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Just got home from Gosch's, thanks to all the Dees Army volunteers - my 2 monsters had a great time. Youngest kept trying to keep up with Petty while he was running laps. Was good to watch the training session, some of the end to end drills really exposed how poor some of our field kicking is. Kolt had some howlers but knew it and looks the type to work on it. I didn't realise how good Jeffersons wing spand is. Unbelievable. He could tie his laces standing up. Had a brief chat with him and he reckons he isn't too far off. Not sure if that's just his thoughts or the clubs, but positive to hear the enthusiasm. Had a chat with Jed Adams too, suggested he move into the midfield and he liked that. We agreed he'd win the Brownlow if it happened ;)

The pleasing thing from trading is that Melksham was doing full training and was moving well.

Well clearly the AFL, as they have an ex Pies player as the MRO, who refuses to penalise Pies players. For Maynard to escape a staging fine after May the week before is simply disgraceful. He acted far more than May, yet escapes any sanction. He is hit with an open hand to the left shoulder and goes down like he was shot and then grabs his head and keeps holding it as he lays on the ground. He staged for a free and yet it is ignored by the MRO. The media go quiet on it because they are the AFL lackies. The AFL is just a joke these days, that isn’t even funny.

I care that all of last week Steven May was called a cheat and a sook for FAR LESS, and I bet May cares too. I care about the rubbish double standards of the AFL, the fact that ANB got (rightly) penalised for deliberate which cost us the game, but a Freo player did the same thing a day later and was not penalised. I care that I've seen countless players run much further than Rivers and not penalised, but Rivers goal is disallowed again costing us a vital 4 points. Do you, heart on hand, think Daicos would get called for running the same distance? I care that Adelaide was robbed of finals last year because of rubbish goal line technology, and we were robbed a top 2 spot because Acres lied about a touched goal and we had no technology to show that he lied. If you don't care about this level of inconsistency and incompetence, good for you. The rest of us however care deeply about pouring thousands of dollars into a sport that has absolutely zero integrity left. Just ask ex boss man now running a betting agency. What a sick joke.

Very hard to say based on what I saw today aside from him being able to outrun a very energetic 9 year old

It makes sense. The NT is most def north of Melbourne.

Has Buckley called for Maynard to be suspended yet, or is he still a gutless Collingwood fanboy?

Salem and Bowser did some training, but were mainly in rehab group. Jack Viney was in rehab group as well. Petty was in rehab group, but did run several laps of the oval, and was moving well. There is still 6 days to game, which may be needed for some of this group.

I've been a member since 1989 when I was 7yo, signed my kids up at birth, used to never miss a game on tv etc etc I'm seriously considering whether I bother renewing my AFL memberships next year, $1500 a year for the family for something I just don't really enjoy anymore. I still love the Demons but the league has lost me.

The Suns are challenging Long's fine. More (solar) power to them.

I can confirm it is, as I try to work from home with 2 crazies asking me "what are we doing today??"

I would like to thank WalkingCivalWar as the food from the BBQ was beautiful.

Great post. It points to two interconnected issues with cornes take, well three actually. One, fitness is probably the wrong word in the context of load management and the high performance program. At least in the context cornes is discussing our fade outs in the last six weeks. I'm not sure what the right term is. I mean they are all fit of course, it's more about fatigue levels. Or conversely, freshness. I'm going with dynamic, or optimal shape/readiness - unless someone has a better term. Two, cornes notes we have been the worst last quarter team in terms of scoring in the last six weeks. Suggests that is evidence we are not fit enough. Questions why we might not be, suggesting motivation and how we are rehabbing might be factors. But, here's the rub. The whole data set is we were also the best last quarter team for the first 10 weeks. So, by corne's logic, that means we were a very fit team in that period, perhaps the fittest. So, there is a logical inconsistency. I mean, what's he saying? We were fit, meaning we were motivated and worked super hard etc in the preseason, but six weeks later we're not? That our fitness could completey drop off a cliff in just six weeks? I mean, it doesn't make sense - in of itself. And the third issue is cornes' diagnosis of why he thinks we are not fit - which basically boils down blaming the players (though he does mention the youth of the team). Just asking questions. It's great they are discussing fitness as a factor, but it's a joke they don't discuss the high performance aspect. I mean cornes played AFL, and as I understand it is a high level distance runner. He knows what is going on. But it is still seemingly taboo to discuss load management. In this example, at least suggest it as a possible factor - particularly given there is four years of evidence of a clear pattern of an almost identical six week drop off in form and last quarter scores (after having dominated that same stat for the first 10 rounds or so) around the pre bye and bye period (by the by, it's no coincidence the crows had a a spike - we're more dynamic- this week). If it's not even discussed, then what are you left with? The players are soft and not working hard enough. Or the high performance program is nor working. Or both. It's stupid. And doesn't help people try and understand what's going on.

