titan_uranus

What I think escapes many is that Dunn is being applauded for doing the minimum. He's training. Wow. In the second half of the year, he lifted himself beyond being a joke to being mediocre. Again, wow. I just can't believe how many people gloss over the time he's spent on this list getting to where he is now. It's not just about the last 4/6 games. It's about the prolonged time he's spent on our list going, essentially, nowhere, the fact that he has no real qualities except his kicking (and even that isn't as amazing as people are making it out to be) and that he just, overall, isn't that good. I'm not saying he's the worst on our list, and there are clearly many other candidates for delisting, but Dunn cannot be said to be anything other than a list-clogger who has had his chance and who simply isn't that good. People getting stuck into Bail, whether rightly or wrongly (wrongly, IMO, but that's a fair debate), should keep in mind he's had half the time on our list than Dunn has.

Agree on both counts. Dunn is as soft as anyone else on our list (except Morton, maybe). His 'aggression' is fake, all he does is strut around and push people, but when push comes to shove he is pathetic. When it matters, too (i.e. going for the ball) he shirks contests, ducks his head, and then tries to make up for it by remonstrating and pushing. The sooner we delist this list-clogging, space-wasting, finger-pointing has-been, the better. You'd be shocked and angry? That we delisted someone who's been on our list for about 7 years and has achieved nothing to date? Who hasn't improved at all in the last 4 years? Who pulls out semi-impressive (I use this phrase loosely) performances only when it's getting near the end of his current contract? You could be disappointed, but you would have no ground to be shocked, and you'd be silly to be angry.

This thread is insane. Person X, involved with football, does not become Melbourne coach, but instead chooses to do something else. Reaction from Demonland: did we go after him? Did we offer him a contract? Why didn't he accept? Why aren't we being proactive enough. It's ridiculous. Not everyone associated with football wants to coach. Not everyone who wants to coach will be any good as a coach. This club's job is not to ask anyone and everyone who might be a possible fit.

Jay Clark strikes again.

90% of the time? Really? Didn't think anyone would get past 50%. Anyway, as for the bugler, I'm not sure how I'd feel with him up in the stands. I think I'd prefer it. More like an Indian T20 match. On the ground, as a thing, with the jacket, and the fanfare, and the attention, is cringeworthy. Almost as bad as when we did that pathetic 'grand old flag' rubbish with Nick McCallum.

Terrible post highlighting your underlying inability to comprehend AFL and reality.

Ah OK now I get it. Yes, we'll have to agree to differ, as I do think their core is pretty good indeed. But we can both agree that Lyon is a great coach and is doing wonders for that side, regardless.

^ Interesting. Let's also take a look at Adelaide: 2001 68 point loss to Carlton 2002 71 point loss to Brisbane 12 point win over Melbourne 28 point loss to Collingwood 2003 56 point win over West Coast 42 point loss to Brisbane 2005 8 point loss to St Kilda 83 point win over Port Adelaide 16 point loss to West Coast 2006 30 point win over Fremantle 10 point loss to West Coast 2007 3 point loss to Hawthorn 2008 31 point loss to Collingwood 2009 96 point win over Essendon 5 point loss to Collingwood 2012 29 point loss to Sydney Total Played 16, Won 5, Lost 11 Average Winning margin: 55.4 Average Losing margin: 28 Also a perennial finals flop this millennium. When they win, they at least win well, but to have played 16 finals for just the 5 wins isn't fantastic at all.

West Coast has gotten my hopes up. I'm going to try to ignore the 6-day break v 8-day break, and that it's in Melbourne, not Perth, and that Waters won't play. If they play like that, they'll beat Collingwood, and that will be so sweet.

When did I say I found our song embarrassing? Oh, that's right, I didn't. I love our song. To me, it's clearly top 3 (with Richmond and Sydney). I love it, I sing it before each game and after each win. I never said I found it embarrassing, I said I found the bugler playing it embarrassing, which you failed to comprehend.

I share a similar sinking feeling, but he deserves 3 weeks or so. Well off the ball, goes to block, hits him in the head. Worse than Steve Johnson, who got weeks.

I'm pretty sure everyone here accept we're crap on field too. The bugler is embarrassing. I actually get embarrassed when I got to MFC home games with friends from other clubs. It's pointless and unnecessary and is more embarrassing than it is uplifting or spiritual or anything important.

