Wodja

I’m absolutely gutted. I hate football

So sad

I’ll preface my comment by what Daicos said after the Adelaide game- words to the effect ‘the crowd support means a lot to us, it’s like having an extra man on the ground’ (not to forget the influence they can have on umpiring decisions). Home crowd advantage is BIG! In 2021 the huge crowd support we got in WA was a one off- it too is by and large unrepeatable for us back here. I know it’s only an opinion and everyone has one -I felt it had an incredible positive impact on both our finals performances over there. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Goody, the players and even marketing from MFC is trying to get our supporters to go to games and make some noise. In terms of trying to compare 2023 with 2021 - I don’t. To win a premiership you need a good team that is well coached and switched on at the pointy end of the season and luck with injuries. Luck plays a big part. So in the meantime, those of us that can, turn up to our games and be loud- it can only help our boys….GO DEES!

I just listened to the Geelong game podcast and there was discussion about whether we were finished or near finished ‘loading’. (The drift of the discussion was that we have had increased training loads in the past few week’s leading into the bye period) Certainly not trying to ignite debate regarding merits or otherwise but I am simply curious as to whether people like yourself who attend training sessions regularly can / did pick up on increased training loads over the last few weeks. I would have thought (guessed) that one would expect to see significant increases in effort or whatever it is that takes place on the training track when ‘loading’ is happening. Or is it more nuanced and hard to identify? Or do players do other sessions somewhere else?

We were competitive and in the game for three quarters and obviously dropped off big time in the last. It was shocking weather and it was against a very good side at their home ground. Not a good outcome but it is not the end of the world. Looking forward to how we respond next week.

One upside to Thursday night footy. No Taylor commentating

Prior to the Dangerfield injury Geelong were favourites (and the presumption that Oliver would be okay to play for us). We became the slight favourites. Just guessing, perhaps it’s swung back to Geelong when it became known that Oliver was not playing. All in all the odds seem pretty tight or even or whatever the correct terminology is. GO DEES!

….and Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon etc, etc…. but I know….one team at a time GO DEES

Contenders may get it done, serious contenders do get it it done. Like to think we are serious about this one.

….and they will be washed out to the sea and lost forever (we can hope and dream)

Well I think ‘gliders’ is a far more environmentally appropriate name than ‘bombers’

The ‘preparation’ from what I recall was there was covid and no crowds - negated the home crowd advantage

Sounds like Groundhog Day

Don’t reckon Danger will a concern this time round. Such is.

I had the pleasure of being at the OS game where Max got 5 or 6 goals (too lazy to fact check). Not sure if it could be picked up in the televised game, but mid way through the game the crowd started chanting ‘Gawny’. It was a real party atmosphere. Loved it.

Credit also to the size of the crowd that turned up taking into consideration the weather

If you do Uluru definitely go on to do Kings Canyon. All 2wd. Google it. Closer to Alice is the Alice Springs Desert Park. I thought it would be too touristy… I was wrong, it was very good. Have fun

The likes of Collingwood not being happy? Beginning to sound like a good idea to me.

I rank Port higher than Collingwood as a contender.

That is interesting. After Geelong won by a record 119 points in the GF against Port the first game of the following year was a GF rematch over in Adelaide. I recall a Geelong spectator walking into the ground wearing a Geelong guernsey with 119 on his back. I always wondered if he lived to see another day.

Losing margin against Geelong in a GF (by Port)

In 2021 it may sound strange, but I feel our team had a fairy tale run of sorts. It appeared that they were not fazed by not having crowds attending games for a lot of the home and away games that season (due to Covid lockdowns etc). This did not seem to phase them. They were galvanised and on a mission. Got the minor premiership, can’t ask for much more. Come finals time, particularly those held in Perth, they got the best rent a crowd support you could hope for. A significant majority of the football loving state adopted Melbourne as their team in the finals. The crowds were electric and loud! Make no mistake, that really lifted our boys untold. They certainly got the job done and did it with style. I was so proud. 2022 was such a struggle year on so many levels. Premiership hangover, the draw, being the hunted, injuries etc. In the scheme of things we did well but it wasn’t a great year if that makes sense. In my opinion although our crowd numbers were reasonable, for the most part lacked real passion. Lesser opposition crowds at times were louder than us! That’s how I saw it. This year we seem to be disregarded as serious contenders by media, opposition fans. I get it, we lost a few close games and didn’t have too many big scalps. Such is. That was until the Collingwood game. The boys lifted and our crowd got behind our lads (eg. cheering matching the boos Grundy received - I was so proud). Not only did our players step up, so did our supporters. I know it was a big crowd but it was different. Although we were outnumbered, our supporters stood up and showed real passion. I have no doubt our players would have noted this also. I am optimistically thinking this is a turning point of sorts for the rest of the season and hopefully for many years to come. I like it how the media are critical of us. I actually love feeling the hate other supporters from some clubs seem to have for us. The doggies, Hawthorn, Collingwood and Geelong supporters come to mind. I hope there are others. Most people only seem to think that Collingwood, Brisbane and Port are the only serious contenders. We are disregarded by a lot of people. Again, I love this. I hope the crowd reaction for the Collingwood game was not a one off. I want our mob to galvanise, I want us to feel as if it is us versus the world. I want our passionate supporters to turn up and back in our boys for the rest of the season. Goody at his press conference pretty much said words to this effect. It is the least we can do to help our boys. I am looking forward to see the ‘disregarded’ demons become the team that everyone fears. Same for our supporters. Rather than being ridiculed, I want people to be amazed at our size and more importantly our passion. For over half a century we by and large were on struggle street. It is time for us to morph into being a football powerhouse, players, support staff and supporter base. I want us to be feared, hated and respected all at the same time. Life is too short. I hope we smash Geelong next game, although a close win will do. GO DEES!

On the way home on the train I could really feel the hate from one Collingwood supporter. I loved it!

Week keeps getting better and better. I’m beginning to feel like I was in mid season 2021….. something that I unfortunately didn’t achieve in 2022 (even after winning 10 in a row). GO DEES!

I like your thinking but……Sort of wanting Geelong to beat Port and then for us to beat Geelong. My logic is I want us to secure second spot on the ladder (from Port) by the end of the home and away season.