clark's kick

We can still make finals. We can still make the top 4. But we won't do either because we're not good enough. We are fantastic at some things, but really poor at others. Hopefully we'll keep improving, but right now, we're simply not good enough.

Why doesn't anyone ever seem to call out Ben Brown for his staging for free kicks? Every week, he seems to run himself under the ball, but then flops forward, arms flailing, and the umps buy it. The tv will show a replay, and the commentators just sit there in silence. It was karma he missed those set shots at the end. North are the biggest stagers in the competition, and what do you know, 33 free kicks yesterday...

Whatever problems we have with the gameplan and wet weather football, its so disappointing that we just plain turned it up in the last quarter. First time since the last game in 2016, which at least was a meaningless game. Going in with only one key forward when you've also got only one ruckman is just stupid beyond belief.

I'm not at all confident about next week. The lions won't be easy beats this year, and we are mentally poor in games like this. If we win, it won't be by much.

I was looking on the bright side! Lost by 90 odd to the pies the week after that as well. Wasnt the best start to the season.

Round 1, 1994. Gave the Cats with an Ablett a canning.

How dull is the Richmond v Carlton opener every year?

As much as I like the idea of a fit and firing Crameri, the fact that the bulldogs, who arent overly endowed with goal kickers and just traded their leading goal kicker, didnt keep him is flashing red warning light....

Rockcliff was poisonous and disliked by his teammates. The worst team in the comp has been wanting to get rid of him for 2 years. Watts was pushed out against his will for cultural/attitude reasons. Motlop a long term underacheiver. Port had only limited competition from other clubs for each of them. Its high reward, but very high risk strategy.

One of my all time favourites. Was an awful looking kick, but continually put them through from 50.

His initial tweet represented everything that is wrong with today's afl media, but at least he set the record straight with the follow up tweet. Most others wouldn't have.

And it hasn't even started yet. Dont worry, Hogan isnt going anywhere. If there was even the slightest chance, we wouldnt be trading Watts.

Shouldn't we be listening to this...?

I don't remember that. So end of 98? Makes me feel sick that we had interest in wayne campbell. He's about as likeable as boomer harvey.

Wasnt it the Zanotti Files which was 98% sure Rockliff was coming to us last year?

If trading a player like watts damages the heart and soul of our club or erodes our culture, then we are already done. Worried about 'brand damage'? What about missing out on finals after a decade in the wilderness because of 5 shocking losses when we were red hot favourites?

On its own, it will not magically solve our consistency issues. And i cant see too many people suggesting that it will. But trading a highly inconsistent player who still has some trade value seems like a logical attempt to move in the right direction. Fine if you disagree. Its a tight call. But i'm rapt we're trying something. I dont get why people are losing their minds over this, as if we're trading a viney or dare i say it, a woewodin.

Some of the comments in this thread are genuinely unbelievable. Despite our improvement, we have an undeniable issue with consistency and application. And its been an issue for years. It was an issue when we were improving under Bailey, it was an issue under Roos, and by God it was an issue this year. The one thing we cannot do is do nothing about this. But when we try something, we turn on the coach. Threaten petitions. Threaten to not renew memberships. FFS people!!! If this trade doesnt work, so be it. But at least we tried. And then we can try something else. I've never bought into the whole melbourne supporters accept mediocrity thing, but by the way so many here are pining over a player who after 8 years is not even a star, let alone a supetstar, maybe there is something to it.

I know its been said before, but it defies logic that waldron still has a media gig after what he did at the storm. The only thing more baffling would be wayne carey having a regular tv commentary spot...

Yes, it was a late spoil on a west coast player. The type of thing that happens every game. Ridiculous he even got suspended, let alone 2 weeks. I reckon it was also russell robertson's first game.

This. Dont need an apology. But do need a committment to learn from this disaster.

Absurd beyond belief that Oliver isn't there. For mine, he's the most deserving of any dees players.

Could you imagine if we were in west coast's shoes today? Playing a depleted adelaide at the mcg, where a loss means nothing for them, but a win would mean finals for us. We wouldn't get within 40 points of them.

Faulty, in my experience at CQ coal mines, it's actually pretty popular. Plenty of victorians and west australians there now. And a lot of the locals get into all sports. Buggar all else to do and another excuse to drink i assume.

The most impressive thing tonight was that in the last two minutes, with the game on the line, we win every clearance, every contest. We seriously lacked composure in our close losses this year. Tonight we showed a composure and will to win we haven't seen for 11 years.