rpfc

42 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

Fascinating. I need to watch more closely. I felt he'd really struggled this year.

I heard that Culley and Langford are out on the wings to get their spread more innate so they don’t just become plodders in the middle (ala Carlton mids) that can’t run and spread and find footy.

I think they both are not suited to the wing and are fighting through that uncomfortability in different ways. Culley trying to impact in contests and possibly trying to do too much, and Langford really pushing to get goalside wherever possible.

The hosting stuff will get rightly critiqued, I just thought they were going to sell the TV rights separately. Ah well.

And to the argument above - we won the flag from last in 1900!

36 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

"Contested footy" is the bottom line and essential part of every team. Not negotiable. Not sure it even warrants mentioning.

We excelled in contested footy in 2021 but started to lose our way in 2022/2023 and were relatively poor in 2024/2025 so much so that we lost most games as a result.

So, I would contend the building blocks were crumbling.

Our contested footy assets impacting this year are new players (Steele, L. Pickett for implied pressure, Mihocek) or players getting more opportunities/roles (Sparrow, Culley, Sharpe, Howes etc),

As to the question of whether we've changed the way we play, I'll let the coach answer that:

"We're game three into a new game plan and new system so for us, we're just chasing constant improvement," King said. 

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1980845/press-conference-focuses

On that note I exit this conversation!

5 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I admit I thought he was another NQR but I've been impressed this year, he has really stepped up and become more consistent in his output. Add him to the list of players who we are getting the best out of atm (Sharp, Culley et al).

It’s amazing what a gameplan committed to by the whole team does for NQR players and ‘list cloggers’ and ‘pure depth’…

The ANB role was similar to what Sharp is doing but the crucial difference is what ANB did for Petracca. Essentially, CP5 would go from a stoppage and flow forward and leave ANB to take his defensive duties on the mid that was his opponent.

From what I can see, all the Half Forwards push up the ground to make an outnumber at the stoppage or ‘around’ the stoppage/contest, especially defensive side so that when we get a turnover or when we win the ball in contest - we have to use hands in close to allow Sharp, Chandler, Latrelle, the mids/wings (whoever is not winning and sharing the footy) to get up the ground to provide a target by hand or foot.

So the ‘ethos of ANB’ is there with the hard running from defensive stoppage but it’s more of a determined counter attack set up than ANB sticking to Petracca’s opponent.

Oh and @binman - you were talking about why we had less forward handball against GC - that’s because we were setup to negate their forward handball so couldn’t do both - we opted to have extra players behind stoppage and deal with trying to use hands sideways to find the right time to kick over their HB line.

13 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

He's absolutely good enough to get a game on merit, but assuming he does and isn't a mile off the pace he needs to be kept in or even brought back in to the side through some ups and downs as most young players are - especially key forwards. That's not gifting games, it's just not overreacting to week to week output.

That’s fine. I made the same argument for Latrelle after Rd 2, but the larger point about ‘having to’ get games into speculative kids is not where we are at. We can have defined development of very good young talent in a competitive team that would only be adversely impacted if more kids are thrown in there.

Tholstrup, Turner, Sharp, Langford, Culley, Howes, Pickett, Lindsay, and Windsor is more than a third of the team. That’s is a great many young talents to bring in and give a role to thrive in.

5 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

I'd rather play a more mobile back half.

AMW Petty Howes

Taylor Turner Bowey

With Lever and Salem for support.

But as with King's philosophy, he wants players to be able to play multiple positions.

Blake could play a wing or half forward as well.

Happy birthday, Blake. 🎉

This year?

We may build to that but our backline is helped by having lever and Salem in there having the lion share on their shoulders.

The lesson from our previous ‘rebuild’ is the need to have senior players to support the development of the likely types.

4 hours ago, Gator said:

Isn't he allowed to ever do his job properly again ?

Dannyz intimated that the situation of going to this man for a moral concern is ridiculous. And it is. He is not commenting on ‘whether he should ever do his job again’ which is the chosen strawman of those defending people from ‘consequence culture’.

Tom revealed his character with those comments years ago, he was fired quite rightly and he has weaselled his way back into the industry and congrats to him.

But one can point out the ridiculous situation of this immoral grub standing in the middle of a story with a moral concern like this one.

4 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Yes, but when we’ve Mihocek’s experience and Fritsch’s nous there’s a crunch on spots.

We have to find a balance that gets Jeffo 10 or so games and Luker at least 5 if they’re both healthy.

Plenty of games to go around but some of them might require a rest or trip to Casey for Jake.

We don’t ’have to’ gift 10 games to Jefferson. If we are doing that we are nowhere as a club. If he is not good enough to force out JVR, Mihocek, Melksham, Fritsch et al - he can play out his career at Casey.

16 minutes ago, Nasher said:

Every now and then I have a thought that there will one day be a Melbourne squad that doesn’t have Max Gawn in it and it makes me legitimately emotional. I can’t and don’t want to imagine it. Wonder if this is how the fans of the 80s felt about Robbie.

