Nasher

We won’t know until this afternoon. There’s only been speculation so far, which appears to be based on “trained with the injured group”, which has plenty of other explanations that don’t involve missing this game.

Why wouldn’t he just go back to Hawthorn? Or just ask for a trade to West Coast if he hates being at the Dockers so much, seeing as it was a “go home” trade only a year ago. I’m with Ross - seems a rumour pretty unlikely to be true.

Nothing says “no change” like that ins list.

5th and 8th are the only realistic finishes I think. If we lose to GWS, Geelong beating GC by about 50 points gets the job done for them on percentage. Collingwood losing to Freo is a nice dream, but it’s just that - a dream. The cue will be well and truly in the rack for the Dockers. They’re terrible even with cue in hand.

For what it’s worth I couldn’t care less about the 1964 premiership either. I also couldn’t care less about the 2008 and 2009 wooden spoons either, and I was around for those (and in the case of 2008, worked for the club in a volunteer capacity). They’re so long ago now that they bear no relevance at all to the present.

Yes, I believe putting heat on the coach (let’s not use the term “questioning” - that’s not what most do) at this stage in the process, with our record as it stood early in the season when the thread was started, was a clear cut case of supporter not supporting.

You have to be kidding. People jump off on a weekly basis, that’s why there’s a “is Goodwin the right man for the job” thread still on the front page of this forum. That is a classic example of lightning a bunsen burner under the coach’s arse for absolutely no good reason.

In that scenario we finish 5th (Haw 3rd, Syd 4th, MFC 5th, Coll 6th). It’s not possible for us to finish 3rd.

People may take the piss but I totally agree and took the same message away. Jones, Goodwin, Lewis and Melksham have all referred to the weight off their shoulders imposed on them by the club’s history that they ultimately have barely contributed to. The other Melbourne supporter in my office and I had a conversation with a non-footy colleague. The non-footy fan commented how it’s weird how footy fans refer to their clubs as “we” when they’re not involved in the actual playing. My other colleague pointed out that the supporters invest in their emotions in the club long before the current players arrived and will do so long after they’ve gone. It is actually *our* club. It’s sobering to me to realise that the players feel that weight of expectation and past disappointment we supporters projecting. Hopefully they can feel unshackled from it for now.

I honestly thought there was some joke I was missing when I first read the OP. After reading it through several times... nope, he seems to be serious.

Occam’s razor says our game is hard to umpire, our umpires are non-pro and of low quality, and this game was no different to any others where poor decisions got made (none worse than the one paid against vanders to gift Cripps a goal, I might add). But by all means, go the conspiracy route instead and take all the credit away from our gutsy win and say it was the AFL’s doing.

I just don’t understand why a Melbourne supporter would go so far out of their way to attempt to rain on our own parade with this first level rubbish.

There’s the only one third year rookie thing, but Bull and Maynard upgraded and Keilty third year on the rookie list isn’t an unrealistic outcome. Fingers crossed for you all!

Props to everyone willing to laugh at themselves. I didn’t say anything outrageous but only because whenever something happens that I strongly disagree I tend to just go “meh, I probably don’t know what I’m talking about”. At the end of the day the guys making the choices know a zillion times more about footy than the rest of us. Also props to @stevethemanjordan (and a small handful of others) whose post (page 2 or 3) went against the grain and completely nailed it.

He looks so young. Easy to forget what babies they are when they first rock up. Not hard to understand why they sometimes lack judgement.

Cue Jesse Hogan in Dockers scarf. Too soon?

Oh man, the first few pages make for some tasty reading.

It could be worse - Bizkit three posts before yours said he’d prefer to bring back Cale Morton!

I can’t wait for this game. To be able to watch a game where a loss doesn’t bring doomsday tidings will be fantastic, and there’s a nice juicy carrot for us if we win. The players will feel the same pressure relief we all do. I’m hoping with the shackles off they may lift further. They may also flop - I hope not, but it would be understandable. Just looking forward to enjoying footy again.

Sings the club song harder than any other player too. Bad luck Essendon.

My two brothers go for Richmond and Collingwood respectively. I texted this stat and said I’d say “may the best team wim”, except I’d prefer Melbourne won, not Richmond.

No change. There’s no way OMac gets rubbed out, it was a textbook tackle. Darling’s head didn’t even hit the ground, or at least didn’t appear to. The fact that such an innocuous tackle seems to have knocked him out is more of a worry for Darling than anything.

I’ve said it previously, but our best starting midfield is presently Gawn, Oliver, Brayshaw and Harmes. Who would have picked that at the start of the year? He’s had a great year. He is where he is because of hard work, without the god given talents others have. Great stuff.

Meh. Still pretty happy that he's a forward now and don't reckon short stints in very specific game situations count, but acknowledge I made a very black and white statement that was bound to turn out wrong. Go Dees.

When was TMac in the back line? If it was during his ruck stint in the second half, it doesn't count.