deespicable me

Stick fatt!

Part of a strong culture is backing in your coach and playing group when you're backs are to the wall.

Part of a strong culture is never admitting you got it wrong, even when it is blatantly obvious you got it wrong.

How often did Sheedy suffer a bad loss and come out in the press conference and mis-direct the press corp and talk about anything but the truth.

Keep telling the f#ckers to f#ck off even when they have a point.

So Dermie et al can go and GET well and truly F#CKED.

Even if they are right.

I'm well and truly looking forward to tomorrow night. Does anyone really know if we're going to win or lose?

Go Dees, stick it up "em! 

20 hours ago, Elegt said:

Jones is not integral to our team. We are not in 2014 anymore 

While I totally disagree with your silly reference to 2014, I will concede he is more than likely done for the year and after a reasonable game against the Saints he should never have been put out there 4 days later. Consequently the poor game he played was enough to see the coaching staff can't and or won't protect him enough to make sure he only plays on his terms. Which is probably fair enough. Mind you after the game in the Alice to ask a team to perform as well 4 days later was a tough ask and the whole team was flat.

The thing that stood out to me was how Langdon needed help out there and really Jones position would have been much better served by a young, fit kid who can run all day.

Anyway, was well worth the discussion and bringing Jones to the fore as he reached the end and hopefully we all get a chance to farewell him at a Demons game at the MCG. i'll be there Jonesy.

1 hour ago, Graeme Yeats' Mullet said:

Was a blatant 50m not given for 2 players encroaching the protected area, one each side, one raised hands to block kick, from the pass to Mosquito's ahead of his missed set shot with 5 mins to go.

Would've been a 30 meter shot directly in front and likely made it very interesting

Really poor umpiring non-call

Saw that. Unbelievable. For all the rubbish ones they give out this was the perfect example why they brought in the rule in the first place. 

If umpiring was anywhere near up to scratch, those sort of acts could be taken out of the game, and to be fair they have to a great degree.

The rules though are a mess, the adjudication of those rules is a mess (very hard game to umpire), the MRV is all over the place and yet no-one is allowed to speak up or they get fined and commentators get told off or run off the roster.

Each year we are watching a different game. Not wanting to derail the topic but its hard to trust an organisation to make the correct adjustments to change when to a great degree it doesn't have a clue what its doing.

1 hour ago, Cheesy D. Pun said:

Agree with this. I also don't think we have gifted him anything, nor will we.

If he gets to 300, he'll have earned every one of those games.

I wasn't suggesting gifting Jones to 300 and I agree Cheesy, he has earnt every game he's played.

I just saw in Jones a determination that is important in a team. If it means that much to Jones the younger players tap into that.

Also the one goal assist that he was involved in was at an extremely important time in the match. Matches turn on moments like that. 

I notice Nathan Jones has got a bit of heat from posters over last nights game and I want to rally a bit of support for him to not only make the 300 club but to commit to a full season next year.

He has had a year of continuing change being asked to play differing positions and styles. When he got back in the side he not only looked a bit confused, but unloved and I think he sooked a bit.

But I thought Jones had a great game last night and we should shout out some love for him to finish his career on a high and in style. At the end of next year.

To elaborate on last nights game and why I think he is working hard to stay in the team and that he is worth keeping in, of course everyone saw his lazy kick, that ended in Steeles hands, for a goal to end the first half. He was shattered. You could see him thinking that could have been the end of his career. But if you fast forward to the 10.30 second mark of the third quarter, St Kilda had got to the lead and it looked like they would run over the top of us. In one of our few forays forward which eventually ended in a snap goal from Petracca, Jones was twice involved in the play and even though he desperately wanted to kick the goal himself he still had the smarts enough to get it to Tracc for the goal.

In the replay of the goal you can see Jones in the background half kicking the ball for Tracc and then pumping his fist when Tracc kicks it. He goes straight to the bench and you see him sitting there hoping he has gone a little way to erasing the mistake he made before half time. Then later in the game I saw him down the bottom of a pack for the first time in ages. It's as if he's been told thats Vineys space you are now an outside player. Geez it was good to see him burrowing in again. His specialty.

You don't have to look far to see older players being integral players in top teams. Boak is having a stellar year, Rockliff is contributing. Zirco is still a big part of Brisbanes plans and even Stevens has a role at Geelong. So please post some wishes for our elder statesman, Jonesy and may he kick the sh#t out of 300 games and beyond.

6. Oscar (by a fair margin)

5. OMac

4. Oscar McDonald

3. May (but only coz Oscar was there to make him look good)

2. TMac for being the brother who got us OMac

1. The rest of the team can share this point (for all being aboard the OMac train)

I have probably got way ahead of myself here but I'm pretty sure we are a better side than dogs. As long as the players aren't way ahead with me and have a sense of reality we can and should win the game without a ruck.

