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The FD doesn't owe you or any members an apology over a game plan that isn't working. It's football, sometimes people get it wrong and sometimes they get it right. The entitled attitude of some here is excruciating at times. Not trying to attack you here mate as I often enjoy your posts, but lets get real - the FD is under no obligation to apologize to you every time something goes wrong. They are not your therapists.

Every single club can say the same about a stack of different players. McInerny last through to pick 37 in the rookie draft, so every club passed on him over 100 times. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Have a friend who is a coach at Essendon. Can confirm this is one of the tactics they used. Another was his opponent streaming forward of the contest knowing Jones wouldn't/couldn't go with him. If we won the ball and Jones got it, they weren't as concerned about him being damaging compared to what they'd be able to get out of exploiting the match up. They rotated Heppell, Parish and Smith through the wing playing off Jones to great effect. It's a match up that opposition clubs are exploiting, and they would've done the same last year against Tyson. We need to stop playing slow inside mids on the wing and play someone with running stamina and/or pace. Players like Fritsch, Stretch, Hunt, Hibberd are the types we should be playing there now. The wing needs to stop being a grave yard for slow inside mids or retiring players being protected. Not sure what to do with Jones unless we play him inside mid again and start pushing Brayshaw and Oliver to the outside for stints?

On the plus side: Much loved champion of our club. Loyal, a demon forever. Sets off-field standards Works hard Plays tough football On the negative side: Can't or won't run both ways. Does not chase opponent, instead goes ball chasing or 'hands-over' his opp to a team mate who has to leave his man to cover Jones' opp, leaving a free player or sometimes two if he doesn't cover Jones' opp in time. Defensive skills are now limited: stats this year for tackles and 1% are woeful. When attacking into fwd 50 he rarely hits a target. Poor reader of the state of game so is limited in effectiveness as an on field general. I see someone who is aging, who is showing more 'individual' rather than 'team-first' behaviours. He may be preserving himself (purely speculation) or he may just be physically worn out from almost single handed carrying our club. Do the negatives outweigh the positives? In the past a resounding 'No'. For the future I fear they do. We need senior players and especially captains to set an example for expected on-field behaviours and to engender confidence in their charges that if we get into a hole during a game the captains know how to digs us out of it. I can't see Jones overcoming the negatives so I feel it is time to hang up the boots. When? End of this year. It means he ends his wonderful career about 15 games short of 300 and without a flag. Sadly, just like a former #2. He will always be an immortal at mfc. I imagine Jones will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into retirement but I trust Goodwin to have the hard conversations, like Clarkson has.

https://outline.com/68mPBt Should be a rule to use outline.com for articles that get posted

The problems we have are a team issue, not an individual player issue. The evidence for that is 2018. So, I'd suggest not worrying so much about the performance of specific individuals and instead try to find why the team is not playing like the team of 2018.

I reckon there were many times last week that Jones' opposition winger started way off him, but closer toward our goals. At a centre bounce, Jones was just standing on his own, no-one around him. He didn't come charging in to provide an extra number around the contest, didn't drift forward to man up, or didn't float back. He looked like he was lost. Problem with it was that because his opponent was playing off him, it meant the Bombers effectively had an extra defender (I acknowledge the 6-6-6 rule). When we won the clearance and bombed it in, it gave them an extra number to run the ball out of defence. I'd go so far to say that they targeted this play through Jones, mainly because they know his defending ability is quite poor, and that even if he was used as an outlet from the stoppage, his preferred F50 entry is a long bomb, where they would back themselves winning it given Jones' opponent was already well on his way to our 50. There were a number of times where I would ask "WTF"? It was embarrassing to watch this as I realised we had absolutely no plan to sort this out and was made even more embarrassing because it was our co-captain that had no idea/initiative to stop it. Nb. As I wasn't at the game, I couldn't see if they did that on the other wing too.

For the last three weeks we have been crying out for that but it hasn't happened. Would desperately love to see it but its not how he rolls. Just yesterday Viney said it will be good to get Lewis' leadership back on the field. Not sure he noticed the elephant(s) in the room implied in that statement...

Give him a role that he can focus on. Free up his mind. Have him lock down on a key opposition player. Stop them. Harmes is quicker and more dynamic, so is better suited to the outside running role, while still winning contested footy. Try it.

