praha

I want him to be scathingly honest.

People attribute the "line in the sand game" as one of the defining moments in Hawthorn's revival, when it wasn't. The reality is that a young, inexperienced side took it up to the opposition, not with physically intimidating football, but with physical intimidation, period. The Bombers had been belting the Hawks all day and as soon as Hawthorn had a sniff, their emotions got the best of them, brawls started, and Essendon ended up kicking 14 of the last 20 goals after already being up 6 goals. Melbourne has brought it for a few quarters this year -- the physically intimidating football you need to play for 4 quarters -- but it has been soundly beat each time, just as Hawthorn was that day. Melbourne is about 3-4 years behind the Hawthorn team of 2004, which was in the 2nd year of its rebuild. Neeld can crap on about "lines in the sand" but it doesn't matter how rough you are: the better team will always win. Melbourne's only chance this year is if teams like GC, GWS, Saints, Bulldogs, maybe Crows, nod off for 20 minutes or so near the end of the game. This would of course follow Melbourne's own quarter lapse, which would need to have happened before the opposition's lapse. I am not confident there will be any Essendon 2012-caliber wins this year. Let's focus on actually getting and developing players like Campbell Brown, Vandenberg, Bateman, Holland, Williams in the team before we start pushing the "play a line in the sand game herp derp".

Howe's kicking has improved out of sight.

Throw in Scully.

What did he say about the current club and organisation?

Every. Single. Melbourne. Player. Is. Like. That. I'm not big on Watts but that's nitpicking. It's like that at evert kick-in, no matter who is presenting. Sometimes I think people fail to actually understand how bad this team is.

I can't fathom how he could get another week to prove himself if they lose by almost/more than 100 points again? What would beating GC prove? If they get belted this week, he's gone.

I think a 70+-point pasting this week will do it. Bookmark it.

I'm prettttttttttty sure it reached the point of no return after the 24-goal loss. Who likes burnt cake?

McKenzie is to Bailey's legacy what Godfrey was to Daniher's.

It's being said for the public's consumption, not the players. Coaches keep it diplomatic for the club's image overall. Players don't give a [censored] about the press conference and would probably actively ignore it (and are probably structured to ignore it).

Undoubtedly the best comment in this thread.

So I assume Sylvia, Watts, Davey, Blease are all next go then? Right.

Worst stat of them all.

I think the most damning aspects represent regression, rather than progression. We HAVE improved on rounds 1-3. But that's not saying much. But the same issues - opposition transition, structures, uncontested ball count, over possession, kicking and handballng into pressure, fitness - are all present.

We beat Essendon in 2012 so I think your argument is void. We also smashed GWS by 100 points. Also, Brisbane is [censored]. Shadow of the average team it was last year.

You need to be a very defensive minded individual to implement a zone and understand the structures that keep it in place. Also, 8 new players or to, it shouldn't take 18 months for players to grasp. It shouldn't. It is truly astounding how every.single.game. under Neeld how much space the opposition gets.

Curry & Beer, I admire your optimism and positivity in regards to the team and club. Good luck with that.

They were average at best today. This is the issue mate. If you're running and tackling all day you're going to fall behind. Brisbane is a VERY average side and they PASTED the Dees in the middle. Their transition out of defense was nothing short of deplorable on Melbourne's behalf. If you thought that spread was good, you were watching the wrong game. They would get it out and turn around and have a clear, open target pretty much every time. The structures are truly awful. The rebound is decent at best but players still don't run hard enough. I am really worried, on the edge of delusion, as to how badly this team is going to get an absolute belting next week. Undoubtedly one of the worst midfields, or at least one of the worst midfield structures, I have ever seen. My god, I never knew how bad we were. Brisbane slammed us today. Straight kicking saved us and once again leaders didn't stand up. "If Sylvia had kicked that goal" ... Erm, yeah. But he didn't.... Brace yourselves for next week.

The Eagles went through internal turmoil, bad injuries to good players and a short down time. They also had many a premiership, experienced player on their list. The thing with a club like the Eagles is they simply don't stand for mediocrity, and three years down the bottom is enough for them, no excuses. We seem to justify poor performance with a rebuild, but it is only a rebuild if you actually, you know, rebuild. Which Melbourne hasn't. It has regressed spectacularly.

It's a good team of schoolboy superstars with no confidence nor the capacity to take it up to flying AFL sides. They'll get their eventually but confidence is low for this team to play well when it truly matters. Until they start showing up against teams that are more than 2 years old, I'll lack confidence. Sunday's win was fun but I quickly came back to reality and realised that if it were 2010, we'd have won only 1 game out of the past 26 and Neeld would most certainly be out of a job. IMO GC and GWS have saved his job.

Stuff it: it's great news.

Playing devil's advocate: he yanked the kick.

Watching the last quarter last week, it is astonishing the increase in intensity, the capacity at which the players had to get free, the attack at the ball. Don't tell me "it's only GWS" because that was an uncanny turnaround.

Based on round 1-4: Sylvia for a top 20 pick Watts for a top 40 pick Assuming we get a priority pick: Package Sylvia pick, Watts pick, picks 1 & 2 for anyone in the top 30 here that is <28 years old, but >24: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/mikes-top-50-2013/20-11 1. Trade players that haven't lived up to potential 2. Use draft picks to trade for established star player 3. ?????? 4. Profit I call it the "Paul McNamee Theory Of Success".