From this article (my bolded bit) First to worst: Fitness no factor, so what's causing Dees' final-term fades? https://www.afl.com.au/news/1162860 'It's led to some queries around Melbourne's fitness and the side's ability to run out games, but that's a theory that's quickly dispelled by the numbers. On Friday night, the Telstra Tracker shows the Demons ran a total distance of 297km. It was the most covered by any side across the entire round, and 9km more than the Lions during the game. The Telstra Tracker also shows Melbourne ran 43km at high speed, 6km more than Brisbane. It completed 272 total sprints, 50 more than Brisbane, and it ran 21 repeat sprints, four more than Brisbane. The Demons' average speed in defence – a number closely tracked by clubs as it displays the side's work rate without the ball – was 8.3km p/h. It was significantly higher than the Lions at 7.4km p/h and the fifth best of any side across the round'

Yes, I would agree that there was about 2000 fans. It was great to see on a cold day.

Brisbane were also off a 6 day break and travel from Adelaide.

I take your point, but if Maynard is overreacting then why is long copping a fine? Long pushed him in the chest and now suddenly it’s a fine?

The AFL is either corrupt or insanely inept and I’ll prove it. Firstly there is the Maynard example. Now I’m assuming people know how human anatomy works. If not, being hit below the rib cage in the solar plexus is about the only way to take the wind out of someone and bring them to the ground, assuming both people are of about equivalent strength. If you watch the clip with Long, there is not a significant ‘load up’ or transfer of weight (which equals force). He swivels at the hip yes, but strikes Maynard in the PECTORAL MUSCLE and therfore above the solar plexus, which in no reality could cause you to hunch over (let alone grab the head). There is ZERO chance of Maynard being incapacitated by this hit and he is 10000% faking it: Note the distance between them and the fact that Long is REACHING to connect with his elbow way beyond a 90 degree extension. The force has been mostly expelled or absorbed by the fact, it hits Maynard in the god damn chest. Maynard is also looking directly at what is coming to him so he can brace for impact. The second example is Pendlebury. Now you can see in the below that Pendlebury hits Neale DIRECTLY in the solar plexus. Perfect hit. Go and watch the clip if you don’t believe me, but Pendlebury loads up (he jumps in the air, plants his feet, swivels his hips like a boxer does to land a gut punch) and hits Neale directly in the solar Plexus and is hitting UP INTO NEALE. Look at the angle of Pendlebury’s elbow, bent at 90 degrees, NOT REACHING, weight primed for weight transferred into the strike, Neale isn’t even looking at him and isn’t even expecting it. Both of these are a fine. If anyone thinks that these two examples are in anyway similar, you are out of your [censored] mind. The fact that the AFL deems both of these cases as similar is a [censored] joke. They are nowhere near each other by a degree of magnitude. Now if an [censored] like me can look at these two examples and find the gaping chasm in between them, I’m sure the AFL knows and can do the same. The AFL is either corrupt or so ineptly run that it’s a disgrace. Take your pick.

What? Are you off your rocker: these 'taps' happen a hundred times a game. Then again, if you're an E Coli Wobbler, it's different: Maynard dishes these shoves and pushes a hundred times a game. So you're saying holding his head and lower stomach was the result of a vicious Suns attack on his upper chest? Give me a brake!!!!!!! ( Sic )

Does the MFC follow Demonland? Anyway, they’re putting this out publicly for a reason.

I’d have thought the kids would have been shocked in amazement that a human has this beautiful face! Aaannnd they give out Michelin star food….

Don't forget, the camera adds 10 pounds and the afl have like 30 cameras.

I'm guess approximately 1000 other people found themselves up against the same predicament and thought 'I'll get WalkingCivilWar to shove food into these faces for a couple of hours of quiet at least."

Absolutely Jed Adams Bont 2.0

It’s utterly bizarre we play them again after a mere 4 weeks but have yet to play some teams.

I was very impressed with the calibre of the young men who obliged my grandson’s requests for autographs and photos. Caleb Windsor was absolutely gobsmacked that my grandson had his number on the back of his jumper i was also impressed with the bbq sausage team. Btw was it WCW who was accepting the payments for the aforementioned delicacies? Melksham was training unhindered so I’d expect he’d be playing for Casey this weekend.

