rpfc

We were great this season for where I thought we would be. However, we did struggle against the best teams until the end of the year (which is a good time to be in form of course). I do think our backline needs more than Lever, our midfield needs more skill and must stick to the timeline of our young talent, and our forward line is schizophrenic to how the team plays; we don’t have small players to make the most of the chaos we create when we get it forward. Either get skilled mids and hit targets forward of center or hit the spots and surround Hogan and McDonald with a couple of Ryan/Rioli types and not ANB/Hannan types. Still excited but work to do.

I haven’t thought about list decisions because, you know, yeah...glad that’s over ? But yeah, Lewis and Jones should be in our bottom 6 players next year if we are to maintain where we are at. We have to get actual wingers and Fritsch will help but we need a Wingard type that can run lines and deliver with accuracy. Hogan and Lever help a lot and Stretch will be first 18 I think next year. Can Hunt be redeemed? All of these players push Lewis and Jones down and possibly out.

You are right on Jones. If Jack is fit over summer - he should be sole captain. The reason is what you just described; you can’t have a captain in your bottom 6 players.

He was horrible. But so was the rest of the team. He shouldn’t be a walk up start next year, but neither should Jones - who had a worse September than Jordan... We got shown up between the ears today across the board. To lay it at the feet of the easy targets is a trap we should avoid.

What a humiliating half of footy. I realise this is a failure of the new Melbourne, but what a failure it is. It’s stunning.

Pies were hot in the contest and had a better midfield.

It’s been excellent and has been a great way for fans to live through the kid in Brissie, the old lady from the coast, and Jon and his mum - as they impact the players and the club.

Which is the case with all our past FDs. Thankfully, we now have one that knows better than the (above) average Dees fans on this forum...

Devastating for him but he should hope we win because he would be a big chance to come back for a certain tall that would have no match up against the Tigers...

I would understand it - Tyson is more suited to the style of game we wish to play if Smith is to come in for a player - it would make sense to be Fritsch. I wouldn’t do it, because I think escaping the backline is more important than whatever small improvement Smith would have on playing on one of the smalls. *However, if this is to put Smith on Darling and OMac onto Vardy/Lycett then I understand it even more; it releases Hibberd a bit more.

He is playing his role. However, Tyson is definitely playing out of position; he is a very natural footy player that knows where to find the footy. He isn’t great at anything else. But the MC have to weigh up whether Smith in to that settled backline to take whoever Salem/Fritsch/Lewis was to take and freeing them up is worth more than Tyson’s prolific ball winning. I really don’t think this is thought about if we are not playing WCE. Everyone of their forwards can kick at least 3 if no work is put into them. Smith in and Fritsch up the ground is a definite and valid question...

I believe in Clayton.

Fritsch was not good in contests last week but him, Lewis and Salem are so helpful for their skills coming out of the backline. I don’t want Smith there for that reason... I get it, but I just think we need skills back there - it’s our point of difference for us. Not the greatest defenders but pretty good at hitting up targets and getting us out of there.

The chant at the end was ‘Jonesy’ not ‘Melbourne’... jus sayin... The MCC chanted Jonesy, the other parts of the ground chanted Melbourne and it ended up sounding less harmonious than it could have been...

Here lies TGR, who died the way he lived... It sounded like a combine harvester, it looked like a combine harvester, but he refused to see a combine harvester... *Apologies to Rowan Atkinson

Not to labour the point here but, honestly, how about now? He has been our best midfielder, arguably our best player, in the finals. This is the real Jack Viney. He wins you finals. He wins the ball. If win a granny in the next few years, who do you think will win the Norm Smith?

Shuey. And yes, we will win a lot of footy and put a great deal of pressure on McGovern, Hurn and Barrass... Needless to say, I'm confident. But the footy gods don't care about what the team looks like on paper; names don't win footy, effort does.

Here is my game preview - haven't done one of these for a while... This will be a different game to the Rd 22 - with Darling being injured early and Kennedy out. Defending together WCE like to isolate their talls but will dump it in if they have to. It is a luxury but does, as Jordan Lewis says, make them more "predictable" than what they were in Round 22. We will have our moments like we always do where we dominate the possession and have it in our FWD 50 for long periods, how they escape and how quickly will be crucial - having separation between their forwards will mean our talls against their talls in centre wing - how those kicks will be pressured is key; if they have time to put it advantage side we are going to have problems. When we can crowd the bomb in we also have to trust Gawn/Weed to kill it because Le Cras, Cripps, Ryan and Rioli will stay down and are smart enough to do some damage. OMac to Vardy/Lycett, Frost to Kennedy, Hibberd to Darling, Jetta to Cripps, Salem to Rioli, and Lewis to Le Cras. The McGovern-or Hannan played off his back shoulder last time to keep him looking in 360' - as soon as he can see his direct opponent, the ball and the target of the footy - he will cut off those entries forward. Move it quickly and lower your eyes and you will be a man my son... McGovern has to be made to hesitate and that will be enough because McDonald, Melksham, Hannan, and Petracca are a dynamic group of offensive players that will get help from Spargo, Vanders, and ANB when the ball hits the ground. McDonald on Barrass, Hannan on McGovern, Melksham on Hurn, Petracca on Schofield, ANB on Jetta, and resting mid on Duggan. It's the midfield, stupid This is what it comes down to really - we all know that - Gawn vs Lycett/Vardy and their group of hard running mids versus our contested bulls. However, Melbourne are +18 in CPs, +16 in UPs, +10 in tackles, +7 in Inside 50s, and +2 in clearances... That reveals who should win the midfield battle - how efficient the teams are when going forward will decide the game. Shuey, Redden, Masten, Sheed, and Yeo vs Viney, Oliver, Brayshaw, Harmes, and Jones. What a great opportunity to play in a Grand Final for these boys...

Take him over as the extra, but I don't see any changes...

Find out in 2019 ?

Someone is going to miss out on a Casey GF next week and possibly an AFL GF the following week; we will take an extra over to Perth one would think.

Yes, it would have been great to stay at one club and win. Bit this isn’t happening in a vacuum; we needed young midfield talent so Brayshaw wouldn’t be helping us into a prelim if Frawley was still around and, again, we knew he was going to get us a top 5 pick so we didn’t actively keep him. I just don’t think it is a a genuine argument to have a go at Frawley for being less loyal than Jones - we wanted to keep Jones...

He did. And he had a weekend off two weeks ago.

I believe in Melbourne.