Dame Gaga

Today there are suggestions the AFL is dealing in double standards to star players, and these players are receiving preferential treatment from the MRO and the tribunal. Ha ha ha ha ha. Thank you Paul Johnson and Andrew McMurtry of news.com.au for your insight. What gave you that idea? The school of stating the bleeding obvious also thanks you.

This is appalling. I suspected they were drunkards and to see a Melbourne supporter screaming at fellow supporters was a disgrace. The attitude of the police officer I spoke to was disappointing. He couldn't be bothered with my question. He only wanted to stand next to the gate at the fence to stop people going on to the ground too early for the kick to kick. Priorities? The checking of people's memberships this year has been terrible. We have had all manner of people waltzing into our members only area wearing opposition gear and even sometimes carrying beers, with no one stopping them. I don't know why the standards have slipped this year so much.

I was there on level 1 underneath these big mouths in their early twenties. Two Giants fans, one Tiger fan and a female fan in Melbourne gear (?!). Didn't stop mouthing off, targeting us members below. Couldn't concentrate on the game, could only hear one bloke's loud voice talking sh#t like a broken record. Some young children around us were getting upset and supporters nearby were giving it back to the idiots, but I knew that would only encourage them. Three police officers finally removed them two at a time to loud cheers. However ten minutes later they were back and started again. When I went upstairs to the ladies I saw two police officers coming down the stairs (they were only coming down to protect the ground from people running onto it as it turned out) and I spoke to the male officer asking him why the troublemakers were back upstairs. His reply was yes they are allowed to. What kind of answer was this? I just shook my head and walked on. They wonder why there is trouble late in the game and after the game. Because they do not practice prevention. Tempers could have got out of hand if these fools had decided to come down and if they had been drinking. But no, protecting the ground from anyone deciding to jump the fence too early before it was time to do kick to kick on the 'G was more important I guess. What is the point in reporting unsociable behaviour if nothing is done about it. Honestly, going to the football is becoming less enjoyable and I feel sorry for the kids. It wasn't fun for them being mocked just for following their team.

Max - Gut Busting Game Marty - Big Hearted Effort

What I sat through today (to the bitter end, I might add) was at times a farce. GWS need not get too cocky, they were playing against what was virtually a VFL side. Poor Max worked his guts out and looked exhausted. I truly worry he will break down. Marty Hore tried his hardest. If it wasn't for his efforts the Giants would have kicked many more goals. It must have been frustrating for him to see the ball come back down again so quickly. Then he was running all over the backline trying to cover for everybody like a lone hand in defence. Kudos to him. The rest? It was a side decimated by injuries and totally lacking confidence in themselves and each other. Someone once said to me years ago that a good big man is always better than a good small man. In this case, a good ordinary (with apologies to Jack Dyer) big man is better than a good ordinary small man. Play Preuss to help Max or leave him in the goal square to wave his arms around. Ray Chamberlain- pack your ego away and seriously consider retiring. Your idea of making a decision is to give it to me to ball it up or play on, doesn't matter what irregularities have transpired on the field.

Christian will say Miles was staging and practically call him a sook.

"It's a Grand Old" Flag sounds good in any language, but this is will be special. The Wiz is a favourite in our household. Tears were shed and jumpers sadly packed away when he left the club.

Stress can manifest in adverse physical symptoms. I do not doubt he is under stress and pressure, especially with the lengthy injury list he has to cope with every week. Sometimes when you are focused on looking after everybody, you forget to look after yourself. Take care of yourself, Goody, we don't want our coach to be breaking down. It's a tough job.

Imagine you are an umpire, going down to your local cafe or shopping centre, and being confronted by an irate West Coast or Freo supporter and copping a mouthful of abuse in your day to day life the same as you hear from the stands at the football grounds. Of course they are afraid to give decisions against the home teams, beside the fact they are open supporters of one of these teams themselves, and everyone in town knows it. This is why the AFL should seriously have impartial, non home town umpires to officiate these games. This is the LEAST they can do to fixing the perceived problem which so irks fans. It is such a simple solution and yet they do not do it. WHY? I am baffled.

I saw this before the game. Very emotional. I love a boy who loves his Mum. My best wishes to Oskar and his family.

Ivan who? Laugh?... I couldn't start.

Thank you for your insight and your insult. You know I haven't played the game because I have chosen to identify myself as a female , unlike your profile. I have been a member of Melbourne for over 40 years, following my team, and of course females were not allowed to play football when I was young. This may come as a surprise to people living in today's times. My whole point of my post was highlighting Mumford's total disinterest in playing the game and beating anyone on the scoreboard. He doesn't care about winning a game for his team. He is only interested in running through someone, anyone, to hurt them. He said so himself. Many posters on this forum have called for Preuss to be in the side and yet you pick on only certain ones to target to call them clowns and tell them they are talking drivel. Grow up. I am blocking you. So say your worst. You will be ignored by me. And spell Preuss correctly in future.

