praha

Yes no doubt. However there is still our "chain" play. We turn the ball over at important places and guys like Cameron love those fast entries from opposition turnovers. We need to do a lot more than convert our shots against GWS.

Every area is "historic" in context, Neil. We allow cars to park every week on this "historic" parkland. I've lived in East Melbourne and have been privy to the community events, meetings and whatnot. These are people that spend weeks debating whether or not an alleyway down a backstreet should be named after a madam that used to own a brothel during WW2. It is a bubble of a suburb where its long-term residence live in delusion that the world surrounds them, rather than them being part of the world. You couldn't find a more isolated and self-important group of people if you tried. Turning a small part of the park into an oval with a thin layer of metal pole fencing isn't going to "change the historic layout". Nor is a building over railway tracks. If I learned anything while living in the area it's that if we listened to absolutely everything the inner-city champagne socialists spew, we'd likely still be getting around in horse and carriage.

Unfortunately loges, we haven't been "on" all season. Even our best game of the week last week saw us turn the ball over more than any other time this year, with more players producing clangers than any other time. And we lost. This is going to be a low-scoring mess of a game. No doubt we can win this but I just don't see it.

clubs taking 0 chances these days. even one symptom such as night sweats or maybe just some forgetfulness and the club will define it as a concussion symptom.

I can already see what happens. We push him around and get stuck into him all game.. Gawn and Preuss get the better of him all game. On the scoreboard, GWS maintains a consistent 4-5 goal lead from midway through the second term. In the last we peg it back to 2 goals with 10 minutes remaining. We get the clearance, go forward, but fluff it. GWS get the quick transition, fed by silky handpasses and prestine kicks through the centre and across the flanks. A long, driving kick forward towards a forming pack. In comes Mumford, who takes the strong pack mark. Gawn and Preuss are no where to be found. Mumford goes back, kicks the the goal, and the fat lady starts singing. It is our destiny. Look into your heart. You know it to be true.

Agreed. Jones, Lewis probably done by end of 2019. In 1999 we could barely field a side. Remember White having a bad start to the year after getting a leg infection or something. Farmer had an off year, just couldn't get going.

I like your positivity but objectively it is just not our year. We are consistently poor in the same areas and have the worst percentage in the league. We are at least 7 weeks away from all current best 22 players on the injured list being ready for selection. We are playing three Finals locks across the next three weeks. We were ok on Friday night against a pretty average Eagles team that is good enough to win when it plays poorly. We still have too many VFL quality depth players that reflect a consistent theme of poor quality kicking. We may finish the year strong but we are very far off being even remotely finals caliber atm. GWS speed and foot skills will absolutely tear us up on the weekend. It will be an effort in margin minimisation.

The difference overall was class. Oliver is oozing it, so is Gawn, Hore and Salem both have it. Outside of that, however, and you have a lot of solid role players and a handful of VFL (at best) hack jobs like Stretch and, on current form, Fritsch. Stretch has been solid this year but if he's in your team you've got serious depth issues. People carry on about guys like Omac and Frost, but seem to forget some of the complete hack jobs that take place across half forward and the middle of the ground that constantly put our defenders under pressure, and that Fritsch effort in the last quarter leading to the Gawn hanger is the best proof: over-handballs, lazy non-tackles, dropped marks. It all returned in the last quarter after a very slick and fast first three quarters. And the biggest culprits in the last were with usual suspects: Stretch, Jones, Brayshaw, Fritsch, Garlett. I can give Brayshaw a pass for now but he's quickly becoming a downhill skier: on when we're on, but if we're off as a team his skills become a huge liability. Even if we kick straight, eventually all of those errors and hacks start becoming a factor: they pile up, and good teams with experience know exactly when to pounce. Melbourne of 2004-2006 was very much like that. I remember quite a few games where we would be hounded and beaten all game and then pop up for a blistering last quarter with the experienced heads popping up. We are relying on sub-100 game players to turn the tide and win games for us. We are still quite far off having that core 150-game group that most great teams have.

We have regressed to dumb 2019 football.

100%. But he's been a liability for a while.

Hopefully he can adapt. We really don't need another Stretch. Although Billy has been solid tonight.

Jones has gone zero core strength. Someone breathes on his and his kick is fluffed. Frost with the tackle of the year.

Poor marking by our midfielders there.

Marty Hore is Steven Febey 2.0.

Our hands have looked good. Hating that we're letting Willie "Stubbie" Rioli look like a superstar.

If we win tonight I honestly wouldn't care if we miss finals. I mean, I would, but it would be a spectacular "[censored] you" to the football world, which has fixated on our seasob failures thus far. Victories under these circumstances build character and teams.

Can't you just provide a summary?

Where in my post did I put the blame on Goodwin? I simply said, this is the type of game great coaches win. And all three of those mentioned were winning games like this in their third seasons. Clarkson had a team that finished second last in 2004 and got them playing finals in his 3rd year and winning a flag by his 4th. It's not do or die for Goodwin, but great coaches find a way. I personally can't see it happening but it's a huge test for Goodwin and a great stepping stone in his coaching development. We will see what he's made of tonight.

Goodwin is going to have to coach the house down. How is our depth? Just how good a coach can Goodwin be? This is the type of game Clarkson's and Malthouses and Matthews would win. I can't see it happening but it'd be special. Thinking as objectively as possible if West Coast doesn't bury us, I doubt they'll make finals this year. Outside of their match against Collingwood they've looked average. But so have we.

Sam Lowson.

Gee whiz, talk about saying a lot without saying much.

True although only Jetta, Hannan and AVB would probably walk into last week's side. Maybe Weideman. MAAAAAAYBE Tyson and JKH.

Because it is an awful 2 minutes of football. Not only do we gift the Suns easy transition after multiple fumbles, hospital handpasses and the standard Melbourne 2019 crap, our key forward drops an uncontested mark and ends up with a consolation prize behind by just throwing his leg into the air. Make no mistake if any 2 minute period epitomizes where we are at, it is those 2 minutes. Only Melbourne could make a win look so bad. We are far and away the worst team in the comp atm that is scrapping together wins. Our % is a reflection of this. The amount of ball we won vs our scoring output shows how far we have regressed. And the last two minutes had it all on show.

Just watched the last 2 minutes. I wish I hadn't.

How many games have you watched?