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I could easily write about the performance of our Hollywood midfield. But instead I am going to make special mention of Oscar McDonald. I've been incredibly hard on this kid but he's proved me wrong and making me eat humble pie. He's a complete different player and it's no coincidence that May and Lever are back to their best. Well done Oscar, you've shut me up for good. Kozzie and Jackson are going to be something else huh...

To everyone - enjoy it. While it's only a win during a long season, smashing the Hawks by 7 goals is something you can't ignore. They have embarrassed us so many times over the last decade and now it's our time to start paying them back. Trac was sublime. Gawny stood up as captain and dominated all day. Viney and Oliver were awesome in the engine room Jackson was the right pick and was terrific. Our backline made them look ordinary, and they have been building to this for weeks now. Everything is starting to come together and it is exciting to watch. Go Dees!

Really pleased with OMac and Weed - both had question marks against them but have been great.

Smashing Hawthorn makes the apocalypse feel way better. Oscar has come in and said listen [censored], don’t listen to what Simon says, this is my world and this is how you’re setting up. Petrecca is something else. The balance and movement plus explosion stands out likes dogs balls in an era of ugly footy. Really bringing the joy back for me. Gawn took the [censored] all day. Oliver and Viney were a driving force. Bullies. Brayshaw half good half awful. Which one is really him? Jackson played a better game than Tomald has for 12 months. Promising stuff. Bennell and Kozzie also played really well up forward. So good to see Weed making a difference. And Langdon played like what Scully should’ve become. Speaking of Scully, best part was when a 200 kilo Italian ran away from him like he wasn’t there.

Can someone shut down that weightman is better than kozzy thread ASAP. Everytime kossy gets his hands on the ball i wet myself. He offers so much more than weightman, i'm really glad we picked him up. The great legacy of the 36 lives on!!!

Obviously our best game since the 2018 SF. We won all four quarters. We weathered their initial storm, then we weathered their early third quarter pressure. Weideman growing with confidence (would have loved him to kick that final goal). IMO a clear tick for the two tall forwards gameplan. Gawn unbelievable, Petracca likewise. Our defensive zone is clearly working: sides are struggling to score against us provided we don't turn it over. OMac, Lever and May all worked well together again, can't deny that trio is working well. Langdon has been great all year and the more we learn how to use his gut running and space-saving on the wing, the better we get. I haven't enjoyed footy this much since 2018. Hawthorn might be a bottom 4 side this year but we outplayed them like a finals side should.

Best game since 2018. Tracc and Gawn were immense. Ive seen a few mention it, but I reckon Langdon deserves a heap of praise. Last week was good, this week we saw exactly why we went after him. Runs and Runs and runs and hit his targets today. also thought Clarry improved as the game went on. Getting better at picking when to handball and when to kick. Still has to be a focus though.

Special mention to the NSW Dees supporters, do not know the attendance at the game but sounded like a Pro Dees crowd. Great to hear the barracking from the side lines in these strange times.

He was a decent player who filled a need at the time. I don’t know why people feel the need to whack club and player for no reason over ancient history.

Its honestly mystifying that it took until last week for the coaches to play Weideman. Our structure looks so much better with him crashing packs and clunking marks. Great to see him get on the end of a few goals. Probably should've finished with five. Also....Luke Jackson: 14 touches, three marks (two contested), three tackles and a goal in just his second game. Early days, but Action Jackson looks super impressive.

[censored] me . We looked like a premiership side today!!! Max Gawn - A mountain. Petracca - best game ever. The good times are over for Clarko - rebuild. I made some serious money and ..... the maid has gone into hiding!

Petracca. Gawn. ❤️?

Weideman crashing packs like a big bloke should. Make your opponents know its going to hurt. He actually looked tough af at times today. That elbow in the face and he bounced up like nothing happened. Angry Weid is my favourite Weid.

I especially love the thought of Dermott Brereton having to sit and watch every minute of that. After his endless condescending attitude towards everything Melbourne. And after a week where he suggested Hawthorn could be like Richmond of 2015 who bounced back to win two flags. And Clarkson will coach for the next two decades. Time to turn down the heat on the hair straightener, Dermie. Your team is garbage. And how glorious it is.

