DeeSpencer

Whilst we will always be outnumbered and less vocal than Coll/Carl types of teams I don’t think we’ve matched the same energy at games since 2018. That year was special with the joy of crucial wins and finals for the first time in forever. We were robbed of seeing a flag in 2021. And increasingly over the last 2 years our crowds have lacked that joy and intensity as much as noise. We skipped the fun afterglow of a flag and as the team has struggled to score in many games you can feel the tension in the crowd.

It would stop if our crowds weren’t so quiet and depressing, full of anxiety, negative energy or lack of interest. I’m a pessimist when it comes to our chances most of the time but come game day I turn up to barrack. Most Melbourne supporters don’t.

If BBB is an option have we also considered Neitz? Anyone checked on Allen Jakovich? How about Fred Fanning, what’s he up to? Fullarton or if desperately needed I’ll accept Tom McDonald. But not BBB just weeks from knee surgery with little to no preseason.

You really think because it’s not in the media the Melbourne list management team have just decided to have no interest in perhaps the best young key forward in the game? When he kicks 6 on Tomlinson this weekend they might be asking who that guy is? Good clubs don’t leak trade plans in March.

They trained Rivers, Bowey, Howes, McVee all bursting from the back all summer. Personally I think Riv is excellent at breaking through traffic but in terms of designated kickers Bowser was the one I was most excited to see. Howes now takes that role I hope (in preference to Salo). A lot of our players don’t seem convinced to give the quick handball though which is needed to get the footy to attacking flankers. Sydney had no qualms - especially as they are never pinged holding the ball - firing handballs in the backline. May is paralysed if he can’t turn on his left and kick. Tomlinson needs an hour and a traffic management crew to change direction. Gawn will consider it before deciding to hold play up and bomb it 60 to the opposition ruck. And that’s without the next piece of the puzzle which is midfielders and half forwards who provide options that reward attacking backline play. We dumped it to Langdon and Hunter all year last year because they were always open (deep and sideways, but open). Midfield Salem is so vital because he can work in pockets of space to attract the footy. ANB is always on his bike. Tracc and Clarry demand the pill. But we need more and with more cohesion.

And undersized and not physical or quick half forward isn’t a great package but we don’t know why he was subbed. There’s a chance it was more that he ran his backside off. He was first in speed in attack and 3rd in speed of defence and when he came off our pressure only dropped. He has to cut down on errors but there has to be an understanding that it’s an inexperienced player in a team with no team chemistry and few targets in the trickiest role to play. Every half forward makes errors. Every Melbourne half forward makes multiple errors when there’s no forwards to draw the ball, create space and make kicks look good. Im fine with Laurie getting dropped but I wouldn’t write him off entirely just yet.

If you think the small forwards that we've won a stack of games with over the last 3 years are a reason for us to be cooked you aren't being fair dinkum.

First game of his AFL career was it?

FWIW I thought we defended Sydney’s switching and rebound game for 3 quarters then ran out of puff once our pressure dropped away

With Bowey, McVee, Howes, May, Tomlinson we have a number of a quality kicks in our back half. Even without Bowser. One very fit winger and one very fast winger too. Salo folding lback from the midfield. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t switch, switch back and try all sorts of methods to retain possession, alter tempo and change the attack. Plan A should always be a quick rebound out, but there’s no reason why from things like kick outs on deep intercepts after a brisk passage of play that we shouldn’t move the ball around.

The SCG is 8m wider than Giants stadium and only 5m narrower than the MCG. It’s condensed end to end but absolutely a ground where you can and should switch.

I'd dial expectations back significantly. The Kings aren't going anywhere. No doubt we'll throw our hat in the ring like 16 other clubs for JUH. But I doubt he makes a move across town for a regressing side. But we don't need superstars, if we had a pair of Brody Mihocek's to straighten us up, or even just one at CHF to compliment JVR we'd see so much less confusion and panic by the mids and flankers and suddenly a lot of our ball movement issues would be sorted. We'd still have to convert but I think the struggles with finishing are mostly down to pressure building on guys who don't know when there next clean look inside 50 is coming.

The resting ruck most often being LJ who could move like a flanker at ground level and one of the key forwards being T Mc who couldn't pressure in tight but would always cover off as well as lead hard up the ground. I think barring the sudden emergence of a genuinely mobile key forward we've got the right balance with just 2 talls alongside Fritsch and Petracca forward quite a bit. At least until we see if Fullarton really is super mobile. I think he's mobile for a second ruck rather than Jacko level freakish. Plus I just can't see any possibility where BBB coming off yet another injury is right after 1 practice match. Last year he looked shot half way through the second quarter in every game he played, let's give him at least a week, most likely a month at Casey so he can stay healthy and build touch. And it's not like we aren't making changes. Fullarton, PIckett, a full game of Salem in the midfield and most importantly something that might resemble proper football weather rather than a swamp could all work wonders before we reach for the BBB emergency siren.

It's baffling we kept Schache as a 3rd ruck / 4th or 5th key forward rather than just switching to literally anyone else. Not because it guarantees the anyone else will be better but there's no risk in trying. Especially when Schache came in just to replace Weid who we finally moved on. That said, Fullarton replaced Grundy, let's see how he goes. They made a decision half a season of Melk is worth the half a season of no Melk. They made a decision keeping BBB in the hope of a miracle recovery for a few games is better than paying him not to play. If we are fair dinkum we should enter next year with at least 3 and possibly up to 6 new talls (BBB, Schache, Melk, J Smith, T Mc, Tomlinson). 7 if they move Petty a year before his contract is up. Port Adelaide found themselves in a similar situation last year with key defenders and rucks. They managed to add 4 new talls last offseason.

