Little Goffy

Having not reach finals in four years, Matthews retired in 2008, leaving a club in significant disarray and with a divided culture. Having returned his club to finals in 2010, after the one and only season out of finals under his tenure in 2009, Roos handed over the coaching position according to a long-established succession plan and with a list and culture that set the club for continued success to this day. It is also worth noting that Matthew's coaching career had already accumulated ten years before 1995. Matthews was one of the great coaches of his era, but he remains of his era. More pertinent to this conversation, Matthews is a bone-lazy commentator who constantly goes off half-cocked in the hope everyone will forget the dumb things he says and just remember the times he turned out to be right.

Daniher had a 9 out of 10 day, doesn't mean he was unlucky or 'deserved' a 10 out of 10 day! Only sure thing is, we deserved to be beaten.

I see your point - I think the key is that I'm kind of shuffling the set-up from one part of the ground to another. I don't see Dunn as quite the key position role that Pederson or Garland normally take. So in my mind the chosen one of O.Mac/Frost is coming in for the dedicated key position stopper role, while Dunn is taking a more flexible role. At the same time as we are adding an additional tall in defence instead of attack. Similarly, Kent & Harmes out, with just Neal-Bullen in, is intended to allow more forward time rotation for the mids, with fewer players being primary forwards. And the additional runner (Hunt/Stretch/Whatevs) to mind mind comes in across half-back. So, area by area - Nominated forward line is down Pederson, Kent and Harmes, but gains only ANB, So -2 players. from that area of the ground. Defence replaces an 'insufficiently tall tall' (Garland cannot match up on Petrie or Waite) with an 'actually tall tall', and gains Dunn and an extra HBF. Result - A more open forward line for Hogan, Watts and Garlett to play around in. A better selection of tall defender options, recognising that Waite and Petrie (and history) suggest we will be badly stretched against North's marking. A bit more run from HB/wing. Out of form/ineffective players out for credible alternatives coming in.

I've got Harmes out and Kent out. Might be a little harsh on Harmes who improved from round 1. ANB in as a direct replacement for one, while Brayshaw spends more time forward as well. As much as I like them, Garland and Pederson haven't had much impact. I agree with the sentiment that our forward line keeps being either empty or too crowded, which makes Pederson redundant for now, and I don't think either of them can effectively go with the likes of Waite or Petrie. That means bringing in at least Dunn, meaning there's still two spots. One of O.Mac and Frost will have to come in as a tall defender to try to give us options and rotation on North's deadly talls. A bit of extra, effective, speed would help so the likes of Stretch and Hunt come into consideration. So, in all I've got OUT: Harmes, Kent, Garland, Pederson. IN: ANB, Dunn, [one of O.Mac and Frost], and one extra runner (e.g. Hunt or Stretch). And this is me, the guy who doesn't like to make too many changes.

Round 5 v Richmond will be my first game for the year, would be thrilled if Trengove and Petracca both came along. Plus it seems like sensible timing. I'm keen to see more of young players like ANB and Stretch, too. They're long term players who have shown a little already. Could be a very different team out there by the time I get to see them!

The real question is how does Oliver compare to Carlisle... oh. Interesting that even before the mass suspensions, Essendon would appear to have knowingly been dirty in their deal with St Kilda, what with all that cocaine snorting being known about before the deal went through, but not disclosed. Essendon. Still above the law.

Clearly his poor form to start the season has been synchronised with Fremantle's poor form. His psyche is already there. Frankly I wish Ross Lyon would coach him a bit better, he's ruining his development. I still think it is most likely that Hogan is staying, and I still think he's going to be a gun, and I still think the wailing from the likes of Lloyd (who had just one really good game in his second season, by the way) is a really impressive storm in a teacup. Still, a bit of poor form might take 100k off his next contract, all good.

