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Demon win - check Blues loss - check Pies loss - check Dons loss - check Tigers loss - check Things are not too bad in the world of footy.

Fritsch was Watts' replacement. 9 possessions for 2.1. I'll take that.

I honestly can't remember such negativity after a win. It's absolutely sheeeit. Stop being overly critical and enjoy a damn win. Yeah lions came back. Let's look at some realities though. Hogan has the chance to make it back 30 point lead 2 minutes into the last. Kicks it on the full. If he kicks that the Lions know they are done. Brisbane get a bulltish holding the ball free kick in front of goal against Neville. Never shown the replay and it was a crowd induced free, no doubt. Christiansen kicked goals off the back of free kicks for ducking and one idiotic moment from Lewis when we has 3 on 1. Petracca misses easy goal to stretch our lead. In the late 2nd and 3rd. Bugg misses, Hunt misses. ..all gettable ...the game should have been put to bed. Now ..yeah we gave them a sniff. ..yes they came hard...on their home deck in conditions that are far more familiar to them. We withstood the fightback and won by 26 and had Melksham Petracca Bugg and Hogan nailed goals they should have kicked in the 4th...we'd be sitting here applauding a 40 something point win. While the fade outs are a worry, the wrist slashing going on here reminds me of Roos' comments about the veil of negativity that surrounds the MFC. Ffs Essendon who thought they were flag contenders were beaten by Freo. Who can hardly claim a home ground advantage. It was their first game there. Maybe a home crowd advantage...and flag favorites GWS limped over the line against a depleted Collingwood who we all know absolutely stink.

Been up here from Melbourne since 91 and last night was as warm a late March night I have been out in. Was on ground after game with Grand Sons and under those lights it was very uncomfortable. Ground very wet with dew so all of us have to take this into consideration and bank the 26 point win. Watching live the boys were spent but kept at it. Yes some struggled but they kept trying where as in past some may have turned their toes up. Also had a good chat with Brendan McCartney after game and naturally he will say the right club things but mentioned we are on right track and it was a difficult night. Also that Lever is learning to be a man on man defender and will become a valuable player for us. All up I was satisfied with the effort and to stop Lions challenge and run away with win is encouraging. For those not happy you need to just take the win and see us improve as season goes on. Be positive and not negative people.

Oh - before I forget i hope the spud that rolled Bayley Fritsch onto his neck in the 3Q tackle that saw him leave the field is cited and given weeks for that. It could have been seriously dangerous and was completely unwarranted.

For God's sake. We came off just over a 6 day break, had to travel after playing a tough game last week. We won ffs. Enjoy and think of next week. Geez there's some plonkers on here

Got to love some of the collective hypocrisy going around on this forum Re Frost and Lever. A few weeks back the story was Frost is a liability and not best 22, Lever a total gun, going to be soo great for us. Now it's - gee, we need Frost because Lever isn't up to it one on one and needs Frost so that he can play his natural game. Pretty easy for players to look like superstars when others are doing all the heavy lifting and they don't have to be accountable for a man. Personally I think somewhere in between is where the truth of all this sits. When he's on his game, Frosty can be a real asset in his own right, but I do think it has been shown up how much people underate his contribution to team ballance, because he give us a third genuine tall, without sacrificing run and mobility. Ironically, as much as it could help Lever, having Frost, I think it could also help Hunt, because I suspect he is also attracting the oppositions best/quickest defensive forward at the moment. For the record, I also think Hibbard and Jetta have got form issues and have been solid without being at their normal output levels and that also won't be helping the Lever situation. I don't think Wagner isn't as bad as some people make out either.

I’ve seen enough under Goodwin to know that most teams fear us. Yes, we have lapses in games and have a few run-ons against us, but we push to the very end, keep coming and are rarely out of it. I lost count of how many comebacks we staged last year. Already this season, we’ve responded well from almost 5 goals down to the Cats, and we stepped up a gear when headed last night - in difficult conditions. This current mob do not fold or capitulate in the manner of years gone by. Opposing teams know they haven’t got us until the final siren sounds.

That’s how I feel....

