Deefensive Language

Baker! Give him a contract next year...he's learning well from Langdon's example

Is there something negative about the culture in Freo that's turning some guys off? - Cam McCarthy seems to have a bit of bad blood - Sam Collins was barely used despite promising form and now killing it on the GC - Matt De Boer was mismanaged, delisted but remade at GWS - Rumour has it Crozier was keen for the Bulldogs trade

Loved the moment when he sprinted back to the goal line to contest a ball and cannonned into the point post. Great closing speed. Can he and Rivers play in the same team? I know they have different attributes, but in terms of experience level for the lead in to potential finals.

Agreed. I'd like to see Harmes and Salem rotate between wing and half forward with stints on the ball. Time to get some minutes into Rivers to see if he can free those two up with drive out of the backline. It was also Hibbo's 150th and his highlights reel was a sight to behold. Does he still have it in him to play a more attacking role with less direct responsibility for an opponent? It seems to me that he's being forced deeper and deeper.

With his recent 100 game celebration I just had at a look at his highlight reel. What strikes me is his attacking run and impact forward of centre. Where does he really sit right now? Where is his best position?

I thought Lever was good individually also, as was May on Dixon. But our system seems to depend on individual efforts rather than group cohesion. As in, when one of our talls goes up, how are the others positioning themselves to best put direct pressure on opposition forwards?

Our back six - Lever, May, OMac, Hibbo, Lockhart, Harmes had 4 tackles between them. Don't understand how that's possible from a backline in a professional highly paid sport?

Are they going to blame the 4 day break? This was line in the sand stuff

Kick after the siren touched. Pathetic. That's like a airball in a ball free throw

Yep..no idea

Jones says he feels like he can offer something to that "not many others at the club can at the moment" Fascinating... Is this an example of an old head questioning the heart of the young brigade?

Goodwin: "we need to come up with a strategy" So reactive...

I can hear an emergency siren in the background... Is it the firefighters to come and help us get out of the tree? Or an ambulance to have Goodwin committed?

If not for shorter quarters this would be a 100 point loss

If not for shorter quarters this would be a 100 point loss

BT said Port aren't even playing their best...and he's right!

When I watch Melbourne play a quarter like this I can't help but think about when Pacific Island nations like Vanuatu play Australia in World Cup qualifiers and get smashed 15-0 like a training drill. Even when the Bulldogs get smashed like last night they still play what seems like relatively normal football. Melbourne is just completely irrelevant on nights like tonight

22 kicks so far...12 of them are turnover kicks! Professional sporting team or bunch of hacks?

All we can ask for is growth and a positive response to the week's criticism. And that's what we got...so proud of the boys. We played like a bottom 8 side (rather than a bottom 4 side) but given how far we had fallen you can't expect a flawless performance. Attack on the ball carrier was up, as was the composure with the ball (particularly Viney, Oliver, Langdon), and even some more proactive coaching (Harmes in the middle, Melksham moved around, May sent forward, Max pushed forward). Still a concern that the Suns backs took so many intercept marks, but this will be a focus for the whole season. Looking forward to the Hawks game.

My thoughts exactly. In 2020 the entire AFL is being questioned for its relevancy because the world has turned on its head. In a less relevant environment, tolerating MFC issues is becoming a real chore. Bartlett spoke last week of the club's plan to fundraise a million or so around Christmas...this just reeks of being oblivious to the current situation. Why donate to a lost cause or one that brings no joy?

https://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/94395/tomlinson-a-rising-star "Nick Riewoldt's been the player I've looked up to over the past few years, so I've been trying to replicate what he does on the footy field," Tomlinson told AFL.com.au Boy, either priorities have drastically changed in 7 years or he's lost touch with his footballing identity. Riewoldt was one of the most body-on-the-line courageous big guys the game has seen.

Both Derm and King agreed that no-one tags Oliver because "he doesn't hurt you." But as a 2 time B&F winner and All-Australian at 22, he has time to turn things around like Lachie Neale has.

Melbourne needs "shock therapy" according to Derm. He said many of our players go out there "happy to be AFL footballers". He questions whether we're willing to put in the hard work to get things done. I think he's talking about Melksham, Tomlinson etc. Far too many (and very noticeable to non-supporters)

Moving to the Sydney hub is an opportunity to shake things up. If we can't change the shoddy game plan, poor coaching and ineffective kicking, we can at least move around the magnets and keep the opposition thinking. In: Jones, Weidemann, Bennell, Brown, Jetta, Sparrow Out: Oliver, Melksham, Hunt, Rivers, Smith, Vandenberg B: Hibberd, May, Lever HB: Salem, T Mcdonald, Lockhart ? Langdon, Petracca, Brayshaw HF: Jones, Weidemann, Bennell FF: Hannan, Brown, Fritsch R: Gawn, Harmes, Viney IC: Jetta, Sparrow, Pickett, Tomlinson Oliver needs to be dropped. He can come back from this, but needs to be given a clear message and focus points to work mentally (hold the ball for longer to make a decision) before reclaiming his place. Send Harmes back into the middle and keep him there. He played some fantastic games in the guts last year when everything was turning to [censored]. Also, Sparrow's opportunity is now...he must surely be starting to get [censored] off at the lack of opportunities. He runs and tackles - let's see how far he can go. Melksham's tackling numbers have been plummeting year by year. Against Richmond he was our experienced on the ground by games played. Not good enough. Also, when he does come back with an improved attitude, I'd consider giving him a run up the ground to reacquaint himself with the intensity he needs at the level. He's played plenty of minutes HB and on-ball in the past. Hunt, Smith and VDB are giving us nothing. For Vanders I'm on the fence as to whether the game has passed him by or he has not had the continuity to develop solid match fitness. I like Rivers but I don't think the team can carry both him and Lockhart at the moment. He'll benefit from a much more settled structure. Lockhart's preseason and Round 1 was strong and he deserves another chance (plus his kicking efficiency is over 80%). Like Oliver he needs some solid mentorship over the next few weeks to remember his role, to play to his strengths, and ensure he applies pressure to the forwards (tackle numbers low). Time to bite the bullet and send TMac back. It's easy to forget how solid he was down there before the decision to swing him forward. Even then, he played 2017 as a swingman effectively. Watching him lumber around the forward line these last few weeks is bringing back memories of the sad failures of guys like Clark, Dawes, Fitzpatrick. Surely the experience of him and May combined will lead to some structure down there and free up Lever to show what he is capable of. If Lever still can't get his eye in and put himself in the right spots after that, then we have problems. Jetta and Jones still have some good football to play. Jetta can defend and will put his body on the line, and Jones was still hitting targets in the F50 before getting dropped. Even if Jones only plays 65% of game time, his presence and experience is important to prevent complete capitulation. It's manic and crazy enough as it is at the moment. Given the shambles we're dealing with now, it can't hurt to try Brown and Weid in the same forward line. Some people seem to think Brown is past it but I don't think that's fair. He positions well and makes plenty of contests. He also kicked 18 of his 21 goals in Essendon wins last year, (usually multiples) and given they just scraped into the finals that's a decent impact considering he was a fill in for Daniher. I feel he'd be a better match for Weidemann than TMac (the two of them get in each others' way). At least Brown is more accustomed to the role of second-tier forward. Bennell played an OK first game and after all of the hoohaa about his comeback, the decision to drop him was a low blow. Let's back him to add some polish in the forward line with Pickett, who will benefit from more tall targets in the area. He needs a few games to settle in to AFL level.

Who remembers Paul Prymke? Gun CHB who won best first year player in 94 then did his back before reaching 50 games. Could have been a famous name...