So what I read into this is that the group have self identified that they have not performed in a way that can deliver the game-plan. Indeed, it sounds like they buy into the game-plan, but are owning the fact that what they have done is not good enough. Identifying this is a very important first step, and now the proof is in the pudding. Do we see acts that are 'up to standard', do we see consistency, or do we see 'cruising'? As the second youngest side in round 1, and with the leaders well down across the first 3 rounds, the team has not been led by example. Or not consistently enough. This is not a crisis moment, but hopefully a reset. Whatever 22 go on the park should do everything they can to meet the 'honest' expectation - What is required as a set of non-negotiables. I think the next step is 'no favourites' and drop those who don't live up to this, regardless of their stature of favoritism. If the club still believes in our game plan, and the players are 'bought in', then time to see if it works when delivered for the whole game. If not, then we have to ask some serious questions about the plan...

We will win this and change the tragectory of the season. Small grounds suit us, until we adapt to the 6-6-6 rule. We were better on smaller grounds last year before the AFL changed the rules and unfairly lessened our recruitment strategy of competitive beasts.

Can we just have 1 single thread titled "In hindsight ..." and all of this BS can live in there.

Carlton had previously practiced their tanking skills in 2006 with the Gibbs cup before fronting up again in 2007 for the Kreutzer cup... Seriously, and we get the label... When Essendon and Carlton met in round 16 of 2006, the sides were firmly entrenched at the bottom of the ladder, with Carlton having lost its last seven games and Essendon a then-club-record fourteen. Speculation that the result would decide the wooden spoon (and hence the first draft pick) led to the game jokingly being dubbed the "Bryce Gibbs Cup" by some in the media.[3] The match ended in a draw.

Your ins and outs are the same.

His positioning and decision making when played as a winger is horrendous. Too often he moves towards the contest leaving his opponent in space. In consecutive weeks that has led to that opponent receiving the ball and setting up a goal. He repeatedly slaughters inside 50s. Also obvious he doesnt have pace to run a way or catch opposing wingers. We simply can't play him on the wing. Can he play anywhere else? I doubt it. Not all inside mids can find a role outside the centre square in the final years of their playing career. This is a real test for Goody. Jones may not have talent comparable to greats of this club but his resilience and consistency through the decade of debacle see him sit easily in their company. But Goody must pick the best 22 for the Round 4.

100%. Throw him to Parker this week & the oppositions best mid for the next month. We are lacking a defensive mind set in the middle, he’s done run with roles in the past (back in 2014 when Roos started) if he can’t or doesn’t want to follow then the writing is on the wall.

He is playing the role that we need Pruess to play. Sit at full forward, compete, crash packs and hit the scoreboard. But also give Gawn a much needed chop out.

I would have thought the easiest change to make during a game when the opposition gets a run on is to go to man-on-man.

It's interesting that the Essendon 'Doping Scandal' was spun as the 'Supplement Saga' in the media. I'd love to read an article which describes it for what it was, a deliberate and covert program to give its team a biological advantage through the use of exotic substances which were found by ASADA to be banned substances, hence a doping program overseen by the Essendon Football Department.

Yep, the only thing we did wrong was we did it poorly. We had the wrong people, alternate agendas and loose lips. Other clubs did it better and some like Carlton had people at the top covering them.

Best Bet: Thursday 7.20pm AFL Tri Bet/ Sydney v Melbourne / either side to win under 15.5 pts $2.60

It’s getting harder and harder to enjoy AFL these days. Between the MRP, the favoritism, the rigged draw, the pathetic standard of umpiring and the rubbish rule changes, the enjoyment is really passing me by.

The value of honesty sessions is often who facilitates them and who attends. Ideally, it would be an external facilitator (are we still using Leading Teams?) who is experienced in setting the right tone so everyone feels comfortable in participating and can manage the dynamics. Sometimes without coaches, players can give honest feedbackabout game plan, role, demands etc to an external person if they can't say tehm directly to a coach. Doesn't need to be a sinister reason, could be opportunity, experience etc. Player only meetings have another benefit - they take ownership of the issues and commit to each other a course of action/behaviours. Remember after our first final Lewis took only the players aside to say 'well done but we've done nothing yet'. They went out the following week and knocked off the Hawks. AFL 360 with Lewis might make interesting viewing tonight.

