Dr. Gonzo

Yep particularly in the first half BBO, was extremely frustrating. It showed the Dockers had come to play as they were going at 110% & pressuring us all over the ground.

System every time. Champion team beats a team of champions

Disagree - the players had to try and maintain posession, slow the game down and seize the momentum back in the 3rd quarter. They just couldn't maintain posession, they kept making stupid decisions with the footy and turning it over with poor disposal. Not much the coaches can do about that.

For all their poor form they still have a lot of big bodied mids around the contest. This team won the minor premiership 18 months ago and rolled the reigning premiers last week, they're not as bad as people make out.

We had a couple of crucial misses again yesterday, the two obvious ones that spring to mind are Viney after the 100m penalty and Weideman in the last. I'm sure there was a couple more though, Harmes missed a relatively easy one in the 3rd too and that one we stuffed up when Kent couldn't get onto his left and Watts hacked at it when it had already bounced through. Thems the breaks.

A major reason we lost was the lack of a marking target up forward. They successfully flooded our forward 50 so we found it extremely difficult to hit up a leading target, especially considering our transition from defense was slow and they ran hard both ways. This led to us either bombing long to the top of the square where we had no marking targets or handballing/chip kicking backwards to wing/half back until someone did a hurried long kick forward for a shallow I50 entry again with no big marking targets. They played the game on their terms to perfection bottling us up and forcing us to bomb inside 50 then backing themselves in to win the ground ball and push forward in waves so they had players running free towards goal. Had we had a Hogan or Gawn (Spencer did ok when he was up there) we would've been able to take greater advantage of our forward 50 entries. Weideman was completely ineffectual and dropping Smith left us too short up there especially when Watts went into the ruck.

Hogan for Weideman Brayshaw for Hannan Melksham lucky Lewis is still suspended, will make way for him next week

You gotta take your chances when they come and we should be 4-0 so not happy with 2-2.

For those having a go at Harmes for the last shot I just had a look again and there wasn't really anything else on. Jetta was out laterally to his right and was still outside 50 so not really an option. Considering there was only 30 seconds left he had to have a crack.

WTF is this [censored]??

Breaking news! Good players play well

Did Harmes have anyone on? I can forgive his a little more, at least he had a genuine chance to score, he may not have known how long was left (30 secs?) so may have been worried the siren would go, he had the crowd willing him on and the forward line was crowded so difficult to pick out a teammate. Vince's torp was unacceptable

Good post. Freo ran all over us and played the game on their terms. They were much bigger than us around the contest too. Freo clogged up our forward line successfully with most players inside 50 then broke forward once they had possession so they had players goalside when they went forward. It was poor gut running by our players. They moved the ball from defense to offense in seconds while we got stuck chipping the ball across half back.

Agreed on both counts. Surprised I didn't break the seat next to me when they took the lead back. Sick of Melbourne supporters moaning and complaining too. Not in the 3rd or last quarter, but from halfway thru the first. Support the team ffs and stop with the "typical Melbourne" rubbish, it's pathetic

Bahahaha Jesus Christ

[censored] off idiot

A minute before that he had the ball in the back pocket, made like he was gonna go long down the line and tried a little chip kick which no one except him was wise to. Absolutely stupid

There was still 3 minutes left. They tried to chip around the backline with 2.30 left. Too long to go into your shells.

I'm not. He had no answer for Lyons flood but when your players are always second to the footy and turning the ball over how can you put that on the coaches

There was plenty of them there today, where the [censored] did they come from.

Weideman has to be dropped off the back of 2 poor weeks in a row. Needs to spend the rest of the year at Casey unless he's absolutely banging the door down Bernie Vince needs to have a good look at himself too. Too many rubbish efforts, trying to be too cute and just bombing away without looking.

I just hope Kersten doesn't join the Kent Kingsley Klub. Wanna see Viney step it up a notch today, he was in Brownlow form this time last year

Smith would have to feel a bit aggrieved - had a better game than Weideman, dropped after one debut where he kicked a goal, presented and was forced to play second ruck. I would've kept him in and dropped Weed for Pedersen instead, not sure we need Bugg unless Vince is unlikely to play which may force someone else to half back. Going in with Weed & Watts as our key forward is interesting

Gawn is like Jimmy to Spencer's Strawbs

I do