Engorged Onion

It's not coincidental that both Melbourne and St Kilda looked exhausted from the first quarter of their third match after consecutive 6 and 5 day gaps. That's accumulative fatigue playing out right there. Not heart, not effort, not game plan, not coaching, not personnel.

Andrew has led an interesting life and likes to challenge the status quo... hence the willingness to not tow the line... Does great music reviews as well :)

From the lovely guy that is Andrew Stafford in The Age "Spare a thought for Petracca and Oliver. Both were far below their best, with 38 possessions and just three clearances combined for the match. But the Dees were playing their third game in just 13 days, after backing up a narrow win over Port Adelaide on March 30 with a 15-point victory over the Crows on April 4 for Gather Round. Both games were Adelaide Oval. Is it any wonder they looked flatter than the Nullarbor? The early start to the season – with eight teams playing opening round and byes everywhere you look – has resulted in some deeply iniquitous scheduling. Collingwood also played three games in 13 days after a shortened pre-season. They will play another three in 13 after their bye this week. The fixture is contentious enough already without placing such insane demands on the athletes, who need adequate time to recover between half-marathons. Moreover, the staggered schedule means it won’t be until the end of round seven – when all 18 teams will have played the same amount of games for the first time this year – that we will truly know where clubs sit on the ladder. In an attempt to compete with the NRL’s Las Vegas adventure, the AFL has only succeeded in further distorting the fixture picture in a way that serves no one except broadcasters."

Agreed. Brisbanes midfield is very very good - if else we are going to be objective as a supporter base. Other teams may have the ideal of a blueprint just not the athletes to actually pull it off. We’ve been very very fortunate to have the players we have had in the midfield perform exceptionally consistently over many years now. This one (whilst consistent with trends/themes around clearances in 2024) felt like one out of the box.

I'm accepting that we will never be as good (in the context of what it was) - as this. ever again.

It’s a really well written and considered piece, and explains what we see is evolving before our eyes🙌🏼. *I’ll add some further thoughts later

Thanks for your input as always @Sir Why You Little 🙂

I understand your desire to see Melbourne keep 'building' and attract top talent. It's definitely a key to success, like how Richmond rose to dominance through strong internal development. To be honest though.. I'm not sure explicitly what you mean by' keep building...' You and I both know that winning the premiership every year is impossible and so is the feted dynasty once you've won one. Melbourne's been a top 4 team for several years now, building a strong foundation. However, the AFL is cyclical. The draft and equalisation measures ensure a competitive balance, making sustained dominance very challenging. And players and coaches know that... (that' you'll be up for a max of 4 years and then drop) With Geelong's (perhaps Sydney and Brisvegas) unique situation, their success isn't solely based on attracting top-tier talent from elsewhere. They've nurtured their own young players brilliantly, similar to what Richmond achieved. Melbourne has a talented young core too. Focusing on their development alongside strategic acquisitions, not just a rigid "build" mentality and keep winning is the path to longer sustained success or at least competitiveness (see Geelong). However, the AFL landscape is complex. While recruiting from within the top 4 is ideal, it's not always feasible. Salary caps, player loyalty, and a limited player pool, especially for Melbourne teams, make it tougher. Geelong's position is unique, their strong culture and geographic location can be very attractive to players, creating a situation most Melbourne teams can't replicate. So, essentially, focusing solely on "building" can be restrictive. Sometimes, strategic acquisitions from outside the top tier can be the missing piece. Melbourne should prioritize getting the most value out of their draft picks and develop them. They seem to do that well... and like all clubs, some are hit and miss (and how much falls on the selection policy, vs the player or development structures remains to be seen)... Ultimately, the right player will want to be at Melbourne, regardless of their current team's position. Building a strong culture and competitive environment attracts talent (that it exclusive to premierships) pps... your demands on the recruitment staff... it's a bit old school don't you think??

I imagine we have already done our 'very best' - merely general exposure daily to our culture, the people and the relationships. If he still needs convincing, he is not the right person for the club - and that in of itself - is absolutely fine, when we as a club (or us as people) meet someone where they actually are 'at' for all the valid emotional decisions they make at any given point in time. I'm a lover of Ange - here is a recent link to a press conference - a few days old, about the perceived need for Tottenham to make the Champions League (coming at least 4th, potentially 5th overall in the premier league) and how that allows a cash injection, as well as signals to potential athletes that Tottenham are now worthy of being recruited to. It's about the players wanting to be at the club, irrespective of where the club is at position wise... I'd have the same approach to any athlete pondering coming or not coming (or staying) at the MFC...

