It's almost 4:00am. I am still angry and upset. Feeling numb too. And yes, I can't sleep! Arggghhh!!! 😫

I actually made a post like this 12 months ago. Saying it was a wasted season. It caused a bit of controversy, but I had to get off my chest the way that I felt!

I think in someways it is yet again a wasted season in 2023.

However, finishing top 4 again and "almost" beating Collingwood and "almost" beating Carlton leaves a lot of "what ifs" and hypothetical scenarios of what we should have and could have done differently. So close yet so far! Talk about misfortune!

In the end it is probably more a wasted opportunity. Something which I hope really BURNS in the guts of all the Melbourne players and coaching staff. Especially as for the past 2 seasons we were a good chance to win the Premiership.

Luck definitely was a factor too. Having injuries at bad times. Losing Harry Petty and Jake Melksham really had a detrimental affect on our forwardline. Yet we still could of won our finals games if we had better execution into the forwardline and we had kicked more goals than we did behinds! Poor kicking is poor football!

Another embarassing factor is that we will now be known as "chokers" in big finals matches! Especially going out in straight sets 2 finals series in a row! What bad luck! How incredibly frustrating too!

The harsh truth is, many opposition supporters and the general football public as well as the football media still don't respect us. Our 2021 AFL Premiership, while wonderful, was won over in Perth.

We need to win the AFL Premiership at the MCG. By holding that Premiership cup up in front of a Melbourne crowd we will finally be able to shut up those who ridicule us. That is the only way to prove the naysayers wrong!

I hope that all the Melbourne players go and get far away from football and have a nice long enjoyable break. But they also come back fit and ready with a determined resolve to make sure that in 2024 we will become AFL Premiers. It is now all about a Premiership or bust at the MCG for the Melbourne players!

The rest of us fanatical Melbourne Demons supporters who simply can't accept the phrase "it's only a game" will try and cool down over time and then distract ourselves with the upcoming trade and drafting periods later in a few weeks time.

As @Demonland has mentioned many times, MFCSS is a real phenomenon......it effects many of us. It literally drives us insane and causes pain, agony and sleepless nights. The only cure is more Premierships!

GO DEMONS IN 2024!!! 🔴🔵👹

 

It is a wasted season for sure, like 2020 and 2022. And at some extent 2017.

We have come from a 5 - 1 record in finals (a PF loss and a flag) to now 5 - 5 ( straight sets twice).

We can't deny Goodwin's tenure feels like a rollercoaster.

This isn’t a question. 
 

We are wasting generational talent. There should be 2-3 more flags in this list - if they could kick straight 

poor kicking , poor decision making . Please can we draft smart decision makers and clean disposers with composure 

Yes 2017, 2019, 2020 were wasted hope 

2018 over enthusiastic optimism. Hope. 

2021 pure ecstasy and glory 🏆🏆🏆

2022 and 2023 a great team. Talent.  Once in a generation ruckman. But two horrible finals campaigns. 0-4. First time back to back straight set exits. Dominated games. Could not kick goals. Wasted? yes 

Definitely wasted and Failed Campaigns. 2022-23
They cannot be looked at in any other way. 
4 home finals. All of them lost

Yes because this years flag is/was there for who ever wants it. A GWS Vs Brisbane Grand final will do me just fine now. 

I don't think we were good enough to win this year. a record of 16W and 9L clearly demonstrates that. We weren't beating Lions next week.

Forward injures cruelled us. And our game plan needs to be freshened up. We have no dash or dare.

JVR was great this year. As was McVee. We developed some good young players so there are positives. 

Can we find a KPF from somewhere to partner Petty and JVR? I hope so

We have blooded 2 new stars : Jacob van Rooyen and Judd McVee.So not a wasted year. 

We will continue to waste years if we continue with the game plan, Need a new forward line coach dearly 

Wouldn't call it a waste.

Sparrow, Rivers, McVee, JVR all improved and progressed. Even Pickett did to a degree. I thought he had a solid finals series. He'll be better for it.

Smith had a good finals series. Petty had a good season when he played.

Lots of upside. The biggest waste comes from the top end of the list who badly let us down time and time again. Leaders went missing or choked multiple times throughout the year when game was on the line. Players that consistently stood up were Rivers, McVee, Petty, who at times almost single handedly kept us in games which is amazing given their experience.

It's a waste insofar as we've been in the top 4 for like 69 of the last 70 rounds and couldn't have win a final at the MCG in that time.

7 minutes ago, praha said:

Wouldn't call it a waste.

Sparrow, Rivers, McVee, JVR all improved and progressed. Even Pickett did to a degree. I thought he had a solid finals series. He'll be better for it.

Smith had a good finals series. Petty had a good season when he played.

Lots of upside. The biggest waste comes from the top end of the list who badly let us down time and time again. Leaders went missing or choked multiple times throughout the year when game was on the line. Players that consistently stood up were Rivers, McVee, Petty, who at times almost single handedly kept us in games which is amazing given their experience.

