layzie

Wouldn't say GC put the cue in the rack but their pressure rating 166 as opposed to their first quarter 209 is a fair tapering off. Regardless of whether they did or not I still get sceptical around how much you can realistically take out of a last quarter like ours. Its definitely a positive and glad they didn't give up but it buries the lead on what the real problems are and I can name at least 6 or 7 games that have gone this way this year.

Can we go home now?

It does seem to be the first thing that people jump to. No one stat can really measure all round effort but in times like this I do like to check the pressure ratings. GC's first quarter pressure rating was 209 while their 4th quarter rating was 166. Our first quarter 160 and our last 170. It does suggest that it wasn't GC's best quarter for effort but again, it doesn't tell everything. Interestingly we had 213 in the second quarter and I do feel this was probably our best 'effort' quarter. We couldn't quite get the reward for it and make the in-roads we needed to but we were right in their faces. Which makes me even more annoyed about the meek first quarter intensity.

My thoughts exactly Unc. I thought Joeboy wasn't far off with his assessment and at first couldn't imagine people could even have 6 players in the votes thread but Return to Glory's post did deviate my thinking slightly on how I evaluated the performances. It's ok to have stances questioned, anyone who does it respectfully doesn't demand that you change it. I think it can be confusing because so many people on here don't do that and gaslight you if your take differs slightly to theirs. Appreciate both Joeboy's and RFG's contributions.

If you don't acquaint, then show restraint...

Fair point. I tend to vote Trac lately because of work rate. Not having his best season but I don't believe it's from a lack of trying. 7 clearances, 10 SIs, I wish there were others stepping up to take the votes but there just wasn't much to choose from. Also where can you get kicking eff % stats from? Would be very keen to see these.

Two goals that pumped me to fever pitch, to the point where I wanted to run onto the field and play: Neitz crunching McCabe then swinging round to drill it Travis Johnstone dobbing it from 50 on the angle moments after Matty Whelan poleaxed James Hird in the Essendon final.

3 road games in 4 weeks? Sure, not ideal. 6 of the first 7 games in VIC wasn't too bad though. And remember when we hated our mid-year bye being a 10 day break? Here's a 13 day break now but oh too much travel! It's not invalid but really this has probably been the toughest part of our draw all season, with mostly a full list to choose from. Say it out loud.

I cannot for the life of me get my head around this one. Yes, we've seen it before but this week it really ticked me off big time. We come off a bye with a point to prove and a coach who is getting crucified and we hardly put up a whimper. At this point you'd almost rather be smashed because then at least you know what you're dealing with, but the fact that this team needs to be 6 goals down to start putting in an effort suggests a psychological issue much more complex than most of us are qualified for. And I'm not just potting Melbourne here either. I saw Paddy Cripps and Jacob Weitering come out during last week and throw huge support behind their coach. They were going to make a statement to show this and look what happened next. There are some plausible excuses for things that happen in this sport as much as we hate to hear them but not being 'ready' for a game of AFL or turning up with 3/10 effort from the word go is a cardinal sin. At least Carlton had a 6 day break excuse to wheel out.

Empty, gone, rooms have been ransacked and the house has been moved brick by brick to Coorparoo.

And our next contestant for Lamb Slaughter of Fortune is Kolt!

I'm closer to this way of thinking than the alternative. We have some great young talent but there are some big time holes and age problems in certain areas. I don't buy into the theory that we have a list bursting at the seems and ready to take off with a new voice. Midfield depth is average at best with kids either have talent but too young, under 23 but clearly not going to make it or under 23 who have hardly featured in 12 months. Our ruck/key forward succession plan is a mystery and our once dominant duo of May and Lever has 2 more years together at best. 3 years ago I would have found it very hard to find a hole in this list, maybe the lack of a key forward. Now they are popping up like leaks. There is enough there to make it a quick bounce if we make all the right decisions but make no mistake there is a lot of work to be done with our list in the next few years.

Yeah no doubt about 2023, we likely threw everything at that one. I think Langford will do some amazing work but I'm also a big rap for Lindsay. I'd go as far as saying by favourite moment of of 2025 was hearing his name called out on draft night (if you count the 2024 draft in this season and not last).

If you think im going to try and make sense of all the MRO work from our game then you have the wrong guy and you need to get out more.

Winners train, Losers complain.

