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I understand losing sucks, and I think it is more frustrating particularly when you believe your side deserved to win, but Friday’s effort was enormous. I think overall, we were the better side of the match, unfortunately we just weren’t when it mattered most. My brother and dad went to the game and they said the game was incredible and if we had won, that would have been enormously HUGE by us. I think when you’re at home watching from the TV, you don’t really realise the home ground advantage the Adelaide teams have. Every time Port kicked a goal the lights black out and the stadium alights with a thunderbolt – it’s incredible apparently. Both said basically when Port hit the lead, they knew it would be hard to get over them purely because of how electric and exciting the crowd became. They also said the Adelaide teams have no right to complain about the GF in Vic when they have such an advantage with their Adelaide Oval fortress. We were gallant and for the most part, better, but unfortunately, we didn’t cross the line because of poor efficiency inside 50 as well as a couple of dodgy free kicks in that last quarter. Expect us to bounce back STRONGLY against Saints, and really hope we can make the run home to finals. I think we deserve to be there, it is simply about capitalising and taking every chance we get. Need a few guys to lift though to return to the form we had a couple of weeks – namely Hogan.

Out: umpire Nicolls In: a drover's dog

hey guys, long time reader, 2nd time poster. The lever injury has come at the worst time of the season and we are scrambling to try and work out whats best for our backline. Having hibberd fall back and fill a spot is killing any run we have. I like smith in the back, give him time but i dont think he is a good second back just yet, but could be. Imagine if hunt and frost ever improve their kicking and decision making. The speed out of our backline would set us up greatly. With so many forward entries into our 50, surely we have to play a small forward, its just crazy that we dont. I like spargo. Keep him in. Jeffy? who knows what will happen. But i agree having lewis, vince and tyson in makes us so slow. Not sure what to think of tyson. Good inside but not a outside player like he is being played. We just need to work and adjust our backline. We are a strong team but lever going down has changed our setup. Anyway, hope we beat the saints and get back on track.

The answer is yes. I used to absolutely love this game and was so proud it was the Australian version of football. Now it's bee turned into some type of monstrosity, where the rules are so complex and difficult to comprehend, that there are ridiculous mistakes on a weekly basis. If it wasn't for my love of the Demons I would just stop going completely. However, while I used to watch 3-4 games a weekend, I am now only really watching the Dees and then maybe a Friday night game if I'm really bored and here is nothing else to do. Though that is rare with things like Netflix and also reading good books!

Andrews might be out a while, geez if he missed the rest of the year I think Cameron should aswell

Do what Clarkson did and go confront Gill. MFC needs to grow some in this area and ask for please explain on the Melk / O-Mac decisions that effectively cost us the match. Eddie would be on the phone first thing this morning and allover the airways. We've been the whipping boy of the AFL for too long in this area.

Whatever changes we make I want ones that fix our structure for when we play the other potential finalists. We have and should beat those around us based on talent and application. Its when the pressure is on and our deficiencies are shown up we need to sort. Use now to sort it over the next 3 week stretch and get it right before we should be truly tested again.

Norf get the most unbelievable run from the maggots EVERY week. Ben Brown is the worst diver in the league but no media will ever mention it.

Not sure why people keep suggesting 4 or 5 changes, that just won't happen. We played well, yes I was angry after the game and ready to throw the remote through the TV, but we lost the game because we didn't deliver it well into the forward 50, not because we had terrible players. For mine the only changes are structural, I like the idea of a true 2nd tall defender so either Frost or Petty and I'm not sure you can have Lewis and Vince in the same back-line especially at the 'G, so either Frost or Petty for Vince. I'd also like to see Weid come in to replace T.Smith, I think he's a much better relief ruck and seems to know a bit better when to go and when to stay back in attack, plus I think he's got a massive future and would be full of confidence. But if we kept Smith and only went with 1 change that'd be fine by me as well.

The jungle drums will beat for the debut of Petty this week. He plays above his years, like Spargo. Hes acquitted himself well at Casey. With Lever gone, we are crying out for a smart tall defender who can read the play. Our next three opponents are inexperienced, so its the perfect time to get him in. Just do it, Goody.

AFL has become far too bureaucratic, to the point where apart from the Dees, i simply couldn't give a stuff about the AFL. The local country footy league is way more enjoyable to go to nowadays, as it represents footy the way it was and should be, is way more inclusive and more fun in general. It has all become about generating money to the point where AFL is a business first, then daylight to football second. Sad really.

