Red But Mostly Blue

1 hour ago, beelzebub said:

Bop Bop....Bopping the Blues.....

( a little long...perhaps get a red, a beer or a panadol.... )

There's an old adage; If it aint broke ...don't fix it. Agruably conversely if it is BROKEN....you amy well want to FIX it !!

Our predicament is we enter all games currently as a game of two halves... Not quarters per se....but a Front Half and a back half.  Our Defence work's pretty good most of the time and certainly isn't the prime concern. Our front half is....let's be polite....broken.

It bumbled along quite ok until recently whilst we had Petty , who finally found his straps and it started working. Alas poor Petty...we knew him well..      Enter stage left.... Melksham.  A more than handy replacement as it turned out.....and then....well....

Since then...quite frankly it's a shambles. No coherence, no connect.  Now there's a word..and indeed the crux of the dilemma ( imho )...CONNECTION.  From the back half to the front hald there is bugger all. And that's where it all comes apart.

Strangley you win games by scoring. Defending is good  but that as such doesn't go up on the scoreboard.

What to do ??

Now some might have a good chuckle ( or just a chuck ) at what follows.  We move the magnets.

A role that Milky played was tobe the link between the two halves...as it came out of the half back through the wing or ,l occasionally the guts he was often there to mark and keep the bal lgoing to a forward...and a forward in a good scoring position ( very VERY important )

Back in the day this was pretty much what Tommy Mac would also do...Float fairly high as a HF and collect and deliver.

This is where we fall down. We need that High Half Forward type todraw the ball and in turn spot up a goal kicker

Where oh where tofind such a beast. Strangley enough he's right in front of us..A co-member of the 'failed' forward experiment. None other than Maxxy Max.  If he wasnt a ruck an independent unbiased observer might be mistaken for thinking he'd make an excellent CHF ( but not too close to goal ) In fact if we take the Dee-Goggles off for a tic  and watch, he actually does this role anyway..    He slots in somewhere on that half forward line...and marks.

Thats exactly what you want roaming along that territory...someone who 1)  Knows where to be 2) Can take a mark ( oftern in a pack ) 3) has some idea what to do with it afterwards.  Indeed if close enough have a crack....and hes been kinownto slot a few in a final...Handy !!

But ....but....but........

But what ??

You can't take Max out of the ruck......

Why Not ???... if only we had someone who could take that Role....if only we had.....     oh wait !!!

The bleedingly obvious solution is of course Grundy....  yeah... I know...only an AA Ruck...in pretty good nick   ...

That's , imho , what you do..Let Brodie ruck most of the ground .  If the ball falls forward  either Tommy or Max can take it whatever seems a better idea a that ( particular) moment

Forward structure.. the previously mentioned hot zone.   Thats gunna be Tommy's new home for the most part. He doesnt have to roamnearly as far as is HF... He knows how to mark, knows how to kick.   The other forwards..  let Frita off the leash..let him roam.. Cancel Kozzi's pilot licence...ground him... intruct to lead and crumb...and be Johnny on the spot in the forward arc creatinig mayhem..He IS very good at that. He needs a reset, a refocssing.

We need the ball to come back towards the corridor going forward.  We need someone to direct,organise thiings a bit... Someone who CAN NOT be disregarded..someone who's leads and presence MUST be heeded...Again this is MAX  ...burn him at your peril.

Keep the entries more central...   The reporting of some 'coaching' ( and that must be a very loose interpretation)  of 'clump" techniques in the pocket ....I mean wtf !!  someone has absolutley NFI if thats the case. Have we become so 'defensive' orientatated that we  have forgotten how to attack...to play forward... i.e  be brave enough to score ??

A caveat to all of this is not to crowd each other ...divide the defenders. This idea of british bulldog  forward footy...give it away...it's rubbish.   ( and more the point well worked out rubbish now )

It will be hard to keep Trac forward now I guess..  But we need to find someone(s) with flair  who can rotate through the middle and let Christian be dangerous

Do you entertain bringing Woey back and have some limited time in the guts as well as forward ...  in a fashion that's the second tier element to the problem...but any number of possibilities there.

The main one...the BIG FIX is to rejig the forward  game....and it really wouldn't take that much. Thery're all kinda there...thereabouts...    just the set up is WRONG

Let Grundy do what he is very capable of doing...and release the Max

The pairing in a fashion of Max and Brodie is , for mine...still full of potential.....  just not how it's been done to date.

We have nothing to lose..  If we keep repeating what hasnt worked....well guess what !!!

 

likelihood of happening....  nada

thanks for humouring me by reading.....that's my say...     now off you all go to snicker...sneeze...guffaw...

Go Dees

 

 

I love a lot of this! in Fact off the top of my head I can't even think of something I would like to disagree with, even for the sake of disagreement (and I am a lawyer, so I have form). MAYBE Kozzie in the midfield as I have enjoyed seeing him there to get involved. But you're right, if we ground him, he is fantastic at picking up the stuff probably no other guy on the ground will get to. Smarts and skills off the chart.

