage.

Personally I would actually like them to play all their home games there so at least across the board every team has to experience it, essentially turn them into an interstate team.

July 14 2012- Suns beat Richmond after the siren, win by 2 points.

July 22 2012- North beat Richmond by 4 points the next week

July 9 2022- Suns beat Richmond after the siren, win by 2 points

July 16 2022- North beat Richmond by 4 points the next week.

 

Richmond ... losing after the siren v GC, then choking against Norf .... excellent!!

Shame the Crows couldn't win against the filth. Nick Daicos ... bloody hell, what a star!!  He and Pendlebury got them over the line. Hey, does anyone know that Pendlebury was a champion junior basketballer ?? 

Huge opportunity this week with Fremantle and Carlton both losing. But also major pressure with Brisbane, Collingwood and Sydney all winning. Which is going to be the case each week for the rest of the year. 

15 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Yes - they’re a chance for the flag.

You disagree?

I disagree. They’ve heavily relied on luck to go 7-1 in close games. 5 of those close games have been bottom six sides. That luck, history tells us, cannot last, and to win the flag they’re going to have to beat 3-4 top 8 sides in a row. Takes much more than luck. 

No Dusty, No Richmond looks truer by the week!

9 hours ago, layzie said:

I wish some nutrimedics chiropractor freak would wave a fish bone over Tom's foot and fix it. 

Would that fish be a sole?

14 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

You really have a thing against umpires it would appear.

Yes, I agree.You, like everyone else would have seen what wasn't picked up in yesterday's games. Fairly straightforward....and no excuse when the inevitable equaliser pops up pretty quickly. Meanwhile the goal is done and the moment is missed. There is always room for improvement when one decision can effect a whole momentum change, and we at MFC know that..

2 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

They’ve heavily relied on luck to go 7-1 in close games. 5 of those close games have been bottom six sides. That luck, history tells us, cannot last, and to win the flag they’re going to have to beat 3-4 top 8 sides in a row. Takes much more than luck. 

100% agree with this about the Pies. They’ve been immensely lucky to have won so many close matches, some with dubious free kicks right at the end too. That sort of run is not sustainable. It shows their gameplan doesn’t control games and they’re stumbling over the line. Credit to them for overachieving this year and being ahead of schedule in their rebuild, but it’s not sustainable and they’d be the least likely finalist to win the flag.

Percentage is the most accurate measure of a teams performance, and the Pies percentage is probably the worst in living record for a top 8 side at 102. Ranking by percentage, they’re 11th in the league this year. That’s a far more accurate ranking of them. If they’d split those close games 50/50 instead of winning them all, they would be 11-12th on the ladder. Credit to them, but they’re no chance of a flag and I’d be stoked to get a freebie against them come finals time when the pressure ramps up and the whistle goes away.

Freo and Sydney are the ones to worry about IMO. 

16 hours ago, brendan said:

Dedicating the win to noble is like The equivalent of your ex-missus dedicating her first post relationship root to you 

Bump. Analogy of the year. 

17 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Can't believe I'm saying this because I'm going to have to wash my mouth out with metho..

But Geelong are genuinely the real deal this year unfortunately. 

Yep, they are flying. Surely even they can carry this kind of form into September.

If not it would arguably be the most enjoyable Cats capitulation yet. And there have been some enjoyable ones.

Pitiful Hawks crowd. We would be crucified by everyone (including our own players) if we had a showing like that.

Essendon looking like millionaires late in a wasted season. You could bet your house on it.

3 minutes ago, The heart beats true said:

Essendon looking like millionaires late in a wasted season. You could bet your house on it.

Hopefully they repeat it next week against Collingwood

What a total joke of a performance from Gold Coast Suns, another statement game goes begging and these nearly men are back in the dungeon.

This is legit one of the worst games of the year. Essendon have been ordinary and Gold Coast have put in a bin diesel of a performance. This time of year is loaded with fruitcake games like this and the government should be stepping in to do something about it.

I've stopped caring if Essendon win because they cannot make finals. 

But gee gold coast are really wasting there top 8 opportunities

Essendon, take this good form, go out next week and knock off the Pies.

Because if you don't then you my friends are even stupider than you look. 

Surely Collingwood’s winning streak ends next week against a resurgent Essendon?

1 hour ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Surely Collingwood’s winning streak ends next week against a resurgent Essendon?

Would be bloody helpful if so.

Essendon's last month has seen them knock off St Kilda, Sydney, Brisbane and now Gold Coast, all sides in the top 12 pushing for finals (or very much going to make them). Collingwood are as due for a loss as any side in recent memory. 

Essendon will probably turn in a stinker at some point soon but for our sakes, I'd love it to not be next week.