Young Angus

These commentators are just ex players, they aren't experts, they're mostly just mugs with a microphone. I do understand why heaps of people seem to be giving it to Melbourne more than other teams though. On paper we looked like we should have been in pole position all year to win the whole thing again, but we continued to squander opportunities and butcher situations in games that a team with so many elite players like Melbourne shouldn't have been butchering. It didn't make sense, and I don't think it's just Melbourne fans that are angry at Melbourne for letting this happen. Injuries aside, our kicking was shocking and we still could have won way more games if something so fundamental was being done better. People are angry with Melbourne, lots of people, what they did this year looks wasteful and I'm sure to some it even looks like their attitude in general is quite poor considering they are well and truly in the premiership window and it still looks like they just aren't working hard enough at being the absolute best they can be while in this window. I'm sure most footballers would kill to be in a team like Melbourne right now, and if they see them appearing to not work hard enough and squander an opportunity like this I'm sure that would make them pretty mad because they know how hard they'd work if they were in that situation. Think 2021 Melbourne...they were hungry, there was a drought to break...something has happened since then that isn't good and we all know it. We need to get it back because it's still there somewhere. One game of bad kicking and poor decisions and discipline is one thing...but it wasn't just one game was it. Most of the pundits are just mugs and are basically just a couple of blokes talking in a pub, apart from Gary Lyon maybe, and not just because he's ex Melbourne but he is very measured and you can tell he's a clever considered professional. Melbourne deserve way more heat than any other team right now, because they should be way better than most too but have managed to squander it. We know it, the mugs with the mics know it, and the Melbourne players know it too. It's just kind of sad because we all know they should have won both those finals and so many more games this year. I firmly believe 2024 will be a better year, but it seems like there's something at the club we're all missing, maybe even a work ethic or culture issue that crept in after the premiership win, who knows, but something isn't quite adding up as to why we aren't consistently kicking more a$$.

Surely this is number one, two and three on the agenda for training...it's really the only reason we didn't win so many games...fix this and we're golden!

Totally agree, baffling we let him go. GO GIANTS!!! Hell yes on their bandwagon, few ex dees players I'd love it if we still had plus they're playing great entertaining clean fast footy, the type I wish Melbourne were playing more of this year...plus they can kick straight!

Completely agree, I've winged a bit but really we've done pretty well considering how much adversity we've had to overcome this year. We did squander the chances with poor kicking though, that aside we were in a position to win both finals games. Practice kicking over the break, and the young players with more experience will be better for it after 2023 and I firmly believe 2024 will look much better than 2022 and 2023. We are in a good position for next year.

No forwards leading out, just look at Hogan with the Giants, would love to still have him playing the way he's playing now. Got to lead, and most importantly need to kick more accurately, can't win games without kicking goals.

Salem is great, silly people. Practice the goalkicking FFS we kicked 17 points, would have won by multiple goals if we'd kicked a quarter of those properly! Oh and don't give away dumb frees, discipline please, DISCIPLINE!!! That goes for all the young kids, especially JVR and Kozzie. You are part of a team, don't forget that please.

Kozzie needs to grow the F up, he's great but he's immature and could be 10 times better if he was mentored right and just stopped trying to be a rock star every time he gets the ball. I get letting him just do "his thing" but seriously, grow up, the team needs you to grow up and become Kozzie 2.0. Big fan of Spargo, he was excellent and showed maturity and really had me questioning why he hadn't played more this year. He's more of a team player than some of the other glory hounds and very important in my opinion. Enough of the stupid stuff, if Kozzie continues to give away stupid frees and reversals that can ultimately (and did ultimately) cost you big games, don't put him in the side until he's got a lid on that, don't want him!

Why not at least try sub Schache????

So who's second ruck then? Tmac I guess right?

Surely Schache or Grundy sub right??? Why do we have Schache if we didn't put him in this week FFS??!?!

This...I'm not a cheer squad member but I am passionate enough about this club. Now I'm not all that interested in any of it, bit of a sad way to feel.

Malice doesn't matter, "duty of care" protect the head all that...right AFL? The comment about half the story with the biomechanist is spot on, the experts on their side will interpret the facts to favor their argument. The other side also needed some experts to either confirm or mount an opposing argument. Did they have that? Doesn't seem like all the facts were actually on the table, the lawyers won this one, they really are the best humans.

Turned into an episode of a courtroom drama, the expensive lawyers and case building and experts etc. just won the day in court. AFL needed their own experts to rebut the pies experts. Bit of a sad joke this whole process and outcome, what a shame, guess it's open season on running towards someone and smashing them into oblivion so long as you're trying to smother and can make it look like a footy act. The AFL has undone a lot of the hard work they did this year with this outcome.

Jeez, anything else? Grundy being in our team is amazing, I love it, want him to stay I don't care what anyone says. Glad he's there. Those pies hey, that game was a shocker, I have some faith but honestly if we make it past this week it'll be amazing. Brisbane will be licking their lips at all this.

Maybe the Melbourne grown-ups think JVR just deserve a smack on the bum for doing what he did, so they're just letting it lie so he can think about what he did. Was pretty silly really, fight or no fight there's no way we'd think it was very reasonable or mature if a rival club went to defend something as brazen as that elbow. I want him in too, but he was a naughty boy.

Flare and daring...gee, guess which other coach this year comes to mind with these two words...give you a clue...they finished on top!

It's that kind of vibe isn't it...god I miss Melksham :(

Really highlights the whole former player boys club thing...pretty disappointing and disgusting really, shame on them.

Question...can Fritsch actually tackle? I never see him tackle...

Kane and Bucks occasionally make sense about something, but them pushing the "footy act" barrow on this really makes them sound pretty dumb.

The whole "footy act" argument is so irrelevant...it's a physical game yes, but in every decision is a very significant "duty of care" because of the significant outcomes if that "duty of care" is not taken into consideration. I'm sure he didn't want to hurt him, but he breached that duty of care and hurt him badly, like it or not footy fans that's the kind of thing we need to be stamping out of the game because life long head injuries just aren't worth it for anyone. This whole narrative should be about the "duty of care" so you don't hurt your fellow colleagues whether they're opponents or not, you're all playing the same game you twits, enough with this "footy act" [censored] anyone who is pushing that barrow is just as much a part of the problem. If a "footy act" results in serious head injuries it probably shouldn't be allowed now should it. Would our perspective be different if we were on the other side of this? Not sure...I'd like to think our players have a bit more sense than to jump full steam at another player running full stem right towards them like a game of chicken. That never seemed like a good idea, pretty obvious outcome whether you get the spoil or not, someone is going to get pretty badly hurt.

The only person taking pack splitting marks was Petty and sometimes Melksham...this tactic didn't work for us very well last game did it? Stop the long bombs, they don't work, lower and smaller and more dynamic please.

Looked second rate. We are not second rate, we need to get our heads out of our bums, most of our good players didn't look that good the other night...but I'm pretty sure they still are.

We can beat Brisbane up there, yes they're having a party up there right now but we can take them...we just need to get our house in order, we have the tools.

I think we need to stop framing it as a "ruck combo", Grundy is just a decent player and I want him on the team.