First to worst: Fitness no factor, so what's causing Dees' final-term fades? - https://www.afl.com.au/news/1162860

Sounds promising. I am enjoying this season, not our best but a great opportunity to win game at a time, sneak into the eight and win a final or two. Feels more like seasons of old. It will be touch and go but I hope to enjoy each game.

Somehow, the Melbourne Football Club managed it twice in the course of a week. Coach Simon Goodwin admitted it in his press conference after the loss against the Brisbane Lions in a game where his team held a four goal lead in the third term: "In reality we went a bit safe. Big occasion, a lot of young players playing. We probably just went into our shell a bit. "There's a bit to unpack in that last quarter … whether we go into our shells a bit late in the game." Well … actually … that’s exactly what happened on the previous Saturday night when his charges went far too early into a save the game mode after leading by 39 points in the shadows of three quarter time. Admittedly, the Demons’ line up is very young and missed the experience of premiership defenders in Christian Salem and Jake Bowey (not to mention the other Christian at the club) but, really, you have to learn from your mistakes in this caper and the way things unfolded, it all seemed like insanity (and no offence intended here to the mentally ill). The same tactic when the team’s energy was sagging and some extra run was needed, and the same, very, very late decision to bring on a fresh speedy substitute in Kynan Brown. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." The above words have been attributed to theoretical physicist and genius Albert Einstein but fact checkers say there is no evidence he ever said this. There’s no doubt however, that he developed the theory of relativity and my thought patterns didn’t have to travel at the speed of light when I saw the repeat of last week happening in slow motion as the final quarter unfolded. Not to mention that a more attacking disposition in those two games might easily have seen Melbourne sitting in fifth place and breathing right down the necks of a couple of top four sides. The Lions’ comeback was assisted by their midfield lifting its work rate in the second half as well as some generosity and largesse from the umpires. Certainly, it could be argued that the vital decisions that went their way were there to be paid but others of similar ilk were not and it hurt Melbourne this week, as it always does in such close games. Earlier, the Demons did well to control a strong start from the Lions in the opening quarter. In the second term, they overwhelmed their opponents with new-found ferocity around the ball through Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver and emerging midfielder Trent Rivers. Thanks to some great finishing work from the unstoppable Kozzie Pickett and the accuracy of Jacob van Rooyen, they added 8.2 for the quarter. Ironically, they managed only 2.8 for the rest of the game with a few of those shots coming tantalisingly close in the game’s final moments. The Lions were also inaccurate in front of goal all night but a lot of that can be attributed to the Demons’ pressure. Unfortunately, the team also had its offenders in front of goal with Harry Petty’s 0.4 and Bayley Fritsch’s 1.3 contributing to the mess. Petty, in particular, missed some sitters that might have resulted in icing the game by the early stages of the final quarter. And speaking of icing, one wonders at the strategy of having a player with a recent history of foot injuries, going up in ruck contests. You might think this is a bit insane, but I would not be surprised if Petty earns the title of mystery injury of the week next Thursday night and ends up among the missing for a little while. Along with the spirit of the second quarter, there were still a number of encouraging signs from the game. In particular, the younger brigade. Caleb Windsor continues his fine early work and remains well up there among the competition’s rising stars. Koltyn Tholstrup is moving up the ranks as he gains confidence and looks to be a real prospect who should not take very long to progress through to a midfield berth and there was first gamer, Andy Moniz-Wakefield. The young man with the hyphenated name has been forced to bide his time in his three seasons at the club after his selection as a Category B Rookie, via the club’s connection to its Next Generation Academy. The knock on him was his disposal and decision-making but he did himself proud on Friday night and fully justified his selection. They say that Melbourne’s season is hanging by a thread but there’s still time for Goodwin to unpack things and make the changes that will help the fans and the club restore their sanity. They should all be sufficiently rested by Sunday afternoon when they take on the Eagles in a rare contest with them at the MCG. That would be their time to make a start. MELBOURNE 1.5.11 9.7.61 11.11.77 11.15.81 BRISBANE LIONS 3.7.25 5.8.38 8.14.62 11.20.86 GOALS MELBOURNE Pickett 5 Van Rooyen 2 Chandler Fritsch Oliver Turner BRISBANE LIONS Cameron Daniher Rayner 2 Ah Chee Berry Hipwood Lohmann McLuggage BEST MELBOURNE Pickett Viney Oliver van Rooyen Petty Rivers BRISBANE LIONS McCluggage Neale Dunkley Hipwood Starcevich Zorko INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil BRISBANE LIONS Nil LATE CHANGES MELBOURNE Jake Bowey (back) replaced by Kynan Brown BRISBANE LIONS Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil BRISBANE LIONS Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Kynan Brown (replaced Harrison Petty in the fourth quarter) BRISBANE LIONS Jaspa Fletcher (replaced Logan Morris in the third quarter) UMPIRES Matt Stevic Andrew Stephens Nathan Williamson Cameron Dore CROWD 29,617 at the Gabba

