The maggots were so obsessed with MFC not getting ahead they just wanted the ball out of our fwd line.

In my opinion the stature of Pickett couldn't go up any more after that game and his professionalism on the way he went about the rest of it.

But will there be a report for deliberate tripping? An action as dangerous as many of the things that get players banned these days.

23 minutes ago, mauriesy said:

I don't think the ball went through for a behind. It stayed in front of the goalpost.

I can't understand though how Sicily could pass it to himself, from one hand to the other, as he went behind the goal post. Surely that's incorrect disposal?

Two free kicks missed, either one should have resulted in goal.

It was a rushed behind. That weird throwing the ball up to himself, behind the goal line, was also questionable.

Robbed us of momentum

Hawthorn’s flopping and playing for frees is excruciating to watch.

20 minutes ago, TassieDevil said:

It was a rushed behind. That weird throwing the ball up to himself, behind the goal line, was also questionable.

Robbed us of momentum

Definitely a throw. Should have had two free kicks inside 2 seconds.

37 minutes ago, sue said:

But will there be a report for deliberate tripping? An action as dangerous as many of the things that get players banned these days.

Sue ....we need to remember our place. We are not and never will be one of the big Vic clubs.

The club will say nothing and the AFL even less. They are getting what they're wanting this season.

Two inter staters in the GF last year so it's all about their Vic love children this time around.

Edited May 11May 11 by Demon Dynasty

Can somebody explain when the Hawthorn player received the 50 metre penalty, he ran 80 meters (didn’t bounce the ball) and it was called play on?

I know he umps stank but bloody hell if we kick straight and play FOUR QUARTERS we win and umps are irrelevant.

The umps didn’t cost us the game we did.

Edited May 11May 11 by DemonOX

53 minutes ago, Random Task said:

Definitely a throw. Should have had two free kicks inside 2 seconds.

4 frees. The trip, the behind under no pressure, the throw and I'm not 100% sure about kicking out from the behind the line without going through 10M square (Icould be wrong there)

1 hour ago, mauriesy said:

I don't think the ball went through for a behind. It stayed in front of the goalpost.

I can't understand though how Sicily could pass it to himself, from one hand to the other, as he went behind the goal post. Surely that's incorrect disposal?

Two free kicks missed, either one should have resulted in goal.

Sicily clearly rushed the ball thru the goals for a behind before he executed his throw, behind the goal post, and played on outside the 10m square.

I'm no longer sure of the rules.

17 hours ago, Dee-tonator said:

The better team is always the one that wins the game.

If you waste nearly all your opportunities, your are a poor team.

Our glaring forward weaknesses mean that we are seldom the better team these days.

Beg to differ.

The better team does not always win.

In the end, whoever kicks more goals is the winner. However it is always more nuanced.

For the sake of argument, if you happen to follow soccer, did you think Inter Milan played better than Barcelona in the semis?

But again it is a goals game so 🤷🏻‍♂️

12 minutes ago, TassieDevil said:

Sicily clearly rushed the ball thru the goals for a behind before he executed his throw, behind the goal post, and played on outside the 10m square.

No, you're wrong. Watch it in slo-mo. The ball definitely passed in front of the goal post and Sicily went behind the post and out again to catch the ball.

Should definitely have been a throw though.

4 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

we have tried to bring in a key tall forward - lynch from the tigs, georgiades from the pear, waterman and allen from meth coke, and so on and so forth

key tall forwards are prized for good reason

the difference is we have prioritised bringing in youth since the premiership, with 6 first round pick selections in 4 years since

while it looks, to me, that jefferson is a complete bust, and there's queries over tholstrup, the likes of windsor, langford, and lindsay look like they'll be top tier quality, and jvr ain't the only tall forward struggling in his fourth year in the system; from the same draft ugle-hagan is mia and amiss is in as bad a patch of form as van rooyen

pies have added perryman, schultz, and houston via multiple first round draft picks post-premiership, but mcstay was a free agent prior to their 2023 triumph, and membrey was a free from the aints

cameron was a significant part of the puddy tatts' 2022 premiership, at the cost of three first round picks (which they got via tim kelly trade), while bailey smith cost, what, two first rounders?

The difference the pies & cats are contending and managed to get those fwds our young drafted players are great but our premiership clock is gone & didn't capitalise

18 minutes ago, Demonsone said:

The difference the pies & cats are contending and managed to get those fwds our young drafted players are great but our premiership clock is gone & didn't capitalise

recruiting lever, may, hibberd, melksham, was integral for that 2017-2023 time period of contention; not too dissimilar to the recruitment drive the filth and the puddy tatts have done from 2020-now

we're clearly trying a more recruit-based model to building back up again, and i for one can't wait for a decade plus of good footy from at least three, hopefully four or five, of our six first round picks in that time period

the point is there's no 'perfect model' for premiership success

cats always top up and it keeps them competing and the filth are the filth - they're two of the most well resourced and professional clubs in the competition

44 minutes ago, Demonsone said:

The difference the pies & cats are contending and managed to get those fwds our young drafted players are great but our premiership clock is gone & didn't capitalise

Didnt capitalise... except for that time we won a premiership

A few observations about the game:

• A little bit of love will take you a long way but it takes a lot of work on conditioning and fitness to run out the fourth quarter of a game.

• In retrospect, mistakes made at selection. When the team was announced, the selection of Jefferson had us all scratching our heads and asking questions. We were right, selectors were wrong. Similar situation with a couple of others in the team. What strange pathways will selection wander down this week?