Need to shut down Naughton who can be a match winner and play a solid contested ball game and hold them to 50 - 60 points.

They can't hold any side and we are a good scoring side. Should be approx 90 - 60 scoreline. Ha, I am delusional.

I want my daughter to have twin boys and name them Clayton and Oliver.

If we are channelling the magnifecent Brisbane Lions era with our own version of the fab four in the middle maybe Max could do a Clark Keating and just time his finals run to perfection, come back cherry ripe for the last couple of Home and Aways for a bit of a tune up then be the player of the finals series. Yeah, go Max.

We need to drop Gus.

I'm missing golf terribly and Gus's celebrations are just rubbing salt into the wound. He needs to go.

Keep them together till we win one, then they can chase the money.

We are potentially a very good side, as good as any team in it. But when you get to top four good you are judged by a different set of standards, and a team stacked with talent has to deliver a premiership or be damned to the couldabeens, that the world is full of.

Melbourne's star is rising like a comet. We will need to win one in the next two or three years I'd say or it may be a long, long time before we get the chance again. Further if we don't we will again be laughed at, humiliated or worse pitied by all and sundry.

We have a good list but as we rise the players will be tempted to change clubs and chase big coin. It is imperative that as supporters we back the players and the club and stop playing little Gods and tearing our players apart. The hatred for Spargo is an example but there is a constant dialogue of "delist him, he's crap, he can't coach etc."

Please stay together as a team till we win one. I want Gus and Viney in that team.

I think there is a logjam between avb, Jones, Sparrow, Rivers, Harmes, Jetta and Lockhart. There is probs room for 3 to 5 of the seven.

I'd prefer to stick with Sparrow, Rivers and Lockhart. I think Harmes who is get ball kick ball, is a liability down back, his turn overs result in goals and when he tries to take more time and hit a target he isn't playing his natural game and again is not very good. There is a little bit of room in the midfield rotations but for me Sparrow deserves to develop and see how far he can rise. 

Harmes is a good mark but Rivers offers something again to develop and for me Lockhart or Jetta are important to balance so one has to come back in.  So I'm left with a choice between AVB, Jones and Harmes for one spot. They offer good grunt and should play two of when wet but when skills are high only one of.

10 minutes ago, Salems Lot said:

Norf had no idea or game plan, just awful.  Said to my young fella even when they were leading that we were a better team, waaaay better.

North were terrible, just terrible. Players don't want to play, coach can't coach, worst team we've met all year for sure. They are in trouble.

We are a better side for sure but we still take a long time to get our game going. We should be a good side for a while and when we peak, maybe in the 2021 or 2022 seasons we hopefully can give it a tilt. 

Personally I don't like the posters who continually call for this player or that player to be dropped/traded. Why can't we grow into a good enough team to have both Viney and Brayshaw out there. Think of the Brisbane era and the fab four of Smart, Voss....and two others. I think three of them won Brownlows.

46 minutes ago, PaulRB said:

Makes me realise that if the current collection of half-wit ex-footy playing commentators worked half as hard on their media role and analysis as they did their footy careers, we might find their output more interesting, even insightful...

This along with Matthew Lloyd recently gives me the pip. The first three qtrs (admitedly we were poor at times ) against Crows Dermott the insufferable and his crew were just piling into Melbourne.

We have the makings of a good team. Goody is poor but trying and good teams work it out for themselves and eventually make the coach look good. Our worst issue is destabilisation from outside forces who have their own agendas

Have a crack at Hawthorn, who look [censored]. Dogs going nowhere, Collingwoods injuries and culture. But no, these weak b#stards want to take the easy route and pick on Melbourne. They can all f#ck  the f#ck off

They have to be a good chance to go through the season without a win.

The last time that happened was 1964......which by coincidence was the last time ... well you know the answer to that.

And Lloyd should self isolate from the media for life. What a d#mb -[censored] t#rd

Yeah some of you guys need to self isolate from this board for two weeks.

TMac has beeen running around looking like he will need hip replacements for a while now. Its sad but I think all his running has caught up with him.

I'm not sure if there is a natural solution to his hips but he looks like he is 45 out there. Can Burgess help him loosen up or is he shot? It's a real problem as he is a proud team leader but I honestly believe he was a big part of our poor start against Port. This is also coaching though. TMac is such a presence out there and I think some of the guys weren't given clear instructions. They looked unsure, which is strange coming off two wins.

