Red But Mostly Blue

Dunno if I’ll invest much more time In this tonight. Maybe half time. This is beyond terrible. I know it’s only Q1 and there’s a lot of footy to play still, but wow a LOT would need to change for us to even be competitive. Sad to say but there’s something a little fitting about the dogs destroying us? We destroyed them just 3 short years ago to win the GF and signal a mirage dynasty, and unless things change DRASTICALLY tonight they will end that for us officially, at least for this year. Kind of bummed, fam 😢

I feel like that’s been an issue most of the year. Everyone else looks to have Velcro and we’ve got oily hands.

How can we give up the first 9 scoring shots of the game, seriously? Looks to be turning a little but geez there are slow starts and there’s this. Dogs are running hot and will take great pleasure in eliminating our finals chances. Let’s not just hand it to them on a platter?

Completely agree about being lost. It's the most confused I have seen us for a while. And I understand this has been largely driven by unexpected and significant shifts to personnel. I'd say we go the Geelong/Sydney approach, as I think we have too much invested in guys like Clarry and Trac to not try and add a premiership in the next year or two. It'll definitely take buy-in from the group, some luck with injuries/fixture and a more consistent gameplan, but I believe we can get there. I'll admit some of that belief is coloured by hope, such is the life of supporting this club, but a lot of it is based on the fact that the higher-ups will know we have not reached the expected return of this group, so they will do their best to make that happen - and belief that the team core is very good, we just have to make some good decisions from here.

We have everything to play for. Personally, I don't think we'll make the finals. We need to win every game and I just don't see it. The doggies are flying. GC up there will be hard (it has been for most others), Port will be tough and the Pies always find something against us. Can we win some? Sure. We CAN win them all, but with Gawn clearly not right yet, no Trac, a half-fit Clarry, and an apparent inability to play 4 quarters of consistent football, I don't see it. Happy to be proven wrong though. If we do, we will enter the finals like a steam train and will have earnt it, and will worry other teams. BUT, to me at least making finals doesn't really matter. This year has been hard. We lost Gus, who is an irreplaceable, last minute anyway. Looking at guys like Houston is smart. But that's for 2025. Trac being injured for most of the year, Clarry not being fit, these are not nothings. We have been missing forwards/forward synergy, which really should have been planned better, but alas here we are. Missing players, Petty being way off, Melksham only just re-joining. JVR and Disco are kids. If we don't make finals, we need to finish the year as a team who will be serious contenders next year. Maybe I have had too much coffee/got a little more sleep than normal (thanks, bub!) - but I am feeling pretty good about our prospects next year. Trac will be back, Clarry will be fit, Max will be patched up and good to go. We start the year with JVR/Fritter/Melksham (who will get another year for sure) and Disco up forward - plus Chin, Kosi etc - pretty dynamic and dangerous. Petty has been good the last month, I think he will start strong. He may go back if TMac hangs em up, though. May has another good year or two. Flanked by Lever of course. Judd etc. Viney has another couple of years, The kids will bulk up a little, build a tank. That's a good core. But - ending this year strong and with a message to send in 2025 will mean we can make an argument for trades. As it stands, we will not be the only team looking to plug holes. We're not a destination club and honestly we're a little bit of a basket case - and I say this with love - the 'which Dees' will turn up today, or any quarter actually, is something that causes blood pressure spikes, for me anyway. If we are to contend next year we MUST get on top of that. We need to play 4 quarters. That does not mean full intensity for 4 quarters, that's not smart, and not possible for the full year. But we should expect effort and consistency over the 4 quarters. No more fadeouts, and letting teams slam 5 goals at the end of the game to put us out of touch. Get on top of skills. Basic skills. No more hospital handballs. Hit targets. SKILLS! We need to sell ourselves to trade prospects that they will find success with us. I think we can win a flag next year. But, together with good health to our stars and our kids improving, this means we need to fill gaps - a replacement for Gus. Maybe another forward, and definitely another plug and play ruck if we're not going to play Fullarton. At least. Plus a better, more consistent game plan. Which will be assisted by having all/most of our guys on hand, of course. We have not had a 'game' this year. Its been a mess. I know, in part affected by personnel. But I think we have been confused at times as to what/who we are. We need to settle that in the offseason and commit to it/one another. Whatever happens, I just want the boys to have a dip and end the year like they know we can do it next year, and they want to enter 2025 with some momentum and send a message to other teams, and trade prospects. Work on regaining reputation and a consistent brand of footy. There are other teams on the up, we need to push. I really think we can do it. Other teams avoid these dips. But it takes vision, smarts, hard work and commitment. (If you made it this far, thanks for reading!) Let's go 💙❤️

I think 2024 is done (save for something pretty amazing - which I am open to, and we are certainly capable of). BUT 2025 is alive. It should not be understated how big of a loss Gus was at the start of the year, then losing Trac and a not-quite-fit (yet) Clarry has been. You don't just replace those guys, all in one hit. We have a small shopping list of people to upgrade next year. I like our interest in Houston/Cumming. Waterman maybe, and definitely need a new ruck project (someone playing already) to help Max if we're not going to play Fullarton. With Trac back, Clarry fit and firing, a couple of upgrades, the kids bulking up a bit - and a system to look after Max as his body can't hold up as it has been in younger years - PLUS a more consistent and reliable gameplay (we can't be getting blown out by 90+ or 10 goals anymore - as the percentage will cost us (likely will this year), we will 100% be contending again next year. Going forward we will need to look to replace Max, May and Viney - but for next year and maybe one more, we have them and can contend. I believe we will. But we have to recruit like hell, and convince talent that we are going to contend.

