Bad game, the MCG isn’t the cauldron that it could be.

Why don't we have any plans that suit what is happening on the field. 

Rayner was left to do what he wanted in the first half.

Our strategy of turning a game around by jumping on the ball or holding it in a scrum was useless. Where was our outside run. We showed no dare so as to get scoring chains happening. Why did we not put long stops in (too many going to ground). Oliver is not a half-back. The sub has to flexible enough to play various roles. Time to start developing specialist subs. Couldn't create forward marks. Where were our crumbers? Billing turns it over. They shadowed us and our leading was ordinary. Our connection was missing. Ball came out of our forward area too easily. We were playing without any angle on the deliveries. Poor decision making. We seemed to be focused on them and not playing our own game. Some of their precision footy, second efforts, breaking tackles and one percenters killed us. Too often behind the Brisbane players. What a bad second quarter. 

River stood up, Lever the best if us, Max and ANB tries their hearts out, Tmac is hard to beat, Tracc trying to do it by himself. We have to make each other better, not give them challenges, especially with the young players. 

Kolt did well for his first, love that he will stand up to the opposition. Bit of a ball magnet early on.

It's a long time till we get to make amends.

Edited April 11, 2024Apr 11 by kev martin

  On 11/04/2024 at 12:33, Gawndy the Great said:

It’s overcome with pressure. That’s why it doesn’t stand up in finals. 

That's correct.  Especially when Clarry is this far off his best.

The oppo just have to cool our main extractor in Vines and if they're clean with their first use and connect on the outside, we end up getting smashed at clearances.  Centre & Stoppage.

The only way of turning that around is to wrestle back those losses and start winning more of them.

Most teams don't have more than one main extractor in the 22 but when you come up against the best of the best and your main one is getting well covered or having an off night, you need a back up you can rely on.

In the past that has always been Clarry.  Sometimes he's even been THE main extractor ahead of Viney. 

When they're both on, there's almost no stopping us.

Conversely, when both are off their best, or in the case of Clarry in the last two weeks.... way off his best or not being played at CBs/ stoppages at all (ie;  playing out of position at HB), against top line oppo like tonight... we're toast.

The engine room was running on about one or two cylinders all night.  Some of best clearances had to come from fringe / make-do mids in ANB & Rivers (late).

Edited April 11, 2024Apr 11 by Demon Dynasty

  On 11/04/2024 at 13:51, Dingo said:

UNBELIEVABLE!

Sorry l didn’t explain but he has opposition players making fun of family serious health issues. Which you have also experienced.But did people mock you , like he has put up with?

  On 11/04/2024 at 13:00, wizardinoz said:

We have one in McAdam who is injured l reckon.

And he’ll likely be injured for the entire year. That hamstring/calf seems to be blowing out and on the back of no pre season will linger..

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:06, Doug Reemer said:

And he’ll likely be injured for the entire year. That hamstring/calf seems to be blowing out and on the back of no pre season will linger..

Too early to write him off just yet.  He's due back by Anzac eve but might have to build him via Casey for a stint before he comes in.

I think there’s enough excuses to say we can write that one off. They flogged us in rd2 last year, we got junk goals after the lights came on and made it respectable but they flogged us and in the end we still finished top 4.

Tonight Trac and Oliver had 20 and 18 respectively, that never happens and you wouldn’t think it’ll happen again. 

It didn’t look Melbourne-like at all when we had the ball, rushing, bad decisions, indecision. I think it was an aberration.

But (a big but), does make it hard to have confidence until we prove ourselves again. Need to go 2 out of the next 3 to be a contender I think. 

  On 11/04/2024 at 13:51, The heart beats true said:

There was an incident in the game tonight mid way through the first quarter where it looked, from where I sit, that Zorko stuck his leg out at Petty. It was 80 metres off the ball.

Was this shown on the TV, or been discussed at all anywhere?

Yeah, saw that. Stuck his leg out to kick/trip him as he was running past, then gave him a spray when he turned around to see who did it. 

He was copping it all game, getting the sort of questionable off-ball treatment usually reserved for Max.

Given he was having no influence on the game, is not the sort of player who would be super damaging anyway and the treatment carried on all game regardless, it seemed to me like nothing more than a completely unnecessary attack, which served no purpose other than to try and open old wounds.

Bullying isn't the right word in a sports context, but that's what it looked like. 

All class those Lions.
 

Edited April 11, 2024Apr 11 by JTR

If we had a top line quality 4th mid available tonight (Gus), i'm almost certain Clarry would have been managed for this match into the bye.

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:06, Doug Reemer said:

And he’ll likely be injured for the entire year. That hamstring/calf seems to be blowing out and on the back of no pre season will linger..

He won’t play more than 5 games. 

Just got home. Won't be watching no replay tonight.

The only positive from that woeful display was it gave me a chance to revisit a sledge from the dim past:

 'you're going nowhere lions - a half decent team would have flogged us by 10 goals'

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:11, Fromgotowoewodin said:

I think there’s enough excuses to say we can write that one off. They flogged us in rd2 last year, we got junk goals after the lights came on and made it respectable but they flogged us and in the end we still finished top 4.