That was 4 quarters of absolutely magnificent footy. *Insert OTT hyperbole here* Our kids played really, really well, and geez hasn’t Trac arrived. Weed was a genuine target on the lead as well. I loved his whole game. Great signs. So many good players today. 1 Vote for everyone. (North might just be starting to fell a tiny bit nervous too haha) IM AM SO PUMPED I FEEL LIKE THE MICHELIN MAN. GO DEES!!!!

Pretty hard to get a game with a calf injury that's kept him out all season.

I don't know about you, but I needed the channel 7 cameras to capture Goodwin smashing the desk after a poor effort in the D50 that led to a Hawks goal. With "Goody', It's always the smirk or the blank, thousand yard stare, or even the Krusty the Klown face. but for the first time, I saw some passion for the club from the coach. Thank God. For me, a great sign. I'd love to know if others felt this was a watershed moment.

A few things. Beating Hawthorn is the best. In the last two weeks the structure and game plan have been changed. I have thought for the last year or so there is plenty of talent, but we keep playing guys out of position and they are being wasted. See Fritsch last year playing down back (even with the injuries we had), he’s a natural forward. Bringing O’Mac back in has allowed Lever over the last couple of weeks to play the role we paid a tonne of draft picks for. A really good intercept marker. Not a 2nd tall defender. Bennell is just looking better and better. Petracca is now elite. General Maximus was a beast. Even the negatives (other than the first few minutes of the game) the players were actually trying to hit targets. Gus was pretty bad with disposal today, but even when it didn’t come off it was the right decision. You can practice the skills, just long bombing it has shown where we fall down for the last eighteen months. Even Viney’s HTB towards the end of the game I was happy with, he was looking for good options and unfortunately the tackle stuck. At least that gives our defenders the chance to position, rather than the typical bomb that rebounds to the other side of the ground and we are out of position. The Weed and Jacko have definitely taken on the “compete get it, get it to ground” mantra and it’s working. A few goals between them as well. Nice. Our hard as nails midfield does work, as soon as we lower eyes. There will be mistakes cos I think they are playing a different style compared to the beginning of the year, but I’m not going to complain when we compete and play like we did today. And that’s what I got from today, we are trying to play differently. Allow players to be good at what they are good at with a decent spine of KPPs. There will be mistakes, but I’d much prefer to watch an organised team trying to win than the Chaos Ball of 2019 Sorry for the essay. Go Dees!

I think TMacs eye may be sore for another week. Jackson’s not going anywhere.

Gawn - the perfect game Viney - back to best Petracca - certainly amongst elite Jetta - still looked vulnerable May - composed and tough McDonald - reliable when required Salem - didn’t overdo it Hibberd - continued his resurgence Melksham - was rarely sighted Fritsch - classy and composed Jackson - showed exciting potential Pickett - exciting and important Bennell - better every week vandenBerg - tough and uncompromising Brayshaw - far from convincing Oliver - was all class Hannan - some important cameos Weideman- has hopefully arrived Harmes - great tagging role Langdon - indefatigable and important Lockhart - just do basics Lever - composure was vital

Loved Langdon’s game. If you need convincing of the importance of the wingman’s role (Goody included), watch the very first goal of the game to Gunston, and how Brayshaw gets sucked in and they just spread it to the wing to Scully and goal time. After that, not only did we shut it down defensively, but Langdon was always an option, and barely made a wrong decision with the ball. Loving the balance it brings to our game.

Probably been said before, but the structural and personnel changes to allow Fritsch to play third tall forward and Lever third tall back have made a mountain of difference. Let’s keep it that way, please. That and our sustained fierce tackling and pressure warmed my heart today.

