heartbeatstrue

How sweet is a point?

That was a very big and important step for MFC, to win in Darwin at the stage we're at, and after playing so well down here but losing a few we could/should have won.

It was impressive in the humidity and with players like Jetta and Wonna and Morton who won't have full match fitness. And how important for Watts?

BRILLIANT, we've got little to lose in next week's game against the Cats... we'll be expected to lose and if we can play fast and exciting like tonight in Darwin, it'll be fun and another step and huge opportunity to get the best experience imagineable for Scully, Trengove et al.

Jamar was simply heroic!

NEVER use Sylvia in the ruck, EVER again!

Just gotta keep running for one more qtr. Great to hear so many of our players firing.

Go brothers! Go Watts!!! Go the lot of you, you rippers... !!!

We'll win because the four brothers will be on fire in front of their 'home' crowd!!!

Get a fair bit of early info thought I might join up and let all the die hards know when I come across it...

What are you, some kind of travel agent or something... booked the flights for melb players to darwin???

Great work, let's see if you're right.

Oh, and how many goals does Jack kick on Saturday night??

Who don't we just resurrect The Goose

I don't think I can answer that (at least now), but I'll say two things.

One, we're trending in the right direction. Eight games in and we've got a percentage of 100.

Two, we're not going to win a premiership now anyway, so that's almost moot for right now. What we do need to do is develop a side, and I think we're seeing improvement in both individuals and the way we're playing footy.

My main concern is that DB might be ND-like in his game-day tactics, but we'll see.

There's no good game plan for teams that are no good. The idea that we should teach a simplistic man-on-man game plan that you admit is going to lose games anyway is odd, to say the least. I'd much rather a game plan that we thought would win us a premiership once we could execute.

Hear, hear! Good post.

As for trending in the right direction, we definitely seem to be. And the belief is that Bailey's a very good teaching coach, so he's probably got the right gifts and patience for where we're at just now, which as you say is developing a side that hopefully will be a very good side.

(once a coach has done all that hard work in developing individual players and a winning game plan, so that the team is as good as Geelong has been, coaching on the day must become a lot easier. Some days Geelong seems to almost coach itself, as evidenced by the relaxed Bomber Thompson munching on his salad rolls )

there were geelong people saying the same thing about bomber back in 2005.......

Try 2006. GFC lost 7 out of 8 in a row, missed the finals (finished tenth) and Bomber very nearly lost his head.

Problem I have with Bailey is he is trying to implement a gameplan that our players are not skillful enough to execute.

If you went back in time to 2006 and replaced "Bailey" by "Bomber", you'd be spot on.

What happened with the Cats? Those players "not skilful enough to execute Bomber's game plan" almost miraculously discovered the necessary skills in time for a record 2007 premiership win.

Actually, what heppened with those Melb players "not skilful enough" on Saturday evening recently against Brisbane at the 'G? Maybe there's a bit of latent talent there also, that you've somehow missed?

Hoopla: Do you honestly think that MFC will win a premiership with Bailey in the coach's box?

Yes if the players are good enough and desperate enough.

(I presume you were amongst the thousands who imagined Geelong could never win a premiership under Mark Thompson, back in 2006?)

Not disagreeing with what you're saying but can someone point out who is going to be the big focal David Neitz type key position forward in this group

Jack someone or other...

G'day everyone i am new to posting on demonland but am I the only one who came away from the match yesterday scratching my head wondering why no one flew the flag when the west coast got into jack watts come on guys show a bit of G.U.T.s help him like geelong Stkilda collingwood would have had he started with those sides

Welcome deewakka.

I posted this somewhere else but it fits better here. I actually thought Watts handled the niggling pretty well. But if he gets help from an enforcer I'll be first to cheer...

I thought Schofield (31) was a bit of a dog towards Watts yesterday, Watts went to ground in forcing the ball over the boundary in the member's pocket, and Schofield stood menacingly over him giving him quite a bit of lip. Watts got up and there was a bit of shoving. Thought it was pretty cheap from Schofield.

I thought Schofield was a bit of a dog towards Watts yesterday, Watts went to ground in forcing the ball over the boundary in the member's pocket, and Schofield stood menacingly over him giving him quite a bit of lip. Watts got up and there was a bit of shoving. Thought it was pretty cheap from Schofield.

