.

Edited July 23, 20222 yr by Lord Nev

Not 1 tackle in the F50 ... that would be totally unacceptable at suburban level

So much for our small forwards applying pressure.  Tonight it was non existent.  Weideman, Melksham & Fritsch aren't the tackling types either.  Harmes plays from behind when he's forward.  Weideman disappears.  As does Melksham

Bulldogs were too good and too slick.  Their skills were far superior to ours and we once again ran out of legs. They were just too good for us.  The opposition took numerous uncontested marks in our forward line and then ran it out with ease

We really do need to fix our forward line woes.  The set-up we've got resembles that which a bottom team might have.  There's no big forward presence so the opposition take full advantage

And where are our front and centre small men for the spoiled marking contests?  I can't spot them because they are not there

When the game was up for grabs and when the heat was applied, our forward line once again became dysfunctional.  4 goals vs 8 goals in the 2nd half in a free scoring affair

Our tactic ... bomb it forward and hope for the best

The pressure is now on to win next Friday night ... lose and we could slip out of the top 4.  And if that happens we'll then need to win at least 2 of our last 3 (vs Coll, vs Carl & at Lions) as well as needing other teams to drop games.  The double-chance is slipping away

 

Edited July 23, 20222 yr by Macca

1 minute ago, deegirl said:

At half time a bloke four rows in front of me power spewed like I’ve never seen. It was a preview of the result 😂

Thought Gawn had a very average night & Jackson a shocker. Which equaled English dominating. 

The short break off the Alice trip didn’t help, in the last we struggled to get enough men to match them around the contests, felt like they always had one extra. 
 

Our second tier blokes were not good. 
 

Not sure why we’re complaining about the umpires, I was sitting on the Footscray wing & according to those specimens they were being robbed 😂

A bulldog mate of mine, said Melbourne were in the back of bulldogs players all night and we had the rub of the umps. I’m off to bed, cause I’m either [censored], demented or blind. I’m now culling friends

2 minutes ago, Macca said:

Not 1 tackle in the F50 ... that would be totally unacceptable at suburban level

So much for our small forwards applying pressure.  Tonight it was non existent.  Weideman, Melksham & Fritsch aren't the tackling types either.  Harmes plays from behind when he's forward.  Weideman disappears.  As does Melksham

Bulldogs were too good and too slick.  Their skills were far superior to ours and we once again ran out of legs. They were just too good for us.  The opposition took numerous uncontested marks in our forward line and then ran it out with ease

We really do need to fix our forward line woes.  The set-up we've got resembles that which a bottom team might have.  There's no big forward presence so the opposition take full advantage

And where are our front and centre small men for the spoiled marking contests?  I can't spot them because they are not there

The pressure is now on to win next Friday night ... lose and we could slip out of the top 4.  And if that happens we'll then need to win at least 2 of our last 3 (vs Coll, vs Carl & at Lions) as well as needing other teams to drop games.  The double-chance is slipping away

 

Mate top 4 is gone. Melk needs to set May on his bum again

Why did we continue to get it to English, despite him dominating Gawn in the air and Gawn unable to jump

5 minutes ago, Lord Nev said:

.

Sums up my feelings for the game.

No words to describe it.

30 minutes ago, wizardinoz said:

That goal he gifted them turned out to be the difference between us winning or losing the game.

What about Kozzie missing from 40 directly in front. Was a shocking error and Tracc shouldn't be calling for it there, but plenty of individual instances that led to our defeat tonight. 

4 minutes ago, SPC said:

A bulldog mate of mine, said Melbourne were in the back of bulldogs players all night and we had the rub of the umps. I’m off to bed, cause I’m either [censored], demented or blind. I’m now culling friends

These people couldn’t possibly have a feel for a fair game of football. They’ve never seen one 

The defence withstood immense pressure. Forward line was very effective. It’s a shame we squandered our opportunities forward in the last because that was really the difference.

RE: Umpiring. It strongly favoured the Dogs in the 2nd and 3rd. But we pulled ahead several times throughout the night and just couldn’t put them away. It gives me no pleasure to say, but they earned that one.

Edited July 23, 20222 yr by wisedog

Just now, Kick_It_To_Pickett said:

Why did we continue to get it to English, despite him dominating Gawn in the air and Gawn unable to jump

Because that's how predictable we are. It's no so much bangingbto Engish it's the fact that we continue to bomb it to Gawns head at every opportunity. 

How Goody hasn't picked up on this is confusing.

One real frustration tonight. Every clearance where we did a quick kick forward, our half forwards played behind.. every time the bulldogs gained more territory. Harmes a main offender 

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Because that's how predictable we are. It's no so much bangingbto Engish it's the fact that we continue to bomb it to Gawns head at every opportunity. 

How Goody hasn't picked up on this is confusing.

Rinse and Repeat all night long. It’s infuriating 

With roughly 5 minutes remaining in the last quarter tonight and down by 3 points, Steven May was sent to the forward 50.

 

PICK. A. SECOND. KEY.  FORWARD.

