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Free kick count: 13 to 5. Farcical, absolutely farcical. [censored] useless white maggots, I hope Roos goes off his head in the presser, they sucked the life out of the game when it was getting close. They did everything in their power to stop us from getting anywhere near them by cherry picking [censored] frees. Gutless pricks. When will there be some goddamn accountability from the AFL about these flogs?!

It was ultimately us who cost us the game, but wow the umpires in that game can go jump off a cliff!

It was 4 until the game was destroyed.

Stunning logic. Well done. Apparently goals in the first minute of the game don't count now.

The call to not allow the Vince goal was costly. Would have been 4 points late in the third. Surely it is just play on if he wanders off the line?

LOL. I'm the stupid one. This guy!

I love the use of 'technically', especially how it is presented to mean the exact opposite of its actual meaning.

That sounds absolute rubbish. Don't change the song. It may be strange that the song doesn't mention the team name but that is a quirk. Does anyone not barrack for Melbourne Bebside the song doesn't mention our name? Does it cost us money? No need to change.

Would prefer 3 for and 8 against then 8 for and 18 against

Well, that was like pulling teeth... Just a huge imbalance in defending and attacking, which is not all bad, you want a well drilled defensive first and foremost. But basically no classy forward thrusts for the whole game. We lack a dashing HBF with foot skills, that has to be our priority post-season. I was pleased with the first half, expected the shackles to be released at some point but it never came. Easier said than done against a drilled side like Collingwood. Tyson had his worst game for the year. Garland had his worst game ever. Viney is a bull but his kicking was shocking. JKH and Salem looked a bit lost. Why Salem wasn't subbed off I'd love to know. He offered nothing and Jamar was having a great game. Once he went off they got an easy ride from the clearances. Dumb move. Same as last weeks sub. Roosy, I love ya, but stop [censored] up the subs. Jones, Dunn, Vince Jamar and Cross led really well. They all stood up and played really well. Was happy with Jetta yet again and I think there's no doubt he's bonafide now. Pederson was epic. Just need some leading forwards that kick goals, and some class to stick it down their throats and we'll go alright. Let's smash Essendon.

Win footy games. That is what I would say to anyone from the club who is thinking along the same lines as Bartlett here. That story just had a mish-mash of different image devices that don't do anything bar scratch the surface of our issues; no region to call our own, a dwindling and aging supporter base, and, up to two months ago, a terrible outlook for the foreseeable future. The emblem is a distraction. If you are going to change it, do it, don't talk about how it signifies a change in anything other than the letterhead on press releases. The song featuring the word 'Melbourne' is such an interesting aside but any money and time spent on this in our current predicament is bordering on insane. Let Demonland start a thread and work the word in - save you a few hundred thousand dollars... The desire for a presence in Collins St brings a word to bear - why? Hardly anyone lives there. I won't discuss this any further as 'presence' could mean anything from where he wants the boardroom to where he wants a billboard... The statement that Casey 'is not our heartland' is ironic, well it would be if it weren't so sad, we have no heartland - that's the point; we grew out of a stadium. We have shed so many supporters in the last 49 years. We have no 'heartland.' We are trying to build one out east. If we are not going to bother with Casey anymore the players will be happy they don't have to trek out there but they better have a bloody good business case. Nothing in that impressed me. Winning footy games will impress me, and it might impress a few others - if you really want to be the New York Yankees - you better win.

An unfortunate byproduct of Pedersen's rapid ascent to being a good player is that the balance of the team is skewed. All the players that played today had every right to in terms of form and their position relative to best 22, but a forward line of - for the most part - Gawn, Dawes, Pedersen, Frawley, Watts and Bail is unneccessarily key position player biased and crumber deficient and our defence of Dunn, McDonald, Garland, Howe, Grimes and Jetta is also lacking rebound and kicking ability.

Jetta - best game yet and was one of the only players to shepherd Tyson - he can pencil that down as the worst game so far in the red and blue. Got caught with his pants down and turned it over too many times Salem & JKH - forgetable. There was moment in the final quarter when both were chasing one Collingwood player, provided no pressure and Collingwood rebounded Viney & Watts - need to nail those shots Garland - extremely rusty and cost us a few Jones - reliable I still don't understand why Jamar was subbed off. It should have been Gawn and the results after the substitution speak for themselves. A very big reality check.

