Dr. Gonzo

So more of the same next year. Do you think Goodwin is extended to continue into 2027 if we dish up more of the same next year with the same group of players (we aren't attracting any big names, have no 1st round pick and Goodwin/Lamb et al refuse to trade out underperforming players on big coin so list changes will be minimal)? Goodwin's career at MFC is over, it's just that he and the club don't know it yet.

Goodwin took over a list ready to challenge for finals, Clarkson took over a list starting from the absolute bottom. Goodwin has won finals in two seasons out of nine since 2017. If we had the same season in 2021 but didn't roll on and win the flag - say we never turned it on in the 3rd of the GF and lost to the Dogs - would Goodwin be given so much leeway? It's a joke, he's had years to sort this out now - YEARS!! And the exact same problems persist. Nothing changes, watching MFC games is the literal equivalent of running into a brick wall over and over expecting that this time you'll somehow bash through it. Who the hell wants to watch this garbage week in, week out? We have no method to our ball movement, our once stellar defence is a shadow of itself, our forward line has no structure or movement and when the forwards do lead up the ball is kicked on top of/over their heads. We have butchers in the midfield who keep getting games despite their poor disposal and then get told we can't blame that on the coach. And all this with a healthy list! Spare me.

It was us or Freo. I don't think success entered the equation.

He should've had another shot straight after, was tripped in a tangle of legs but unsurprisingly the call was play on. I agree he has to keep playing, the worst thing for his co fidence now would be to drop him. And what would be the point anyway? He needs to build synergy with JVR if anything is to come of them, we must bring in another ruck so JVR doesn't have to go into the middle and can focus on his forward craft. He's also the only forward that knows how to lead, not that it does him much good in our forward line.

Except it's not the Casey team is it? It's a pretty much full strength squad that can't even defeat a beat-up Carlton side. Blind Freddy can see the inadequacies of the coaching, yes our players make skill errors and poor decisions; they are also coached to play a certain way which does nothing to mitigate their negatives and accentuate their positives. Do you think we will be clearing out senior players this offseason? Do you think if we just keep persevering the wheel will turn in 2026?

Thank God for Kozzie 😍

Yes the umpiring was bad. The only thing worse was our ball movement and structural positioning. We didn't lose because of the umpires, we lost because we are a rudderless club. Starts with the coach.

Infuriating seeing this happen again and again. Kick it in front of the player you morons not on top of his head, how bloody hard is it? Unacceptable and you're right on your next point, it is coaching allowing it to happen again and again.

Funny how Lever is dropped and TMac retains his position

Percentage booster

Agree to disagree 😊

It was hard to see much different in our gameplan on the weekend. There was lots of stagnant play coming out of defence. Lots of long kicking down the line to contests down the wings. Lots of bombing into the forward line. Not much movement with handball. Not much overlap run. No movement from our forwards and leading towards the ball carrier. Lots of hand in the air running back to goal or jogging towards the boundary side of the contest. For years we've heard the game changes not just season to season but within seasons. Anyone who tells you it takes years to bed down a change of playing style is making excuses or has no clue.

He also put Max down behind play a couple of times. Didn't see the incidents only the aftermath so can't talk to the severity although one led to a free kick with Maxy kicking the goal

I don't think everything Goody does is wrong. He's obviously a good coach otherwise he wouldn't have lasted 10 years, wouldn't have coached us to a flag, wouldn't have developed the relationships he has with the players, wouldn't have implemented a variety of forward thinking strategies over the course of his career etc.

Where are these obvious improvements in our game plan?

I agree, I'd still like to see him get out of a jog more often but it was a better effort

It was similar to the Nash hit on Miers and Nash got 4 weeks.

Xerri already knocked Max down behind play twice (one leading to his goal). It's hard to tell in real time as to whether it was clumsy or purposeful but in slowmo it doesn't look good.

Great to get back on the winners list. We ran over the Kangas in the 2nd half as well we should. 35k turnout was decent I thought, only our 2nd game in Melbourne for almost two months 😧 I was seriously struggling to figure out what our "new game plan" is supposed to be. Most of our ball movement was stifled, kick/mark and long down the line stuff to stagnant forwards/players upfield. Roo one of the few players who actually leads towards the kicker, it does your head in. Winning always beats the alternative but I found little to get enthused about today. Langford continued his excellent debut season but other than that I thought we looked old and slow against an undermanned Roos side who haven't exactly set the world on fire. Our ball movement continues to be a massive concern though it seemed to be slightly better in the last quarter. Where is the running, the overlap handball, the pressure etc Yes it's a dead rubber but the team should be aiming to bed down the gameplan and end the year on a high.

It's a thread about our coach. If the gatekeepers don't like the discussion, don't read it 🤷

State of Origin was great, but it's dead. Even if they brought it back it would never be the same as it was in the 80s and early 90s. If the players aren't going 100% (which they wouldn't) then it's just an exhibition game which would lose interest pretty quickly once the novelty wore off. The only way I could see it working would be like a midseason carnival ala Gather Round but again, I think people would lose interest after the first one or two events.

I'd rate Goodys tenure as One great season - 2021 One good season - 2018 Three underperformed seasons - 2017, 2022-23 Four bad seasons - 2019-20, 2024-25 Two seasons out of nine where we went above par is not a good strike rate (especially considering he wasn't coming in at the start of the rebuild like most coaches do). Forever thankful for the flag but besides the 2021 season I don't think he's got the most out of this list.

Give me a spell

Geelong also finished runners up once and made Prelims 7 other times under Scott. 22 & 23 were failures. We choked in the finals both years, didn't win one final from four attempts, all at our home ground.

Pies, Lions and Cats have all played off in Prelims outside of their flag years. Prelims are different to semi finals, you need to get to the final 4 to give yourself a crack at the flag. If you haven't made the Prelims you were never a chance at a flag. Some teams make prelims and get belted (like us in 2018) and were never a shot at the flag, but for the most part teams that make the final 4 have put themselves amongst the teams with a chance at winning it all. If you're in your flag window and haven't even made the Prelims (ie gone out in straight sets) it's a failure of a year.