On 30/03/2025 at 08:01, DemonWA said:

Yesterday the whole team fumbled and looked unsure about what to do with or without the ball. Clearly unsure about what this new game plan is.

Goal kicking aside, that's quite different that the 2023 finals series where we looked like a strong and confident team.

This is a team comprised of many seasoned players ( albeit a handful of kids perhaps ) but a lot of games under belts. A Coach who's been there a decade.

And we were diabolical. We were shizen.

There's no energy, no passion ,no composure , no coherency.... no nothing.

We played on our deck, on a reasonably weathered day.

We were/are bad.

We're trending towards an abyss

Our game is best described as comedy it's THAT bad at times.

Do I relish this ? [censored] NO !!

Do I think this is about to miraculously turn around ? To be frank .... based on what ?

There is absolutely no evidence we actually know how to play a competent game style.

If we were chefs we'd burn water presently.

There are just no excuses for serving up the rubbish we're seeing

  On 30/03/2025 at 08:26, Benny Dee said:

Brisbane were terrible and hawks were on the way for a wooden spoon

Yeah nah they weren't. Have another go.

Go look at their results for the from the first three round compared to us.

Yes they were losing but not to the significance as what ours is.

  On 30/03/2025 at 07:52, roy11 said:

the mood around me in the mcc on Saturday was very low, even early in the game.

Everyone seemingly Deemoralised

Thats because we have form at being crud

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:09, beelzebub said:

This is a team comprised of many seasoned players ( albeit a handful of kids perhaps ) but a lot of games under belts. A Coach who's been there a decade.

And we were diabolical. We were shizen.

There's no energy, no passion ,no composure , no coherency.... no nothing.

We played on our deck, on a reasonably weathered day.

We were/are bad.

We're trending towards an abyss

Our game is best described as comedy it's THAT bad at times.

Do I relish this ? [censored] NO !!

Do I think this is about to miraculously turn around ? To be frank .... based on what ?

There is absolutely no evidence we actually know how to play a competent game style.

If we were chefs we'd burn water presently.

There are just no excuses for serving up the rubbish we're seeing

Which players have improved since the end of the 23 season?

That tells you a whole lot about this mob.

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:05, Acquaintance Be Forgot said:

Yes, this decline has been coming for a while. Reminds me of the famous quote: "How did you go bankrupt? Two ways: Gradually, then suddenly"

Seems to me we have hit the suddenly part after being gradual since 2023

i'd argue the gradual started the minute plugger mac hurt his foot under the roof at docklands in the closing minutes of us going 10-0 to start 2022

we have never looked the same without him and sideshow bob as our primary tall forwards

I’ve never liked a Goodwin and I never will.

That said, he has had a few good coaching years and some bad, but the last few I’ve hated as you could see the way the game was trending and he still sat with a too tall, slow moving team and implemented a bland game of football. It’s like being forced to only eat boiled white rice for every meal because you have the constant runs.

This team, is bland, it’s boring and it favours a union rugby maul more than skill.

I pretty much never go to games anymore, it’s not worth the long drives and costs, and yeah I felt this way when we were winning, but the wins glossed over it a bit.

I’ve been a member for 30yrs and would attend 15+ games even during the Neeld years, but now I have zero care to go to a Melbourne game.

will we start winning games? Maybe. Do I think so… nope. I think 5 wins maximum this year.

Will we stay bland and boring. I reckon so.

Edited March 30Mar 30 by Gorgoroth

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:28, Gorgoroth said:

I’ve never liked a Goodwin and I never will.

That said, he has had a few good coaching years and some bad, but the last few I’ve hated as you could see the way the game was trending and he still sat with a too tall, slow moving team and implemented a bland game of football. It’s like being forced to only eat boiled white rice for every meal because you have the constant runs.

This team, is bland, it’s boring and it favours a union rugby maul more than skill.

I pretty much never go to games anymore, it’s not worth the long drives and costs, and yeah I felt this way when we were winning, but the wins glossed over it a bit.

I’ve been a member for 30yrs and would attend 15+ games even during the Neeld years, but now I have zero care to go to a Melbourne game.

will we start winning games? Maybe. Do I think so… nope. I think 5 wins maximum this year.

Will we stay bland and boring. I reckon so.

Goodwin won’t see out the Season if this trend continues…

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:28, Gorgoroth said:

I’ve never liked a Goodwin and I never will.

That said, he has had a few good coaching years and some bad, but the last few I’ve hated as you could see the way the game was trending and he still sat with a too tall, slow moving team and implemented a bland game of football. It’s like being forced to only eat boiled white rice for every meal because you have the constant runs.

This team, is bland, it’s boring and it favours a union rugby maul more than skill.

