At the break of Gawn

IIRC, Tmac played on Hogan most of the game when we last played them. Surely May takes Hogan this time. I think with our improved forward handball game, and a dominant stoppage set up, we should ultimately break them. My only concern is the talent of their tall backs. We need big games out of Fritsch and our other smalls as I think JvR and Turner are going to find it difficult.

Also just to add, Freo only missed 7 shots on goal (6 of their points were rushed). We missed 16 shots on goal...

I thought we started the game really well, but once Freo got their transition game going we really struggled and they piled on 6 in a row. Once we started to dominate in the middle again it looked much much better. Overall I thought our back 6 were really poor, and we really struggled against Freo's forward pressure by the likes of Bolton and others leading to a heap of uncharacteristic defensive 50 turn overs. The positives were that we smashed them in clearance which is something they've done to us over the last couple of times we've played them. Our mix looks much more dynamic and I really liked our forward handballs. I think Adam Simpson said at the end "I've probably walked away a lot more impressed with what Melbourne is capable of this year" and I have a similar sentiment. I think we're absolutely capable of having a big year this year if our top liners can stay on the park

Maybe they're focused on just the new game style because there looks like no oppo work has been done. Doing nothing to stop Freo's transition game.

Freo are our kryptonite so I think there's no better team to play to finish our preparation for 2025. It will be a great test for the coaches and players to put into practice some of the tweaks over the off season My first wish for today is no injuries. My second wish is to stay with Freo the whole time and even a win would be nice to show we've closed the gap on Freo. If we get smashed in clearance and lose by 6-7 goals, I feel like we might be heading into a disappointing 2025.

Goodwin will be appearing every fortnight (Every second Wednesday) on AFL360 this season. Goodwin has agreed to join the show every two weeks, a marked departure from recent years when he chose to do few media appearances other than his mandated ones. "This is important to him," Lyon said. "He had been through a rollercoaster, professional and probably personal. "I think this is about the coach (as a person), as opposed to the Melbourne Football Club coach. Just to talk about coaching and the pressure and where it can take you in the highest of moments and where it can take you in the darkest of moments.

I'm liking what Brad is doing, although I'm not sure putting a specific high price on Kozzy was such a good idea. I get that it was probably an exaggeration, but it would have been smarter to say "If Kozzy does desperately want to go home at season's end, then whichever club he nominates needs to understand we will not be compromised on any deal, which could involve multiple high draft picks or an A grader with a similar age profile."

I firmly believe the Pies will miss the 8 again. They just don't have the depth to cover the usual injuries that will come with their aging list. Heck, if N Daicos had a season ending injury they would probably finish bottom 4. Watch for a suite of retirements and trades come season's end.

Has Mick Warner written an article yet?

I get your point, but someone needs to call out Sam McClure’s employers. It’s getting beyond responsible what he’s been allowed to “report” lately.

100% correct.

Has there ever been a story more driven by the media than this?

That’s got about as much credibility as a spam email from Russia.

Very good get for Carlton. I’m annoyed we didn’t throw our hat in the ring as replacement for Pert.

It was a power move because he wasn’t there.

At least one thing for sure is that Melbourne’s B&F has overshadowed Collingwood’s from a media attention standpoint.

It’s just a journalistic method to not fully commit to your statement.

On MMM this morning Gawn seemed to suggest the leaks were coming from the list mgmt committee (10 people). Surely the club needs to identify the rat and get rid of them.

So Goodwin wants Oliver gone? Considering how much this club leaks, if that was true it would have been reported by now and the opposing stories wouldn’t exist.

From my current experience working at a large corporate, one message the executives all say is “align, align, align”. Always make sure everyone is on the same page. This is the most basic thing an organisation can do. The fact that there is clear misalignment between the footy department and the CEO which has now played out publicly is quite simply a disgrace. You can defend Pert all you want, but this club is run by amateurs at an executive level.

Good clubs manage these sort of players. The stories I used to hear about Buddy were staggering. Even Dusty has had his moments.

As predicted, there’s a division with the club. Appalling stuff really.

The club is pushing him out. It’s the exact same situation when Watts (who was 1 year into a new contract) was asked to look around. Except this time it’s arguably the best MFC player we’ve seen in 30 years. Pert clearly has no faith in his ability to get back to his best. If there’s anyone who deserves a second crack, it’s Clarry.

How can you trust the club? For all of Goodwin’s flaws, he’s honest to a fault. When he declared that Oliver is loved, that he’ll be in the red & blue next year, and he’s never seen a player so ready to tackle a pre-season, then I believe him. This to me seems a division within the club where Pert has made a unilateral decision to gauge interest in trading Oliver. I’ve got no faith in this club anymore and I’m embarrassed how far we’ve fallen since 2021.