Mel Bourne

Well Goodwin did very recently say... ”I think it’s time as a club we started building that winning culture and building some momentum going into our season.” Very excited for the next 100 games, now that this has been decided.

I can imagine Donald Trump reading this aloud.

From chaos-ball to zen-ball in one week.

I love that people are still taping shows. VHS?

The albatross around Jake Lever’s neck is not going anywhere, anytime soon... Any observations/criticisms about his games will always be held up against the backdrop of the $$$$ we paid for him, which mean “average to solid” efforts become deemed as “not good enough”. Personally I don’t think we’ll ever see Lever play like we hope a $600k footballer should. He was simply paid way too much, but that’s not on him. For our own sanity we’d be best to try and erase his salary from our minds and view him in a different light - that of a player on an average AFL wage. Those who say things along the lines of “Why isn’t this guy playing to earn his massive paycheque??” Well, he’s trying to but the problem is the club buggered it up, and he’s not a player that belongs in the tax bracket he’s in. But should we have expected him to say “C’mon guys, I’m good but I’m not THAT good. Let’s make it $300k” at the negotiating table? The next time Lever puts in a non-game I will try to remind myself to spare him some shade and turn my surly gaze to our list managers and his agent. I will say though, he is a mostly dreadful kick. This alone should have been discussed in the negotiations and gone some of the way to reduce his paycheque to a more reasonable figure. Oh, and that moustache is doing him no favours (unless he’s secretly running a boiled sweets shop at Sovereign Hill).

If you looked like Huddo (sun-dried E.T figurine) you’d be bitter too.

Ah Dees. Just when I think I’m out, you reel me back in. Great to get a win, but not what you’d call an overly dominant display. Suns missed plenty of opportunities. Viney & Gawn showed excellent leadership (with the former playing out of his skin). Hannan is becoming indispensable. And the best game Ed Langdon has played in the red and blue. Harmes worked some great centre clearances in the 2nd half and has great composure in the tight passages. Loving Hibberd’s return to form. Many thought he’d run out of gas Great to see that proven wrong AVB getting acclimatised, and gaining in confidence. Harley made further progress, which we love to see. Love that purposeful, relaxed style of his Omac did his job, looks in good knick, and should get regular games this year if he can keep it up. And I agree with Binman that he should kick out. May basically kicks to a contest in the left flank every time. And while on May, he seemed kinda panicked at times and made some terrible choices. Not his usual character Trac had one he’d rather forget (except the last bit), but can’t be faulted for his effort and intensity. Pickett learning all the more and deserving of a place out there with the big buggers. Just needs to get himself in the right spots, which takes experience Lever and Oliver did a few useful things from the waist up, but their kicking is an ongoing concern. Particularly Lever. Nev was up against some wildly confident youth, and his age showed a little. Lockhart didn’t get amongst it much. We may see Rivers come in for him. Weid should get games pumped into him now. He needs to become our principal target going into forward 50. Fritter did some nice things but undid his good work with some butchered kicks. Seems a bit off compared to last year. Should come good. Brayshaw was ok at times, but was a bit of a spectator out there tonight. Melksham needs a rest. BOG - Viney. I’ve been enjoying the last several Akermanis-free seasons, but that ride is possibly over with the introduction of Rankine.

BENNELL TO WEEEEEED

Pickett needs to Learn to never kick to Viney in a one on one.

It’s kind of amazing how the sins of the past take a back seat on game day. Come to think of it, this particular feeling is the thread that my allegiance hangs on.

Man, you really don’t like Lockhart! I reckon we should give him another week and take it from there. I can't help but feel he'll come good.

Well, this has come from out of nowhere.

They both remind me of Robert Wagner. Look the part, but ultimately made for TV rather than the big screen.

It’s nice to see so many have picked themselves up from the floor (where I imagine most of our comments on the “Closer To The End” thread were typed from), and resumed some of the regular muses and suggestions that allude to some kind of future. You must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on - Samuel Beckett (probably a Dees supporter).