I pretty much never go to games anymore, it’s not worth the long drives and costs, and yeah I felt this way when we were winning, but the wins glossed over it a bit.

I’ve been a member for 30yrs and would attend 15+ games even during the Neeld years, but now I have zero care to go to a Melbourne game.

will we start winning games? Maybe. Do I think so… nope. I think 5 wins maximum this year.

Will we stay bland and boring. I reckon so.

Sounds like its time for you to pick another team then if you have lost interest this much. Good luck to you.

  On 30/03/2025 at 10:02, Young Blood said:

Sounds like its time for you to pick another team then if you have lost interest this much. Good luck to you.

I'll never not follow Melbourne, but I sure as [censored] prefer the way other teams play the game.

But you are right, I have lost some interest, and that's in the game as a whole, I use to watch lots of games and AFL tv shows, now I go on demonland and follow a little bit of content on twitter, watch the Dees and maybe have another game or two on in the back ground.

As much as I think Goodwin needs to go, it is much too early in the season to be sacking a coach. Though I think 2025 should be his last (unless he gets us to a prelim 🤪).

I think the playing group, in particular the leadership group, need to have a good look at themselves. Not even the greatest of coaches would be able to fix some of the decision making and skills that have been displayed the last 6 quarters.

That’s squarely on the playing group. The lack of talk out on the field and willingness to 2-way run is all about effort and completely between the ears.

Selection statements need to be made. Give senior games to those that put in and give their all.

When all is said and done, more is said than done.

While I will still be going to games and supporting the club, the last two games have been a continuation of the downturn which began, truthfully, in 2023. Even though we made top 4 that year, there were not that many games where we looked convincing. Last year, maybe the Dogs and Hawks games early on were dominant performances but, after that, we were not very good at all.

This season, apart from a workmanlike performance against GWS, we have regressed. I can’t believe that a whole squad of professional sportsmen have not been able to grasp and implement a change in game style. Sure - it may take a few games to perfect, but I literally cannot see what the new game plan is - I really can’t. It’s very much like 22 individuals playing together for the first time.

  On 30/03/2025 at 10:07, Gorgoroth said:

I'll never not follow Melbourne, but I sure as [censored] prefer the way other teams play the game.

But you are right, I have lost some interest, and that's in the game as a whole, I use to watch lots of games and AFL tv shows, now I go on demonland and follow a little bit of content on twitter, watch the Dees and maybe have another game or two on in the back ground.

You’re not the only one

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:05, Acquaintance Be Forgot said:

Yes, this decline has been coming for a while. Reminds me of the famous quote: "How did you go bankrupt? Two ways: Gradually, then suddenly"

Seems to me we have hit the suddenly part after being gradual since 2023

I've never heard that quote before. Very apt.

My favourite has always been a Cromwell: "When you stop getting better, you stop being good".

We had 13 premiership players play on Saturday.

Only 3 of them are over 30. This means 10 of them should be in or near enough to their prime. And it's not like Max, may and tmac are slouches.

Fans only ever want to see effort. Repeat efforts. How many repeat gut busting efforts did you see on Saturday? 1? 2? Maybe?

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:09, beelzebub said:

If we were chefs we'd burn water presently.

To be fair, there is no way we would burn the water.

We likely will have fumbled the pot and quickly thrown it to a team mate who didn't have time to fill it, and then missed putting it on the stove!!

Umpire would have called 'not 15' and we would have argued that the umpire wouldn't know his way around a kitchen, which leads to the pot being marched 50m to a house down the road where the young couple that own it succinctly fill the pot and boil it without issue.

[censored] I hate the Kitchen League!!!

  On 30/03/2025 at 08:36, BDA said:

and our forward problems have been there for 3 years unremedied. thats on the coaches.

The coaches can only work with the players at their disposal, for better or worse. e.g., you can't go into a match with the forward line from your VFL team and expect to not get taken to the cleaners, no matter how they're coached.

One of the biggest issues is that Ben Brown was traded in as a 50 goal/year forward, but was hardly able to get on the field post 2021. Not age either, BB is only a few months older than Jeremy Cameron (for example). Clearly the plan was that he would hold down a KPF role while younger players came through. That hasn't happened, which has left us exposed.

They've tried to address this through Fullarton (hasn't worked), Grundy/Max (didn't work), trading in Derkson as a reinforcement (GWS wouldn't let him go), and eventually landing on Aidan Johnson (too early to tell). Will be interesting to see what happens this trade period, though once again, you can only trade from the available pool. Suspect that an established KPF will be high on the shopping list.