Jackson is almost 200cm and is 18yo. You wouldn’t know it! He is such a smooth mover and has very good awareness and decision making. will be a beauty

That was very good to watch. The opposition weren't much chop and the early O'Brien injury definitely helped us, but: - our ball movement was excellent. - our defensive zone was the best it's ever been (first time we've had the double wall up with so much space between the two zones - the double press, loved it). - our forwardline pressure and energy was good (need to stick more of those tackles), but very 2018. That was one of Max's best games. He's so much better floating across half back. Good support from Jackson and Weideman in the air too. Oscar played one of his best games too. Spoilt everything and was always in the right spot. May panics a bit for my liking, and the defensive chemistry isn't quite there yet, but it's definitely getting there. Lockhart may well be a replacement for Nev afterall. Petracca obviously so clean and in everything. I'm not sure what's happened to Oliver's field kicking between the arcs, but I was happy with his game as well. He's so pivotal to so much of what we do. One of the other things I really liked was our ability to set up around stoppages and marking contests. It was very Richmond and the first time I'd seen us do it so consistently within game. Our big guys were just concerned with bringing the ball to ground for our smalls to go to work and we really ran well in waves. Gus is still a big worry for me, but was involved in some good play too, but sides often play through his opponent when he's on the wing and they exploited this early in the game. Kozzie and Bennell really excite me. Kozzie has that awareness of Cyril and very Hawthorn in the way he taps it forward and to advantage. Langdon's running and cleanness was important too and overall, I think our team balance was the best it's been for a long time. We're a lot less predictable without McDonald and Jackson should definitely stay in next week.

This is Melbourne’s line in the sand day. A win would keep the season alive and become a building block for the next phase in this crazy season. Defeat puts us in stage 4 lockdown.

A Dees win and a Carlton loss after the siren - couldn't be happier!

Absolutely rapt for Weid. Has copped the abuse, copped the bad luck with injuries, copped the non-selection and now taken his chances the last couple of weeks. Good on him.

Petracca has developed TIME, he has soo much time

I feel for Dom. I would have easily kept him as depth and last year he would have easily played a lot of games if fit. I honestly thought after his 2014 year, he was going to go on to become a 200 game workhorse for this club. He ended up playing 94 games for this club which is a great achievement in itself. I am sure the club will always welcome him back with open arms for future functions I hope Dom can get his body right and play some solid games for the Roos. An outstanding individual off field also.

What a load of BS, ANB plays with his heart, god I wish he was a better kick but that pays no respect to him, and he deserves it.

That was the most enjoyable two hours of football I can recall since we decimated Adelaide in Alice Springs a couple of years back. I can’t recall too many periods in the past 20 years where we have had a genuinely elite player. On current form, we have two. I know other teams have good players, but I think Gawn and Petracca measure up to any other player out there at present. Remember when everyone didn’t want to draft Jackson? Me too. I didn’t want him. Ruckman take 5 years apparently. I’ve seen enough after two games. Wowee. It might amount to nothing, but it’s so nice to see that kind of entertainment again on a Sunday afternoon. Especially in the middle of a pandemic. Thank you Melbourne.

Tom Scully - contracted to 2021?

First time we've won all four quarters since Round 23 2018 vs GWS.

Not nearly as confident as any of you tbh. Last week was our 'line in the sand' game, this week's it's the Hawks one. Would be very typical Melbourne for us to still be enjoying the bath water from last week so much that we don't get up for this one. That, plus having Clarko in the opposite box after a week of him copping it; certainly does not put me at ease. Today tells us a lot about whether 'To Hell & Back' was filled with platitudes by paycheck collectors or genuine footballers and coaches who not only know what it takes to win, but will do what it takes to win.

I reserve a special cognac for after a great win. Currently enjoying my first taste since 2018. Delicious!

It's only a watershed moment for the people who were saying tripe like "he shows no emotion" "he talks in coach speak instead of real terms" etc. He hasn't changed. Their perception of him has.

Score: · Coach - 10/10 · Player Execution – 9.5/10 Bring on Lions!

I don't think it's too far fetched to say that is probably the best half of footy we have played since 2018.

Good win, but we need to back it up. Hawthorn are in a different place to us. We need to beat a team in the 8 before we start thinking we are out of Hell. Its a good start and the game was enjoyable to watch.

The Pickett shimmy disco dance in the first was one of the best things I've seen on a football field.

Just going to say that Viney was immense, especially in the first half when the game was to be won. And his kicking into f50 has become exceptional.

That was actually good to watch and not all that stressful which is a nice change.

