Red But Mostly Blue

If we can't cover the loss of 2 (admittedly very important) players, we have no business being in the top 4, let alone winning the flag. We simply have to get this done to ensure a confident run to the finals. It's clear the current landscape will mean that there will likely be late outs for teams, so we may as well get used to it and dig in. This is another good opportunity for the Weid (yes, he's into triple digits now) - if he plays - to repay the faith. Maybe in 10 years' time we'll look back at the day Kozzie ripped up the midfield, Weid kicked 5 and Dunstan cleaned up some of his disposals to lead us through a tricky game up north. We can, and should, win this.

The day after a loss is yuck. I much prefer the high of a Thursday win!! Anyway, with some reflection I'm not TOO upset about last night's loss, even though we were very ordinary. We lost to the now #1 team. While we had a blinder against the Lions, we've been shaky for a long time. Probably even the whole year. So we're been wobbling, then we come up against a white hot team who get to play at home, after an emphatic win against witches hats. And they play a blinder (lucky they didn't kick straight otherwise the scoreline would have been more honest), their Grand Final. Which is fine. Nobody is getting the flag this week. What to do? Well, there needs to be an honest assessment of what's going on. We've got Port next week. A perfect game to go back to executing basics. We were fumbly all night last night. Remove some of the fancy Hollywood stuff. Look for teammates in good positions, and execute the pass. LOWER the eyes going into the 50. Can somebody please put together a montage of all our greatest hits going forward this year? It would comprise about a billion bombs into our 50, mostly for nothing. Rubbish. We need to STOP doing that. Stafford - please fix, earn those $$$ We really need some of the guys who have had quieter years to remember the message sent by Gawn this year that we are hungry for a dynasty. If they want a dynasty, they will have to earn it. Spargo has been quiet, as has ANB (at times). Bowzer looks to be rattled by losses. Salem has not been himself since the injury - geez we need him back, he's critical back there. May had a stinker last night, but that won't happen again. Ben Brown needs to lift. We really need TMac or a TMac sort up there. I love that Fritta is goal thirsty, and when he is kicking bags, nobody complains, but I agree that he's burnt a few teammates recently and it's not a good look, it goes against the selflessness that won us a flag and he needs to return to 2021 vision. We're second, with a tough draw ahead, but we won't win the flag if we can't get through those sides anyway. We should beat Port, Doggies, Pies and the Blues. If we drop Freo and the Lions at their home ground, so be it. But they should at least be close, respectable losses that don't lose us any form, and hopefully they give us a final look into those teams for the finals, as they're likely to be in the top 4 mix. We're 6 weeks out from the finals, this is when we need to hit our straps, and honestly I think it's a pretty good timeline. The Cats have peaked too early IMO. We'll roll them in the finals (again), if we meet. But we need to hit our straps. Everyone needs to rewatch the GF, some 2021 highlights, revisit their vision for the club, whatever they have to do to recapture some magic. We can win this, but it's got to start now, it can't be expected to magically fall into place in the finals without some lead-in form. TL;DR - not panicking. Incredibly talented group. We just need to focus on the basics, be smarter i50 and work our a**es off. Go Dees.

Premierships aren't won in July... ... but we really need to sort some things out quickly, against good opposition, if we're going to be good enough to win when it counts. Imagination/connection going forward, basic skills, and some of last year's heroes really need to get back into the game. Spargo, Salem, ANB, all down on form, we need them firing. We needed less Hollywood stuff tonight. I hate losing to the cats.

I don't mind that we lost, but we ended so poorly. Terrible skills all day, sloppy, no imagination going forward, lost contests and if I had a buck for every time we kicked it straight to them I might have made back the dollarydoos I lost on a few multis. Tuohy killed me.

Could we possibly steal this!

Very poor.

The comforting thing is that even though we've been sloppy, we're right in this, If we start hitting targets (we've been wayyy off, it's almost like there's a jumper clash!), we'll win this. They're playing at about their best, despite a couple of misses. If we come out breathing fire and nailing passes, we win.

Still holding onto it...

That's being generous! I thought it was about 40cm. What a joke.

Is there a jumper clash tonight? How many of our kicks have been way off? What the hell is going on tonight?

What the hell happened to our passing? We're getting in good positions and just kicking it straight to them!?

Harmes has been fantastic!

Cracking goal by Brown! The sort of goal that kick-starts form. Could be in for a big night, it'll certainly be handy for him to slot a few!

Ugh, hate Hawkins, too easy a grab and poor work from Bedford.

BRILLIANT! Somebody has found their goalkicking mojo! 🔥

Haha just saw @Sydeepost on this - excellent stuff (although really frustrating/maddening). Thank you :-) Mind you, the terror there is that for much of our darkest days, we were lumped playing one of the most in form teams of the 2000s at their home ground. Almost like it was an intentional kick in the guts.

Yep, agree. Pies and Bombers played there last when??

I am hoping, and thinking, we'll run over them in the second half (need a change in how we drive the ball forward), but that depends on how much gas the umps have in the tanks. Truly atrocious today.

Welcome back, Dees 🔥 More than anything, tonight was a return of our spirit, hunger and intensity. And all without Maxy. Which is a great thing to take away. We can maul the ladder leaders without the best ruckman in the comp. Our captain. This is exactly the response we needed after the break. A reminder to everyone else that we're the premiers, as well as a reminder to ourselves. Massive team effort, but Viney - 3000 votes. Go Dees ❤️

Oh Bedford, very, very classy. We need that sort of bravado up forward. Love it.

Best play of the day for me. Viney's tackle was IMMENSE. Great vision going forward, direct handballs with intent. Selfless attitude.

We're hunting again. Makes a BIG difference.

Phew - Viney! Another great trip to goal, where has this been?!!?

FINALLY! Been peppering those goals for what has felt like forever.

Noooooooo (Bedford has been great)