Edited March 30Mar 30 by bing181

  On 30/03/2025 at 19:06, bing181 said:

The coaches can only work with the players at their disposal, for better or worse. e.g., you can't go into a match with the forward line from your VFL team and expect to not get taken to the cleaners, no matter how they're coached.

One of the biggest issues is that Ben Brown was traded in as a 50 goal/year forward, but was hardly able to get on the field post 2021. Not age either, BB is only a few months older than Jeremy Cameron (for example). Clearly the plan was that he would hold down a KPF role while younger players came through. That hasn't happened, which has left us exposed.

They've tried to address this through Fullarton (hasn't worked), Grundy/Max (didn't work), trading in Derkson as a reinforcement (GWS wouldn't let him go), and eventually landing on Aidan Johnson (too early to tell). Will be interesting to see what happens this trade period, though once again, you can only trade from the available pool. Suspect that an established KPF will be high on the shopping list.

‘The forward line is lacking quality KPFs’ is off the mark.

Contested marks in the F50 are increasingly rare and Richmond’s ‘bring it to ground’ strategy is old.

Have a look at who is kicking goals at Hawthorn. Mabior Chol is arguably their only tall down there and they are lighting the comp up.

It’s about the way you get it in there and the way the players in there are instructed to use the space. We are truly miles behind at both.

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:26, whatwhat say what said:

i'd argue the gradual started the minute plugger mac hurt his foot under the roof at docklands in the closing minutes of us going 10-0 to start 2022

we have never looked the same without him and sideshow bob as our primary tall forwards

My view as well. I think we were 9 goals to 1 against St Kilda halfway through the 2nd when he did it. Forward line has not been the same since and in 2021 it was seriously elite. Seeing Petty shifted forward on Saturday reinforced that without a marking CHF option, were stuck.

  On 30/03/2025 at 20:41, Waltham33 said:

My view as well. I think we were 9 goals to 1 against St Kilda halfway through the 2nd when he did it. Forward line has not been the same since and in 2021 it was seriously elite. Seeing Petty shifted forward on Saturday reinforced that without a marking CHF option, were stuck.

It was glaring how much he lead at the ball carrier and flew for his marks compared to those down there all day, like JVR and AJ

I listened to 64 on the radio and started going on my own by 67/68. We still had legendary players running around, Tassie kicking out to the Centre from fullback and up to a dozen stars of 64 and other flags from our great run. The parallels are a bit spooky although now we have the draft rather than some tired old men scouting our country and city zone.

  On 30/03/2025 at 13:31, Left Foot Snap said:

I've never heard that quote before. Very apt.

My favourite has always been a Cromwell: "When you stop getting better, you stop being good".

The quote is from a character in the novel The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway. It’s sometimes used in business.

Your quote is pretty apt too.

Why don’t we have a CEO, who’s managing this mess, too many mates, too close to each other, recipe for disaster.

  On 30/03/2025 at 09:19, dazzledavey36 said:

Yeah nah they weren't. Have another go.

Go look at their results for the from the first three round compared to us.

Yes they were losing but not to the significance as what ours is.

Also ...Guess when Brissy's losing streak ended in a Flag worthy display at the G that showed they were anything but done.

The Hawks were also coming off a long rebuild and still putting the pieces together to get off the bottom. You could also start to see a style and method in the way Mitchell was pushing them to play.

Some of the comparisons on here are just clutching at straws.

Our last 18 weeks have been nothing short of an abomination.

We have no strength in any aspect of the game and oppo teams know this. They just play their own game / methods and style knowing we'll eventually capitulate in the 2nd half. There is no fear or respect anymore from them and mediocre teams like GC are actually starting to bully us off the ball etc.

I can handle having a sub standard list. That was always bound to happen at some point and a mini rebuild or more needed.

But it's the way too many in this team put up the white flag, don't play for each other, play with almost zero care, fail to show g&d and slip into amateur footy too often that's unneceptable for mine.

Casey's list is in a similar position at the moment. Actually probably more decimated in terms of top end experienced talent. But you still see them putting their bodies on the line, staying strong over the footy, sticking tackles and maintaining a structure and method that the team attempts to play to. They run in support all day getting numbers to the contest. The attitude is still solid and they stick at it all day.

Edited March 30Mar 30 by Demon Dynasty

  On 30/03/2025 at 08:20, dazzledavey36 said:

We are no where near the calibre of Hawthorn and Brisbane of last year.

Stupid comparisons really.

Even Hawthorn when they were bad were playing with structure and dare.

  On 30/03/2025 at 08:20, dazzledavey36 said:

We are no where near the calibre of Hawthorn and Brisbane of last year.

Stupid comparisons really.

Hawthorn were awful early in the year. No-one thought they would finish beyond bottom 4. Brisbane were unlucky with their losses and still looked good.