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You can't tell me you haven't missed this feeling. Only one club can make you feel like [censored] when you win, and it's us. Hope everyone here is going well. Isn't it good to be back??

Even the dog's excited!

Also, I think Jackson will be a player, but he isn't ready right now. Give the Weid a run down there. At least he knows how to play as a key position forward.

I can never sit down and enjoy watching my club. I said to my wife after the first quarter watch them collapse now! Hollow feeling, no confidence nor trust again.

Positives. Petracca, Rivers. Negatives. Melbourne Football Club

Conrats to Nev Jetta on his 150th game. A testament to perseverance Well done.

As many have said it was horrible from halfway through the second quarter until the end. It's a rare game where you lead all day and are never headed but arguably deserved to lose. Really disappointing after such a great start to drop away like that and not be able to recover. The backline seems to be copping it - I actually thought as a whole they probably won us the game (along with some Carlton misses). We went 11-0 in inside 50s at the start of the game; from that point on it was 48 to 29 against us but we managed to keep them at bay really until the last quarter. There were some mistakes from individuals and the defence started to creak quite badly in the last quarter but Carlton were basically walking it in with no pressure on the ball carrier. No defence can sustain a constant barrage of inside 50s when there is so little pressure applied up the ground. To me it was more the midfield and forward line who were the culprits, despite being so good early in the game. What happened to the pressure? It was sensational early - Carlton were nervous and fumbly and they barely got any clean ball. Then in the second half we could hardly lay a glove on them and they got out in space time and time again. I just don't understand how it can go from such a high level to such a low level in such a short space of time. And same with the clearances. We went from a position of absolute dominance to then getting pummelled in the clearances in the second half. This is meant to be a strength of ours with our big-bodied midfield and even more so when it's Gawn against an inexperienced ruckman. Like the pressure it was just so disappointing to completely drop off in an area we should be dominant in. There's been a lot of talk about TMac - confidence, form, injury, etc. - I think he's just not as good as people think he is/expect him to be. Don't get me wrong, he can be a very handy second tall forward - a really effective foil for a gun KF the way he was for Hogan in 2018. But he's not the main man - it's not his fault, being your side's no.1 KF is the hardest role in footy and not many have the ability to do it. He has a lot of good attributes and is still clearly a best 22 player but he needs help. We are hugely reliant on Weid making it and being that dominant KF. I still have time for him and he needs a good run at it and to get some form and confidence and go from there. But if he doesn't make it, we are desperately lacking in this area. It was so obvious in the second half when we just needed a KF to clunk a few to get us out of trouble. Every time it went in Carlton either marked it or ran it out and it meant we could never reset and press up. Carlton just recycled the ball and attacked again and we were constantly on the back foot. Having that big man take a few enables you to structure up again, a bit like a striker in soccer holding the ball up and allowing his defenders to push up and his midfielders to make runs in behind. It's so important when you need to arrest the momentum in a match.

I got used to no footy during lockdown. I kind of missed it, but it wasn't like I was chomping at the bit to see us back because the game against the Eagles was a painful reminder that we learnt nothing in the off-season and Goody clearly doesn't know what he's doing. And here we are. Footy is back. My team just won and I'm sadder than I have been in the last 3 months because it's painfully obvious that we are a very, very average team. I guess what I'm saying is that during lockdown my team was terrible but at least I couldn't see them be terrible and I could pretend they aren't, or at least it didn't matter (i.e. there are bigger things than footy etc.) Sigh, tough times. I need a drink.

I was rapt that we teased Carlton into thinking they were a chance. Result never in doubt!

If we kick a higher score we will win. Make no mistake.

went alright actually

Goodwin Is A Fraud.

I'd be less embarrassed if I was diagnosed with Canine syphilis.

Melbourne don’t win that game without Petracca - Jason Dunstall on fox footy. Hats off to Petracca on a magnificent performance. He’s approaching gun status.

That was pathetic, we need at least an eight goal lead to be comfortable. The lack of composure in the front half still kills us, we stop when we should play-in and play-in when we should stop. Tom McDonald is cooked. Jake Melksham is cooked. Goodwin has no idea what he’s doing. Smith should never be in the back half again. ANB was very good. Hunt was very good. Rivers is an absolute beauty. Lever and May aren’t what we paid for. Once Carlton worked out Gawn we were done. Petraccca is a star.

Just waiting at Scumbury station for the train to Spencer Street. Aiming for my usual counter lunch and gutful of pots before heading over to Docklands Funny …… I don't see any other supporters around. Well as they say …… the early bird ….

