Interesting to note that in his post-match interview, Maxy spoke about him and the likes of the 'older brigade' including McDonald and Melksham rocking up for day one of pre-season.

Maybe a tentative confirmation that both TMac and Melky are going around again?

6 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Again a close game & again not a lot of leadership in the end.

On the other hand you watched pendlebury will his team over the line when he took it upon himself to kick out from full back & set up a couple of Collingwood goals to get them back in it. They just owned the corridor & we couldn't go with them.

Also whoever was on DeGoey need to look at themselves to

We tagged Nick Daicos into insignificance and, after quarter time, pretty much shut down his brother too. How many players can you tag?

However, in my opinion putting May on Elliott and leaving him there was a big mistake. Just the completely wrong matchup. To my mind, May should have been on McStay, TMac on Mihocek, and Turner on Elliott. May has been criticised a lot after the game but he was just on the wrong opponent.

3 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

My thoughts too.

The last 2 weeks at the G it’s felt like supporting an interstate side, such was the lack of noise after a goal. It got a bit better in the second half last night, but the supporters have unsurprisingly called it a day the last fortnight.

It sounded like “golf claps” when we ran out.

Thank god annus horribilus is finally behind us, we just didn’t know how to win or lost our manic desire to be the best , and giving the bummers a top ten pick ta boot!

19 minutes ago, Ollie fan said:

We tagged Nick Daicos into insignificance and, after quarter time, pretty much shut down his brother too. How many players can you tag?

However, in my opinion putting May on Elliott and leaving him there was a big mistake. Just the completely wrong matchup. To my mind, May should have been on McStay, TMac on Mihocek, and Turner on Elliott. May has been criticised a lot after the game but he was just on the wrong opponent.

Yes , perhaps wiser heads would have prevailed.... ( the ones this side of the boundary 😉 )

25 minutes ago, Demon Jack said:

Interesting to note that in his post-match interview, Maxy spoke about him and the likes of the 'older brigade' including McDonald and Melksham rocking up for day one of pre-season.

Maybe a tentative confirmation that both TMac and Melky are going around again?

Hopefully that's the case, we need those kinds of leaders around as the club transitions into a new era.

28 minutes ago, Ollie fan said:

We tagged Nick Daicos into insignificance and, after quarter time, pretty much shut down his brother too. How many players can you tag?

However, in my opinion putting May on Elliott and leaving him there was a big mistake. Just the completely wrong matchup. To my mind, May should have been on McStay, TMac on Mihocek, and Turner on Elliott. May has been criticised a lot after the game but he was just on the wrong opponent.

Thank you Oliie fan. @beelzebub

Chaplin was poor again. May on Elliott. It was a poor decision. I’m glad he’s not in the running as senior coach.

Also when he put Gawn forward , needed then to tell the other forwards to [censored] CLEAR OUT and leave GAWN & Kozzzy in the 50arc. !!

Just saw the afl article on the website about the game. They had n daicos as the pies best. Seriously? Would had thought DeGoey for sure.

3 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Just saw the afl article on the website about the game. They had n daicos as the pies best. Seriously? Would had thought DeGoey for sure.

Probably wrote the write up before the game 😉

6 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Probably wrote the write up before the game 😉

The AFL and the media love him but he had no real influence. I agree: de Goey was better and (unfortunately) Pendles was best.

12 hours ago, Go Ds said:

I hate to be negative but I could argue this even goes back to 2022. So many times that year we'd get 4 or 5 goals up and if we didn't then get 6 up AND the opposition was in the best 10-12 teams they'd reel us in! In 2021 we'd tie a knot round teams they couldn't get out of. But almost ever since we couldn't 'beat' teams - they'd always know that if they kept fighting they're a chance to make us fall apart.

'Couldn't beat teams'? We won the first 10 games the season after our premiership year and finished the season on top of the ladder. Only bad luck and injuries cost us a second flag. Just saying.

1 minute ago, Ollie fan said:

The AFL and the media love him but he had no real influence. I agree: de Goey was better and (unfortunately) Pendles was best.

AI strikes again. lol.!!

23 minutes ago, Bobby McKenzie 2 said:

'Couldn't beat teams'? We won the first 10 games the season after our premiership year and finished the season on top of the ladder. Only bad luck and injuries cost us a second flag. Just saying.

No, I said something snapped midyear. After those 10 wins we were 6-6; which doesn't scream out premier. BTW you might want to re-check that 2022 ladder.

It has probably been mentioned already, but we must be the only team that gets penalised for not adhering to that ‘ To the 9 rule’ or whatever it’s called. Must be the red and blue goggles cause I don’t see any other team get penalised.

12 hours ago, GS_1905 said:

The team cannot cope with an open gamestyle. its unfamiliar territory and they panic rather than embrace the chaos.

