When we lose, it is clear we are horribly out-coached. Scott did his homework on us and it worked

12 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Well hopefully Steven May has gotten that out of his system and he never plays like that again. 

The club backs May in repeatedly during his numerous off-field brain fades. I'm beginning to question whether the culture is fading away from what it used to be. 

3 minutes ago, OhMyDees said:

Stealing a living on today’s performance 😒

It's simple easy cash for him.

 

How serious is Levers ankle? Is this one of the ‘22 hindsight changes in list management to keep the team fresh or was it a genuine 1 weeker? 

18 minutes ago, HarpenDee said:

Umpiring absolutely putrid, epitomised in the last with the 2 non - frees. Hind caught HTB by Viney, and then the deliberate OOB with no bomber within 50m.

Would have only lost by 3 goals if we were given a fair crack. Should write to the AFL and demand an explanation.

You must be taking the pizz surely? Umps had zero impact on the game and the scoreboard flattered us big time.

We won the free kick count by the way 23-19.

It's looking more and more like Kate Roffey and the club went the early crow on the 'changed culture' after '21. Ultimately our culture prior to that included being fragile under physical pressure...and it seems we haven't managed to get past that.

We came ready for a physical contest against Syd, but other than that it's been 12 months of wilting under pressure.

We're in danger of wasting another year of a list in it's prime because we don't seem to want to scrap for it. If our top end talent wore black and white stripes they'd win 3+ flags I have no doubt.

They definitely looked off and uninterested for some reason. Seemed like we were smashed in the middle in the first half, which has happened a couple of times already this year.

 

Efficiency inside 50 the stat that sticks out: Ess 54.4% - Dees 43.6%

If you said at the beginning of round 1 essendon would have more wins and be sitting higher than us on the ladder you'd think we had gone mad. 

13 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

When you don't bring the appropriate intensity to play AFL football that's what you get. Turned it off half way through the last quarter but could've done it half an hour earlier and not missed anything. 

The tackling especially! Just no intensity today 

injuries no excuse. Look who Sydney had out last night. 

The importance of Lever cannot be underestimated 

Bad day at the office. Move on and respond against Richmond. It’s a long season. 

We looked like a side playing in the wet on a 6 day break from last weeks game in Perth, coming to a second interstate venue. It will be interesting to see next week’s results for teams having successive interstate travel. Norma an excuse, Essendon were very good today.

Cant remember seeing a worse game from Maysie.

Edited April 15, 20232 yr by In Harmes Way

2 minutes ago, Hellaintabadplacetobe said:

You must be taking the pizz surely? Umps had zero impact on the game and the scoreboard flattered us big time.

We won the free kick count by the way 23-19.

Is there a MRO for umpires?  To me the turning point in the game was when Spargs copped a hit to the head, was done for holding the ball and went off concussed.  I don't give a fig for free stats.  It is where they are given and when.   To me,  the Spargo incident was the turning point.  I am not saying we would have won otherwise, but momentum certainly shifted at that stage.  

One stat I saw was kicking efficiency midway throughout 3Q was 77% to 64. One might think this is flukey but it’s lack of pressure on kicker. I would be surprised if we cracked 160 avg and the Dons would have been closer to 200. 

We were 5% off and Essendon were on and everything went their way. Usually our backline would save us but lever and Hibbo out hurt and they were totally disorganised. Plus Petty took half a game to get his touch back. 
 

I wouldn’t want to be the Tigers next week. So long as Lever is back. 

34 minutes ago, layzie said:

The problems were there for all to see. Is it fatal? No. But it sure as hell isn't an aberration.

It comes down to effort. Essendon brought it and we looked like we turned up expecting a regulation win. If we bring effort we'll beat most teams.

5 minutes ago, Pirlo said:

The club backs May in repeatedly during his numerous off-field brain fades. I'm beginning to question whether the culture is fading away from what it used to be. 

Granted that May struggled badly today, but when he is working alongside Lever the understanding between the two has usually been excellent. And without the irreplaceable Max to help out in defence, we were simply monstered by their talls. I would cut May some slack over one really poor performance. We all have our off days. May certainly wasn't the only one well under par today.

So according to the AFL report these were our best players. 

Melbourne: Oliver, Petracca, Langdon, Viney, May

Yes Oliver may have got it 41 times but I cannot think of a good time he used the ball efficiently, ok maybe once or twice.  Viney tried his absolute heart out and did what others couldn't. Lay a tackle.

May don't even go there. 

 

. 

Melksham and Fritsch cannot play in the same side. The lack of tackling pressure that they both dish up most weeks is not good enough.