I don't know what to think. This site is bipolar and I find myself agreeing with both sides. Like Nasher I'll never mourn a loss but I also see why people aren't happy giving up a 42 point lead. It's not because it's one game it's because it's a pattern that indicates minimal improvement since last year We still need to find a way to grind these teams down with 4 quarter efforts and I'm hoping that comes over the course of the season. Teams rarely rock up in round 1 completely altered from the year before it's often a process of development across a season and I'm hoping/expecting that's what will happen with us. We won by 4-5 goals which is about par if you were topping pregame. The bookies had us at -20.5 which is a pretty good indicator because they're often within a goal or so of the margin. The way we got the result is what is driving people crazy but the result is probably right. Conditions looked terrible out there, we ran ourselves ragged in the first half, our tackling chasing etc was top level. The second half seemed a lot treasure (rain?) and we couldn't seem to buy a centre clearances. The umpires were pretty one sided I felt as well several cheap frees right in front of goal and not a hell of a lot of 50/50s going our way. Hogan and Oliver were superb, Hogan really does love playing the Lions. I thought Hibberd did well too and Garlett hit beast mode in the last. Good result, let's move on to next week and get the kangaroos bogey of our backs.

From the author of the top 10 under 23 Ben Guthrie‏Verified account @BenGuthrie_ FollowingFollowing @BenGuthrie_ More Ben Guthrie Retweeted AFL.com.au Clearly should have had Clayton Oliver on this list! The midfielder has been absolutely immense tonight. So clean in slippery conditions. #AFLLionsDees #thegameisingoodhands

That thirty metre handpass to Trac in space which led to Hogan's 5th goal? Yeah … that was better than any [censored] kick.

The handball kick ratio is a myth. He is in the middle of packs using his hands to create space for his team. I rate him massively and I'm still not convinced the wider footy public have caught on just how good he is in close. Whoever didn't include him in the top 10 under 23 should honestly look for another profession.

He's playing AFL midfielder minutes on ground now, too. He just gets the ball, and gets away a clean disposal, in ways other players just can't. We've been waiting for a star for so long, it still hasn't sunk in that we've finally landed a genuine one.

1. Oliver proving to me that he has the potential to be the best mid in the comp in the next few years. He is an absolute beast. They actually tried to tag him too. Freak. Best hands going around. Love him. Gingers 4eva! 2. Hogan back to beast mode. Really deserves some success, and seeing him up close on TV his attitude is much improved. When something doesn’t go his way he doesn’t sulk, or gets angry, he simply moves on. His second efforts were A+ 3. Garlett. Hope you’re enjoying that can of Coke and bag of chips we gave you for him Carlton. Yes he is hot and cold, but stints in the middle really get him involved in games. He was superb and basically won us the game.

Vince isn't getting enough credit for the job he did on Zorko in holding him to a handful of possessions in the first half. When Zorko got off the leash the Lions got back into the game and their midfielders started kicking goals - they kickd 7 of their 10 goals. We tried to stop that momentum by putting eight players in defence. And it didn't really work - eventually, we stemmed the flow (thankfully) but it happened when Hodge was off the ground in the last and their inexperienced backline faltered. There is a lot to like about our game and there a few seemingly entrenched flaws in how we play/respond and I'm delighted we won. But I support @Clint Bizkit comment above: The result is almost irrelevant, it's about seeing the team play a certain way and creating habits that will lead to sustained success. We need to find solutions to our lapse's and now transparent game plan because we won't always be as lucky as last night nor will we have that sustained success of regularly winning..

We shouldn't overlook the fact that we've improved immensely when playing on the road. 5 years ago we would be lucky to kick 6 goals when we played interstate. Now, in the last 12 months, we've secured wins in Adelaide, Perth and now Brisbane, three places where we have struggled mightily in the past. It's the sign of an improving side and that we are learning to win anywhere we play.

I really do not understand some of our supporter base and how negative they can be... An interstate win, by 4 goals against a team choc full of talent. Yes it's frustrating we gave up 7 goal lead, but AFL footy is a game of momentum brissy got on a run and played very well for the 3rd and half of the 4th. Not to mention we have some star players in putrid form (hunt, jetta & lever) and 2 of our top 10 players out. We cannot and will not win every game by 10 goals. Great grinding win on the road and excited about the roos next week!

