Leaderboard

Nothing typifies Langdon more than his goal in the 3rd quarter last night. Spends pretty much the whole night running up and down the Southern wing and bobs up on the Members half forward flank near the boundary line and calmly slots it from 50. That’s our Ed.

Exclusive photo from the MCG tonight.

Take a bow tmac, I had you in a retirement home and you just destroyed the "best" player in the comp.

My perspective after last week and this is: what we do against lowly teams don’t matter. Against Richmond, or Hawthorn, or whoever else, as long as we get the 4 points, nothing else matters. These are the games that matter. Beating the other top teams matter. We’re a contender in 2024 and we ARE good enough to win it. Love these Dees.

Personally I loved watching Scott have a post-game sulk. Can't help thinking that Geelong fans must really, really hate us by now. I mean... really. We 'stole' their minor premiership, humiliated (Correction: abjectly humiliated) them in a preliminary final, and even plinked them out of the 2018 finals, and now we've busted their winning streak and possibly their whole fragile momentum. And on every occasion it was flu or some other tragedy. Can it please also be us who have finally cracked their shell of invulnerability and ended their era?

Normally like the way Chris Scott analyses a game in a presser but he straight up just said they were off tonight and none of their players would be happy with their individual performances etc… No acknowledgment of our pressure or movement which stifled them. This is in stark contrast to how Goodie conducts himself in a loss even if the whole team is crook or walking wounded he gives his kudos straight away to the opposition and says the better team won on the night. Just an observation that irked me. Suck eggs Scott, suck eggs Geelong.

Anyone notice Knuckles McVee last night……? Of course you didn’t, cause he is that good!

I just finished the replay after watching live. On second viewing we were more dominant than I realised. We made them play on our terms significantly more than they made us play on theirs. The Cats are also a bloody good team As for Chris Scott's mealy mouthed post game presser saying they were off and had their chances. Maybe but he ignored the fact we had way more chances to win and did

“Hats off to Melbourne but I walked under a ladder on Tuesday, Hawkins stubbed his toe and Cameron had a poppy seed stuck in his tooth. We never make excuses but that’s why we lost really. Certainly weren’t outplayed in any way.”

Disagree about our attack. Particularly based off last night's game. People seem to only remember the finals series when we clicked. All the way through the H&A season we did what we needed to score wise, but weren't huge scorers. Our entires pretty much all night were superb. In the first half when the game had less fatigue in it, we shifted and moved rhe ball patiently inside 50 and really showed up their defence. Notwithstanding the mitigating factors of post finals exits, which has become a huge misnomer IMO - 2022 most of our guys were banged up, Trac played with a broken leg etc, 2022 we had a piecemeal forwardline due to constant injury, Petty, then Melksham, and missing Fritta for important games - we're not playing the same way at all as previous years. Not only do we play a much deeper zone, we've changed emphasis on clearance and ground ball, to rebound 50s and playing fast. And the way we played keepings off at half back last night for all of the first half until the game opened up with fatigue, is not even remotely Melbourne under Goodwin. We've been very much a long down the line team. We're not a finished product yet, but we're not even half way through the season yet. Having been at the game and then watching the replay when I got home, that is the best I've seen us move the ball. We're getting there, but it really is a significant change to the way we play the game.

5 players 10 games or less Take a bow boys. Can't overestimate how good it is playing big tight games against quality teams Superb Go dees

I (usually) enjoy reading the opposition supporter takes post game, so... What they're saying down at Kardinia Park A few of the more level headed highlights:

T Mac showing a lot of us what a professional he is. A very good footballer.