A sneaky Brownlow at 34 for a ruckman is absolutely not out of the question on current trajectory. No wouldn’t that be bloody something?

I hope he plays till he is 38 but he has got to get out of his own way. Either miss every 6th game or play forward (or behind the footy) for 30 minutes a game.

I worry it will be over in a blink of an eye or a rupture of an ACL, and that’s when the grief really gets you - when it’s so sudd

1 hour ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Got the 10 coaches votes. Nice to see that Hardwick and King both gave the same votes. They see the game as good as anyone.

Umm, that is our starting midfield plus Jakey F’n Melksham.

Really good signs considering I thought we would get smashed in the middle against a midfield like GC.

Huh, there is too much AI slop on here

2 minutes ago, Greg Schneider said:

2nd oldest team of the round, is interesting

Would love to see the median - the average age is getting a prop up from Melksham, TMac, Gawn, and Mihocek.

3 minutes ago, bluey said:

Certainly receives a pass from me.

He has great instincts in defence. That cut off that led to JVRs goal was a great read. A 12 point read.

1 hour ago, Young Angus said:

Apologies as I don't have time to read it all, but stoked with that win! Is Melksham injured? What's up with his knee anything?

Also I really hope CJ isn't brought straight back into the side, surely everyone agrees we seem better without him, for now at least.

Bad cramp.

And don’t agree - I think our style suits his strengths and in the counter factual that he was playing the last two weeks we would be signing the virtues of Jiath.

Systems win flags that’s for sure. Predictability is the genesis of that axiom.

You can build In creativity into your predictable plan I think - I look Gryan Miers and the way he kicks into the 50.

But the dump game plan of the last 4 years turns our offensive phase (when we have the ball) into the contested phase immediately.

The beauty of our current game plan is that if you have total commitment you can have a level of predictability and success WITH the space for creativity.

Just be comfortable when it all goes to hell and we turn it over on the back flank and we get punished.

This can be merged with the game plan thread - can’t find it - but I wanted to talk about the engine of this ‘speed’ on the ball and why it’s different to previous years.

So I was closely watching the forwards when we didn’t have the ball or when it was in contest to see what we were trying to set up when we want to defend and the when we get it.

The SnapBack

Essentially it’s a counter attack pose but with a team licence to push up and gegenpress when it’s something that works with defences or if we have the tickets to do it, so when the team does need a ‘breather’ the forwards neutral position is corridor and across centre/centre wing and even defensive side of wing. While that is a ‘flood’ if we can keep Mihocek and/or JVR in the forward half we will. Makes any turnover have a chest to hit running into space with players to hand to.

So when we get the ball into our ‘forwards’ hands from an intercept - and this is why Sharp got a lot of footy on the wing chest facing goal - we don’t blaze away but try to maximise hands out of a contest and then kick over the ball watching defenders and run past them.

Then we just free jazz from there. If you can kick a floating chip to your cousin you do that. If you want to go across goal for Culley to ‘do something with’ you do that.

We can be opened up when we overcommit and make a mistake but that is something to just expect and put up with.

It must be so much fun to play with

If you can run…

3 hours ago, Nasher said:

Oh God, is that possible? Now that my age begins with a 4 I find I can trigger calf and hammy cramps rolling the wrong way in bed. Never had a groin cramp, or even really imagined it, but if that starts happening, I’m throwing in the towel.

Yeah, you’re in strife

Melksham looked so proppy in the last. He was either cramping in the groin (uncomfortable!) or twinged it slightly.

The beauty of Latrelle is that he, his teammates, the opposition, his folks, kozzy, you know them - haven’t the faintest idea what he is going to do with the ball when he gets it

“Corral him!”

Corral him? He just run backwards and up a flight of stairs

14 minutes ago, Chook said:

This seems incredibly unprofessional by the individuals involved. I wouldn't tar Melbourne the club with any sweeping brush, but the individuals unable to keep sensitive, private, and unverified information to themselves should really not be employed in any position anywhere where they might handle that stuff.

Pretty basic really.

And the need to over share in front of partners make one wonder what are we overcorrecting for and what behaviour did we tacitly condone with silence and ‘sweeping carpets’…

So Richardson was always on the way out in my view - the nonsense new role we were trying to get Bartel into gave that intention away.

Guerra is the longer term worry here - he doesn’t lead things that he should lead and he was doing the opposite when he was putting words in the mouths of others earlier this season “Max thinks blah”.

Not great signs

1 hour ago, Ugottobekidding said:

The club knows who leaked it

Or blew the whistle.

One man’s freedom fighter and all that…

16 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I reckon Daniel Turner may play forward this weekend. I know for a fact that he has been told by King that he will swing between back and forward this year depending on certain match ups as he rates his versatility and marking ability.

It may not even happen this weekend but dont be surprised if there are games where he ends up forward.

I think the emergence of Howes as a bonafide dependable role player makes this possible. And very handy.