layzie

We should celebrate

Will be like bringing a slingshot to a gun fight

4 changes? You're dreaming

Honestly I would have liked Smith to get a go today.

I agree. To trot out last weeks gallant defeat line doesn't wash here and suggests accepting average.

Look I think THBT does have a point when it comes to those that only come on here after a loss. Fortunately we haven't seen too many of those around here today. But I don't like this inference that we are bad fans or part of the traveling peanut gallery circus if we dare to bring up what we didn't like. It's a forum, deal with it or don't read it. I also don't like being accused of attacking other posters for simply calling out an overplayed statistic about scoring in an general and non-personal way. That's bull [censored]. I enjoy being positive on DL, I'll also call it as I see it. No need to live life in a little box.

We need controlled aggression

Well that too no doubting it. Like a bad relationship they miss the arguments. I'm not throwing the season away and we can get it back on track but I wasn't happy with today and think there's a few too many premiership players with VFL level performances. I think it's natural to hold the team to a slightly higher level because we know they can do it. Personally I think I'm generally optimistic. I've called things how I see them with us, it's not always nice and I will do it again in future but I'm not going to be unrealistic and berate our players like the women behind me at the game do every week. Everyone is different and I hope we can all get along.

So I've been told to be more positive and we'll give this a crack: - Trac played a reasonable game. Battled hard all day, in fact he looked like our only proper midfielder - May actually played a decent game I thought. Saved at least 2 certain goals. - Salo needs more games but he put on some ripper tackles. - Not Rivers best game bit still had good moments. Our most improved player so far this year. We're a good team and it may not seem like it right now but I just know we can beat Carlton if we put our minds to it! Stay positive and anything is possible.

That's about right. Also cancel Christmas.

The thing is THBT, you and BDA have made very sensible posts just now. but people are shouting down these kinds of comments and wondering why we'd even dare bring up the fact that the team could have been just a slight bit overrated. People can tell us to be positive and that's great, we are 7-4 but we've been poor on the road and just lost to a mid range team at the G. We've had our North, Hawthorn, West Coast bloopies and still have a very tough back end of the season. Another few losses and top 4 is a real stretch, if people want us to be happy about that then they can please themselves. I agree on form right now we are about top 6 at best. Probably don't have that extra to challenge for top honours.

This is true, we've got a target on our back every week now. Means we have to bring our absolute best which isn't always possible. I'm not going to go all simplistic and say that they've lost the hunger and stuff like that. But we have got to find a way to become the hunters again. (Will help once we get a Hunter back)

The two tall backline is really not working. If we were much better at ground level it would be a risk worth taking but we're giving up a bit there. Having said that, far from the worst aspect of our game today.

I appreciate the thread from Bobby but I find the people who sit back and wait to attack the people who show frustration on here quite obnoxious. It's like they're secretly hoping for us to lose so DL goes into meltdown and they can gaslight posters who actually care about the game and this club, making themselves look really high and mighty in the process. It's frankly pathetic, we might care and say things we don't 100% mean in the moment but we aren't stupid and idiotic maniacs and you aren't better than us.

I felt like today went against everything we had trained for in pre season and reverted back to everything that got us to here but won't get us to there. The quick ball movement and trying to get through the middle was gone and we reverted to kicking sideways and trying to play down the wings. We sent long balls onto T-mac's head and it was out of there pretty quickly. When they kick a long ball to a pack on the wing or the middle you'd better hope it doesn't get out to the back because it's that point we are on the back foot defending in transition and we are usually screwed. We're slower to react, ground balls are pounced on much faster from the opposition, not sure if this is coaching, hunger or execution but it's there. How many times can we use the line "We weren't that bad with our output, the other team just turned up and outworked our butts off!" Some of the skill errors today by hand and foot were embarrassing. I've been saying for weeks that we slip way too many tackles in the middle of the park and this was on show today. I don't want to be shown the tackle stat that we won, in critical areas opposition players are bouncing their way off our tackles far too often. The problems are not easily fixable and I haven't mentioned the forward line because I also feel if we tidied this other stuff up the Forward setup wouldn't be as much of an issue.

People should ease off the postgame thread venting. If it entertains you then I'm glad because at least you're getting something out of today. I'm not gonna apologise for ranting a bit in what should be a safe haven. You're not losing time or money over it.

Is this thread code for "Is Goodwin the right guy?"

Yeah I'd say there's a 5 out of 7 chance I'd agree with that.

Deal.

Strangely enough I've actually agreed with most of what you've said tonight. We are in a position where we need to find the next gear and so far it has been left wanting.

I'm just hoping we get it right in the back end. Still time to turn it round and hopefully some other teams have their slip ups.

It's almost the final frontier to play it down.

Was he in The Little Rascals?

6. Petracca 5. Gawn 4. Brayshaw Nah, nah I'm sorry I can't go on.

If only I wasn't 3rd last in my tipping comp BBP!