On 06/04/2025 at 08:18, Roost it far said:

Not IF we win my friend

That's a very BIG if. Average game score over 4 rounds for Melbourne is 62. Average score against Melbourne over 4 rounds is 102. Essendon are in a rebuild but Melbourne is in a free fall.

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:26, Van Demons Land said:

That's a very BIG if. Average game score over 4 rounds for Melbourne is 62. Average score against Melbourne over 4 rounds is 102. Essendon are in a rebuild but Melbourne is in a free fall.

Just out of interest, are you a Melbourne supporter?

Most of us don't refer to the club as "Melbourne" in every post. There's at least an occasional "we" or "us". Not sure I've ever seen you use those words.

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:23, whatwhat say what said:

wtf are you talking about

he's been a board member for a while

talking about his presidency not his involvement as a board member. Bad timing for him as this team is in all sorts.

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:27, titan_uranus said:

Just out of interest, are you a Melbourne supporter?

Most of us don't refer to the club as "Melbourne" in every post. There's at least an occasional "we" or "us". Not sure I've ever seen you use those words.

I've supported them since I was 8. I'll be 67 this year. Irrelevant that I call them Melbourne, that's their name as a football club. The Demons, Dees, whatever. I say it as I see it and they are in all sorts, unless you see something else when they play?

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:33, Van Demons Land said:

I've supported them since I was 8. I'll be 67 this year. Irrelevant that I call them Melbourne, that's their name as a football club. The Demons, Dees, whatever. I say it as I see it and they are in all sorts, unless you see something else when they play?

I've made it very clear that I think we're in more than just "all sorts".

I just find it jarring, to be honest, to read a 59-year supporter referring to our club as "them" and "Melbourne" and not "we" and "us", but anyway, you've got the runs on the board, it's your prerogative.

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:36, titan_uranus said:

I've made it very clear that I think we're in more than just "all sorts".

I just find it jarring, to be honest, to read a 59-year supporter referring to our club as "them" and "Melbourne" and not "we" and "us", but anyway, you've got the runs on the board, it's your prerogative.

what, yr suspicious of posters who joined five years ago, had nothing to say during our most successful period since the early 1960s, and now seem to love to pot the club at every opportunity?

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:40, whatwhat say what said:

what, yr suspicious of posters who joined five years ago, had nothing to say during our most successful period since the early 1960s, and now seem to love to pot the club at every opportunity?

No, I don't think so. Let's just say my face is the same as Christian Petracca's with how the club is playing its football.

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:45, Van Demons Land said:

No, I don't think so. Let's just say my face is the same as Christian Petracca's with how the club is playing its football.

i think we're all frustrated and upset about the club's performance

however, he has the capacity to do something about it

we're just keyboard warriors who cheer for laundry

I know we are playing abysmally - so far from anything that resembles the potential of this team. Its really unnerving.

I think its safe to say that finals is just borderline impossible.

We are playing so bad, i dont think it can actually get much worse- yes there is the potential for 100+ drubbings, but the talent on our list wont let that happen, not yet anyhow.

My concern is actually not with this year anymore, i think the damage is done. If we don't start to turn this ship around soon, its going to creep into next year too. Think similar to 2020 when we came good after the bye round. To me this would look like kicking more than 10 goals a game with a good balance of scores from turnover and stoppage. Good defensive half transition and some healthier stats in all phases of the game.

We must hit the bye round with at least 5 wins including an upset to a finals bound team. Hopefully then another 3-4 wins by the end of the season playing decent football - resembling the modern game - is about as best we can hope for. Failing this, we will likely be in no mans land again next year and probably less a few of our stars. If that happens then we are genuinely looking at a full rebuild, suggest you all find a different hobby for the next 5-10 years because i sure as [censored] dont have the patience to go through another one.

Anyone who wants us to finish 0-23 should go follow St Kilda

  On 06/04/2025 at 09:17, Clintosaurus said:

Anyone who wants us to finish 0-23 should go follow St Kilda

There's a chasm of difference , imo, to acknowledge we are very likely front runners for timber eating utensils as compared wishing us doughnuts !!

What is... is

  On 06/04/2025 at 09:17, Clintosaurus said:

Anyone who wants us to finish 0-23 should go follow St Kilda

They've got 3 wins btw....just sayin'

Well this thread has been a fun read

  On 06/04/2025 at 08:21, titan_uranus said:

Yeah but then again he's so out of form in the backline, maybe for his sake and our midfield's he needs to go into the middle and someone else needs to take his half-back minutes.

Like who? AMW out for the season, Lindsay, Lever and Hore injured, Howes not doing it … there are only so many small defenders on the list. About the only one left might be Seston, but is he up to AFL standard and fitness?

  On 06/04/2025 at 09:33, bing181 said:

Like who? AMW out for the season, Lindsay, Lever and Hore injured, Howes not doing it … there are only so many small defenders on the list. About the only one left might be Seston, but is he up to AFL standard and fitness?

We could throw anyone back there and they'd barely perform worse than Rivers right now.

This isn't a case of Rivers being strong at half-back but the team desperately needing a midfielder. This is a case of Rivers having no impact on matches, so maybe for his sake he needs to be moved.

Find someone else, even if we have to go to Woewodin. Throw Sharp back there. Yes, those options are not enticing, but leaving Rivers to wallow at half-back isn't going to help us either.