The rules were changed after that incident. We are comparing May to Maynard which was worse and more acting over May just putting hands on head for a second. Maynard stayed down holding his head. It got a player sanctioned and drew an unwarranted free. May is sanctioned, humiliated by the media and called a cheat by a senior journalist. Maynard cops nothing from the MRO or the media and is home laughing again.

Or just loaded?

I know there is no conspiracy involved with umpires but sometimes one would be excused for believing there is. The bias for teams playing at their home ground especially interstate ones or Geelong is often very clear. I put this down to umpires being swayed by the crowd noise. It unfortunately happens and I put it in the bag of swings and roundabouts. Unless its a few points in it and the umpires stuff up and determine a game from a silly call. It happens too and I feel quite a bit the last few years. Not necessarily against us. All that aside the annoying thing in recent years , especially this one is the blatant inconsistent calls and often in a game. An example of this is HTB. We have seen umpires be on this way too harshly at times. The Afl even announced they would be enforcing it strongly in an attempt I guess to see the game flow more quickly. All fine and good. And thanks for the warning. Except that they have been all over the shop on this from week to week. And trying to take off my Dees beenie, I feel like we have been on the wrong end of these calls. Even worse I think we have all watched games where the umpires have been very inconsistent in a single game. I've watched a few where the maggots.... um.... I mean professional referees have come out red hot when a Dees player has had the ball for two seconds when tackled and bang your caught son. In the second halves of not a few of these games they have almost stopped enforcing the rule and this does my head in. I've seen a lot of games where opposite sides have been rewarded for their tackling efforts and ours not so. I can't imagine how frustrated the players feel and I think they have done well to restrain themselves and not give away frees for abuse. I know I give away at least a dozen frees in my living room for this offense.😀 I know that it's a tough gig and the Afls makes it harder with their directives. But just try and be a little more consistent that's all I ask.

No. It probably wasnt worth mentioning. Just a bunch of mates that are all high paying members and devoted/desperate. They know/knew some of the FD and "always" know whats coming to the Saints. For 10 years they told me Rory Sloane was "Next Year" and then it was Amon "Next year". Not a good track record.

I actually think @BoBo helped me out here with their detailed post. I hadn't looked at this incident as close as they obviously have and just assumed it was a solar plexus hit. In general, I think that striking someone off the ball shouldn't be allowed. The Pendles example is quite good. If you can hit someone in the solar plexus and have them drop, giving you or a team mate a free run at a stoppage, then I think that should be suspended, not a fine for low impact. It's a deliberate striking action and isn't part of football and should be discouraged. Oliver cops then all the time. It's gross and we shouldnt be teaching kids "hawhaw its just a little love tap to make him earn it". In the Maynard type situation, yeah I'm being sarcastic because I know the AFL will never deal with it properly. Realistically he either did strike him with enough force to incapacitate (which is not a football act) or Maynard is staging. Which is it? Well the AFL decided it was the former, so surely that strike - that doubled Maynard over - should be punished appropriately? But instead they are trying to sit on the fence and give the easy decision - a small fine that won't be challenged. The whole thing is a farce, from AFL house to the media and commentary.

I've moderated my opinion of umpiring, coincidentally since just after September 2021. But I still find those all-too-frequent instances of 'edgy' umpiring pathetic and embarrassing. By that I mean, the decisions made about infringements that have been free kicks for decades, and where rules, nuances or community expectations haven't really changed at all, so there's little room for interpretation... but a well-placed umpire decides to make a 4D chess call during a game of naughts and crosses. I love it when Essendon loses, but there was a prime example on Saturday night when Sam Draper got front on contact 25 metres out AND had his arm dragged, and the umpire called play on. This wasn't an honest mistake or a bad angle - it was an umpire being a massive smart [censored] and changing the course of the game.

