17 minutes ago, Sydney_Demon said:

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!

You're right they didn't, it was a great win but even then we nearly found a way to lose it with poor skill in front of goal. They should never have been in it.

I hope we can turn it around, I don't know how they are going to do it but they really have a serious case of the yips. One good game in that area can change that.

1 hour ago, Hopeful Demon said:

We only have ourselves to blame. Kicking 5.15 for the whole game is simply disgusting.

I can't emphasise how painful we are to watch at the moment.

Surely no one on here expects to make top four.   Nowhere near good enough    This list run is over. We got a flag. I hoped for one at the mcg in front of us fans but it’s all lost.  This list will not get that.   Gawn Viney May play one more year May getting older.   At least l saw a flag.  Shattered cause lost !!!!!!!!!!!

Tackle stats say it all

-15 tackles overall

But +12 for tackles I50, which means -27 Tackles in defence or mids

They pressured our dominant areas well, and we let them run free and rebound too often

Just now, praha said:

This says to me he probably knows where we're at.

We're badly punching above our weight atm. Things just aren't clicking. I hope he learned a lesson with Brown and continues developing JVR from next week.

JVR back in for Frittata for mine. Does good things at ground level Smith but he’s not a 2nd forward, let him play as a mobile high forward. 

Let JVR and Brown play as the talls, keep the ruckmen out of the way unless they’re actually capable of taking an overhead mark (which Grundy never is and Gawn isn’t at the moment), they’re just getting in the way now.

14 minutes ago, Pipefitter said:

Goodwin said he was proud of our effort today. That’s accepting mediocrity. 

Then it must be him.

5 minutes ago, Spargonicus said:

Have to agree. Sometimes it’s right to be positive and generous. But sometimes expressing extreme disappointment and anger is right. This was one of those occasions. 

It needs to be called out. They are paid to be professional football players and the skill levels are not up to scratch. The game plan is not up to scratch. The way we play does not fill me with any confidence that we have an elite environment.

I didn’t get too excited after the Collingwood win. They were missing heaps of players and we nearly blew that one as well. This whole trying to win the territory battle reeks of our 2019 game plan and we all Know how that ended. 

 

Does Harmes in the side give us the best chance to win?

Did any forwards take a contested mark inside 50 today?

What’s with Trac he’s kicking has gone backwards, sure wins enough of the ball but so watch if u butchering the kick.

Hunter nit much better he just continues to turnover he’s kicks. 

23 minutes ago, leucopogon said:

The way he's played lately suggests to me he is not a natural forward at all. Playing out if position?

No he has massive upside imv Leuc.

But whatever's happening this year has seen him regress in small forward craft and has also seen Chandler hit the wall with his development.

Very sad to watch.  They should both be up and about every other week vs both dropping away for weeks on end.

They both just need the right guidance, structure up forward.  Plus method of play to match what is happening up field and visa versa.

For whatever reason we have stagnated and in some ways regressing backwards now.

We are potentially watching the demise of a team that had at least one more shot at the big one, now going down the gurglar as the coach & FD appear to be incapable of mid/forward connection / cohesion nor improving forward craft & finish.

There's only so many times the backs/mids can get the ball in there.  At some point the forwards have to perform at a minimum level and convert at a reasonable level, consistently!

Spotlight also needs to be placed on Tracc, Hunter, Sparrow & ANB.  Their forward work is atrocious.  Gus probably needs a mention also.

Having said that i counted two hit up leads today.  One from Nibbler to Kozzy.  The other from Brown to Melk.  But that was it as far as connection went.

Too many hackers forward of center incapable of finishing, and many that have the finish in them are playing poorly.  Otherwise we would be winning vs Dockers, Cats & GWS.

Time to sit the mids & forwards down plus the line coaches and coach and sort this rubbish out.  If they don't it'll be another season wasted.

Edited July 2, 20231 yr by Demon Dynasty

23 minutes ago, demon3165 said:

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

Why because I disagree. I could say the same to you. 

21 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

What a shambles 

 

This One dimmential madness ends, when we get a NEW COACH,DAZZ!!

This isn't going to please anyone but we just lost to a team COMING OFF THE BYE.

5 minutes ago, von said:

You’re charming. Imagine taking it personally that some people are optimistic. Getting personal when your team loses. Disgraceful behaviour. Red card. You and @JimmyGadson need a spell watching another sport. This is clearly not good for you. 

