Redleg

Don't think Bernie and Jordie can play in same side anymore and because of his costly mistakes, Bernie is the one to go. Tough but if we are to improve changes must occur. We are far too slow. They make us slower.

Think you are confusing Salem, who may have had a couple of poor disposals early, with Tyson who turned over his first 5 possessions and ended up with 58% efficiency. Salem who ended with 92% efficiency and Watts are the only 2 players I trust with the ball in hand. Apology to Clarry who sometimes because he is so quick with his hands, delivers to players who aren't expecting it.

And we are. Consistently disappointing supporters.

?

No worries rjay, I am hurting and angry as well. Also saw this happening during the Lions game, as we were playing poorly and then squandered 3 goals in the last few minutes. Could smell a percentage miss out on the finals. Agree with the rest of your post that we need another class key back who can deliver the ball forward accurately and then we need to add two pacy, skilled, outside mids and probably a back up ruckman, assuming Jake goes and Mitch isn't quite ready. I am assuming Weed will make it and that Tim Smith, Pedo, Watts can help out Jesse, who needs to learn to play in front, lead and apply pressure to the opposition. Anyway it's going to be a long off season for me. I don't want to even watch any finals I am so p-ssed off.

It's not rubbish at all. The only run we had out of the backline was Hunt who did in fact turn it over mostly. The big defenders took poor options and the ball was turned over closer to the Pies goals than it may have been with a Frost, who usually can run a bit and kick it out of the immediate danger zone, even if it is a turnover. He at least breaks the game open and it gives you options that we didn't get Saturday. BTW you are not the god of judging footballers either, so you don't need to call people's opinions rubbish just because you disagree. I don't see Frost as a great footballer nor do I dream he will become one, I just believe he would have helped us the last two games.

The unpredictability and pace of Frost was badly missed yesterday. He would have run off some of the slower big men of Collingwood and sent us forward instead of the panicked handballs or dinky kicks, that ended up as turnovers, close to their goal. I think it was a mistake not playing him in the last two games.

It was Pies fans.

That probably sums it up as to the position we were in. Granted we had a difficult year with a fairly tough fixture, 4 games in 18 days with interstate trips a prime example, a poor injury run, the worst suspension games loss in the AFL, an unbelievably shocking personal year for our ff and some narrow defeats and yet it came down to our last game. Let's examine that. Aside from our co-captain, we had our strongest side in for the year, against a side missing 8 of their best players and playing for nothing but pride. Playing on the G on a nice day, we needed to come with the strongest intensity we could muster, to show the Pies this game was ours. We all know we are not a highly skilled side, actually ranked 16th for disposal efficiency in the AFL. Our big weapon has been our desire and effort as we don't have the skill to dominate sides generally. So what happens, in the first quarter we don't turn up. No tackles for 11 minutes and only 2 in the first 20. A lack of run to create space. One armed, half hearted attempts to tackle. A complete absence of pressure on the opposition. Then combine that with wilting disposal under pressure, which will always happen to a side that is poor in disposal in the first place and you have a flying start to the opposition, a 5 goal deficit and a real belief in the opposition that they have us. We did the same in the Hawthorn game. What did we learn, absolutely nothing. I don't want to hear that is a learning experience, as only idiots make the same mistakes more than once. To hear a player say we didn't apply pressure, in a do or die game, is just mind boggling. They are meant to be professional sportsmen, what is professional about that? As P-Man said above, there is absolutely no excuse for that lack of effort in the first quarter. Forget the year, our finals were there for the taking against an undermanned, no incentive, youthful and inexperienced Pies side. I repeat there was no excuse for that, it just shouldn't have happened. The players and to a lesser extent Coaches must share blame for allowing this to happen. NO EXCUSES. we were playing for our first finals in 11 years. It tells me one thing for certain, some of the personnel must go. Train harder, learn to tackle, get fitter, change the game plan, stop the handball at all costs game, whatever, but accept that some of those involved should not have another chance, they have lost the right. We need to accept that we aren't good enough and the list must be changed to improve. We have turnover experts who get possessions but kill us every week. The hard decisions must be made, these guys won't change. We have non tacklers and guys who refuse to apply pressure. This can't be tolerated if we expect to improve. I hope missing the finals burns in the players guts, like it burns in ours.

You do realize that what a Coach says publicly and privately may be completely different. For example: he may privately absolutely give it to them, but publicly only say it was disappointing.

As i said earlier, don't give up the 32 point lead on the bottom team last week on the bloody G and we would be ahead of Bombers playing Port next week. Have a good holiday MFC, I will be waiting for Saty's training reports on how we are training the house down. I am nearly as angry as 87 and the Prelim loss. As JNRMC said a waste of a year.

18 frees to 5. Watch the soft frees to even up late when it is all over. Remember you don't want Western Australia having no interest in the finals and not watching TV and not buying papers.

The joke is we were 32 points ahead of the Lions late in the game and like the Saints game, frittered away a good lead and had we not, we would be ahead of the Bombers on percentage. We have absolutely stopped in the last couple of games like last year and shot ourselves in the foot. Then we don't show up, in a do or die game against another weakened team. Mentally weak.

Except we would be playing Port.

Well looking like every single result this round going as tipped, except of course the two results that should have seen us play finals. So bloody obvious.

Wow, I am now 6 votes ahead of Kangaroo Dusty Martin.

One thing I would do going forward, is to appoint a former rugby player to teach us how to tackle hard and effectively. The failed one arm attempted tackles have to stop.

I just polled another 3 votes.

I know its hindsight, but the Kelly and Lobbe deal for Tyson, Salem and Hunt, even though sensible at the time, is really starting to stink. I know we might not have taken Lobbe but take it as it stands. Fortunately though Salem and Hunt can improve their deficiencies, I have given up on Turnover Tyson, he is an absolute liability with the turnovers and goals he bleeds.

More chance of me winning this year's Brownlow.

Our club and its players continue to disappoint. That is the one constant.

I will accept the hollow feeling gratefully.

deleted.

Looks like the [censored] weren't at skilled stadium, they were at the G in red and blue jumpers.

Why will we likely play finals?