Engorged Onion

It’s absolutely ludicrous that there are many fans that have the opinion that making a grand final equates to failure. Contrast that versus any other coach (plenty) that have not made finals. The unrelenting standards and lack of nuance in understanding the many and myriad of factors that allows a team the ultimate success, across effectively a 10 month period of time as well as some singular games,to then rule someone out of a coaching gig- that some posters show shouldn’t but does astound me. If that’s your measure, prepare to be disappointed for all other coaching appointments whilst supporting your team.

No need to apologise - your opinion is just as valid. 10 years ago, I would have been in the anti Buckley camp for reasons you described. Keep to your convictions 🙌🏼

Did he run over your cat? How do you know he struggles to build meaningful relationships, how do you know he thinks to highly of himself? And if so, what's the problem with that? You need to have conviction in your philosophy, or no one will buy into it. You also need to have flexibility, and an ability to reflect, on what works, what doesn't and why, which I feel he has shown in his media career post coaching. It's a high performance environment - and as per society, there will be a bell curve of people who think Bucks, Goodwin, Engorged Onion, or Neitaphart are pretty decent, let's say 70%, then 15% who think they is absolutely amazing and a clear communicator and 15% who will think, nah, wouldn't poke him with a stick. And each will have their lens on why he is or is not their sort of guy. Welcome to life... and particularly, welcome to leadership. People are not going to agree with all decisions made, particularly when livelihood/career prospects are at stake, because it's existential. In watching for afar since he exited coaching, there is a humility (which Goodwin had to work on) and demonstrates clearly greater understanding of why you would NOT invest in performance at all costs to the detriment of relationships, and how that impacts on performance. People evolve, get behind him rather than potting him, unless of course, he actually did run over your cat, and sent you a photo text and this guy.

I appreciate your anxiety - “backroom deals??” — all appointments in footy are handled discreetly for obvious reasons. Public blow-by-blow updates might make fans feel included, but they also risk damaging relationships and negotiations, just like any organisation on this earth. Critique is fine, but calling the process a shambles without knowing the internal detail isn’t fair on the people doing the work — and it underestimates how much is happening behind the scenes.

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*Champagne Comedy? Non? Que?

You're right — pro sports isn’t an office job. The intensity, visibility, and physical demands are unique. But that doesn’t mean we abandon what we know about how people function under pressure. High performance is high performance — whether it's on a field, or off it. I'm not saying AFL should be run like an HR department. But dismissing the relevance of psychology because "it's not an office" ignores the fact that athletes are still people. They still respond to leadership, emotional cues, stress, fear, and feedback in human ways. And what we know — from decades of research across sectors — is that cultures built on fear or volatility are rarely sustainable. They might produce short-term compliance, but long-term, they cost people and performance. So no, pro sport isn’t an office — but that’s not a reason to reject the science of what helps humans thrive under pressure. In fact, it’s the very reason we should be doubling down on it.

Why do you think that would be helpful? Is that way of thinking based on as though, it's acceptable that he's a coach being punitive to his employees? Or analogous to the kids have disappointed him? (due to his own expectations, which may be miles off) Or it shows that he/the team are passionate about winning? Personally, my lens is that it shows someone who has zero ability to manage emotions when the heat is on... It wouldn't stand for any other workplace, so why is it acceptable in this context. To think that 'it's football' and gives it a free pass, is an indictment on the culture that IS football. What we know as a fact, in terms of behavioural change, is that the best motivator in the world is fear... BUT it only ever works for the short term. And is not sustainable long term, people tune out, or disengage. Think of it in terms of someone getting overtly angry at you... how do you respond?

How's that culture going...

I think it's a good time to evaluate whether we think we (as supporters, not the FD) would go far in finals. For me this is a development year, rather than pushing for the finals. Thus problem of disappointment and expectation solved! 😀

That'll be all about perceived feel and touch in the hand, which is personal preference. Personally I couldn't give a [censored] about what he does or thinks until the ball drop - because if you/he is aware of what he is getting caught up in, it should have minimal impact ON the ball drop, or the mechanics of running in - BUT it is all about the biomechanics around the ball drop to ensure as much as possible (with lee-way) that he strikes the ball correctly.

Oh please — AFL player salaries aren’t some moral barometer of “worth.” They’re entertainers in a billion-dollar TV show. Their pay reflects broadcast value, not how well they handball under pressure. The idea that they “deserve” or “don’t deserve” X dollars is like saying a sitcom actor gets paid based on how believably they cry. And let’s drop the myth around payment... . If you were scrutinised at work like they are — slow motion replays of every mistake, every comment dissected by a panel of ex-players — you’d want danger money just to open Outlook.

I think it's useful to get an average in AFL land.... so my interpretation of this data is... that the Hawks currently sit around 1 mark every 3.5 entries and we are around 1 in every 5. So (and not that it is as binary as this) - a question that will be asked in terms of the personnel on the field is - do you try to increase the mark rate when it does enter, or do you aim to increase the entry rate? I'd say Goodwin's coaching career/philosophy in terms of attacking and how to best go about it - has been defined by a talented midfield than extract the ball, and so he banks on as many entries as possible per game as the data set to follow, as it would appear over the season, you are likely to come out on top, more often than not. *Further to this - both Hawthorn and Melbourne are averaging around 53 Inside 50's a match - so thus far Hawthorn would take around 1 extra mark each quarter inside 50, if we went head to head, so to speak.

