well at least the disappointment of this loss is overshadowed by the shock of seeing a barefoot child in the mcg toilets.

Headless chooks and witches hats at the same time.

On the way to the game, l stood next to a fellow supporter on the tram.

A stranger.Any way ll asked how we were going to go today.

He said l’m not sure and we started chatting.

He is down for the weekend from the Gold Coast .

I asked him has Hardwick improved the team?

180% he said.

And we have just seen the result.

7 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

So for at least the first half our half back movement was hardly rapid but actually pretty solid. But every time we got it to midfield one of our horrendous mids would either bomb it, stop for no reason or do a meaningless sideways handball back in to traffic.

The only guy playing with freedom was Langford. He’s hardly a great kick but he makes easy natural decisions and actual looks who he is kicking too. When he got the ball I had confidence he’d give a forward a chance. With anyone else - pure yuck.

Gawn, Viney, Oliver, Tracc and Sparrow only know one way and they’re now so scared to bomb it long they aren’t even doing that when we’ve got numbers goal side.

Maybe they’ll start to get the hang of it soon but until they get the balance right between the game plan and just natural smart footy they’ll be nowhere and we’ll have constant turnovers.

The only sensible post on this topic.

There were 12 or so premiership players playing today.

Structure is shot, as is method. And unforced errors!

Midfield has gone from best in comp to worst? Max is getting belted. Viney was poor and pushed out of the road twice by Flanders.

Stop the weekly changes and back the current players. Remember Brisbane was 0-6 last year and Hawthorn 0-5.

Hope springs eternal.

Finally, effort wasn't the problem today, method was.

4 minutes ago, Dave1711 said:

The coach is just rubbish, he’s wasted the best list we’ve had for 60 years, 1 flag should have been 3-4, Clarkson or Dimma would have got 3-4 flags but no, we’ve got Goodwin, and they knew he was rubbish but they wouldn’t get rid of him

Please. Look at the key forwards, flanker depth and skill level those teams had that we never did.

We maximised our best year, chased the same thing in 22 (no team has gone back to back after their first flag since Brisbane) then had some stiff luck in 23.

Plenty of other stuff went wrong since of which coaching is a big factor but it’s just mad to suggest any coach would’ve done better. Especially with the way our list has dropped off year on year.

The reason we won a flag to begin with was we designed a game plan around our inside mids bullying sides. The reason we stink now is because that same midfield just can’t play this new style.

2 hours ago, rolling fog said:

Why would Trac even want to stay?

Majority of the team phoning in a performance in front of a ~20k crowd when he could be on the big stage.

Who could blame him.

Trac can F off

Mids seem to be more concerned with their opponent than being on the move at stoppages. Kosi will help with that but won't make a massive difference.

17 minutes ago, Dave1711 said:

We have been good with this list, mentally something wrong, with Kozzie back next week pretty sure it will be different but Goodwin has got to go

Surely next week has to be the coach killer.

Why wasn't Langford been playing from round 1?

AJ and Sharp combined well for a goal when we really needed it and then both benched.

Edited March 29Mar 29 by Brownie

I think we now know, why we haven’t and cannot recruit a decent Forward.

Why would any decent forward want to be Coached by Goodwin?

He has no idea forward of centre.

I listened to the presser so you don’t have to.

Blah blah blah method, blah blah blah not at the level, blah blah.

Only useful things that were said were Pickett, Windsor and Lever back next week. Plus Spargo if he gets through the protocols.

Re: Lindsay injury, not sure, hadn’t really heard. Which I think is slightly positive as they often know straight away with the ACLs 🤞🏼

2 minutes ago, godees said:

I listened to the presser so you don’t have to.

Blah blah blah method, blah blah blah not at the level, blah blah.

Only useful things that were said were Pickett, Windsor and Lever back next week. Plus Spargo if he gets through the protocols.

