Webber

I’m not saying we lack disposal skill, we lack competitive quality and certainty, It’s a mind thing, and it appears to be fatal.

Of course, this we know, but we don’t have the mentality to fix it. Look at our goal/behind ratio for our big games this year. Repeated misses from 20-30 metres with little angle is a product of a fragile competitive psyche. We are THE chokers of the AFL, pure and simple. We CAN’T kick straight because we don’t have what it takes.

No, we won’t. We aren’t good enough. How much evidence do you need.

Sure, but the point is that in these games we DON’T kick them because we choke, we choke, we choke. It’s part of being a successful team, holding your nerve. We simply don’t have what it takes.

I heard Nathan Burke on radio pregame tipping the Swans, because, and I quote: “Melbourne will choke. They always do”. It made me angry, because I wanted in my heart to know that he was wrong, but in my head I knew he was likely on the money. Once more we had everything to play for, but this time against an interstate team, at home, and down to 20 men effectively for the whole game. In truth, if we had an ounce of the gumption, belief and sheer fortitude that Sydney has, we would have won, and bearing life as a Dees supporter would be a breeze. As it is, this club currently has an insurmountable problem with their group psyche. Will it change? Maybe, hopefully, but nothing about their approach to big games this year tells me it will. And even if we make finals, it’s worth little, because quality teams know easily they can upset our apple cart mentally and tactically. We are horribly inadaptable defensively, have been all year, the good teams exploit it, and today happens. As a result, I couldn’t be more confident that we’ll roll over in the next two weeks.

Wasn’t actually referring to you. I would have quoted you if so.

Some wild presumptions, medical misjudgements and bizarre over-reactions in this thread. Truth is we have been on the lighter side of injuries this year. Suck it up. Kent in.

Yep. A shambles.

The Frost one was nothing, and had it been a crows player...it would absolutely have been play on. Just shameful umpiring, as usual in Adelaide. The AFL needs to settle down on the rules fiddling and put their efforts into finding ways to improve interstate umpiring. It ruins the game.

Free kicks 22-15 to Adelaide, quel surprise! I think we won only one for them incorrectly disposing, yet it was happening all game. I reckon the umpiring is worth about 4 goals against in Adelaide and Geelong, and 6 in Perth, so we won big!

Says more about Sydney I reckon

6. Gawn ....currently best footballer in the AFL 5. Brayshaw.... brilliant career re-definition 4. Oliver....probs should get 6 for the ridiculous 50 metre worm-burners alone 3. Lewis....turnover kicks aside, lead the defence 2. Hogan.... back to backing himself 1. Harmes....worked hard both ways all game.

Tyson for Hannan, in lieu of Viney.

Team high tackles, Goodwin was pleased. He's playing nest week.

It's also where the Vineys live.

That's the context that all those dissing Oscar have failed to apply. He's going to be huge for this club, as he showed yesterday. Consistency comes with age and experience, particularly for a KPP. Too many of us just fail to allow for the bumps and imperfections along development road, thus having to make an about face when those players start reaching their potential. We do it to so many young players, but never learn it seems.

So many problems with this draft oversimplification and failure to account for the exceptions, that it doesn't warrant rebuttal. You obviously thought my last sentence of satirical hyperbole was a serious comparison though, which is a worry. Your claim that Oscar "CONTINUOUSLY makes errors, is slow to react and looks COMPLETELY and UTTERLY out of his depth" is some of the best hyperbole I've seen, and clearly nonsense.

For some on here binman, Oscar's card is stamped. They'll never see beyond his imperfections, but will nevertheless expect something closer to perfection than for other 'favoured' players. As you so accurately make the point, some of those other favoured players made mistakes that were just as significant yesterday. There's just no eliminating subjective bias, so Oscar will continue to get a bagging unless he miraculously morphs into a cross between Matthew Scarlett, Glen Jakovich and Gary Hardeman.

For a KPP of his size and age, he's way ahead of the curve, and always has been. Classic whipping boy status without an ounce of perspective or context from many posters. He's just gonna get better, and when TMac gets back down there as Gawn and Hogan come back, the brothers McDonald will become one of the great stories of the AFL over the coming years.

Absolute reason, Vogon Poetry. Those knockers will only see what they want to see though, and never let reality get in the way of a good whinge. It's the reason why clubs have match selection committees rather than a single selector. Imagine how the team would differ if we each got a go at being sole selector. The list would be halved for starters.

He's also a very good mark. Billy Stretch will be the player who is perenially left in the margins of discussions about our best players, but by my estimations he is already one of the first ten picked every week. And he's only gonna get better.

This. We got two first rounders last draft, and they both look like diamonds, so am perfectly happy to forego early draft picks this year considering the quality and balancing out of list age balance that Hibberd and Lewis provide. And, Hibberd is a gun, just the power and propulsion we need off halfback.

Wow, this idea that we were 'the better team' just continues to baffle me. Adelaide and St. Kilda are better teams than us, it's just a fact. The Eagles we should have beaten on the day, but they too are a better team. Ladder positions at this time of the year speak the truth. Skills, vision and decision making are all things that constitute quality, and those three teams have more of all of them, hence they are better.

His agility is his point of difference for me. Evades, sidesteps and wrong foots like nobody else in the team. A natural footballer from the moment he stepped on the scene, he's smart and clearly committed. Once he hits 50+ games, the extra polish and poise will only increase his core value.

The last player we could afford to lose, sadly. Not only is he our midfield grunt now, but he sets the culture for competitiveness. That and the fact that oppo teams now know how to expose our defensive shambles means it's going to get very very ugly this Saturday, and not much better for the next 4 weeks. All of a sudden getting to last year's seven wins is looking like a good result for the year I reckon.