We have the ingredients to make something delicious here, but are we going to be brave enough to use the right ones, and use them in the right way? 

The idea that some have put forward Schache/Jefferson instead of Grundy is wild. But I get it. We lost SOME of those games and arguably had better results with just Max, but as he has said himself, Max was in an ordinary form for a while. People are understandably spooked by bringing Grundy back. It can't hurt though. He's a more reliable prospect than Schache and certainly Jefferson. It'll mean Max has to sacrifice a bit, but he's the captain, he may understand we need to do things differently to get the win which is more important. Because if we don't, we won't get to plan for next week, we'll be talking about *gulp* learnings.

The alternative is to try untested/unreliables, and do what we did last week. Which may work, but it might not unless we mysteriously get better at i50 delivery. Our accuracy is likely to be better, but there's no guarantee. 

Very interested to see how this unfolds. We are on the cusp of straight sets #2 - I'd love to see some cojones and of course the boys coming out from the first bounce with fire in the belly and a destroy Carlton attitude (which should come naturally to everyone anyway). 

Posted elsewhere, but realised it probably sits better here...

I have been bummed for a few days but right now, I'm feeling OK. 

There are really only one of two ways the first bounce goes this Friday.

Either we breathe FIRE from the first second - because the reality is we entered the finals better than last year (aside from the decimation of our forward line - but we were finding ways to score, and our defence is solid) - and the boys will know that and will not let the blues take this from us. They may have a few obviously solid guns, but we are a better team, even without a forward line (with a forward line we destroy the Pies, and GWS/Port en route to the GF... ), in our last game they played out of their skins, we were average and we only lost due to arc madness. With everything on the line, I think the Blues are tiring and we have a statement to make. It's overdue now. 

OR we come out the same way against the Pies. Sleepy, late, sloppy, bombing balls into the 50 with no learnings at all, having to chase, in which case we likely lose, because the Blues will bank on that, and will probably expect it. Then we have to deep dive over summer because skills aside, there's a mental issue - 2 straight sets with our list is v bad.

BUT - I think it's the former. We come out and raise hell for 4 quarters and give the Lions something to think about. 

(I think we beat the Lions, we just have to get there)

1 hour ago, binman said:

Yes there is and that is that the game wasn't for all the marbles. 

We earned a double chance. We now have to use it. 

Love your positivity as always!

I'm usually pretty upbeat about opportunities, and this one bummed me out a bit more than normal, mostly because we lost it, rather than got beaten, and the path for the Pies is now much easier than ours.

BUT - right now (maybe it's the coffee I am drinking), I'm feeling OK. 

There are really only one of two ways the first bounce goes this Friday.

Either we breathe FIRE from the first second - because the reality is we entered the finals better than last year (aside from the decimation of our forward line - but we were finding ways to score, and our defence is solid) - and the boys will know that and will not let the blues take this from us. They may have a few obviously solid guns, but we are a better team, even without a forward line (with a forward line we destroy the Pies, and GWS/Port en route to the GF... ), in our last game they played out of their skins, we were average and we only lost due to arc madness. With everything on the line, I think the Blues are tiring and we have a statement to make. It's overdue now. 

OR we come out the same way against the Pies. Sleepy, late, sloppy, bombing balls into the 50 with no learnings at all, having to chase, in which case we likely lose, because the Blues will bank on that, and will probably expect it. Then we have to deep dive over summer because skills aside, there's a mental issue - 2 straight sets with our list is v bad.

BUT - I think it's the former. We come out and raise hell for 4 quarters and give the Lions something to think about. 

(I think we beat the Lions, we just have to get there)

11 hours ago, Demon Dynasty said:

There is no way that 2/3rds of the team go missing again next Friday RBM.

Even with 2 to 3 players having an off night we'll win well against the baggers....PROVIDED...

Goodwin reads a bit of a riot act to the bulk of those that didnt show up against the Pies in the review sessions.

Unacceptable peformences from too many on Thurs night.

3 shocking finals performances in a row.

Time for Simon to bring down the hammer!!

I hope you’re right!!

Makes sense to me. It would feel so good sending the baggers home, then giving us a crack at the lions up there. 

One step at a time… 

25 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Have faith Jack.  I think we'll bounce back convincingly.

They'll do it for Gus mate.

I hope so, although I wish they did it for Gus against the Pies since it was one of them who knocked him out. And now it’s a much harder run when it didn’t have to be. 

5 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

If you're gut is giving you bad thoughts it's probably to do with it's lack of good microbiome and the effect that's having on your brain. I'd try adding some fermented foods to your diet this week like blue cheese, kimchi and a variety of green vegetables washed down with copious amounts of black coffee, guinness and quality red wine that are all rich in polyphenols. 

Haha I love this answer, thanks mate.

Lucky coffee and wine are my jam 🤣🤣

22 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Despite our forward issues I actually think our leaders will be laser focussed this week to ensure we don't go out in straight sets again. 