The media will replay the goal all week. Internally at the team reviews this spoil will be the one replayed over and over. Match winning stuff from Petty. If that mark sticks they are out with another Geelong player running through the corridor. Petty wasn't in the best position but read the play and worked to get to that spot to spoil. HUGE

Can't remember the last time we had another big key forward who can take huge contested marks to influence a game like Petty did tonight. I thought his work up the ground as a genuine CHF was outstanding in the last. We usually leave it to Max to get clobbered and take those marks down the stretch. But Petty just took ownership. His disposal wasn't great but boy did he present well and was a catalyst for many of our looks at goal with his body work and positioning. That hand he got on the cats kick across half back to spoil and eventuate into the Fritta goal to win the game was crucial. Loved his honest interview after the game too. Saying he owed the team a better performance. Also the way his team mates celebrated him expressing how impressed they were with his big marking as they all walked off together. We've been missing a player with this size and presence and he's starting to come back into form.

Bliss. Just started watching the replay. First derm gem: 5-2 is not good enough. Go redleggers.

A reminder that Windsor is just 18yo What a pick up Doesnt make a mistake. So quick, so skilful, so composed Should be top 3 in the Rising Star you’d reckon

This might just be the sweetest rail replacement bus journey home yet.

People are potting him because he is a blowhard who rarely has a good thing to say about Melbourne. He pontificates as if he is the Word on everything football but reality is he lost touch with the modern game two decades ago. He knows about forward craft and belting into blokes but modern tactics confuse him. Yeah if Geelong kicked straight they may have pinched it but if we kicked straight we would've won by 5 goals. It's lazy "analysis" and just more hot air from a boofhead who is only given a paid gig based on past glories rather than any real aptitude for the role.

An 18 year old kid that plays with the nerves of a player in his prime. The way he was fended off by his opponent and then chased him back down in about 4 steps was incredible. Set the win up for us. It was such a great steadying goal. So many great youngsters in the team.

Happy to get the 4 points but if we play like that against Geelong they’ll beat us by 5+ goals!

Steven May said post match the predominantly demon crowd noise positively impacted last night. Kudos to your lot leading the passion. Watch frittas goal again and zone in on the individual scenes of sheer disbelief and mayhem behind the goals of many demon army members. Worth a highlight reel of its own imo

Just texted my brother in law a mad cats supporter the annual picture of Max.

I love how people can only see negatives when we win. Last night we beat the undefeated top team. We must have done most things well. No team plays 100% ever game. People seem to lose sight of the fact there is an opponent out there. 46 humans running around, their only human, errors occur. The objective is to be in front at the end. We just beat the top team. ENJOY it!

I just texted this to a mate who is a big cats fan: 'Scott, who I had warmed to, lost me with his sour, sore loser, press conference - gave us no credit. I suspect there is no love lost between goody and Scott.'

Just a baby in the context of the position he is asked to play and has averaged over a goal per match so far this year not playing as a permanent forward I really think you’re being a bit hard on him - he has in spades what many have not offered before him - courage and aggression which are fantastic qualities that are very important if you’re going to succeed at this level He will only get better with more games and building his footy IQ Hawkins hasn’t kicked a goal in 4 weeks playing as a stay at home FF - so JVR is doing just fine

Looking forward to @WheeloRatings’s stats update but some I’ve noticed: 1. We had 7 of the top 9 pressure act players, with Clarry leading the way. 2. It’s either an ongoing tactic or injuries but we’re resting our mids in-game a lot more this year. Gawn 83% TOG, Trac 79%, Oliver and Viney 77%. All feel lower to me compared to previous years. 3. Doesn’t matter how quiet you keep Trac, he makes things happen - yet again, game high score involvements with 9.

Ask yourself why it’s taken Petty to find some form. Well documented he had no preseason, was always going to take time to find some confidence, yet he was copping it on here from his own for weeks and that’s alright is it. Just repetitive bulldust by some. And these posters always do the same thing in the end, “I’m sorry I got it wrong”

Chris Scott is one of the main reasons that I hate Geelong with the fire of a thousand suns. He is the single most arrogant, self righteous, ignorant piece of trash in the AFL. What a sore loser.

Welcome back Harry. Your contested marking tonight was first rate. So glad the selectors don’t decide according to the demo(n)cratic votes on this forum.

