Go Ds

It's only tiny consolation but I do love the fact we can say we beat this year's premier. I think weve done that 9 times since 1980 but we've probably played 65 or 70 games against these teams weeks away from glory which is hardly.a great ratio. (BTW have I missed any? ... 88, 89, 93, 98, 2002 , 05, 18, 23, 25)

The crowds were often compromised, including the fact interstate grounds substituting for the MCG meant even capacity crowds couldn't be anything like 90+K they might have been. I just can't think a team in the top 4 for 3 years and who rarely played well below their best in front of large crowds at the time suggest anything fluky.

It really is much more important whether the players think they're losers. If a team comes from 16th the previous year to 4th and then after a stumble in Week 1 end up starting at 6.0 in the GF their self-belief or lack thereof will decide if they're a genuine chance ( not everyone else). As for empty stadiums I don't think they're as big a deal as some would think. Just because Kardinia Park was empty doesn't mean our comeback win in the final round was a fluke. I'm sure some teams do get overwhelmed by big crowds.But we won our GF in a full and loud stadium (and then won with much bigger crowds in the two years after.) I can't agree with you

Ummm, maybe it's all good marketing and optics. MacRae keeps saying his players are not losers - even after they just lost. Is it bad for players to believe they're winners and that they can beat anyone and even when 6 goals down with 5 minutes both his team and the opposition still believe Collingwood can win. Maybe it explains some of Collingwood and Geelong's success. Just imagine if Goody could have somehow cryptically explained that something awful happened at three quarter time against St Kilda and thus team morale couldn't / didn't deteriorate and St Kilda next time - actually any team - has a lot more respect for Melbourne before and during games. Maybe Scott and MacRae have got it right. They're there to win games and premierships NOT win over random fans. All the close losses we've had recently suggest maybe we do think were losers. Maybe King can be as much a sore loser and our team can be winners. Hey, again, maybe we get a few big 'trade' fish like May and Lever rather than watch on as Houston and anyone else choose a winner rather than well .... us. 🤔

Also they went into the 2001 finals as second elect behind Essendon. People assumed they were the same juggernaut as in 2000 and probably focussing on the second half of that year Brisbane were the better team. Nonetheless in the early noughties they were never minor premier. Port finished top 2002-4 and only as Brisbane started fading did they finally make the most of their minor premiership. Hell one year Brisbane came second but Port were 3 wins or more ahead of every team. For whatever reason Brisbane has done pretty well at converting their high finishes into flags even if in the patch before 2023 they had a couple of prelim losses and straight set exits.

You mean people would pay good money to get rid of it? 😯

Yes, but surely AFL will evolve again and just copying the Lions/Clarkson won't be enough. Surely in 20 years time the game have changed at some stage. While tactics wouldn't be the only thing considered I can't help but think that regularly/ yearly each club will see how their teams can play better and get an advantage on their rivals. I'll be very disappointed if King just follows Goody's or Fagan's game plan next year without even a little experimentation.

Yeah, I don't like the way rotations have affected the game. What do we actually want to see in Aussie rules? What do we proudly boast about if we're explaining our sport to foreigners? It's the marking, kicking (especially the goals from way out or impossible angles), maybe the dodging and same other skills like tackles and smothers and even the footy IQ stuff like the non-ruck tap-ons, toe pokes and hand pases which put a teammate in a much better position. IMO it's not running. While important I just don't care about players running longer or faster - certainly not in comparison with actual football skills. I'd happily have rotations quotas cut way back. Maybe we'd even see less injuries, concussions, congestion and rolling mauls.

It could be that come siren King hugged and consoled everyone, sat in on the aftermatch meeting with the players and then a bit later walked out of the changing rooms and off into the sunset. The silly thing is if he conferred with Scott (and the other coaches) today (or next week ) what went wrong in the GF that both parties counterintuitively would have learnt a lot and gone into next just that little bit better. I guess this won't happen though.

Yes, but do imitators surpass who they imitate? Brisbane will always be more practised than those now imitating. Even if still effective next year what's to say next year's premier upgrades the strategy with a couple of tweaks that gets them ahead of the curve? While pre-seasons, bench rotations and the phasing out of drop kicks may be permanent for many more decades other things will change - even if spectators barely realise the tweaks.

I can understand this. Players can practise goal kicking* with loudspeakers blaring or pretending they're a goal up or down in the grand final. But their brains know it's pretend. Same thing about winning a GF at the MCG ; it's NOT the venue ... it's the actual match. Do you watch someone on The Front Bar whose only GF win at VFL Park and suddenly lower the merit of their career? No! Our players toiled years to win a GF and they did that. While I hope most still had/have a burning desire for a second at the very least before their flag every time they had to sacrifice something they could say "I'll do it because I want a flag". That said completely unmotivated players probably wouldn't reset twice and have done all the boring, hard work to get back into the top four in the following years (and often since mid 2022 they've arguably panicked and lost games through fear of failure/wanting to win too much.) *Love the typo - goal Licking. 😂

Not "da players, da players"?

You'd think someone who with a little luck could have played in a comfortable GF win is pretty good. (Surely Brisbane's depth goes well beyond 24 players and such a competent team doesn't have clueless selectors.) I don't know what happened. He hardly did anything worthy this year. Fingers crossed there was a good reason and King can get more out of 'im.

BTW it's a fair question. (I'm sure some of us did)

Just now 😛

What's with the faded colours?!

4 goal lead and 7 goals in a row and even the looks on the Bulldogs players suggested we were something like a 98% chance at that stage. That said I also wasn't gonna tempt fate - I didn't declare it in my head until maybe we were 10 goals up with 6 mins to go

Yep, and Treloar's look too. And there's a colourful Melbourne supporter in the crowd with his hands covering the shock his mouth would betray and tears of joy in his eyes, and group of indignant Dogs supporters including an attractive raven haired lady with an (understandably) b*tchy "we are not amused " look on her face. 😂 We have so many minutes in a lifetime; this was one of the best.

It's not you individually but I do wish people would just let it go. It didn't happen; it's very much so a new beginning next year and just like there's a word to describe a virgin and nothing for someone who's only 'been intimate' once there's a huge difference between one flag we all experienced and if now we are still waiting. Let's move on.

Plenty of times I'll just look at that impossible last minute of the third quarter - even the looks on players' and fans' faces were priceless! And you've gotta love Luke Jackson basically mouthing the F word behind Clarry as he realises that the "bang bang bang" goal very almost means he's a premiership player less than two years after being drafted. 😂

Coincidentally both of these respected players have had younger players supersede them and have just been delisted.

Indeed. Maybe King will bring a recently successful recruiter with him. Maybe the current ones can improve. The underwhelming trades above are a big reason why we're now a weaker team but, yeah, most may be honest, understandable mistakes.

BTW is Sam Frost the most photogenic player ever? 😂😂😂

Umm, he isn't Betts or Ablett jnr. Surely we're not replacing an old and problematic All Australian defender with an old and problematic NON-All Australian defender. Frosty probably gave it his all - the supporters of two clubs should feel grateful tonight.

VFL Park got so damn loud when Melbourne struck back. Apart the early part this was a great and exciting game. Also West Coast should have successfully kicked that final shot at goal. We were a little lucky.