qwerty7

Just wanted to take a moment and share how special last night’s win was for one particular reason - Charlie. I am involved with the charity Challenge who reached out to Melbourne to help organise this. Charlie met the team earlier in the year in the lead up to Ben Brown’s shave and his whole family are diehard demon fans. Charlie's family has been facing considerable challenges and receiving less-than-ideal news, so Challenge reached out to Melbourne, hoping they could arrange something special for the family. The whole MFC went above and beyond to make it happen for Charlie. They were phenomenal. Charlie also got to attend the training session in the lead up to the game, and it was funny because he said, "I'm really worried." When we asked why, he said, "I'm worried we won't win this Friday!" Well, Charlie, the boys got the four points for you and gave you and your family a memory they can cherish forever. I always want us to win every week. But last night, it felt like a Grand Final, and all I wanted was for them to win it for Charlie. I'm so glad they pulled it off. Sure, we weren't perfect, but that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that the night was perfect for Charlie. Well done, Melbourne Football Club. Proud supporter.

No May? Laughable really. He - or Trac - will win our B&F.

Good point - I didn’t think of it like that. But I guess rules are rules, and if you break them, even if no real damage was caused, you’re punished. Really sad listening to this. Sounds like Harley is not in a good place at all and I am glad the Melbourne FC is trying to reach out despite all that’s happened. Very, very sad.

I noticed this too. Was very short with the journos and dismissive of their questions. But I liked it! Also loved seeing the passion from Goody on the boundary line in the dying seconds of the last quarter. Even though his normally rehearsed speeches don’t show it, the bloke does really care about the club and the players love him too. May said post-match that they all felt for Goody this week and wanted to perform for him tonight. A good sign as it shows the players are still buying the system and have belief in their coach. The pressure isn’t off Goodwin yet, but promising signs tonight. I don’t know if I’ll survive next week, but today’s win was great. After two really poor performances, it was really important we bounced back tonight - finals or not. Go Dees!

Totally agree. People forget he is a first year player, but what he has already shown is super exciting. Yes he has had quiet games, but that’s expected. With a few more years under his belt, I can see this kid becoming a star of the competition. In my opinion, we nailed the draft. Jackson, Pickett and Rivers are all going to be guns.

I also wouldn't dismiss the Hawks either... they are due for a win. Had a shocking loss to Adelaide, but nearly beat Saints, Essendon, and Port. Their last win was in Round 9 against Carlton. Could be another upset looming!

I didn’t think it could get worse than the Sydney game. How wrong I was...

Agree, and I think he will turn it around too. I always thought he would have a slow start at Freo given his circumstances. He is a supremely talented footballer, so I expect we will see him soon (at least I hope we do!).

I agree with you that Jesse has been through more adversity than most in his life, but what is he to do if Freo aren't playing him? He is reportedly training and fit, but Freo are overlooking him at the selection table and apparently trialling him as a defender. If he doesn't get a game this week or the next couple of weeks, you have to wonder what Freo are doing... He is too good to be playing in the reserves. Obviously all rumour and speculation right now, but if there is disharmony between Hogan and Freo, and Peter Bell decides to trade him at season's end, not wholly implausible to suggest he may make a return to Melbourne FC. The only other possibility which would preclude Melbourne would be if he were to go to West Coast. Total speculation and all of the above probably won't happen. I don't see Freo trading Hogan at the end of the year, but if it were to eventuate, Melbourne surely has a chance.

Plausible. If he doesn't get a game at Freo over the next few weeks, will be interesting to see what happens. https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/08/21/watch-this-space-does-hogan-have-a-future-at-fremantle/

He’s on SEN now for those interested.

It’s odd they have split Rowell and Anderson - maybe we have made an agreement to give them pick 2 for King?

was quoted as a sprained ankle i believe in the press conference

I strongly agree with this, but that is not to say I think our game plan is perfect. Of course it can be improved, but I think if our players were fitter and we had some key personnel in the side we would not be sitting at 2 wins and 5 losses. It really is as simple as what Goodwin says in press conferences, the players aren't connecting due to lack of fitness and key personnel missing (May, Joel Smith, Hannan, Lewis, Lever, Jetta, Vandenberg, Viney). Obviously some of the injuries are new and some happened in preseason, but how can you get a strong and functional game plan when you are missing key players like Smith and May, with whom you trialled structures and so on in the preseason. All teams go through injuries but this in conjunction with individual player's like TMac's terrible form is why we suck atm... We came in seriously underdone and we will pay for it, but finals is still a slim possibility. I am not getting my hopes up but as long we keep the effort there and eventually get into form, we will be great. Collingwood started patchy this year - though not as bad as us - but they exploded Friday night. We will get there too, just a matter of whether it is too late or not. We as supporters and the players cannot get carried away though, Gold Coast won't be easy and the boys need to come out with the same ferocity if they want to win. Go Dees!