Well, obviously the first thing to do is to work out how many years the Demons and Kangaroos will be competing against eachother in Grand Finals. If we beat North I will roll my eyes at the absurdity of our game and our club, feel a lot better, and the focus on sending both Collingwood and Richmond into a crisis in the next two weeks. And after that, I will be absolutely sure we will get smashed by St Kilda, even if (especially if) both Riewoldt and Montagna are injured that day.

i agree but also temper that with 'It'll be as bad as all those GWS runners'... hmmm... And maybe that sums up the situation. We just have no idea what we are going to get from the team that takes the field.

As much as I have sunk pretty low from this appalling game and its loud testament to our defective club, a couple of things have comforted me since. a) The fact that round 2 has been a glorious mess all round. b) The fact that GWS solidly beat an alleged 'top team', which makes us look more like we are wildly fluctuating in form, rather than just 'ordinary then craptacular' c) We are ahead of Fremanlte (see 'a') d) The sheer throat-cutting intensity of wailing on here is reminding me that things aren't actually all that bad. It's kind of like when someone who is 'a bit authoritarian' is in a conversation with an out and out loony fascist... at first its all 'yes, I totally agree I think a bit of conscription to bring some discipline into young people would be a good idea' and then suddenly they other guy is saying 'and teach them to organise into roving bands enforcing god's law on the heathenfags and protecting our vital bodily essences from the commie prevert fallen women with their evil flouride'. I guess what I'm saying is, the wild unreality here is sometimes a handy check on where reality is.

Herpa Derp! Durrrrrrp!

Coaching - trying to be tricky and 'clever' when it isn't necessary. Reminds me a bit of the recruiting 2007-2011 - we had to be the smartest kid in the room, and didn't do the obvious steady efforts. - a defective over-emphasis on getting numbers back. Keeping a couple of players in dangerous forward positions actually puts on defensive pressure by forcing the opponent to think about the lurking menace, and it also means that instead of string s of 'rebound, back in, rebound, back in' that only ends with a goal against us, we actually get the occasional breakaway from defence. The goal of defence is to get the situation to one where you aren't defending! Players - we have to nod to the disclaimer that there are a lot of young guys out there still. That does mean inconsistency and it does mean it is more likely there will be psychological fluctuations even within a game. But then... - the leadership is still lacking. So much has been placed onto Hogan (which is of course absurd) that when he has a very bad day not only does it make it more likely he will drop his head, but it makes that body language all the more damaging to the other players. Club psychology Here it is, the one we all know. As a club, we routinely believe that 'the job is done already'. - Got high draft picks? Wait five years, watch them enter new statistical categories for age and game splayed. Yay, a premiership for sure! - Had our best ever preseason! Yay, we are going to have a great opening three rounds! - Opponent riddled with injury and out of form? Yay, we are going to have an upset win! - Going in favourites! Yay, we got this in the bag! - Got a top-rated new coach with premiership experience! Yay! Respectability is ours at last! As a club, Melbourne still believes that its destiny will be decided by outside forces. Everything else pales into comparison. This is the defining feature of our football club. It has to change. We have to change it.

The simple fact is, there is no 'material' reason for the Demons to have lost to Essendon. We had a much better group of players out there, fully capable of smashing the clearances, dominating the forward line, and breaking even in defence. But it didn't happen because they thought it already had. And then Paul Roos comes out and says 'the players got a big head'. Yeah? Just the players, eh? 20 weeks left to determine how Paul Roos is remembered by Melbourne. And... if he really buggers it up, he could drop into the 'Pagan/Malthouse' hole. People will begin asking if a coach really is that big a deal, if three of the 'greats' all fall in a heap as soon as they are given a challenging situation to deal with.

Full respect to the decision. I've been right along the edge a few times of exactly the same 'indefinite break' for exactly the same reasons. If the club ever truly turns its culture around, I'll be delighted to see your 'I'm back' message. I don't think anyone would question your loyalty and earnestness. But yeah, as they say, you can't stay forever with someone who keeps hurting you, promising to change, and hurting you again.

I just feel lied to. I'm tired of feeling lied to.

I feel lied to.