Goodwin exercises excellent self control, remains calm and generally shoots me down with his aftermatch comments. Yesterday he was pleased how we set the game up early and responded under pressure later. On the other hand I got badly [censored] off with 20 minutes in the third quarter and stomped round the house like a bear with a sore head. So one of us has a decent grip of the modern game and I suspect it’s not me. I’d rather have a balanced general running the ship, not a hot head, he got us 12 wins last year and we could be 2/2 with a little luck this year. Geelong v Hawthorn might tell us even more tomorrow. I reckon we are going ok so far.

Jimmy Bartel “...the way he (Hurn) uses the ball, especially here, under the roof... even though it’s open...” Ok.

Happened right in front of where we were sitting. I couldn't believe it wasn't 50m and reported on the spot. Completely unnecessary, just a cheap follow through after Bailey already had full contolers of the ball and had dangerous written all over it. Gardner was the Brisbane player I think, cold have so easily avoided doing what he did as it was a very intentional act to pummel into Fritsch. As it turned out, I think it was the knees to the guts/ribs that did the actual damage, but could have so easily done serious damage to the neck/head. If the AFL had half a brain, they would suspend this tool based on neglecting his duty of care and as a warning to other players... sorry, I forgot, this is the AFL we are talking about. Also couldn't believe how blasé the Fox Footy comentators were about it all as soon as they could see it was the knees that contacted on the replay, they completely ignored how close his head came to being pile driven into the ground.

A couple of points: To you it's good info, to everyone else it's information from somebody called "Beetle" and we have no way of judging the veracity of it other than your word. It's not personal, but people are entitled to be sceptical. We have seen a *lot* of this type of information before and it varies from correct, to a mangled chinese whisper, to an outright lie. Often the poster could be correctly relaying what they heard but their source got the wrong end of the stick. Secondly, people will be doubtful about this particular item because it just sounds unlikely after the year he had. On top of that, it beggars belief that no other club would be interested. There's no need to get pissy about it when people question your post, it is inevitable and perfectly reasonable for that to happen. Try to understand a little bit where people are coming from.

EVERY team thinks they can beat Melbourne if they pressure us. We fold way too easily. We will never be a good side until we can stop that.

I'm sorry but Jones, Lewis and Vince are terrible leaders. When we needed a steadying head, they fumbled the ball more than anyone. Lever really struggled again too. Why have we not figured out how to keep one player down when 3 of us go up? Thought our first half was a little wasteful offensively, but defensively superb. We played that aggressive high press that I expected us to play and predictably, Brisbane's skills weren't up to picking their way through. Our forwards brought much better pressure than last week (ie they actually laid some tackles) and our defence was really well organised. But in the second half, we dropped off through the middle, we fumbled and our forwards struggled to lay tackles. Petracca had a bit of it, but continues to float in and out of games - I'm still waiting for that break out game, where he takes it by the scruff of the neck. Harmes and Neal-Bullen had it a bit, but didn't impact. Fritsch, Salem and Bugg struggled to get into the game. When your forwards and mids aren't laying tackles, no game plan will hold up to that. Harmes and Bugg have to be on the fringe again. Both are not up to it IMO. Both butchers and both poor decision makers. Harmes will stay because at least he got it a bit. Truthfully, aside from Oliver, Gawn and Hogan, we had far too many players that went in and out of the game or had no consistent impact. Salem and Hunt in particular were simply horrible too. We do thank Jeffy for winning us the game though and had Jesse kicked straight from 30m directly in front at the start of the 4th, it would have saved us some stress. But a win's a win. I'll take it. We MUST start to play four quarters soon though. Almost every team in this competition will make you pay if you don't. Next week, that is our challenge. Otherwise, I reckon we lose. Oh, and Oliver is a genuine star and the best Melbourne midfielder in my thirty year lifetime. 35 touches and 8 tackles. What an absolute gun.