He provides outside run, which we desperately need. I am still not convinced he will be a player but when he has been in the top 3 best on ground for several weeks, he deserves a chance

He is just a kid, players do improve. We are so impatient with the development of players.

Imho the MFC will and should care less about pandering to the whim of a few hundred occasional spectators. Thats not how you go about a business case for the establishment of a world class facility thats 99% about use by and of a club, its admin, players and coaches. Its about what provides the best outcome for the club in the manner IT will use it.

I've had a few days to reflect on the game now, so now I'd like to add my 2 cents. My fit of rage is hopefully almost over now, I'll try not to get too emotional again. My immediate reaction after the full time siren was probably the same as everyone else "f'in maggots f'kd us in the butt and cost us 4 points", followed by "those Port c**ts we're lucky to win that". On reflection, I probably wouldn't change my view too much. Firstly before I start ranting, I want to say something positive. I thought compared to Queens Birthday our intensity and effort on the inside was huge and we completely dominated Port in this area. This was reflected by our conversion to clearances and inside 50s. So in that regard I was very happy with our performance and how we lifted compared to the last game. Very positive signs going into next week. Now to the negative criticisms. Port were very fortunate with some calls by the officials which kept them alive. If that game could be replayed the same way but without the poor (non)decisions, I feel like on balance that was a 5-6 goal win for us even with our inefficiency inside 50. I think this is why the loss hurts so much to me because I felt like we gave everything and didn't get rewarded with 4 points. I feel gutted for the lads based solely on this regard. During the game we were threatening to kick away, and I thought once we opened up to a 4-5 goal lead that the game would open up. There were a couple of times in the game where we almost did exactly this with a run of quick goals in typical Dees fashion. However, every time we got 3 goals in the clear there was always a dubious umpiring call that released the pressure valve and resulted in a Port goal, which in turn completely halted our momentum. In my opinion, this had a huge effect on the final result as it kept them within range and stopped us blowing out the lead. The inability to get away on the scoreboard allowed Port to continue to play their negative defensive football (which I hate by the way) and contributed to our inefficiency. The reason I believe they were extremely lucky is that it worked for them with some external assistance. Port were completely dominated in the middle however managed to hang on by the skin of their teeth and ultimately take the lead late in the game. I recall at some point during the 2nd half they flashed up stats on the screen showing Port had 7 goals to our 2 from set shots. I don't know what this stat ended up being at full time. I know one of them was that non-mark that was paid, and at least a couple more from soft free kicks. For example, I thought Brayshaw was unlucky to get pinged for a high challenge for jumping in the air to attempt an intercept and getting headbutt in the guts. Meanwhile at the other end, we had to work our socks off to get set shots on goal, but got denied goals or goal scoring opportunities by baffling calls. On the balance of play I feel like that should have been a comfortable win to the Dees, and I certainly couldn't have faulted our performance too much besides the obvious that we didn't impact the scoreboard enough. It's an area that we clearly need to work on, but I certainly don't think it should have cost us 4 points this time. I can take heart that we won't lose too many games playing like that. Bring on the Saints.

We have a reputation of being downhill skiers. We have played some great footy this year, when we have been permitted to run freely. But if we really want to go to the next level, we need to learn to step up when more physicality is imposed on us by the opposition. At this stage, it would appear to be so close yet so far.

Frost should come into the side. I know he makes errors at times but he gives us more height/athleticism in defence. It also means that Hibberd can play more of a zoning role. Petty might be a better long-term player but he won't be better than Frost in 2018. Vince and Lewis in the same defence hasn't worked against the better sides (particularly with Salem also there at times) and we look slow down back. I would drop Vince and give him a rest as the emergency this week. I would also pick Weideman in place of T. Smith. Weideman has more upside and needs to really progress for us to win the flag IMO.

Like. Lots on the line next 3 games, maybe Petty for Frosty, but apart from that, Like. Then again, if you're going to blood someone now might be the time?

Please don’t call it a dog act. Dogs don’t do those sorts of things. It was a thug cheap shot.

Whilst disappointed in his current form, I'm not too worried about his future. Trac only needs one enormous summer and talking to from Goody and Jones. He needs to become more professional in his prep pre season and he needs to listen more. It'll click and he's a little more immature than the rest of our core but it's only a matter of time. He has all the right ingredients.

