Vipercrunch

For a lot of the game on Sunday, I felt that we were the superior team. It was the breaks in the possession chains that caused us the most problem and gave them easy scoring opportunities. When we don't have the ball we look kinda ok structurally except for commiting too many to the ball carrier, instead of adding pressure by reducing that players options. I can sort of see why the players and coaches would be happy with Desire Indicators. The next step is to gain confidence in each other that running to space, and running early even before we secure possession won't go unrewarded or wasted by poor disposal. As for a possible friendship divide, well it would be nice if it was a really tight group, but as Adelaide showed for many years, it's not the be all and end all.

Great post. Agree with a lot of it. The only difference I would put out there is that a lot of the cattle is looking very ordinary atm because of past development, new game plan and the big one for mine - confidence. Many of the players who look sub-standard now will IMO become OK footballers in the future, most likely next season. Time.

UGLY Disposal Efficiency - Just did the sums based on the stats on the AFL website. We average 194 EFFECTIVE disposals a game. In comparison, Goldcaost average 241 and the Suns avarage 246. West Coast sit at 290. Until we get that to improve the pain for us and the humiliation for the players will continue. I am a firm believer that this figure has far more to do with confidence than with talent. Neeld will need to man manage the players very, very well over the next 7 game stretch or things will get even uglier.

FWIW, Jones was pretty good yesterday and has been pretty good all year. His effort cannot not be questioned and I don't remember him making many bad errors/fumbles. Well and truly worthy of the promotion to the leadership group.

Out: Joel Mac In: Grimes The whole team made big blunders yesterday, and most of the doggies did too. Confidence is a massive part of footy and we are at rock bottom. Dropped marks, missed hadballs and kicks, fumbles galore. It really was ugly. There should have been a count on the scoreboard for the number of times the crowd groaned at basic skill errors. Not for one second do I believe that is a realistic example of our general skill level though. The few times last year when our confidence was up was a far different level of skill displayed. There is every chance we will hit the half way mark of the year at 0-11. The state of mind of our players at the bye will be a big concern and managing it will be a big focus of the coaching staff. Good luck Neeld and co. Whilst Dunn's tactics might not be to everyone taste at least he showed something. Effectively reduced the influence of Murphy. Joel Mac could be an OK depth player in a good team but isn't helping us where we are right now. Tom McDonald will be fine. Had the fumbles bad, but for me this was a exception. His skill level in his first game was far superior. Would be very surprised if Sylvia didn't get a run at Casey first. The bye at the VFL is absurd. Hopefully this gets rectified (more or less teams) by next season. Hoepfully our guys playing at Casey can really start demanding selection. I can't think of seeing in any Casey reports so far that players are really putting there hands up.

Neeld is a rookie coach and like all new coaches (and old for that matter), he will make mistakes on every level including game plan and player management. He is working with poorly developed players, players who have often been universally seen as the best talent in the country on draft day, but have not turned into AFL standard players. The players are damaged and shell shocked. Whatever confidence they might have before a game will dissapate when the going gets tough. It will take time to change all that around - experience will reduce coach error, time and better coaching will help development and most (but not all) of the players will regain their feet (confidence). The pre-season training reports mislead us to some degree about where the team was at, but I think it showed where we are going. The journey is just going to take longer than we hoped.

I'll be there on Sunday for the tribute to Jimmy, and I will be hopeful of a good result, although I will be tipping a Bulldog win. As always I will stay until the final siren, whatever the score. I am forever hopeful of a turn-around and will continue to expect it each week. I have watched all our games live until the final siren (Torquay makes it hard to make every game) looking for glimpses of potential or a change in our fortunes. As soon as the siren goes though, the TV is off. I "cope" with the results by moving on as fast as I can. On Saturday I headed to the beach with the wife and kids and very quickly forgot about the result. I stay away from the papers, forums and footy shows until about mid week when the focus moves to the coming games. I know we played bad, so i don't need to hear or read about it from the so called experts. Perhaps being a Melbourne supporter has made me think about this a lot more than others, but I decided long ago to resist allowing football to affect my moods and self worth as much as can. I chose Melbourne as a 4 or 5 year old kid, therefore it wasn't an informed or logical choice, and yet I will never change. I can do so very little in the overall scheme of things to contribute to our success or failures, so I therefore don't take the credit or blame for our results. A win makes me feel good, for a while, just liek watching an uplifting movie. A bas loss make me feel bad, also just for a while. Football is a uncontrollable part of my life so it doesn't make sense to invest too much emotion in it. I endevour to invest my emotions in the things I have some aspect of control - relationships mainly.

Just thought i'd add my two cents about Howe, who came in for a lot of praise from the commentators on Saturday. Yes there are some real positives about his game, but his disposal has been very ordinary. I noticed it early on Saturday, but given the praise he received, I went to the stats to see if my eyes were deceiving me. AFL website puts his stats so far this year as 17.7 disposals a game running at 57% efficiency. On Saturday he got the ball 24 times, but had 50% efficiency. In contrast, the 5 other highest possesion winners so far this season have been Jones (72%), Magner (59%), Trengove (70%), McKenzie (67%) and Watts (81%). Magners game in Perth really effected his stats, and he is only playing his 3rd game. I think he can turn it around but I am a bit over the rose coloured glasses being put on. I hate reading and hearing guys like Bartram and Jones continually get whacked for bad disposal (Bartram has averaged 12.0 at 78%) while others get talked up.

That was amazing from Garry on TFS. Absolutly heartfelt and honest. Please, please find yourself a copy and watch it. Wonderful tribute.

