19 minutes ago, Young Angus said:

I don’t think we tried particularly hard, nor did we need to for any reason at all. Who cares about pride, absolute dead rubber for us apart from a better draft pick by losing which is actually a good thing. 
 

Good result I say, no need to put people on the line and risk injury. This was part of 2025 preparation and the boys did well. Bravo, now am excited about 2025 nothing about this game mattered apart from losing gracefully and injury free for us. 
 

Crappy attitude? Or just the pragmatic truth?

I get it, but I don't like it. What did the Pies have to play for? How was it any different for them? And they still showed up and spanked us. Again.

Just shows the difference between a club that plays with pride and wanting to win, and the [censored] that we've served up too many times this year, and too many times against that club over the last few years.

2 minutes ago, Mickey said:

I get it, but I don't like it. What did the Pies have to play for? How was it any different for them? And they still showed up and spanked us. Again.

Just shows the difference between a club that plays with pride and wanting to win, and the [censored] that we've served up too many times this year, and too many times against that club over the last few years.

I hear you, and I don’t like it either, but imagine if we played our guts out and copped an injury in the process. I do think the pies still had something to play for though. Not only a mathematical chance of making finals even if it were slim, but also Nick Daicos Brownlow votes. They would have all been out on the field with that in mind.

I do hear you though, we should have served up something better than that but really I doesn’t matter, I’ll be upset if we serve up that [censored] again next year. 

5 hours ago, bing181 said:

And ... gives us an easier fixture next year. 2 x North, 2 x Richmond, 2 x West Coast, here we come.

That's an excellent point.

6 hours ago, Brownie said:

I really think we are not fit enough to compete in finals either.  We seem incredibly slow.

The Pies ran right over us with their fitness as well as our poor skills etc etc.

There's no easy fix.

Big changes are needed.

Our fitness coach should be under serious scrutiny.

At least we won’t have to worry about late nights next year, back to our cosy Sunday arvo slot we go.

 

8 hours ago, Red But Mostly Blue said:

Lame. Not the boost we wanted to instil some confidence in 2025 but I guess we’ll just have to do with reassurances in the offseason that we’ll fix everything that need fixing and go again next year. 

Until then, it’s just a game…it’s just a game… it’s just a game… it’s just a game… it’s just a game… it’s just a game… 

(I say as I rock myself to sleep after being belted by the pies, again). 

 

We're all in the same boat. There we are, drowning in the consequences of the season set-up from the AFL cabinet yet remain unheard, damaged and abused whilst the tide turns us way out to sea. The greatest turn-around of the last decade is before us with only months of engineering ahead in order to prevent the impending capsize; pass me a lifejacket, please, and a compass that works.

Last night looked a bit like the Bulldogs game where we could've lost by a lot more if the opposition had finished better in front of goal. Our midfield was non-existent (somewhat understandably) and that's been the big issue for much of the year. With Brayshaw, Oliver, Petracca and Viney in the side the other coach ends up playing whack-a-mole but it's a different story with only Vines (being tagged?) in there. It wasn't just that though as Collingwood mostly owned us on the outside and in the air as well. 

It's difficult to gauge where we are as a side right now with key players missing and Windsor and McVee aside, not really knowing how much upside the rest of the young group has yet. Looking back it seems like we spent the whole season trying to play Harry Petty into form in the senior team for a measly 9 goal return. 

Comprehensively outclassed last night. Stark contrast in forward play. We don't have one. Pies excelled in this. Staying deep. Lead up marks close to goal.

Low midfield pressure had defence helpless..

Cannot hit a target for nuts. 

Lost huge talent for game so partially understandable but not the cause of the route.

Fascinating off season coming up.

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

@Demon Dynasty @layzie 

Take care the both of you. Times are certainly tough and I deal with these issue on a day to day basis as part of my line of work.

My DM is always open if in need of a chat.

Thanks Dazzle

 

1 hour ago, Young Angus said:

Who cares about pride

You might not care but i do. 

We were playing the pies. And they pantsed us. Again.

One of those nights where I questioned why I bothered making the journey from the outer south east, only to watch a miserable below par effort, game that get suspended for lightening and then trains delayed for what felt like an eternity due to some moron on the tracks….all in all a painful night we need to get our senior players match hard and committed next season. Too much left to kids tonight with predictable results. Can’t do much when half the side is sitting in a super box though.

7 hours ago, Brownie said:

I really think we are not fit enough to compete in finals either.  We seem incredibly slow.

The Pies ran right over us with their fitness as well as our poor skills etc etc.

There's no easy fix.

Big changes are needed.

The Pies turnover game makes us look slower than we are. We actually looked really fit against the Suns last week. That’s because their midfield is full of butchers who don’t punish off turnover. 

Nibbler…..

 

I thought we competed reasonably well given how out classed we were.

Our skills are bottom 4. Out attempts to move the ball through the corridor were hapless at times. We can't execute simple handballs at pace. It's a big concern.

