Stoked for the win and see some good plays.

We still have problems that need to be addressed. Inconsistent football being the major one. Gap in our best and worst is too far apart.

If we can square the ledger (big IF) I’ll be a lot more optimistic about our season.

Realistic

We beat a young Tiger team with rookies

Tigers missed Prestia, Gibcus and BALTA

Dees missed Lever and … full strength team

Terrible for 3 quarters

Played ONE QUARTER

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Gawn

💩💩💩💩💩Fullarton - so disappointed tonight Gave zero physical at contest … Casey and then delist

👏👏👏👏Rivers Langdon Tmcd Bowey Sparrow Chandler Viney Salem

Fritsch 💩🤣👺👍🏻☠️🌦️💔 he’s just a heartbreaker … defensively gives nothing

If you said to me at the start of the game we'd win by 20 points, I would have thought ok I'll take it but it's just the way we coughed up the last 4 goals.

We are yet to win a final quarter

31 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Arrogant coaching by Goodwin for taking Gawn off.

Awful finish and now only few positives to come out after what was heading towards a really strong win.

Meh.

It's the start of the season and we need to rest him when we can. A win is a win and I'll take those 4 points and a rested ruck for next week's game.

27 minutes ago, DubDee said:

you one of those glass half full fellas yeah?

Secured the game then eased off mentally. who cares?

Have you ever heard of the old saying “Don’t flirt with your form”?

11 minutes ago, Abyssal said:

Why should Gawn being off the ground result in the our players slacking off their efforts?

Also what has Gawn sitting on the bench to do with some pathetic Melbourne turnovers hitting Richmond players on the chest?

In case you missed it Nank got off the chain & the rest was history. Fullerton can be banished to the VFL now at least.

1 minute ago, Bowserpower said:

This is the cheapest trick on Demonland to cherry pick the first good game someone plays in god knows how long and call out the haters for doubting them.

Agree that hr played a good game but wind it in a bit!

I think it’s probably just a reaction to people being overwhelmingly angry despite us winning the game comfortably.

Demonland is often just a pile on of bitterness and so those of us who try to celebrate the small things like to hit back once in awhile.

10 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

Coming off a short break, and the highest pressure rating in a third quarter this season, I can tolerate a last quarter drop-off on this particular occasion. Obviously it won’t go unnoticed, and our last quarters will remain a focus as we press on.

But geez, some of you really need to learn to enjoy a win.

💯. Sometimes I wonder whether some demonlanders actually like MFC.

3 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Realistic

We beat a young Tiger team with rookies

Tigers missed Prestia, Gibcus and BALTA

Dees missed Lever and … full strength team

Terrible for 3 quarters

Played ONE QUARTER

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Gawn

💩💩💩💩💩Fullarton - so disappointed tonight Gave zero physical at contest … Casey and then delist

👏👏👏👏Rivers Langdon Tmcd Bowey Sparrow Chandler Viney Salem

Fritsch 💩🤣👺👍🏻☠️🌦️💔 he’s just a heartbreaker … defensively gives nothing

Did one of your nephews show you emojis at Xmas last year?

Glad we won.

But geez...we fell asleep when Max Gawn went on the bench.

Not happy with those last 10 minutes.

This was a nice safe win. We tackled really well for the whole game and fought hard to break dead even in the midfield after being about -11 at clearance.

The 4th quarter was very bad. I doubt we have won one for the year.

Overall, a succesful return for McVee and May. Happy to bank the 4 points and escape injury free.

Amazing how different a football team can perform when they apply pressure.

We were manic with pressure in 2021 and then gave it up in 2022. It cost us finals matches and possibly another flag losing to ordinary teams by being outhustled.

The move to a more attacking style was always going to be ugly with our post 2021 pressure levels. Glad the penny seems to have dropped a bit...but is the pressure going to be a non negotiable or will we pack it in again? History says it might go in the too hard basket.

4 minutes ago, Bowserpower said:

This is the cheapest trick on Demonland to cherry pick the first good game someone plays in god knows how long and call out the haters for doubting them.

Agree that hr played a good game but wind it in a bit!

Which game would you like to pick

30 touches in round 1?

Not a trick. He has been solid all year

And people weren’t just doubting him. it was get rid of him type talk that really [censored] me off

4 minutes ago, Fromgotowoewodin said:

You’d think he’d be fighting for his spot but he looks like Shach-attack 2.0

Agree, I didn't think there would be anyone worse.

10 minutes ago, Bowserpower said:

You praised him last week.

The revisionist stuff gets old here

Absolutely i did. Me of all people wanted him to do wellm

As a leading forward he created space and led at the ball carrier.

Tonight though, he put in one of the all time worse performance in the ruck. He got bullied by a much smaller opponent in McIntosh and then could barely show any form of a presence against against Nankervis

The last 10 minutes was disappointing, to say the least.