I’d keep Harmes, not sure what other posters saw but I thought he was solid. 23 touches at 73% DE, 5 tackles and 4 inside 50’s.

I just watched the incident of Scully and he was literally screaming in pain. How anyone can take pleasure in that, I don’t understand. It’s footy, he didn’t kill your kittens. I mean I hate the way he went about things, but gees a fractured ankle is nothing I would wish on anyone!

After half time it was a horrible performance. There is no disguising that. We let them get a sniff and couldn't do anything about it... until they got level and we woke up. Why it took till then I won't understand but regardless, we won. We'll take it. Hogan was awesome, Garlett returned to form well and Oliver was excellent in the guts. I thought Tyson was handy in his return and, in general, our high half forwards were better than last week. It still begs the question though - where is our Plan B? When the Lions got going we were still doing the 2 players off the back of the square, and instead of sensing the danger and stopping that, we were stubborn and almost paid a high price for it. Why didn't we put a man behind the play early in the last, soaked up some pressure and then went in for the kill? Why didn't we at least go man on man? A few times early in the last we went forward, only to kick it to a 4 on 2 and have it run out there with ease. That's not good enough. But remember this tonight when you're angry: St. Kilda, Carlton and Collingwood all lost winnable games today. The Pies were in a winning position and lost, while the Blues and Saints lost games they shouldnt' have. The Bombers are also in the same position against a mob they should be beating. At the end of the day we still won, even if it was very, very ugly. Now I'm off to bed so I can rise early for an Easter Egg hunt my daughter was excited about before bed. At least I'll be able to smile in the morning while she does it!

I still cannot get my head around Dom Barry being back in the AFL. Great example of players being drafted too young. He’s been solid too.

Article on weideman https://www.sportthought.com.au/blog/weideman-to-kick-on

For years, I've seen top teams play games against not so good teams, games where the not so good team does all right - but the top team eventually wins. Then, it's put down to 'undoubted quality', or 'talent under pressure' or just 'nous'. Top teams just continue to win games even when they play rubbish - and the lower teams can play really well and still lose to them. But when we have a game like last night, it's doom and gloom, highlighting our deficiencies and our lack of skill. I like to think we could be transitioning from a not so good team to a good team - and winning when we play badly. Yay.

I watched the first Q again. They put massive effort into Clarry. At one stoppage Christiansen physically held him away from the contest. They blocked him and ran a hard tag, and he still smashed them. his ability to get the ball is elite, his vision and speed to get it out is even better. He hits players with handballs and they seem surprised. For a stoppage guy, those numbers are fine hb/kick ratio. glad he is one of ours!

One (small) pleasing thing from our first two games: something we struggled with last year, and I know @jnrmac in particular was big on, was our first quarters. Already in 2018 we've had more first quarters with 5+ goals than for the entire 2017 season. At least we've started our games a bit better so far this year.

Amen to that. If he kicked more than he handballed then he would be considered one of the Top 10 players in the game already. He stood up for us in the second half when others didn't - he had 23 touches of his own in the third and fourth quarters. He had 35 touches, 22 of them contested to go with 11 clearances and 8 tackles. He does it every week without blinking an eye. Absolute superstar.

How so many can play down or excuse giving up a 42 point lead against a bottom 4 team is really astonishing. Could not be more disappointed. With all that happened last year yet we still lack desire to be ruthless. Oliver and Hogan have been the only enjoyable aspects of our first two games. Just hope there is improvement as the year progresses.

This club is at a point where we can’t just be “happy we won”. If we are serious about taking the next step we can’t keep burying our head in the sand. This is not 2017, I don’t care about just grinding out a win against an average team, and neither should the club. We need to look at the issues we have with consistency in games, with a lack of plan B, with poor mental lapses and defensive efforts. Yes 4 points is great, but finals teams are ruthless. They know how to put their foot down and win these sorts of games by big margins. We simply collapse under pressure and it is nothing new. If we keep accepting mediocre wins we will continue to be a mediocre team. I want a flag, nothing else matters. If we play like this and win a flag so be it, but we won’t.