Bobo, presumably you are a fan of Radiohead. I assume you have a critical lens when you look at the world. I think you know the answer to your question 😊 On a side note - this morning, I was reading about the death of 'music videos' and the art the goes into making them. I'd suggest that the music videos for the OK Computer singles were some of the best of all time as a combination.

It's interesting, I thought he took short steps too, but to be honest - 5 years a go, I would have thought 'he heard footsteps' - now as far as I am concerned - it's just duty of care these days. But you know... a narrative is just a narrative. You can't stop water from being wet, and nor can you stop Dermot from being...

Reading this thread, I feel there is an undercurrent of understanding how much supporters are acclimatizing to the notion of a 'squad' mentality for the entire season, rather than weekly putting out your best and allowing certain players to reset depending on where they are (and the context of the season and injuries) in their personalised program. It's a great cultural shift, and also helps supporters makes sense of 'potentially' some FD decision making.

Except when it's Melbourne and you'd interpret it as an easy kill and in no way useful for the following weeks match-up...🤷‍♂️

Demon Fans Watching All Remaining Matches of Gather Round...

And yet we still engage with it 😎

I'm on school holidays and now have a cold as well... who'd take their kids on an interstate road trip when you've got work? 🫠 *connected culture outweighs any illness

Is a 5 goal win considered an appropriate win - or considering that they are 0-3 will some supporters only be satisfied with a minimum 8 goal win? Just bank the win lads and ladies 😃

Pain is absolutely fascinating... particularly in the context of sport and performance and the reasons why at times you feel pain when there is NO tissue damage and while you feel no (or minimal) when there is significant tissue damage. Context and meaning (as interpreted by the brain) means everything... One way to think about it, is that it is all about DIMSIMS - :) ie: what the brain interprets as Danger(ous) or Safe I love to think about how violinists feel more pain in the finger from a paper cut than a footballer... because of what it means for their capacity to play, and their career... Here's a great video to get your head around how much the brain influences the experience of pain...

Harbour Lights? 😇

Wouldn't a team at 0-1, 0-2 and on 0-4 come out firing? How many rounds in on '0 wins' does it become a non danger game and you can see a team for who they are, that is, just a bit off the pace overall for the leauge? Or are they all danger games for the team that you support when they come up against that sort of team because, well you know... MFCSS? What about the Gold Coast. do they ever cop it in the media, perhaps the Gold Coast Bulletin doesn't care to really report on them, thus doesn't influence the GC Suns performance? So many questions 😃 Anyway, I'm being a little provocative. It's such a tight league due to the spread of athletes, that all opposition are respected..except maybe WCE... Your last sentence feels about right though!!

Fascinating how certain players are key to teams fortunes (structural integrity) and are overshadowed by the glamour of goals and high possession gatherers. They used to be called ‘workman like’ or ‘agricultural’ and now ‘role players’, yet even (to my mind) that is underselling them. ANB’s career has been encapsulated by what he does defensively which is ultimately unheralded unless you are a key back man. It’s not just the last 3 years, and I get that people see his last match as a version of a ‘break out’ - but he’s been consistently consistent for years with the attributes that he has. I loved hearing that someone from the Hawthorn FD flagged that people should sit down and watch what ANB does with the down the ground footage. They watch it knowing how subtly yet significantly influential he is. For a thoroughly obscure reference - he is the Claude Makelele of Melbourne.

Someone will get the specifics right... andeffectively out of each teams scoring shots in each game - you have a slightly higher percentage that is goals than points - ie: 60% of your scoring shots are goals. Then they've added in, where those shots are taken... that is my understanding. So for last night - Ports - 13.11 becomes 15.9 Mebs - 15.6 becomes 12.9 and then

Well, observing whether Harry Petty stays with Melbourne or not for the next 7 months is like peeking into Schroedinger's box - he's simultaneously both a Demon and not a Demon. And we know human's dislike uncertainty immensely...

Apologies if this has already been put forward. It's probably more of a general comment of team selection... but. Can we have a discussion on the non selection of Thommo, in the sense that most people agree he was stiff to be dropped. Was he dropped because he had a poor game? That seems unlikely Was he dropped because he is behind TMAC in the pecking order - potentially. Was he dropped because he failed(s) to meet certain internal KPI's - potentially as well. What I think also needs to be considered is that over the course of the season, certain teams, have certain preferred match ups, and all things considered some of the players in the picked 20-27 range will be in and out of the side based on that weeks opponents, and non selction is not an indicator of a binary, are you good or are you poor.

I wonder if it's a prelude to publicly consider shortening matches...