Unfortunately it seems that this season is done and dusted, but I still haven't lost hope in the club. We have a great list (though it still can be improved) and I believe in Goodwin. He is learning too through all of this, and there is a pattern with these new coaches. Look at Buckley's first couple of years and Hardwick's as well. Goodwin's first two seasons as coach have been great, and though the start to this season isn't fantastic, it is not a cause for panic. I know some people don't like looking on the bright side, but this season could be a blessing in disguise. It often happens - happened in 2016 with Richmond and they went on to win the premiership the following year. It happened with Collingwood and then last year they turned it around. Even Geelong back in 2006, the year before their premiership, they missed finals after a promising season in 2005. It happens and sometimes it works out to be the best. Of course there are scenarios where it doesn't, but I feel our list is too good for us to continue on this negative trajectory. I think teams - especially young ones - always need a dip down the ladder to achieve great success because it shows that no amount of talent can take you all the way without relentless and unwavering hard work. It kills me that this is likely another season down the drain, but long-term, I reckon it could work out for the best and show us the flaws of our game plan, what we need to do and recruit over the offseason, to ultimately give us a genuine shot at the premiership. Yes, we have been rebuilding for years, but this isn't a rebuild - it is the refining phase and if Goodwin is a good coach, he will know what needs to be done (and his track record over previous preseasons has been pretty good, so I am backing him in). Personally, I think we need to recruit new coaching staff; add some speed to our best 22; and maybe, depending on how the rest of the season progress and we get players back, find a key forward. Maybe we are bottom of the ladder, but we all know that we are better than that.

While I understand the talk, trading Petracca would be a huge mistake in my opinion. We know he is hugely talented - we have seen glimpses of it. It is frustrating that his form isn't consistent but he is young and in a relatively young side. When he explodes, he will explode and seeing this happen at another club would be devastating. But above his talent, is his loyalty. Petracca has said on multiple occasions that he wants to be a one club player and loves what they are building at the dees (despite current form). I think trading him would be hugely consequential for the culture we have spent so long trying to build. He is such a loved player at the club and in some sense feels like a conduit between all the groups that exist within the team. I know we have traded other loved players like Watts and Hogan, but their circumstances are different. Watts, well he was heading into his late 20s and we had stuck by him for some time. Hogan always wanted to go home, so it was a mutual decision. I get there is only so long we can keep going with the "next year is his breakout season", but whether it is next year or whether it is a gradual build up to one massive season, it will happen. He is the type of player every club should have and I understand the frustration, but I think we have seen enough to know what he is capable of and eventually, he will be able to do that consistently and we want him wearing red and blue when he does.

Think the dees might surprise us all tonight... not saying that means our season will turn around (though I hope it does), but I am more confident about tonight than I was about St Kilda. This is the type of game the Melbourne of old would win.

Really interesting you commented on this. I really feel like there is something so different about the Melbourne team playing this year - it doesn’t feel like the Melbourne we have become accustomed to over the last three years. Obviously an aspect of that is we have new players, but I don’t know... something feels like it’s missing. There just doesn’t seem to be that cohesiveness in the group which we saw so much of last year. Everyone had each other’s back and they all spurred each other on to try harder and win. It was the cohesiveness of the team that translated into the cohesiveness of our footy. Maybe I am looking into this all a bit too much, but something just doesn’t feel right. I hope I am wrong. Also, looking at the list of the team we fielded today, it really just doesn’t impress me. It feels like we have gone a step back... or maybe our players have? I don’t know, I’m just trying to make sense of such a woeful start to our season. I still don’t think it’s too late to turn things around. It certainly is going to be hard, but not impossible. Really is a horrible feeling though... to think this might be yet another season of missing finals after one promised season.

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

I think structure, which eventually, once confidence is lost, leads to skill.

