6 hours ago, roy11 said:

I still think there's a backman in there, took 3 contested marks on the weekend so can do some good things. Would like him to have a run of games where he's in the D50 only.

McDonald a little out of sorts at the moment last 2 weeks, are we lacking May's voice/leadership at the back?

Yep Petty down back, was good in defence v GCS. TMac would struggle to keep his spot after the weekend surely

Just try not to rely on Petty to kick or handball under pressure....

If our mids get their hands on the footy more and we do a better job of our forward 50 entries, the defence will look a lot better.

Our method was off just as much as our effort and intensity on the weekend.

2 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Excellent point @BLWNBA and the data backs you up. Melbourne's tackle count isn't the problem. We're averaging 58.4 per game and our differential is +10.6, third best in the competition. We're out-tackling our opposition by a significant margin every week, so anyone arguing we need to tackle more is looking at the wrong number.

Where it gets interesting is that winning the tackle differential doesn't seem to be saving us either. We're 3-2 despite being one of the best tackling teams in the comp by the metric that actually matters.

Which brings us back to your point about F50 efficiency. If the pressure is genuinely there but the scoreboard isn't following, the problem is further up the chain. We're creating the contest. We're just not converting it.

The tackles aren't the issue. What happens after them might be.

Tackle count isn't a good indication of pressure or how the match was played, we missed (or didn't stick, or didn't try) soooo many tackles against Essendon - it was woeful

Easy to have more tackles when you don't have the ball.

Time in Possession

50% ESS v MELB 35%

48% FRE v MELB 38%

44% MELB v GCS 40%

Our better games we've pushed up and pressured the ball. And backed ourselves to defend the corridor and the switch. It's meant more risk of rebound but ultimately meant more time with ball in hand going forward too.

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by Graeme Yeats' Mullet

9 hours ago, lorn said:

Why get angry? It's a game of footy

I take my footy seriously like my best 23's.

12 hours ago, FlowerPower said:

I’m for tmac to come out

JVR to move down back with petty kentfield to come in and go forward

Jvr down back potentially one of the dumbest things I've read on demonland

9 minutes ago, Benny Dee said:

Jvr down back potentially one of the dumbest things I've read on demonland

Yep correct, needs to be dropped to Casey and traded at end of season!

25 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Yep correct, needs to be dropped to Casey and traded at end of season!

Bit dramatic.

Shocking entries this week. No forwards played well. He will be fine.

Excited for jeffo and kentfirld to get an opportunity, I see all three being the right mix for the future

On 10/03/2026 at 22:12, rpfc said:

The level of self-delusion here is startling.

It’s bordering on fan fiction.

‘No, no, they can’t be incompetent and misaligned… it’s actually 4D chess and they have already done it twice over. Yes, that’s it.’

On 03/04/2026 at 18:27, DeeZone said:

PS( Can anyone read the team sheet posted on MFC website?)

21 hours ago, Greg Schneider said:

We’re just wasting time playing JVR forward now unfortunately. A month at Casey as a key defender is the way to go I think. I’d be playing Kentfield and Jefferson (who are actually natural forwards) in the 1’s with Mihocek for the rest of the year. JVR was drafted as a swing man and played a lot of footy in defence the year we took him with a first round pick. I am hoping we have just chosen his wrong position.

7 hours ago, Benny Dee said:

Jvr down back potentially one of the dumbest things I've read on demonland

Your not the sharpest tool in the shed are you benny?

I still need a couple more days to mentally prepare myself for another MFC game

Selection will be very interesting. No statements made at the selection table yet.

Although we did think rivers was one when he was incorrectly marked as omitted after Freo

8 hours ago, Benny Dee said:

Jvr down back potentially one of the dumbest things I've read on demonland

Yeh he looks so good up forward! Let’s just continue doing that where he’s showed no improvement now in his 5th year of doing it. You don’t have to be an expert to see he’s not going to make it up there. He was literally drafted as a swing man, how is the thought of trying him down back so preposterous ?

11 hours ago, Graeme Yeats' Mullet said:

Yep Petty down back, was good in defence v GCS. TMac would struggle to keep his spot after the weekend surely

Just try not to rely on Petty to kick or handball under pressure....

