bandicoot

Agree... Consistency is the key. Out: Dunn (susp) Spencer In: Green, Jamar Cant seem more than 2 changes.

Great article in the herald sun regarding kicking accuracy: "WHEN West Coast was wallowing at the tail end of the AFL ladder only two years ago, embattled coach John Worsfold made a decision that played a key role in the club's resurrection from also-ran to contender. Kicking, and in particular, the clean use of the ball, was going to be the club's benchmark. Those good at using the Sherrin were going to be given chances; those who weren't had to get better quickly or make way; and those who were targeted by the club in the national draft had to be proficient with the "pill". Fast-forward to 2012 and the Eagles loom as a serious chance to win their fourth AFL premiership" http://www.news.com.au/sport/best-kicks-in-the-afl-revealed/story-fnect155-1226419850156 I presume Melbourne rates fairly low in this "Hit Rate" We have struggled all year to hit targets and thus control the ball. I can rattle off almost a dozen names that are dreadful by foot. Not sure if this comes down to skill, fitness or an understanding (lack of) of coaches instruction. Its time for the football department to make the tough decisions and get rid of those that are below par.

Bloody iPhone and it's predictive text

Our best win of 2012 came against Collingwood in the nab cup. We put pressure on the ball carrier, pressed well and skill level was ok. Yes it was the nab cup but there were good signs to take into the season proper. Maybe our game plan is better suited to the ice rink at docklands? Could it be that the mcg is a little too big to implement needs game plan?

I don't care who you pick as long as the can kick to a team mate... We are the worst team in the comp when it comes to kicking effeminacy. So many kicks on the weekend missed their mark or were pointlessly kicked to a pack situation. Comparing us to auskick is a little unfair to the kiddies

We are pathetic. No skills, no enedvour, no clue I'm starting to really dislike our playing group. Absolutely useless Bate, Dunn, bennell, bail, silvia etc

At the moment I can't even see the trees let alone the forest. What I'm looking at is a empty barren wasteland that needs to be ploughed and reseeded

Tottally agree with this. Neeld killed off anything bailey had to do with. Coaches, players, game style... The works. No wonder the players have no idea what they are doing. They have been told to forget whatever they have learnt over the last 4 years. A more reasonable coach would have taken the best aspects of the previous administration and added what was missing. Adelaide kept their defensive structure but added a run and carry approach. Lucky we only committed to 2 years with neeld as this will give us an option of finding a coach that is far more competant

If it wasn't for a 1st and 2nd year team in the league we would be stone cold last, without a win and absolutely no prospect of winning for the remaining of the year. I'm not sure how it can get worse than that??? I am convinced Melbourne supporters have accepted mediocraty

It seems like mick has taken both watts and davey under his wing as side projects. Not too sure in what capacity his mentoring them but have Definatlely seen improvement in watts' game. Will be interesting to see it he can turn davey's game around. Would like moloney to be the next cab off the rank. Followed by Morton. We will need to add mick to our payroll soon ;-)

Martin actually had a good game at Casey. Used his hieght and strength well. Still can't kick if his life depended on it but will at least will cause a contest and hold the ball in. Will also hold his own in the ruck. Would also like to see tapscott back in as he showed some much needed mongrel vs the pies. That said no melbourne player (ex moloney) deserved to get dropped. Time for our senior players to stand up and be counted. Moloney Davey Bate Dunn Sylvia Jamar Rivers Non of these guys ever progressed to top players (most went backwards) and thus we find ourselves bottom of the ladder

Has anyone else noticed the amount of muscle Dan has put on. Last year he was a stick and couldn't break tackles, this year not only has he kept his pace but can also breaks the lines. Will be a regular fixture for the rest of the year Welcome on board nicho

Bennell and sellar are complete hacks... How they are getting a game is beyond me. Bennell is totally lost on re ground and has no accountability and sellar... What on earth is this guy good for??? Please send them right to Casey...