Heartbreaking. But the loss sums up 2024 perfectly. We showed glimpses, but not consistent enough. Our lapses are too frequent and too costly. Better teams are overtaking us now and we’re too slow to respond and too little too late. Can we get a Hogan type player? 🤣 Good to see Petty continue to improve. Still a sniff for finals but will be tough for the reasons above. Still hoping.

76-21 since Q1. We’re done, they’re too good and we’re just not good enough.

It’s up to us. GWS have stepped it up since Q1 and we haven’t had an answer. Their skills have been much better and have maintained intensity. We will need to be much better, for the whole quarter to win this. As has been the case all year with this team, we certainly can, but will we? Which team will turn up in the last? Let’s go boys, win this and we’re back in the 8 to launch at the final 4 games.

We were outplayed in that qtr and they had more intensity at the ball. We just have to come out firing again. They are not going to give this game to us. They are a seriously good side and need to be treated as such. Let’s come out and kick the first few hey?

The pressure for that goal was AMAZING!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Good start, just got to keep up this pressure and make sure we make the most of our i50 entries. I think we re-signed the good Petty! 🤣

It's appalling that so called fans call for such a great servant of our Club - one of our best to do it EVER - and one of the best all round in the modern era - to be dropped/traded/sold down the river because a season does not meet their/his usual lofty expectations. It's like we love repeating Norm Smith over and over. Where's the faith? It's disgraceful.

Clayton is not going anywhere. After all the unfortunate dirty laundry aired in the off-season, there is no reason for us to come out an deny unequivocally, unless it's the truth. This garbage comes from Sam 'hot garbage' McClure. It's the media drumming up the usual [censored] they do for...surprise surprise...clicks! Then Cornes gets on it (SHOCK), and it continues. If we ignore them, they will go away. I follow Clarry on Insta, and together with the bits I see/hear from him along the traps he seems genuinely healthy and happy. Some people still want to see 2021/2022 Clarry RIGHT NOW - and I get that. But for a multitude of reasons (fitness, game style, tags etc), we aren't there yet. We have to get used to it. So many willing to throw a deadset champion out because of a 'bad' season (according to THEIR standards). The fact that so many other teams want Clarry should tell you enough. Clarry is gonna get a good preseason in him. Together with his current positive mindset, hunger to improve, and the team improving, collectively, not just one guy, he is going to be a ball magnet BEAST, again, and then all those people who asked/demanded he be dropped/traded/sold down the river will be awfully quiet. Big love to Clarry who looks like he's doing well, and our FD is happy with him. I'll take that and let's get back to the team effort to play each game out, in its entirety, and make the finals for some ultimate disruption.

Yeah the inconsistency is something I struggle with. I don't mind losing, but our best and worst is worlds apart.

42-point turnaround, baby! Look, poor outcome. But those potting the boys, these are the same guys who did well against the bombers last week. But today, were too patchy, gave them far too much room and the mids didn’t do enough unfortunately and put too much pressure on the backline. That said, why did they have so many unmarked guys i50? What are the stats on marks inside 50? Would be woeful. Anyway, the last few weeks tells me that the bombers are indeed frauds, we are better than them, but nowhere near the dockers sadly. Their bunnies of late. If we scrape into the finals I would not be keen on playing them again. We need Max back and sorely miss Trac. Not that it would have changed the result as our Alice game proved. Anyway, gotta focus on beating the Giants. Need to win 4/5.

How can billings not even score? 6 goals will be hard but we can at least make this a contest. It’s also sad to see Longmuire so angry, he expected a total annihalation today.

Melksham good and pleasing to see a goal from Petty. Wild dreaming I know but if we can snatch one more, 39 points is doable? At least for a contest

Truly embarrassing. Same thing, every time. Have we caught on? Nope.

We are 6 (now 7) goals down MAN UP FFS

How aren’t we manning up!!!!????????

King wants to see a 15-20 goal win for the dockers. That’s what he thinks of us.

How disappointing. Kolt should have made a better go at that, how aren’t we communicating with each other?? Then it goes the other end to an unmarked Walter’s, again. For a goal. Instead of being maybe 3 goals down, we’re back to 5 mainly because they’re not kicking straight. Maybe I’m delusional but we can come out and be aggressive. Mids need to work very hard. May being our top ball getter tells the story. let’s just come out and fight, throw everything at these guys we have nothing to lose.

0.2 in a qtr is not good enough. The truth is freo would be buoyed by the way they trashed us not even 2 months ago, so we’ll need a fairly dramatic turn in skills and mindset to make this a game.

I think so, too. I think their next two are losable - Crows then Saints. Would put a dent in their position if those around them keep winning, which might make them wobble. They ain't a top 4 side, and probably not even a top 8. Looking forward to that correction very soon.