The issue I have with Goodwin in regards to Tyson, is that hes playing him on an outside role where he is badly exposed for leg speed.. why hes doing that I have no idea? I'd rather Tyson having playing on ball then Harmes who gets more of a go in there then Tyson now. Either play him in an inside role or dont play him at all.

If we don’t play finals this year, it is an enormous failure. That’s two seasons we have wasted in crucial development of getting finals experience. Barring anymore disasterous injuries, if we don’t make the 8 again, questions will need to be asked. Coaching staff, leadership team etc will need to be reviewed. Simply not acceptable.

And here is the problem : how do we know when he is ‘on’? He didn’t look nearly ‘on’ in the VFL. The idea that we gift players a run should be so 2012. But I have no idea what the coaches wanted from him, so maybe he meets the secret criteria. He was way down the list of performers at Casey, and posed almost no ‘threat’ around goal. conversely, Weed looked assured and composed, and threatened every pack and contest he flew at. Stretch looked a class above, JKH moved nicely and did some good things. Petty wasn’t sighted a great deal. Frost was busy, but some of his exit choices and disposals were poor. think weed and stretch would be looked at, Frost before petty. Not sure Garrett’s name even comes up yet. I know he can do great things, but what if he doesn’t, and what does it say about our culture?

the age of the interchange being using tactically was the beginning of the end for Australian rules football. It will be slow but the game will die. The sport at the highest level is unwatchable now. The only reason a game is entertaining is if its close with a minute to go. There are no more highlights. cheap goals over the back are boring. Its become basketball on a big field with a rolling maul making it as boring as batshit. I don't want to see fumbling players getting tackled non stop. I want to see one on one contests, high marking, precision foot skills to hard leading forwards. AFL is gone fellas.

I agree with much of Goody's post match and what he said agin on SEN on Saturday. We need need to continue to improve and learn. I liked 90% of what the Dee's put up on Friday night. We know there is a hole in our defence atm and that delivery into the forward 50 was not good enough. Aside from those things the way they played was fantastic. Ferocity and commitment to the contest was fantastic. Gawn and the mids were great. Opposition teams will know that we are the new "unsociable" team. No one is going to like playing against us by next year. All the hype about us going all the way this year was just that, hype. We are not quite ready. We need another classy mid and we need Petty to come through. The age/experience profile will be much better next year. I will be happy if we get a couple a finals games experience this year. If we do better, that will be great. I hated losing that game because I know our run to the end of the year isn't easy but we should start by taking that same intensity to the next few games and absolutely pulverising some weaker opposition. The Swans, the Tigers and the Eagles are all ahead of us at the moment but the Giants are vulnerable. That is a game which I saw as a very likely loss but now presents an opportunity. I also don't rate the Cats. They have a huge home ground advantage but I think we are better than them otherwise. Too much doom and gloom after the PA game. We're on the right path. Have patience, grasshoppers.

This to me is indicative of our culture...the idea that playing finals is an achievement. It's not really....it's an opportunity...an avenue to an Achievement. Playing a GF is an Achievement...winning it an even bigger/ better one. Playing finals is a means to an end only. No one cares who comes 2nd 3rd etc.

Karma blessed Peter Caven after this. The following season Lockett was traded to the Swans. Caven was not too happy to be playing with Lockett and asked for a trade. He went to Adelaide and played in two premierships whilst Lockett never got one.

Couldn't agree more Bub. In this instance, it should be very much a case of what is best for the club, not what is best for the supporters.

Hang on a minute, this kid is a top 2 draft pick, who has been telling anyone who will listen he is going to be the best player in the league from a very young age.He needs to accept that some of this expectation is his doing and hopefully it's not the death of him.. at the moment he is playing like a pick 50.

And it was also reported at the time that Trac didn't say anything to the club as soon as he got bitten, which means he allowed it to get to a stage where it was badly infected. Bottom line is, he is not producing what he should be. If it's due to injury, then why persist playing him. If it's due to form/attitude/ego/fitness, then he needs to go back to the VFL and regain all of the above.

Well ANB was certainly not on Motlop when ANB ran into goal and missed from 10 metres out, nor when he smashed a handball into Jones' face from 2 metres away, nor when he miskicked to teammates from 20 metres away twice, nor when he fumbled the ball a few times and nor when he dropped an easy mark. Might have played on him at some other stage of the game, not that I noticed it.

