praha

Not a good crowd...

Forgot to put my tips in. Go Pies!

Just can't see us losing, and I have to wonder if we'd all be as pedantic with Goodwin's ins and outs if we had not lost the past 17 games or whatever to this mob. Anyone would think we're playing a Prelim. And yes I am aware I'm part of the problem.

Tagging players like Oliver or Mitchell is imo lazy coaching and lazy defensive tactics. The more effective way to stifle their influence is to zone in on stoppages and not allow an easy exit. Oliver has the best hands in close in the league imo, he always finds a target. Tagging him is pointless because the very trait of his game style is to win the hard ball. It's why I think our matches against Sydney and Hawthorn will be the true test for this team. This game should be an afterthought and we should easily take care of them. Take care of business, build some confident, put an end to an embarrassing hoodoo, and get ready for the real challenge a week later. We should destroy North by 10 goals.

North always destroys us in the air so let's drop our second key forward, and replace him with a key defender and a small forward. BRILLIANT.

Needs some time in the VFL. Hasn't been the same player since he was knocked out last year.

Interesting...although Rioli has literally won many a game off his own boot. He takes game for his own in a way Garlett does not. Saturday was an elite performance by Garlett, but I feel this is an unfair comparison. Rioli can be quiet for 2-3 games, and then shows up in the big ones. His match against Sydney in 2016 at the SCG being one.

I'm far more confident going into games against contested ball winning sides, than I am quick sides. I think we have the best inside mids and forwards in the game. We are an 8-10 goal better side than North if you're going to directly compare inside grunt. My only concern is rebound 50s. If we can improve our transition, no reason why we can't pummel them into the ground.

Except I'm not talking about when Weiderman is ready. I'm talking about now as it currently stands. Obviously Weeds will last longer than Pederson seeing as Cam is like 32 years old?

Not what we need.

I've lost some respect for the Demonland faithful based on some comments about Pederson. If you can't see his contribution, you have rocks in your head. Zero chance Pederson gets directly replaced by Weeds. Pederson is respected by opposition defenders, as such he demands a key defender. This has allowed Hogan to thrive. Pederson is an incredibly smart and instinctive player, and is an asset to the current team structure. Dropping him would be a huge mistake. Teams know he has the capacity to kick 3-4 goals, can take a contested mark, has pace, can tackle, and has very good vision. Dare I say teams are more focused on defending Pederson than Hogan, because they know that Hogan naturally floats through the middle at random points. As it stands, he adds complexity to our forward line structure. Replacing him with an inexperienced, one dimensional (as it stands) player in Weiderman would be bordering on tanking. By all means, bring in Weeds. But not at the expense of Pederson.

Last year we dismissed it and said the hoodoo was a non issue. Goodwin made an effort to say it was in the past and had no relevance. If we can't win when we dismiss it, then saying the opposite must mean we win. "If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."

The club needs ongoing revenue opportunities. Bulldozing a revenue generating venue for immediate financial gain probably isn't the best move.

I know what point you're trying to make, but this isn't the best way to make it.

With feel good hugs and the pleasure that comes with knowing we no longer support gambling. Obviously.

I'm all outta patience. I have plenty of angst, though.

That was at etihad.

Lost my [censored] after this match. Undoubtedly the game that cost us a finals spot.

Why? No player hits a target with a handball and breaks up a stoppage as good as him. There is a reason why we are so good in that area. His hands are as good in traffic as I've ever seen.

Willing to give them until mid season. They've struggled in patches against quick teams. But they've still held their own for 6 of 8 quarters. Lets see how they go against Sydney, Hawthorn, teams that build their gameplan around the contested ball.

So both Port and Melbourne had a somewhat ineffective forward this weekend. Is that your point?

I think it raises some questions about Goodwin's coaching ability, and he's still learning how to adjust mid-quarter and take more risks. I suspect guys like Hogan, with more run in the middle, will help in throwing the opposition off and stemming these runs. Time will tell. Today was worse than last week imo because we were so far ahead, and never really left second gear even when he hit 40 points up. Given the conditions, I think it's only fair we put off the doomsday talk for another week. I think North is far more dangerous than Brisbane because they have fewer gaping holes across the ground than the Lions do. We can't afford to give them a quarter where they outscore us by 5, 6 or 7 goals. They won't buckle from that. And given the conditions we've just played in, I fear we won't be able to bounce back and have the legs to hold off and survive an onslaught. Next week will be very interesting.

Coaches did not look impressed. mccartney gave Goodwin a death stare.

I don't know whether to feel worse for Fagan, or Melbourne supporters.

omg..