I am so far in the dark with respect to future prospects it isn't funny but I still get a sense that we haven't played the percentages with respect to up forward over the years. Hopefully with our move to OP we may have a little more confidence in our future ability to develop players of all sorts and the club may go for some likely kids with a good frame and see if we can "bag one" and not be affraid to "get it wrong". In any case it was more the philosophy of it that worried me. As you say, JPod at the cattery. I realise the cats are at a different stage and JPod is a mature age player but even so, they aren't relying on just forward numbers and that is even with Mooney and Hawkins in the side as tall forwards along with their other accomplished forwards. Geelong are one of (if not the) best running side for forward numbers under pressure and yet they go for another tall forward and a risk I might add if it doesn't come off.

On Robbo, I thought we made the right call. I didn't think Bradshaw was such a contradictory suggestion at the time either as he would have straightened us up significantly. This point was missed on many simply due to him being in the twilight of his career which was a seperate issue.

Appreciate your food for thought. Definitely we need straightening up, up forward. Who would you propose (from available stocks) against Port?

The personnel available on any given game day may influence the specific arrangement of the structure, but a structure must still exist.

I wasn't listening to the commentary during the game but this should have been obvious to anyone watching and I do not understand how it can be left to go for an entire game, or as the poster of this thread has implied, week after week. (at least the last 3)

Agree with your first comment. Petterd & Green were providing the marking focus up forward. Petterd is badly missed, structure-wise. It hasn't been "week after week", it was a specific problem this week. But even if we had plonked Plugger at FF, we still weren't going to get the ball to him on a lead on Saturday because there was simply very little fluidity out of the centre.

They experimented with ball movement, not empty goal squares.

Geelong's forward stocks haven't always been flash, they've relied on Mooney and someone like Ottens dropping back, plus smaller players like Ablett, Varcoe, Stokes & Stevie Johnson to kick a winning score. Plus recently Hawkins (who can magically snag goals in GFs that appear to shave the post). I remember the Cats struggling up forward in 2006 and I thought they weren't going anywhere without a more reliable target than Mooney.

Not entirely sure what you point is. Are you suggesting that the midfield is/was a bigger problem than the forward line?

It was yesterday.

And it was hardly the coaches' fault, they'll be as mystified and frustrated as any of us why the midfield that tore Brisbane apart was so lacklustre yesterday.

On the topic of the forward line, IMO we seem to take a naive approach to what constitutes an effective forward set up. I read words to the effect earlier this year that Bailey is all for "forward numbers" and that he wasn't too focussed on consolidating our personell in the way of KPP. If this is in fact a true indication of his thoughts on the matter then we are quite simply going to pay for it in the long run.

Hadn't heard this, I guess you just have to work with what you've got. And there aren't too many gifted KPP coming on in the junior ranks it seems. Which is why Podsiadly works for GFC where they are at just now.

I was always keen on keeping Robbo (or picking up someone like Bradshaw) to take some of the pressure off Watts in his first couple of years (and maybe mentor him). Trouble with Green is we only have one of him.

I'm also sceptical of what Mahoney actually brings to the equation apart from (in all probability) being the most likely "yes man" of the coaching brigade. In any case I still beleive that Bailey is developing the squad well as a whole.

Hmmm... on grounds he used to play under Bailey at Port? Dunno, time will tell if he's any good. I don't feel we can judge Mahoney on these early games, because of both lack of experience in the team and the crop of injuries.

Agree DB's developing the squad well as a whole.

The second point kind of contradicts the first point but I agree with the gist of your over all post. Learning curve and all that.

It's not meant to be contradictory, it's inevitable that a young and mainly inexperienced side will have losses like today along the general path to becoming a great side.

But with experience and building confidence and physical strength, the expectation is that such poor performances can be largely eradicated. That's where coaches need to know the warning signs and how to negate them.

I don't feel Bailey and co can be seriously blamed for today's poor showing. There are things that happen with young inexperienced sides that no brilliant coaching can address.

And by the way, what did you make of our forward line against Brisbane? Same coach too. They simply looked a very different side, played with flair and confidence and got the ball quickly through the centre corridor and into the hands of leading forwards. This is how DB wants them to play. Today it all fell away, from the midfield to the forwards. However annoyed and frustrated we are, the coaches will be more so. Expect the players to get several roastings, and watch out Port Adelaide!

Dean, ask for help or engage some former forward line players, they will tell you someone has to be in the bloody forward line to kick goals if we are to win.

It has been pointed out the forward-line players we were missing today.

For your information, Josh Mahoney is our forward line coach (played 97 matches for Port Adelaide, Bulldogs and Collingwood, including the Port Adelaide premiership side of 2004).