Unicorn round

I'm also convinced that the club thought they were losing Kozzie in late 24/early 25 and were expecting some picks in this year's draft. Going off our trading behaviour last year they either expected to be back in the first round this year or over-estimated our talent and midfield talent coming through.

I wouldn't have a clue. We are bereft of up and coming leadership. If Trac was here long term I think he's the guy. At this stage I wouldn't even mind throwing the keys to Viney again until someone steps up and takes the brass ring.

The 3rd quarter would have baffled me if it wasn't a regular occurrence now. To start with that ripping Kozzie goal and then GC proceeding to kick the next 4 was checkmate. Not all parts of the game are created equal and when you find yourself 46 points down at 3QT, the contest is over and the life is sucked from it. The stats can get spun any way people want to take positives out. And I won't ignore them totally, but when that football game was on the line we were found wanting. I found there was a similar division on this board after the Carlton game last year. Half the people slamming our no goal to 6 first quarter and saying that they mostly had answers for us until the last quarter and others praising the comeback and accepting whatever came before it. Almost an identical game really.

Yes waynerussell it can be. However sometimes the get out card of not giving up and rallying can be a stock answer as well. It's not nothing the way we fought back and I'd rather a team that fights it out to the end but the question I always have after these kind of results is how much can you realistically take out of them? How much is influenced by the other side tapering off? The truth is that when the game was there to be played, GC had the answers for us and we never pulled it back within 2 or 3 goals. The damage of the first quarter effort unfortunately mitigates some of the positive to be taken out of the way we finished in my opinion. I just can't see how an AFL football team can come out in a game like this, after a bye, wanting to support their under pressure coach who they all apparently love with an effort like we saw in the first quarter. It makes you sick. Forget gameplans, ball movement, skills. The bare minimum you bring each game is effort, there is never a reason to not be ready for an AFL game. If the Suns could have kicked even a little better we would have been blown off the park.

If you're CEO of this mess, you'd probably like to start earlier.

Selection is the least of our worries..

The team just looks bang average. A shadow of the elite side that it once was, there was once a time when it was very hard to see holes in the list. Now, despite some good young talent, our list is quite unbalanced. We end up relying on guys like Jake Melksham to kick a winning score, we play future key forwards like JVR in the ruck, we still have no competent back up for Max. Can we fix these issues in one trade period/draft? Realistically how far away are we now from our next shot at success?

You would be forgiven for feeling like a total stupid moron for thinking that this team would use the bye to their advantage and then come out with fire in this game. For a few years running they come out of it looking like they're at the beach. As bad a first quarter as you'll see. Only Melbourne could let the other side be inaccurate for a change and not take any advantage of it whatsoever. 22.6 inside 50s for GC was the limpest effort seen for a while and that's saying something. We finally bring some effort in the 2nd but aren't able to make enough in-roads because you know, when you give the other side a 6 goal head start, it apparently puts you on the back foot. We did have some unfortunate moments, the Howes and Petty concussions were very unlucky and hurt our rotations for the rest of the game. Plenty of MRO work this week and I'm actually sick of seeing these guys get into fights off the ball. Remember when we were system first and nothing else? Remember when it was too hard to fly the flag for a team-mate who got polaxed because were were guarding grass or holding width or whatever fanciful term you want to use? Those days are completely gone now and we are a very, very undisciplined team. People will point to umpiring and have at it because I'm entirely sick of having that discussion with you. The unsaid truth is that we actually give a lot of free kicks away, whether they be dicey or correct. Tackles that slip a little high, carelessly sitting on an opposition player's back when they're on the ground. We do it to ourselves, we don't create our own luck and we like to play the game against the grain. The game plan is in flux. We do not look like we know what we're doing and it is impossible as fans to see what we're trying to achieve. Big decisions needed at the end of the year, need to get bold at the trade table, possibly move on a great servant and improve our list. People were rightfully overjoyed when Kozzie signed but the list is no longer in a position to rest on its laurels. There is very good talent but there are holes, big holes. The coaching staff needs a revamp, some good experienced minds to ocme in. Not first year coaches fresh out of the game looking to learn their chops. If the rest of the season is this carp week after the week then its going to be very very hard watching.

Pickett Melksham Petracca Gawn Viney Petty (At least he came to play from the start) Goodbye