Himark

Bater is intelligent and has a heap of mental strength. In time, I expect he'll become an elite player through his professional attitude and determination. This year was a hard one for him but with a full preseason he'll bounce back better in every way. He loves the club and strongly desires a premiership.

Your first point: Fremantle was against Fremantle..... Your second point: "Shortness of breath", is not always but can be, a symptom of mental and physical stress, one doesn't have to know "ALL" that much to know about that.

The difference is mental. If Bate, for example, had have run around in circles, but much harder and faster ..... would that have beaten the cats? Running at the metaphorical 100 mph, in the wrong direction, is not going to get you where you want to be. When the collective mind of the team has been subdued as it was by the VERY DOMINANT cats after the first 5 minutes.... the physical side of things suffers. It is not laziness, it is more a form of shock that numbs & incapacitates the mind, brings on a sense of hopelessness, makes the legs feel like jelly, makes all physical action harder, causes panic, wrong reactions, indecisiveness, shortness of breath, poor reasoning, choice of poorer options, skill errors and a downward spiralling effect that the team was actually able to pull out of to a great extent. The boys didn't go down like Port in the GF, but fought it out better than Port, as the game went on. The cats, on the contrary, had the very opposite of every negativity above happening for them as a positive as well as anything else they brought as a team, one of the best teams ever, in form, making a special point of being ruthless and ready to win a back to back GF. The mfc team will learn from the encounter with the cats but to think they were just lazy on the night is far to simplistic.

Well put Stigga. The whole mfc team was ovewhelmed by the cats. It's not "a fact" that any of the team were "lazy", they were mentally/physically beaten, demoralised, dominated, humiliated and thrashed into submission but despite all still tried their f'ing guts out as best they could and that shows character and builds character. If Bate (or anyone else) was *running around in circles, probably trying in his mind to shake an opponent, find some space etc, it is not laziness.... it is as John Kennedy said, "do(ing) something". *last time I looked up the Oxford, running was still a verb i.e. "a doing" word for those who never enjoyed grammar. Reading the various posts it does become evident which posters have any idea at all of what is involved and what it's like to compete at afl/vfl level or any other serious level of any sport. The players will not be reading these comments as they are basically told not to by the club. The reason they are told not to is the that the wrong headed negativity of passionate but ignorant and angry so called supporters is considered by the mfc to be a sure way to do the players heads in, particularly the younger ones. Mfc is is not alone in this, all clubs recommend their players to not read sites like these because of the minority of dills that think they can "help" by delivering up a lovely dose of sustained, scathing, down-putting criticism. If the club thought unbridled criticism would help they would post these rants on the official website. As it is the players would have been told to put the cats game behind them and after taking what they can from it as a lesson, to forget about it! I suggest some of you seek therapy for your childhood issues, get out the old tin or plastic soldiers and play in the sandpit with them to work out your inner frustrations but whatever... lay off the boys ... they are hurting more than most of you will ever in pursuit of your daily crust ....... they are not little tin soldiers or pieces on a chess board or automatons. For anyone to judge anyone of the team as lazy is actually lazy thinking. How can you know as a fact whether they were lazy or not?... it's just a subjective opinion... probably wrong as in general, afl players are not lazy types. Also the 16-17 k's Bate runs in a game is not including the warmups. Now that is a fact.

I reckon you are very harsh and unrealistic. No players were lazy last week least of all Bate. Geelong is a rampantly dominant side, maybe the best team ever, tilting at back to back premierships in few weeks and was up against an mfc team of inexperienced youngsters who are coming to the end of a long nightmare year....no finals to get excited about...experienced players locked out due to the longer term plan. Bate ran about 16-17k against Geelong and was tagged for every centimeter of those k's as the only forward the cats actually fully respected on the night.... and they nullified him. Hello! That's why the cats are the best team...they actually beat opponents. How do think Bate or any of our youngsters would have looked if they had been playing in geelongs colours last Friday? Also, the above mentioned 16-17k Bate ran against the cats was top of the 16-17k he ran only 6 days before against the dons where he was close to bog. Against the cats the delivery to Bate was non existent or rubbish and the whole mfc team was in shock & meltdown.....what do you expect of him? Do you think he's superman? Lance Franklin himself would have struggled on the mfc forward line last friday. There is no way Bate will be ommitted against wc.......you can bet your house on it.

Your not asking too much....I think he'll get off the ground as his confidence rises. He got up quite high to effect a great spoil against Brown in the last Lions game, his fist struck the ball cleanly just as Brownie was about to wrap his giant paws around it. Against the Dogs he took 3 hit outs and got up quite high for those too. I think where he needs to learn, and it can be taught, is how to go up that fraction earlier than he does, so as to A. meet the ball at the highest possible point, B. take the ball just on the way down, C. get the benefit of "lift" from the pack being that fraction behind him and holding him up just at the highest point. At the moment he seems to get up when going back with the flight of the ball, when he has to go, but tends to be caught looking flat footed and swamped in a pack when the ball is dropping more or less straight down. Bottom line, I think his confidence to leap high and earlier for marks will come with time. Hope so, would be exciting.

..and 1 goal from outside 50 which was a ripper. Everyone has missed the occasional sitter but what i like is that he was there to mark it...... and i liked it that he was (still) running (late in the game) to go past Bruce for the hanball for the so called cheap goal...... that would'nt have looked so "cheap" in a thriller finish........or if it had rebounded off Bruce or the pack... he was doing what was smart footy.. 52% disposal efficency, if it's a correct figure, must include the clearing handballs from tackles..... his kicking disposal was a lot better than 52%. His game was better than average.

Yeah, give'm a break.....I reckon they sound great. Everyones taste in music is different but I particularly like "Better Day", should get it some airplay, I think it would sell! Go the Baters!

Valenti was impressive. A few more games and he will shine.

Valenti was fast & crisp, got fully involved and will improve rapidly from now.

I reckon you are right. Bailey wouldn't play Newton unless he thought he was up to it and ready to really go for it. He will have given him achievable benchmarks for this game Newton will get high quality intelligent supply compared to being at Sandy, has the nous, skills and physically/athletically will match up well against the dogs. I think Bailey has toughened him up, mentally, which is what he lacked previously, IMO. My prediction is for Newton to play at least a solid team game with defensive pressure a priority, maybe snag 1 or 2 goals OR play a blinder kicking up to 6.....if the former prediction is correct we will go close to a win ......if the latter is correct we will definitely win.... as it will mean the forward line has run riot. Can't wait to get to the game and see it unfold! Could Newton be the next of the number of unknown, underated or under performing players that Bailey has analysed and motivated to believe in themselves and the team? Quite possibly YES!

Bate is playing the length of the ground, note his great spoil going back with the flight against Brown was deep in the lions forward zone directly in front (would have been a certain mark and goal). Also, he often starts at centre bounces in the circle or from the wing. As well as several strong tackles in the last few high pressure minutes he also provided the assist that put the ball, from outside 50, into the 10 metre square for Miller's match winnning mark and goal. I think you just don't "get it" with the impact Bate has on games. Luckily, however, the coaches do.

Not beyond reality. Miller has the passion and ability to lead. I think you are right.

OMG 158, then it's quite understandable and forgivable. Cheers to HT!