Also Jones doesn't look like he is buying in. Again a coaching issue. He needs to stop sulking and get involved or he is gone too. Unlike TMac I think his body is okay, but he has been slighted by not being in the top 22 and consequently isn't involved enough. I think it's almost an attitude issue. Needs a bit of love.

Danger men are Boak, Grey, Rosee and Butters. Oh and Charlie. Sh*t this is getting out of hand.

From reading some suggestions I really like the idea of giving Jackson a go on the wing. He is developing so well and Kossie, Jacko and Rivers are a great credit to our trading team. Jackson has taken the centre square tap work on occasions to give Max a rest and has been handier as an extra mid moreso than the ruck work where he is still a bit light and can be pushed around. I would like to see TMac come back in and go straight back to the role in the forward line supporting Weid and Jacko go to the wing for half the game and rotate to the forward line when TMac or Weid need a break.

Jackson has speed, skill and height and can get loose and play with a bit of freedom on a wing, maybe not this week but in a game where we are well up and we can experiment a bit.

For me I would rest anyone who doesn't come up.

A wet ground, will mean quite a few of the guys will have heavy legs on Thursday night. We really needed that win and even though we are now probably out of contention for a top four spot and consequently winning the whole thing, we can possibly handle a loss on Thursday night and still make the 8. But a loss plus injuries would really hurt us, so even though some players were poor tonight it probably comes down to fitness and ability to back up.

So Nev, Jones and Bennell will probably struggle to get up and we're praying no-one does a hammy Thursday.

I would have thought that while they were assessing the injury and determining if he needed weeks off or could somehow get up to play, they are better telling nobody nothin'. Then they control the story and who knows what.

I would think they were somewhat disappointed there was a leak through to this website

Just read chookrats reply and I basically agree

6 hours ago, Macca said:

We should nearly always swap our 1st & 2nd round picks for proven talent anyway.  And by proven talent I mean B+ or A grade (never Dawes,  Clark or Lumumba) More like Buddy,  Dangerfield,  Judd,  Lynch,  Treloar,  Mitchell etc etc

Drafting is high risk where as trading draft picks for proven talent has very little risk attached. And draft picks are overvalued anyway so it's hard to lose out from an overall perspective (trading draft picks for proven talent)  Trading for Lever & May were the right moves.  So was trading a top end pick for Jeff White back in 1997. 

Injuries can happen to draftees as well (Hogan,  Petracca,  Brayshaw,  Trengove etc etc)

And I have been saying the same thing for decades.  Just think how better off we'd be if we'd traded for talent from 2007 onwards.

The long list of busts wouldn't have happened and we'd have been relevant and a finals contender throughout. 

Morton,  Watts,  Scully,  Trengove,  Gysberts,  Strauss,  Maric,  Blease,  Cook,  Tapscott, Weideman,  Tyson (a former pick 3) and a few others would never have happened

We'd have lost the chance to draft Oliver,  Brayshaw,  Petracca,  Salem (and a departing Hogan) but those 5 players are all we can point at over a 12 year period.  A massive,  catastrophic fail.  The system stinks and we need to stop blaming the A-end of the problem.

What we could always have done is to trade for picks with those who have a bit of currency and then bundled up the picks for proven talent.  Given how high risk drafting is I'm astonished that a club hasn't tried it (consistently) You'll never win backing long shots.

But belief systems are belief systems.  Faith,  hope & trust wins out.  We want to believe what we're being told by the draft believers but the truth says otherwise.

Talented draftees should be therefore targeted after they have been in the AFL system for 2-4 years.  So you don't actually ever miss out (if you're smart) 

You still have to do the mandatory 3 picks but that can be picks 62,  63 & 64.  All expendable. 

Nice argument. Well argued. I am from the "take your pick to the draft" belief and absolutely love new untried talent, but you are correct, especially with Melbourne (consider Jack Watts), we heap unrealistic pressure on them and they rarely deliver.

You've got me almost agreeing with you but I love Oliver and I still am more than happy to go to the draft. As you say its my "belief system"

If a good coach got hold of him ( hopefully ) in our system and set us up with Frost, Lever and May as the three talls I think it would work well. He has really developed his punch and has good closing speed. He has also become much more reliable. He has learnt this year to leave his opponent and help be the third man up as well. He had very good results against some very good footballers.

He has had one and a half years in the senior team where he has gone way past Oscar and can be rightfully proud of this years output. Apart from his on-field dust up with May I think he understands better how we want him to play and for us there is an upside as he can develop further with confidence as a regular team member.

If he goes elsewhere it will take him a while to settle in as he is unpredictable and will spook his new teammates at times. Much better for Frost if he stays, much better for us if he stays.