It's a waste insofar as we've been in the top 4 for like 69 of the last 70 rounds and couldn't have win a final at the MCG in that time.

Probably we will need to start moving away from some of those leaders from 2021, unless to they can be better next year.

See Salem and Langdon.

Salem had a good game I think last night but mentally he made too many mistakes for an experienced player.

Langdon, a shade of his former self.

The you have TMac and BBB that should not play next year.

Lots of work to do in our list, this off season can be as important as the 2019 was.

 

15 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Probably we will need to start moving away from some of those leaders from 2021, unless to they can be better next year.

See Salem and Langdon.

Salem had a good game I think last night but mentally he made too many mistakes for an experienced player.

Langdon, a shade of his former self.

The you have TMac and BBB that should not play next year.

Lots of work to do in our list, this off season can be as important as the 2019 was.

 

Salem gave it everything last night but his decision making was likely impacted by his own trust in his fitness, speed, penetration.

He’s had a nightmare 2 years of injury. I hope and expect he’ll bounce back with a full preseason.

We need to play a 3rd wingman next year and take the load off Hunter and Langdon in season and get them fresher for the big games if they’re still up for it. 

Have to experiment with asking them to be more creative rather than consistently wide and defensive side too. If you always know your wingers are out for the easy option you’ll always take it. But the trade off is you’re hemmed in at half back with no room to attack. 

It sure is.

I won't mention injuries because there are too many other factors.

We have just week after week , ignored our shocking kicks at goal.Gawn has a serious problem with this. The look and fear in his face lining up says it all.

Last year our fwd line in Fritta and Milk choked and did very little in the two finals.

This year it was Fritta and aTmac.

Well done Jvr for getting suspended. 

Who was the genius who thought Grundy and gawn could play fwd?

Did they look at any Grundy video. The fact that he can't mark. Did they forget gawn can't kick goals? Well played.

After Bbb and Tmac fell away last year why didn't we do something?

Poor recruitment.  Poor coaching. Poor skills. Another Poor finals effort.

Why has Chandler been gifted games every week.

Jordan can move on.

I don't want to see tmac ever play a game again. 

I want a new skills coach.

I want bbb desisted.

We also have absolutely no depth anymore. 

17 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Probably we will need to start moving away from some of those leaders from 2021, unless to they can be better next year.

See Salem and Langdon.

Salem had a good game I think last night but mentally he made too many mistakes for an experienced player.

Langdon, a shade of his former self.

The you have TMac and BBB that should not play next year.

Lots of work to do in our list, this off season can be as important as the 2019 was.

 

Salem and Langdon aren't suited to our current style. Unless we return to 2021 form where our games are more open and free flowing, they will be liabilities. I honestly feel like we looked like a better team without Salem this year. They're both Ferraris (or try to be) in a garage of Mustangs and Ford Escorts. They just don't apply the pressure suited. They're downhill skiers. I honestly think Langdon lost probably 5-6 key battles the past two weeks that led to goals. He also kicked it out on the full like 5 times last night. 

I see it slightly differently. Last night loss was so disappointing but the killer blow was the week before.

What was common across both games was inaccurate kicking for goal and some key injuries. (The umpiring was atrocious in the Carlton game).

Had we beaten Collingwood we were in the box seat. Had we beaten Carlton it would have been doable but very tough.  That is how close the competition is. So close yet so far away.

I reckon you always need a bit of luck (with injuries) to go all the way. Premierships are extremely hard to come by (one in eighteen chance).

Very disappointed but still very much looking forward to seeing what we can achieve next year.

Yes, absolutely it was wasted. We will go into 2024 as the most under pressure team with the chokers tag (and probably Goodwin as coach) a long with the Dogs and Bevo.

Call me crazy, but going into 2021 we were the team with the most pressure coming into the year and Goodwin was the most under pressure coach. Maybe this time we’ll make the right changes and storm through September in 2024?

Our H&A season this year was below 2022 with both close losses and wins. In 2022 we had the famous 26 points of indecision where we would get out to a near five goal lead and blow it. We rarely got to 26 point leads in 2023 it seems.

As others have said our best this year was not as good as previous years but the other teams are not stand outs either so perhaps we might have pinched the big one. Straight sets is burningly disappointing though.

It will take me a while to get over Goodwin's SF selection and I will never agree with Schache as sub selection over Grundy (or anybody for that matter)

Edited September 16, 20231 yr by Diamond_Jim

In 2021 we were the best team in it and won. In 2022 and 2023 we were not the best team in it and didn’t. I feel like it’s been kinda fair so far. We should have made the prelims at least once though, which is hard to swallow. It burns, in fact.

Just glad we took our chances in 2021 after Bontempelli’s goal. 

