demons27

Geelong is a proven team with mature bodies and confidence in their abilities. Melbourne is clearly still in their development stage and we will see further improvement as the year progresses. The dees had the potential to be closer at the finish if they had been able to capitalise on more of their turnover opportunities. Playing an extra player in defence also meant double teaming in the forward line and extra pressure in our weakest area on the field. All in all not a bad effort, considering some of the shelackings we have taken over the last couple of years.

Great report......really appreciate the effort taken to provide this type of useful information to the forum

It's a delayed telecast ....saints win by 3 points.....doggies fail to score a goal in the last quarter

Thanks to a stirring last quarter by St Kilda, the dees jump over the Bullies to 8th position on the ladder on percentage ..... let's continue the climb with a win over the Kangas tomorrow

Absolutely fantastic effort by the team......Scully and Trengove superb.....defence amazing.....now let's whip those roos

Good post.......I would relace Newton with Miller as he has more upside. He presents better and is a consistently stronger mark - plus he has a cute WAG (lol)

Agree entirely about Joel.......he is a poised defender who played extremely well and will take some load off Rivers in being the senior member of the defence

Dunn provides a good target and works well at ground level. He also reads the play and puts himself into the contest. His other key attrubute is that he is generally a good kick for goal. He is worth persistng with and rates more highly than Newton. I also like Bailey's shift to a game plan with quick leading forwards.....great game by Pettard even if he couldn't cap it with a game winning goal

Yesterday's effort was a major improvement.......everything during the game pointed to a Melbourne victory, but for a range of reasons this did not happen. Add a few players from the injury list, some better luck with the umpires, or better decisions on some forward thrusts and no doubt we would have won.......still no cigar but at least we were very competitive Really pleased to see the development of the younger players.....also Macca (ex Brisbane) is showing great poise in defence and doing good things at clutch times......loved his big pack mark in the last quarter. Jamar's best game.....go the big Russian.........bring on the Crows

I think the salient point is we were very competitive without the players you mentioned and this shows the team is heading in the right direction. I particularly liked the game plan which sought to isolate the pies run with defenders and put them under pressure.....keep up the resurgence. Go dees.

Jamar has always showed potential, but yesterday when the odds were staked against him he stood tall. Well done.

The "rubbish being served up" is talking about a future with bright prospects when the man at the helm entrusted with "making it happen" is not delivering. Perhaps this is a message some people do not want to hear. When things are not going to plan, you normally look to the coach for some answers.....I would suggest we are not getting them and no perceivable improvement, so we should be questioning Bailey's future at the club.....not trotting out predictable excuses.

- he is in the third year of coaching and the team is still developing - we cannot expect much progress while the list is so young - he is an inexpensive and an expendable option if it doesn't work out - we were on the Board that appointed him so give him an extension to stop the talk right now - Melbourne fans have been waiting nearly 50 years for their next flag....what's the rush - ignore the above.....the real answer is there are no defensible reasons, just as we have no functioning game plan.

Yep

Don't be sorry.......probably our only real chance

Get a grip on reality means looking at the situation we are in and asking yourself is Bailey going to measure up - you suggest yes, I say emphatically no. Many people in the football world also think he will not make the grade and the results to date are very worrying. I have been supporting Melbourne for over 45 years and do not see Bailey as capable of doing what needs to be done. He is not a proven AFL coach and the "experiment" should be called off before further harm is done.....even the players are showing signs of disharmony........time to move him on and get someone who can develop the playing group.....a bit of passion also helps.

Are you kidding.....if everyone of the supporters did this....then perhaps the club might finally get the real message "we are not happy Jan". By all means be a loyal supporter and watch like we used to do on those cold depressing days at Windy Hill in the 1970's, but I think it's time to say enough is enough and take a stand.....bravo

Certainly we can't draft everyone, but other clubs appear to be making more prudent selections than us. Player development is also not a strong point......neither is coaching......finances........facilities......etc.

I think Garry now knows they made a poor decision to appoint Bailey in the first place and this was further exascerbated by the premature extension to his contract. I have a feeling Gazza will finally make a run at the coaching role later this year....or at least be instrumental in replacing Bailey...... Ffootball clubs are not like normal workplaces.....you get very passionate about wanting success and everyone should be able to have a say on how to achieve this. It is for the ex-players to support the club and to do this in they best way they can.....so come on Garry.....I think it's nearing the time for you to step up to the plate......making heaps of money in the media would be nothing compared to coaching the D's to their next flag.

Well said.....we should all be appauled that it has been nearly 50 years since Melbourne has won a flag and it doesn't look like coming in the foreseeable future....if this wasn't sport and involved something serious like world poverty or health, this type of performance would be seen as an absolute disgrace......so Melbourne Supporters get mad....get real mad, as the club has not delivered much hope for us long suffering supporters. P.S. How could they possibly give a one year extension to Bailey? Does anyone on our Board have any idea, or is it just NFI ?

I think many supporters can get carried away with expressing optimism in the face of adversity.....it is motivating and very altruistic The reality is we have not won a flag for nearly 50 years and for many long suffering supporters this is what counts. Getting someone near the summit and continuing to fall off is not what we aspire to do. At this stage, we are barely able to stay in base camp. A bit of passion around the club, including its supporters would be a pleasant change......stick your head out the window and say..."I'm as made as hell and not going to take it any more".

The big difference is Ross has a game plan the team can understand and largely deliver upon. He is also respected by the players and sets high standards for them to live up to.

Dear Ungarie boy, Sorry, but what is the point of this exercise in self deception. The pies are light years ahead of our disjointed lot. I think their 2's would give us a run for our money. And when we woke up in the morning......it was not a nightmare, but a full blown catastrophe..... I do agree let's not stop trying and certainly compete....compete......compete.

Well done Paul, your sentiments are shared by many long suffering Melbourne supporters....dare I say we were playing better during the merger talks with Hawthorn.......and notice which of these teams has progressed better since those dark days.

I think the real issue is Bailey has not shown enough by way of being an effective coach to warrant the extension. The board ratified Bailey's original appointment, so they have a vested interest in protecting him. It is not so much about believing things will improve, but trying to stave off a massive supporter revolt by locking in Bailey before things get worse. This is not a positive situation for the coach, the club, the players or the long suffering supporters. If it all turns to #!&^ , appoint Connolly as a stand-in for the rest of the year and make a play for Malthouse or even Lyon. We will again be losing money, but perhaps next time we be less focussed on the "process" of selecting the right coach and more on get the best man available.