Deemania since 56

BBB made his best moves with North leading for the ball. He no longer does that. His reach could well help against Carlton, either marking or tapping to advantage. He needs some guts (bravery) to make the difference. JSmith can lead. JSmith can recover and go again, aware of backline (opponents') tactics and methods. JSmith is not currently injured. JSmith must be the hungriest man in the whole of the MFC. JSmith deserves a coupla games to get conditioned as a leading forward - and so should Sparrow, holding down CHFwd with mobility and grunt. We have the scurrying mice to support leading forwards and tap-ons. Petracca needs a target, so its pink socks for JSmith and a gorilla mask.

Deep!

You missed a bit: Decision reached to dismiss the tribunal review achieved in 4 minutes ... clearly the charge could not be sustained.

We need another Liam Jurrah. Our forwards were always under pressure; he came in from nowhere, anywhere, even backing up to the melee and doubled the pressure in an instant by doing what is unexpected. His grip and extraordinary reach helped, but moreso, enabled him to achieve his flashy, brilliant and innovative ideas.

Highly reasonable. D50 has too much escape room for attackers. A50 is clogged - leaving nowhere to lead before or behind the ball (someone moving to a better position, fast as hell) including creative deep fwd flanking whence creativity is now stifling and always clogged.

Too bleeding right!

JJ in. Harmes to tag (perhaps, Cripps) - someone who is potentially prolific.

YEP! We need a target ..... who leads out to space (and teammates who support such initiatives).

Let's hope he also developed his analysis of the 'team' from watching them play against Freo. A few stern words to those seniors in the team who owe Clayton their footy careers to date need a bit of an ear bashing from Clarrie - sorting out the chaff from the straw because the coaches don't seem to be able to define 'mediocrity' across game time. (I really am joking, but just watching an injured Clarrie train - and train hard - should be enough to provide the stimuli necessary for improved performances. During the training session at Yea earlier in the year, Clarrie was setting the standard for all to follow - no-one came close, but his efforts and intensity were contagious.)

It does look that way recently, and really highlights his importance. He must feel enormous pressure as our only mobile forward - suffering a loss of goal accuracy in recent, critical games.

As footy supporters we react to trends in our potency. To win is great. To lose is deflating, warranting problem resolution and second thoughts on such experiences.

Help us? Big ask. Viney is the long-bomb specialist when he isn't taking his time to earn the ball. Beginning to improve in this area, he has now resumed interrupting footy flows and running to position by the rest of the team. The forwards stay back whenever he has the ball midfield, there is limited movement and Fritta (really trying as the sole mobile forward) cannot cover all options. Tracca finds targets or moves the ball very quickly into scoring options, if not going the shot, himself. He also looks first, generally, for mobiles. One is helping, the other is so often hindering what we want - and until Badloss settles on what he wants or what the players need, the whole forward-line remains in disarray. We, the fans and particularly those of us who are MFC Members are the Club, have been for years, not a struggling Coach with set-in-concrete ideas of a past era that are so easily read. Clarrie was missing due to injury (and workload-induced, at that) but we should be able to cover for him with our younger apprentices - yet these players lack the critical experience of game-time. There is the cattle as I have iterated many times alongside many contributors across DL. He helps those who help themselves - it's logical. Self control is the free man's yoke and therein lies opportunity; however, few of our senior players are in a liberating mode, hamstringing positive play and sanity in the game plan.

Genuine leg speed and an array of very pleasing reliabilities around goal. Capable of giving and taking a knock, too. Imagine his development now, had he been given the opportunities of rapidly tiring others - in operation with Clarrie, Tracca, Gawndy, Rivers, Fritta, JJ and Sparrow (the latter should be groomed as the mobile CHF lynchpin).

Hate to say it but that is the circumstance under which we are instructed to play, as you describe.

We all knew that Bedford's restricted game time and opportunity would be costly to our skillset. The same for JJ, Chandler and JVR, and others. Yet, we play the same predictability week in, week out. If they have a walking stick, a former reputation, a Seniors Card and/or just a clutch of games left in the ammo box, they're first-picked, assured a spot in the team that otherwise could do some serious damage, and anointed with bundles of forgiveness from coaching personnel. 'See 'ya next week; maybe we'll have a better run.'

The only was JVR can stop the frequency of '...pills on top of one's head...' is to bite the bullet, occasionally, and lead out into the wider and shallower areas of the forward line - pick a space or one freed of player movement, signal to your feeder roughly where to place it, run like buggery to receive or tap on, kick the goal or have another deep forward ape your endeavour. Make the play ... not wait to receive!

Some of us could actually see it occur when the team selection was published. Writing was on the wall - so was the signature of the culprit responsible. Same old, same opinions, no flexibility nor challenge.

Why are there so many Freo fans here? Haemorrhoid removals are cheaper here, and the waiting-for-surgery timeframes are almost nil.

JJ is an onfield 'pathway' player, robbed of playing that role except when he has no other choices (probably from the coaches). When he does go the footpath in possession of the ball and its disposal, boy(!) can that bloke play! More complete game time, please, for this fella.

Brown is often pathetic these days, too. I'd think of a mobile, tough, dead-eye Dick for the goals, fit Sparrow as a CHF. Not all key forwards who are prepared to move to advantageous positional spots need to be tall streaks of pelican detritus.

Like your second paragraph, particularly. It is a reflection of what we all hoped was a past era prior to the '21 GF.

Unless you are a little haphazard with the basket-making needle, it won't bring you tearful moments like the MFC does.

We see that fad-outs so often mingled with umpiring outcomes ... the fact that this occurs with frequency there is no wonder that a '...typical Melbourne supporter...' responding (with high frequency) this way. It is also a significant responsibility of the coaches to get the players over this syndrome, to additionally inspire the passion to win well. This rot will continue unless there is change. In the words of my favourite weather man: 'We will get some more if it keeps up'.

We needed a fresh start immediately after the Premiership win. New eyes and vocal chords.

Absolutely! Interesting to note that you - like me - reckon that the coaching needs scrutiny, as well. There are some blokes out of the game who are busting to get a run - it is high time we gave them one or two. Of course, had Clarry been in the team today, we would have had a picnic of opportunity in that last quarter - and a very good win, no doubt. We are much better than that performance indicated, today.