In Petty's defense, his kicking is no worse than the rest of our key backs, and could probably includes smalls as well at the moment.

I'm still in the camp of trying JVR back, he needs to improve his reading of ball, seems to always be running under flight when playing forward.

8 hours ago, Benny Dee said:

Bit dramatic.

Shocking entries this week. No forwards played well. He will be fine.

Excited for jeffo and kentfirld to get an opportunity, I see all three being the right mix for the future

8 hours ago, Benny Dee said:

Bit dramatic.

Shocking entries this week. No forwards played well. He will be fine.

Excited for jeffo and kentfirld to get an opportunity, I see all three being the right mix for the future

1 goal in 4 games is damning for a key forward. He has again regressed into this unfortunate habit of getting caught under the ball. Definately time to try a new mix from the likes of Jeffo and Kentfield. Moose has been outstanding for Casey and whether Max likes it or not time to get him in and share the load.

Not sure on changes....if they turn up with like they did against Essendon, it does not really matter.

Some thoughts on what went wrong , and why.

Fritsch and Melksham in the same team, has it ever worked? Every time it happens we lack pressure in on our forward half. Balance out of whack, especially when you throw in Culley and Langford who also had no real impact.

Who are our marking targets? Gawn, Petty, beyond that Essendon killed us is the air, and they did not kick it near Gawn, who had 1 mark.

Thinking outside the box I would bring in Heath who is is in good form, and let Max play as CHB....we need more marking power, all over the ground. Keep pretty forward, and alternate with Heath.

Let's stop relying so much on Max, and see if there are other viable options. Have heard Max say he thought he could be a great backman...let's see.

We just made the game so easy for Essendon. Nobody pressed up. We gave them easy 1st outlet, then another 10 chip around passes after that. We never pressed up at any stage, it was strange.

It scares me that we looked utterly clueless, when they played a really simple game of keepings off. Surely we can't be that easy to dissect.

They gave their all as a team vs GC, we barely turned up vs Essendon. We have stunk it up vs Carlton in 1st quarter, and got punished by a very good Freo 1st quarter.

We need to turn up, like any team if we don’t, we will get punished.

King is a good coach...just waiting until we have had enough of our inconsistencies and the players take charge. Like Geelong once did. We need to hold players accountable to much higher standards.

They need to use their own brains.

Evry loss I hear the same from players....it did not look or feel like a Melbourne game.

Ffs just take what teams give you and find ways to win, sometimes it will be ugly, but we can't afford to give up games without firing a shot.

Only one problem

King: Max... were playing you off half back giving Moose a chop out

Max: yeah NAHH !!!

This week all other things aside is the seasons first true litmus. Scoreboard aside this game will tell us all we need to understand ( thus far ) as to how we're developing and where we are mentally.

Do we have ticker ?

Last half v baggers.... ticker

Game v orangy red things... ticker

Rubbish v Scum... wtf...did we forget to catch the bus ? No ticket ? ( definitely no ticker )

Sunday awaits... hopefully not Sunday, bloody Sunday !!

Speaking of blood... time to start bringing in some new...

Not just move the magnets around.

Go Dees... ( just getting going will be a start )

15 hours ago, Turner said:

Rivers AMW Kentfield

TMac Salo JVR

either play petty back or not at all.

Tholstrup, Culley, Howes in the gun as just not offering heaps but theres nothing underneath them so we roll on.

If Rivers isnt ready then maybe TMac holds (as long as petty plays back too) or XT comes in

the big move has to be windsor to the outside langford inside this week, we need a response tho lebba

You can’t drop blokes off 1 bad game, have some balance FFS

Edited 7 hours ago7 hr by Demons11

We can't persist with four tall defenders and four tallish forwards, none of whom ever provides any defensive pressure. I'd still drop Lever first from the defenders, but I'm sure it will be McDonald who goes. Hopefully Rivers comes back in.

I said pre-season that it had to be a maximum of one of Mihocek, Melksham and McAdam, and I stand 100% by that. Sorry Jake, but you only play when Mihocek is unavailable. If we had a genuine crumber in the VFL, I'd bring him in this week for Melksham.