I too ignored the other games and was surprised to see the number of incidents which were looked at by the MRO. Fines and suspensions were handed out to a number of players (but not to Mumford, who should have had the book thrown at him simply for his prior history). I got the feeling players also are feeling frustrated on the field by umpiring decisions, demonstrated by the angst displayed by some of them. (Thomas being hauled to the tribunal for insulting an umpire, for example). I saw a lot of grumpiness on display. Too many rules for the umpires to adjudicate properly, making everyone unhappy. Should go back to the basics and stop fiddling with the rules every year and making the umpires' jobs harder. Football is becoming unenjoyable.

Shane Mumford is not interested in keeping up with anyone. He is not even interested in going for the ball, as shown by his hit on Murphy. This is a direct quote from Mumford after he was asked about his big hit on Mitch Duncan, the Geelong player, when he was a Swan. "I got Kieren Jack with a ripper years ago when I was playing with Geelong, back in the days when you could run through people and not worry about getting suspended. He didn't see me coming and I left him on the ground coughing and wheezing, and that was probably a better one." So, he has a rating system for his assaults on the football field? Only as recently as August 2017 he received a one match ban for a high hit on Max Gawn. He doesn't care if he "struggles" to keep up with Max. He just enjoys running through people and never mind about "back in the days". He is still doing it and getting away with it. It is a disgrace he was not suspended for his hit on Murphy. He had no intention of going for the ball. He only had eyes for the player and what damage he could do. That is the way he thinks. We don't need this b@$tard to take out Max and we are left without a ruckman. That is why Preuss is needed to back him up. Am I talking drivel? The drivel seems to be coming from one direction. Your posts need to be more sociable and less derogatory.

I missed Simpson's comment on the incident completely. Of course this makes it worse! How dare he justify what Vardy did with some made up tale of what Max had been doing all night. No wonder Max wanted to point it out in his article. He is not the type of person to even do such things. In fact he is probably too nice. To do what Vardy did to Max when he was spitting out blood lying on the ground after being kicked in the face is a despicable act. I won't even call it a dog act, because that is an insult to dogs, who are gentle, loyal souls who don't deserve to be denigrated. West Coast are arrogant, smug a*#**#*#s.

Well, it is Sunday night and I am still seething about this loss. Against all the odds, it was a game Melbourne should have won. Injuries are crippling this team, and suffered more in the game. The cupboard is getting bare. Frustrating for everyone. I read Gawn's article in the Herald Sun. He wanted to point out the fact he said nothing to Vardy the whole game until the incident when Vardy thought he would be brave and have a go at Gawn when he was lying on the ground and bleeding from the mouth after getting kicked in the face. Some people must have been inferring Gawn had been mouthing off at Vardy during the game, and that is why Vardy did what he did. No, Vardy is an arrogant sook who was beaten on the night by a better player and didn't like it. A##*hole.

Shane Mumford's answer to a question about his big hit on Cats midfielder Mitch Duncan in 2016 after he retired from the Swans. "I got Kieren Jack with a ripper years ago when I was playing with Geelong, back in the days when you could run through people and not worry about getting suspended. He didn't see me coming and I left him on the ground coughing and wheezing, and that was probably a better one." This is his thought process and I don't think he has changed at all. He should have stayed retired. He is a blight on the game.

Fremantle supporters have a petition online requesting the AFL to remove Margetts and Dalgleish from all future Derby games because they are both self proclaimed West Coast supporters. Quote from a West Coast fan in the West Australian newspaper 2018- "Dean Margetts- he's always been pro-Eagles so we've done well." This article was about the intense rivalry between Freo and Eagles in the Derby. Everyone knows he is a West Coast supporter. Except the AFL it seems. AND YOU. Are you sure you don't follow West Coast Eagles? Posting misinformation to back up your views. Jetta should have got more than a week. That is my view. Disgraceful umpiring. A young man was concussed. I am supporting my club through bad times and good times. I will not kick them when they are down. I am SICK of all this criticism on this forum of my team which I have supported for over forty years.

Max was surrounded by young players and a first year player in Marty Hore, who went in to help him. Where were the senior and more experienced players? Hopefully this state of affairs will change as these young players grow into their roles and gain more experience. Plus the team is missing players because of injury. Considering this the team put up a better show than expected. Only the kicking for goals and the dismal umpiring lost the game.

Vardy looks like he would be very comfortable in a Nazi uniform. Makes my skin crawl.

If you are referring to my post, no it was despicable. The umpire's ineptitude in this passage of play caused Smith to hesitate and be tackled illegally and was concussed. The umpires often confuse the fans watching the games with their doubtful decisions. What must it be like for the players on the field? How often have I seen confused looks on their faces when the umpire blows his whistle and they find out the reason for him doing so. This year has been the worst display of umpiring I have ever seen, and that's saying something, because I have been following Melbourne for a long time.

THIS is the problem. When the umpire blows the whistle the players often don't know what the decision is going to be. They are so inconsistent with their decisions, it could go either way, and for what? Is it a free kick or play on? Also with the feral crowd in full voice booing everything I'm sure the players can't hear what is being said down there. The umpires are too slow sometimes to let the players know the reason for the whistle being blown.

What makes me so mad is that Melbourne lost this game, the arrogant whinging, thug Eagles didn't win it.

Wanted to see big man Preuss in the square.

Throwing this game away.