praha

Dropping any of JKH Hannan and ANB would be silly. Our forward line struggled in general so unless we're bringing in half forward players it's pointless dropping them for one bad game. Jones and Vince for Trengove and Hogan obvious outs, maybe one of the aforementioned for Maynard.

There were some big non-calls but I felt the calls against us were mostly there. We tackled poorly all day and gave away probably 4-5 in the back frees from a tackle, 2 at pivotal moments in the 4th. I think we got super frustrated. At one moment the camera paned to a visibly frustrated Petracca who had only seconds early missed a tackle and been brushed aside. We tackled lazily and got punished for it. Definitely not why we lost.

Why? It's a nightmare.

I find it weird that Goodwin goes out of his way to say past records are irrelevant. I think it's something he has to learn and evolve in terms of his personality. Saying it's irrelevant is patronising towards a fan base that has to put up with it. Losing against a team for ten years should alone be motivation to fuel a win, let alone cementing a spot in Finals. Maybe I'm being old fashioned but giving a rev up and making it a line in the sand moment helps establish culture. We went from one extreme of being too celebratory of our history under the Schwab years, to being purposefully and actively oblivious to our recent failures. I'd have thought that acknowledging the past and wanting to address it was better than pretending it doesn't exist at all. Most of the team has never beaten North. We should have made a stand and stood up to prove that we won't put up with losing to them any more. It's one mistake Goodwin has made this year. Maybe I'm being picky. I think yesterday was less about structural deficiencies and more about failing to rise to the occasion, the occasion of planting a foothold on a finals spot, and beating a team that has bullied us for a decade. That has [censored] me off more than anything. I really hate hearing the club saying past records don't matter. When you're playing for something and haven't beaten a team for a decade, it *DOES* mean something. The really tragedy of yesterday was not Hogan going down, or our tackling deficiency, or inability to score with a gale wind behind us. It was that it may have cost us a finals spot, and that it happened against a team that looks down on us. We haven't had our line in the sand moment yet. Yesterday should have been it. It's a "two steps back" moment. That's not taking anything away from North who are grossly underrated. But we played like a team that didn't seem to care. We don't care about our record against North. But you can bet your first born that North celebrates that record, and that they'd have been laughing at us last night.

They played like millionaires today. Didn't respect the opposition. The fact North players could get a handball off almost every time after a tackle is a major indictment on the gameplan and our contested ball. That may well be the worst loss of the season. I really hope the wheels don't fall off here. But that tackling effort is something that has persisted for a while. Love or hate the Scott bros., they are smart, and North exploited that today. Won't take long for other teams too. If we lose next week, that's pretty much lights out for finals considering the form of the teams around us, and some of their draws. I am absolutely gutted at that effort. The tackling just had me gobsmacked all day. I threw my phone on the ground three times.

I'm gobsmacked.

We are playing like we just expect to win because we have the win.

Can't believe we haven't kicked a goal yet. Worst performance of the Year.

This is not North. This is 100% Melbourne playing dumb, lazy football.

North winning important ball here. They want to win this so bad.

That is holding the ball every day.

Dumb dumb dumb.

We will lose on the back of poor two way running and shocking defensive accountability including tackling.

OMGGGGGGG

How dumb are our players? Watts told to play on with a gale force wind and stops to look for a target across the ground. Fmd.

Can't see us winning this. Regardless of the weather our efforts, structure and disposals have been awful. Tackling is not AFL standard and hasn't been for a month. North simply want it more.

If we lose today our tackling pressure will come under intense scrutiny. I've never seen so many broken tackles. It takes 3-4 tackles to stick one bloke

That's the one part of his game Harmes needs to improve in. Goals on the run.

That's 4 "professional" free kicks today.

The wind has nothing to do with it We regress into dumb football in an effort to minimise scoring. This has been awful to watch.

Still can't get over that Lewis kick out. Broken phone from throwing it and a Hogan collarbone. I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

I just threw my phone on the floor and cracked it. That Lewis kick out was pathetic.

Use the first God damn option! Fmd.

That was Oscar's fault.

ONE MORE!