We need to go hard after Zurhaar, McStay, Lobb, Tom Green, Hopper.

4 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

So if Geelong win tomorrow and we beat Brisbane, it will be 3 Friday night finals in a row.

So if by chance the Pies win, will they get the Friday night PF? 

Or does the highest placed QF winner get the Friday night PF? (that would be Sydney if the Pies win tomorrow)

Edited September 2, 20223 yr by Macca

Spargo’s disposal count is low every game because he gets burnt by his team mates often. The guy is one of the smartest in the team, usually a great ball user and he gets himself into useful positions. Seriously under-utilised in the team. 

Sydney looked younger and cleaner. Wow their ball movement is beautiful. They own us on our home ground. Hopefully we get the opportunity for a rematch on the 24th to bury the bloods.

Well I am devastated but if you want to look at it simply we are not good enough. Forward line is a joke when pressure applied.

14 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Max Gawn is not and never will be a forward. I hate this experiment with a passion. Almost as much as I hate Gus in the guts when he is clearly a far better player on a wing or at half back.

Are we just buckling to his demands to play inside? Because honestly it’s made us worse. 
Harmes needs to go back inside to play a defensive role. Gus to the wing to replace JJ. 
And please FFS we have to find a better option than Fumbles Bullen. He kills us with ball use. Play Bowey in that role. Can’t do worse. 

Yes to all of these things!!

13 minutes ago, Kick_It_To_Pickett said:

The game was boring. I go every week and have done since 1987. It was an un-finals like game with defence winning for both sides. There was nothing to get enthused about. There was noise after a couple of goals, the members even joined the Melbourne chant and the place was rocking. Problem was, they automatically replied with a goal and the wind was taken out of the crowd’s sails again

The problem is our supporters sit there waiting to react to what is happening on the field. It's a final, chance at a prelim on the line - make some bloody noise for the team!! You don't have to sit there waiting to be wowed, create the atmosphere you want the players to feed off. Start of the last, 2 goals in it, all on the line - [censored] crickets.

5 minutes ago, Ben said:

Spargo’s disposal count is low every game because he gets burnt by his team mates often. The guy is one of the smartest in the team, usually a great ball user and he gets himself into useful positions. Seriously under-utilised in the team. 

Sydney looked younger and cleaner. Wow their ball movement is beautiful. They own us on our home ground. Hopefully we get the opportunity for a rematch on the 24th to bury the bloods.

100% about Spargo. Some clearly don’t watch the game, I would be taking sunscreen on the field next week if I was Spargo. Unbelievable footy smarts he possesses.

3 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

The problem is our supporters sit there waiting to react to what is happening on the field. It's a final, chance at a prelim on the line - make some bloody noise for the team!! You don't have to sit there waiting to be wowed, create the atmosphere you want the players to feed off. Start of the last, 2 goals in it, all on the line - [censored] crickets.

I lost my voice at quarter time. Which is a good thing because it was mainly a lot of cussing from me thereafter. 

My guess for the training schedule is:

Sunday 11.30 at Gosch's 

Tuesday 9.30 at Casey

A captains run Thursday 9.30 at Gosch's 

Has anyone heard Goodwin's presser, just wondered his thoughts on buddy's 50 & the free if it was bought up

2 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

I lost my voice at quarter time. Which is a good thing because it was mainly a lot of cussing from me thereafter. 

Yep same, my voice is pretty scratchy, my brother's wasn't much better and my sister was basically imploring the supporters to make some noise - our first final we've attended since 2018, reigning premiers, qualifying final and only a couple of occasions the crowd were up and about. It does my head in mainly because I just don't understand it.

2 hours ago, MurDoc516 said:

Beaten without much of whimper on our home deck, not impossible to defend it from here but our weakness just showed themselves again tonight.

We need an actual 2nd Ruckman. Sending Gawn forward and leaving Jackson as no 1. for long spells was a disaster + Brown forward rucking? what a joke that was.

We need a more agile key forward to replace Brown, if he can't play a full season then is that pedestrian in a qualifying final after a mini preseason mid season then we got problems.

Finally we need to move Spargo back as a small forward. The ease the ball exits our forward 50 is no surprise when it's Brown, Gawn and Melksham chasing + Spargo is not suited to a wing.

It's not a genuine 'home deck' or any real advantage for us as we aren't allowed to train there thanks to the MCC DHs (since they kicked us out in 1986).

Jackson was nowhere tonight.  Has his head moved out west already?  If so it's time to ask the hard question.  Honestly i reckon Weid would have done better as a 2nd ruck tonight Dogga was that bad in the middle and generally.  No prescence whatsoever.  Took one or.gwo grabs and that was about it.

BB is a part time decoy forward at best who is ok at bringing the ball to ground on occasions.  Not our worst forward but far from dangerous.  But even when he does bring it to ground, where's our small / medium forward crumbers front & square on occasions.  Too seldom do they present.  Instead it was the Swans backmen positioning and reading the crumbs / clearing quite often!???

There was a significant difference between their forward pressure and ours tonight.  Aside from Clarry (who isn't a forward) and Fritta, i didn't see too many genuine forwards bringing the heat on the Swannies exits from our 50.

Melk out for Macca (if he's 90% right to go and no foot issues).

