praha

Like most of us, Goodwin could see it coming. I switched off halfway through the third. Watched the first 4 minutes of the 4th... North was looking for a scalp. Good on them. They weren't nearly as bad last year as their win:loss record shows. They turned a corner yesterday. I'm happy for their supporters. We all know what that was like. Yesterday for them was probably like our win against Hawthorn in 2016. That was our turning point as a club.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but this post gives me early-2007 vibes. We are right on the cusp of a capitulation as a club and have been since September 15 2023.

I genuinely feel for Goodwin. I just can't see it anymore. It was probably an opportunity for him to step aside at the end of last season. If he leaves during the season then it ruins the rest of the year. Things could well turn around. But just too much has gone wrong

This is...odd?

We didn't fluke it, no. But everything went right for us, as is often the case when winning the flag. It was a good year not to have injuries. Teams' football departments were decimated with half of staff let go for the season. Throw on top having to manage players, travel, and injuries while in and out of lockdowns and playing in bubbles, and everything clicked for us in that regard. Post-COVID and things back to normal... we went from being on a level playing field with the "big boys" to going back to be pretty typical "Melbourne", which is uninspiring and no plan b.

Goodwin has never transitioned out of development mode. We are always "learning".

I've seen enough.

Howes hasn't won a single contest.

Our pressure is really poor. So many players that stop when the possession is lost.

I really don't know what people expect. North is on the way up, we are lingering in neutral. You just knew that this was going to he a season of unknowns based on how the club spoke about the season. It was all pretty low-key, timid stuff. People need to temper their expectations.

Caleb Daniel is side stepping like a superstar.

Howes and McDonald bothing trying to outdo each other's ineptness.

This is a [censored] game. We just aren't fun to watch.

Having Spargo and Salem deliver the ball inside 50 helps. Doesn't happen enough at the MCG.

Jefferson gives me Weiderman vibes.

There's going to be a few upsets early in the season. I reckon the ladder at Round 10 is going to look very different to the ladder at the end of the season.

This might be a 100 point margin.

Essendon and Carlton are the biggest wannabe clubs. Carlton were only ever good because they had money. Essendon benefited from awesome zoning and a once-in-a-generation coach. They haven't won a final without Sheedy since 1968. Just horrific. It's somehow better to be a Saints support in 2025 if you were born this century.

*sigh* okay I'll read Essendon BigFooty.

I am also starting to dislike McRae. He has an arrogance about him. But you have taken him out of context. I heard it as him simply stating fact; that he would assume that it would get looked at simply for the fact it was a punch to the face and a player needed stitches. i don't think he was being smart or anything.

Some truly fascinating contests. Crows are a really smokey this year for me. Should be a good game. Port will pump Richmond but will be intriguing after last week. As for Saints and Cats... well I go for any team that plays Geelong so let's just hope St Kilda doesn't out-St Kilda itself.

There's a demons app?

The difference last night was their big bodies and experience namely Howe and Sidebottom in that last quarter. We really struggle against small quick teams, who smack us in transition. McRae is a good coach that plays Collingwood to its strengths. Voss and Goodwin could both learn a thing or two especially for close games. I saw a stat that said Collingwood is like 20 wins 4 losses in games decided by less than a goal under McRae. I checked Goodwin's stats and he is like 15 wins 20 losses in those games since 2017. Not a great record. We have always struggled in close games under Goodwin. Collingwood might have lost big against GWS but they adjusted quickly. We lost to Freo by 90 last year and never recovered. It really spooked us. So the moral of my story is that I wouldn't compare us to Collingwood. Yet.

That was an awful umpiring display.

Quite the match.