Spoke to Hannan friday and he said should be back in 4-5.

I shake my head at the Joel Smith one. FFS!

If it is a thing it should have been kept in house. Not sure it is the right time either if complacency is the issue.

Trouble is Rusty, the season is over by then. Big Calls need to be made this week. If the MFC is to grow, we must make finals

And read out 'mean tweets' while consoling each other.

Goodwin's game style and his cattle are suited to congestion. Goodwin's game style is ballistic and 5th gear. Against Essendon, the scoring end was clearly Punt road. You'd think we could slow it down when Essendon were kicking to the scoring end. We couldn't. We have had one speed. Most teams have 2-3 gears.

We'll win this. Smaller ground, one day extra break. McVeigh a big loss. Hayward as well, makes them need to go to Buddy more. Let the system go... just play and enjoy.

He would make Petracca look even slower.

Hogan is a gun. And goals is just one aspect of why he is gun. We sorely miss him and in particular his work rate, abilty to get up sand down the ground, offer an outlet target and rack up posesions . I have a lot of time for Weed but if he is not kicking goals he doesn't impact the game

We also missed out on drafting Alistair Lynch who slipped to pick 50 in 1986!

I’d rather our game plan fails now than in September. we will win the next 3 straight and come into premiership favourite. Betting for and against Melbourne is the only time I ever do well punting.

Caducity

He might be "rested" then 'dazzle', that has happened to captains in the past....

I agree- dropping KK is premature. Early he looked off the pace and rushed a few kicks when he had time. He’s played very little footy at all for the last couple of years and needs to clock up some minutes in the seniors to get his judgement tuned in.

My hope is that it could be that simple. Just instruct the backline to go man on man and forget zoning. Then instruct all others to go man on man when they have the ball but if we get the ball, then run into space, spread and look for the pass forward. It should be that simple but if it was why are we so [censored]? Is that basic plan too hard to follow? At least until we win a game or two.

Sorry Troy but the persistence and team spirit of a peanut. Glad you don't work for me. Imagine if the world ran to this schedule and standards. Team is at lowest ebb much has not gone right but I bet if we have a real chance later in year or do a Tigers and win next much will be made of this period and the reasons and resilience of our group. its never a straight line upwards and if we have what is a good group and confidence in our system coach and brand then it will overcome our injuries lack of form and things like frustration with umps inconsistencies on Friday night. We have got to be better than ever from now and all in together players staff and with supporters on board.! Two wins vs Swans and Saints can kick start our season then it's really in Anzac Eve against the stuttering Tigers.

I love this Footy club and want them to do well every time they go one the ground, and i always think when they come off that they tried, win lose or draw.. and that's no different right now, i still love them, and i know the players are having a crack. But it is time we prepare ourselves for a bottom 4 finish. there are mitigating circumstances i know, form and injuries are a real reason, it does affect some teams more than others, but we wont recover in time to make an assault on the top 8, i hope we do, but i think even the most optimistic among us will say its going to be really hard. I watched the reserves yesterday really closely.. and without sounding like an alarmist, there were less than 2 redeeming features among that group. Harsh i know and we should give them time but if a 5ft 3 st gamer was the only reason to get a bit excited about then our problems are far more deep seated that we think. Lever - unlucky with knee / May - Shocking start but can fight back - but our top end drafting again concerns me: 2018 - first selection - Tom Sparrow - Inside mid / pick 33 James Jordan - looks like Tom Sparrow / Pick 53 Nietsche - Knee reco / Pick 56 Marty Hore - Why did we need that sort of player? / pick 75 Toby Bedford - who knows?? 2017 - pick 31 - Bayley Fritsch - nice player / pick 37 Harrison Petty - strange selection at the time remains one now (lightning fast Jack petruccelle went next pick - currentl;y playing in premiership side) / Oscar Baker - outside winger - looks likely not a great choice 2016 - pick 46 Mitch Hannan - Bulldogs reserves HFF player / pick 64 Dion Jonstone - Gone Thats 3 years missing out on elite junior talent and the type of talent we need , pace on the outside.. .. and it will haunt us mark my words.. Because if we think Billy Stretch and Maynard and the wagner brothers and JKH and charlie spargo are the answers then as i say.. we should prepare ourselves.