I’m normally very positive but still feeling pretty deflated about Thursday. So I like reading stuff like this, even if my gut is telling me, or maybe just preparing me, for a loss. A lot of the game is in the head, I think 0-3 in recent finals will either inspire or put doubt in our group. Honestly I felt if there was motivation to avenge it should have been on show on Thursday, not via a spirited 4th qtr effort, but fire from the first bounce, which is what the pies did. They started the game like they had a point to prove.

Anyway, I hope you’re right. Even with a cobbled together makeshift forward being serviced by dumb repeat bombing into the 50 we are a much better side. But they have their tails up after a first finals win. Let’s see. Our group certainly has a point to prove, let’s hope they make it and we don’t hear about more learnings for next year’s ‘point to prove’. 

The Saints have been boring and wont be missed but I won’t trash talk their finals exit until we beat the blues and save ourselves from another straight sets exit 😬

Whatever happens can we just START FAST AND HUNGRY? 

Show us 0-3 in the last 3 finals burns. 

Like, actually burns. Enough to come out breathing fire from the FIRST SECOND until the LAST SECOND, and bury these cheating [censored]. 

We can’t go down 0-4 and 2 straight sets against the blues. We just can’t.

3 minutes ago, Colm said:

That game will have taken a lot out of the blues. We have extra days rest. Martin will prob get suspended and McKay won’t play. 

True. But we’ll still bomb the ball in a billion times and score 6.28…🤣😭

6 minutes ago, DubDee said:

i’ve been thinking about this and i have NFI!

Blues look shaken but first final so i reckon they’ll be more confident next week. but without Mackay. 

Swans are tough but have no real fwd weapons. i reckon we could grind them down easier

so i guess the Swans but really if we want to champs we should beat either

Agree with both assessments and you’re not wrong, we need to beat either. We are better and can, but the usual Melbourne conundrum is which one of our teams will turn up? 

So who do we want to play here?

Mind you it almost doesn’t matter as we’re our own worst enemy and will probably end up beating ourselves next week.

But still, who suits us better? 

Just now, Ethan Tremblay said:

Umpire only called that touched due to the players reaction 

YEP

The blues seem to touch a lot of balls on the line hey? 

So I’ve had the benefit of some sleep and this is what I came up with:

Firstly I hope Gus is ok. I can only imagine the emotions/pain he’s going through.

We were beaten by a better team on the night. We had our chances to take the game. 4+ out of bounds is seriously not good enough. 1-2 goals from those and we win. But bad kicking is bad footy as we know. We might be missing forwards but the guys who missed those should not be missing like that. 

Bad night for Jack to have a quiet one. We needed someone to tear the game apart. Kept expecting him to do it but he didn’t. Too many guys in this category. 

The Pies came out hot. That lead won them the game. 

… so my question is. If we were burning in the guts from last year’s straight sets exit, why wasn’t it US who came out breathing fire. The Pies looked like they had something to prove. Not us. It looks like we wilted under the pressure until, as always, it was too late and we had nothing left to lose.

Now we face the prospect of another straight sets exit. 

I’m not even confident we’ll beat (the Blues?). Might be my deflated self talking. But we go with no Gus, JVR, and a whole bunch of guys who are now 0-3 in recent finals and showed no fire in the belly when they walked out. Nothing to avenge apparently. The blues will smell blood in the water, and why wouldn’t they? 

Ugh. Our premiership window 😢

We need a Curnow type gun who might be able to mark one or two of those dumb bombs into the 50, since we are intent on dumping the ball forward without bothering to look. 

Hopefully we think about this when we go shopping for players this year. 

1 minute ago, brendan said:

Double the inside 50s Collingwood didn’t win that game we lost it, I hope that really burns in the players guts, if we can somehow make it to the grand final we will smoke them that I have no doubt, if we don’t Brisbane will and wouldn’t surprise me if pies lose a prelim the most overrated team that the media will pump up like there is no tomorrow, absolutely ropeable with that loss 

How can it burn in the guts?

We were apparently out to avenge a straight set finals exit last year and we came out like that? If that didn’t bring us fire in the belly, nothing won’t. We’re a decent chance for another straight sets exit. 

3 out of bounds in the last qtr!!

Are we now finals chokers?

Consecutive losses: 3 with pretty poor performances in each. 

Also bugger off Richo and Maynard had no care for how Gus was. Just trying to defend his thuggery. 

So deflated. Blues/swans will know we are gettable. 

Where did we go tonight???!! 

ANOTHER NON SCORE??!!

We need a real quick one here to give us some time to get another. 

Not good enough tmac 

3 goals with basically the whole quarter is VERY doable. Especially if we keep the pressure manic. Run them off their feet. 

What a surprise cox being a dirty dog

There’s TMAC!

Welcome to the game.

Get involved everyone! It’s only 4 goals. Doable if kick goals, yeh? 

We need 26 to win and we have scored 33 in 3 quarters…

(That’s without the pies kicking a single point in the last quarter mind you)