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The umpires without doubt made sure the eagles got momentum early after the restart. The Kennedy free and the not paid mark to spargo were inexplicable

We’re a very ordinary football side that had a lucky run at the start of the season. 5-10th is where we belong with our list. No flags in our future. Just hard to watch.

At the end of 2019 I remember watching us and noticing how poor we were with the team things. In play and out of play. Eg, congratulating players, sticking up for players. It was an ugly descent into selfishness and there were rumours of a lack of harmony, cohesion amongst the playing group. It looked very badly that way one ugly night at the end of the season against the swans at the G. In sport, when under pressure, or tired, you revert to bad habits. Essentially the truth comes out. In 2019 it was a lack of effort and all of the above. This year it isn’t a lack of effort, but I see the bad habits coming out again. You start to sense not everyone really gets along. These things only come out when things aren’t going well, and here they are. I wonder is it a personnel thing, the way we train, the culture. I’m not sure. But it’s disheartening to see the cracks appear when the heat is applied. We undoubtedly are the weakest side in the top 4 between the ears. in saying this, I could see how one game where things go our way, with goal kicking etc start to reverberate through the team and help some things trend upward for the first time in a couple of months. We are running out of time though.

They can all kick. I think they need a mental coach. In the same way a golfer has a sports psych. There seems to be some collective anxiety running through the team. An inability to take the pressure as the individual when the moment comes. Such a focus on team this year which is great but it doesn’t feel like anyone has been comfortable over a set shot bearing the responsibility.

Late in the game lever had an opportunity coming out of defence to keep the ball moving with a short pass to one of two players. He instead held the ball up and kicked to a pack and they won the ground balls and they kicked the leveller. It was very stubborn and defensive. There was one minute thirty to go and he froze. We used the ball better early but at some point we only had eyes for the defensive pack kick that rarely worked. We put the cue in the rack in the second and weren’t able to get going again. Very arrogant. The lesson is not being learnt. Doesn’t bode well. Mental fragility in front of goals has killed us and will continue to. Will likely be our undoing. So hard to watch. The adjudication of high contact that came into the game in the third seemed to be missing in the first half too.

When we lose, we really lose dumb.

Our football IQ is starting to be a problem. We have a high IQ back line and wings. Our midfield and forwards are as dumb as you can find on an AFL list. Max is smart too. Too many times this year dumb decision making and a lack of understanding of where the game is at has left us looking stupid. Why we wait to the last quarter to try and win certain games I don’t understand. We now look to have lost any confidence forward as well as being a bunch of morons. The weird decision making firward of centre feels like over coaching. Our players look hell bent on holding space and no intent to get the ball and score. We had the game under controL in the first quarter but almost went out of our way to to score. It looked weird at the ground. We could have take a three goal lead early and controlled the game from there if we had any intent.

I can see is finishing fifth now and being a non event in the finals. Our forwards may have been over coached. They are very in their heads. Our midfield may be on a down week with their recovery or something along those lines.

Mindset problems coming out of our eyeballs. When we control the game we show no Intent to score. Everyone’s too worried about spacing, system etc. the instinct is on holiday. The start of the game they couldn’t get near it and a good side would be four of five goals up. But we just jogged around making sure our systems and structures were in place.

We won’t resolve our forward line problems this season. We have regressed at an alarming rate. Brown won’t help cause the problem is a lack of dynamic movement which he is the opposite of. McDonald is low on confidence again for some reason. I’m getting sick of seeing our points double our goals and being in bad positions as a result. We make it look so much harder than we need to. Our midfield today doesn’t exist, which it is prone to. maybe sometimes we need to commit the extra number to the middle and trust the players to win it against the lesser sides. They park the bus and rely on bursting through and every time we lose this is how it happens.

Season is over.

Our mental capacity in the last month or so is worrying. Dumb decisions and low confidence decisions. We may have gone too hard instilling the defensive mindset to the point of it crippling us.

Ours was one very blatant decision. None of their complaints are as black and white as that was. And our supporters very rarely boo like that, let alone for the entire game. God they’re fun to beat.

Essendon supporters are the Karen’s of the AFL. The carrying on over their perceived wrongdoing last night and in the media today is so out of proportion. Watching the replay they really have very little to carry on about. Seems like they didn’t understand why the two fifties were paid and ballooned from there. Their history of umpire blaming is atrocious. The booing isn’t something you see from any other supporter groups, at least not like the pattern they have. It’s not like we didn’t have a bunch of decisions not paid too.

Bunch of [censored] morons.

Surely weideman goes out after today. He has had the presence of a ghost

We are on the decline IMO. I can’t see us improving at the rate needed to keep up with the competition. Beyond our inconsistent A graders we are far too vulnerable. Whether this is more a list problem or a coaching problem I’m not sure. I worry it’s both. I can’t see us scaring the eight this year and I don’t think we have the skill set to not need a clean out. Our flaws look to be continuing year on year. There is an apparent issue with the mental side of things and the skill execution area. Beyond Gawn, Petracca, may and possibly lever and Oliver what do we have? Oliver has gone backwards and lever needs a consistent run at it but I think he’ll be ok. Brown may help... it could be a very long year.

Didn’t he try and get out of the original contract not long after signing because an English side offered him something no AFL club can compete with? I assume he will be back overseas ASAP. Why wouldn’t you take the kind of money they’re offering?

No one cared the first time, no one cares this time. It’s been going on forever and everyone knows this is the case. Young men think all kinds of stupid [censored] is funny. That will never change. Its just something to fill five minutes for media segments.

Kind of a relief to know where we stand. That was our test for the season and we didn’t get close. Good sides have made us look fumbly, one paced and predictable consistently this year. Bulldogs had the ball fall into their lap all day which is a little bit football gods and a little bit discipline and adherence to structure, plan etc. I think we could beat the bulldogs given another go but I also think that the result is about right for our season.

No Gawn and Viney makes it hard. Ugly loss coming up. Those two have done so much work for us this season

Retain as much trade value as possible?

It might be my bias but I don’t remember the last time Oliver wasn’t held a a stoppage

Presence is an interesting thing. Good teams have presence. Good players have presence. Where does presence come from? Melbourne doesn’t have any idea where presence comes from.

I really noticed how low Brayshaw is in confidence tonight. It was evident in his body language. It’s a shame. He has something to offer when he’s on. in 2018 the genuine contenders made us look impotent for large periods of time when we played them. This seems to be the case this season although the last quarter was a glimmer of hope. we need to trade aggressively with someone like brayshaw or those on his tier and bring in one more midfielder type with speed and disposal if at all possible.