44 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Only one problem

King: Max... were playing you off half back giving Moose a chop out

Max: yeah NAHH !!!

If he is a selfless player that prefers team success over personal accolades.....he would/should be open to it.

It would be nice to have marking options on all parts of the ground.

On 11/04/2026 at 22:28, picket fence said:

Jvr is a lame duck , who after 1 great game has played Absolutely SHIZZEN! Time to give Jeffo an extended run

On 11/04/2026 at 22:28, picket fence said:

Jvr is a lame duck , who after 1 great game has played Absolutely SHIZZEN! Time to give Jeffo an extended run

On 11/04/2026 at 22:28, picket fence said:

Jvr is a lame duck , who after 1 great game has played Absolutely SHIZZEN! Time to give Jeffo an extended run

Harris Andrews on Jefferson, yeah righto

16 minutes ago, Billy said:

Harris Andrews on Jefferson, yeah righto

Andrews would go to Mihocek no?

Those who say you can't drop a player or players after one bad game are not all there. We got smashed against Freo and the Bombers. We were smashed in the first half against the Blues.We have a good win against the Suns ... wouldn't have happened if their two key mids were out. Heath and Kentfield has to come for starters. Kenfield has much more upside compared to Jefferson as he can ruck and play in defence. JVR one goal in 4 weeks is very unproductive, either we try him in defence or we should drop him. At the moment we are a team that resembles swiss cheese,plenty of holes in it. Yes at our best we could knock off Brisbance , if we played like last week we will get slaughted.

On 12/04/2026 at 03:42, Dannyz said:

We have to persist with Windsor as a midfielder. His upside is high and his effort can’t be faulted. It’s on the staff and on-field leaders to coach him through increasing his production. Improving running patterns, finding an uncontested touch to get him in the game, taking a step to balance before he kicks.

He has all the tools and has played a couple of strong games in a tough position. I’m backing the kid in 💪

Some logic in selection, whilst the reactionary fringe want mass changes in response to what we all agree was a bad loss.

The consistency of Windsor being able to play the inside role will take time and the game plan is going to take time to fully evolve where we get the balance between all out attack, defending turnover and countering opposition tactics to try and prevent us playing how we want.

Some changes are needed but we certainly don’t need to throw the baby out with the bath water. This is a side who performed very well in the previous week and turned the tide over two and a half quarters against the Blues.

Tmac goes out, been a great servant and may be required again for certain match ups.

Melksham and Fritsch can’t be in the same forward set up, Melk goes out IMO

Petty back for Tmac

Kentfield or Jeffo come in for Melk

JVR is teetering

AMW or Rivers come in for Tmac

Just 2 changes for me

On 12/04/2026 at 16:57, sisso said:

Gotta bring in Moose, need to see what he can do, Brisbane play 2 rucks and Max can’t carry the can alone forever

When's big Kent ready to go?

11 minutes ago, Pennant St Dee said:

Some logic in selection, whilst the reactionary fringe want mass changes in response to what we all agree was a bad loss.

The consistency of Windsor being able to play the inside role will take time and the game plan is going to take time to fully evolve where we get the balance between all out attack, defending turnover and countering opposition tactics to try and prevent us playing how we want.

Some changes are needed but we certainly don’t need to throw the baby out with the bath water. This is a side who performed very well in the previous week and turned the tide over two and a half quarters against the Blues.

Tmac goes out, been a great servant and may be required again for certain match ups.

Melksham and Fritsch can’t be in the same forward set up, Melk goes out IMO

Petty back for Tmac

Kentfield or Jeffo come in for Melk

JVR is teetering

AMW or Rivers come in for Tmac

Just 2 changes for me

Some common sense finally.

I think Kingy has now worked out Melk and Fritta can't be in the same fwd line.

Tmac whilst a great servant hasn't got the speed to keep up when the ball hits the deck and out the back.

Petty and Tmac too much of the same, we got murdered at ground level in our D50.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by YesitwasaWin4theAges

Any truth to the rumour that Melksham shut out Andrews last year and kicked 4 of his own?

Assuming he's fit, I think that role would be excellent for Melk. Give him a sole focus this week.