drdrake

Enjoy the trip, I remember standing on the hill behind the goals at Subiaco in 1998, famous game we had to win against the odds and we did, started us on a run of great games into the finals, in fact best football I've seen Melbourne play. Hopefully you have the same experience, the best thing is if the game is won by half way through the last the West Coast supporters will walk out to leave a few thousand Melbourne supporters to enjoy the victory.

Nasher, something is causing this, stress fractures in feet are rare but we seem to have a number of these, we have 3 out now. To me it is foot wear, surface and training loads that cause these types of injuries.

Bloody Training Oval takes another victim. It is like training on a road, footy boots aren't designed for training on rock hard surfaces, Asic's is the only boot which half resembles a running show. Be interesting to see with the guys who have suffered foot injuries with Melbourne which boot manufacturer they wear. Hogan is Adidas, no more Adidas wedge to soften the impact.

I think with Lewis and Salem we are trying to make them play positions that don't come naturally to them. Salem in the last quarter playing in the midfield was the best player on the ground for that quarter. Lewis, I reckon he has been told stand off the contest they want him to be the out the back handball to set us up. If Hibberd is ready and I reckon Wagner, we need to move Lewis and Salem into our midfield, these guys need to be kicking the ball into our forward 50m not Jones, ANB, JKH.

Sam is developing nicely, he has averaged 2.5 goals a game at Casey and takes around 6-7 marks a game. The games he played for Melbourne he didn't dominate but he took some nice grabs and looked more comfortable. Is he a regular AFL player yet no but I reckon he will be in 2019 and will play his role if needed over the next 2 weeks.

Next two weeks will determine whether we have had an improved year or not, to improve you need to better your position on the ladder, I don't care who you beat to do this, at this stage we are looking at 9th and out by a game. last year 9th out by percentage. Our ability to score has improve, but our ability to defend has gone backwards

No we haven't at this stage we will finish in the exact same position on the ladder as last year unless we can get a win over the next 2 weeks, which I reckon our only chance is this week as GWS will smash us.

Off field agree we seem to have that sorted, the on field is an on going concern and if we cant get this right the off field can turn just as quick membership/attendances fall, corporate dollars drop out, we have such a small window to capitalize on the great off field work done by Peter Jackson and his team. They have built us into a sound business, but when the core of you business is under performing the whole business will suffer

If our current CEO couldn't change this underlying culture not sure if Pert can. As much as I like Josh Mahoney is he the right man?

We have seen it for the past 18 years, when we play on our terms we look a million dollars when the pressure comes on we go to water. I don't understand why or how but this is in the fabric of our club, we can keep blaming coaches as they are easy to blame. It is a culture thing we just aren't a ruthless club with high expectations, not the bull, fluff that we here from our players, coaches that we will hear it this week. I have posted this before, our club goes to play footy hoping to win, good clubs expect to win. Goodwin should however look into the recent past, his coaching style his similar to Dean Bailey, attacking mindset, buddy buddy with the players, Dean Bailey was a good coach until the players started taking easy options.

Sorry, I'm tired of us blaming coaches, the team was mentally soft with Paul Roos at the helm, how many games we went in as favorites to be beaten. The coach is the easy target, our club is a coach killer.

In: Kent, Melksham, Hibberd Out: Garlett, Hunt, Spargo

Add in Geelong twice, R1 second Quarter I think it was 7 goals to zip, and we now what happened in Geelong. I'm sure St Kilda did the same, and with out going into every game, I reckon some games we have won, Brisbane is one I remember that they got a run on us and got close at one stage. We need to win this week as we are a mile to slow to compete with GWS

Plain and simple, when teams get a run on us we cant stop them. So many games sides have kicked 5+ unanswered goals against us and we just cant stop them. Our on field leaders need to step up when that happens and we just don't have any, Goodwin and the coaches can't change the flow of the game until we get our players at a break. Just garbage, plain and simple we had a chance to secure a top 8 spot and we delivered garbage

Nathan Jones chance to kick a captains goal out on the full. Anyone that things we are mentally fragile is kidding themselves.

Nathan Jones you arent a leader never have been, today is another example

We are done, everything to play for fail to deliver

Move Pederson forward

Stock standard melbourne

Tribunal tonight, meeting clubs tomorrow. I reckon he is now a certainty to leave West Coast.

Sam Weiderman has been the in form forward of the VFL over the past 4 odd weeks. If Hogan is in Doubt he needs to come in. With May out would almost bring in Pederson as well. Out Hogan, Spargo In Weiderman, Pederson If Hogan is right would still bring in a tall for Spargo

T Mac reads the ball extremely well, did the same down back, his field kicking and decision making was his biggest downfall. He still struggles kicking to a moving target, more he can't seem to get the distance right, either short or to far. Kicking at goals you don't need to worry about this just kick it to get through the goals. He was the turnover king that has turned himself into a top 10 forward in the competition.

I reckon the losses against Hawthorn and Collingwood hurt us more, not the fact we lost the way we played I reckon put a few likely people back on the bench and St Kilda loss was the sealer. Would be talking about 1000-1500 members extra. If we can take that next step on field 50K is achievable next season. Next 5 weeks mean so much to our club

Only the next 5 weeks will show whether we have improved or not, we have beaten no one and until we do us naysayers will be in the right. Make no mistake we are all happy to be proven wrong but the side has done nothing to suggest we are. On the curse lighten up, like the Curse of the Bambino it was something to blame and it gained more momentum with each year they missed out. Both clubs just had a massive event that lead to a long periods of defeat, the synergy is there and we will have some fun with it until we win our next premiership

so we only have 33 years to go to break the curse. Curse of the Bambino 86 years