The Dees ran another clinic for the second week in a row as they easily accounted for the Tigers in the lightning interrupted shortened match at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

MELBOURNE 7.2.44 11.6.72 12.6.78

RICHMOND 3.1.19 5.5.35 6.7.43

GOALS

MELBOURNE van Rooyen 3 Chandler Fritsch Gawn Langford Laurie L Pickett Sharp Tholstrop Windsor

RICHMOND Lynch 2 Hopper Mansell Ralphsmith Rioli

BEST

MELBOURNE Windsor Gawn Rivers van Rooyen K Pickett Steele

RICHMOND McAuliffe Taranto Lalor Hopper Rioli

INJURIES

MELBOURNE Kentfield (knee, concussion)

RICHMOND Cumming (shoulder)

REPORTS

MELBOURNE Nil

RICHMOND Nil

CROWD Approx 5,000 at Mars Stadium

3 minutes ago, MrFreeze said:

We are going to struggle to run out the game in rnd 1

Underscores the unfairness of Round 0. We have the commentators saying how tough it is not to have much real match practice before your first game in the season and the AFL introduces Round 0 where 10 teams get to play first and then some of them come up against teams which haven't played. But expecting the AFL to run a fair competition is a pipe dream sadly.

Loved the intent. Some excellent chains from coast to coast

Hopefully the lukerfikd injury not too serious and the lad can get back playing soon

Really looking forward to the season now. It’ll be great not to be bored ****less watching us play

The boys looked alright and looked happy with themselves at halftime.

I expect King to get out a massive lid to put on this – rightly so as they haven’t done anything yet except play at the level that they should have last year.

I do like the extra run and carry of the new game plan.

If we can maintain that ball movement under actual game pressure, we’ll be a handful. From a tiny sample size, we have an excellent base to build upon from here.

Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe [censored]… but it’ll be fun

The intent and the game plan are a good change. To expect much from this year still is a bit of stretch at this stage. I think we play this way the whole year and if we can finish 9-14 with a neutral percentage is a win for mine. 2027 is really when we should be competing for the 8.

Hopefully they have a big training session : match sim next weekend, maybe they can get another club involved it not tigers again. Surely they can appeal to the AFL

Sounds like an ACL for Kentfield. Nathan Jones wasn't very positive.

Nobody should be getting carried away. North and tigers were both very poor.

Good news is no more potential for injury, bad news is we miss out on a bit of conditioning and practice and don’t get to see X Taylor or Matthews.

Positives from what we did see:

1. Game style was consistent and stacked up

2. JVR and Windsor were excellent after quiet weeks last week

3. More strong performances from the likes of Rivers, Lindsay, Salem, Howes, Fritsch, Sparrow

Room for improvements:

1. Still want to see more impact both with the ball and with defensive pressure out of small forwards in Trell, Sharp, Laurie, Kolt and Chandler.

2. Jiath had a bit of a shocker!

3. Both Petty and Lever had poor moments. But it’s a new system playing wide open footy but trying to keep one spare torwards the back. History says it takes most of a season to fix that kind of stuff. Petty had one howler turnover and got beat up a couple of times by Lynch, which happens to most key backs. But his mobility at ground level helped clean things up a few times too. The question will be how quickly can he stiffen defensively, he can do it and lock down the full back spot, but it’s up to him.

Game plan, pace, forward system and kicking - noticeable change and improvement. Apart from that, North & Tigers gave us no real challenge so it is difficult to assess how strong we are.

Sharp, Laurie, Kolt, Howes, LaTrelle probably all fighting for a role on the interchange bench.

Culley and Mihochek untried. Kenterfield and Jeffo injured. Petty rusty. CJ wayward.

Lots of midfield players to choose from.

Forward system looks totally overhauled.

Today is what it is and can’t be controlled but surely the AFL could do the fixture so that teams that didn’t play in round zero play each other in round 1 and those that did play in round zero also play each other so that there is no advantage.

We will be an entertaining watch this season and I am looking forward to it.

Yes we haven’t really played anyone yet, but the guys must be heartened that it’s so far, so good with the new plan. If we’d looked shaky at all, then maybe that’d chip the confidence.

Bring on Rd 1 (love to see Steele stick it up them)

7 minutes ago, Dee Viney Intervention said:

Today is what it is and can’t be controlled but surely the AFL could do the fixture so that teams that didn’t play in round zero play each other in round 1 and those that did play in round zero also play each other so that there is no advantage.

..

That would be too obvious for head office. But sadly to allow for all the 'special' matches (KB, Anzac etc) they already need an AI engine so powerful to do the scheduling that it causes power blackouts in inner Melbourne. No way the draw can be fair.

Very promising signs from Windsor, JVR, Rivers, Fritsch and Max looking better at CBAs than he did in Origin. Game style signs still excellent and keen to see what it looks like on the expanses of the G and when really challenged (do we fall into bad habits).
Turner aside our tall defensive posts a concern as was the lack of impact of our speed forwards (Koz aside).
It will be a very hard for us to compete fully against StKilda round 1 with a half less prep and them playing round 0.

Absolute disgrace, locked in the bistro at mars stadium like peasants while we watch our team train in "severe weather conditions", denying kids the chance to go out for an autograph. The AFL has failed miserable.

Well.... the weather... right.... 🤔🙄

Apart from Batmans unfortunate day there was a lit of good about today. Strangely ( or perhaps nor for long time readers lol ) many of the real positives for me revolve around the things that DIDN'T go quite so smoothly. It's good imo to find out these things at a real dance ( not with sisters ).. as we can see that these are things to work on.

Some things, well quite a lot are starting to click some...mehhh. I thought against the Roos our defence was iffy... again today... there was iffyness.

Over to you Kingy

I'm glad it was called off. Can't have players cooling down then going back out again. It's just asking for soft tissue injuries.

I'm sure they'll have some sort of match sim. It may not have answered all of kings questions though

Only radio from my end but what was wrong with CJ'S game?

Remembered that we need to take risks from half back. Sideways kicks and kicks down the line were from the Goodwin era and so so Passè

In the play all game with 15 possessions at 80% DE. On radio, they praised his game

Was a pretty scrappy game and the conditions wouldn't have helped but I'm going to love watching us play with this intent to score. The players look like they're having a lot more fun when they're kicking goals.

9 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Well.... the weather... right.... 🤔🙄

Apart from Batmans unfortunate day there was a lit of good about today. Strangely ( or perhaps nor for long time readers lol ) many of the real positives for me revolve around the things that DIDN'T go quite so smoothly. It's good imo to find out these things at a real dance ( not with sisters ).. as we can see that these are things to work on.

Some things, well quite a lot are starting to click some...mehhh. I thought against the Roos our defence was iffy... again today... there was iffyness.

Over to you Kingy

When you run and gun you risk being burnt out the back.
I don't care.
I love where we're heading.
Been screaming for some entertainment the last 3 years.
I'm all in.

A fully fit Lever would be huge for us, he’s moving around like his old self.

Edited February 27Feb 27 by Dee Zephyr

Big gap from 16th to 17 & 18 going off last 2 weeks

6 minutes ago, Macca said:

In the play all game with 15 possessions at 80% DE. On radio, they praised his game

Was beaten 1 on 1 more than a few times, and doesn’t seem to have much awareness. Think Sam Frost.

6 minutes ago, Fork 'em said:

When you run and gun you risk being burnt out the back.
I don't care.
I love where we're heading.
Been screaming for some entertainment the last 3 years.
I'm all in.

We can be better...

I do like much about our new game.

We can evolve both