Tonight Trac and Oliver had 20 and 18 respectively, that never happens and you wouldn’t think it’ll happen again. 

It didn’t look Melbourne-like at all when we had the ball, rushing, bad decisions, indecision. I think it was an aberration.

But (a big but), does make it hard to have confidence until we prove ourselves again. Need to go 2 out of the next 3 to be a contender I think. 

Whilst you can make an argument for that other sides are also improving so each season will change, we have to many players that are not instinct players that take to long to move the ball quickly or unable to see players that are free seconds count in this game and part of that is the system we play.

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:16, Gawndy the Great said:

He won’t play more than 5 games. 

If he’s lucky.

We're stretched a bit thin for our likely outs right now, so some will be really lucky to keep their spots. Here's what I can think of:

Maybe Moniz-Wakefield debut for a likely injured Salem.

Billings out, Kozzy in.

Whatever best performing vfl tall we can find for Petty (anything except Schache please).

Potentially Oliver out (I think he needs a short stint in the VFL to return to form) and Hunter in, depending on how both pull up. If both great bring Hunter in for Kolt.

If any VFL option for Brown we need to let him rest.

 

What do you all think we could see changed for Anzac Eve?

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:11, Fromgotowoewodin said:

I think there’s enough excuses to say we can write that one off. They flogged us in rd2 last year, we got junk goals after the lights came on and made it respectable but they flogged us and in the end we still finished top 4.

Tonight Trac and Oliver had 20 and 18 respectively, that never happens and you wouldn’t think it’ll happen again. 

It didn’t look Melbourne-like at all when we had the ball, rushing, bad decisions, indecision. I think it was an aberration.

But (a big but), does make it hard to have confidence until we prove ourselves again. Need to go 2 out of the next 3 to be a contender I think. 

That’s two ordinary showings from Oliver in a row. 
 

He ain’t the player he was.

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:11, Fromgotowoewodin said:

I think there’s enough excuses to say we can write that one off. They flogged us in rd2 last year, we got junk goals after the lights came on and made it respectable but they flogged us and in the end we still finished top 4.

Tonight Trac and Oliver had 20 and 18 respectively, that never happens and you wouldn’t think it’ll happen again. 

It didn’t look Melbourne-like at all when we had the ball, rushing, bad decisions, indecision. I think it was an aberration.

But (a big but), does make it hard to have confidence until we prove ourselves again. Need to go 2 out of the next 3 to be a contender I think. 

"Looks like an Adelaide hangover" is the description my neutral supporter friend used mid-way through the second. Three games in 13 days will do that to you I suppose. We just looked flat and tired almost from the very start.

There's obviously a lot to work on but I'm happy to write that one off.

The week off to refresh and reset will do us a world of good.

I certainly wouldn't want to be Richmond on Anzac Eve.

Apart from the poor execution when we did win the ball, and the brain fades to go along with it, there were a couple of glaring things to me. One was the lack of hunt of the footy at stoppages and centre bounces, until Viney switched on late in the third and the last quarters, and Riv went in the middle. The first three quarters there was hardly any one on the move around or through the contest - lots of trailing their opponents to the ball. Can't afford to let a bloke like Neale get moving and his hands on the ball first. He set them up to exit the contests at speed. The other was why Max was rarely a target down the line except in the last quarter. We persisted in kicking to an outnumber, or worse still, exactly where Harris Andrews was. I know Max spent quite a bit of time on the bench, but there were other periods where he was just motoring around the opposite side of the ground. Further to that JVR looked pretty 'Roo'ted tonite after some longer (?) stints on the ball, and going deeper in to defence. Saw his opponent run past him to receive a couple of times. Maybe Max was a bit banged up, although he certainly was trying to create at stoppage/centre bounces - playing to my point about lack of hunting the footy from mids at same.

Amongst the dross Tom McDonald didn't do much wrong. One of the few bright lights in a disappointing performance.

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:30, bing181 said:

Amongst the dross Tom McDonald didn't do much wrong. One of the few bright lights in a disappointing performance.

Thought he was outstanding.

Look, that was very bad, but at least the worst performance I've seen them put out in years is only a 22 point loss, with a few of those shocking umpiring decisions going our way it might've (somehow) only been 2 goals. One of last year's Grand Finalists playing at their best for the year can only beat us playing at our worst by 22 points.

I think we've had the hardest fixture so far this year, god knows why, in all their wisdom, the AFL chose to give Sydney the bye this week instead of us. Managing to go 4/6 is a pretty big achievement for what we've faced so far.

They get a big rest after a hectic last two weeks, and hopefully they come out firing. It's not over yet, the season's only just begun. We can go all the way this year.

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:39, croydick said:

Look, that was very bad, but at least the worst performance I've seen them put out in years is only a 22 point loss, with a few of those shocking umpiring decisions going our way it might've (somehow) only been 2 goals. One of last year's Grand Finalists playing at their best for the year can only beat us playing at our worst by 22 points.

I think we've had the hardest fixture so far this year, god knows why, in all their wisdom, the AFL chose to give Sydney the bye this week instead of us. Managing to go 4/6 is a pretty big achievement for what we've faced so far.