  On 06/04/2025 at 09:09, GS_1905 said:

I know we are playing abysmally - so far from anything that resembles the potential of this team. Its really unnerving.

I think its safe to say that finals is just borderline impossible.

We are playing so bad, i dont think it can actually get much worse- yes there is the potential for 100+ drubbings, but the talent on our list wont let that happen, not yet anyhow.

My concern is actually not with this year anymore, i think the damage is done. If we don't start to turn this ship around soon, its going to creep into next year too. Think similar to 2020 when we came good after the bye round. To me this would look like kicking more than 10 goals a game with a good balance of scores from turnover and stoppage. Good defensive half transition and some healthier stats in all phases of the game.

We must hit the bye round with at least 5 wins including an upset to a finals bound team. Hopefully then another 3-4 wins by the end of the season playing decent football - resembling the modern game - is about as best we can hope for. Failing this, we will likely be in no mans land again next year and probably less a few of our stars. If that happens then we are genuinely looking at a full rebuild, suggest you all find a different hobby for the next 5-10 years because i sure as [censored] dont have the patience to go through another one.

Super post

Can’t drop Henderson

Must reward vfl form - fullarton in

Must punish selfish playing (serial offenders) and poor form

We need to be kind to our players not nice

I’d drop 31 and get his confidence back with many goals

Tremendous number of goals

Huge goals

His goals will tariff the other teams

  On 06/04/2025 at 09:59, Superunknown said:

I’d drop 31 and get his confidence back with many goals

Tremendous number of goals

Huge goals

His goals will tariff the other teams

beautiful goals

the most beautiful goals you've ever seen

  On 06/04/2025 at 02:32, DistrACTION Jackson said:

Agreed. Let’s not forget he only got a spot a few weeks before the season started, he’s trying to play afl level footy without even doing a full pre season with the side. He’s 100% worth persisting with in the small forward role.

The fact he’s even in contention for a regular spot with that back story is precisely indicative of our issues.

Dropping someone to the VFL isn't always about punishment, it's a tool to create confidence.

In saying that I'd go JVR and Petty out.

In the interest of selection integrity we have to reward Fullerton, So Fullerton and Lever in.

Would like to see Brown dog given a go as maybe some of his doggedness will rub off on a few.

In: Fullerton, Lever, Brown

Out: JVR, Petty, Sharp.

Is it time for Viney to feel some selection heat?

His continual long kicks onto the chests of opposition defenders largely neutralise his ball-winning abilities.

  On 05/04/2025 at 03:52, stinga said:

Forget all the [censored] about turnovers, pressure, midfield and defence. Most of that we are as good or bad as any other. It just shows up more because we can't score and the ball keeps coming back multiple times. At the start of the year I asked where our goals were going to come from and said we had to score 15 goals a lot of the time. But we struggle to kick 6. Turner will occasionally kick 2 and the same with JVR and Fritsch. Langford and Petracca are the only midfielders who kick goals. Kossie on ball robs us of small forward goals. None of the other smalls are going to kick multiple goals. Chandler is brilliant at pressure and getting up the ground, but will only kick multiple goals 1 in 5 games. JVR has concrete hands, and generally finishes up lying on the ground. Turner is just not tall enough for how he plays. We don't have a 200cm forward, and for the reason there is nothing else available, we need to see what jefferson (who has good hands and height) and Fullerton who has height, can do. Leave them there for a month to see if they develop. You can't have 18 marks(opposition) to 5marks (us) inside 50 and expect to get a different result each week with the same personnel. The season has gone so we need to see what we can develop. As much as I like Melksham and TMac there's just no point in playing them as the season is gone. Forget about winning games - it ain't going to happen. If we don't win another game which is on the cards we will finish up with picks 1,2 and 19 - so develop our younger players now. So with Windsor, Tholstrup, Lindsay, Langford and the 3 mentioned and Kalani White, you have 8 high draft picks as a core to build a side around.

  On 06/04/2025 at 11:50, Dee-tonator said:

Is it time for Viney to feel some selection heat?

His continual long kicks onto the chests of opposition defenders largely neutralise his ball-winning abilities.

It's extremely frustrating, annoying, maddening and soul destroying watching him kick long to a contest, ignoring short options only to see the ball slingshot back for an opposition goal.

  On 06/04/2025 at 11:50, Dee-tonator said:

Is it time for Viney to feel some selection heat?

His continual long kicks onto the chests of opposition defenders largely neutralise his ball-winning abilities.

Maybe he should just boot a mongrel along the ground as hard as he can. At least there’s a 50/50 chance we get it. Better than the odds he’s providing us by doing what he’s doing now.

  On 06/04/2025 at 12:27, samcantstandya said:

It's extremely frustrating, annoying, maddening and soul destroying watching him kick long to a contest, ignoring short options only to see the ball slingshot back for an opposition goal.

Opposition players would be ready and waiting each time he gets the ball that he’s just about to create a 50/50 contest.

  On 06/04/2025 at 10:32, Radar Detector said:

The fact he’s even in contention for a regular spot with that back story is precisely indicative of our issues.

Fair point. Though there are plenty of sides who have picked up mature age rookies late or in the mid-season draft and played them immediately.

I think he is good enough to have a long term best 23 spot, I'm more referring to that he is still learning the team systems etc.