titan_uranus

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.

Do you really believe this [censored]? Petracca has literally cried talking about how much he loves this club.

It's been pretty clear to most of us (sorry @binman) all year that our midfield has been down. I don't agree though with anyone who tries to argue that there's one singular reason for it. IMO, as things almost always are, it's multi-faceted. I'd argue the following have all contributed: We intended to see some of the OP quoted stats decrease this year by changing the way we play. For example, we intended to see a decrease in our inside 50 differential, our time in forward half differential, and probably our clearance and CP numbers, because we wanted to focus more on scoring from turnover and from our defensive half and less on generating repeat inside 50s from which we struggled to generate good scoring shots. Brayshaw's retirement. Oliver's lack of pre-season. Viney's drop off in form. Sparrow's failure to take the next step in his development. Our various forward line woes which have required us to play Petracca forward more than previously. Salem training as a mid over the pre-season but then getting injured and failing to reintegrate into the middle on his return. Previous list management - we do not have enough midfielders on our list and have not brought enough in, by draft, trade or FA, over the last few years In my view, the top 3 contribute the majority of the decline. We were happy to cop moderate reductions in some of these stats but losing Brayshaw late and Oliver not being able to reach his best form have exacerbated those reductions significantly.

We have been the subject of intense media scrutiny all year. We are as relevant now as any other club in the competition. If we weren't, no one would bother writing article after article about our form drop off.

I find it interesting that these comments from Malthouse get so much attention on here, but the following quote from Grundy’s interview with the ABC this weekend hasn’t had similar attention: “Despite the move to Melbourne not panning out as Grundy had hoped, with premiership glory, he doesn't hold any ill-will towards the Demons. "The culture that Melbourne has is really high-performing in terms of the standards they set, the work ethic, and I'm really grateful to have gotten a glimpse of what it's like in that side," he said.”

Pretty sure @Colm said May, not Max.

Walsh missed large portions of last year and at no stage were Carlton at full strength. Not the point though because the purpose of me raising the comparison was just to show that a side under extreme pressure and failing to respond repeatedly turned it around mid-season. So many different variables obviously, but I don’t want our players or coaches assuming the season is done when last year three sides refused to give up from worse W-L records than us right now and two of them made prelims.

Was just thinking about Carlton last year too. They were bottom 4 this time last year, and as they kept losing each week the acid was poured on them and they didn’t respond. But they got a soft kill vs Gold Coast and then found their passion and identity again. I know plenty on here will say it’s pointless to compare with other sides in previous seasons but I do use them last year as an example of how, with the right application, terrible form can be turned around (and we have 3 more wins at this point of the season than they did).