SaberFang

6 wins is still 6 wins, even if we've improved our offence (which was embarrassingly below par last season -- if anything we've just got it up to mid-tier AFL standard now). We still aren't pinching tight wins or wins against genuine opponents, even if we're well and truly still in the game at the final change (which makes the eventual capitulation all the more frustrating).

We have the same amount of wins as St Kilda, Collingwood, Richmond and Carlton, and most here would agree that 3 of those teams are pretty much rubbish.

Still haven't beaten anyone good and still haven't beaten anyone we didn't defeat last year. Worse, we still have the losses to both average and thoroughly average opponents. It would not surprise me in the slightest to lose to Fremantle next week (in the NT, where we've never won a single game) then follow it up with a loss the week after (we've never followed up an NT match with a win the following week, either). I've tried to remain as optimistic as possible but sadly I think you need to take a more realistic approach to the situation we're in. Our improvement on last season is looking increasingly less impressive with every week. We can forget about reaching 10 wins at this point; a 3 win improvement on last year was an absolute minimum under Roos to prove our improvement has been tangible, but we still do not know how to run out or win close games and we still get ahead of ourselves when we have no right to.

Fitness no excuse either, after so long since our last game. We were screwed by the fixture too. Adelaide gifted a ten day break and they didn't even have their bye last week! [censored] useless AFL.

They commentate as if viewers are completely braindead morons with zero knowledge of the game, not even how many points a goal is worth.

This is a godawful game of football. Jesus Christ, how did this get fixtured on a Saturday night over Melbourne vs Adelaide? Compare where the 4 teams were at the end of last year and it's mindboggling that this was considered the premium fixture. Thanks Channel 7, you knobs! Same bloody teams getting the premium games week in, week out.

It's not really a pure 6 day break though, is it. Players will spend hours in recovery following the match, probably getting home close to midnight Sunday. And then they have a 4 hour flight on Friday. It's not as cut and dry as a 6 day break IMHO.

Kind of wanted Sydney to win for some reason. I can't even put my finger on it but I hate seeing the Dogs successful, especially after the basket case they were left in 2 years ago. It pisses me off how much success they've had with a list that young and inexperienced, plus riddled with injuries, that they've uncovered ridiculously good players with such late picks. There's also something about Beveridge that irritates me; his anti-WADA commentary does him no favours either. Oh, and it annoys me how good Bontempelli is and we missed him. Gah! But I have no love of Sydney either. That would hurt more than the Tigers loss I reckon. Weird feeling. Maybe it's just jealousy?

Apologies, thought they played Sunday arvo. Either way, doesn't change the fact we'll have a 5.5 day break between games and are playing halfway across the country. If ever there were a year to play that mob at the G, it was this year. And despite all that, it's still probably our best chance to finally win a game in the NT though, so there's that.

Well, they technically are. Few would expect we stand any finals chances now (I think Poort will Bradbury if anyone does) but we can certainly forget it if we can't get a minimum 3 wins from our next 4 matches (Adelaide, Freo in the NT, Saints and Suns IIRC).

Saints had a 5.5 day break between games + interstate travel; most predicted that Gold Coast would win today. And it could be deja vu for us next week as we travel to play Fremantle in the NT after a 5.5 day break, unless our coaches see fit to force team changes.

Haha, Prestia to Richmond? Right... if he wants to win less than he has at Gold Coast, sure.

You mean those super-damaging 30 possessions Cotchin racks up in loss after loss? Worst captain in the league by far. I hope Dion chooses us, especially for the family connection element. Christ, if the Bulldogs can keep all their young stars AND pay a total spud forward $1.5m this year and next, we sure as hell can afford to add Dion to our list. Don't forget Dawes will be taking a significant pay cut this year, along with several other ordinary players who aren't quite cutting the mustard.

Tonight Jake Niall was waffling on about how Richmond are still fuming over the embarrassment of the Adam Treloar situation, that they simply, "will not allow it to happen again -- they will stop at nothing to ensure Prestia chooses them." It says a lot about their collective immaturity that they actually feel "scorned" over something which happens to every club every year. Throwing a tantrum via media mouthpieces over Treloar, who's proving to be a downhill skiier anyway, makes their entire club appear unprofessional. I would be embarrassed as an MFC supporter if Roos & co. came out with tripe like this for every player they chased and turned them down. It makes you wonder -- are Richmond actually so blind as a club that they felt Adam Treloar was the difference between premiership success and wallowing in mediocrity? Melbourne, St Kilda, even Gold Coast when their injuries are under control, are all ahead of their putrid list. They hang their hat on Daniel Rioli as if he'll be the cherry on their premiership list; in actual fact, he's just a kid refused the chance to discover his own football path, with his own club unable to help themselves with endless comparisons to his famous uncle. They are a poorly run club without a clue.

So he'd go to a club that's clearly learned nothing whatsoever from their BOG average season this year, and the last 3? Their list has achieved absolutely nothing of note, and will never achieve anything of note, less so if you're an overpaid great player surrounded by overpaid downhill skiiers.

It's a common tactic used by player agents to scare clubs into paying overs to keep their players. A no-brainer really.

Gold Coast are as dumb as their players appear to be if they'd rather pick 1 than 3 and 9. Fair dinkum.

Crop dusted?!

Unfortunately if Mitchell goes anywhere, it's Carlton.

At least that stupid 'bye' theory from last year has proven folly. 4 of the 6 teams coming off a bye won this weekend, possibly as a result of this year's reduced interchange and the advantage the extra week's rest allowed the team. But with Adelaide having a ridiculous 10 day break between games (after already having a week off previously; more fixturing genius from the brains trust at AFL HQ) versus our 14 days? It won't even be a factor in the match next week. If anything, we'll need longer to work into the game than Adelaide will.

10 days is a short break?

Eventually we will become that club that doesn't consistently lose the games we're meant to win (Essendon, probably Saints and Port, all 3 of whom beat us the same freaking way), and wins a few scalps against contenders (the North game killed any chance of finals for us, in my eyes). It just isn't going to be in 2016.

It's always nice seeing the Scott brothers lose, that's for sure.

And yeah, I echo the sentiment that questions need to be asked about how far we are moving forward as a club. Barring GWS, we are yet to defeat any team above us on the ladder and we're still yet to defeat any team we didn't already defeat last year. In Roos' tenure we've never defeated West Coast, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, Hawthorn, Sydney, St Kilda or North Melbourne. It's time for these shitstain records to die, especially when many of these teams are thoroughly mediocre.

Pretty much this. Hate both clubs (Geelong because Geelong and St Kilda because we are incapable of winning against this shitstain of a club) but credit to the Saints for holding on. They are going to rip us a new one in a few weeks if they play like they did tonight. Interestingly, only 5 bottom 10 teams have defeated a top 8 team all season, including Carlton, Collingwood and St Kilda defeating Geelong. Are the Cats getting ahead of themselves? Many long suspected that was the case last year in Enright's 300th.