 

8 hours ago, Superunknown said:

We are wasting generational talent. There should be 2-3 more flags in this list - if they could kick straight 

poor kicking , poor decision making . Please can we draft smart decision makers and clean disposers with composure 

By definition, if we (still) need smart decision-makers and clean disposers then there are shortcomings with the list.

5 hours ago, leave it to deever said:

I won't mention injuries because there are too many other factors.

You have to mention injuries - especially when most have been from the forward line. Single biggest factor IMV.  I don't know that we had the same forward setup any two weeks in a row. Which was never going to win us a premiership.

I suspect that the master plan was to get through till 2024 with McDonald and Brown as keys, then have JVR take over with some help from Luke Jackson. Injuries and Jackson leaving have left us undermanned, with predictable results. 

5 hours ago, leave it to deever said:

After Bbb and Tmac fell away last year why didn't we do something?

Perhaps because there was nothing to be done. There were no quality KPF's available/changing clubs in last year's trade period, and we did the next best in going to the draft with Jefferson. We even threw the magnets around with Petty forward (but injuries ...) and had Joel Smith train up as a forward over the pre-season (but injuries again). 

In sport as in life there just aren't an infinite set of possibilities in response to "do something".

A lost opportunity not a wasted season.  Our best was as good as whoever wins this years flag.  If you look at who's left we've beaten Carlton, Brisbane and Collingwood and lost by less than a goal to GWS and Port. Unfortunately we couldn't beat Collingwood and Carlton when it really counted.  Despite our flaws, and we have a couple of big ones, we are practically the equal of anyone left.  Goodwin is aware of our list limitations hence his gameplan.  We lack midfield polish (often a price you pay for a reliance on contest) and our issues forward are there for everyone to see.  That will take time to remedy - recruiting and skills coaching and perhaps an adjustment to the game plan.  

Teams below us are coming - sides like Adelaide.  We will have some significant list changes which should readjust our age and experience profile.  I'd not be surprised to see us move back a little next year to relaunch.  I'd also not be surprised to see an on-field leadership change. Not advocating one but I believe Max has flagged he's not got long left as skipper. Time for renewal all round.

57 minutes ago, Bang Bang Bang said:

In 2021 we were the best team in it and won. In 2022 and 2023 we were not the best team in it and didn’t. I feel like it’s been kinda fair so far. We should have made the prelims at least once though, which is hard to swallow. It burns, in fact.

Just glad we took our chances in 2021 after Bontempelli’s goal. 

 

This is right and I have to admit part of the reason I’m so annoyed about another straight sets exit is that I overrated us.

2022 we clearly weren’t going well in the second half of the year but I talked myself around and convinced myself we were coasting into the finals and would hit the gas when we got there and go back to back. We had no gas left and I should’ve seen that coming.

2023 I had reservations again. We’d lost more games than ‘21 and ‘22, were sitting lower on the ladder, had injuries but I still convinced myself we’d come good when it counted. Yes if we hit some targets against the pies we’re in a prelim, yes if we kick straight one more time against the blues we’re off to the Gabba but maybe this is just where we’re at. 

12 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Perhaps because there was nothing to be done. There were no quality KPF's available/changing clubs in last year's trade period, and we did the next best in going to the draft with Jefferson. We even threw the magnets around with Petty forward (but injuries ...) and had Joel Smith train up as a forward over the pre-season (but injuries again). 

In sport as in life there just aren't an infinite set of possibilities in response to "do something".

Tiges hit the jackpot snagging Lynch and getting 2 more flags, Grundy was the only option we had in trade period last year - there was no one else to be had. 

2 minutes ago, Swooper1987 said:

A lost opportunity not a wasted season.  Our best was as good as whoever wins this years flag.  If you look at who's left we've beaten Carlton, Brisbane and Collingwood and lost by less than a goal to GWS and Port. Unfortunately we couldn't beat Collingwood and Carlton when it really counted.  Despite our flaws, and we have a couple of big ones, we are practically the equal of anyone left.  Goodwin is aware of our list limitations hence his gameplan.  We lack midfield polish (often a price you pay for a reliance on contest) and our issues forward are there for everyone to see.  That will take time to remedy - recruiting and skills coaching and perhaps an adjustment to the game plan.  

Teams below us are coming - sides like Adelaide.  We will have some significant list changes which should readjust our age and experience profile.  I'd not be surprised to see us move back a little next year to relaunch.  I'd also not be surprised to see an on-field leadership change. Not advocating one but I believe Max has flagged he's not got long left as skipper. Time for renewal all round.

At the Clutch ,Viney turns ball over with a terrible kick on the right And Mcvee doesn’t get his fist to ball Game over None of that matters if Max doesn’t touch Oliver’s kick 

Wasted in that we shouldn’t go out in straight sets but don’t think either this or last year we were the best side. I don’t think a flag has been left on the table