On a positive, I really like what disco Turner has offered us this year. Showed well again last year, took some marks and kicked an excellent set shot in the 3rd. He has cemented his forward role for us.

We learned a lot of lessons last night, including:

Tomlinson is done. Slower than slow.

Hore is a VFL standard player. Too slow, poor kick and decision maker  

McVee is not a midfielder. He isn’t quick enough off the mark or strong enough. And he has an ordinary left foot.

Laurie is a VFL standard player. Too slow. Too small. 

Woewodin is not up to it. 

Salem is not quick enough. (We already know this.)

Fritsch is only a valuable player if played close to goal. For a skilful player, he is an ordinary kick inside 50. 

14 minutes ago, WheeloRatings said:

 

Thanks mate.

We were essentially -27 points in pressure for the first 3 quarters and it showed. Collingwood waltzed the ball out of our defensive 50 with absolute ease and at the other end we simply couldn’t or wouldn’t lay a glove on them. An all too familiar theme this year.

Our pressure has generally stunk this year and it was a hallmark and brand of Goodwin coached sides as recently as last year. Without that, what is Goodwin’s point of difference as a coach?

List mgt has been exposed, losing 3 x top 5 picks mids , Brayshaw , Oliver Trac plus defenders May & Levef there’s 5 AA! Not letting Goodwin & Co off the hook but remove the equivalent in the majority of teams you are struggling 

2 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Thanks mate.

We were essentially -27 points in pressure for the first 3 quarters and it showed. Collingwood waltzed the ball out of our defensive 50 with absolute ease and at the other end we simply couldn’t or wouldn’t lay a glove on them. An all too familiar theme this year.

Our pressure has generally stunk this year and it was a hallmark and brand of Goodwin coached sides as recently as last year. Without that, what is Goodwin’s point of difference as a coach?

Goodwin has built a good game plan around Max, Petracca, Salem, May and Lever. I think he’s coached particularly well the last two seasons. 

2022 we erred by not adjusting our methods midway through the season. 

6 hours ago, bing181 said:

And ... gives us an easier fixture next year. 2 x North, 2 x Richmond, 2 x West Coast, here we come.

You’d like to think so but we lost to West Coast and were a Kynan Brown tackle away from losing to North. I still haven’t recovered from witnessing that first half of football in the Anzac Eve game against Richmond. That was the worst standard of skill from two professional sporting organisations that I have ever seen. Was a surreal feeling on the train home, it was like both teams lost. 
We have some good kids coming through. We need a mini reset and look towards the next window which is a few years away. We need to go to the draft and get some midfielders with skill, speed and a high football iq and go from there. The game plan also needs a massive overhaul. Everything about the Melbourne Football Club is conservative. It is a tag we need to shake. 

17 minutes ago, Fat Tony said:

We learned a lot of lessons last night, including:

Tomlinson is done. Slower than slow.

Hore is a VFL standard player. Too slow, poor kick and decision maker  

McVee is not a midfielder. He isn’t quick enough off the mark or strong enough. And he has an ordinary left foot.

Laurie is a VFL standard player. Too slow. Too small. 

Woewodin is not up to it. 

Salem is not quick enough. (We already know this.)

Fritsch is only a valuable player if played close to goal. For a skilful player, he is an ordinary kick inside 50. 

The other thing to mention is that our forward line is not as deficient in marking power as the football world believes. I’m not sure I would chase key forwards but we could do with another electric small forward. Bobby Hill was very damaging last night. JVR and Turner will be good players. 

I also didn’t understand why Kynan Brown didn’t play. He has the pace and tenacity we missed. 

39 minutes ago, sisso said:

One of those nights where I questioned why I bothered making the journey from the outer south east, only to watch a miserable below par effort, game that get suspended for lightening and then trains delayed for what felt like an eternity due to some moron on the tracks….all in all a painful night we need to get our senior players match hard and committed next season. Too much left to kids tonight with predictable results. Can’t do much when half the side is sitting in a super box though.

I wish I hadnt to be honest

8 hours ago, Demon Dynasty said:

 

I'm just saying, from where i sat, the body language and no show on 7 might not auger well in terms of where his future lies as a footballer be it with us or wherever.  Time will tell of course and hope i'm wrong.

You seem to be in a reasonable place. (That’s Good). This para also seems to ring true.

i do wonder sometimes how some footballers would go, if they had no football ability.  
we need big changes for 2025. Fitness, players, list management, skill, strategy, delivery into the f50.  Dare I say coaching staff,

but IMO most of all in player management and rehabilitation. In terms of recovery, resting through the season, and selection for specific roles.

no point in playing late in august or September with 7 or 8 senior list players watching from the stands, with the rest of us.

have we learnt nothing from 22, 23 and this year. It seems not, 

1 hour ago, Young Angus said:

Poor Billings I felt genuinely sad for him in that moment. 

He doesn't deserve your sympathy. He's not good enough and has already cost plenty with his appalling finishing. He's not good enough and is emblematic of our poor trading over the past two years.