Starting to agree with these sentiments. The major problem we have at present is that our bottom 6-8 players just are not at the required level for us to become a top 4 side. And replacing them with others of the same standard will not solve the problem. Thats why the likes of Richmond, Sydney and Geelong, and possibly Collingwood, are where they are. Maybe we need to roll the dice and try some unknowns, such as Petty and Baker. I think we have over rated our list.

He got caught coz nobody told him he was hot, check out his gesture, so 1 instance, justified????

You just needed to look at the team we played last Friday to realise just how young our team is, especially the ones we are going to rely on to get us to a flag. In the hour or so leading in to the match, I was concerned about the age demographic, especially in the top 5-10 of both teams. We've nearly got the right mix, but I think we are still 12 months away from winning games like the Port one (and Geelong earlier this year).

Been watching the soccer lately and the simplistic rules makes it so clear cut when officiated with only fouls, handballs and offsides that really need to be looked at. Almlst every AFL game I watch now it seems the umpiring is a topic of dicussion one way or another and is this due to the difficulty and complexity of our game. Right now our umpires need to look for a shitload of different things which makes it extremely difficulty to adjudicate accurately with so many rules. Is it time for our game to be simplified opposed to adding more and more rules like they are currently doing every year?

He was terrible. His lack of awareness was on full display, I think it was the 2nd quarter when he got run down and caught holding the ball and you could see it coming from a mile away. People say we cant carry Vince and Lewis in the same team, well I'd add Tyson in that lot too. We would be much better off playing only 1 of those 3 each week.

We haven't been to the finals in 11 years, and anything can happen once we get in there. And it will give our players finals experience. And we can easily beat any of those teams btw. Cant believe any Demon supporter would not care if we made the finals or not.. mind blowing. Why go through a decade of hell and then scoff at making the finals just cos you think we may lose in an Elimination Final.

This is pure MFCSS. ... ...doesn't mean you're not onto something...

Yarra Park also far more accessible to the CBD.

Not just one. A lot of this under-performing under pressure WILL sort itself out ... but not overnight. We still have the majority of our list and most of our key players under 100 games (including even Gawn), and it's just not enough, on so many levels. What we need, more anything else, is time, and with it, experience.

We lost by 10 points.....take out the dodgy umpiring factor (shouldn’t have been in that situation for it to matter) & even if 25% of those forward entries were delivered with eyes lowered & correctly .....if Hogan clunked maybe two marks & if we didn’t have a spate of injuries all at once .....a lot of the above comments wouldn’t be made......our backline was let down by our forward entries.....you may have also noticed that when a team beats us they are now considered premiership favourites so as a team we are actually rated. Opposition coaches are putting a lot of work into us & that is new for us so each time we lose we also learn . It is no surprise that the teams that have beaten us are just a little more experienced & assured at the crucial times ......not necessarily more talented but their top end talent is generally in the 25+ echelon. As a supporter I am excited that we are now seen by opposition coaches as someone to beat....I rate their opinion 100% more than any media hype Am I worried we aren’t going to get there ......absolutely not. We have truckloads of talent...YOUNG....talent & it will take some time. I don’t want to be a Bulldogs ...pinch one & then wallow in mediocrity for the next few years. If you can be bothered to look over the history of the “great” teams it is generally 7 or so years in the making before they make it but then pretty much all of them are still contending finals today. That is the type of club I want to support & I am extremely confident we will get there.

The loss was not the end of the world. We're going to win some and lose some against top 8 sides. It's a step forward against what should be a top 4 side, whereas we struggled against both Richmond and Collingwood. So there is improvement and I'd argue that over the course of the season, Port will overtake Collingwood. at our best I have zero doubt we are a top 4 side, at our worst we're lingering in that 5th-10th range of teams. That is what is dangerous, because if we can't notch at least one win against the Crows, Swans, Cats, Eagles and Giants, we will likely miss the finals again. Yes we failed in some key areas last night but if we bring that urgency and standard to every game, we may not lose again for the rest of the season. This could well be the match that kickstarts a new swing of momentum for us. Or it could signal the middle of a slump. I think we are lucky to be coming up against a string of lower placed sides. We absolutely need to notch consistent performances and wins over the next 3 weeks.

The way the game is umpired right now is the single most irritating thing I have ever experienced in all my time watching it. I would go as far to say it’s going to turn fans away in droves if something isn’t done to arrest the ridiculous over-complication of the game.

AFL is a professional sport. Hundred's of million's are generated each year. The AFL has opened up gambling to where some feel the AFL maybe compromised down the track (India/Cricket) and yet they leave the most important part of the game in the hands of amateurs. THE UMPIRES. By making them professional do you really think things will change. The weekly tinkering of interpretations are mind-boggling. Quickly losing interest in this game as it is at the moment.

