Red But Mostly Blue

Jack was robbed… The thing is, some of the other teams have had a few standout players throughout the year but we have been missing continuity with some of our stars, like Clarry and Fritter, and guys like Petty. On top of that, we play as a team. Our wins have come from different guys standing up on different occasions. Kozzie has had a couple of blinders, as has Melk, as has ANB, as bad Maxxy and obviously as has Jack. It means we’re dangerous and unpredictable. I like that. Doesn’t explain the outcome but maybe goes some way to explaining how we only managed one player in the AA team?

Ripped off at the All Australian… Ah well, looks like we’ll just have to go and win the premiership, then!

Sounds like a ripper bloke. Always hated the horrible comments lobbed at him on here, as they were (for mine) wrong, but also just simply unfair from a human perspective - which I know you have addressed elsewhere. This is the sort of guy you want at the club to keep building culture. The type you'd have a beer with after a game, with no ego or BS. When his days are done as a player (and I hold hope they are not) I hope we have a spot for him, and us diehards still have the opportunity of running into him as we cruise around MFC HQ. Thanks for the insights, as sad as they are :-(

Shattered for Melk Had to work his way back into the team, injuries meant he got an opportunity - and ran with it. True testament of his character and love for the club. He saved us in some really important games. Won't be forgetting the big kick win against the Lions - huge for that game and setting the season right again. I've always enjoyed seeing him play. Super high footy IQ and an elite kick. Was looking forward to him getting the chance to take part in a premiership. Footy is cruel sometimes. Wishing Melk a speedy recovery, and hopefully a plot twist of some more footy in the red and blue next year.

I love stories like this haha.

Great, gritty win against a very desperate team who brought a lot of pressure and intensity. Awesome return from Fritter. We enter the finals in great form, with just the ‘loss’ against the Blues in the last 2 months. Just about the best placed of the top 4. Hopefully Melk is ok, we need him! Pumped for the Pies, let’s go Dees!

This isn’t even tanking. It’s disdainful. Capitulation. Surrender. Truly embarrassing, and that’s coming from supporters who have seen their fair share of this sort of thing. Also, the Weid is their sole goal kicker haha

How did this bombers team inflict the biggest loss on us this year? Crazy

I’m getting used to this top 4 thing! Great game by Lever. Rivers, Gus and Melk good, too

Yeah absolutely!! Here’s hoping it’s the one and only time it happens this year.

Ah the classic dees start to the final qtr

Laurie not great today. Hibbo next week please.

aaaarrrfghhhhhhhhh pi** off Breust

Sparrow is much better with little time/on the run.

Lever has been great. Another poor disposal from Trac. Can’t afford both Trac and Clarry to have a stinkers.

I agree with you completely. The comp is probably the most even it has ever been. BUT they lost their best mid just before the game, we are nearly full strength. A top 4, recent premier, hopeful premier again. The only reason this is an arm wrestle is because we have been very poor, not because they have set the world on fire. If they had, I’d agree that we are just battling with a team on fire and nothing to lose. We likely win this, and should, and tbf will need to as I’m not confident about beating the swans over there in the last. So it’s super important we come out in the second half significantly less bad. Hopefully good! But you’re right. The hawks ain’t bad at all they’re building a good team. I just remember many, many losses to them, and would very much like that not to continue for another 5 years at least haha

Don’t care. Are you happy with our performance so far? They have not been amazing - spirited yes - but we’ve been sloppy and wasteful. Hand balling to guys under pressure. Fumbles. Guys not sighted all game.

Arm wrestle with 16th place. Words you love to hear. Can we PLEASE take control of this after half time and bury these [censored]? They inflicted so much pain on us over the years. It’s not yet time, not even close, that they can return to that. They’re 16th, missing their best mid. No excuses.

I couldn’t care less whether that goal/point by the hawks was a goal or not. Should not have been paid in the first place.

Great kick by Laurie, and PHEW goal by Melk. Who has hopefully found his kicking boots. Could have and should have been 5.0 by now. I would love for us to kick a quick one by half time.

Are we not sick of starting like this?