Sure, since you asked, I’ll add to the topic. The Melbourne Football Club is the worst club in the league. This is a fact. The only measure of true success in our league is a premiership victory, and we have gone the longest without one. So yeah, fact. We all obviously either really like or love the game itself, or we wouldn’t be on this forum. So a lifetime of watching this game we so admire, but without ever witnessing the actual result we all yearn for, has had a completely predictable, degrading effect on the mindset of the Melbourne supporter base. The ensuing negative, frustrated and defeated attitudes we all express here are not baseless, nor the result of people being weak-minded or lacking in male genitalia, as you’ve clumsily (and as pointed out, kinda in a really sexist way - girls are not inherently “weak”) inferred. People here have more than a right to be fed-up with this club. And to be honest, the indiscriminate (and often strangely vitriolic) optimism you seem to taunt others with is not only unhelpful, but makes you come across as a little feeble of mind. Bet you wish I just drove by.

That’s four games. Repeat, four.

I often wonder what the process of switching club-allegiance would be like. Overwhelmingly, I think it would be kinda bollocks. A big part of the thrill of winning is factoring in all of the low points and feeling like you were on some kind of journey. So I never really consider it. Also it’s viewed with contempt from other followers of the club, and game itself. After 45 years though, I wonder again..... Anyway, I think we should start a petition instead of, or rather in addition to, climbing into the warm bath of Demonland with a packet of razor blades. Not to sack Goodwin, mind you. I don’t think that would be taken seriously. Just viewed as reactionary and churlish. But to say that if Goodwin brings the club in bottom five at season’s end, the following signatories will not be renewing their membership without the announcing of his sacking during finals.

Don’t be so dramatic. Oliver is in a form-slump. It happens.

Hore won’t be playing for a while unfortunately.

I’m not sure you can say Bennell is in our best team yet. It was indeed exciting seeing him on the park against the Blues, but maybe jets need to be cooled a little when we speak of “best team”. I would of course hope like hell he eventually becomes a staple fixture and that day isn’t too far away, but we’re not quite there yet. I don’t think getting a healthy representation of our youth in the side each week is the wrong attitude at all. This season is a bin-fire in so many ways. All the screwing around with rescheduling, re-homing, reduced quarters, no crowds, dud performances from gun clubs, blah blah. I mean, it’s fine to watch but I really have don’t have the usual amount of passion for this season and I’m pretty ambivalent about who wins whatever tattered flag is on offer at the end of it. It’s the perfect opportunity for a club like ours to get games into our future players, and also an opportunity to hand some much-needed reflection time on the sidelines to our under-performing “stars”. I’m specifically looking at Clayton Oliver. He comes across as a pretty arrogant dude sometimes, and it shows in his needlessly-flash approach to those dumb, quick handballs. He’s been talked up a lot in the press over the last three seasons as the next great midfielder, and it would have naturally gone to his head. Unfortunately the signs are increasing that he is not going to become much more than what he is right now - a great getter of the ball, but 60% of the time an abysmal user of it - and unless he pulls his head in and realises he has some distance to travel towards greatness, he’s not going to improve. Out: Oliver, Lever, Smith, VDB, Melksham In: Jones, Omac, Jetta, Bedford, ANB

And I get your point too, but I think some of our poor-kicking could be improved by addressing other aspects of the game rather than kicking technique itself. Namely composure, decision-making and a genuine lack of targets. I think certain players are actually getting worse at kicking because the confidence, conviction and intent behind so many kicks is simply missing.

The point being that players can improve their kicking throughout their career.

You do know a lot of teams have kicking coaches, don’t you? In fact Adem Yze began his career with Hawthorn as one. He improved their accuracy in front of goal from 48% to 57% actually.

I guess one hopes the club cooooaaaacches the players to kick better.