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Who cares about percentage? We have to stop having a mindset of worrying about other teams. We need to win and keep winning and percentage will take care of itself.

They say defences wins flags. The stats for conceding scores from inside 50s so far: 1. Melbourne 35% Daylight 2. Richmond 50% 3. St Kilda 52% 4. Collingwood 53% 5. Carlton 58% 6. Bulldogs 60%

They seem upset on Bomberblitz Just at the start Fine, I’ll start. 6 months to prepare for this game. 6 months. 6 months to develop a semblance of a structure that may actually be competitive. To work out how to deliver the ball to our forwards. To work out how to not let it waltz from one end of the ground to another. To learn how to make use of kick ins. To freaking mark the ball. Hit a 1m target with a handball. 6 months to even look like you wanted to be out there. ■■■■ me. They looked like they had been dragged out against their will. The signs were there in the St Kilda game, but it’s ok, we were just changing things up, just toying with them. Complete and utter failure by our coaching panel. Truck may be good at creating content for the website but there is absolutely nothing to suggest he can develop and coach a football team. Get ■■■■■■ with your scripted videos. Get ■■■■■■ you soulless, vacuous void of a football club. Scotty from marketing has more substance. You are nothing. i dont think it an overreaction to fold the club Sat in the sun for the game. Beer cues crazy long Geelong fans acting like arrogant flogs We were appalling …and yet I’m still kinda glad footy is back Essendon Football Club Where talent comes to die. happy to be at the footy on a sunny day after two years of not being able to do that much. essendon still puts the “fun” in “lack of fundamental ball skills”

This exactly. Let all the hype be on Geelong. We have been forgotten in the Bevo/Morris controversy. Fine with me.

It's hilarious watching Essendons preseason hopes and dreams turn to dust. they are getting brutalised

How would you like to be carlton. In the last 2 games they have be awarded 16 50 mtr penalties including two 100 mtr ones. It will be interesting when they play footscray the umpires will be totally confused in who to support.

I like how Sydney plays a lot. They’re hard and have skilful youngsters. If they can keep their top players on the park this year, they could go deep into finals.

Some guy tried to tell me the other day that Rutten and a couple of other AFL coaches, privately do not rate Goodwin as a coach. Well I am sorry but after today if I was Rutten I would shut up and concentrate on keeping his own job!

Did Mick Malthouse really tip Essendon to win the flag?

I thought Malthouse said bombers would win the flag

I had a few last night. I was pretty antagonising. Apologies

As I teach my students ,Morris failed the grandma test..for digital posting Basically if you wont show or say it to your grandma don't put it online... its an easy rule. Though a few of my students used to retort of how wild and inappropriate their grandma was and would love it.. :)

Trade talk 2 games into the season…. What a bunch of clowns!

Long time lurker. First time poster. Fan since I was in nappies.

Totally agree. There was nothing in it. A tackle that went wrong and hurt an already NQR knee from the looks of things. There are a lot of players at the Dogs I cannot stand, but the Bont is a star and a humble one at that. Never seen him do anything untoward on field or off.

Cox counts as a footballer? Long season! They've got another 21 rounds plus finals to study the up and comers for next year's draft. He meant in the Maribyrnong & Northern Bowls Club League. Different sport. Neeld has offered to coach them for the rest of the season so they can preserve some dignity with only 10 goal weekly hidings.

Niall didn't say that. People on this site have a low interpretation skills at times. What he said was Richmond was system first, talent second whereas Melbourne is talent first and system second. The implication for me is that system is equally important between the two clubs but that the talent is higher at Melbourne and the players know it. This lead directly into his "cockiness" comment. People tend to think in terms of zero sum games, and this is a prime example IMO.

As much as I'm not a huge fan of the Tomahawk, I have to respect his skill. Hes 34 in a few months not much younger than Franklin. At 29 we could get five good years out of Bbb.

Not sure why people are upset at Geelong doing well. I get a great amount of joy watching them fail badly every September for the last decade and will be glad to see it happen again this year

… and all is good in the world.

