titan_uranus

Maybe let's focus on winning this one first.

Thanks. Amazing stuff, given the start, the opponent and the venue. Let's hope we can keep it up and stay ruthless.

It's 10-straight goals, right? Or has the AFL website stopped with us on 84...? This is actually ridiculous, I don't know what the score is.

The AFL Live app isn't working either. WTF.

What? What is the score? AFL website has us at 10.5.65

I'm assuming, from the comments on here, that this is more than just a case of accuracy vs inaccuracy (7.0 to 1.6 that quarter)? If so, what changed to bring about the turn in form?

We're leading hit outs 17-3 but clearances only 11-10, including trailing 3-6 in the centre. 45 kicks to 59 handpasses isn't the right ratio (St Kilda is 62-47). It's very difficult to believe we haven't worked out how to curb Riewoldt's influence (7 disposals, 4 marks, 2 goals) in 10 years, or that we haven't worked out how to deal with a loose man in defence.

Joel Smith apparently has dislocated his left shoulder

I couldn't have been more surprised to see Hannan get picked after being nowhere during the pre-season, but so be it. As some have pointed out, Hunt came from nowhere when he got selected last year. I think we've done the right thing by leaving Spencer, Kent and Tyson out and by playing Watts and Weideman. There is still plenty of talent missing from the side (Kent, Tyson, Hibberd, Frost, VDB) so pressure is on the fringe players to perform. ANB typically doesn't take these chances so I'll be keen to watch how he goes in a likely Kent/VDB-style half-forward/mid role.

If there's one thing MFC supporters should not be complaining about, it's Round 1 fixtures. We haven't been interstate in Round 1 since 1998, a ridiculously long time. And of those 19 consecutive Melbourne-based Round 1 games, this is only the 3rd at Etihad. We have been shafted in many ways over the years, but not in this area.

I genuinely thought we were no chance of batting out the day. Handscomb and Marsh haven't been amazing this tour so far but they stood up when needed. We should take some confidence from that performance, not a typical Australian Day 5 batting performance on the subcontinent. Kept the bowlers off the field all day too, extra day's rest, given the next Test starts at the end of the week.

8 overs to bat out tonight, 152 behind. I smell a collapse coming up.

Despite making 451 in the first innings, we have been batted out of this Test. We can't win from here, but we can easily lose. The bigger India's lead, the more likely we are to fall apart with the bat.

It doesn't look ridiculous aesthetically (some might say it even looks better without a logo there). But there's no doubt it looks bad without one there. The perception/signal it sends is certainly not one of positivity. My hope is we have something to announce this week.

I'm not a big Garland fan but if he's suffered an injury today that is appallingly sad and unlucky.

Agree. Vince does a lot right but I feel like those moments rarely, if ever, occur in the back half of the ground.

IMO it's all about turnovers across our half-forward line. If we hand the ball to them on a platter at half-forward, they will rebound and break our defensive structures open with ease the other way. I'm confident in our ability to, at the very least, break even in stoppages, which should create sufficient chances for us to push forward. If we limit the turnovers, I can see us limiting their ability to play their best football, and we can win.

Agree with the OP. A lot about the club has improved in the PJ era, but our website has not.

Classic Australian Test squad selection. We've picked Cummins to replace Starc. Despite Cummins having played one first class game since his only Test in late-2011. Bird deserves Starc's spot more than Cummins does but I'm now expecting Cummins to play instead.

I think, on reflection, we had the best possible JLT3 match up given our Round 1 opponent. They are, of course, called practice matches for a reason. We got to practice for Round 1 against West Coast in Perth. We sucked, but the result of the match is meaningless, It's all about what we learn from it and we've surely learnt a lot.

Why would we have to wear white against a side with no red? Makes no sense whatsoever, which is precisely how the AFL's clash-jumper "policy" works.

Ripping Test, this, but looks over now. Ashwin taking those two wickets in the last three overs before tea, leaving us 87 behind and with only 4 wickets left. Handscomb looks comfortable but I can't see him staying long enough, or the tail hanging around long enough, to score another 87 runs. If we lose, it will come down to the poor bowling yesterday in India's second innings. We let them back into the match with loose bowling early. S Marsh not reviewing his LBW decision doesn't help, either. Also, M Marsh has now scored 48 runs in four innings, and has only bowled 5 overs in the two Tests so far (for 0 wickets). He is adding close to nothing to the side and should be dropped, win or lose, for either Khawaja or Maxwell in the next Test.

The problem is that Spencer doesn't offer enough to warrant the upside of Gawn spending more time forward. Ideally either Spencer needs to get better around the ground or Watts/Pedersen need to ruck more and be capable of giving Gawn a longer spell. I just don't think we can carry Spencer against most sides, let alone St Kilda (fast) at Etihad (fast).

I don't know if there's a term for it, but I think people notice TMac more because he appears to make "large" mistakes (like the one total howler of a kick he'll produce most weeks). We have players who make far more frequent mistakes, which can be equally damaging but are less noticeable. The example which comes to mind is Harmes - he butchers the ball, repeatedly missing kicks, but he does most of this at the other end of the ground where, I think, people take less interest in bagging out clangers than they do with TMac who makes his errors whilst in, or close to, the defensive 50.

Classic MFCSS. Melbourne does well in the pre-season - "don't read too much into it". St Kilda does well in the pre-season - "I'm concerned about how good St Kilda looks".