I know Melksham kicked goals, but surely he's about done at AFL level? He has no presence as a forward in a game that requires tackling intensity.

And I know it was wet, but I can't think of a more inconsistent senior player than TMac. Up one week, down the next. If it's wet, he's a liability. JVR didn't do a lot, but every time it came near him he halved the contest or brought the ball to the ground. His follow up work is then good. The same cannot be said of TMac.

Again, you could see that it was a team wide intensity and work rate thing from the very beginning. I think we turned up thinking we'd walk it in.

May was either playing injured (with a severe hamstring) or he was simply disinterested. To me, it seemed irrespective of injury, he looked disinterested. I'd like to borrow a line from that Freo supporter on BigFooty a few weeks back - he and the rest of the team looked like they were on heroin.

Tomlinson should probably have played his last game for the club unless injuries allow him further opportunities. I'd be playing old mate Turner ahead of him.

Petty was excellent in the second half. Clarry and Trac had their moments, Clarry in particular, but outside of his tackle count, the less said about Viney the better. Give Rivers more CB time though (0 CBAs apparently). I'm liking what he's bringing to the midfield mix, but felt he struggled a bit when playing behind the ball.

Our failure to be clean at ground ball and our alarming lack of intensity and defensive transition, was equivalent to the Brisbane game IMO. So that's two games in five that the margin has flattered us and our mental side of the game has been completely off. Max's injury against Brisbane goes some way to explaining the alarming indicators against the Lions, but not all the way, and what's the excuse this week?

Trust is important for footy fans, and our mob had built up such excellent trust with us (and each other) across 2021 and even the majority of 2022. The Brisbane loss really tested my faith in the group this year and this week's game has now put them in the territory of untrustworthy. Which Melbourne are we going to get next week against a very ordinary Richmond?

I think it's clear we've got some major problems. No Gawn or Lever shouldn't see such a marked drop off in effort and/or organisation behind the ball. Captain Obvious, signing off.

The chaotic ball will drag the best of teams into a scrap, and we played into thier hands by keeping the ball moving. It was a shoot out and they had the forward options we were lacking.

They crashed and bodied us at every chance, will be some very sore players tonight.

Was also one of the worst umpired games both ways I've seen in a loooong time.

1 minute ago, Redlagged said:

I think that's right. Look - the team is dominated by the big 3: Gawn, Oliver, Petracca. Fortunately the latter two are durable. Can you imagine the team without them? North Melbourne.

The only way to begin righting the form we displayed against the Bombers (and the enthusiasm to win) is to prepare - through game experiences - those hungry VFL 'young-uns' at the selection table. Sure, we have some great forwards but half of them are only interested in taking the low-percentage 'hanger' in their static pursuit of the ball. The rest of the time, they compete but achieve very little and found to seldom explore the geographic highlights of the football field as a mean, fighting machine. The Dons, with a team of inexperienced newbies ran, ran again and coalesced, ripping us apart. They developed winning systems of players across the ground - and benefitted - all in one game. Bringing the ball to ground was our mantra this season, I thought; it is not occurring and we have a significant disproportion of nimbles to exploit this urgent need all over the ground. Injuries? Sure, these had an effect but that is something that should trigger a higher level of player interaction and supportive assembly - particularly when the chips are down. We were out-coached today; we were humbled, sad to say. A poster messaged me and truthfully declared at half-time that our miseries were '...insurmountable...' 

Just here to document my absolute disgust with that performance.
Mentally weak frontrunners we still are.
 
 


 

38 minutes ago, rpfc said:

Stagnant and no spark and joy and The Engine (Spargo, ANB, Chandler) was impotent and hampered of course with injury. Even before the 50+ mins without a goal, we piled on in two flourishes and were trash around that.

Look arrogant tbh. And waiting for someone else to do something.

This is what happens when you are off, you get punished in this league.

This is it I reckon. Played like millionaires.

9 minutes ago, I'va Worn Smith said:

Is there a MRO for umpires?  To me the turning point in the game was when Spargs copped a hit to the head, was done for holding the ball and went off concussed.  I don't give a fig for free stats.  It is where they are given and when.   To me,  the Spargo incident was the turning point.  I am not saying we would have won otherwise, but momentum certainly shifted at that stage.  

You might want to watch it again. He had prior and ducked his head. Harsh, but right decision.

He was hit in the head by his opposition's hip.  He did not duck, he picked up the ball.  It could not have even been conceivable, that it was holding the ball, if he did not have possession, after bending down.   He was not caught in a tackle, he was bumped in the head.   He was concussed FFS.