Brayshaw plays the Salem distributor role I’d have thought. Jordon to slot in on Brayshaw’s wing. Smith seems to be covering a role that is some combination of Hibberd and Petty with Tomlinson doing the other part.

Given that Charlie Cameron caused us more problems than any other forward in last years finals series when we had almost all of our defenders available I think we still need to replace Nev.

Loved his crushing tackle on the Bont.

That comment was weird. When he alluded to us being a team of individual performers compared to Richmond who are all about system I immediately thought about every interview last year where each player deflected questions about themselves to praise others and highlight the team and the system we play or as we call it the Melbourne way. He genuinely just pulled that comment out of his [censored]. Not to mention, system shone through with our team still putting the choke on without any backline.

Also, all this bs about what each of us may have said in the past. If I was from the 1700s I might have used the N-word and thought it appropriate. I've said completely inappropriate stuff in my real past. A progressive society educates us that a lot of that isn't okay. We learn and move on. Some of us were stupid, and some genuinely bigoted. The fact that we're into the whatsapp era and Morris continues to espouse such horrible garbage suggests he's the latter. Therefore cancelled.

The Bulldogs get an insanely favourable ride from the umpires, with a lot of it being unjust. It's staggering it hasn't received a formal inquiry as it's borderline match fixing at this point. They finished last season with a +79 differential, which was 46 more than the next closest team in the league! There's nothing to say free kick counts need to be even - they obviously don't - but the free kicks the Bulldogs often receive are absurd. Off the top of my head: - Langdon deliberate out of bounds was incorrect decision and handed them a goal. - Petracca holding the ball where he was mobbed by three opponents immediately and had no prior opportunity to dispose of it. Incorrect decision and an umpire trying to flex the new holding the ball interpretation. From memory also lead to a goal a few moments later. - Tim English individually received 8 (!) free kicks, which is an AFL record for most free kicks to one individual ever in a match. 6 frees were from ruck contests where neither ruckman even knew what happened as they were both grappling with their eyes on the ball. Trash umpiring that was incorrect and slowed the game down, when the intent is to speed the game up. - Weightman free kick at quarter time for... nearly being touched? Getting scared by possible physical contact that never eventuated? One of the worst free kicks ever given and handed them a goal. After scoring four goals directly from dodgy frees against the Lions in finals, Weightman is my most hated player in the league. Petulant little spud who flops around for frees and pulls out of contests. P The Dogs start 2022 with a +13. Good thread to keep track of it OP. If it continues this season I'd love to see it get lots of media attention and force a please explain from the AFL.

If Rutten's men keep performing like that, I hope he coaches Essendon for ever.

Tom Greene is a beast

Dwayne Is the worst commentator in the AFL - not that the others are any good, but he insists on adding Americanisms to our game, and all it does it takeaway what is special about the AFL. I actually forgot how much I dislike when he calls.

Ha just went on bomberblitz. 😂

He has NFI!

"We'll still beat your mob" — Every Essendon mate ever

Slurp… Burp… Yawn… F*rt…

The Dogs are in trouble. Their coach has lost it. Their club is leaking If their mids aren't on top they can't score Their defence is scratchy. Their fwds are not good without Bruce (Naughton excepted) When the Umps stop the free kick love fest they are cooked.

Ha just looked on social media. Essendon fans saying we look bottom 4, thanks waited 6 months & you play like this & just angry😂

He’s starting to clunk overhead marks now. Uh oh ******shudders****** 🍆

Watching the game on Wed night, you realise what an important player he is. For both our structure and his individual brilliance. A must keep.

The rule was brought in to stop players charging front on into a player that was vulnerable - hands outstretched going for a mark. Fair enough. Smith turned to go for the ball - you could see he thought about going up for a spoil and then stopped himself. He was stationary when Weigtman barely brushed past him. He wasn't impeded or 'blocked' as you say. BS free every day of the week. Virtually every commentator agrees. You are out on the wrong limb here.