Last night was disappointing, but the final margin certainly didn't reflect our efforts or performance on a whole. Geelong were the definite winner and we were by no means our best, but as many have already said, inefficiency inside our forward 50 paired with Geelong's efficiency inside theirs explains the final score. The first quarter cost us and then from there onwards, we were constantly playing catch up and putting in a great deal of effort to no avail. Our contested style of footy started to get better as the game progressed, but we just couldn't seem to score. Undoubtedly, we are down compared to last year and why that is, is not completely clear yet. An interrupted preseason for many of our players certainly hasn't helped in the gelling of our team, which may explain our lack of fluency in moving the ball. Perhaps it is that we are adjusting to new players who are still learning about their teammates and the expected game plan. On that topic of game plan, that could very well be the issue too. Opposition teams have potentially figured us out or we aren't executing it to the level of precision required. The way we deliver our ball inside 50 is indeed problematic, but maybe we underestimated the loss of Hogan and how that would affect our game plan. It is a difficult problem to solve and I don't think it is a case where you can pinpoint one thing. Having said that, we are not a cause for panic attacks just yet. 0-2 is not the ideal start for the season, but there are 20 games to go and a lot to still play out. I am frustrated and anxious that this will be a sub-par year compared to the one before, but I will back us in to turn things around. Hopefully it is this Friday against the Bombers, but ultimately this is a challenge for our team to embrace and work on over the rest of the season. Obviously you have to win games to cement yourself in the 8, but it is also a game of timing. The best teams are always the ones that are performing the best towards the end of the season and take that form into finals. I remember us all have similar reaction last year post the 70 pt loss to Hawthorn in Round 4 followed by a second loss to Richmond. There's still a lot to play out and two losses in a row just because it is at the start of season does not necessarily indicate how our season will pan out. Collingwood went into the bye 6-6 last year and went on to be in the grand final. It is not a season of perfection - there will be downs, but hopefully soon, some highs. We have the talent, we know what we are capable of and what to do, we just need to execute it better.

Always appreciate your posts as you don't take the typical, pessimistic MFC supporter approach and help put things into a bit more perspective. I was always a bit nervous going into this game and today's result justified that. But like you said, it is Round 1 and there is still a long season ahead. I think what we learnt from last year is that Goodwin is all about progress and looking at things from a holistic perspective. It is about bettering our game each round, and from that, the results will follow. This season is going to be tight and tough like last year so there are no guarantees but there is still a lot to play out this year. We have a tough few opening games to start the season, but I back the boys to come back and get the job done. My concern is our number of players that had post-season surgeries and how that will impact our consistency in the first half of the season, but I'm confident the trainers and doctors at the club have that all under control. On top of the players you mentioned like Salem and Melkshem, I also think Fritsch showed us what a gun he is today. Other than that, everyone was down on their usual output, which explains why we lost. Port came out and played an impressive first game. It will be interesting to see how this season unfolds...

http://www.fremantlefc.com.au/news/2018-10-18/hogan-feeling-the-love it is a difficult watch, but he seems happy. would love to see a romantic story of him coming back to the dees, but don't think it is likely; he looks like he is already enjoying family, friends and the beach... and so he should. Love and miss him, but am very excited at the prospect of having May in our backline and most likely KK dashing in the middle. I think we have improved our list despite the loss of Hogan. I also didn't realise how young Preuss was, he is a great get too. Looking forward to 2019.

Yes, but I think it would have been more reassuring had he given a firm, confident and enthusiastic endorsement of Pert given all the adverse media discussion. The guarded and almost uneasy response suggests that perhaps there is some truth in the discussion, which I think there is... But, time will tell whether Pert is fit for the job and we can only hope that he is.

I am gutted about Jesse leaving and not because I think losing him will ruin our premiership chances or anything like that – it is possible we are a better chance next year following this trade – but more because of the sentiment of losing a player like him. He was for all MFC fans, the great white hope that finally delivered. After years of failed drafting and players leaving, this felt like the one that would help us turn a corner, and he did. Though of course it was not Hogan alone, but he certainly was an integral part of it. We became an attractive club because he promised talent and showed it too. I wish Hoges all the best in this next phase of his career (but not to Freo as they are a bunch of garden gnomes). Thankful for the memories and that he stayed as long as he did. It is hard not to be angry losing a player of his calibre but cannot underestimate the feeling of home and the pull that it has – he has done what he and the MFC inevitably had to do.