They get a big rest after a hectic last two weeks, and hopefully they come out firing. It's not over yet, the season's only just begun. We can go all the way this year.

See this is the slight problem I'm having with it all: 

The 2nd and 3rd quarter pur performance was literally at the pits of hell, we were not even marking lace-out balls. Then when the game had been buried with a shovel we kick a few junk time goals.

And that's nice, don't get me wrong that's really nice and no-one would rather minimise the damage of a loss than me. However there have been many, many games in the last few years where this has happened: Rd 2 against them last year, Gather Round against Essendon last year, Geelong games at the cattery, I could pick out a number of games where we were heading for a 10 goal loss and escaped it. Which is great, all you want is a competitive team but it's starting to mask the cracks a bit and some people instantly forget about the glaring problems we were facing 30 minutes earlier. I'm not going to be happy about our midfielders waving the white flag for the key moments of the game just because they looked ok when the heat was off.

It was no different tonight, while I was happy we fought back I just knew that there were going to be some who were ready to use it as a crutch. I do wonder about the kind of reality check our team and coaching staff would have if we actually did get belted one day.

Edited April 11, 2024Apr 11 by layzie

  On 11/04/2024 at 14:30, bing181 said:

Amongst the dross Tom McDonald didn't do much wrong. One of the few bright lights in a disappointing performance.

Good call.

Tmac was excellent all night

our midfield has been way down on clearances and contested football all season thus far

need to address that during the bye

Credit where credit is due. Brisvegas played a fantastic game across the park.  Tackle count was 82 to 53 to them. If there was a stat for 'effective tackles ' I'd suggest it would have been even more lopsided.  And how many smothers or a intercepting hand did they get in.    I don't think many teams (let alone them again) could have that sort of kicking efficiency and pressure around the ball indefinitely.

Our forward line needs to work out what sort of forward line it wants to be.  Is it a kick it to advantage and have our keys read the drop zone with crumbers.  Or it is a lead up and honour the short kick. Right now it's in between and means even 3 on 1s and 4 on 2s become a [censored] shoot with players not on the same page. 

Was worried about this game, said as much in prematch, in that I wouldn’t throw my toys out of the cot if we lost, still doesn’t mean I’m not very flat.

Looking forward I am a bit worried, however clearly want to say the attitude of the team is OK and very proud of MFC, they do care and I think they will be motivated in the return bout. Fagan was like a school boy at the press conference he was so stoked they knocked us off. They had a pretty good game, are a good team and that useless basterd Hipwood suddenly found his mojo, and Hibberd was the Cameron specialist. 

But what worries me is I think we have three issues going forward, one is down to luck, one can be fixed, and the other worries me as it seems endemic to our style. The issues are: Injuries, Mids, and Conditions.

The luck thing is injuries (and 3 games in two weeks) - we have a lot of niggles early, am sure Trac is carrying a leg injury, Petty is NQR, and that is not his attitude, Oliver was a mistake to play, we are missing Brayshaw and that hurts, Salem gone early, Bowey, Hore, Turner, Hunter (not that I’m that keen), McAdam, Melksham, Spargo, these injuries can change or not, but the reality is we are up against it early when we require collective effort to achieve the synergy our game plan requires. While noise is made about our stars, it is actually our team game that makes us awesome, I’m thinking we need freshening up because it is that team defense that allows us to transition back so well and we basically have too many midfield holes atm.

In terms of just poor performers -JvR is in trouble, would love to know why, McVee had a bad game and is mortal. Howes ditto, Brown needs to be spelled regardless of what he says.

The thing that needs fixing is the Midfield, we have had challenges all year and for a lot of last year, Kossie is basically our best speed through the middle, looking at Port/Sydney/GWS and today Brisbane, they all have higher top line speed (not necessarily effort). We work hard enough, it’s not a fitness issue, but we need more speed, Maybe we need Windsor on ball? Our pressure is ace in the middle, no bruise free players, but not sure how we are going to go with the best if we can’t get some speed. Contest alone is not enough anymore, we have been worked out there. I also think that is the worst you will see our stars play.

The 3rd issue for me is conditions and we’ve had this challenge for awhile, have spoken on this before post Sydney, but with our manic style we need a very good 1st touch, one fumble and the other team has caught us. Because we are a great team, work ethic, and defensively minded  etc, we get a lot of these booboos back. But the good teams are better with a slippery ball than us, if it is not a dry footy I am very nervous against the good teams. It seems like a long time since we were good in the wet, dew, humidity. I haven’t seen anything doe to address this.

Love that Langdon, May, Lever, (a goal, wow) Tmac, Chandler, ANB and the Captain all had a go. I thought even though they looked likely to lose from early, the team still played with pride, and I would have clapped them off anyway. 

It is such small percentages between winning and losing, I hope we find those inches. Love the team and the staff.

 

 

Edited April 11, 2024Apr 11 by DEE fence
Missed a word

  On 11/04/2024 at 13:16, wizardinoz said:

Time to move Petty back. The forward experiment needs to end. T Mac to CHF.

I'm gonna say no but you still walk away with the tumble dryer and drill set!