On 02/07/2023 at 08:33, Swooper1987 said:

Great defensive effort again and winning clearance easily even without Oliver.  Petracca has 12 goals 19 behinds and 15 complete misses for the season.  That, unfortunately is our season in summary.  When arguably our best and most talented player can't finish the great work that the defence, and often himself in the midfield, starts we need look no further.  Goal kicking is fundamental to success in footy.  I remember the great North team of the late 90's coughing up the 1998 flag due to horrible kicking in the GF that year.

It's such a waste of talent.  Unlike most here, I don't lay the blame at Goodwin's feet.  These guys are professional footballers, mostly paid big money to kick goals. Up until 5 or 6 weeks ago they were doing it.  What has changed?

It's strategic. Statistically we win the ball but strategically there is no gameplan. We're taking set shots from pockets. We have no crumbing goals. Every single kick is under pressure because the preceding kick is a "kick and hope" to a contest of like 10 players. 

Outside of the perfect clearance and transition, we play with no structure or gameplan forward of centre. What is the actual gameplan? 

 

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:43, ElDiablo14 said:

Grundy Gawn has been a failure so far.

JVR was a necessity. TMac and BBB had injury issues.

McVee, I'll give you that.

My point is that we don't look like a team improving. It feels like 2022/2020 all over again.

we are certainly not improving but to say the coach isn’t trying new things is incorrect

We have had forward line and entry issues going back to 2019. It clicked late 2021, but that's it. How can professional afl coaches not be able to fix a problem in 101ish  games of football?

  On 02/07/2023 at 07:57, Floody100 said:

I said it at the start of the year & I’ll say it again. I don’t ever want to see Ben Brown in a Demons outfit ever again.

He did some good things, back in your box!

Edited July 2, 20231 yr by picket fence

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:44, praha said:

It's strategic. Statistically we win the ball but strategically there is no gameplan. We're taking set shots from pockets. We have no crumbing goals. Every single kick is under pressure because the preceding kick is a "kick and hope" to a contest of like 10 players. 

Outside of the perfect clearance and transition, we play with no structure or gameplan forward of centre. What is the actual gameplan? 

 

Saying for years  Goodwin is not a good game day coach and the team structure and skills are  a shambles like the game plan

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:43, demon3165 said:

Rush that is not even the word for it, and you are right that will keep him from being up their with flower, the same goes for Oliver.

I'm rating Oliver as one of our best mods ever.

I would like to see our players a little more an adventurous going forward like when approaching i50and taking longer shots at goal. Too many times plonking it 20 metres out with both Gawn and Brown flying for the same ball or hitting up players wide where accuracy is difficult. Opposition defenders know where to congregate. 73 i50’s and no bothered to have a decent long shot. Gotta encourage a little more dare towards goal and break the mold.

Edited July 2, 20231 yr by John Crow Batty

27 more inside 50s, 70 more possessions, 42 more contested, 14 centre clearance to 2!!!! 

We are doing a lot right but if you can't turn that sort of dominance into a win something is severely wrong. 

Again the forward entries just make you feel sick in the guts.

Our forward line is an absolute shambles at the moment but it wasn’t helped by a seriously in form defence in Taylor, Buckley, Idon and Haynes.

The media put this defence on the agenda during the week, and sure enough they held us to 5 goals.

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:38, layzie said:

Collingwood find ways to win, unfortunately we find ways to lose.

Simplistic view but that's the reality and reality wins premierships.

That's not just a this season thing either. They fight like tooth and nail and want to dominate teams...we are so submissive when the pressure really gets turned on...been that way for a long time. We just don't know how to become winners.

The absolute delusion from the club through the spruiking of our 'changed culture' after 2021 was embarrassing at the time...but now it looks like maybe they really did think the work had been done and everything would just happen from there. The approach of Richmond, on field and off field, to strive for sustained success after 2017 puts our club to absolute shame. You win a flag, then 10 games in a row, then opposition start throwing some different stuff at you and we just completely wilted...the heart just isn't there.

 

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:26, pitmaster said:

Small forwards nowhere to be seen when the ball hits the deck from marking contests. 

But Trac may be the worst offender with 12 goals from 46 attempts.

Stole my thunder … we’re are the smalls to pick to collect from Brown who contested ??? The ball just kept coming back & resulted in their last goal for GWS it’s very poor & Pickett need to stop trying to take matk of the year!

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:35, Kent said:

Gawn is Gone this year I reckon Looks injured or cooked

 

And I wouldn't begrudge him at all. He gave all his energy, his essence, his ethereal being to the Flag in 21', he has nothing left to give, nor should he.

He looks tired to me, mentally more than physically.

Edited July 2, 20231 yr by The Stigga

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:37, bobby1554 said:

The writing was on the wall when they broke from the huddle before the start, all laughing! WTF is going on with this team! It is embarrassing, as you say coach. Painfully embarrassing. Time for a good hard look in the mirror by most out there today. I am starting to think that 2021 was a fluke, an aberration. We got lucky, Covid hubs, lack of a serious challenger, etc. Have said it before, but this list is seriously overrated. And I am fast losing a bit of respect for Petracca, come on mate, you are getting paid truckloads and you can’t hit the side of a barn. Not good enough.

