Adam The God

Jesus. I just had a look at his numbers. I knew he was breaking distance records, but I had no idea he was averaging 26 touches. Incredible. I try to avoid footy when Melbourne lose, so haven't watched much other football this season.

It was always going to catch up with Hawthorn, their lack of top picks over a string of years. They haven't got enough talent in their team. Ironically, their game style is much better suited to the 'G than Tassie. They'll run rings around us next week, despite having a weak midfield. Their game style is so much better, particularly on the MCG. The thing about Clarkson is they'll always be on the fringe of the 8 or the top 4, because of Clarkson's ability to establish a system that enables him to bring in average players to play 'system'. Their ability to rebuild will be based on trading and shrewd recruiting, because they won't have many top 10 picks.

Of course, but it's not a good look and to me, he doesn't need to say anything. We need to get better on the field.

I recall one mark. He may have taken more. But I recall him turning it over by foot twice coming out of defence. Still taps to dangerous areas in our defensive 50 too often, IMO.

I disagree with the notion that he's damned if he stays quiet or damned if he says something. I've been saying for a while now, STFU, Max. Stop banging on in the media. He's not damned if he doesn't write an article in the Herald Sun. FCS, he doesn't have to write anything! Focus on getting better, not writing bloody articles.

The system is broken and our efficiency inside 50 is diabolical. These two things are no longer fitness issues. We're 6 weeks into the season now. I bought it for the first 2 to 3 weeks, you're alluding to even 4 weeks, that time is now up. We're still butchering the footy or playing directly into the hands of our opponents too often from the get go in games for this to be a fitness issue.

Yeah, but even including the Richmond game where we barely laid a tackle in the forward 50, we're third for tackles inside 50 in the competition. We've been tackling. Our problem is we never convert our territorial dominance. Bizarrely, we spanked Geelong for territorial dominance. They were just way better at using it inside 50, helped by our high press.

Unfortunately, it's not just our forwardline. Our midfield is culpable for the poor delivery too.

I reckon we need to improve our system and recruit players who compliment what we're trying to do with that system. That's how we'll bounce back IMO.

Last year we converted more chances and were better structured in our forward half and we hit targets inside. Now that we're not converting our midfield dominance and failing to put scoreboard pressure on, we're losing games. As simple as that. Having said that, I agree with your call RE game plan having always been suspect. I'm over it and we need to adjust.

It's pretty clear that the players and coaches have no idea why we're not winning. Gawn is still banging on about defence. Yeah, it'd help us if we were better defensively, but what's killing us is our forward connection and our ability to hit the scoreboard. It worries me that he and the rest of the coaching staff apparently don't see this. We're second for clearances and CPs and third for tackles inside 50, but last for efficiency inside 50 and DE. So it's blatantly obvious that if we were more efficient in our attack, this would cover our weaker defence (as it did in 2017 and 2018). Further, if you're attacking, it means the other team can't. Whatsmore, scoreboard pressure seems to be a dangerously underrated factor here. Whenever we fail to convert our forward half dominance and eventually leak a goal out the back, it's like a psychological knife through our hearts. Are coaches and players on the same page here? It seems Goodwin is saying it's forward connection and Gawn, the representative for the players, is saying it's defence.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/jordan-lewis-puts-melbourne-players-mind-on-the-job-after-bing-win-against-west-coast/news-story/eae39a2f331e99ecd0288957c0e4bfd3 https://www.google.com/amp/s/coupler.foxsports.com.au/api/v1/article/amp/afl/afl-2018-james-harmes-lifts-the-lid-on-the-email-that-set-the-tone-for-melbourne/news-story/c9d87c489445df79dcbd8ff942601927