I agree with that post. I think, though, your post seems to place a lot of weight on that core and not enough on the 'interchangeables'. It's the top 6 v bottom 6 debate, sure, but I feel like there is a similar argument to say that Hawthorn is where they are as much because their core is outstanding as because their interchangeables are all performing and pulling their weight. Anyway, I'm not sure how that changes anything here. You said Fremantle was 'in the main mundane'. I said that they have as much excitement as most other sides. Not entirely sure what your interchangeables post does to change that, as much as I agree with it.

I think that's a chance too. Smashed them only two weeks ago, killed them in the ruck, and their forward line is menacing (Kennedy, Lynch, Darling, Hill). Without Maxwell they'll struggle to contain all four. Their defence with McKenzie back is a lot better too. That'd be so awesome. Collingwood out in straight sets, and then Sydney-West Coast Prelim.

Good post. Completely correct on all counts.

Every club has mundane players. To call Fremantle in the main mundane despite the list of players I gave (and I don't think Pearce, Mzungu or Crowley are mundane, but each to their own) is a bit ridiculous. I'm watching West Coast light up Paterson's Stadium, yet I would say that Glass, McKenzie, Selwood, other Selwood and Brennan are mundane, but the team isn't. All clubs have mundane, dour, or generally bland players. But Fremantle, in some respects more than other teams, has some real talent and excitement. My comments on Neeld and Lyon were more ramblings on the topic than anything in response to you.

Agree. In the end, even though he's fallen out of favour at Geelong, he has proven talent and he will fill a void, whilst adding a dose of professionalism. At no cost, I guess we stand to lose nothing.

I don't disagree with you that Lyon has been good to Fremantle. I also don't disagree that he'd have been good to Melbourne. But whinging about how we could have had him is like whinging about us not having Lance Franklin. I mean, why didn't we call him up and ask him to come here?

I refuse to believe that if we were winning people would think the bugler is a good thing. If we were winning, we'd be seen as arrogant or cocky. Either way, it's cringeworthy, out of place, unnecessary, adds nothing, and really has to go before the other 17 clubs realise how pathetic we are.

I don't think anyone could be another Adam Goodes.

Prove it. More unsubstantiated nonsense. They're a lot different, partly because of Ross Lyon, but also because they've not had the same amount of injuries they had last year, and their talented youth have an extra pre-season under their belts (e.g. De Boer, Pearce, Hill, Walters). All fair, but there's really no fair point in comparing Neeld to Lyon, insinuating that we could have Ross Lyon coaching us, or that we should have done a lot more to get him here. I think it's probably true that we don't have a list of players all committed to the cause right now, and I think it's also fair that Fremantle probably had the same problem last year. But I think they were for differing reasons. I don't think Harvey was a particularly good coach and he'd had that list for a number of years. Neeld has a bunch of hacks, many of whom are OOC and thus spent portions of the year playing for their careers, not the team. Have to disagree with 'mundane' as a description of Fremantle. I don't think Pavlich, Sandilands, Mundy, Hill, Walters, Ballantyne, McPharlin and Pearce are 'mundane' at all. Fremantle have proven leaders and stars. We do not. Fremantle have their fair share of lesser lights, but it's easier to get the most out of them when they have role models and leaders to pull them along. Neeld doesn't have that benefit.

I wonder if Adelaide supporters wondered the same thing just last year, watching the finals series. Now they're in the thick of it. I'm not suggesting we're just going to turn things around and make finals next year (we won't. Obviously), but there is always hope.

On the fence with this one. On the one hand, he has goal-kicking nous, seems to pop up whenever he plays. On the other hand...he hardly plays. Also, Jay Clark doesn't seem to be the most reputable source, having apparently said that Monfries was coming here on a four-year deal, only for his very paper, the HUN, to report the next day that Monfries was looking at Port.

Can you prove he didn't do this? But assuming he didn't (which is probably fair), you make it sound like it's so easy. That Lyon just calls Ross and Ross is like 'oh yeh, I'm not negotiating with anyone, I'm more than happy to listen to you, here's what I'm doing and when I'm doing it, so I'll listen to your offer'. From the picture that has been painted, he moved from St Kilda only because of the Fremantle offer. Not because he specifically wanted out of St Kilda.

Unfortunately can't happen. Collingwood has to play Sydney in the Preliminary (if Collingwood beat West Coast/North). Might be Franklin, Walker, or Pavlich who sinks that goal. But it won't be Goodes. And whilst I agree with your sentiment, I doubt I'd be able to watch the kick, having to tolerate Collingwood in a GF, let alone leading it, will be tough enough.