But before firing off, we only lost 3% (we were at 77% before their last 4 goals, then slid to 74%). I get that our percentage is rubbish right now but when you start 0-5, the wins are far, far more important than the percentage.

We also kicked 1.4 to their 4.1. Pickett's goal probably shouldn't have been overturned, Fritsch missed one he should have kicked then burnt Spargo late, and we made a couple of mistakes late that led to goals against. It was about the maximum damage we could feasibly have conceded from how the quarter played out. We also need to be smart about our next three weeks - trip to Perth, then Hawthorn, then a trip to Brisbane. So having Gawn off the last 15 minutes makes sense too.

We'd all prefer wins tonight and next week over a thumping tonight and a loss next week.

In the meantime, out-tackling them each quarter (28-9 in the third!) whilst also having more of the ball each quarter is a very promising sign. We lifted the forward half pressure in the third and got just reward for it.

We probably learnt what we needed to learn about Fullarton, and I remain thoroughly unconvinced in Harry Sharp.

3rd was pretty good yeah?

Super pressure and great commitment to the handball territory game that gets us going.

Last 10 mins in games like that are for teams like Richmond to save face. I remember those days…

8 minutes ago, Abyssal said:

Have you ever heard of the old saying “Don’t flirt with your form”?

of course.

Have you heard of resting players when the game is won off a 5 day break?

7 minutes ago, Flowergirl said:

It's the start of the season and we need to rest him when we can. A win is a win and I'll take those 4 points and a rested ruck for next week's game.

It's a bold move. I do want to rest him when we can but it's not like there's a 6 day break coming up either. Time will tell if it was a smart move and the way we keep fading off in these games I hope it pays off.

Largest Tackles Inside 50 differential across three consecutive games (2012-2025)

+46 Geelong, R14-16 2013
+45 St Kilda, R20-22 2017
+43 Melbourne, R5-7 2025

I would rather have Tom Campbell playing in the ruck with Max Gawn.

But 2 wins in a row is pleasing.

Xavier Lindsay is definitely as cool as a cucumber.

Jake Bowey was impressive. He might even be leading our Best & Fairest?

1 minute ago, titan_uranus said:

The last 10 minutes was disappointing, to say the least.

But before firing off, we only lost 3% (we were at 77% before their last 4 goals, then slid to 74%). I get that our percentage is rubbish right now but when you start 0-5, the wins are far, far more important than the percentage.

We also kicked 1.4 to their 4.1. Pickett's goal probably shouldn't have been overturned, Fritsch missed one he should have kicked then burnt Spargo late, and we made a couple of mistakes late that led to goals against. It was about the maximum damage we could feasibly have conceded from how the quarter played out. We also need to be smart about our next three weeks - trip to Perth, then Hawthorn, then a trip to Brisbane. So having Gawn off the last 15 minutes makes sense too.

We'd all prefer wins tonight and next week over a thumping tonight and a loss next week.

In the meantime, out-tackling them each quarter (28-9 in the third!) whilst also having more of the ball each quarter is a very promising sign. We lifted the forward half pressure in the third and got just reward for it.

We probably learnt what we needed to learn about Fullarton, and I remain thoroughly unconvinced in Harry Sharp.

I think Fullarton will go out for Roo or Disco next week but I think he's better as second ruck in comparison to Roo.

Just now, layzie said:

It's a bold move. I do want to rest him when we can but it's not like there's a 6 day break coming up either. Time will tell if it was a smart move and the way we keep fading off in these games I hope it pays off.

I don't know whether it is fading. I think inaccuracy let us down more than anything and maybe added some complacency. Had those behinds been goals the momentum would have been different.

Viney 14 tackles - an excellent night

32 minutes ago, Salems Lot said:

5 day break was always going to be a factor. Reflect on that before criticising the last 10 too much

Spot on - though of course they were off a 5 day break too.

Big difference between us and them though is we had had a season high pressure rating in our last quarter and they completely stopped to a walk in their last quarter.

Big reason for resting maxy too no doubt.

In 2025 do people still not understand the impact of factors such as 5 day breaks and the playing in hot and/or humid conditions (not saying we played in the heat last week - though if you weren't there it was really hot tonight)?

Just now, binman said:

Spot on - though of course they were off a 5 day break too.

Big difference between us and them though is we had had a season high pressure rating in our last quarter and they completely stopped to a walk in their last quarter.

Big reason for resting maxy too no doubt.

In 2025 do people still not understand the impact of factors such as 5 day breaks and the playing in hot and/or humid conditions (not saying we played in the heat last week - though if you weren't there it was really hot tonight)?

Isn't this overplaying things a bit given the respective breaks, and noting that they are playing a bunch of kids and we're playing a comparatively older/more seasoned team?

7 minutes ago, WheeloRatings said:

Largest Tackles Inside 50 differential across three consecutive games (2012-2025)

+46 Geelong, R14-16 2013
+45 St Kilda, R20-22 2017
+43 Melbourne, R5-7 2025

Straight to the stats file.