Adam The God

Look, TBH, I'm right there with you, mate. Not sure if you're joking, but if you're not, I reckon the Blues have fixed their spine in the last 3 years (their forwardline is going to be seriously dangerous in 2-3 years). I have major questions over their engine room, but they have just about the best mid in the game and unlike us, they have some zip to their midfield. I wonder how much having Roos in control for the time we had him, played into our drafting for certain needs. Surely it had a huge impact. The one knock on Sydney for years has been their lack of pace and you'd have to say we've gone hard after a certain type of inside bull and neglected pace. Sydney were always thereabouts, but they only won two flags (of course I'd take this record!) and missed a bunch of times, despite finishing in the top 4 for however many years. It's worth questioning this Roos influence. I don't believe you need an array of A graders with pace on your list. I believe you need role players that offer the team a bit of balance though. We clearly don't have this. We've been able to paper over our leg-speed deficiencies because it's more about speed of ball movement, but in actual fact, the modern game still requires great leg-speed. @Redleg If you look at how Richmond implement their forward half pressure, it's all about speedy smalls. If you look at how Collingwood implement their control style from the back, it's all about having players that have the pace to get into space on the wide expanses of the MCG. But let's be up front about this here. It'll make me feel better. Where are the holes in our list that you see, @rjay?

I had a perfect view of that Gawn dropped mark that lead to St Kilda's first goal. He certainly took his eyes off it as you say, but it actually would have been an uncontested mark. The St Kilda player wasn't as close to him as he thought. In fact, from memory, Preuss or another Melbourne player was closer to him. And yeah, that's ridiculous. I didn't realise they'd been off that long. Salem had just started providing good outside run in the second and Gus was our second best player behind Harmes to that point in the game. Are they trying to manage loads within game? I have no idea, but if not, it's mindnumbingly stupid coaching. I'm certainly not writing off Goodwin, but our structures are a mess and his chaos game style is already outdated. Surely, watching the two Grand Finalists from last year, who both play control football, spanking the other two preliminary finalists, who both play chaos football, was enough for Goodwin to realise the Beveridge / Hardwick chaos game could be too easily beaten? Maybe it's revisionist commentary, but it could be viewed that Goodwin was incredibly arrogant to think that with our interrupted and shortened pre season, we could replicate the midfield dominance of 2018 and that no other side would improve. There is certainly a danger of comparing game styles of other sports with AFL, because all games are different, however I would argue the prevailing game style of repeated champions in not only the AFL but soccer, is the control game style. Spread the field as wide as possible and stretch the defence, allowing holes to open up in the defensive structure, before going into these pockets behind the defence at pace. I know Goodwin is a fan of international sports, so I hope he is paying notice to what Man City and Liverpool are doing in England, because it's exactly what West Coast and Collingwood did last year. West Coast play on the counter with speedy ball movement (controlling from their superior defence) and Collingwood chip the ball around and then go in behind the defence with pace like City do. Obviously, this is an oversimplification of game style, but chaos caught teams out for two years and it's now been figured out. It's dead. Time to move on, Goody. What I found interesting for a portion of yesterday's game was that we tried control from the back. We tried to flick a switch from chaotic to control, but what would happen is we'd eventually handball after kicking across our backline for a bit, and usually this handball would go to say Hibberd, who would then bomb it long to a contest (exactly what the opposition wanted). That contest wouldn't be deep inside 50 where we could reset and apply pressure. It would fall somewhere between centre wing and 60m out from our goal. This has to be a coaching thing. The messaging has to be 'get the ball in quick'. The problem is there's not enough nuance to that plan. And what I find staggering is that this is exactly what we were doing for large periods of last year and it wasn't working. When we started lowering the eyes and kicking shorter we'd win. We tried this a bit yesterday but our forward set up is also a joke. Melksham and Weideman are the only two forwards who lead at the ball carrier and Weideman often runs under the flight of the ball. So when we'd go short, it'd eventually break down and St Kilda's pressure was good. So I agree our team defence is terrible, but I'd add that our forward structures are hopeless too. Why is it we haven't looked at poaching coaches from the Hawthorn system? It's a coaching factory out at Glenferrie. For the record, I'll back Goodwin, unless Clarkson becomes available. ?

