Gator

It was straight out of this thread. He pointed at Caroline Wilson's June 2018 article regarding internal rumblings over the Pert appointment and asked Riewoldt whether it could be playing a part in the current on-field demise. Riewoldt said playing groups don't usually get caught up in those types of things and thought the issues were far more system based in our playing style. He gave the Pert reference very short shrift. As anyone with a modicum of sense would. Off-field issues can effect a club's culture over time, but Pert has been there 5 minutes and our footy department is well entrenched with strong stability and low turnover. The Board is also stable. The people who think Pert could be an issue probably also think we have 12 years to save the planet. Gullible morons. Btw, my censored word wasn't overly bad and sounded a bit like ''flag''.

Fess up. Who was the Demonland [censored] just on SEN ? Thankfully, Riewoldt hosed down your rubbish straight away.

You mean you can't work it out ?

You need someone to make you ''feel'' better ? As though words will somehow make a difference ?

Exhibit A.

Unless you're in the club you'd have no idea how he's performing or interacting with other admin staff. But you'd have to be a gene short of a moron to think our on-field performances have anything to do with Pert. On a scale of 1-100 his influence is 0.

No there wasn't. It doesn't surprise me that you have a poor memory of one of our better players. It matches your current observations.

Thank you to our resident Essendon fan. Great memories. Lyon was a wonderfully skilled and smart footballer. His only achilles heel was not being a great pack mark, but one v one he was very good. Like most Melbourne players there were often injury concerns, namely a debilitating back. I'm not much of a fan of his media work, but a champion of the MFC.

So many weird new posters.

Oh dear...

I'm very much against dropping Weideman. He needs as many senior games as possible this year with an eye to the future. We're last after six rounds and won't be playing finals, so why on earth would you drop a 21 year old tall forward in his 4th year ? He's obviously down on confidence, but tell him you'll back him. He'll learn far more at AFL level than VFL. Hés just completed six games in a row, which is the most he's ever played consecutively. I'd be getting 22 games into him. The rest of this year should be an investment in his and the club's future. What's the point of dropping him, bringing him back, dropping him again, etc. ? Some on here don't rate him as a prospect, which is fine, but this is a year to develop players for the future. If you're still desperate to play finals I suggest you re-evaluate your expectations. It just doesn't make sense to me to not give him a year in the seniors when we won't be playing finals. At least he'll enter next year as a 40+ game player. What's the point of him entering next year as a 30 game player...

Why would any supporter want to play finals only to make up the numbers ? I have zero interest in finals in 2019, not that it matters, because it obviously won't happen anyway. The club should already have one eye on 2020 and what they need to do to improve the list. Keep developing young players, strategise structures and ball movement, and improve our field organisation. Resident Demonland bedwetters won't see a path forward, which is fine. however the core of our list is still very good and one that can bounce back with better health and shrewd decision making.

A newbie trying to throw their weight around. Cute.

The more I read Demonland the more I understand why people vote for the Greens and Clive Palmer.

I'll be shocked if McDonald 'doesn't play back and it wouldn't surprise me to see Lockhart there. There are so many things wrong it's really only worth concentrating on a two or three. 1. Our DNA, brand, or whatever other nonsense term you want to use. Start winning and being brutal around the contest again. Everything stems from our one wood. 2. Better structures behind the ball. 3. Forward 50 entry. It won't solve all our issues, but we'll start playing better once we rediscover our contest work. Everything stems from point 1.

Who cares ? He's an ex employee.

The reason Gawn dropped that mark was he took his eyes off the ball because there was a St Kilda player coming the other way. He really is down on confidence at the moment. Why did Brayshaw and Salem spend the first 7 minutes on the bench to start the third quarter ? As some would know, I'm a Goody fan, but would a Clarkson coached team ever be so disorganised behind the ball and so easy to play against ? I think we both know the answer to that one. Our team defence is terrible.

I get you disagree about Goody, so no need to respond. I don't want a table tennis match. Derp

We have far more issues than pace. Teams always look slow when they're confused and don't know when to run or where to run.

Goody's smart and will work it out. But 2019 won't deliver what we crave. I get you disagree about Goody, so no need to respond. I don't want a table tennis match.

Yep. I love Goody, but they've learnt nothing over summer. At least he won't be telling us that we want to be a humble football club, which I've heard ad nauseum. I wish we had something to be humble about. We're all used to this feeling. It's not like it's anything new for a Melbourne supporter. You'll all survive. 2019 is over. Alas, I'm still bullish about the future.

That too.

But I'd rather you wallow in misery ?

It's clearly system based. We're poorly organised. Players and coaches out of form.

You get what you deserve in football and if we can't knock off the mediocre Saints we don't deserve to be finalists. Last week St.Kilda fell over the line against Hawthorn by less than a goal. This was a Hawthorn who had no Shiel, no O'Meara, no Burgoyne, no Mitchell AND lost Frawley before half-time and Stratton in the third quarter, so their rotations were stuffed and their personnel decimated.