Bowey in for Salem who was completely off being close to AFL level let alone the step up to finals.

Gus back to the wing.

Harmes through the middle & stimts at HF changing up with Kozzy.

Bedford for ANB

Edited September 2, 20223 yr by Demon Dynasty

Spargo is clearly one of our best ball movers. Hard not to feel dejected denied entry to last years grand final travel from Queensland and felt I had been transported back to the bad old days. Saw Petracca go down right in front of me clearly was not right. Swans are a damn good side simply over whelmed us. The crowd was not the issue we were flat and they simply outplayed us. I totally agree play Max in the ruck.Jackson a kid reckon the contract is doing his head in. We have a pulse but it a faint one

The most positive assessment I can come up with is that we were beaten by a team who will play in the GF, assisted by some generous umpiring. Dees were a metre off all night and if we can clean that up, there’s plenty of hope. 

5 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Has anyone heard Goodwin's presser, just wondered his thoughts on buddy's 50 & the free if it was bought up

It was but generally focused on the general lack of discipline(not just May) but was very happy with Mays overall game.

17 minutes ago, Macca said:

So if by chance the Pies win, will they get the Friday night PF? 

Or does the highest placed QF winner get the Friday night PF? (that would be Sydney if the Pies win tomorrow)

Highest placed QF gets the Friday night prelim.

If Collingwood somehow beat Geelong, Sydney get the Friday night prelim and we’d potentially play Collingwood on the Saturday twilight or night slot.

3 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yep same, my voice is pretty scratchy, my brother's wasn't much better and my sister was basically imploring the supporters to make some noise - our first final we've attended since 2018, reigning premiers, qualifying final and only a couple of occasions the crowd were up and about. It does my head in mainly because I just don't understand it.

Weak supporters, too nice. The team too. We have turned into a nice guy club. We are good enough to win a premiership but maybe only last year on the quest to break a drought, something is missing now.

6 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Swans backmen positioning and reading the crumbs / clearing quite often!???

It happened so often tonight. We couldn't win a ground ball to save ourselves, always outnumbered and in the wrong position.

1 hour ago, 1964_2 said:

SIMON simply does not have the answers despite having the best cattle at his disposal !!!! 

Face palmers please tell me why SIMON does have the answers despite losing a final with the best 2 man ruck combo, best midfield, and best defence. I am all ears ?? 
 

 

Just now, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Highest placed QF gets the Friday night prelim.

If Collingwood somehow beat Geelong, Sydney get the Friday night prelim and we’d potentially play Collingwood on the Saturday twilight or night slot.

With that scenario that would mean an 8 day break before the PF (if we can get over the Lions)

But the reality is that the Cats should beat the Pies by 4 or 5 goals

But you never know!

have to play tougher than that if you want a dynasty

never a truer word spoken, "when all is said and done, more is said than done"

im deflated

Dermott Brereton said we are missing the “un-sociable” elements to make us a dynasty team. At the moment, unfortunately he is correct and we are wrong. 
 

24 minutes ago, Ben said:

Spargo’s disposal count is low every game because he gets burnt by his team mates often. The guy is one of the smartest in the team, usually a great ball user and he gets himself into useful positions. Seriously under-utilised in the team. 

Sydney looked younger and cleaner. Wow their ball movement is beautiful. They own us on our home ground. Hopefully we get the opportunity for a rematch on the 24th to bury the bloods.

It is out home ground but we have no training / familiarity advantage there.

It's a neutral ground for us.

See above Ben.

Spargo is VERY clever with ball in hand but i watched him carefully without the ball tonight.  He could have worked harder to present on occasions to provide the next link / hit up for our defenders off HB but preferred to just coast.  There was even plenty of space to run into for the next hit up but on at least two occasions he chose not to take it and instead mossied his way towards an opponent (when we had the ball).

He was burnt on at least one occasion by Maxy in the first quarter when Max (on a 44 degree just outside the arc) decided to kick it to the left pocket instead of hitting up Spargo 15  meters in the clear directly in front.  I think Maxy might have even kicked that weird brain snap attempt at a pass OOTF?

Edited September 2, 20223 yr by Demon Dynasty

I haven’t attended this final but I swear that last seasons GF was the loudest support for us I have ever experienced in a game and sadly most were neutral or WC and Freo supporters. I have been to 90% of Melbourne finals since 1987. In 87 we got a lot of support from neutrals that bumped up the volume as well but nothing compared to the 2021 GF.

36 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Max Gawn is not and never will be a forward. I hate this experiment with a passion. Almost as much as I hate Gus in the guts when he is clearly a far better player on a wing or at half back.

Are we just buckling to his demands to play inside? Because honestly it’s made us worse. 
Harmes needs to go back inside to play a defensive role. Gus to the wing to replace JJ. 
And please FFS we have to find a better option than Fumbles Bullen. He kills us with ball use. Play Bowey in that role. Can’t do worse. 

Gawn starting forward, Jackson in the middle brown on the bench to start reeks of trying to be too clever. Go with the A team midfield from the opening bounce. Spargo should never be on a wing. Kozzie should at least be tackling it chasing down if he can't find the footy. Plenty more I could rant about but I'm done for now . I need to go to bed