Demon Disciple

At 13-12, we’re a middle of the ring team. An accurate reflection I’m afraid. Not worthy of top 4 based on that effort.

Don’t worry about Himmelberg, go after Naughton

Carlton love to attack through the corridor and quickly, they also like to switch the play (our Achilles’ heels). We need to study the Blues vs Lions game earlier in the year. Brisbane denied them the corridor at all costs and so must we.

‘You are playing like a bunch of flowers’

Yes I found it towards the backend of last year. It’s starting to reappear once more.

Hardly a rebuke at all @WalkingCivilWar. No criticism or disapproval but encouragement. If I wanted to denigrate I would’ve included the first part of Checker’s speech. It’s telling the boys to keep their chins up and fight on.

Here’s a simple message for the front of the banner this week ”Lift your heads and play like demons!” - Checker Hughes

Despite that one tap straight down a dockers players throat in the ruck, I thought Grundy was one of our better players (way better than Max, who got comprehensively beaten). At least when Brodie plays on the fly, it’s unpredictable for the other team. I’d take that over the boring same old stuff that the opposition seemingly now gave a handbook on how to unravel it.

Yes a lot has to go right and there is an element of luck involved, however I am also a believer in making your own luck. There are things that we can control that we simply are not maximising. Things such as effort and mindset, game plans and willingness to take the game on, instead of waiting for things to happen. It’s almost as if we are afraid to make a move due to making a mistake, so we don’t make a move at all. We need to be more cavalier moving into the forward line, instead of the predictable long bomb. We also need to fix up our brainfades in the backline.

Gotta get over the whole premiership thing. Adapt or you’re going backwards. You question the playing group and they’re waiting for things to happen. I reckon the entire MFC is being far too conservative in all their operations. In what areas are we being proactive? It certainly isn’t on-field with the coaching and playing group, and it isn’t when it comes to finding a home base. Organisation-wide we are simply treading water.

By end of year we will know if our window remains legitimately open or not. If it does, then I’d be all for trading in quality players (I’d be prepared to jettison some who are on good money for them too - gotta give a little to get a little). Id be more inclined to draft in youth if our window appears to be closing, just so as to avoid full re-build right at the time Tassie comes in.

That won’t happen whilst we continue to go with a zone structure. Back in 2021 we had complete buy in, with one chink in the system it breaks down and we have many chinks atm. Id love to see us go 1 v 1. It quickly highlights players not putting in the required effort and makes them more accountable.

We are not a proactive team. We wait for something to happen before reacting. We play not to lose instead of trying to win. We are too concerned with try to limit the opposition scoring that we tend to forget how we should go about it ourselves. Goodwin has continued to trot out that he wants the team to play a style of game that supporters recognise and believe in. Well he’s got the first part of that correct. Since mid 2022, he has reverted back to misoneism.

Our lack of numbers through the middle yesterday was really concerning. There was very little run provided. Is it a fitness issue? Also some of our turnovers in the back half were inexcusable. Bowey and Hibberd’s pathetic turnovers in particular resulted in goals. That inexcusable stuff really does halt momentum.

I think it’s because our problems have been building for quite some time and not much has been done to try and prevent it. The game plan is tired and predictable, yet Goodwin does nothing to change it. Team selection is a farce and uninspiring and our key pillars of contest and defence have been very suspect all season. The gap between our best and worst remains miles apart and our attack and pressure on the contest has been fleeting and unsustained. I think the supporters are well within their rights to ask some tough questions on our coaching and playing group. To not make a PF for the second year in a row with the list we have would be unacceptable.

A perfect summation right there.

Agreed. That Brisbane fella we brought in is not even a patch on Burgess.

Being very generous to Bowey and Salem @joeboy MFC - steadfast lacking tenacity

What I wouldn’t give for Toby Greene in our side! Coaches will drain the flare out of him and our players wouldn’t use him effectively.

Melbourne lol

Goodwin is more evolution, not revolution. Do you back in the coach or back in the players? Both need to change their attitude and endeavour pronto.

Don’t worry about the supporters having trust issues with the team, the players clearly have doubts in the game plan and that’s is more concerning. Where is the buy in? Why has it evaporated? Coaches have no answers, time for some fresh innovative ideas. Id love a coaching clean out at years end, as our key pillars of contest and defence are simply shambolic and has suffocated the dare out of this team. But we’ll continue to back in a stale and broken system.

Yep, he’s having very little impact on games now. Almost as slow as TMAC. Id say he should step down from the captaincy, but who would take his place? We are bereft of leadership.

And to the 24k odd Melbourne supporters that put in the effort to show up, the 2021 flag is for the likes of us. Those that could’ve but chose not to go, that fickleness is why you’re not worthy of our 13th premiership. For all my loathing of the Filth, at least their supporters continually turn up

A typical Melbourne supporter response, blaming umpires. Yes they were very poor (#6 was making Nichols look like a superstar), but werent the reason for the loss. Our 4 quarter efforts have become 1.5. That is on the coaches. This club is now severely lacking in passion.