The issue is Neeld.... He has come into the club weilding an axe and has done nothing to repair the mess from last year. He has in fact made things worse. At least last year we had 3-4 wins on the board. He has gone too far in getting rid of anything that bailey had to do with. Everything from medical staff, assistant coaches, leadership group, captains and gameplan. Whenever you implement such a drastic change you end up with drastic results. Change should have been implemented slowly. Don't throw all of what bailey implemented out the window... Instead tinker with it. Hird kept knights running style and has tinkered with the defence. They are now on top of the ladder. At the end of the day Neeld has to answer for what he has done to the club.

Well said ... Neeld hasnt proven anything and needs to now be made accountable for his actions

The blame falls flatley with the board who hired neeld as head coach. Neeld has taken us so far back that we would struggle against half of the VFL. He has taken whatever this team has learnt over the last 4 years and completely thrown it out the window. Such a drastic step and we are now paying for the consequences

It's neelds moronic game plan. We consistently kick the ball to a pack and can't win the ball win it fls to the ground. We might as well be handing the ball back to the opposition. How many times did we kick the ball out after a minor score only to watch the it return to the back 50 immediately. How hard is it to find a loose man and kick it the them. Hawthorn were doing it all game

Can I remind everyone that the guy fractured his back a week before the season started... He was bed ridden for 3 weeks and its a small miracle that the guy is actually playing football. If this injury had occurred to any of the above posters then You would be lucky to be running let alone playing football. Who knows how long it will take him to rebuild his strength, endurance and confidence

Very dissapointed with both bennell and petterd. You get a chance to cement a spot in the seniors and they produce this week effort. Bennell can't be trusted in defense, isn't good enough as a mid and is too inconsistent up forward. Interesting that he was picked up at #35 in 2008 draft. Mitch Robinson was at #40. Pettard is in the same boat as bennell. Not suited as a backman, not good enough as a mid and also inconsistent up forward. He was picked up at pick #30 2006 draft. Kurt Tippet was #32. It looks more and more realistic that both these players can not take the next step into afl footy. It's a real shame because petterd had some prospects. It's a fine line between the right and wrong players. Imagine Tippet and Robinson sitting in our forward line today. What a real shame

In 1998 the Lions finished dead last at seasons end. http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_ladder?year=1998&pt=SE&st=SE&sb=p They hit rock bottom when the dogs pilled on 11 goals to 1 in the first quarter. http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_match_statistics?mid=852 3 years later they go on to win the flag.... Let's hope that history repeats itself ;-)

What happens if both picks 1 and 2 in this years super draft are going to be your franklins/Judd's and these players have the ability to lead the club for the next 10 years??? Im suggesting that if gws or gc want to nominate viney then we call their bluff and give them viney. We in return get either pick 1 or 2 in the super draft instead of viney who might be considered 5-10. Wouldn't we want to best player in the land for our club regardless of family affiliation? Yes, it would be a low act to tell viney that he is now going to western Sydney however jack and Todd might agree to it? Thoughts???

I couldnt find the previous thread but there is no doubt we have broken a new record. Steven motlop nominated for rising star for round 6 makes it the fourth player this season to be nominated after a Melbourne game. At least We are helping to develop the youth for other clubs.

Will be interesting to see what he gets for the bump. Conduct = Intentional Impact = Severe Contact = High This works out to be 9 Activation points or 550 total points. This equates to at least 5 match suspension. On top of this the first incident incurrs carry over points equivalent to at least a 10% loading bringing the total to more than 600 points. He will be lucky to get less than 6 weeks. It doesnt look like he will be back playing AFL footy in a hurry.

I also believe neeld is building the base for our future game plan. The start of this base is the hardest part of football. Structure and contested possession. There is no point in working on 'run and carry' and 'spreads' if you haven't mastered contested possession. Learn the hard stuff first and the rest will follow (hopefully) This year is all about learning to be hard at the ball and winning the though possession. The ladder will show us going backwards however I believe the team would have built a base to go forward.

How on earth can we win with this deplorable game plan. We won't beat a mid tier vfl side at this rate. We continually kick the ball to a pack only to lose possession. We have no skills in finding and hitting up a loose player. No wonder we have the lowest possession count in the league. Mark neeld has to change this game plan and start telling the players not to kick to packs