16 minutes ago, old dee said:

I don't believe a lack of desire was the reason we went out in straights sets.  We lost because of too many injured players and  a poor forward line set up with one KPF who was not at his best. 

As well, as I indicated above, the lack of will to work others through the group so that by the time the finals came around the idea of the 'unified group' meant the walking wounded remained. (Some of course, like CP5, are simply irreplaceable.) 

27 minutes ago, pitmaster said:

Probably more reflection of the fact that you can't stand still, and maybe we did. Teams like Collingwood took on our style and outworked it. Remember the two starting players off the back of the square pre-666? You do need to develop changes each year or you're overtaken. There was not much innovation in us this year.

We certainly stayed fixated on the same group as well. It's only a guess but I think the lack of new players, or relative novices like Bedford and Bowey being given a chance in the last third of the year cost us in terms of energy and enthusiasm. Goody possibly stuck with the known factors too much. If at the start of the year you'd told me Laurie would not have played a senior game this year, and that Chandler would not resurface I'd have figured long term injury hit them. But no, they just did not get a chance.

At the start of the year the curious stat went around that no premiership line-up ever played together in full thereafter. I recall chatter on this site about how we could be the first, which was dashed by injury prior to round 1. Then later in the year it was mentioned that we were almost back to our best 22 (being the flag 22). Here's hoping going forward we embrace the evolutionary philosophy required to remain at the tip of the AFL spear.

1 hour ago, Lucifers Hero said:

On page 40 of this thread there are excellent graphs by @Watson11and a discussion on the above.

 

Our fitness program and the timing/balance of the training program will have to be a major consideration in the coming months. 

I don't think we lacked fitness per se but we ran out of puff at about round 11 when the injuries started.  The graphs show how we hit the wall. 

Key graph is reposted here showing how our running fell away this year >10% less in the second half of the year.

 

We have an amazing skipper, keep it up good man!

Max looks as flat as a pancake - I suspect most of us have the same hollow feeling watching the remaining finals particularly seeing Brisbane still involved who I simply don't rate

He acknowledges that we need to work on some things which to anyone who watched this team in the second half of the 2022 season would know all too well

He knows that we have a capable list to be in contention again but as history has shown if you fail to evolve and change opposition teams will quickly learn how to counter your strengths and expose your weaknesses. Come 2023 IMO we need to create a better system of transitioning the ball from defense to inside F50 and improve our personnel and structures in the forward half - tick those boxes and we can challenge again

 

Thanks Max Gawn our Goliath, the weight of expectation from coaches, supporters and the playing group drove us to second on the ladder but there wasn’t a lot left in the tank and we failed by cumulative 35 points from reaching a Prelim. Glad that Max is hurting like the rest of us. Now is the time to reflect get the body and mind right, refresh the list and game plan then plan for a big pre-season to get us back to 2021 fitness and mindset so that we hit the ground running in 2023.!!!!

11 hours ago, biggestred said:

Like, I'm pretty sure you're not hurting as much given that the only thing ive wanted most in my 40 years is to see a dees flag and then celebrate with my mates but nooo i get to watch it on tv and do a zoom call in my shed whilst staving off depression and you were nightclubbing in your full kit and now all it does is remind me of being locked down and depressed but hey whatever

 

And then we finally get what weve always wanted in finals which is top 2 and playing interstate teams at the G and we go and pull that [censored] ffs.

 

Sorry, still processing 

I have regularly thought about how after so many years waiting for it we were dudded into the drought been broken in Perth while we were locked up at home however I always remind myself that season 2021 played out the way it did for a reason. 
 

Our MCG record of late proves that we have deficiencies there, who knows what happens if we play our finals there last year or for that matter we roll Geelong in round 23 with a packed Geelong crowd, I suspect a 40 comeback with a full house would have been harder to arrest. 
 

I look at the fact we got to enjoy last season for what it was, yes it wasn’t the fairy tale we all dreamed off yet it still happened & it happened the way it did for a reason. Let’s just hope we can see one at the G from this group because it’s our best chance for awhile.

Edited September 15, 20222 yr by JV7

Ok over it now. Just can't wait for next season to start. We have unfinished business to take care of. 

16 hours ago, Demons11 said:

I think you would find players hurt a hell of a lot more than supporters.  They are the ones who put in the blood, sweat and tears 

Not to mention the coaches, the amount of planning and reviewing you put in his huge and believe me you ride every wave of emotion with every contest, kick, umpiring decision and really have sleepless nights in the lead up to and the night after games

1 hour ago, JV7 said:

Our MCG record of late proves that we have deficiencies there, who knows what happens if we play our finals there last year or for that matter we roll Geelong in round 23 with a packed Geelong crowd, I suspect a 40 comeback with a full house would have been harder to arrest. 

