jnrmac

Good year? Some people live in cloud cuckoo land. We lost 7 of our 8 losses after leading by 24+ points. There is something seriously wrong with our method that has been identified early on and failed to be rectified. Even in our 10 early wins our form was ordinary. The coaching staff wear this one. You don't get many gilt edged opportunities to make GFs and we bottled it losing 2 games on our home deck and defeated in the same circumstances with virtually a full list. Garbage about the draw and players banged up is just embarrassing.

It's the boring and predictable game plan. "We don't know what Melbourne will do in any given game" said no coach ever. Poor teams can try to beat us but are not fit enough or skilled enough to go with us. Good teams have no trouble in grinding us down despite us leading by 24 points or more in 7 out of our 8 losses. Oh and kicking for goal has been an achilles heel for 5 years. Likely because of the way we bring the ball into our 50.

Where will the GF be played?

One potential problem when you are leading at half time as we did for most games this year, is that the other coaches make changes, fire up their team and change pressure etc. As the team that leads you probably don't make too many changes because things are working. Then as the game unfolds the oppo changes might be having some effect and we back our guys in to stay the course and finish the job. We almost NEVER make a change in this circumstance. Yet in the Saints game we were around 9 goals up at half time and lost the second half. In the Brisbane game a couple of weeks back we lost the second half after being around 10 goals up. Whilst we all like to bask in a big win its actually really poor that we don't use these opportunities to experiment a little or try something to snuff out an oppo comeback. And of course as the year went on we became known as a poor last quarter and second half team. Any coach worth his salt would be saying keep the pressure up they will break. The Sydney second half pressure was immense (over 200) as was the Brisbane second half pressure (over 190) Even in the Geelong game it was blindingly obvious in the first half that we were trying to break tackles and failing, turning the ball over under pressure and oblivious to the Geelong tactic of smashing May's kick ins fwd about 10-15m away from our crumbers. No changes were made We sowed the seeds of our own doom and more to the point suggests that Goodwin cant coach on match day.

This is my problem with Goodwin. He like many here identified the issues we have bit he was unable to fix them. Aside from putting Gawn and the Petracca forward what else did he do? he had ample opportunity to experiment against the WCE and North. He wanted to bank the wins though and backed his players to fix it onfield which they didn't /couldnt do. We blooded 1 new player Turner for 1 game and Dunstan for a couple. Many players went backwards including Lever, Rivers, Salem, Spargo, ANB, Jackson, I am struggling to see who improved? Maybe Brayshaw and Viney. Stubborn Simon wears this and needs to fox it.

Total waste. I along with many others are furious at our lack of progression and development At least 8 players went backwards. Maybe only Brayshaw and Viney showed improvement. BBB is cooked, Salem, Rivers, Jackson, ANB, Sparrow, Spargo, Lever all well below best levels. We blooded 2 new players - Dunstan and Turner for 1 game Game style was cooked all year. Stagnant ball movement, trying to manage leads and maybe only 4 games where we played a good 4 quarters. And a coaching staff that was clueless Not one single positive thing to say about this season.

Really? Your memory is shot. BBBs best years or "salad days" were when he kicked over 60 goals - 2017, 2018 and 2019..... Larkey played 2 games in 2017 and kicked 0 goals, didn't play in 2018 and in 2019 kicked 26 goals from 12 games.

One answer to this is that the first half is not the same as the 2nd half. And by that I mean opp coaches make changes. When leading you re less likely to make changes. And when opp coaches make changes to their structure, ball movement, pressure etc we were unable to deal with it. Totally static in the coaches box and we try to manage leads. And once a side knows their opponent can be beaten in the 2nd half it becomes self-fulfilling when they 'get a sniff' . We are the champions of keeping opposition in games because we never put the foot down. We try to manage leads. Its infuriating. In our last in-season game against Brisbane they won the second half. What message do you think Fagan gave to his players at half time? Last night we gave up 5 goals I think in the final minute of each quarter. WTF is that?

That should be the last game BBB ever plays for Melbourne He's not the sole reason we lost but he is finished. JVR or Joel Smith would have provided a better target. He is like a mechano man in molasses AND with concrete hands And as for Goodwin waiting until the last 5 minutes of the season to move Petty forward.....hang your head in shame. Censors won't let me say what I really think Goodwin admitted in his presser that he knows we were beaten the same way on at least 6 occasions after failing to defend a solid lead AND that we were run down with the worst last quarter record bar WCE and NM AND that he was unable to do anything about it 'in season'. Total wasted season. Not one positive to take away from that garbage we endured bar maybe 3 or 4 games. Can' t think of a player that improved (maybe Viney and Brayshaw) but there are at least 8 who went backwards including Sparrow, ANB, Spargo, BBB, Lever, Jackson, Rivers, Salem, It has been said repeatedly that our inability to finish off sides would kill us and it has destroyed us. What a horrible end to a frustrating season. Heads should roll.

Its possible these were allocated as finals series tickets to other clubs and returned

That is disgraceful. And mostly shallow wide entries

Every day of the week, They know by now his running patterns and where he will be. get the ball in his hand he is a maestro

Gawn has kick more than 10 goals in a season 4 times out of 11 seasons. In those seasons he has kicked 12g 14b 16g 17b 13g 12b 16g 11b He is not a fwd.

Demonstrably untrue

Some people have been paying premium memberships for 16 years that guarantees a finals ticket. They have seen maybe 3. Is that fair?

Not if you read these boards they don't

But they tell you with religious certainty sea levels will rise 2cm in 100 years....

I dont think you can point to one game where Goodwn has made wholesale changes such as those you are suggesting. Its not his DNA. And he certainly won't do it in an elimination final. He will back in his players to improve. Thats just how he is.

Both Tracc and Melksham lean way too far back when they kick it. Its a recipe for disaster. I can't believe Stafford hasnt picked up on that. Look at TMac. Keeps his head over the ball, runs straight at the target and raises his leg straight and high. He 'places' the ball on his foot rather than drops it. He doesn't twirl the ball around either. Its infuriating they haven't copied him when he has been successful. BBB aint bad either.

Theres a lot of recency bias in your post Tony. Its unbelievably hard for a small fwd to kick 40 goals in a season. Elliot has never kicked 40 goals in a season His highest has been 35 (in 9 seasons) Papley has kicked 40 goals in a season once (in 7 seasons) Stengle has kicked 46 g this season. His highest previously has been 8 in a season (in 4 seasons) Cyril kicked 40 goals in a season twice (in 11 seasons) and is considered one of the greatest ever If Kozzie picket kicks 1 more goal this year he will have kicked 40 goals in a season twice. Kozzie is a ripper. He is 21 yo.

If you look at the still in the video of the draft positions you will see that we had in order, Rowell, Jackson, Green and Young

Its the stupid ticketing system

We have won 12 in a row on the road I thought...

In contrast the Swans kicked goals out of their jackson. Hayward from the boundary 50m, Lloyd off one step on the boundary , Rowbottom a dump kick that bounced over our defenders heads, Papley kicked a quick snap out of a pack from 50m. Plus the 3 goals we gifted them from 50m penalties. And the goal Gawn gifted them kicking across goal Thats 9 of their goals. We weren't that bad

And whats worse is that the AFL blame Ticketek and Ticketek say its the AFL allocation policy they have nothing to do with it. Classic BS beauracracy