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot, keep your eye on the red and the blue" It means that even though you may (that is, it is a acceptable to and you are permitted to) forget about your passing fancies, you should always keep your eye on Melbourne. Basically, while you may have other acquaintances (for example you follow Melbourne storm in passing), don't ever forget about the team you love. Edit: put it in full context add it is a slang saying of old. "For even though you may forget acquaintances (people you meet or know in passing), always remember your true friends". It derives from Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns. It differentiates acquaintances from friends. In this case the singer is proclaiming that "the red and the blue" is their true friend.

Realistically this was the outcome I expected, and we should have lost by a bit less because we fluffed some easy shots in the last quarter, and were robbed of the Vince goal. This was our 2nd worst effort for the year, but I think it was admirable that we fought the game our defensively. Our midfield was well beaten, and Tyson was really tagged out of the game which didn't help. Our forward movement was also woeful, and Dawes had an absolute stinker. We aren't at the stage where we can afford too many of our top players to be down on form. Having said all that, we kept at it, we had a good first half, and our own errors were what really cost us. In the end if we used the ball better we would have gotten closer. The improvement is still palpable, we are still very much on the up, and the lessons learnt today are valuable. We dust ourselves off and we move on, remembering that this time last year we were embarrassed, humiliated and destroyed in nearly every game we played. Today we lost to a far better team in far better form in a respectable manner.

Our defensive game was strong again but unlike recent weeks we lacked skill, composure and confidence going forward of centre. We need two players off half back who have speed and skill. Those who suggest our performance was atrocious have forgotten how far we have come in 12 months. If you want open football without defensive intent I suggest watch Richmond.

It was a long day. Things didn't go our way today. The umpiring was woeful and we were beaten by a better team. It sucks.

The thing I liked most about Bartlett's presidency was that he STFU and let Jackson & Roos get on with the job It's fine to aim high but he should have maintained the silence for a while yet Halfway through the season and it's clear that the team has improved. That's all though. We've achieved bugger all. We need a few more runs on the board before GB reveals his plans for world domination

Yuck. We want to grow, but cut ties with Casey and make some sort of forced presence in Collins St? How about not narrow ourselves down to any one heartland, take all the land, keep some sort of Casey relationship going even if its not with the Scorpions, and have your Collins St poster or whatever. Play good footy, inspire, get out to schools and communities all over Melbourne, make our presence felt everywhere with hard work and old fashioned charm. It all sounded a bit Schwabbly to me. But anyway, I'll take a crack at the new song. It's a grand old flag It's a high flying flag Flying in Collins St and the MCG too It's the Melbourne team that we all love The team of the red and the blue with the exception of away games Every heart beats true For the red and the blue And we sing this song to you (Melbourne sing!) Should Casey acquaintance be forgot Keep your eye on the red and the blue.

Jesus, some people are already getting there knickers in a knot about Roosy and his gameplan. Did you see that same defensiveness against Carlton and Richmond? He went ultra defensive today, because if he instructed the side to go all out attacking, we would have got opened up the other way and scored heavily against their midfield. 9 points down going into the fourth. We kick that goal, and it's a 3 point game. Bloke is a genius. The team Collingwood put out their today should have flogged our mob based on the last couple of years. I can guarantee you if Neeld was in charge, that game would have been a hammering. Of course as a side where we simply do not have the cattle to beat the best teams in the comp, he is going to go defensive, make it a scrap, and try and steal a win in the last quarter. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and the terrible ball going inside 50 didn't help our cause. Next week against Essendon you will see a more attacking football side. Mark my words.

Some of the negativity here is astonishing. How quickly people forget what this team was like a mere 12 months ago. We were regularly losing games by over 100 points. Isn't it nice to complain about losing to a top 4 team by 30 points for a change?!

Agree. My son was saying this on the way to the game. He was scared that their back flankers would just scoop up the crumbs and continually set up their forwards. That is what they did time and time again. Selection of the team probably started the rot.

Out: Salem In: Kent I just don't think Salem is keeping up with the pace of the game that well and really struggled today and has been just hanging on for some time now. I've held the view all year that Kent is clearly in our best 22 and should be in the side, and from all reports was BOG for Casey on the weekend. The single change seems logical and timely. JKH played his worst game for the club to date but Roos has demonstrated that backing the player is his preferred method, so I suspect he'll get the opportunity to redeem himself. And lol at the guy who suggested Matt Jones might be dropped. There always seems to be one.