Another 4 qtr game!? What's happened? It's almost like we've worked out that it's easier to play for the whole game! You almost don't need a gameplan haha (almost). Trac and Maxxy were magnificent. A+++ Jackson, awesome stuff - so much potential. The extra height around the ground is precious. Weid did exactly what we want from him. More, please! It's crazy how our forwards can kick goals when the ball is actually delivered to them!? Better, so much better. Always a heartwarming feeling to pump the Hawks. The lions will be a real test of where we're at. Would be great to continue this upward trend. Go Dees, finally something to be pleased with amidst all the other mess.

Over to you Liam Pickering what an absolute [censored]

Even the most negative demon fan couldn’t complain about that. First class performance all around.

Petracca is next level. So good to see a Demon with potential reach said potential.

How about Trac leaving Scully in his wake!

Was gonna write a poem, But i really cant be stuffed. They will likely play the tough guy, and hope they have us bluffed. We often fade post half time, and play like on the bong. but today we'll come out firing, and maintain it all game long. I really think its time that the MFC stood tall. Forget the Mr nice-guy lets grab 'em by the balls MFC by 4 goals. GO DEES !!!

Agree with both points. A frustration for me in the first three games is that we played so far below what i know we are capable off. Were a good side. Certainly beter than Geelong in my opinion. As i have noted many times our key weakness is not having enough above average and elite kicks and too many poor kicks (watching the suns yesterday i have to say i was impressed with how many really good kicks they have). But that is as it is. And Harley, Kozzie (who has the modern skill of weighting kicks to space) and even Hannan (who hit a couple of perfect kicks last week) all help improve our kicks inside 50. As others have noted, almost as big an issue is decision making but that has much more scope for improvement, as we saw last week. Good coaching last week from goody who brought in good decision makers and got the team to slow things down (apparently our lowest percentage of play ons from marks since 2015). But with decision making i really believe a big part of it relates to confidence: in the game plan, each other and individually. With the game plan, they had to adjust last year as the massive up and down the ground flooding of other sides (and our lack of fitness) that became the norm severely disrupted our preferred game plan. And this is an even bigger factor this year with 16 minute quarters and teams not tiring meaning they can keep their flood up till the siren. We tried to to beat this through playing on at all costs, but except for the first quarter against the blues it hasn't worked. Personally i think a combination of the two styles we have employed this year is the go. The key is knowing when to implement each style. Which is where confidence is so important. Goody has to get them into a head space where they are not worrying about losing, which feels to me they have been for 18 months. Which has meant they often seem to have a passive, defensive mind set married to an aggressive game plan. In the second half of 2018 they played without fear of losing and collectively and individually played much more freely. The game has changed in a short time so they need to adjust but they can still find that same mojo - and there is still a place for their contest out, high pressure game. That style is built for finals as comprehensively shown last year by the tigers. Goody should encourage them to go for it. Trust in each other and themselves. Take that kick to the corridor on. Be aggressive when it is called for. But smart and patient when it isn't (which is where defence can become attack). A funny thing about this year is teams seem to scoring goals in clumps and whilst momentum has always been important in footy it feels like it is eve more important this year., perhaps as function of the scores being lower. Having two speeds and the skill and on field chemistry to implement them at the right time is really important now and that is the challenge for this coaching staff and team. A fascinating element of the game will be the tactical battle. A good chance for goody to silence some critics. Won't be surprised if the hawks go against script early and attack. If so we need to be ready. If they jump us we need to stop their momentum with tempo footy. If they don't and we get on top early we need to put our foot down and put score board pressure on them. Get four goals up and they can chip, hold and flood all they like. With their uber flood we need to make sure we risk turnovers and go for our angle kicks, take on the corridor and cross to the fat side when needed. Be patient. I can't see Clarkson giving us so many kicks inside 50 to a free man in the corridor like the Suns did (i thought Goody out coached dew with this) but we need to keep looking for them and try to engineer them. And i have feeling the hub environment will help all of these elements come together. As Whispering Jack notes in the first post in this thread this is very important game. And as you note josh we are a four goal better than the Hawks and we need to show that today.