Something strange going on. I only have stats to go on at the moment (will be able to at least listen in the 2nd half), but there's some numbers worrying me - Dismal tackle count, something fishy in the free kick/50m penalties count, and what really interests me is, we've got double the interchanges. Bit of flu around the club or something? Geez, I hope there's an excuse for this disappointing effort so far. Don't want to be spending the whole season hoping for final quarter heroics. Also, it'd be really helpful if people just don't bother posting until after the game if all you've got is "mutter mutter, grumble, awful, snark snark poopyface". Some of us are trying to keep an eye on events.

Anyone's guess, really. Essendon might decide to try to double/triple defend against him, in which case he might just kick three. (I've decided that for 2016 his default is 3/game, like it was 2/game in 2015). A figure I'm more interested in will be the clearances difference. We romp all over them when it comes to genuine inside, solid bodied midfielders, and this figure should just climb and climb as the game goes on and the bruises accumulate on their admirable but lightly built second gamer, their old and underdone tagger, and their misplaced and confused flankers who have had 8 weeks notice that they are starting in the centre square! It would be a sweet sweet sight to see a string of decisive centre clearances cut through inside 50, goal, back to the centre, repeat. If this game turns into a true blowout, that'll be how.

Selections are interesting, we've dropped two talls and added a galloping half-back and a hard-at-it midfielder. I'll be a little worried about the height of Daniher getting them a few goals. Meanwhile, they seem to think Looburger on an interrupted pre-season can ruck solo against Gawn. Okey dokey. They don't have any 'serious' key defender to control Hogan, so will probably try to double-tag him. But that leaves "All-day Pederson" do just run some poor bugger into the ground, and Watts, Garlett and half our midfield rotating in to wreak havoc. We're going to bring a much bigger, much fitter, and much harder midfield unit than them. They have a scattering of dangerous players, Zaharakis, Goddard, Daniher, the Merrets. But they don't have a coherent or dangerous team. Just compare to last week - where is the fleet of deadly attacking midfielders that troubled us so much? Very confident, as long as we turn up to hunt.

Maybe Richmond will beat the Crows next week... a loose maybe. Wouldn't rate them a chance against West Coast in Perth. So, when we meet them in round 5, they'll be fresh off a hiding out west and the best they can hope for out of the game is to claw their way to about 9th. We'll be looking to hunt down a vulnerable team that is allegedly above us, and a few significant inclusion will have had their 4 weeks in the VFL. That'll be an interesting game. After us they've got Port, Hawthorn and the Swans at the 'G, followed by another trip west to face Freo. Wow, wouldn't it be hilarious if they were 1/9 by round 10.

Here's how it works - A good AFL player goes on to play for several years, even a decade, and accumulates 100+ games. A cr4p player players for maybe 3 or 4 years, gets to 50 games if they are lucky, then gets delisted. So, saying 'premiership teams have more players with more games experience' is basically saying 'premiership teams have more good players'. The other side of it, it takes time to build a really good best 22 or the necessary depth beyond that. Even three good players a year coming in would take most of a decade. Part of why the likes of Crawford, Harvey, Pavlich, Enright, or Goodes are so important - their longevity gives the club more time to accumulate quality players. Imagine the quality of lists if every player stayed fresh and fit until they were 35, instead of the more typical 30. Get in that icebath, Mr Brayshaw!

People worry too much and get too morose about these things. Hogan and Watts are at the very least in a wonderful bromance, and putting contract talks off might just mean they are waiting for the plebiscite to go through. "Gathered here today in the sight of light tower 4, we commit ourselves to a profoundly extended contract" "You may now contest the mark"

I have no idea who she is. Almost certainly an improvement as a host. But imagine the scale of change that show would need to progress as far as the mid-90s in professionalism, wit or etiquette. Never mind actually covering football effectively.

We used to all argue about whether our worst let down had been trading, drafting, player development or game plan. These days we are looking above average on the first three, and making progress on the last. We appear to have solid and improving footing off the field. And Jack Watts is playing assertive, bold football. I just don't understand this new world.

North, Richmond, Collingwood all coming up. An early opportunity to declare ourselves a serious team.