I love reading that we're giving Jeffo a go down back. He's a mile off AFL footy as a key forward. Years away. But he has great skills and will find more of the ball down back. And with May and Tomlinson in the best 22 (contrasted with Petty/JVR as the forwards) we need to bring young tall defenders through. Disco's out for a long time. So let's have a good look at Jeffo as well as Adams and see if one of them can work towards a debut sooner than later. I can definitely see the Mitch McGovern/Harry Himmelberg comparisons. Otherwise without stats and a proper report it's hard to know how the boys are going but Sestan seems to be hitting the score board consistently in practice games which is nice to see.

Petty is a physical player at CHF (or CHB) who helps, although his head was elsewhere for a lot of last year after whatever happened in Brisbane. JVR will get there. Pickett is vital to fire them up. But we never replaced Vanders on the list with someone with genuine mongrel. And Viney can’t do it all. Spargo has been one of our best at blocking and working for team mates. Melksham too. Guys like Chandler and ANB need to make that part of their games too. Unfortunately we are getting younger, smaller and slighter with guys like Windsor, Howes and McVee replacing Harmes, Gus and Hibberd from our flag team. And carrying the likes of Tomlinson, Billings, Laurie who are classic upper or middle class gents who belong in the MCC watching more than on the field. Unfortunately when you start the year of -5 in list spots to Gus, J Smith, Melksham (until mid year) BBB and T Mc you lose the flexibility to add fringe players who bring size, speed and mongrel. Plus Max, you’re 7 foot tall, 110+ kg. Stick up for yourself man. Or ditch the captaincy.

Fullarton will be ready. Not sure he’ll be good, but at least he’ll be different. Stints for JVR in the ruck aren’t a bad idea anyway tho. I like that we are trying more attacking ideas but one change I didn’t like last night was Gawn rucking the inside 50 forward stoppages. When he’s the solo ruck that’s his best time to get cheap rest.

I think Woey can play half back. Obviously we haven't seen that in a game but it's not that hard and he has the attributes. Hore's the safer option. The big challenge no matter who comes in down back is whether we can rely on Rivers and Howes to become the designated kicking options off half back. We really missed Bowser, as soon as he went down the game changed.

Gawn was dominant in the back end last year. Heck, he dominated a strong physical ruck in Pittonet a week ago. The big fella was cooked by the humidity last night. It's a marathon not a sprint. But geez we need Fullarton to come in and be a proper chop out for him. Grundy effectively allowed us to manage Max for half a year last year so he could be at his best at the end of the season.

Yep you could tell in the 3/4 time huddle we did a loading sesh. Just a little loads. Should be right next week.

I really think we were the better side in the first half but rather than a 3-4 goal lead we had a 7 point deficit. Yes we bombed it in at times far too much. But you could see forwards from both sides gassed from half way in each quarter and lacking imagination. Other times we hit Fritsch, Chandler, Schache etc etc lace out on leads and got nothing from it. Plus bad missed shots (Spargo, Fritsch) and outlandish goal reviews. A wild discrepancy between holding the ball calls based on which jumper you wore too. The personnel concerns we know about. Good luck to anyone who thinks the selectors were too blame. It's either different deck chairs in certain places or risking guys who were underdone. Probably the biggest concern was the lack of leadership, confidence, structure falling away under stress rather than the plan. Some of that is fatigue playing in a swamp in early March. But our senior players when the pressure was really on at the start of the last quarter all decided to take turns trying to be the freaking heroes rather than trusting their team mates taking simple options. And it starts with the captain, quickly followed by the vice captain and the supposed next captain in Lever isn't far off either.

It's harder to know these things not at the ground but to me Laurie's work rate was at least good, he got to the right spots just fluffed it big time with the ball as well as missing some crucial tackles which remains a fundamental flaw in his game. Billings comes on and does nothing with the ball and nothing without it. The only reason to say Billings should've been picked is because he'd have been the 3rd winger and ANB could've stayed at half forward where he's the leader of our pressure as well as a guy who wins contests (for good or bad). But given Billings does nothing with forward pressure there's every chance he's not in the right spots or covering the ground well enough as a wing either.

Schache's gone for Fullarton that's a no brainer. The rest isn't easy. I think it has to be either Hore or Woey for Bowey and keeping Salem in the midfield. How many times did Salo lace kicks to forwards (only for them to drop them) last night? He provides us such a needed balance. Pickett for Laurie. Not sure if Spargo/Billings swap roles or stay in or go entirely. Not a lot of confidence in either of them.

He came in unfit. Was played every game from round 1 to over mid year. Was bought back in and did nothing. Showed absolutely no aptitude to get to the right spots when in the ruck, just ran his own race in there. And made no progress as a forward when all he needed to do to keep his spot was provide the occasional contest in the right areas. Gawn had a stinker last night for sure. And Grundy is looking fitter thanks to a year in the MFC program and us looking after his fitness. It was the perfect conditions for a ruck who's great strength is ground ball follow ups. The ball was on the deck most of the night. Good for him. Moving Grundy on rather than throwing him back in to the team cold in to a final and then persisting with a bad combination was the right thing to do and reflects well on us.

Wrong conditions for the new game plan. But the devastating thing is Bowey goes down and we lose our best kicker. Salem has to fold back so we lose our best midfield kick. There goes the new game plan. We seem so light on for the required athletes up forward both tall and small. You got to have guys who if they are tall they compete as talls. If they are small they have speed. ANB and Sparrow at least bring the size, speed and endurance to compete across half forward. Not all is lost. We were great for 3/4s defensively and the awful conditions cost us so many potential scores. But the bad habits with guys trying to do too much is just a killer. Handball, handball, baulk if you can, get a free runner and kick. Simple link play. Not desperation kicks off one step or trying to take on 7 tacklers And where is the footy smarts for blocking, being spot on with our standing the mark all those little things that don’t show up on stats sheets?