OK... THE GOOD... Rivers fit in nicely across half back and, after misjudging the pace of the game early, settled quite well. Had a lot more speed than I thought and wasn't intimated into taking the game on. Liked the physical side of his game Bennell simply getting through the match was a huge win for him and the club. He is a gun and, body permitting, will get better with every match this year. He was solid, without being magical. Jackson Whilst he's not ready for senior football, you can definitely see the attributes that Taylor liked. Will be a good player for us, but I'd look to Weid next week now that Jackson has had a taste. Hunt Hasn't been part for the discussions in people's best 22s for quite some time but he showed today some great football smarts and looked fast, sharp and dangerous up forward. The speed and timing of his leads inside 50 make him look like a handsome, blonde Jason Dunstall. Gawn. He's a champion. That a term that is thrown around all too much, but in this case it applies. The tap outs he was feeding to our midfield, particularly in the first half were insane. He was back in defense for some clutch marks and is a towering presence around the ground. Looks fit and is moving very well. Our first quarter - It was brilliant and regardless of what happened after that, we showed the brand of football that we are capable of and it had the Carlton 18 running for the bunker. We were fast, aggressive and slick. Obviously, this was not sustained to the intensity that is required to succeed at the top level, but that first quarter needs to be the standard that we strived toward for four quarters every game. THE KINDA GOOD... Petracca First half was excellent and his goal in the third is the kind of shot he used to try to give off. He is edging closer and closer to the player we know he can be. There was an opportunity in the last quarter to really put his stamp on the season, but he wasn't able to impose himself like he had early in the game. Oliver Played well, but is and should be held to a higher standard than most. Seemed to be kicking and carrying the ball more than usual and played well when the game was there to be won. Viney Continued with his good form. Whilst not as dominant as his preseason games and round one, his game today was better than what were were seeing for the last couple of years. He's fit, healthy... and angry. Langdon and Tomlinson Will roll them together as they were recruited together to play similar roles. Both showed a bit today, without tearing the games apart. They're still getting into the swing of things at the club and it looks to be a good piece of targeted recruiting. Tomlinson's pass to Hunt was beautiful football. THE NOT SO GOOD... The defense When the team defense was up and running, we were looking good, but when the momentum turned, we fell apart too easily. It is always good to keep a team to 7 goals, but it is a concern that we conceded 18 scoring shots to 14. The second half saw some classic Melbourne plays where four players went up and no one stayed down. Salem had enough of the ball to really hurt Carlton, but he didn't have his usual precision and creativity and Lever and May were solid but far from imposing. Joel Smith Many here love him. I still don't see it. He seems like more of an athlete than a footballer and makes some very poor decisions about when to and when not to go. This may be in part due to inexperience, but I still can't recall him playing a particularly good game at senior level. He should be selected when his form absolutely demands it. Jones- Looked to be playing a different game plan to the rest of the team today. Was holding things up when he should have been moving the ball quickly and kept bombing his kicks to contests. He's got a hell of a lot of points in the bank, but he'll need to show a lot more next week or he could find himself keeping Hibberd company. Forwards As the leaders of the line, Melksham and McDonald did not impose themselves on the game at all. This would have been one of Melksham quietest games for the club and TMac was moving better than last year, but didn't look at all threatening. Fritsch has talent and a great set of hands, b ut if he continues to miss straight-forward shots at goal, then there is no point him being there at all. Should have had at least four today if he took advantage of his opportunities. Fitness I know nothing can replicate the real thing, but we either weren't fit enough or didn't have the desire to push hard enough in the last quarter. Either way, it's a real worry going forward. BUT... We won - and in what will be a close season, you've gotta take that. I think we probably showed today our best and worst football. Going forward from here, if the Melbourne from the first quarter turns up every week, we'll win more than wee lose. If second half Melbourne become a regular visitor, it'll make a short season feel very long indeed.

Yippee ki-yay my mother-[censored] weirdo MFC internet family. I love you all. So excited to open Demonland and see a gameday thread - whereas before I would avoid them like the plague.

At last , A mature and sensible contrablution.

Gawn - our most vital Viney - was tagged out Jetta - far from convincing Smith - some crucial errors May - surprisingly poor disposal Salem - rarely instilled confidence Rivers - confident and exciting Harmes - not natural backman Tomlinson - will be important Langdon - some vital touches Melksham - was rarely noticed Fritsch - untypically poor disposal McDonald - just a shadow Jones - was rarely sighted Hunt - took his chances Jackson - raw but promising Neal-Bullen - little to enthuse Petracca - exciting and dependable Oliver - best on field Bennell - survived the game Lever - not overly convincing Brayshaw - rarely disposed effectively

Hi everyone, first time poster here. Very happy to get a win, but a bit disappointed with the capitulation. I reckon it will take a few rounds for the crazy scenarios of the past 3 months to settle things down. I am a bit gobsmacked that this is a fan forum and the level of virtriol from 'fans' at our team. From reading a couple of threads it would seem that many posters forget our team is up against another team trying to win, and that our guys deliberately go out of the way to cause them angst. There is more to life than pissanting on dees players after a win, surely.

I prefer to be angry after a win than angry after a loss (Confucius)

Come back Frosty. All is forgiven.?

Today re-affirms Goodwin isn’t a match day coach. Our rolls-Royce list ran circles around Carlton at the start, as soon as Teague made some changes to mitigate our team, Goodwin didn’t do a thing to re-turn things around again and sat on his hands.

Rivers putting it down Hunt’s throat the definite highlight for me in that Q. Goosebumps.

Brilliant from the Demon Army.