I remember the Blues v Dees game 7 weeks ago, Melbourne came storming home in the last quarter and nearly snatched a win. Carlton won by 1 point after a great final quarter from the Demons. Fitness wasn't an issue thrn it seemed for the Dees. I suspect it is having more younger players in the side at the moment more than anything else.

EXACTLY!!! The AFL creates rules and then lets the interpretations/applications soften overtime until an umpire pays it again after LITERALLY 100 preceding times it’s already occurred without it being called. WTF is that?

This is what the naysayers are forgetting. 2022 - knee injury and three months off the ground, then later that year his thyroid issues started to re-emerge (he’d had previous bouts in ‘13 & ‘16). 2023 was a compromised pre-season and another three months on the sidelines. This year his hamstring saw him miss five matches. He’s been seriously unlucky, but he’s a naturally gifted footballer and if he can get a decent preseason in next year he’ll be worth five times more than any trade will fetch. Him, Trac and Oliver are a particularly tight trio, and among other reasons, his presence would be a stabilising force at the club right now. I’m confident he’s got some good football ahead of him.

Our last loss to them changed the course of our season Hopefully our next win can do the same

I wonder if Goodwin feels pressure to go all in for the finals or is comfortable enough to continue to blood new players. Our list is in need of continued development to see what we have in the tool bag for 2025. We aren’t going to win it all this year, 2 of our top 3 players who are also 2 of the top 10 in the league have had their seasons compromised and our new game plan was not successful. Play some more youngsters in different positions (Bowey to mid/fwd, McVee to mid, Howes to mid/fwd), debut Jefferson and give the kids extended runs. This would necessitate loading the backline with senior players, something I am a-ok with. We can continue to tweak the style of play as we still have enough quality in our senior players to do so. Load up on 2025. Bank another top 10 draft pick. Throw the cheque book at somebody good.

In that case, where are the suspensions and fines for all the countless times opponents have hit Clarry in the guts?

If we aren’t fit enough, then Brisbane are just lazy. We ran further than them, further at high speed, more sprint efforts, more repeat sprints etc etc. we are plenty fit enough. Maybe not experienced enough to get the most out of our fitness.

I literally despise this league

It's not just umpiring sadly it's the entire administration of the game that is a mess. KPIs are way too heavily skewed to $$$ TV networks dictate way to much, 'fix'-ture is screwed, too many games, 5 day breaks, stupid byes... Changing rules in season, don't trial rules at lower levers Umpires not professional 4 umpires just means more amateurs making poor decisions. Make them pro and go back to two

The last six weeks is the key here. We have struggled for that exact block of time in and around the bye since 2021. My explanation as to why is well documented. To that I'd add nearly half the team are kids. Two of the starting 22 against lions are in their first season of AFL season, meaning the kolt and Windsor as draftees, have not even completed a full AFL preseason. And we lost salo and bowey ahead of the game, one a senior seasoned AFL player, the other young but has 50 plus games and 3 AFL preseasons under his belt. AND we were coming off a six day break, and had to travel. Is it any wonder we flagged a bit in rhe last quarter?

I thought we matched Brisbane from a workrate perspective across all 4 quarters and fitness wasn't the difference. Both sides looked pretty gassed in what was a relentless 4th quarter and while the held momentum we had our chances and didn't convert. Similarly they missed in what was a brutal finals like game. Re impact during the loading phase it won't so much affect the ability to run out games as overall the players are stronger aerobically but players lose some explosiveness due to the cumulative muscle fatigue caused by the increased training load. At the end of the loading phase the players would have around a week of tapering, or reduced training load, which is short enough to keep the aerobic fitness gains they have made while freshening up and regaining their explosiveness. This is the same approach taken by endurance athletes where they load up 2 - 3 months before an event and finish with a 7 - 10 day taper for the event. Looking at how we played vs Brisbane our pressure was relentless and we would stick tackles which in previous weeks we would look slow or lack the explosiveness to bring the player to ground. My take is that we are absolutely in the hunt this year but don't have much wriggle room to lose games like we did vs Brisbane. While it's only 1 week I'm optimistic that the Melbourne contested pressure brand of footy is returning.

Seems pretty clear to me the 4 umpire system is not working and it should gi back to 3 or even 2. I watch a lot of SANFL and recruiting quality umpires to cover all the games is a challenge. Would hate to be one.

I think the constant change of the interpretation of rules that umpires are seemingly having to adjust to on a weekly basis is the cause for a decline in what we perceive as good umpiring

And when we did make a mistake, we were held accountable.