The 'harm minimisation' you speak of held them to 8 goals. It's a defensive basis to a developing game plan. The same one that Sydney and Fremantle use, but with years more familiarity, and a few more stars. Swan has been down on form recently, and Dan Cross played him tight and hard. Cloke was beaten by McDonald, and got some brilliant service in the second half from their midfielders. To say we were meek is to disrespect the defensive effort that they couldn't match with confidence, speed and polish going inside 50. Remember last year? Which version do you prefer? I know which one I do.

We couldn't hit targets up forward so we were never going to win the match. They out classed us in the second half. But in saying that, i would love to hear the explanations on why Bernie's goal wasn't allowed, and why Dawes wasn't awarded a 50m penalty in the third quarter...

From a serious doubter, I thought Watts played well, worked hard , didn't shirk it

That line always cracks me up. If you know the mathematical odds stacked against you, you would know you can never gamble 'responsibly'. You can only ever do it 'irresponsibly'. As someone once said: 'The TAB is a predator and you are its mathematically-illiterate prey'.

Exactly. What Bartlett is saying is that everyone who goes to NY ends up with a Yankees hat because it is synonymous with New York City. He's saying that MFC has that intrinsic branding possibility, due to our name and history, but that we aren't positioning ourselves well enough to take advantage of it. He wants people who come to Melbourne to automatically jump on the MFC, because they are now Melburnians and therefor should support Melbourne. Part of that branding would be to make our emblem ore symbolic of Melbourne, so that it is immediately recognisable as being a team from Melbourne.

Read the article, not just the headline. The Yankees are an attraction in and of themselves when you go to NY. That's what he is talking about.

it's actually "auld acquaintance" (scottish I believe)... I think it means we should never forget our old friends/comrades in arms etc.

Logo, Blazers, Ties, Rave, Repeat. That is the lifecycle of the Melbourne administration. Very disappointed Bartlett slipped down to this level. The red and blue jumper, the song, the MCG and winning games of footy. That is Melbourne. The other stuff is so periphery. Now all that is irrelevant to the title of the article and to where he might have a point. We have to grow the club. I dislike his seeming dismissal of Casey. We know it's not 'the heartland'. But the notion of a heartland is complete BS. This the MFC, we want everyone we can get. It's not an exclusive club. There is no benefit in limiting supporters to the top end of town. Half of us and our memberships would be gone. Casey is the fastest growing area in Melbourne and I welcome everyone fan we get from there. The VFL relationship is part of that yet separate as in they don't have to be discussed together. I think targeting our community activities in a growth area is smarter than spreading them out throughout a 'heartland' that doesn't exist. At the same time I have no problems embracing our close ties to Collins St and the city of Melbourne and the elite. As long as it's not done in forming a barrier with the rank and file. I also like the idea of MFC tourism Yankee style. Just not sure on the financial benefits. My main problem is the Bartlett is a product of the coteries. The same people who have largely been running this club. He isn't really as fresh a thinker and independent as we would like. All those who included him in to the fold as a potentially beneficial supporter now have his ear. Hence the trash about having Melbourne in the song. No legitimate sitting in the outer, kids to the footy, pie and beer supporter would entertain that notion in a million years. Please President Bartlett I implore you to continue push innovative ideas for improving the club and growing the club. I implore you to continue your pursuit to be ruthless and successful. But I'd say right now don't go getting bogged down in the crap that's kept this club back since the 1960's.