The game is quite easy to umpire. The problem is that the morons at AFL House keep tinkering with the rules and coming up with new "interpretations" every week to make it more difficult for everyone. No other sport feels the need to constantly change the rules . AFL is run by a pack of amateurs.

So your answer is to constantly turn over the list and team until we have players that have those attributes We have good ball users, it is upto them to learn to use those skills under pressure On Friday we played in a game that had finals like pressure, we had 3 players who have experimced that before We failed in our execution into the 50, but we were getting it in there As Goodwin said he prefers the problem of bombing it in against not getting it in there

This is an interesting point and I agree. Here's the team I'd be going with in the second half of the year for most oppositions. Although, we should be happy to put out a team that enables us to counter the opposition of the week. I'd be going with a backline of Oscar Mac, Jetta, Hibberd, Lewis, Petty and Joel Smith. When Lever returns, I think Lewis drops out of this back 6, Petty takes the second KPF and Lever the third opposition tall. But for the rest of the year, I'd give Petty 10 games if possible and let him develop alongside Lewis and Jetta's guidance. There are some real competitors in that group and a good mixture of pace, intercept ability and attacking prowess. That suits Goodwin's game plan to a tee. Salem and Jones should be playing between wing, half forward and half back. Jones' pace is beginning to expose him, so I'd look at Wing-Defencing him and almost hiding him on the field, to ensure he doesn't get too exposed for pace (that probably means half back). His problem is he can't really play any other position, high half forward, deep forward or deep back. He's got 2 seasons left I reckon and that probably includes the second half of this season. He's not polished enough or damaging enough. If Gaff comes in next year, that will relegate Jones or Lewis to Casey as soon as Round 1, 2019. When Hunt comes back later this season, I truly believe we should look at Salem and Hunt on wings at the expense of Jones (I know, I know that won't happen). Hunt's versatility will also really compliment Goodwin's game style - he can play, forward, back or on a wing. On to the midfield, Brayshaw has to be in the centre square. Not on a wing or half back. His position is inside/outside mid. He's actually an incredibly well rounded midfielder. Give him another 20 games and he'll be in our top 3 or 4 players. Oliver and Viney are the other centre square starters, alongside Gawn. I'd like to see Salem in there at times too. The forwardline is the biggest variable in our side and should be dictated by the opposition we are playing, but as a rule, Tommy Mac (fwd/wing), Hogan (fwd/centre), Smith/Weideman (fwd/ruck), Melksham, Harmes (fwd/wing), Fritsch (fwd/wing/half back), Spargo, Petracca (fwd/mid) and Garlett (fwd/mid). There's a good mixture of height, pace and tackling in that lot. In 2018, Tim Smith's more developed body means he'll play most weeks ahead of Weideman, but Sam provides a good back up to ensure we don't have to revert to Pedersen ever again. The only way that happens is if injuries really hit our talls. Neal-Bullen is a hard runner, but he undoes too much of his good work with poor disposal and decision making. He looks good against ordinary opposition but his disposal under pressure is ordinary. So he should be cusp 22 for mine. The above team has sufficient x-factor, pace, pressure-bringers, ball winners, ball users and goal kickers in it to make the 8 in the second half of 2018. We need to make sure we don't go too small in defence, in favour of all out attack, because as we saw against a couple of key talls, we were out-marked too easily at times and on the bigger MCG, this will be even more evident and likely. If we can find the right mix this season, as you say PJ, we'll scare some teams in September.

Unbelievably short sighted comments... obviously from someone who knows zilch about developing a young team... I suppose you preferred the 2007 - 2012 model, which we employed ?

Let’s be honest apart from the 4 we should win if we can’t win any of the other remaining games we don’t deserve finals anyway, I just hope we have a finals spot locked up before round 23, I don’t think we deserve to go through that again

A few years ago I heard comments from someone in AFL house that the football operations manager or CEO have two meetings a year with the umpiring department to emphasis how they want the game to ‘look’. It it might have been a poorly worded statement but I don’t think it was: the AFL are trying to influence the look and feel and consider their job to produce a brand/entrainment. I think this mindset goes to the heart of the issue. The game is a sport and that by it’s very nature Is the entertainment but by trying to manipulate the events to meet ‘business’ outcomes they are destroying what made it great