That is a really good point you make regarding the round 23 game last year.

Geelong lost some shockers at home (in 2020 and 2021) against the likes of Carlton and GWS in front of no fans, and who knows how the last quarter would've played out in front of 30,000 rabid Geelong fans.

And if the AFL granted Pert's request to play our qualifying final at the MCG last year, who knows how that would've played out given we were patchy at the G in the last half of the season.

As you pointed out, things happen for a reason, we won the flag. Too bad we couldn't back it up on our home turf.

 

5 hours ago, old dee said:

I don't believe a lack of desire was the reason we went out in straights sets.  We lost because of too many injured players and  a poor forward line set up with one KPF who was not at his best. 

We basically played with No key Forwards. ( BBB was non existent)

41 minutes ago, YesitwasaWin4theAges said:

We basically played with No key Forwards. ( BBB was non existent)

Yep we were in trouble from Round 10

North Crunched TMac twice in that game hard

i knew he had a serious injury 

The structure was gone

19 hours ago, Demons11 said:

I think you would find players hurt a hell of a lot more than supporters.  They are the ones who put in the blood, sweat and tears 

And get paid a truckload of money, I’m pretty sure most of them move on a lot quicker than we do 

44 minutes ago, Billy said:

And get paid a truckload of money, I’m pretty sure most of them move on a lot quicker than we do 

The money argument is irrelevant 

49 minutes ago, Billy said:

And get paid a truckload of money, I’m pretty sure most of them move on a lot quicker than we do 

 Max is hurting big time. As Captain he must use that pain and humiliation to drive his team to push beyond as they did in 2021. 
 

I took two things out of that:

1. The players were cooked and barely got a break between 2021 and 2022.

2. The players are expecting a new game plan from Goody and the coaches.

1 hour ago, At the break of Gawn said:

2. The players are expecting a new game plan from Goody and the coaches.

"We've got a fair bit of homework to do ... hopefully Goody will look at a bit of that and we'll come back fresh and ready to go"

... 

1 hour ago, At the break of Gawn said:

I took two things out of that:

1. The players were cooked and barely got a break between 2021 and 2022.

2. The players are expecting a new game plan from Goody and the coaches.

Yes Trade Month is going to be fascinating 

Can we top up for a 3-4 year period 

And will the young talent from Casey make the transition 

Hawthorn and Jeelong have been doing it for years. We have to get to that level. We are not there yet. 
opposition players are not banging down the door to join us yet. We are not first choice. 
But this is our best chance to create such an environment 

Imagine if Jeremy Cameron had said “Get me to The Demons”

We were similarly hurting after getting embarrassed in the prelim of 2018 ,  failing to make finals in2017, 2019 and 2020. Time will tell I guess

1 hour ago, Bates Mate said:

We were similarly hurting after getting embarrassed in the prelim of 2018 ,  failing to make finals in2017, 2019 and 2020. Time will tell I guess

Holy smoke man.
The embarrassment list is far longer than that.
Seemed like every second week we were gonna redeem ourselves and earn back respect for awhile there.

And our record for actually redeeming ourselves and earning back respect isn't very good.
But as Bates Mates stated " Time will tell I guess."

On 9/14/2022 at 6:38 PM, Supreme_Demon said:

Hope that the feeling of disappointment and frustration burns in the guts for Max Gawn and the rest of the Melbourne players.

Remember....as Ricky Bobby says in Talladega Nights..."If you ain't first, you're last!"

 

Winning Premierships for the Melbourne Demons on the MCG is what really matters! 🏆🔴🔵

 

 

max and lingers going on a Tour de France adventure….

sounds like they were stuffed.  Too much work and no break.

want to see freshness in legs, personnel and gameplan next year.

a great skipper, but beaten into submission……

Edited September 16, 20222 yr by buck_nekkid

21 hours ago, Billy said:

And get paid a truckload of money, I’m pretty sure most of them move on a lot quicker than we do 

Absolute nonsense. These guys have given their all and came up short, and no doubt will now  suffer the insults from salty supporters both online and whenever they go out in public. No young athlete deserves to be abused simply because they are well payed. 

22 hours ago, YesitwasaWin4theAges said:

We basically played with No key Forwards. ( BBB was non existent)

He was much more existent than Weideman...and still people are trying to find him a role.

That could be the reason they lost...no hard edge to selection .

Does anyone have any idea what the coach means when he gives his no answer answers about lossses in press conferences?. Like them or not good coaches tend to have "character" and somehow that transfers to the team.

What is Melbourne's  team character?

Just asking