rpfc

Now that we are out of that fantasyland some of you were living in - we can be beaten - we are a good team that can be great but we can’t replace our best players and when they are down or missing our role players need to be exceptional. Our fortunes rise and fall on the following being fit and in form; May, Lever, Salem, Oliver, Petracca, Gawn, Langdon, and Fritsch. When more than half are injured, missing or out of form - we are a massive chance to get beaten.

So the ignore feature doesn’t extend to threads… Huh.

85 good games and will never forget that arrogant left footer from 55 that buried the Hawks in 2018. We all know Hawks supporters (and Melbourne supporters) who thought we were going to be overrun. Melksham stopped that dead and in turn the Hawks for 5 years now.

Do Better.

Some think I am bagging him - I feel for him - our lofty expectations are nowhere near where he needs to aim. Chase Tom Hawkins? What? No. You just compete and get to the right spots and make good decisions - let the more talented finish and be a part of the team. I still go back his disappointment after the Dogs game at Marvel last year, we won, he competed, he did well but he trudged off the ground because he flubbed a few marks and didn’t get his three goals. It’s not about that anymore, mate. Stop looking for actualisation in ‘kicking your three goals’ find it in being a part of a team that wins and wins well and you do your bit. EVERYONE will be happier for it.

He may have been bagged but he did more than Sam. And you wish they had similar trajectories; Tom kicked 62 goals in his 6th year, which would be Sam’s 2021. https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/T/Tom_Hawkins1.html

That may be, that’s yet to be seen, and no he doesn’t - that’s one of his problems. He ball watches, is constantly in the wrong spots, and needs to provide a contest as baseline. Good luck to him.

It’s both. That’s why we are so good.

I… don’t want this.

I watch it. Often. But we have a salary cap to deal with and 10 players I would keep before Angus. And I think he is a great player.

So he’s OOC, in the top 5 players, but not getting a banner contract? Then it will be difficult to keep him.

Which one of Gawn, Oliver, Petracca, May, or Lever is out?

I love Gus and he was amazing in the GF but he is not in our top 5 most important players. I think this is the key issue - he is on coin reserved for the top 8-10 players and he is struggling to stay in that group. Firstly with being a defensive forward and now a HBF - sorry to all those who play those roles but they are two of the easiest roles to execute, and secondly, we have to pay 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 35, and keep them in the cap and all these players are stars or play more important positions. You don’t have to like it, but it does explain why this is so protracted - he is not getting a banner contract at the Dees.

Again, GC is growing the game. These markets take decades to bear fruit but kids are playing in record numbers up there.

TMac’s perspective is brilliant. He likes seeing his friends smile.

Ah yes, I remember soooo many fans saying this about our perils in 2013…

He can’t kick over a jam tin, but while the jam tin lid is untouched - he can kick anywhere on the side of the tin that faces him… Very accurate.

Don’t post with your mouth full.

You are obviously this ubiquitous troll that has hung around Land/Ology for years and your true colours were shown in your absence after we reached Everest. You’re not worth any more internet from me, and I hope others join me in putting you on ignore. What a waste of a life, spent trying to get a rise out of people.

Melbourne supporters have no idea how to support a good team. Almost like it’s a video game or a game played by androids. And if that sounds condescending… It is.

I go the opposite direction - I know that Dunstan’s best can get near replacing a core mids output in a final. The kids won’t. We are really young already for a team as good as us. Sparrow, Jordan, Rivers, Bowie, Pickett, even Spargo - that’s a great suite of youngsters we are blooding to replace our senior players. We are fine to have older depth.

What is denial but the refusal to accept objective facts; who won the flag last year after losing to 17th, 15th and drawing with 14th? That’s a rhetorical question. We will see what the next two weeks bring and what that means for this year but maybe you’re the one who needs to give themselves up to the truth; we are the standard in the league and even our form will fluctuate like any team’s does, but we are still the standard.

That’s part of it - also memberships are not equatable anymore - some packages are 2 for 1 or for $50. We even had a 6 games for $66 membership a few weeks ago. They’re meaningless numbers now. I have heard we are in a good spot financially from our 60k members…

Some of you just don’t know how long a footy season is to play. The fact that we won so convincingly when they obviously steeled themselves for this, is testament to the great group we have. Also, we are in better form than last year. That doesn’t mean anything for the end of the year but we are in another great spot.

If the Dogs already got that time slot with a ‘non-floating’ fixture; is that a failure of the ‘non-floating’ fixture? They will be right in it IMO. The real mistake was floating Essendon into prime time when they should not have been. I think the 2 months is plenty of time to plan and, if properly applied, the floating fixture can avoid terrible games given prime time slots.