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I would like to dedicate this loss to Lewis and Hogan

The better team lost today. We lick our wounds and learn.

I hope Hogan and Lewis feel like rubbish. Huge effort without Gawn, can't be too upset. Geelong are going nowhere fast.

Well I have to say it ..... Elephant 1 Viney has been very very average in the three games as captain and needs to lift! I wasn't that happy with his premature elevation to captaincy with Jones and I still haven't seen anything to make me change my mind that he is up to it! Tries to break tackles after tackles a la Dangerfield and Selwood , which , ah he is not! Elephant 2 Watts was simply Outstanding today, All the Watts knockers need to liberally eat that famous pie "Humble" His leadership, courage and skills shone out today in a role which he is not cut out for. Great game Jack and that goal , taking on opposition was "Priceless"

We let them in for 2 goals at the end of the third - that [censored] us.

I'm looking forward to the advent of another Smith onto the MFC stage because the name is synonymous with success at the Melbourne Football Club. The great Norm Smith was a key forward who came to the club in 1935. Over the next three decades he was involved in ten premierships, four as a player and six as coach. He twice won the club's best and fairest, the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal (1938 and 1944) and was a four time leading goalkicker, the last three in premiership seasons and he led the club as captain from 1945-7 and coach from 1953-67. Until recently when it was overtaken by David Neitz, he held the club's goal kicking record (546). Incredibly, he was only 183cm tall but he left a long shadow over the club and remains its last premiership coach to this day. Since then Smiths of various types have come and gone to the club. In Norm's time we even had the eminently suitable (for a top end of town club as we once were) Dick Fenton-Smith, Norm's son Peter, a defender from the Bombers in Ray Smith, current MCC President Steve Smith who captained the club, won a 'Bluey' and like Norm started as a key forward, the high flying Shaun Smith and more recently his son Joel whose career has literally been encapsulated in fifteen minutes of fame before he injured his shoulder in the opening round of this season. The late Kim Smith played four games for three goals in 1975 and then became a legend at Prahran where he booted 610. Today, another Smith will strut the AFL/VFL stage in the red and blue colours in our latest key forward Tim Smith who like Kim Smith comes to the club as a mature age recruit from the second tier of football competition. A plumber from Upper Ferntree Gully, Tim Smith was already of comparatively mature age when he arrived at the Casey Scorpions (now Demons) in 2012. He was named the "Bull" by a previous coach, Brett Lovett, because he charges into contests like a “raging bull’’. It took a while for him to become really serious about his game but it finally happened under Justin Plapp who came to the club in 2015 saying he was intent on having at least one player drafted in 2015. In the end, three were rookied at the end of 2016 - Declan Keilty is the other at Melbourne. The 192cm, 88kg Smith made it after an outstanding season last year when he kicked 31 goals in 19 games, represented the VFL, was named in its team of the year and helped the Scorpions reach the grand final. He could easily have been back fixing hot water services but the "Bull" is now about to take to the big stage filling the large size shoes of the "Hulk". We need him to fire today.

Watts was NOT the problem. Was trying...very hard to be part of Solution. Well done Jack. Hope Goody conveys same.

I have to work today and will get home about half an hour after the bounce. I'm going to record it and watch it from the start so if everyone could please refrain from posting during the game that would be great.

I truly do not know what to expect. I'm not confident nor do I think we will lose. Like the saints game ours anyone's to win.

Effort was top shelf. Kicking for goal was under the counter (but occasionally those days just happen). A win in the circumstances would have been unbelievable. A loss is hard to take, but I'm just so proud of our boys. In a strange, perverted sort of way, Melbourne might have arrived today.

I f a r k i n g hate Geelong especially flogwood.

That old inside word that the whole world already knows about. Schache he is one of Oliver's best mates. Friends don't let friends go to Richmond.

Thats what it looks like to throw 4 points in the bin. Infuriating.

Horribly frustrating loss. Hard to fathom how we lost that game when we had so many winners across the board. Our kicking for goal was ordinary to say the least, but I guess we were due as normally we're not too bad. But those second and third quarters killed us and we should have been 6 goals up going in to the last quarter. But I'm proud of the boys. When Max went down we stood up and gave it everything. Look at some of the excellent performances from guys like Hunt, Stretch and ANB. Guys like Oliver and Petracca gave us something as well. We did everything we could, but when you miss so many shots your luck will only last forever. Shout out to Nathan Jones as well. Mammoth game and further proof that he is a star of the competition. Onwards and upwards from here. Let's go out to the G and smash Freo next weekend.

It's good to see you referring to yourself in the 3rd person. Biffen approves.

Last year we played a horrible match in round 19 against Gold Coast yet managed to eke out a win. The following week we beat Hawthorn. Winning is important, even if you win ugly like last Sunday.

I thought Watts was really good tonight.

The Milkshake haters will be quite tonight. I thought he was quite good and used the footy well.

Well what a [censored] up that was!

Mate ur kid is 10 years old he shouldn't have a choice of who he follows. Do the right thing like most of us and brainwash ur boy into following the demons.

ANB 26 touches, 10 tackles, 6 clearances, 6 inside 50s 9 score involvements, 1 goal has played 19 games!! Obviously his disposal let him down at times but he had a great game considering his experience. Tried his guts out and created many scoring opportunities.

I saw enough today to make me really optimistic. Maybe not, but how much more do you want from him. gave his all today.

Unbelievable. It was a gutsy performance but we threw it away. Chris Scott is still up in his box whingeing about the umpiring, such a piece of work.