I didn't expect to feel as down as I do right now. I should have learnt from personal experience that even when the passing is expected, it is still far from easy. Today the world is a sadder place becasue of your passing, but long into the future it will remain a better place because of your living. What a difference we can all make when we look to the happiness of others and not just ourselves. Vale Jimmy Stynes 1966-2012

Can't think of too many of the top mf my head. Especially not recently. Trav J - No Maclean - No Bruce - No Cheeney - No . . . Edit: Parhaps I missed the sarcasm.

I was thinking the other day that it would be good for our club to stop adding pressure to our early draft picks before they've even played a game by giving them a club significant number. Start them all somewhere in the 40's and when they prove themselves and sign their first contract then find them something significant. Don't parade them out in the MCG boardroom along side club greats receiveing a significant number before them even broken a sweat.

Please, oh please read and re-read this. We have a tough first 11 Rounds. Lets see where we're at come our bye in Round 12. At least then we'll have some real data to analyse.

So much negativity about one pre-season game. Very, very hard to believe. I seriously think some of the contributors here need to take a deep breathe and just relax. Hawthorn are a very good side AND are up and running (unlike so many of the other fancied sides). We are 3 weeks into a new coaching panel with a rookie coach. The side selection and match ups SCREAMED education and experimentation. The players and coaching are still learning (and will continue the steep learning curve for the first half of the season). Next week is the dress rehearsal and some more can be taken out of that result, whatever it is. March 31st is opening night (18 days away) and it is then that we will really be able to how far we have come and how far we have to go. When we have our bye in Round 12, and have played 11 real, bonafide AFL Premiership Season games, that is when a considered and level headed judgement can be made about our list, gameplan, player developmet etc etc. Until then please stay away from sharp objects and dangerous heights.

Hawthorn showed why they are top 2 favourites with many at the moment. They have a unique style amongst AFL sides at the moment and will take some special planning to beat. Our side was still very much in practice mode (selection, match-ups, subs etc). Our ball handling was dissappointing but pressure and contests were OK. One point I would like to make is that the trail out of bounds rule does not suit us. A lot of our so called rushed kicks we have been making from the backline would be considered great, pressure relieving kicks in the normal season. In the NAB cup they give the ball back to the oppisition. Given our improvements around the stoppages, a throw in 70m out from our defensive goal would be considered a big win for us. Got very annoyed with the Foxtel commentators. The main one was when they really got into Fitz for supposedly not working hard enough on Hale when he got one of his goals. The continued on with it even after the replay showed Fitz competing against Hawthorns other ruckman at the bounce 70m away from where the quick kick that Hale marked landed. Spud Frawley is exactly that. A Spud.

I'm not overly fussed by the change but I can understand there being some dissappointment. This Intraclub has been advertised front and centre for weeks now on the club website. In the eyes of some at the club it is very much so for the benefit of supporters. Something as heavily promoted as this should be far more than an open traing session. Posters must remember that there are many supporters who are not as clever as they are about all things football who would have been planning and looking forward to this day for a long time now. They would have been expecting a Intraclub game like they have seen in the past. They have every right to be annoyed.

"Where's the Any key?" "Over the years I've learnt to consider you as people I... met."

Slightly off topic but I hate how the FINAL teams for the Sunday games are so hard to come by. We get the extended list on Thursday night which includes the 3 emergencies but the final team which is confirmed on Friday night often slips under the radar. With 3 games every Sunday, its about time they either announced the final team on Thursday like everyone else (seriously how often wouldn't the clubs settle on the final team by then) or they don't announce anything for the Sunday games until Friday. Unless I am listening to SEN at the exact time (and it's different every week) the final teams come through, I miss it.

http://mobro.co/SteveThomas76 Lost my Dad to cancer earlier this year so I was keener than ever to take part.

I heard the Run Home last night. Franky and Ox said SEN and HUN were both chasing a story and whoever got it first would release it. I get the feeling the "story" they are both after hasn't been found or confirmed. Nothing I have read or heard today is new info or sensational at all. i think there is still more to come. Yay us....

I lol'd. Great report.

Krakours was underwhelming imo. Love to see it and Pettards side by side. Haven't seen Pettards for a while but from memory was more spectacular.

Freo have shown a new side to their operations but it was by accident really. If Harvey was managed by a different crew than Lyon, things would have resolved much differently. Freo would have gone to Lyon's management, just like we did and would have been receiving the same information that we did. Lyon would have used his managemnt to do all negotiations and in the end it would have been a bidding war (incidently which we would have lost). The fact that Lyon and Harvey were managed by the same group forced Freo to go straight to Lyon, and have made Lyon look very deceitful.

I have to disagree with this. These are unprecedented times. The fact a team can offer Scully the sort of money rumoured, as well as the facilites etc that GWS has to offer (I saw a story on them reently and they are awesome) - it's never happened before and probably won't for another 20 years. No one predicted it or worried about it enough, otherwise the clubs would have tried to stop the poaching of young players. The MFC is really nothing but victims of unusual times if we lose him, BUT I have a feeling we might be better off if we do. I think 2 first round picks to be used at a time of our chosing (2012 draft already being labelled a SUPER draft) could be more valuable to us that keeping Scully (yes I have my doubts on his potential). Time will tell on that one I guess.

Decided to start a new post about the other kick-in. The one where we are trying to defend. It was very ordinary and we were extremely lucky to not get really hurt on the scoreboard. On at least 5 occasions we allowed several GC players to get past our defensive zone and it was only by chance (ie unforced skill errors and fumbles), not good management the ball got held up before they could get it to these players for easy, easy goals. The lack of coverage for these players was a real concern and we really dodged a bullet on Sunday.