We lost the game tonight because:
a) we coughed up the ball way too much and in silly paces -> this boils down to skill.
b) when the Pies coughed it up, we didnt punish them enough
c) because of a, our defence couldnt cope with the rebound as there was too much space.

Remembering that the bones of this team played a chaos game for 4 years prior to 2020. So I don't think it's an inability to embrace the chaos. It's an inability to execute when the game goes up a notch and an inability to know when to change gears.

Another failed year, reminds me a bit of 2019-2020, are we close? Goody thinks we are but that means nothing now, watching the game last night it was pretty obvious that when we play the new game style and all our veterans play to their strengths it provides our younger brigade a lot of confidence to take the game on. We really surged in the second half and ended the game with eight of the top ten rated players on the night. Yet we fell short again. Lapsing into that old mindset in the latter minutes of the last kicking 1.5 to their 4.1.

Bitterly disappointing way to finish the year even though showing a glimmer of hope for 2026. For me I don’t want massive changes, I want tweaks, some new blood and a coach that has the strength and vision to bring this group of players to a point where they celebrate individuality and selflessness in equal portions and instill that burning desire to win. Plus a level of fitness that we enjoyed in 2021-2022.

1 hour ago, dees189227 said:

Just saw the afl article on the website about the game. They had n daicos as the pies best. Seriously? Would had thought DeGoey for sure.

Agree. They see the stats and go wow !!! He was okay but pies best were Degoey and the Daicos-j.

Brownlow should be 3 Degoey 2- Gawn 1- Langford

It’s a joke if N.Daicos gets votes for that game. A joke !!! Might ask Mrs Dillon who will win the Brownlow

1 hour ago, Bobby McKenzie 2 said:

'Couldn't beat teams'? We won the first 10 games the season after our premiership year and finished the season on top of the ladder. Only bad luck and injuries cost us a second flag. Just saying.

We went 6-8 (including the straights sets here) after that 10-0 start and we really weren't that injured, we had all our A-listers out there and yes we did have some banged up players but refused to make any changes to the side and kept playing them- which was all topped off when we went in "no changes" into that semi final against Brisbane.

That wasn't bad luck and injuries, that was poor management and poor coaching.

We need to own that, rather than blaming external factors and "bad luck" - which is what has lead us to 2 consecutive straight sets losses and now 2 consecutive bottom 5 finishes.

Let us not speak of this season ever again.

Last night summed it up.

I hop we get a stack of new players with our new coach and not rejects again from other clubs.

3 hours ago, jumbo returns said:

That’s some serious footy watching right there - it was a Pies’ home game and they have a gazillion members

What’s your point?

Even the MCC members was chock-a-block B & W.

3 hours ago, Demon Jack said:

Interesting to note that in his post-match interview, Maxy spoke about him and the likes of the 'older brigade' including McDonald and Melksham rocking up for day one of pre-season.

Maybe a tentative confirmation that both TMac and Melky are going around again?

I did notice that as well.

15 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Thank God for Gawn, he is an absolute beast. His ruckwork isn't great but his around the ground work is phenomenal. The effort he puts in should shame some of our other players.

Langford was good.

Rivers had a good second half after looking all at sea in the middle to start with. Imagine if he'd been given a whole season to develop as a mid....

This team is so frustrating to watch, they do so much right but just shoot themselves in the foot again and again. At once stage it seriously felt like we were watching a team of special eds running around out there not professional athletes.

@binman there was a definite change to our ball movement that I noticed tonight (although the execution was diabolical) with the play on mantra, taking the shorter options etc. I'll admit this is one I likely got wrong as it's unlikely they just flicked a switch in the final game and have probably been working on it all season. My confirmation bias was probably noticing the long down the line/around the boundary kicks more than the alternative methods although I think we definitely tried the faster ball movement more frequently tonight. Short of going back and watching games from earlier this season again (which I'd rather stick hot pokers in my eye than do) it would be difficult to analyse so I'll admit Goodwin was trying to implement changes to the ball movement. I don't think that mitigates the other faults Goodwin had but on this one happy to say I was wrong.

Great post Gonzo.

28 minutes ago, Previously known as LITD. said:

Let us not speak of this season ever again.

Last night summed it up.

I hop we get a stack of new players with our new coach and not rejects again from other clubs.

Most trades are "rejects". There's also interstate players that want to go home, players that want to go to a team in the premiership window or for reasons like more opportunity to play in the seniors elsewhere. I'm not quite sure what you want. If we go out of our way to lure a star across we'd probably pay through the nose AND destabilise our already top heavy salary cap.

10 minutes ago, Go Ds said:

... destabilise our already top heavy salary cap.

We don't actually know this though.

12 hours ago, picket fence said:

You reckon Simon Goodwin would have coached us to wins is delusional at best and manifestly ignorant at worst! Simons record in 2021 was sensational, his record since has been abysmal... get the rose colored glasses of my friend and reality will be laid out in front of you!

I'd like to know Ghosty why the vomit emoji with this post?