I'm always fascinated about how much criticism or praise is heaped on a player or a recruiting decision after just a few games when history shows that winning premierships requires a long-term view. If any supporter group should understand that, it should be Melbourne supporters.

Great post. That is exactly what Dew is doing at GCS. It is perfect for a young and inexperienced team. I watched the last qtr of GCS game and when the opp had the ball and going forward, GCS players stuck to their man like glue. They are shaping up to be a good side. Coaches often say they build a game plan to suit the team available. We seem to be doing the opposite and make the players play a zone and team defence even if they aren't capable of doing so effectively, be that for experience, understanding, attitude or fitness reasons. So indecision and confusion reigns then the system breaks down. Not sure it is realistic to expect junior players in the system for 5 minutes or just a couple of years to learn the subtleties of zone defence and the required decision making to make it work. It is especially hard when senior players aren't doing their part to make it work. As you say, keep it simple. We are a relatively young team so 'back to defence basics' would be a good theme in the coming weeks.

One might say we have perfected that one BB, top of the ladder.

We shouldn't have made him captain again. It was plain as day he was finished last year and yet not only did he go around again, we made him captain. I think we've got to drop him if he's not performing or there's not a role. Call it 'soreness' or whatever you like, but internally, drop him. And he never carried us for the record. He was one of the only players who took pride in his own performance. Even in those days he played selfish football, as evidenced by Roos banging on about it when he came to the club.

I've already booked a corporate box on the wing for round 23 Spoonbowl v Nth Melbourne.

Sadly, I suspect that dropping any of the aforementioned players is not going to benefit anyone. It is what it is or they are what they are. Perhaps KK needs more games under his belt so perhaps he could do that at Casey. Unfortunately we have no one from Casey that is going to set the world on fire, and they are more likely than not to struggle. We have to wait and be patient. For what, for how long, who knows. This is looking like a long-term job just like the shock you get when that little reno on the house turns out to be a major rebuild because you discover the foundations, floors and walls have termites. .

Fritsch does break away but too often for a backman - and who the hell thinks he is built or adept at backline work? He is a natural, free-roaming forward in his space and field awareness, and a very good mark/goal shooter who has been extracted to fill gaps and thus, has lost some of his mojo for that area of football - and it is an area role he should be playing. We have seen what he could do with limited exposure to the big game and arena. Nah, put him down back, heh? He is one of the few to assist the Melk and Hannan in the free space excursion, nearer to goal perhaps and still very possibly lethal in that role. He is not a pack mark; he is a lone ranger type on his direct opponent and in the continuous function of moving to space, retaining space and looking upfield for opportunities for others to elicit ball penetration. Give the guy a break, Goodwin.

Hindsight is wonderful but you need to look back a lot further than you are. Hawks dynasty was built on the 2001 and 04 drafts and topped up with Burgoyne Lake Hale and Mcevoy. Cats was the 99 and 2001 drafts. We are still paying for the poor drafting in the first 12 years of the noughties which killed our depth. Don't underestimate the importance of having a large amount of 8 to 10 + year AFL hardened players on your list Eagles - Kennedy Darling Shuey Hurn Yeo Hutchings Vardy Masten Schofield Reddan Shepherd Gaff Cripps and Jetta. Some of those players are very ordinary but have the bodies and experience to come in and fill a role allowing the youngster to flourish. It's why you see sides like Eagles Cats Hawks Swans and Pies bounce back so quickly after 2 to 3 years out of contention. The continous development of their lists and evolution of player depth every year. We are about 5 years into building what takes 8 to 10 to build into a long term powerhouse. That is why the injury list and drop off in form of experience is exposing our depth

IMO Hibberd's biggest problem so far this year has been his kicking. He's missing targets repeatedly. Because of how he plays (which is to take the game on and run off half-back), if he turns it over then he's usually out of position on the rebound. The more he turns it over, the more his opponent will hang back off him and benefit on the rebound. I don't want him to stop running and providing drive, but if he doesn't improve his kicking and start hitting targets then we're going to have a tough time.

Every team "manages" lists.. We just didn't manage to manage it very well and as have been for many a thing, were scapegoated by the usual suspects. It should have been a non event but we make very handy cannon fodder.