I went down to Casey yesterday only to be greeted with a huge storm at the start of of play which made the rest of the afternoon a real slog. There was surface water everywhere and of course the ball was like soap. It made for an ugly spectacle with large packs forming at every contest. Plenty of ball ups. It was interesting to see how the Melbourne players responded/reacted to these conditions. Most of them stuck generally to their role and their defensive work was OK. That said, their offence was strangled by a Collingwood outfit that manned up very well and did not allow the Melb players to find space. A few player observations: Sam Blease - I would not think Roos has put a cross through his name yet. I thought he played his role quite well. His second half was excellent as he tried to take the game on with his pace and broke clear on a number of occasions from half back. His fitness level has improved and ran the game out quite strongly. Dean Kent - Was a focal point up forward and was strong at the ball. Switched roles a number of times and gathered contested possessions down back. In the top 3 best in my view. Luke Tapscott - He was one of the reasons I went to the game. I thought these conditions would suit his game but then I thought what is his game? He was a little disappointing. Yes he contested well enough and was at the bottom of packs a number of times but so were a dozen others. Dropped a simple mark in front when Casey was surging. He doesn't do anything special that you can justify him being on the list. It could be a confidence thing as he has had a long list of injuries but sadly I do not see any strings to his bow except maybe his strength at the contest. I hope I'm wrong. Aiden Riley - As you can expect these conditions suited him. He was tough at the contest and tackled with a lot of vigour. As we know, he's a real hard nut. As can be expected he tired a bit in the second half. I don't think he will be pushing for selection in the next couple of weeks, not because of form but I think Jordie is ahead of him at this moment. Will be interesting to see whether he can develop his breakaway skills further as his fitness improves. Jimmy Toumpas - As you can imagine conditions did not suit him but he still contested well and his defensive work was good. I assume the coaches would have looked closely at this aspect of his game as it was not a day to exhibit his offensive skills. That said, he did provide link ups on a number of occasions. Quickly the others Dom Barry - Improved as the game went on and was impressed with his tackling. Read the game quite well considering the conditions. Fitzy - Played his heart out in the ruck all day but was overshadowed by Hudson who did some good work around the ground. I only saw Jack take one chest mark. James Harmes - Like Barry, improved as the game went on. Played both ends of the ground. A work in progress. Dan Nicholson - As usual solid in defence. The conditions made his kicking look good. The umpire even penalised him for deliberately kicking the ball out on the full. He didn't realise that Nicko just shanked it again. He's been consistent and will get his chance if there is an injury. James Strauss - Maybe I missed some of his play but I certainly would not have him in our best. He was steady and I guess played his role but there is nothing special about him. Viv Michie - I liked his game. A slow start but was very active in the second half and was a key player in that third quarter when Casey took control for a short time. He is a good size and its not easy to knock him off the ball. I can see him being a regular for Melb next year. Alex Georgiou - Has lost his way. His confidence seems low and has no energy out there. The criticism did not seem to have worked. Michael Evans - Just a game. His inside work was OK and broke free a few times. Conditions didn't suit. Jordie McKenzie - Really good game. Only played a half but was at the bottom of every contest and tackled like the Jordie we know. BOG in the first half next to Kennedy of Collingwood. Will not be a weak link if he gets called up this Monday. These are just my observations from the grandstand. Obviously Allison and Co will be looking at players from all different perspectives.

I thought we were generally OK, but we didn't make the most of our opportunities in attack. Firstly, we were inaccurate which cost us momentum at times where we had it. Secondly, we didn't move the ball quickly enough when we had the opportunity to expose them. One thing that I really noticed, which has been an issue for a while, was that we often lacked the guy with explosive pace to open up the game when things were a bit stagnant. They were able to do it a few times with O'Brien and Swan, but we didn't have that element to break the play open in a low scoring game. Late in the game you could see Collingwood's older players running over us and some of our younger players couldn't keep the running going. Salem, especially, struggled to run out the game and I would think that he'll be at Casey next week to play some proper midfield minutes. Overall, it's encouraging but we have some holes in our team to fill.

Technically the first 23 seconds are still included in the whole game. Although the rules committee are pushing to remove them next year.

Our players have a choice right now. They can pretend they've made it like they did in 2010, or they can use the good results of the past few weeks as a springboard for real development. I hope they understand just where they're at, and how far they still have to go to be any good.

Dawes leads very hard with purpose and marks at High Half Forward another hard leading forward will make a world of difference. Make no mistake though they(Pies) are a very well drilled defence. A lot of boys will have learnt a fair bit today such as Tyson, Salem,Viney & JKH on the lift in intensity and playing against sides who go hard for 120 mins Very decent foundations there for us

Great read, great man. I think I speak for us all when I say, thank you!...and keep it up. http://m.heraldsun.com.au/news/melbourne-players-speak-of-influence-new-coach-paul-roos-has-had-on-them-and-playing-group/story-e6frf7jo-1226947421559

Some interesting quotes from that piece: It is an open secret that Mark Neeld and Neil Craig were too negative on a fragile playing group scared of punishment. But Roos managed the perfect blend of teaching fundamentals yet encouraging freedom. A player’s progress is monitored by weekly meetings with Roos and review sessions where the players openly assess their peers’ mistakes and achievements, not just the coaches. “I liked Neeldy but we were too regimented. We all had to be in certain spots and we were good at being over-coached,’’ says Pedersen. “We would run to our spot at a stoppage and someone would be free five metres away but we would just stand in our spot. And that bloke would get the ball. Now we play with a bit mor freedom. Last year we were always in damage control, we tried not to get beaten by too much. We never believed we could win." Also, in the video, Jamar talks about how there's been 'no knife in the back' this year from Roos. Shows how he felt at the treatment he got last year.

dont tell me you are the queen ?