• The team played well for 3/4 applying good pressure and had the Hawks on the back foot only to let themselves down kicking for goal. How many goals did JVR, Jefferson, Fristch and Spargo kick between them? Ahhh hello. Forward 50 is still a mess. Newsflash: it’s not the delivery that is the problem.

• Our young players coming through are showing a lot. The only one I am not sold on is Tholstrup. I just do not see what others see. To me he looks more concerned with his image rather than letting his footy establish his credentials.

• I think we need to see some of the players that are in the cupboard. I don’ think it is as bare as we think. I would like to see players like Laurie, Sestan, Brown, Adams etc. given the same opportunities as Tholstrup. A few weeks run in the senior team.

Ah well that is the Hawks game done a dusted with the season creaking along held together by hope and secondhand sticky tape.

Lions next. Where there is a heartbeat, there are possibilities.

Look in the pregame thread for what I would do at selection and how I would coach the match. I know you are hanging out for my wise thoughts. LOL

13 minutes ago, Clayton van Oliver said:

Didnt capitalise... except for that time we won a premiership

Just another [censored] take by a poster with hundreds of them.

7 hours ago, Demonsone said:

Don’t disagree fwds are not easy to come by but who have we traded in since winning a flag that’s added value, consider who the Pies have Schultz, Mcstay, Membry,Houston Cats Cameron, Smith,

You're shifting the goal posts, the discussion was about key forwards. Of the above list, only 3 are. Cameron was traded before we won a flag, and if we'd drafted Membrey or even McStay, this site would have gone into freefall.

You're also ignoring all the clubs who haven't drafted a key forward in that time. Which isn't surprising, because decent KPF's rarely come up for trade. Who for example would you have taken in 2024? Jack Darling? Membrey - who was delisted by St Kilda? Himmelberg - yet to even play a game for GCS?

We DID trade in a decent KPF in Ben Brown. Who could still have been playing for us, he's not that old. Otherwise ...

Nothing I can really add to what has been said already. I'm one that thought we should have been four goals up at 3/4 time. It would have given the last quarter a different dimension but who's to know if they would still have run over the top of us or not? It must be dawning on our senior boys that they won't be a part of our next flag tilt.

6 minutes ago, bing181 said:

We DID trade in a decent KPF in Ben Brown. Who could still have been playing for us, he's not that old. Otherwise ...

100%

we traded for an experienced, multiple coleman medal chase tall forward, who helped us win a premiership but his body was broken by the time many other players of his era - lynch, cameron - are still up and about

it ain't easy

7 hours ago, DemonOX said:

Yeah but the coach has a lot of input into that too.

A lot less than what you think, as numerous senior coaches have confirmed along the way. e.g.

Chris Scott made very clear earlier this year when challenged on the way his team has been shaped that as senior coach “I am just one vote (of four) in list-management meetings.”

https://www.indaily.com.au/sport/football/2022/09/16/when-list-manager-is-the-afls-most-important-job

7 hours ago, leave it to deever said:

If your satisfied and happy the club has recruited some awesome forwards and enough of them then I'm happy for you.

Ridiculous, straw man response.

Your claim was that "the club hasn't recruited big forwards". Which is demonstrably false. What you (or I) may feel about these recruits has no bearing on the facts.

Just now, bing181 said:

Ridiculous, straw man response.

Your claim was that "the club hasn't recruited big forwards". Which is demonstrably false. What you (or I) may feel about these recruits has no bearing on the facts.

That old chestnut.

Ho hum.

Time to readjust our training regime.

Getting fitness having them train by drilling with ball in hand appears not to get them to a level where they are fitter, faster or stronger. A return to hard sprinting and numerous laps, is the only way to start to prepare for next season.

To get in finals we will need to win 11 of the next 14 games. So many things would have to go right to get there. If we lose to Brisbane, then we can only drop 2 more.

Time to test those, on the periphery, who haven't had a look yet, Brown, Verral, Culley, Sestan, Mentha and Kentfield. Not all at once, but over the next 7 games. Then play best 22 to finish the season.

The tail has wagged the dog. Enough of creating loving relationships between them by having the social gatherings called "Recovery and Captain's," runs. The players just don't apply themselves well enough (especially goal kicking), at these sessions. No more fun and games in the Captain's run. Goal kicking practice needs to have a professional and serious attitude. Too many kicking from the boundary looking for the spectacular and not practising the basics.

Give more mid-time in crucial positions, and freedom, to Rivers, Sparrow, Langford, Windsor, Bowey, Tholstrup, and Lindsay. They are our future.

If kicking long, we need to get players in front of the pack. JVR will bring the ball down, because he has hands only slightly better than Wiedeman. Tell him to soften those hands at the time of impact. Cannot kick to a marking contest hoping smalls will mark it. Tell them, they should leave it for the talls, and work to crumb it, unless a hit up lead with separation.

Freed from desire, with such a disappointing start to this season.

5 hours ago, sue said:

I'd like to add to that list, TV coverage terrible.

The number of times we see a player with nothing but grass in the frame is maddening. And close ups where a ball is handballed out of frame and the viewer has no idea to whom, if anyone, it is headed. And close ups of the player who has taken a mark/free rather than showing the viewer what options he has downfield. The commentators make it all worthwhile ...... (is there a sarcasm emoji?)

And close ups of the ball going through the goals only for it to fall 5m short.