I'm not overly concerned about Pickett not playing and ANB replacing him... yes he's an excitement machine, but I think a few here have him pegged already as the new messiah. Go back to round one and despite his two goals, he was actually pretty ordinary for most of the game. Sure I would rather have seen Lockhart, Hannan or Bedford come in for Pickett, and I know we can't put too much faith in Fantasy Footy points, but ANB did outscore Pickett there, no doubt due to his pressure acts that everyone seems to overlook (not everyone can be flash nick from Jindivik); I think he's unfairly maligned. The most interest in this game for me is going to be seeing just how intense Harley will be in a real contest. I'm also excited to see how Hunt will perform now that he's been given a chance.

Disappointing from both players, I was young once and did stupid things, so understand but I wasn't in their position. Not a hanging offence but still a mark against them Some of the comments on here toward Spargo are disgraceful and some of you should hang your heads in shame. Nobody should ever wish anything but the best for the players

Unpopular opinion. In round 1, Weitering kept Tom Lynch to no goals, no marks and 9 touches in a Richmond win. Maybe the narrative should be a little more about how good Weitering’s start to the season is, rather than how poor TMac was.

Nice try, Simon.

I was amazed how well the first quarter went and then Carlton came to play and made it a contest. I don't like our structure and it showed today that we don't have a leadings tall forward and Fritsch is not a key position player. The Carlton talls started to dominate as the game progressed cos they don't get shorter. Seriously at one stage Nev was minding McKay. At the other end we continually got out marked in the contest by Weitering and co and then the run off half back to a leading tall forward made us look ordinary. There were a lot of skill errors and Smith has to learn NOT to fly for everything down back. Rivers was a revelation and I love his run and balance. We cannot expect Jackson to be a marking target up forward and T Mac os the only tall key forward looked out of sorts and chasing tail. At one stage Hunt was playing full forward. The positives are Max was dominant and in a good contest with Pittonet. Trac was everything we had hope he would be, strong clean and polished. Rivers was impressive, Bennel showed poise and class on limited minutes, Clarry is still a ball magnet and the wingmen in Langdon and Tomlinson show what was desperately missing from last years midfield. A very ugly, heart attack inducing win

Disappointed in McDonald... he gave us very little. Disappointed in Smith he made several poor decisions to fly without influencing the outcome. Disappointed in Fritsch conversion. Very happy with Rivers... a real draft find! Petracca the difference. Hunt and ANB justified selection. Very Happy that Harley got through game. Max was solid. Clayton was good. We need a key forward that can mark the ball.

Let’s be honest, opposition players are chatting away and laughing with each other. It’s nothing more than a longer pre-season competition. Happy to have a win but meh.

I’ve got no idea what goodwins obsession with Smith is. He isn’t a footy player. May and lever were shocking. Mcdonald didn’t half a contest.

Not sure I'd be ridding us of Lever or Tmac just yet. 2020 premature expectation, I'd say.

I have to say that I would have liked to have Omac in defence today. when we were winning the middle we had no problems but when that turned around we were in troble.

They’re using a hand-crank to save money so 17 days.

What exactly is his role in this team? We gave up two 1st round draft picks for someone plays zero accountable football. Needs to give more.

One positive, Bennell played only 50 mins for 14 touches and showed his class and clean hands.

Two first round picks was overs. No one can argue that was a good trade at this point, even if he never got injured. Worrying that May looked shaky, Smith was absolute trash, and TMac is a witches hat. Our tall stocks are in the dumps!

At least we won’t have a winless season ?

People wonder why we don’t get the good Timeslots or the Gun Players to join the Club. that was a perfect reason why...

Where was Nate Jones for the last half?

If we're going to go to that next level we need to start burying teams when we jump out like this.

I have a funeral to attend starting at bounce down so will be watching a replay later on. Carlton are a dramatically improved side under Teague and let’s face it, their recent drafting has been pretty good but wasn’t showing the benefits under Bolton’s game plan. This will be a close tussle. Dee’s by 79pts

The top ten things I would like to see during this game to make me feel better about MFC 2020: 1) Luke Jackson commit one act of brutality and at least one demonstration of unprecedented athleticism. 2) Harley Bennell not to pull up with a ping. Like whatever the opposite of that is. 3) One or hopefully more of Viney, Petracca or Oliver to turn it on as if other-worldly possessed. 4) Eddie Betts frustrated and complaining to the umpires and funny shorts. 5) I like Levi Casboult. I don't mind if he kicks a goal at some stage. But balanced by a hideous miss. 6) Some sort of space-time continuum malfunction where Pickett runs out with the team and no one mentions it. 7) Melksham to show that he cares and then does something about it. 8) Football journalists drafting articles on how Fritsch is actually the best key forward in the game. 9) Lots of goals. Preferably a mix of boring ones and exciting ones. TMac can have all the boring ones. 10) Steven May to kick the best kick that ever happened. An 80-meter stab-pass maybe.

A successful test run of Kayo last night means everything is primed here in the iso bunker. Cannot wait to stick it right up my Carlton mates saying this is a normal Dees crowd, predicting Bennell will last only a quarter etc. etc. Give 'em hell! And I kneel before thee, Lord Nev, on the occasion of your 150 - what an achievement.