Great call. I have heard 3 media people call Scott the best tactician in the game this week. And many people, including some dees fans, think goody wouldnt know a tactical innovation if it knocked on his door and introduced itself. And what is even more surreal tonight wont change those people's mind. Strange looking game structurally.

AFL.com.au - Clayton Oliver records 30 disposals for the first time since Round 2. His match tonight included 31 disposals at 81 efficiency, four clearances, 17 contested possessions, eight score involvements, 32 pressure acts and four inside 50's.

Wow Petty is back. Fritta with his magic tricks. Max big last quarter. Caleb cool. Lever bog. We are contenders again. Shades of Kardinia 21.

For years, especially when we were performing poorly, the AFL would schedule us at 1pm on Mother's Day at the MCG while we'd be mocked for getting a crowd of only 15,000. Well, strike me dead. I just looked at next week's schedule and lo and behold .... 1pm Collingwood vs West Coast (which will be 11am in Perth) Furthermore, it's to be played at Docklands. Yes, Collingwood will play a home game at Docklands. I'm flabbergasted that the AFL have done something so good with their fixturing. So kudos to the AFL.

Max - greatest ruckman ever Viney - desperation definitely returned May - all Australian form Lever - continued outstanding season Oliver - mistakes but persevered Petracca - great second half McDonald - strong and reliable Windsor - will be nominated Langdon - amazing running man Sparrow - strong in packs Petty - amazing marking performance Pickett - was always dangerous Fritsch - classy and important McVee - calm and controlled Neal-Bullen - some important efforts Rivers - great last quarter Billings - had little influence Chandler - needed more involvement Howes - settled in well Turner - no heroics today Woewodin - may have arrived vanRooyen - didn’t appear again

One of the best sights: Oliver with no bandaging or protection on his hand. Bodes well 😊

Hey Scott You were well and truly beaten by a much better team. Have some humility. Oh yes you were out coached as well.

Sorry, but that's a complete load of bollocks. 5-2 not good enough when 2 of those games were against Port and crows at Adelaide oval, the latter off a five day break? And one was against the swans at the scg, which is worth 2 goals to them given how well they play there (particularly defensively) and in slippery conditions? I mean on the same ground yesterday, in much the same conditions, the much vaunted orange tsunami turned into a wavelet and they got smashed. So 5-2 with 3 difficult interstate games and a horrendous schedule is not good enough? On brererton, I'd love to ask his view on the giants given they have already lost to two contenders - not good enough? Or his views on the blues who were 5-2 before the round - not good enough? And now 5-3 - gone? Port were also 5-2 before the round- not good enough? Now 5 -3 - gone? What about the cats derm? They have only beaten ONE team in the 8 - the blues (who just got beaten by the pies for the same reason the cats beat them - they are suspect defensively this season). The cat's other 6 wins are against teams outside the 8, including the winless roos and hapless hawks. Cats not good enough derm?

My favourite moment was when Henry had his goal over turned, the whole crowd gave it back to them in spades

Tom Stewart had little impact - did Turner play a defensive role on him? Tom Stewart having a mediocre game is a coaching triumph in itself.

I sat next to demonland royalty tonight, incl @picket fence, @Bitter but optimistic and @Biffen. I think you'll find picket is taking the [censored] most of the time with his comments. I was, however, most concerned that he 'conveniently' left his cards at home and only brought cash. And very little of that too! It's fair to say that the MCG cleaners will spend considerable time and gurney pressure working on the area we were sitting

Agree with many others. This bloke never gives credit to the opposition. Sore loser.

Simon Goodwin best on ground. He absolutely smashed Chris Scott. We clearly did our homework and put together an appropriate plan of attack. Tight game, but start to finish it was on our terms.

Some fresh legs would help as we owe this mob from last year.

What a pompous jerk!

Bloody unreal! To all the people that think I'm always negative.. me pre game.