titan_uranus

Any worries about Salem? Goodwin said he was subbed off after some knee soreness I think. He looked a bit proppy in the third.

If Petty/Turner and Bowey keep strugging to impact, it sounds like Jefferson and AMW could be our 5th and 6th debutants of 2024.

I didn’t say we’re in the 8. I said we are a game and 7% outside 4th. And only percentage behind 3-4 teams. Both of which remain true even after the Fremantle-GC game. Edit: and I was being generous too. If Essendon loses to WC, we’d only be half a game outside 4th. We’d be a game and 7% off third.

We have a real problem with Bowey IMO. Having finally pushed Rivers into the middle, we need Bowey’s foot skills in the backline but he’s just right off at the moment at the contest so he’s struggling to get involved. 13 touches, no tackles. We need a lot more from him in the new, Riv is a mid, world. I’m confident Chandler keeps getting games due to his defensive pressure. 8 tackles last night and I’d guess a decent pressure rating too. Same reason I think Windsor’s safe, he had 6 tackles and just keeps on presenting. Sadly, Fritsch is another out of form player who, unlike these two, doesn’t have work rate or defensive effort to fall back on.

Nah mate. You’re the one who’s weak as [censored].

The logic may be there but the same post would have been made about Hawthorn a month ago, the week prior to them beating Brisbane.

So you would prefer that our captain, whilst still on the field, criticises his teammate, who we all know is trying hard to clean his life up and come back from a poor pre-season, because he couldn’t shake a tag? Yet every chance you get you complain about our club’s culture being broken? [censored] me.

We will end this round just 1 game and 7% outside the top 4, and just percentage behind 3-4 other sides, with 9 games to play. It’s a pretty decent platform to work with if we can find it within us to right the ship.

@fr_ap you liked this post. Don’t tell me you’re withholding your attendance too…?

@ElDiablo14 you wanted names…

There’s no good explanation for it. If our fitness program has us unable to run out a game in Round 15 off the bye against a side on a six day break, then it’s not a good program.

Look at @Bombay Airconditioning’s post above yours, saying the low crowd was because people are “sending a message”. That’s precisely what I’m talking about.

Has a side ever won a game but failed to get a Brownlow vote? May’s IMO our only chance of a vote. He was amazing tonight. But Sheezel, LDU, Archer, Wardlaw and Zurhaar probably outranked every other of our players.

6 - May 5 - Viney 4 - Rivers 3 - Gawn 2 - Tholstrup 1 - ANB

Deserves its own thread but a massive [censored] you to the disgracefully large contingent of you so-called Melbourne “supporters” who choose not to go to games to “protest” or some other [censored]. Not for a second having a go at those who can’t go for financial or personal reasons. Almost none of us can get to every game. But if you stayed home because you’re fed up with Goodwin or you think our season’s shot or you want to “send a message” to Roffey or Pert, or you think we’re boring or whatever, [censored] you. Don’t sit at home and complain that we can’t attract talent in the trade period - who wants to play in a half empty MCG when North’s 10,000 fans are more vocal than ours? Don’t complain about our players looking devoid of confidence when they don’t get the sort of lift from the crowd that most other clubs get. If you’re able to go, and you don’t, get stuffed.

Maybe he’s not injured but has the week off for training or load management reasons.

With Port and Geelong sliding, Essendon unconvincing, and Fremantle and the Dogs hot/cold, I’d like to think a good few weeks from us can really spark everyone’s finals hopes again (mine included). The spots in the 8 are there to be taken.

You don’t have much form on the bolded bit.

This is not true. We all know about last week - what obviously goes unmentioned is that whilst they played brilliantly for a half, they also played poorly enough in the second half to be outscored by 10 goals. The week prior they led West Coast by 33 points in the fourth before coughing up the lead, and only getting it back after a goal given from the controversial Yeo holding the ball free. They also didn’t score a goal against West Coast until halfway into the second quarter. Prior to that was their bye, and prior to that they lost to Port by 10 goals. They’ve played 4 good quarters of football in their last two weeks, and arguably they’re the only 4 all year. (Don’t worry, despite that, I’m still nervous, but my nerves are due to our form, not theirs).

Goodwin’s explained Tomlinson - Collingwood had a small forward line so we decided to go smaller in our backline.

This is actually it (see above). Fullarton an emergency.

I still want Woey in the side but can’t really complain about K Brown and Tholstrup getting chances over Laurie and Billings.

Did anyone see West Coast getting near Fremantle, or us, earlier this year? Did anyone see North leading Collingwood by 54 points in the third quarter last week? Or even getting near West Coast when they hadn't been within 26 points of any other side in their first 11 games of the year? Did anyone see Adelaide getting near Carlton in Round 5 when they were 0-4 and Carlton was 4-0? Or the Dogs beating Fremantle by 10 goals the week after they lost at home to a bottom 10 side (who were themselves coming off a loss to a bottom 10 side), when Fremantle had just beaten us by 100?

We can. Did I say we can't? My view is he's unlikely do any better than Petty or Turner.

I'd like to see Woewodin into the starting 22 for a full game, and for a few weeks straight. I do not need to see Laurie or Billings in the side, probably not for a while for either of them. I'm inclined to keep TMac back, particularly with Lever still out, as I don't think it's anywhere near guaranteed that his 2024 defensive form means he can play forward. We probably have no choice but to persist with Petty and Turner, despite my personal view that we've been sucked far too far into the idea of them as forwards off the back of 1-2 decent games early on from each of them. I'm not sure Brown or Fullarton can do any better.