It is not DB's fault that today's team played with no intensity for 4 qtrs. You could have plonked Plugger at full forward and the way our midfield was beaten today, he would have kicked zip. This is what happens to young inexperienced sides. Consistency takes time and huge effort from the coaches. DB and his coaching team are doing an amazing job, and we all just have to accept that experience and confidence and big bodies all take many weeks to develop. Along the way, there will be losses like today.

Geelong in 2006 was experimenting with young skilful players and quick movement by hand and foot. They lost 7 out of 8 games and were accused of chipping the ball around too much, instead of long direct kicks to goal. Geelong finished tenth, missed the finals and there were many calls for Mark Thompson's head to roll. The following year it all clicked, and they won the flag. The rest is history.

DB is an excellent teaching coach for our young group, imo. He'll learn how to motivate and fire them up. I've no doubt he's highly respected by the players. He's probably learned something valuable from today too, and next time he sees the warning signs of a lacklustre performance coming on, he'll hopefully quickly fix whatever it is that gets into players heads and results in the whole team performing without intensity or confidence.

6 - McDonald

5 - McKenzie

4 - Grimes

3 - Warnock

2 - Garland/Frawley (take your pick or half each)

1 - Watts (encouragement award)

unlucky to miss... Jamar

Our game is evolving and Gieschen's 'Big Idea' is to develop a brand new type of game where there's not two opposing teams but three out there. Of course, not everyone would agree with such a new type of game so it has had to be introduced gradually and by stealth.

'Team Umpires' will eventually always be the only important team on the ground, because they administer the rules, decide if there's to be football justice on any given day, what it will look like, and hold fate itself in their hands. Their importance is underlined by the fact they are untouchable and only accountable to themselves. The game will be all about them, how great they are and the skills and clever interpretations they can weave each week. Greek gods would be mightily envious.

Ultimately you'll go to the footy and the new game will be so ingrained that you'll only notice what one team (Team Umpires) is actually doing out on the ground. The other two teams will merely be background players like extras, while you get your enjoyment from observing the flair and innovative rule interpretations by some of the Greatest and truly Most Breathtakingly Adept executioners of the Umpire's Trade.

(It wouldn't be surprising if all the Team Umpire members are avatars, does anybody actually know anybody who admits to being on their Team?!)

In fact, observing some fans today and their level of fascination with Team Umpires and the detailed analysing of the Team's performance (even to yelling out constant encouragement and advice to said Team), the day is not far away for many it seems.

We could write to the AFL and pretend to be people who don't follow Melbourne

Who do we play next? We could write and pretend to be Port Marmalaide supporters, and make all sorts of stinging criticisms to Jeff Gieschen about "Team Umpires". Then they'd take revenge on them and we'd have "Team Umpires" helping us.

Sounds like a plan

.. so far.

Just wait

I heard his shoulder's crook, which would explain his past few games.

Today he got his nose busted for his efforts.

We started with zero intensity and energy levels stayed zip all day. Absolute shocker all round. At least Nic Nat was ordinary too. Watts showed enough for me to want to see him a lot more.

Seriously, we've just got to expect days like this with young bodies and mostly very little experience. Remember Geelong in 2006? Lost 7 out of 8 games and finished tenth, after winning the NAB cup. They handballed themselves from defeat to defeat, their skills looked dreadful. Lots of calls for Mark Thompson's head by that stage. Following year, premiers and the rest is history.

It's disappointing to end a day as promising as this without a good win, but hey we lost by 29 points and messrs. Scully, Trengove, Watts, Sylvia, Green, Moloney, Hughes, Jones, Davey all have enormous margins for improvement. On a good day, with that lot playing to their potential, we'd bury the Wet Toast by 59+.

I thought McKenzie & Grimes were OK and there's a few who will be taking a holiday next week.

And for Deeoldfart up there in Canberra, did I mention that the standard of the umpiring today was unacceptably poor. Team 'umpires' (looking smart in their lime green anti-clash outfits) didn't crown themselves in any glory either. The mongrels.

Is it worth bringing back this thread? I heard one supporter constantly shouting '12 to 2' (the free kicks) and 'So you're not done from last week?!'

It was 12 to 2 at one stage, and to that point it was totally biased in that decisions were being paid one way but not the other. No consistency = bias.

Criticise the umpires one week to the point that it hurts Gieschen & his team, seems they'll crucify you the next.

One fair supporter next to me said "this is another umpire's game". She wasn't far wrong.