Yep, if Roos actually said on the post game last night that what Goodwin is implementing is an extension of what he was putting in place, I just don't buy that. Goodwin almost immediately implemented this ridiculous aggressive defensive press, which with complete midfield dominance, can and does lock the ball inside our 50 for an extended length of time. However, this almost always leads to easy opposition goals out the back. It also means that without us converting every clutch chance under pressure in our own crowded forward half, this game style has the propensity to break our back psychologically. Whenever we have dominance over a team and we fail to score in our crowded forwardline, seeing the opposition slingshot down the other end for an easy goal, is soul destroying and undoes a lot of our hard work. The game style sets us up for failure more often than not and relies on such little margin for error that it is so clearly unsustainable. This is year 3 of the aggressive press and it doesn't work without, as you say mate, world record midfield dominance. That's unsustainable. You can't expect that every week and every season. I want sustained success and I'm sure the club does too.

There was a contest at the 11 minute mark of the first quarter where he was completely out on his feet already and the St Kilda player skipped away from him. I knew we were gone then. He then spent a few passages of play in the third, when we were murdered, trying to get easy kicks in the forwardline but failing to chase. He also played a kick behind the ball a few times, that is what I presume you're referring to when say 'running defensively', but was completely caught out of position constantly. Hard with turn overs but he was playing a kick behind the play, as was Preuss on occasion. There's two things here. 1) he either has absolutely no tank due to a poor off season or 2) he's incredibly lazy and playing 'me' football. I would like to think if it was "1", he'd still be busting a gut and running himself into the ground. On the ground, it certainly doesn't appear that way to me. Off the back of last year, I was one of the posters saying Gawn could be captain material. He'd just shown that his first AA wasn't a Mark Jamar flash in the pan, but he's so inconsistent from year to year that I'd prefer he concentrate on his own game and fix that first. On this point though, leadership continues to be a major issue at Melbourne. Jones and Lewis must surely be gone at season's end, but who do we turn to for leadership? A constantly injured Jack Viney who needs to focus on his own game or someone else? I'd say Lever and Viney if either could get on the park, but we can't rely on that just yet. A lot of thinking to be done for all concerned.

Did you watch the game today, mate, or check the stats at the end again? Gawn was ordinary, I'd say he was close to terrible. He constantly dropped marks, was run off his feet at ground level (I recall one really good chase down tackle from him, otherwise zilch) and his tap work was so-so given who he was up against. The reason I will take a ping is because Gawn was out in the media flapping his tongue all off season, talking a big game, and that's all well and good if you back it up, but he hasn't. That's the bloody embarrassing part. As was being outmarked by a 192cm KPF in Membrey on the goal line. No excuses. He's a leader now and he's not bloody showing it. People are well within their right to question his leadership and output.

He played on a wing last year too.

The post is spot on, but obvious.

You can't help but think we've got a few on the ground and in the coaches box that drank a few litres of bathwater over summer.

Because Tom McDonald isn't a good backman. In fact, he's ordinary. With ball in hand in the back half, he more than not [censored] it up. I'm certainly lost as to why they keep playing a clearly injured McDonald. I can only think they're trying to protest Weideman.

Lol. Go and pop up another best 22, fella.

[censored] call. Continues to try his heart out and is creating assists for his team mates every week. Playing in our forwardline would be pretty horrible the way we bomb it in long to Preuss every time.

Another thing, half way through quarters we seem to shut up shop. That said, Gawn looked shot ten minutes into the first and couldn't run. Then there's McDonald, who can barely raise both arms and Jetta, who looks like he's carrying something (at least I hope so). Our fitness is pathetic.

Fritsch is weak in the contest, poor 1v1, a poor reader of the play, lacks positional awareness and now even his decision making by foot is beginning to fail him due to confidence. He might be able to play on a wing or play a forward role, but he's got no idea in defence and was a liability last year as well.

Great post. Post more regularly, please. I'm as despondent as you are. I was saying today that I'd liken this year more to 2012 under Neeld. We're so [censored] predictable, we play an outdated game style (chaos is dead) and our players are now completely bereft of confidence. Yes, our midfield is poor defensively, but our defence is so messy and poorly set up. We [censored] ourselves whenever the ball is on the deck; we fail to spoil; we're positionally poor in most contests; and we rarely even halve contests. Not to mention, our defence has close to no run and carry, except for an occasional run by from Hibberd (who kicks it high and long to no one) or Salem, who is one of our better players these days, but feels wasted off a half back to me.