Smith actually was stationary and Weightman made the slightest of contact with him. Appalling free

A ‘what if’ moment. If the Bulldogs had won I wonder if Bevo would have made his outburst? I don’t think so. I believe Bevo was frustrated that his side was just as impotent as in the GF and had to project his frustration on Morris who as well as being a focus of annoyance is a Melbourne supporter and a soft target to receive his wrath.

I think most people's beef (and not just MFC fans) with the Footscray differential is the fact that there seems consistently / repeatedly to be different interpretations for them and their opponents within games.

Watched the replay of round one us v dogs again and I think BBB is in for a ripper season. Has really worked on his contested marking and if he returns to his old Norf form in a quality side like ours feeding him then he could be a Coleman chance. Apologies to Fritta.

That's what I thought last year.

Saw a comment from his Mum when drafted. What are some of his attributes, Mum said Loyalty. He's a 200 gamer

I don’t understand what’s confusing people about this situation. It’s pretty clear. A media organisation has to be seen as holding up certain moral standards or norms in line with societal expectations to both: 1. Commercial maximisation. All companies want to maximise the size of their audience/customer base to make more money from advertises in this case. Societal norms have progressed to the point where Morris’ comments are WELL against the norms and standards the majority of people now expect. If you go against these standards then (rightly in my opinion) you will lose advertises. Simple choice. Get rid of him. He’s now irreparably toxic from a commercial standpoint. 2. To not allow for their to be a culture of discrimination or the creation of a hostile work environment hence leading to lawsuits. Now, given Morris’ statements. It actually doesn’t matter if they were private or not from a workplace or media perspective. You can argue that most people have made comments like this in private… but… Most people aren’t public figures that represent a media organisation that explicitly operate on optics and advertising for money. Optics and him as a person are a part of his job. Don’t like it, don’t become a public figure. The fact is, they’re not private now. He’s a public figure and he represents a media company. So for Fox to keep him on would be opening themselves up to A LOT of legal and commercial consequences. If you aren’t prepared for the professional consequences of your words as a public figure, then, DON’T SAY SEXIST OR RACIST THINGS. Again, optics are a massive part of being a public figure in the media. Especially your words. You as a person are the job when you’re a public figure. Also, think about being his co-worker whom he’s now publicly sexualised and made her sexual orientation known to everyone which is HER BUSINESS ALONE. The mental health repercussions of outing peoples sexuality can be immense. Tom Morris is not the victim here. To re-iterate. If you’re a public figure working for a media company that works almost solely on optics, if you don’t like the consequences of your words affecting you professionally, just don’t say them. Otherwise, expect to be sacked. It’s simple.

I’m assuming, and pretty confidently that they’re talking about the ‘articular cartilage’ rather than his meniscus, which is commonly termed ‘the cartilage’. Confusing, I know. The articular cartilage is the super-smooth surfacing we all have on the end of our bones to act as a joint surface. This can be subject to cracks, fissures, softening, chips, and ultimately, degradation over time that ends in bone exposure and likely joint replacement to resurface those bones (with titanium and nylon). It sounds like Christian Salem has had a bit of that artic. cartilage ‘chipped off’. What they’ll invariably do is surgically (keyhole) smooth the edges, and either ‘puncture’ the bone beneath to create a scar tissue ‘surfacing plug’, or lay down a matrix of organic material in the defect to have it function as original surface. Both take time to become weight-bearing and solid to increased stressors. I’d be surprised if he’s back within 8-10 weeks. (All the above based on the opening assumption).

There was one play where a Bulldog had the ball and was spun 360degs without making any attempt to get rid of the ball legally. I thought there was a new rule specifically bought in to police that. Absolute Rubbish!!!

That "front on contact" on the quarter time siren was jut plain cheating / incompetence. No contact was made. And the HTB interpretations were polar opposites dependent on who had the ball. I hope official questions are at least asked privately.