That Watts pick up and goal. I felt movement. Unbelievable game from Hunt so far.

Yep, all that noise abut watts coming back in poor shape ....apart from captain couragious (Jones not Viney) he was the fittest on ground. Elephant 3. Watts was always going to have to ruck despite Gawns injury which left weid (with 5 games) and smith (first gamer) up forward against a very strong defence , Geelong had Menzel and Hawkins (circa 300 games) who together booted 8 goals. Lucky Kent stepped up in his first game back. Spencer or Pedo should have been selected so Watts could replace Hogan as our main full time forward. Weids isnt ready and while Im happy to give him game time, it was a bad call to carry 2 forwards today especially a first gamer.

Viney was better today. No doubt he's taken a few weeks to get going, but he still had 25 touches and 8 tackles today. Not exactly a bad day out. It's easy to be harsh on his performances though as he's set the bar rather high. He will continue to get better as the season goes on.

I hope they feel like a right pair of dills tonight.

What I re-learnt B, is that Chris Scott is a fat, smug, overrated [censored] of a bloke who looks like one of those clowns you put ping pong balls in...but I'd like to replace the ping pong balls with a fist. So, yeah, I learnt today.

Remaining as philosophical as can. No point crying over spilt milk....when you're doing the spilling !! Some will suggest it was lackibg Max. Some will suggest the umpiring abysmal. It was. It wasn't what beat us. Our kicking was deplorable. I could do better with many of those close goal shots. Its not that hard under a roof... But that wasn't what beat us. They didn't win it nearly as much as we systematically squandered opportunity after opportunity. We played like an unsynced gearbox. We clunked through the motion in what was really a haphazard frenzy. I won't single out players ( be to easy ) For a team ( talented ) we fluffed it. We LOST it. We can learn. We can benefit from this game....tomorrow onwards. Tonight...well..,that was shlt.

What game were you watching? Your negativity is astounding!

our kicking for goal was our downfall missed far to many let geelong get a sniff and they took it. No point blaming hogan, weiderman, or anyone else it was a poor team goal kicking effort everyone has days like that, better to have it against a good side the a poor side. today was still an improvement over last year. we need to continue to play young players get games into them, let them mature. future looks pretty good

That was a young team's loss. You win some, you lose some. They'll be filthy. Not sure Lewis and Hogan would have made much difference.

What? Outside of Jones he was BOG for me. 28 touches and 8 tackles, easily his best game for the club to date. What more can we ask of him?

No work this weekend, body clock has me up though and I've got 10 bucks on the 40+ I think today we show the rest of the football world that we have arrived...

I hope not. The competition really has nothing to gain from Brisbane being pillaged every year. Schache is going to be a star and could anchor their forward line for a decade.

Feels so good to be filthy at the things I am filthy about. This is what footy should be. We are finally there. Anyway, we had a VFL level forward line aside from Watts, Garlett and Kent. I didn't want to say anything when Smith was picked but he, Hannan, ANB, and Weideman was a question mark and it was married with an exclamation point when Watts had to ruck the game out. Monday mornings will suck for the right reasons again. On to Freo!

There is a happier elephant in the room... We have the longest injury/suspension list in the AFL including multiple best 22/best dozen players, several of our players from both established (Vince, Tyson) and new (Hannan, Weideman) had absolute stinkers, we had a freak show lack of accuracy on goal while our opponents were putting on the opposite freak event in their favour, we lost our most important structural player in the second quarter, and we still nearly snatched the win against a clearly finals-bound team. If either one of Selwood or Dangerfield had had a slow day, we'd be giddy with happiness right now. We had a cr4p day but there was no reason to think we are a cr4p team. So, my elephant in the room - The Melbourne Demons are no longer irrelevant. It takes a bad day for us to lose.

Give it time , we will win these games , you can see the improvement

In years past the cues would be slamming into the racks accompanied with disgust and frustration. We lost, we shouldn't have ( despite all considerations ) but we did. Now we find out how far we've truly come Go Dees ( ##@&! Geelong !! )

Had less effect on the result than the absolutely atrocious set shots. Thought the umpiring was poor for both sides.

Hard to play without a ruckman. we were just worn down in the end. Brave effort. Be proud of how far we've come. In previous years that woould have been a 70 point loss.

Can't remember when I last saw a game where the result was such a travesty

Any chance the umps will call holding the ball?

Phew, thank god for that. I was having panic attacks at the thought of holding back, Ethan. Now I can blurt it out from first bounce!

Predict Selwood to end the game with a bandage wrapped around his melon.

The VFL season starts with a split round over the next fortnight with the Casey Demons kicking things off on Saturday evening against Williamstown. It sounds crazy to me that the season starts this way but at least it might give the club a chance to take delivery of the Casey Demons gear because up until now, they've been rigged out in the Scorpions gear. This might come as a shock to some people but I believe the first televised game of the season will involve Collingwood playing Coburg. It really is about time that a Collingwood game was played live and free to air. I will endeavour to relay scores from time to time from the club's practice game v Werribee as commitments allow today.

I have a problem with this game, I dislike one club and the other is my most disliked club.

Hogan out makes us a lot less predictable up forward and I think we will see our guys lower their eyes and hit a lot of targets

Yep my son has been brainwashed, I told him if he wants to go to the footy it's dees or bust, not taking him to watch anyone else it seems to have worked

For anyone wanting to fill in time why not throw on a home brew? I am going to attempt an oatmeal stout and an Aussie larger, will give me 150 long necks... God help me if we win