Rollo2

Should we maybe think about zoning up in the back half? Just an idea, here, I'm curious to hear your thoughts. I keep hearing everyone on all the podcasts talk about how important forward pressure is, and how important it is to lock it in the forward line, but after watching this team for the past couple of years I have a nagging feeling that maybe this is wrong. I am actually starting to think that the forward press pioneered by Clarkson's Hawks and perfected by Hardwick's Tigers and our own beloved Dees, may be becoming out of date. It seems to me that the congestion the zone creates means that even if you are able to turn it over, you tend to still be operating in a very crowded forward line, which reduces the value of those turnovers. And on the flip side, if you don't manage to turn it over and the other team gets through, they are then operating in huge, wide open spaces, where it is easy to create high quality scoring chances. I wonder if there is a next step in the evolution of the game where teams will actually start zoning up in the back half. Similar to how basketball teams don't generally defend the front half of the court, but set up closer to the basket, the idea would be that you don't really care about the other team advancing to halfway, what you really care about is avoiding them getting any marks or uncontested possessions in their forward 50. And the best way to avoid that is to create a well structured zone in the back half. Yes, this would mean no more forward half turnovers, but it it would also mean no more open forward lines for players to stream into and snag easy goals. The main benefit of this strategy is that if and when you do get a turnover, as long as it isn't too deep in the backline, you can likely often instantly get on a fast break with a tonne of space in your forward line for players to run into on the counter attack. Also, if you are set up in a zone rather than man-to-man, once you do turn it over, it's probably going to be quite difficult for the opposition to quickly mark up every one of your players streaming forward. Now, I know that this isn't really that new of an idea. Flooding has existed forever, and there was 'Pagan's paddocks' in the nineties, etc etc. But I think the idea of a team in the modern era conceding the first 80 or so meters of the ground and setting up a well structured zone in the back half would represent quite a change of approach, especially for a team like ours who still seem to think the forward press is clearly the best way to defend the ground.

Yes the pies looked bad but the Giants looked absolutely elite. Finn Callaghan looks superhuman out there (cough cough ASADA cough cough). Not dancing on Collingwood's grave until I see us against the orange tsunami next week.

As we lost clearances by 100 I just kept chanting 'they're not part of the red and blueprint, they're not part of the red and blueprint' but it didn't work

Not complete, but I think it has peaked. After hoping for it for 40-odd years I watched the MFC win a flag with my nine-month-old son in my arms, my wife by my side, and tears flowing down my cheeks. Life doesn't get much better than that.

I can honestly say that even just two years ago I was convinced I would never see a Melbourne premiership. Dismayed by Landon's and Tomlinson's early form at the club, I wrote some posts to the tune of 'this generation has shown they don't have what it takes to win a flag, we should tear this team down and rebuild again through the draft.' Suffice to say I have never been more happy to be wrong about anything in my life. I doubt i'll ever fully understand how it happened, but this group found something within themselves, somehow developed into a juggernaut, and have now etched their names into the history books as legends of the Melbourne Football Club. We have witnessed greatness, and I couldn't be more grateful and proud. Thank you, lads. It's truly hard to express how much this means to us supporters. This will last forever.

No team has ever kicked perfectly accurately (all goals, no behinds) and won a grand final either. So I guess if we kick perfectly accurately we have 0% chance of winning? I do take your overall point. We need to kick straight. But the reasoning behind your 5% figure is all kinds of flawed.

Insipid and mentally weak. It's one thing to lose, but the lack of intensity they showed all through the first half was inexcusable. We need to break the cycle some day. Win a few games, get ahead of ourselves, slack off, get exposed, get pilloried, play with intent again, win a few games, get ahead of ourselves...

We should have tried putting someone on Liam Ryan. Live and learn I guess.

That play was a huge turning point. We had momentum, the centering kick from Trac was genius, ANB just needed to take possession. He's lively and was involved a lot, but he's still just not composed enough with the ball. Someone needs to challenge him to stand up against good sides.

I feel your pain mate. I keep thinking of those old grey supporters of the Swans and the Bulldogs whose long years of loyalty and pain were highlighted when a bunch of twenty-somethings broke their teams through. Maybe that'll be us one day. There's no guarantee, but those old Swans and Dogs had no guarantee either. The poster above is right. Players and coaches come and go. Supporters are the heart and soul of the club. And we are the reason it will mean something if it ever does happen. I know you're not leaving, just like I can't ever leave. It's in our blood. But I know how much it can hurt, too. You're definitely not alone feeling this way.

We haven't done it much this year but I think the team needs to consider moving T-Mac back onto Buddy if/when he starts having his way with O-Mac or Frosty.