And those two defenders we've paid a high price for can't get on the park. I hope 2020 is our year, because we've paid a lot of Jake and Steven, and they've still never played with each other.

Agree with all of this, except when it comes to trading. Do not trade out first rounders this off season, but if we can get some quick role players into our side, that could make a big difference. Isn't it ridiculous that we play in a prelim final one year and then by Round 5 we're already talking about the next season. [censored] Melbourne Football Club.

Gawn is very Melbourne too. Up one year, down the next. He's been terrible this year and was one of our worst today. He's also one of the loudest talkers off field.

Yep, I dread to think what Richmond and Hawthorn will do to us the next two weeks.

I agree it's system based and almost all about our coaching. Our forwards don't lead up at the ball and we don't lower our eyes enough entering forward 50. Collingwood are showing the way a dominant midfield (which we possess too) can play control football and wipe sides off the park. I find it staggering that we still haven't worked out how to play the G or against control footy. Our aggressive press is still just as ridiculous as it was last year and must go. I love Hibbo but he's done. I don't think we've got a dumber footballer on our list. He can't win 1v1s anymore and he literally has one game: bomb it high and long. Lewis and Jones were both done last year too. The missing ingredient to this side, as has been discussed ad nauseum, is pace. We need pace off our back flanks, on our wings and in our forward half. I think we might need some fresh ideas in the coaching ranks too. Hold onto your first bloody draft pick this time because it'll be another top 5 pick. We're not getting off the foot of the ladder this year.

Game style is done. Time to change tact. We don't have the personnel or coaching nous to make chaos footy work on the most important ground in the game. 2019 is done and dusted. Start trying some things for 2020 and play man on man, throw the press out and start again. I'll back Goodwin to turn it around, but if he sticks with the game style we won't be getting off the bottom of the ladder. The forward 50 efficiency was disgraceful today.

Oscar should not have been beaten either. Is your point Oscar and Jones are both ordinary? If so, I'd agree with you. It was the ease with which he was pushed off the contest that is what's concerning.

Just watching the replay again. Gets muscled off it by Heeney and the ball slingshots back for a Sydney goal to Ronke. He'll be too slow to play forward on the 'G too.

He brought that in Round 2 and 3 as well...

I hope so. I'm one of them, but he was very good tonight. Well done, Marty.

That was bloody great. We kicked some really clutch goals tonight (Jones, Melksham, Viney and Hunt). Our intensity was really up too and we played proper 'control' style at times in the last quarter. We still try to play too quickly at times unnecessarily, but hopefully we can start to add this switch to our game. Preuss at full forward won't work very often on the 'G, because he doesn't lay any tackles and could barely move by the end of it tonight, but two nice goals from him. I thought Hore held up well, as did Frost (despite some usual brain fades), but Oscar McDonald was outmuscled so many times in the first half, Hibberd still can't win 1v1s and against a better forwardline, we're still going to struggle unless we continue to improve our defensive transition. I still think Jeff Garlett would add a bit to this forwardline, but Petracca's intensity was really good again, for a third week in a row and he's getting better with each week. Spargo was neat and handy in the first half and faded a bit (that fitness problem again) and Hunt is untidy at times, but his hand tonight was crucial in converting our inside 50 entries and applying much needed chase and defensive pace in our forwardline. Ultimately, I think he's probably a wingman or half backer, but he'll keep getting games if he continues to chase and harass like he has the last 2-3 weeks. I think our focus on defence throughout the week meant that it took us a while to play our natural game, which we started to see come through in the second half once we had laid the foundation of defence. Harmes has become a proper player. He holds his own alongside Clarry, Gus and Viney. If we can get our two-way running right, I think those four will make the best midfield in the comp. I hope we have set the standard for ourselves this week that we can build on for the next few weeks and maybe, just maybe, things can turn around. Given many of our other likely competitors for the top 8 are only sitting on 1 win, we haven't lost as much ground as we could have. And hold your horses on Jones. It's a bit like Facebook on here. You can't ever criticise him or you're sacrilegious. Nathan did kick three goals, the last of them being a really important one, however outside of those goals, the rest of his game was embarrassing. Do people actually watch the game? He was fumbly and a poor user. What's more, for a guy who's close to playing 300 games, I've never seen such a panicker. Florent's goal in the third, for example, was from a direct Jones panic turnover. But, as I say, excited to get the win and we'll see whether we can back it up next week.