That's what I had heard - figured I maybe hadn't been watching close enough this year!! Ah well, he's been picked for a reason. Will trust there's something behind it - keen to see it, and hopefully bury the Hawks!

Didn't see Laurie's inclusion coming! How's hid form been in the 2s? He has a future I'm sure, but did not expect a game so late in the season when we have other established options (admittedly some a little down on form). Keen to see the thinking on this one, and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Grundy out has got to send the message we won't play him again (this year)?? Surely...?

I still like our chances for top 2. I think we can (and should - although a desperate Sydney in the final round over there will be a dicey prospect) win both, and reckon Freo is an OK chance against Port this week. More importantly, I think our form/fitness coming into finals is pretty good. Certainly better than last year. I posted elsewhere, looking at the losses we've had - we've lost by a total of 70 points across 7 games (10 per game!) - which if you remove the Bombers game (27pts - which I never want to talk about again - we were horrid and they played their best game of the year) - it's 43 points across 6 games - basically a goal. That's fantastic. I think we dropped a few that we should have won, such as GWS (ugh), but largely it has been teams who have played out of their skins to beat us, and even then, only by a goal! (i.e. the Blues - where you can argue we were failed by ARC, Port - and in particular Butters who'll poll 1000 points for that game, the Lions up there - which we nearly stole), the Bombers and to a lesser extent the Cats who overran us in the last. The competition is VERY close. But I don't think we had hit our straps in those losses yet - and that's without a conventional/real forward line. Just a cobbled together mishmash of legends chipping in. (Imagine a fully firing Roo and maybe another KPF) - Oooof BTW, if you want to compare cumulative losses for the top 5 - Pies (86/4 = 21.5), Lions (152/6 = 25.3), Port (213/6 = 35.5) and the Blues 212/8 = 26.5) - we are FAR AND AWAY the more competitive team. It takes a hell of a lot to beat us, and frankly most of the time we beat ourselves! We have a lot more experience than others (such as the Blues), and will not let those near close ones get away in the run home, or in the finals! Sorry, bit of waffle - TL;DR - I think we're travelling fairly well coming into the final 2 rounds/finals - although there is certainly room for improvement/opportunity (another forward, guys like Salem/Langdon finding form, Clarry firing, Fritter to return). I'm looking forward to finals! (more than last year, where it was clear we were hobbling to the end).

I don't think so. I think we have certainly had some fortune in playing some teams with a few injuries, but so have they, against us? Massive, long-term outs with Clarry, Petty, Fritter (none of whom are mugs), Gawn for a period, certainly helped others. Some of our games have given us more anxiety than I think we deserve, but I also don't think we need to be going 100% ALL THE TIME, as that's how we burn out/cop unnecessary injuries. Barring something untoward against the Hawks (they are traveling well), we will finish top 4 for the 3rd year in a row. Maybe even top 2 if Port drop one, and we win both. That's really good. Aside from a clear forward line issue, we are in a better position coming into final than we were last year (although forward line was an issue then, too), with team fitness and peaking at a better time. Looking at the losses we've had - we have lost by a total of 70 points across 7 games (10 per game!) - which if you remove the Bombers game (27pt loss - which I never want to know about again - we were horrid and they played the best game of the year) - it's 43 points across 6 games - being basically a goal. That's fantastic. I think we dropped a few that we should have won, such as GWS (ugh), but largely it has been teams who have played out of their skins to beat us, and even then, only by a goal! (i.e. the Blues - where you can argue we were failed by ARC, Port - and in particular Butters who will poll a thousand points for that game, the Lions up there - which we nearly stole), the Bombers and to a lesser extent the Cats who overran us in the last. The competition is VERY close. BTW, if you want to compare cumulative losses for the top 5 - Pies (86/4 = 21.5), Lions (152/6 = 25.3), Port (213/6 = 35.5) and the Blues 212/8 = 26.5) - we are FAR AND AWAY the more competitive team. It takes a hell of a lot to beat us, and frankly most of the time we beat ourselves! But we have largely done what we needed to do. I'd LOVE Petty back, or another forward to emerge as we come into the finals, but other than that I have confidence that our group is doing well and will continue to improve at the right time.