Whilst I think we'll finish in the bottom 3 or bottom if our form continues, it's fascinating going through the league-wide statistics. We're in the top half on most stats and are second for CPs and clearances (and third for Inside 50s). Conversely and tellingly, we're dead-last for DE and Efficiency Inside 50. It may seem like an easy solution. Clean up forward entries and disposal, and we start to look like a top 8 side again. However, the question really is, how much is our system enabling our dominance in CPs and clearances? Because if our system is the reason for that dominance, time in 2019 won't help us when we look for ways to change our downward momentum. But if we can change system and maintain our CP and clearance dominance, we would stand a chance of playing finals, especially with May and Lever returning, along with half forwards Hannan and VDB. I have no faith that the system will be completely revamped mid-season, nor do I believe it can be. That said, the example of Clarkson shifting gear in 2010 gives me some hope. And a few other points. - Fritsch needs to play on a wing. He's hopeless anywhere else. - Incredibly we'll be third for Tackles Inside 50 by the end of the round. This is majorly influenced by the forward half game we play. - can we maintain solid team defence with 6-6-6 and attack with weight of numbers on the press and use the ball better entering forward 50 on the slingshot?

That really depends on whether we can bounce back next year or not.

We'll lose by a similar margin that we did on ANZAC Day Eve. I've fallen pretty quickly to 7, but I oscillate between 7 and 2. That's part of the MFCSS crap, following Melbourne teams every week for 30+ years.

I can't seem to find a link to support this, but I could have sworn since signing May, the Club had said we've still got money in the cap to target another FA at the end of 2019. I'd say Jones' 2014 contract is almost certainly heavily front-loaded and I doubt his retirement will free up much coin, nor would Lewis' likely front-loaded contract.

Absolutely. We had a bit of a reputation in 2017 of being trash talkers (ala GWS - notice they haven't made a GF either), hence Goodwin's constant calls in 2018 of being humble. I reckon we got ahead of ourselves at the back end of 2017. That's cultural and the fact that Lewis has to send an email around to the players to ensure they stayed on target, that to me, speaks volumes for the rest of the leaders and the culture inside the club. It follows that not a great deal has changed. Let's be clear though. This is not the only issue at play with our poor form.

The fact Jones is experienced is what's kept him in the side. Not his leadership. He's an incredibly poor onfield leader. His head drops immediately, he doesn't rally the troops and in fact, often contributes to a rot setting in. Or like in the case of the St Kilda game, starting the rot, with the first clearance, he kicks long into the arms of a waiting defender. Yep, this was trotted out at the end of last year by Fifty-5 and co, whose nostalgia clearly got the better of them. He's past it. Most keen footy observers would concur, except for a few Melbourne supporters.

We couldn't really hide him in the second half of the season either. Those of us who watched him without the rose coloureds on were saying he should have hung them up at the end of last year, because he no longer had a place on the field.

It's funny how many Collingwood and Carlton mates have said to me in the last few days, 'what the hell is ANZAC Day Eve'. Are you [censored] serious? We're completely out of sight, out of mind. Those two clubs are pretty bloody arrogant though.

Agree with this mate, but there is a line. He doesn't have to be negative by simply admitting facts or reality. 1-5 is not a good place to be in and there's reasons for that. Supporters are trying to examine the reasons for the marked drop in results. You can't just stick your head in the sand and call yourself a loyalist. Well, you can, but it also devalues your opinion, or it should. And being loyal is fine, but to whom? The club or to some players or staff who Saty may think are his mates? I'd much prefer loyalty to the club and that sometimes means calling it how it is. It's always rose-coloured glasses with Saty.

I reckon we'll struggle to just under 45,000 next year.

I completely agree with this, because they're not going to drop the captain and Jones has a hardened body, but his form is embarrassing and as I said for most of last year, he shouldn't have gone around again in 2019. But because he has and we're no longer in finals contention, we may as well let him play in the guts. That's his go.

He's a turn over merchant with one gear. Get ball and kick long to a contest. The single most overrated player to ever wear a Melbourne guernsey. And I agree with a lot of what you say mate, but to say he carried our midfield last year at any point in time is laughable. But any post questioning Nathan's ability is always shut down on here and on any of those ridiculous Facebook groups. A protected species.

Well, I wouldn't pay it.