Serious question, can anyone walk me through how it has come to pass that since The Brayshaw incident, the desire to incessantly rehabilitate the image of Maynard continues in certain sections Of the media? As in, why him. He’s a middle of road player. What gives, what am I not Understanding?

Ange Postecoglou often speaks about the stonemason’s creed — the quiet, relentless work of striking the stone, knowing it might take a hundred blows before anything shifts, but believing that it’s the 101st that cracks it open. Not because that final strike is special, but because of everything that came before it. That idea — of persistence, belief, and purpose-driven effort — mirrors the Melbourne Football Club’s 2025 season to date. In Rounds 1–6, they looked off: the system wasn’t clicking, the forward line felt disjointed, and fans questioned if the spark had gone. But beneath the surface, the work continued. Structures were tweaked, roles clarified, effort sustained. And now, Melbourne looks like a different side — more connected, harder at the contest, more daring with ball movement. It's not a miracle turnaround; it's the 101st blow. Just like Postecoglou’s creed, this resurgence is built on the foundation of unseen toil — stone by stone, blow by blow — until finally, things split open. *edited by ai - as i couldn't be bothered typing

Mate, they wouldn't even critique him as a coach, people would move an attack his personality and how he performed on the press conferences, ... ridiculous.

Any more big wins coming up in the near future?? Asking for a friend.

Oh, I wasn't having a crack at you, or disagreeing with the data - not in the slightest. What I feel is a more accurate representation is the volume of shots on goal over the course of the seasons versus the accuracy. In looking at the data, cause I am home sick on the couch and refuse to watch daytime tv - the marrative that accuracy is important is frequently overstated. Of course though, I acknowledge it FEELS important and looks awful when it's a tight match. I jumped on Wheelostats - but it doesn't really matter - the difference rom best to worst is typically only 10–14% over the past few seasons. This equates to roughly 1 to 1.4 additional goals per 10 scoring shots—an impact that is tiny, over the course of a 23 game season. In contrast, the volume of shots a team generates has a far more significant effect on outcomes. Teams that consistently create more scoring opportunities are better positioned to win, even if their accuracy is slightly below average. Over time, the sheer number of chances tends to outweigh minor inefficiencies in execution. The players and coaches do know this... this data is spoken about... its just the $hite statistical analysis that is put onto the publc, means we emotionally* interpret the data. *not at all like SG, who is an emotionless robot...eh.

I take your point, and we are currently 18th - but I assume we will regress to the mean. I also popped in 2021's conversation rates 45% and last years for comparison. Do what you want with the interpretation :) - Poach North Melbournes kicking coach??

Do you think much of the Melbourne supporter demographic listens to SEN? God I hope not. You lead off with content that appeals to the masses. Further, you also lead off with content that promotes a problem and discussion and is emotionally evocative. 🫠 Digest the content you want, by getting off mainstream media. Eg: The Mongrel Punt

Lazarus Rising...

Reckon he would be tracking this well if he was still at The Demons? I certainly don't. Change of environment was good for him, and he is a solid player - very happy for him.

Once upon a time I did a thesis on some acronyms BIRG'ing and CORF-ing on sports fandom. Basking in Reflected Glory and Cutting off Reflected Failure. Here's an excerpt There's a unique brand of frustration that bubbles up within a fanbase even after a victory – the agony of a comfortable lead carelessly squandered. We've all been there, haven't we? Up by a seemingly insurmountable margin, only to watch the opposition chip away, goal by goal, point by point. The initial elation morphs into nail-biting anxiety, the celebratory cheers replaced by nervous murmurs. Even when the final whistle blows in our favor, a bitter taste lingers. We won, yes, but the dominant performance we anticipated dissolved into a messy, unnecessarily stressful finish. This internal disappointment, this feeling that we should have done better, speaks volumes about our deep investment as fans and our high standards for our team. This frustration becomes particularly interesting when we contrast it with our reaction to a rival team in the same situation. Suddenly, the narrative flips. Their near-collapse, even in victory, becomes a source of (perhaps slightly smug) satisfaction. It’s as if they’ve "put the cue in the rack" too early, (maybe they can afford to) - a sign of potential arrogance or a lack of focus. We might interpret their ability to concede goals and still win not as a display of dominance, but rather as evidence of a certain carelessness born from having "too much" capacity. It suggests they aren't as sharp or disciplined as they could be, almost as if they have the luxury of being so far ahead that they can afford such lapses – a luxury we might not perceive our own team to possess. Ultimately, this duality in our reactions underscores the passionate and often irrational nature of sports fandom. We hold our own team to a higher standard, feeling the sting of dropped points even in victory. Yet, that same critical lens becomes a tool for comparison and, at times, a source of comfort or frustration when observing our rivals. The frustration we feel with our own team's imperfect win doesn't negate the final result, but it certainly shapes our immediate emotional landscape and fuels the ongoing narrative of competition and rivalry."

It's fascinating how people interpret the same process/outcome, and infer meaning, when it is their team versus when it is not. That of course is what the brain is designed to do, look for patterns, extrapolate and place assumptions for an expected outcome.

I am genuinely surprised that people forget what this is like... (or maybe I am not)...

Good bloke though...** The 'good bloke' get out clause, that seems is used quite widely in any fraternal industry.