SaberFang

I'll believe it when I see it... Would be nice if Robbo or Gerard made a point of this tonight on 360. Just ask Roos, point blank, does he actually realise how easy it is to break down this gameplan? And why doesn't he have a contingency plan for when the opposition does it? He was a little vague about this after the Collingwood match, half blaming the players for the Oxley situation. So why did it happen again against the Bombers?

Christensen was absolute crud tonight, but I'm sure we'll play him into form based on what happened with Cloke and Spudiher. Sounds like we just need to give our forwards a chance, rather than handballing around in circles through the middle. "Take the first [censored] option!" as Brayshaw emphatically told Jones.

Toump hit some bad form and went back to the twos until he gets it back. Hardly an isolated situation for third year players. No doubt he'll be in the seniors before the end of the year.

We definitely still have too many best-22 players that look for someone else to carry the team over the line. A glaring problem fortunately highlighted in that Saints match. There was much talk that Cross was told the time remaining when he came off the interchange (41 seconds) but did nothing. Really need those recruits to stand up at moments like that.

Are they getting more players back from injury next week? Brisbane are fast but they don't have much going on in defence. Nonetheless, I rate their side more than the team we played yesterday, so we need to be accurate or we're looking at another defeat.

It has to be a consideration in recruitment from here on. You look at teams hovering mid-table and there's a theme amongst the ones that can't reach the heights of Hawthorn and Sydney: a lack of leadership. Richmond are finally coming good because players like Riewoldt are standing up and showing maturity. Teams like North and Carlton will continue to go nowhere until they fill the void in leadership.

The most noticeable thing for me is the lack of leadership. Players rave about Lumumba's leadership at training, but I'm yet to see it on-field. Are we too top-heavy with introverts?

There's enough inept clubs that would pay well overs for him anyway. I could see North, Carlton and Richmond all putting forward offers to Garlo. The AFL will probably look after us again, depending on how we finish off the year.

Been exasperated by atrocious development, too. We haven't taught our kids good habits or how to handle the damn pill properly.

Unless he already has an offer on the table, Howe's doing himself no favours financially. If GWS offered him $750k last year, surely they can't offer the same this year? They've locked away most of their kids on large contracts since and would have dwindling cap space.

Don't mind adding a few strings to his bow, but his kicking (especially after the inaccuracy of the team yesterday) probably rules him out as a permanent forward. We need to keep finding players with classy foot skills and get them forward.

Roos better show them a replay of what happened last year. From memory we went in distinct favourites and it was probably one of the worst losses we had in 2014. Still have nightmares about Jordie's kick on goal.

They have a trend of running out of legs in the 4th. I reckon I've watched at least 5 of their games this year and every one had them in with a chance at 3QT before being run over.

It might just be me, but part of the reason this feels like the worst loss for the year is purely who we lost to: Hird, an inconceivably clueless coach, and his team of delusional drug cheats. I wouldn't be the only MFC supporter who despises that club more than any other. I'm indifferent to teams like St Kilda so the loss to them stung a lot less.

Good post, I agree with what you say. Ultimately it's just a game, and after a week with Phil Walsh and losing a close family friend of mine keeps things in perspective. I guess the irony of the loss is that, deep down, MFC supporters probably expected we'd find a way to lose it. All week long I heard "stop worrying, you'll kill 'em!" at work, and pre-match I came around and optimistically thought we might have finally turned a corner post-Geelong and would delight fans with a memorable win. I fear for the club itself if their supporters have to disconnect all emotional attachment from results. My father can't bear to watch games anymore unless he knows the result. For the record, I don't think it benefits anyone if the players mope around and be miserable after a loss, it would lead to a horrible culture and players would be lining up for trades out. I'm sure Roos has the work/life balance of his players under control but I think he'd be the first to admit disappointment at the slow progress of our transition from cellar dweller to contender.

Another dodgy little Sam Mitchell snipe, this time to Fyfe. Knee straight into the thigh, almost identical to his run-in with Taylor Walker a few weeks back. Of course, that was "an accident." How many times does the same "accident" have to happen before the MRP catches on?

Good to hear our seconds are doing radically better this year than last. We're slowly getting there with depth, and the appointment of an MFC payroll coach was another Jackson masterstroke. Consistency in gameplan is essential between the teams.

Hogan's handier.

Oh dear, Brownlow race turned on its head? EDIT: Oh, wait, the 7 commentators already saying it's perfectly fine! Forearm straight to the face in a marking contest is perfectly acceptable under new MRP guidelines!

Hogan can burn teammates all day long if he'll kick 38 goals in 13 matches.

So did he take home a lovely Melbourne-based brunette last night?

Saints kick 4 in a row after being about 40 points down. Great young team that doesn't drop their heads and throw in the towel.

As a rusted on it's always tough to lose games like this (the ones that were there for the taking), it's almost worse than the 100 point beltings. So if it's embarrassing and emotionally weak to be gutted about yesterday's loss for the rest of the night then I guess that makes me weak. Supporting this club certainly finds new ways to break you down. I don't expect players to be miserable and put their lives on hold just because of a loss; that's counterproductive and unprofessional. The more players wallow on the negative and the past than focus on the next target the harder it is to break poor habits. As long as they're being professional in their recovery then the benefits of team bonding outweigh all the negatives. Just hope they come out firing against the Lions the same way they responded to the Saints heartbreaker.

I think what it boils down to is attitude. I've been anxious about this game all week and have been absolutely filthy and miserable about the result all night. Even now lying in bed there's a sinking feeling in my stomach at what transpired in that game. So seeing the players on the [censored] and boasting about it on social media kind of rubs me the wrong way. In a way I wonder if the players are even all that upset by the performances they put up? That said, everyone has a different way of releasing and putting myself back in the mindset of a 21 year old, I can understand. I also see the benefits of the young brigade bonding together like this, so the long-term picture probably outweighs how I feel right now.

Didn't seem to hurt West Coast... but I agree with your point. The game should be played before the bye and not after considering how flat teams appear to be after the bye.