Was wondering what that was, sort of like a Sunday joke or something.

What a minute...

can you imagine if we didn’t get a dream ride from the umps?

That game perfectly sums is up.

Get a lot of the ball, don't do much with it.

Honestly, that was disgusting.

we won almost every stat but could n’t win the game.

inside our f50 is a disaster.  Play in FRONT.  Lead at the kicker!

just pathetic.  I have given them so much positive reflection even in losses.  But not today,  simply not good enough.

Pass marks to Viney, May, lever ANB.  Brown did. well early.

max is the barometer of the team.  If he plays well, we do ok.

pickett needs to stop being a sheepdog and return to being a German shepherd.

twice we played in front in the 50, Melk and kossy marked and foaled.  Every other attempt we were behind, outnumbered and beaten.

We are a rabble and we will make up the numbers unless we get some deep cultural and structural issues sorted.

sheesh.

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:48, rufus said:

The approach of Richmond, on field and off field, to strive for sustained success after 2017 puts our club to absolute shame. 

Richmond copped a wake up call in 2018, then came back and won the next 2. We copped a wake up call in 2022 and then.. seems like we hung up and went back to bed

I can see this team falling off a cliff in the next few seasons, back to the doldrums. Rucks and forwards are terrible. Mids are good but have peaked and they don't apply enough tackling pressure (Viney excepted). There is no A grade talent coming through the ranks that I can see, not even B graders. Defence has definitely peaked.

Unfortunately I don't see Bowey, Rivers, McVee, JVR, Pickett and Sparrow taking us anywhere except the bottom half. We are going to have to perform a list management miracle in the next two years to remain competitive.

Okay, my anger has dissipated into disarseappointment now. Call me when we start playing like a team from hell. Apologies to JV & bowser.

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:33, titan_uranus said:

We are beating ourselves. We are losing games to sides who don’t play well, who don’t play better for longer, but who take advantage of our mistakes. 

I disagree. GWS played about as well as they are capable of today and defended brilliantly. Melbourne's opponents, almost without exception (apart from maybe the Sydney game) have been up for it. I do agree with you though about other teams taking advantage of our mistakes.

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:37, bobby1554 said:

The writing was on the wall when they broke from the huddle before the start, all laughing! WTF is going on with this team!

Ridiculous comment IMV. The effort was there today. If they were laughing and played like they didn't care that would have been different.

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:37, rpfc said:

Don’t know what @WheeloRatings would do with that one…

Check his site after he's updated for this week and I guess you'll find out 😀

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:38, picket fence said:

Yes it WAS PUTRID IMV!

Faie enough. I hate losing games like that when every stat shows we should have won, but I guess I'd save the putrid classification for games where our effort has been below par, which it wasn't today.

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:38, layzie said:

Collingwood find ways to win, unfortunately we find ways to lose.

Simplistic view but that's the reality and reality wins premierships.

Well, they didn't find a way to win against us pre-bye! 😀 Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned that. Apparently according to a number of posts here Melbourne have been total rubbish ever since the 2021 GF!

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:17, praha said:

This is 100% a coaching and strategy issue.

Bringing in Brown and Harmes was applauded on this forum. I just can't fathom it. Naturally, JVR killed it at Casey.

I really wish we'd stop with this trying to recapture 2021 form BS. We need to move on otherwise we're going to get caught out and the wheels will fall off. 

We lost today at the selection table and in the coach's box.

Agreed. I put this on the coaches. I also put this on the selection staff. And the players. 

I'd like to add the club's inability to learn from prior losses in the wet and yet to continue to lose in the wet.

Despite losses to Brisbane (in the dew), Essendon, Port, Dockers, Geelong, And now Giants. FFS.

WAKE UP Demons.

I would've thought "learnings" would happened by now about how to play in dewey/wet conditions.

All of Melbourne's 6 losses this year have been in the wet. We haven't learnt anything or done anything to address this. FFS.

WTF?

WAKE UP DEES!

 

Edited July 2, 20231 yr by Lou C. Fur

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:48, Demonsone said:

Stole my thunder … we’re are the smalls to pick to collect from Brown who contested ??? The ball just kept coming back & resulted in their last goal for GWS it’s very poor & Pickett need to stop trying to take matk of the year!

He broke new ground in the last quarter. Went for the fly before the camera had even caught up with him. It’s embarrassing to watch. 

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:43, ElDiablo14 said:

Grundy Gawn has been a failure so far.

JVR was a necessity. TMac and BBB had injury issues.

McVee, I'll give you that.

My point is that we don't look like a team improving. It feels like 2022/2020 all over again.

You know it wasnt a day for swaps and changes and trying things. It was a day to play hard good wet weather footy and we didnt play basic footy that you might see in the amo's or the VFA. 

  On 02/07/2023 at 08:46, leave it to deever said:

I'm rating Oliver as one of our best mods ever.

Then you ain't seen the best then to compare then. 

It doesn't help your goal kicking efficiency when you play at kardinia and AS grounds once a year.