Good grief..

If you genuinely thought that comment was personal then seriously dude, go have a spell in the shower and have a good rinse.

Sensitivity at all time high with people like you around here purely because some of us just call it as we see it.

 

38 minutes ago, Kent said:

Hollywood stars mate that the problem and Goodwin has encouraged it

Agree. And they need to stop the bs instagram posts of players kicking bananas from the boundary, at training when it matters squat, as if it’s something to be proud of!! Jesus wept

4 minutes ago, redandbluemakepurple said:

Then it must be him.

AR YEP!

19 minutes ago, Pipefitter said:

Goodwin said he was proud of our effort today. That’s accepting mediocrity. 

the effort was good 

execution terrible 

you didn’t think they tried enough?

Our inability to execute in the forward half today was simply not AFL standard. That's the 3rd or arguably 4th game we've thrown away in the last 6 with our inability to convert our hard work from contest and intercept slingshot.

Fatigue is a factor, no doubt. You can stick your head in the sand all you like, it won't change that fact. However, as Goody said in last press conference, we need to be better. We need to execute basic set shots and snaps. The other contenders are getting it down under duress as well, and we're not.

I thought Petty was better today and played a solid goalkeeper role for most of the day. Lever was solid. Viney was huge. Bowey and McVee so clean and involved. Bowey should never be out of this team again. A game high 14 intercept possessions and took his chance forward of centre when it was his time to score.

But the basic skill errors by the mids and forwards, like dropped chest marks under no pressure (the Kozzy one may well have cost us the game), and our poor goal kicking isn't going to win us many games.

If Fritsch is done for the season, he's the sort of player that may well cost us a shot at the flag. That's a huge potential out, when he's a guy that has kicked 6 in a GF before. He is the x factor,  more than Trac and Kozzy. But we desperately need Oliver back in our midfield, so Trac can stay forward and have bursts in the midfield. That commentary is spot on. 

The only coaching question I'd have this week is who was responsible for Nick Haynes? He had the second most intercepts on the ground with 13 (1 behind Bowey and 2 more than Lever) and IMO was close to the best man on the ground. He cut us up and was so clean behind the ball (as was Bowey mind you). No one was within coo-wee of Haynes most of the game. I'd have played a defensive forward on him. Simple as that. And if we did, who was it? Because they definitely didn't get the job done. 

Here's the thing though. Our season isn't done and we're still first in line for 4th, with the 3rd best percentage. The margin for error is growing smaller now though, and the players have to get it done, but it's right there in front of us.

The lack of a decent small forward and midfileders that can consistently hit a target is our biggest issue.

Why Chandler, ANB, Kozzie etc keep getting games is beyond me. The message it sends to the Casey lads is terrible.

Then the lack of mids that can actually use the ball is also telling. Tracc, Viney, Sparrow, Brayshaw  etc are great ball winners but ordinary users. 

12 minutes ago, praha said:

This says to me he probably knows where we're at.

We're badly punching above our weight atm. Things just aren't clicking. I hope he learned a lesson with Brown and continues developing JVR from next week.

Okay he IS the coach. Buck stops with him, if he and players cant correct deficiencies then find those that CAN!

1 hour ago, adonski said:

Smith ahead of JVR was this weeks Petty for Tomlinson

That is very true. Had the same thought and as the game progressed, it came to be without question.

the only good thing is that i don’t think we have a chance at the flag so i can’t see myself getting this upset for the year. 

Just now, DubDee said:

the only good thing is that i don’t think we have a chance at the flag so i can’t see myself getting this upset for the year. 

I'm coming around to this. Could do without the stress.

Just on Kozzy's dropped mark and his inability to hit the scoreboard in a big way, he is playing crazy high TOG for a small forward. 93% TOG today off the back of 4 straight weeks of increasing TOG 89% against Cats, 86% against Pies, 86% against Blues and 84% against Freo.

This is worth considering when analysing his game.

3 minutes ago, A F said:

 

Fatigue is a factor, no doubt. You can stick your head in the sand all you like, it won't change that fact.

We are one of the few sides to lose to a team coming off a bye. I am not a denier of loading, but at what point do we stop using fatigue to excuse really basic fundamental errors that you don’t even see at VFL level?

And when do we start getting back to peak fitness? Because it feels like we’ve been running in cement for weeks now.