Hot as Hell

Nothing comes easy in life, as our young inexperienced coach and players found out in 2019. Success is earned, not awarded and relies on increasing effort and desire, increasing skills, developing game plans for the cattle available and no small measure of good old fashioned luck. These in point, the Bulldogs who claimed glory in 2016 and have been able to repeat it. MFC has been given every leg up to be successful. Ok, we lack a "home base" but that does not win flags. We have facilities at AAMI that put that discussion to bed as am excuse. No, we where led by leaders in Roos and PJ who framed the outline of success on and off the field. Since the departure of Roos we have lost structure on the field. Goodwin's chaos ball, is nothing more than a shunt and grunt game plan, that will inevitably lead to players being injured, as we have seen for 2 years straight. We have got talent, but not oodles of it, so a succesful, evolving gameplan needs to be built around what we have. That is observably lacking. Precision disposal does not appear as high on Goody's wishlist as guts. Until it does, we will fall short of success just as any team in any sport will, where ultimately, execution of the game's fundamentals sort the best from the rest. I believe we will do better in 2019, against poorer opposition. But we are unlikely to be great. After nearly 60 years of supporting this club, with the exception of just a few bright spots, such is the way it has been, and possibly such is the way it will be in the years ahead.

Yep. MFC has been part of my life for way too long to let go. I joined as a member when we were broke and broken. Seen many years worse than this one, though this one was one of the most damaging. Been to every home and away this year in Melbourne and even travelled to Darwin to see the loss against the Crows. It seems strange people want to punish the club coffers instead of the players, the coaches and the administrators. Members get to vote, and can express their discontent direct to the club to make changes. Funny thing is, no one is happy with what has happened this year and changes will be made. Sadly, the mistake was re-signing Goodwin before the season started. He is now the person with the least to lose. 2019 is over for all of us. Has been since before the bye and painful ever since.

So many of us are having the same emotions PD. Last year spirits were lifted after many years of hapless performances on and off the field. We were lulled into a belief that the great efforts of PJ and Roos were paying off. And then 2019 happens. The coach changes the script from journeys to learnings and connections but the players have not bought in and the fans can feel it. There are just so many issues to be addressed it appears we are back where we started. Although l do not believe that emotive response to be right. We need to make changes in the game plan and fitness regime and we need to bring in some cattle with speed. We have the nucleus of a top 6 team in 2020 but our bottom 6 players in every 22 we field is poor. After 6 decades of support, this year l too have lost the "hurt". I simply don't care as much as l did. The passion for success and dim fire of hope has been blown out of me. Despite this low, I will expect hard decisions to have been made and many backsides kicked over summer. Come March 2020, l hope to have my passion revived and confidence lifted. I am looking forward to say 2019 was the abberation, not 2018 (a serious doubt that has emerged). After the sad 2019 chapter is finally written and closed, rekindled hope remains as the underlying trait of all true Melbourne Football Club supporters. MFCSS remains as strong as it has ever been.

The rots starts at the very top. For better or worse, nothing will change where it counts, until the body endures more pain. Any belief that what was done at Richmond in 2016 off season to bring silverware in 2017 will apply to MFC appears fanciful at best, delusional at worst. It would be unfair not to give Goody a chance to reprise his reputation after a catastrophic season where his beligerent belief in his game plan failed. This off season, he either develops some fresh ideas on how to take advantage of 6 6 6 and how to defend, or he'll go the same way as the assistant coaches. Footy can be brutal. Having spoken to Macca at a couple of functions this year, l am of the view he was pushed, and l suspect l know by whom. He was passionate about getting the boys ready to play like men. We will never really learn the truth until he speaks to Mike Sheahan in around 3 years time.

Absolute shocker of a crowd. The fans have voted with their feet. Only surprise is that so few Toiges have come out to watch an easy kill.

It is so totally understandable that the devastatingly poor on field efforts of MFC in 2019 have devastated the spirit of all MFC fans. I will go tonight but l really don't know why, as l expect to get bloody annoyed at silly turnovers and even more annoyed at hearing the opposition song at the end of the game. Clearly l am just another one of those that has supported this club for so long, Disappointment has been my mood and my middle name. Toiges by 41, slowing down in Q4, as they have finals to play.

Believe me, l hear you ProperDee. It has been a very long and excruciating ride for many of us. I was intending to go tonight, as l have done through all those dark decades and not so long ago dark days. Last year genuinely lifted my spirits for a great 2019. Now that it is here, and looks as it does, l find it much much harder to raise the spirit, than l did in our darkest hours. I have decided not to go to the game, irrespective of the outcome. We have played like a hapless rabble this year. It very hard to watch. Good players have been reduced to hand ball robots with little leadership or direction of or off the field. Maxy, Salo and 1 or 2 others have played their part. The rest have fallen off a cliff. I can't wait until the season is over. I expect over summer, l will be revitalised by the fit list training the house down. It's been many years since l have felt so flat about Melbourne Football Club, after supporting them since early 60s.?