 

Too many times we were unable to bring the ball to ground inside 50 with the Dogs able to control the footy rebounding out of defence assisting their clean entries up the other end.  Our small forwards are starved of opportunities without a second key competing in the air, drawing the ball to a predictable area and then unable to pressure the exiting opponents. 

 

When we made this change late last year, we started to click.  So please Goody, either Melksham or Harmes for BBrown and retain Weido next week.

 

#GoDees

Believer Rhino

The Utmost for the Highest

3 minutes ago, Diablo Rhino said:

With roughly 5 minutes remaining in the last quarter tonight and down by 3 points, Steven May was sent to the forward 50.

 

PICK. A. SECOND. KEY.  FORWARD.

 

Too many times we were unable to bring the ball to ground inside 50 with the Dogs able to control the footy rebounding out of defence assisting their clean entries up the other end.  Our small forwards are starved of opportunities without a second key competing in the air, drawing the ball to a predictable area and then unable to pressure the exiting opponents. 

 

When we made this change late last year, we started to click.  So please Goody, either Melksham or Harmes for BBrown and retain Weido next week.

 

#GoDees

Believer Rhino

The Utmost for the Highest

We don’t have a second key forward ready to go. Weid was only in because Brown was out. JVR needs more time.

To be fair to Weid he worked insanely hard tonight. He ran from wing to wing at top speed about 30 times. That’s part of the reason JVR isn’t being picked. He obviously doesn’t have the fitness just yet.

Edited July 23, 20222 yr by The heart beats true
Spelling

I saw Hamilton last night and pleaded with Kozzie not to throw away his shot in the last. Apologies to all here if I jinxed him.

I can't see us finishing top 4 on form, fixture and the fixture of those around us.

An elimination final vs either Collingwood or Carlton is on the cards. Bookmark it.

0 tackles in forward 50 tonight.

We we’re also +29 in hit outs, yet -7 in clearances. Work that one out.

4 minutes ago, Kick_It_To_Pickett said:

Rinse and Repeat all night long. It’s infuriating 

*All year

Odd feeling reading this thread. I’m a long way from hitting the panic button that others seem to be smashing.

I agree the lack of forward pressure and getting well beaten at stoppages are concerns, but up until halftime that was looking a lot like the ‘good Melbourne’ I’m familiar with. Some of the ball movement was as good as you’ll ever see.

Not blaming May for the loss but take away that brain explosion and this could easily be a post-match win we are discussing.

If we trust the coaches and conditioning staff to have the players cherry ripe leading into finals, we will finish top four.

3 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Because that's how predictable we are. It's no so much bangingbto Engish it's the fact that we continue to bomb it to Gawns head at every opportunity. 

How Goody hasn't picked up on this is confusing.

...no wonder Maxy cops a new injury every week. Poor bastard has to sit under these high balls copping knees in the back, ribs and hits to the back of the head constantly. Find another avenue for [censored] sake.

I thought we were pretty good for most the night, bar a patch in the third and the last.

Also thought our forward line functioned well, with 4 to Fritsch 3 to weed and 2 to Melksham.

English did kill us in the air , and Ugle Hagen was an unlikely match winner for them.

Salem has been pretty poor in every game since his return and needs to be dropped for a Bowey or Hunt, as they owned it at ground level in their 50.

That loss hurt and a pivotal moment was when Fritsch ironically chose to be unselfish instead of snapping what could have been the winner.

That was certainly up there with the most stressful games I have watched. We may have been in front for the vast majority of the game but we never really looked as if we were going to put the opposition away. We made far too many mistakes by foot and too many of our defenders played unaccountable footy.

I understand that our season is not over yet but we seriously need to lift if we want to secure a spot in the top 4 and have another crack at the flag. This is the fourth time we've capitulated after being 20+ points up.

Edited July 23, 20222 yr by Hopeful Demon

Always been a huge S May fan but some of the finger pointing and what almost looked like abuse to his team mates was really poor tonight. Particularly gave it to Tomo and Gus on multiple occasions.

Kudos to Gus for being one of the first to console May after his brain fart in the last that probably cost us the game.

Looked like a little disharmony down back to be honest. Disappointing.

Just now, DeeZee said:

Salem has been pretty poor in every game since his return and needs to be dropped for a Bowey or Hunt, as they owned it at ground level in their 50.

Relevant discussion point. He's been sub par

Bowey back I agree, but reckon Salem up the ground?

Just now, The heart beats true said:

We don’t have a second key forward ready to go. Weid was only in because Brown was out. JVR needs more time.

To be fair to Weid he worked insanely hard tonight. He ran from wing to wing at top speed about 30 times. That’s part of the reason JVR isn’t being picked. He obviously doesn’t have the fitness just get.

Understand your point on Van Rooyen, however Mitch Brown played at Whitten Oval today too, and last week both BBrown and Weido could've played, however Goodwin opted against it going for the smaller utility type structure with Fritta as the 2nd focal point.  It doesn't work, nor does getting Max or Dogga to fill that role as it attracts the opposition ruckman and congests the marking opportunities.  

 

Structurally over the past 18 months when we've gone with the 2nd key forward we function better both offensively and defensively.