Re: Lindsay injury, not sure, hadn’t really heard. Which I think is slightly positive as they often know straight away with the ACLs 🤞🏼

AND JEFFO!!

Jeez the usual Conga line of Goodie acolytes who shot down any criticism of him in 2024 seem to have all faded away.

Fourteen years on and next week has an ominous 186 feel about it.... 😫

35 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

I made a few bold predictions in the Game Day thread. They were all wrong!!! Except one: that Matty Rowell needed to be minded. He wasn't. He ran free clocking up 13 clearances, 36 possessons, 7 tackles etc etc etc.

Why oh why did we not put someone on him. It was depressing watching him just waltz out of the centre with no one near him setting up play down the corridor.

FGS if this humble fan who knows little about football can identify Rowell as the danger man why could our coaches not!

The only good thing about he game is it was easy to get a seat on the train and arrived home in daylight! Well, Langdon and Langford deserve special mentions.

Bedford or Jordan might have been useful today for tagging Rowell!

1 minute ago, picket fence said:

AND JEFFO!!

I think he’s an extra week away. I didn’t hear him mention Jeffo, but I will admit I wasn’t listening that hard.

Watching Max’s postgame interview and he is a shell of the leader he once was. He looked dejected, made little eye contact and, to me, looked worried.

Mind you, doing an interview after you’ve been spanked for the second week in a row and openly admitting he’s out of form with a number of other teammates, wouldn’t be wonderful.

8 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I think we now know, why we haven’t and cannot recruit a decent Forward.

Why would any decent forward want to be Coached by Goodwin?

He has no idea forward of centre.

Goodwin, Stafford, Chaplin

No wonder JVR isn't kicking on, he needs someone in there coaching him how to develop as a key forward

We're getting baked in clearances. The numbers are at 5 year lows. I am not disputing the acquisition of Nathan Jones but I felt we needed a midfield coach with experience and someone who could help in a lot of midfield areas.

Why was there fleeting talk about Jimmy Bartel over the off season which suddenly went away? We needed new ideas I think.

There is something deeply amiss within the culture of this club.

3 minutes ago, Earl Hood said:

Bedford or Jordan might have been useful today for tagging Rowell!

Even Harmes

4 minutes ago, picket fence said:

AND JEFFO!!

Go and watch the 1 and a tiny bit games Jefferson had played at AFL level.

He's a spud.

2 hours ago, leave it to deever said:

Abswruckinlukely.

Falling headfirst into the abyss and lead by players who should know and play so much bloody better.

Total disgrace.

Goodbye Goody.

I defended you last week but I am totally unaware as to why.

So many senior players too busy counting their money and not caring about the club.

If only they were paid when they actually gave a toss.

Last week someone mentioned and complained some of the players were booed off.

Well another non effort like today and I for one would be leading the chorus.

It's official.

We stink.

This comment was unhelpful.

Goodwin presser:

Goodwin still believes Melbourne can recover from a winless start to 2025, but acknowledged the Demons have to fix their fundamentals after being soundly beaten in the contest (-18), clearance (-16) and in territory, losing the inside 50 count by 25.

"We are three weeks in and we acknowledge where we sit right now isn't where we want to be. It's not the level. We need to fix it," Goodwin said.

"We've got to get to work. We acknowledge that we've got too many players at the moment that aren't in the form they need to be in.

"As coaches we need to fix that. We need to help them. We need to get them in form. That's the first step to fixing your fundamentals. You could see the basics of the game weren't to the standard required. 

"We got punished by a team playing really strong footy. They look like they are full of confidence and are playing the right way. That's where we want to be. I certainly feel we have the potential to be there."

Just as an aside, the Suns jumper is one of the most mindless pieces of garbage I've ever seen.

2 hours ago, John Crow Batty said:

The cats just love playing weak dispirited and fractured sides down there. They will be merciless. 186 is in play.

Trac's body language wasn't off ( looking from the MCC member's stand). At times he was frustrated, disappointed at his inability to contribute in his normal manner.