My take on our inability to ‘crush’ teams is that it will come and maybe only 3 or so times a year. Reason being, the game and how defensive set ups are resolved this days even compared to 3 years ago don’t allow for blow outs - which is great from a competitive competition point of view. It’s not like the late 00’s and early 01’s of GEELONG and hawthorn. And unfortunately when gcfc and GWS were blooding their youth - we had no development. I would have assumed GWS would have annihilated Collingwood based purely on paper - was not to happen. So it’s not just us... it’s every team - and I think supporter expectations (and maybe success starved Melbourne ones) are out of wack with the reality of the game these days.

You are correct, but it’s not the issue. The issue is we give up big leads every week, whether they are away or at the ‘G I can understand a side kicking 2-3 goals in a row, but 5-7 goals is a problem that is not being fixed...

I call [censored] Proof?

Just watched Highlights. First thing I noticed was the sweat: it must have been humid and debilitating. Sure, both sides were out there but I'd venture that if you've trained and lived in a humid, sweaty environment for a while your body adjusts more quickly and efficiently than a newcomer's. I experienced that in Brunswick Heads in late November last year, I found the humidity overwhelming: the locals just said, this is nothing. In the end, it was a win in difficult circumstances. I'll take a win any day...

Good sides find a way to win. The old Melbourne would have thrown it away in that last quarter when the lions were level. We looked gone and it was a sick feeling. They found a way to win and by 26 points.Can you believe it ? Well done Dees! you are maturing .Some iffy umpiring decisions and one in front against Jetta, the mind boggles. The holding the ball decision in the crucial last Quarter. Out of jail or not the old Melbourne would have capitulated. You made my Easter.

Christ, should the team have given up and let BrisVegas had the lollies, so the MFC Syndrome could have the jollies? "It's so like Melbourne to roll over and lose against a team like this". We didn't. "We screwed up our draft picks again". We didn't. "X Team would have beaten them by eleven billionty goals". They don't exist. It's bloody frustrating but some of the hyperbole in the game day threads and post discussion are silly. Critical analysis... sure... Critical always about everything MFC... not so much.

Our backline is all out of wack. Hunt needs to be at half back where he can break the lines and run forward. Rotating 3 old fellas in that spot is not a winning play. Lever needs a big body near him to free him up from the unprotected barage he has to cope with. Bring in Frost for god's sake just tell him to lower his eyes when kicking. Bugg is what he is. For those that forgot, tonight you were reminded. Harmes has has no impact as many have said and Salo is not a mid. Maybe Gus comes in for one of them. We have much to worry about with North.

Oscar can take Ben Brown. He did a pretty good job on his a few weeks ago. That was certainly a regrettable lapse in concentration from the side tonight, but it was still a win. You have to be happy that the side got their [censored] together and pulled away again. I think Lewis has to be on very shaky ground right now. His poor discipline is costing us and I don't see much in the way of on-field leadership from him.

We’re back inside the 8 d’landers with 4 premiership points banked from where we were about 5 mins in the last quarter to now sipping a scotch after a 26 point win I’ll take that every day of the week , could have been a lot worse

Garlett, Hogan and Oliver thank you very much. Poise, class and desperation when required by the above. OMac.....All-Australian form? Maybe one kicked on him tonight.

I love it, Clint. Drop 4 blokes after a win yet you have no idea who to bring in for them. Clearly you've thought it through. I can see possibly Frost getting a run, but the rest are probably okay. Bugg offered more than Hannan, Lewis is no chance at this stage of being dropped and apart from one howler Wagner continues to build his confidence. If anything, Salem and Hunt are on the shakier ground. Hunt had just 6 touches while Salem, apart from a few good kicks forward, had little influence for the second week in a row.

It's always like this. I've been on these forums for a very long time, and lately I find myself being positive almost out of spite.

I will take that win anyday. The humidity is a factor and when they levelled we. found a way to win. How many MFC sides would have folded in the last 10 years .. Bugg is not up to it so bring Brayshaw in and frost in the backline probably for wagner.

7 goals in a row against us 2 weeks in a row. Needs fixing asap