With all due respect Red and Blue....... The fact that you miss the point of this thread entirely seems to diminish the value of your contribution. Do you not understand the words Oscar did not cost us the game? I rarely post on this site, the blinkered opinions of many are simply not worth debating. I travelled to Darwin and saw Oscar's positioning on his player long before the ball was delivered. He has a high IQ, but not for football. This thread is about improving the side, nothing else.

Every player had a job to do. The angst with Omac is not that he cost us the game. It is that in so many ways and in so many games, he has been found incapable of executing his role. This deficiency has been highlighted for 3 years as we had no other options. We now appear to have better options, while Oscar has failed to develop despite numerous opportunities. The day of reckoning has now arrived.

Seriously wondering if on tonight's form we are skilled enough to beat any AFL team. Confidence has evaporated, trust in each other non existent, skills non existent, and intent to work hard just a memory from 2018. From the outside it seems inconceivable to witness such a complete capitulation in such a short period of time. From the inside? Who knows, but something does not smell right.

Our boys have chased tail all night. With not much left in the legs, this could get very ugly in the last and the Toiges can smell blood. Basic skill errors and no brains has killed us all night. It is sad how quickly we have become a rabble drinking our own bathwater.?

Our current injury dilemma will be the opportunity for Petty, Kielty and Oskar Baker to break into the side and get a real taste if AFL level footy. Similarly you would think Jeffy will get a go and young Lockhart who has over delivered from being a total nobody only 5 weeks ago. We won't win too many games blooding young talent but they may inject the enthusiasm and urgency we so badly lack. The players expected to return from injury in the back half of the year should not be rushed, as is our tendency to do. As for the game plan, it is too late to change it now, we recruited for it. However, it should be obvious it needs to be reviewed and enhanced with outside pace seen as important as hard nuts. Having been here so many times before over the last 50 years plus, l am very disappointed but not destroyed by our current position. I believe the players the coaches and the admin crew are all fully aware of the damage we have already done to our so called "brand". We have passed the close enough is good enough mentality of prior decades in my view, this is serious and will be treated as such at all levels.

I believe the total disruption of train and tram services from almost everywhere south of the city will be huge. So much stuffing around, concern about parking alternatives and everything else associated with getting to the G will impact the crowd. To my recollection, this has never happened before, and even if it did, you could always park at the G in the one days. I am thinking 5,000 less will attend when non regular commuters become aware of the challenge they face. As for getting home by public transport, l expect that will be even more confronting and painful (perhaps not if we win?).

Fair calls Binman. We can only have so many tall defenders and Frosty has not been the coach's favorite. Insofar as being critical of his costly defensive blunders, l would put forward that few defenders are without blemishes. Nearly all have been caught out of position at some time, usually trying to cover a hole in defence. Defending is a thankless role. I expect Frosty will struggle to get a game but that does not mean he is less a defender than someone who does get a spot. That's footy, that's life, it is not always fair and not always just. As long as the back half can work well together, l really don't have any personal objection to who make up the 6.

I sat with Sam a couple of years ago and he contrasted our team with GWS. He loves the Dees and works harder than most to develop himself and earn a spot. Has never taken a short step in his career and gives 100% to the team. He is a beauty to have in the backline. Have another look at the Geelong final, if you haven't watched it 20 times already, like me.

Frosty has some areas of his game that need refining. Of course we all know that. But what he brings in energy, strength, courage, speed and 1% ers puts him in my best 22 every day of the week.

Myself and family very much enjoyed our chat at the MFC dinner last year. You gave 100% to the club until the final siren. We all wish you well with your thoroughly prepared for teaching career. We will never forget that ground thudding concussion down the boundary at Williamstown, although we very much hope you do. Kudos on a career that offered MFC maximum advantage when we needed it most.

The players took some really big steps forward this year in leaning what they need to do to be a genuinely successful team. What a great emotional roller coaster they took us on, and what a range of visions they have given us about how the next 5 years can look. Well done Melbourne on and off the field. We are again a club to be proud of and a club to fear.

The boys grew up today. They will get a taste of what they are playing for. Great effort. Finals Finals Finals at last.

Well. The next 30 minutes determines our fate for the year. Can't question the effort so far but do we have it in us to win a battle with a giant? Cmon Dees.

Does Jesse's injury mean we will finally stop long bombing the ball inside forward 50? I bloody hope so, it has been a failed strategy. Lowering the eyes to ground level may give our smaller forwards a chance to do what they do best.

Does vanders qualify to be part of this elite list? Absent extreme coincidence or bad luck (both unlikely), one must assume there is something that we are doing at training or the site of our training. Surely some sort of enquiry will be made by the footy dept to get to the bottom of this most troubling foot injury syndrome.

You've summed it up Jaded. One quarter if very good footy then rooting around against a injury ridden bottom side. Yes we win. But how well have we played?

Thankfully the defence is under no pressure.

The Bulldogs have fallen such a long way in such a short time it should come as no surprise some have succumbed to the blame game. Cooney was a great player, no doubt, but little integrity. There will be many at Melbourne today could describe Goodwin much the same as BM. Whether that story is told in future, has yet to be determined. I for one am glad he is part of our development team. Growing up is not supposed to be a holiday, sometimes life and it's lessons are tough.