It's my birthday so i want a solid win thanks. That is all

Ha ha - they do. They both are not your typical Pie supporter. My husband has a Melbourne membership that I dutifully buy him each Christmas!

I'm just heading off. Will have a countery first. Bangers under a mountain of chips and wash it down with half a dozen pots. Should be right in the groove by game time!

My mate and his girlfriend relocated from Sydney last week. Today is their first AFL game, they both want to pick their own team to follow. I've done my part with 2 guest passes to the Redlegs. I look at the hype factor the other way. If we were getting ahead of ourselves we wouldn't be playing like we are. Port would have built on their great start last week and burried us. No excuses today, weather is great, strong team. Momentum is building.

Geeze, if they change our club's song then my non-football related Demonland Username really becomes extremely relevant, and I may have just predicted the future. Perhaps I'll change it to 'DeesPremiers 2016,2017,2018 etc.'

Still love seeing Roosy in the Melbourne colours.

I won't be impressed if they tamper with the song. Bugger Richmond's. Ours is the best song in the league. If they want to insert "Melbourne" into it, I am imagining "every heart beats true" changed to "Melbourne hearts beat true", or something along those lines. Even typing that made me cringe. Just leave it alone.

Success won't build us into a powerhouse, but it will consolidate what we have and stop the bleeding. What will not make a dent is worrying about the logo and the song and having more of a presence in Collins St... I want to see tangible ideas and plans for the future. If that means getting 'Melbourne' front and centre then great - but what does that involve? What is the return? If Casey isn't where we should be searching for members, then where? And how? This was a mistake this 'interview' with Wilson. He should leave it to Jackson - who was the one, by the way, that said that the MFC should stick to football. Allowing Wilson to throw all this out there into the ether just puts pressure on himself and the club - remember Neeld grandiose statement? Well, here is another... And the thing is - you can't get anyone to begin to follow you unless, you guessed it - you start winning games of footy.

very strange messaging. we want to be big, but we want to do away with existing relationships, but we want to grow as a club, but we want to be based in collins street. nice rhetoric, but most of it blue-sky dreaming and completely unrealistic. i'd rather we be san antonio spurs - community-focused, successful and consistent.

Yes, exactly like it did for North Melbourne through the 90s... Or Brisbane, Sydney, Port Adelaide and St Kilda in the 2000s. I'm annoyed by this simplistic chest-puffing almost as much as I am annoyed by the corporate 'we'll be famous and rich if every would just pay attention and give us money' talk. I want to hear a strategy, a real strategy for; - building the relationships between fans, players, and sponsors, - recognising the hard core of committed supporters and creating a positive cycle of respect and commitment - improving the quality, targeting and availability of merchandise, club-related services and events. Including getting out of that ****-awful basement hole we current have our shop in - developing an active and engaging kids/families program - a clear business model for sustaining and growing Melbourne's leading edge as far as engaging with women football players and supporters. - a similar plan for making the Demons the 'fall into' choice for the large migrant populations arriving in Melbourne every year (whether from overseas or NSW) - in the interests of affirming our status as the 'Melbourne' Club, relationship-building with other 'Melbourne institutions' from the Exhibition Centre, NGV, Zoo, Comedy festival, and good coffee. - and finally, developing an meaningful set of packages and offers for tourists to take up, which can be accessed through normal tourism processes. For all that to happen, all we need is a competent and competitive team on the field. Don't need them smashing everything. Just not being 'hang heads in dreary embarrassment' standard.

I tend to agree - I like some of the ideas but others seem like a waste of effort/money. Having a presence in Collins Street? The most expensive location in Melbourne? What benefits will this provide? The worst part was changing the club song! We have the best song in the league, who cares if it says Melbourne in it or not! The second verse references "Demons" thats enough. If they change the logo I wouldn't mind them sticking to the MFC monogram for official stuff and have a Demons logo for merchandising, marketing to kids etc - the Cats have two logos and it works well for them. The Casey alignment I'm in two mids about - I hate it because I live in the north/north-west and will never head out to Casey - I also hate it that we don't have a stand alone team. But if we are making headway into the schools down there now is the exact wrong time to pull out when we have laid the ground work and the on-field performances are starting to turn around. I'd stick it out for another few years and reassess it after that.