Nasher

Essendon giving Sydney a thrashing in Q1 is the third game today to make me furious. JJ running too far with the ball, FMD. The second game needs no explanation. The first game was my son’s Div 5 u14 basketball team that lost 97-0 thanks to the club submitting a second team, made up of Div 1 and 2 players who turned down playing in the champ comps so they could “all play together with their mates”. All arrogant elite private school flogs too obviously. Way to make the game not fun for kids who are just having a dip. Might just call the day a bust and go to bed.

As I said in the match day thread, the only way the Kozzy trip non-free can happen is if the multiple umpires in the vicinity weren’t watching the play. It’s plain incompetence and just lucky it didn’t affect the result in the end.

Both teams supporters would be filthy about that game.

The only way it’s possible to get that Kozzie trip call so wrong is if the multiple umpires in the area weren’t watching the play. That’s just plain incompetence. Speaking of incompetence: how’s our goal kicking going? If we lose this match it will 100% be because of all the misses in Q2. I can’t see Hawthorn allowing the dominance we had in that quarter to continue, so we may pay very dearly.

No mention of the other half of that incident that resulted in Petty being concussed. Oh well, take the win. The pitchforks and torches can be put away for another day.

I enjoyed Goodwin’s carefully selected words: “you have to look at how Petty got in to that contest”.

Notwithstanding Crisp not being the greatest bloke, I loved the Collingwood team’s reaction to his miss, to get around him no matter the result of the kick. From a team culture point of view I thought it was great to see.

My brain just refuses to accept that Lalor is pronounced “Lawler”. It also refuses to acknowledge that little germ from Hawthorn as being “The Wizard”. Is there anything more insufferable than the cocky Hawthorn small forwards?

I legitimately entertained putting Pies vs Cats on. It’s hard to recall a worse game as a spectacle than that first half.

Out: Petty (inj.), Sharp In: van Rooyen, Oliver Sub: Spargo Nothing wrong with Sharp’s game once he came on, I just think he’s the 23rd best player in the current squad. He can stay in if Oliver is no good.

This has to be one of the worst games of football I’ve ever seen. I’m genuinely tempted to put Pies and Cats on.

Give it a rest, it’s one game. One quarter in fact. The kid will be absolutely fine.

West Coast are absolute pus. I can’t remember a less competitive side. Need to stop stuffing up inside 50 and we’ll be well on top.

Unfortunately for this fellow it’s in looks only. I think if I barracked for West Coast I’d prefer the 57 year old Karl.

Has Karl Langdon been resurrected in the #23 for West Coast?

And West Coast. They are truly dreadful.

That’s what I thought. I just enjoyed watching Port sweat more than anything else. I feel a bit for North. When your team sucks, those games where you almost snaffle it but fall short hurt a lot. I reckon that last quarter was a classic case of “don’t know how to win” on display.

I find it hard to believe that if it was as simple to fix as you guys make it sound, Max and the squillion of professional coaches around him wouldn’t have fixed it by now. You’re essentially accusing Max of professional negligence, given the impact of his misses at times. I also can’t think of an example ever where a truly dreadful set shot for goal has become a dead-eye overnight. I think the overwhelming evidence suggests that if they’re wonky by the time they get to AFL level, it’s going to be like that for their whole career. If it were that easy, professional footballers would never miss set shots, but it happens all the time.

I reckon we collectively overthink the changes when our coach prefers only making simple ones. Goodwin almost never makes changes that alters the structure/balance of the side, especially after a win. I thought McVee replacing Howes was obvious and in line with the coach’s MO, but I got a lot of challenges on it in the pre-match thread. Fullarton is the obvious weak link and JvR is the logical replacement. Melksham to me is clearly still best 22 and someone who plays a similar needs to make way. The only real options here are Sharp or Fritsch. I don’t think anyone else will be looked at.

Kade Chandler is fast becoming my 2025 favourite. The smother-follow up-hard ball get-dish off combo that lead to the Petracca goal was just outstanding team play and hopefully gets highlighted during the week. He very nearly got on the end of the chain and could have received the pass from Trac, but Trac went for the goal. Really enjoying the next evolution of Chin. He’s having a great season.

The need to protect Gawn from excessive workload can’t be underestimated. This isn’t 2021 where we had the luxury of Luke Jackson who could take over in the ruck and we lost not much, and he’s not getting any younger. The fact that Fullarton struggled only really emphasises the need to take these opportunities to rest Max when we can.

Has to be in the conversation for best Melbourne player ever. Definitely the best in my Millenial lifetime. My partner asked me tonight what Melbourne would do when Gawn finishes up. I changed the topic - honestly I can’t and don’t want to ponder that.

I assume it was about giving Fullarton a good look. We’ve now had a good look.

Out: Sharp, Fullarton In: Melksham, van Rooyen Sub: Melksham (Edited after a rethink)

On playing with Oscar: he stopped short of saying mum would have killed him if he’d put Oscar back on the injury list.