Nasher

Paragraph 1: Didn’t say that. Please don’t put quote marks around things that aren’t quotes. In fact, I even said in my post specifically that that *wasn’t* what I was saying. I design my entire life around watching football. Paragraph 2: Didn’t say that either. Come on, me, a hipster? ? If my mum would still buy me t-shirts, I’d probably still wear them. Paragraph 3: By all means, rant away! I was fuming too and believe it or not, do understand the pain and share it. Paragraph 4: that’s one thing I will say isn’t good for you and you shouldn’t do I’m sorry if I come across as being insensitive to people’s frustration or despair. As I said, in the heat of the moment I’m right there with you. I was disappointed against Collingwood and Port but I’m very dirty about this game in particular. Check out my pre-game comments - I laughed off everyone who said we might lose - imagine the shock I got? It’s just the completely irrational rants, hours afterwards, that comes from some quarters that drive me spare. I don’t think people *have* to make the logic jumps they do. Perhaps it’s as you say: uncontrollable like a panic attack, but I’m not sure. In many cases it would be learned behaviour. I’m no psychologist though so I’ll leave it at that.

Gold. Didn’t realise anger was a critical ingredient to success ?

Haha. I’ve seen a few posts wistfully recalling Roos’ defensive game style too.

It’s not just the “bigger things in life”, though there is that. It is an emotional passtime - I know that, and I buy in. I honestly felt like the world was ending in the third quarter when it became clear we weren’t going to turn it around. It is painful. It’s just the way we carry on like we’re the only team with issues. Every single team has stuff they don’t do well, that’s why every team has lost at least twice. All the teams have now dropped games they ought not have. We thought we were top 4 ready. Well we’re not. We are a middle side, which is reasonable for this stage of our development, and this is what middle sides look like. Flawed. Then there’s the motherhood statement makers. We’re *never* going to be good. We’ve been this way for *50 years*. No, we’ve been this way for this year. We were worse than this every year for the last 10, and after that you’ve gone well in to irrelevance. Then there’s the ones who blame the club for ruining their lives. “Oh, my son won’t even go for Melbourne now. I have to go to the footy by myself.” My kids hate footy too, and I tell you that I am 100% responsible for that, because of the way I used to carry on like a pork chop when we were poor, which when they were little, was always. Instead of blaming the club, think instead of the experience you create for your kids when you throw an adult tantrum over the outcome. That’s true whether your kids are young or adults. Nobody wants to be around a sour grump. People just need to get a bloody grip.

I do wonder if many of our members ever watch any footy games not involving the MFC. The lack of perspective when we lose is amazing.

Where were all you “clearly not ready” geniuses on Thursday? He had a horrible game, no doubt about that. He had his confidence crushed when he got outmarked in the first contest with Battle - that just lead to a death spiral of mistakes. That miskick was the sort of error that AFL players only make when they’ve been broken. I highly doubt that’s the sort of form he showed in the VFL though. He had his confidence shot in that first contest. It could have just as easily gone the other way.

Yes, obviously he can see that it has consequences, that’s why he mentioned it as the reason for the loss. Do you reckon Goodwin says “nah don’t worry about running defensively, boys. Just attack all the way, she’ll be right”. We didn’t run two ways under Roos either. We ran defensively but were impotent in attack. To me it doesn’t matter which one we do poorly - that only dictates whether the game we lose is a high scoring or low scoring one. We all hoped that we were a side that consistently did this. We obviously aren’t yet. It’s frustrating. I get that. I’m not ready to make the jump from “not there yet” to “never will be”, two years in to the coach’s tenure.

It’s what makes it galling, for sure, when you know they’re capable. I think ‘effort’ is a non-binary thing though. The players probably don’t even realise that they’re not working hard enough in the heat of the moment. That’s where good leadership is critical. I remember Gary Ablett Jr making a comment once that in his first few seasons he always thought he was working his arse off until he one day found another gear and realised he hadn’t been. Obviously there are a number of players yet to find that gear. We can only hope they do.

His main point in the post match today was that we failed to run defensively. That we’re capable of doing it (ref: the 5 in a row) but it’s not ingrained yet. There was no double speak in there at all. It’s not a bad quite as exciting as “structure! Selection! Drinking own bath water! Team balance! Another failed season!”, but the message is there for anyone willing to stop thinking they’re the senior coach for long enough to listen.

This is the worst - feel like I’m on a hiding to nothing by watching the last quarter. At least in the good old days when we were awful, you could watch knowing the game was well out of reach and couldn’t get worse, and just watch in the hope that one of your talented kids gave you some reason to smile. Winning seems unlikely, small mercies don’t cut it anymore and it can get a whole lot worse. I am definitely a sucker for punishment. Let’s go.

Feel for Petty, has had an absolute nightmare. Hope the boys get around him and he can lift in the second half - his confidence would have taken a pounding.

Gross half of footy. Feels like we’re wrestling it forward, all compete for the same ball and then it vanishes down the other end for a goal. Errors galore, dreadful umpiring and nobody looking like taking a mark. Need to come out a different side if we are to get this back under control. Frustrating.

What’s with so many dropping the ‘L’ word? There’s no way this bucket of pus is going to beat us. Back on the winners list this week, the only question is by how much.

Stuff Essendon, I hope they lose by 100. I don’t worry about how opposition games affect the MFC. As long as we keep winning, the rest will take care of itself.

They thought they'd lost mate. Come on, of course they were going to carry on like pork chops in that kind of win. Their reaction reflected how I felt for them about it.

I've got to confess, I don't hate hearing him talk; he's always usually pretty rational, balanced and considered. It's just the way he carries on like a toss in the box that irks me.

I'm just wondering why anyone would want to read that kind of vulgarity. It's just gross and clearly not appropriate, for this forum, or any forum. It's the first time I've ever heard of any dope football commentator being sacked on the spot, and we all know how low the bar is for commentary quality in our sport, so I'm a bit surprised you're surprised I don't want the comments on here. Seriously. It will take anyone two seconds for anyone to Google it if they desperately need to know what was said. I even told you exactly where to look. There is absolutely zero need for someone who comes in here to chat about the awesome game that just happens to unwittingly stumble upon Hall's revolting comment.

Pretty good.

I wondered that too. Just assumed that it's fine so long as none of them encroached on the mark. Can't see why it would be disallowed - in normal play you'd only be disadvantaging yourself by having your whole team on the mark.

Because I said.

Yes. Follow Ralphy's comment on Twitter, don't repeat it here.

I'm not too fussed about the MFC implications. Just thought it was a ripper game, and am punching the sky because I like Geelong as much as a bucket of hot sick.

New things I've seen today: 18 men on the mark. What a great finish to an awesome game. Love footy.

You went about 3 seconds too early