Pates

I'm really glad we don't have anything to do with next season's "opening round". To me it felt disruptive to the start and unnatural when we had that early bye. Longer pre-season for preparation is a better deal IMO.

Thanks to the track watchers for these write ups. Hearing the Jeffo is filling out and looking good is music to my ears, I really hope this coming season he will be in the conversation for a call up come round one. Also any concerns about Jonesy coming on as assistant coach have been thrown out, it can't be underestimated the moral boost and energy he will bring. Don't forget the bloke practically carried the club on his shoulders for a good few years, he knows how to motivate and lead by example. That said I'm glad he's not going to be doing the midfield line all on his own. I keep going back to what Gawn said on Triple M a little while back, that it has felt like 2021, 22, 23, & 24 have all merged into a single season, the players were burnt out. Firstly that makes the dynasty teams look even better, but secondly it means the club simply has to take advantage of the extra preparation time it will have.

I do actually think leadership on the park has been an issue of late, mainly that it's probably been the same voices for too long and it's become a little stale. That doesn't been we throw it all out and make Rivers captain with Koz as the vice, but looking to freshen things up is a very good thing and I'm glad that this review is creating a shift in thinking. Hearing Max say "we aren't the 2021 demons" to me says that we have been holding onto what we were instead of looking to be what we can/want to be.

I think the whole "Melbourne doesn't have a forward line" thing has been done to death as is now at a point where it's a myth. While JVR was younger and he probably needed a chop out the argument was there and it was frustrating that Benny Brown's knees were so cooked he could only manage a couple of games before it became too much (I actually also think we couldn't managed it better but that's another story). I now think that JVR is in a position to be able to take the spearhead role, with Turner as larger mid-size forward, Melksham and Fritta as mid-size forwards, and Koz and Chandler playing the small pressure forward roles. Petty MAY come into play as a forward as well but I really think we should be looking at ways to getting him back as a defender. I can picture a world where Petty starts the season in the forward line and ends it down back. In short (IMO) the need was there 1-2 years ago, the need isn't there now. We need to focus on getting our midfield gelling again, winning the clearances, and hopefully a fresh pair of eyes on the forward line will give a new dynamic to us.

Him playing in the opening round was ludicrous. No idea if it affected his recovery/injury but he was so clearly off the pace fitness wise. That said he is a bit of a forgotten man, if he can get his body right he will almost be a new recruit for us.

That particular part of the story drove me nuts the most, it was the most hyperbolic BS ever and attempted to make it out that his position at the club was untenable. I would genuinely like to know from the reporters/journo's of the AFL media, why is it that when there are certain players that have clearly been struggling with mental health issues that they back off, and others that are in the same camp they do everything to make them from page news. It was the same issue that I had with the reporting on Petracca, I get the drama was juicy but we're dealing with a young bloke who suffered a traumatic injury and was told he almost died. Give it a bloody rest!

He's depth, he'd know it. I feel like we were waiting on whether we'd get Derksen from GWS. That failed, so we need coverage. He might get a game or two next season, but it would be if we have multiple injuries I would think.

NGL there is an element of screwing the Pies over from them getting Houston that would be an added sweetener to me. I'm bullish about us next season, as long as key players stay fitter than they were this year I see us back in the finals. I also love the idea of our club backing themselves in to achieve success.

What irks me is that after we say we're not trading him, and Geelong say "we respect Melbourne's position", talks between him, his manager, and Geelong have clearly still continued. Is this all just preparation for next years trade period? Make his position at the club untenable so that they can come in with low ball offers? It also serves a secondary purpose where it potentially makes him less likely to provide us with his absolute best, or at the very least puts his head in a different space. I swear they have done this with lots of other players as well, they've become the Barcelona of the AFL where they swoop in and take the best the league has to offer.

Given that this is ultimately a physical game there will always be times where teams are just bullying the other team around, I guess the whole "make em earn it" type thing is old school but I think it can be done in fair ways. What I have been frustrated with for a while is that I feel like our players are keen to be the nice guys of the competition. Save for a few of the group (May, Koz, Viney) come to mind, we are very much go hard for the ball but leave it at that. You can get away with that against middle tier teams but against the top teams, and when the match is getting fiery we get bullied and we look like we're happy to take it. Regarding Maynard, I will never, ever cop that there was no intent to physically impact Brayshaw. You can argue intent to injure, I doubt there are many if any times where a player in their head thinks "think is a great opportunity to knock a player out", but he chose in that moment in a final to choose physicality over protecting his fellow player. Was I expecting one of our guys to knock him into next week? Absolutely not. Was I expected them to be physical with him and make sure he knows he will not get a single easy ball? Definitely, and there is no way that happened. An edge doesn't mean going back to the bad old days of the Hawks knocking players out, but to me it is about standing up to an opposition and saying, "anything you give, we will give back and with interest".

Hibberd was one of our genuine tough as nails players that was always on hand to fly the flag. If we weren't going to have Grundy as a sub in the finals last season we should've had Hibbo. I'm really hoping we're able to pick up a mature recruit that isn't afraid to get into the thick of the action when the going gets tough.

Haven't done a thread for a while but it's something that I've been feeling for a while. 2021 one of the things that we had going for us was that we were hard at the ball and high in pressure, particularly in the forward half. Since that year though I haven't felt like we've had that same physical edge to us, and adding to that I don't feel like we are ruthless enough or strike any fear into other teams. I look at our team and I feel like when things are getting tough, we get bullied. I hate bringing it up but the loss of Gus 5min into a final this time last season was a time for our players to raise that side to another level. Instead it looked like Viney was the only player genuinely flying the flag for a teammate and since this we've almost looked gun-shy. The way our players showed up to the QB showed we don't have a mean bone in our bodies, we want to play the game as gentlemen, and only act tough to save face at times. Kozzie plays the game on the edge and unfortunately gets suspended (personally I feel this latest one is OTT in suspension) but at least he gives a bit of mongrel. So to the point of the thread, how can we shift this mentality? How can we get an edge about us again? We've got an off-season to be able to make us a finals/premiership contender, and this is an area I feel needs improvement. I'm sick of seeing us look like the bullied kid at school.

I'm enjoying the discussions on here regarding Goodwin and it's refreshing to see it differ from the "Sack Goodwin" rhetoric. Most on here agree that he has largely done a decent job and that our list is actually probably overrated rather than underrated. Our dip this year is hardly a surprise given all of the issues we've had to deal with in injuries, retirements, and lack of pre-season to key players. So when analysing Goodwin's efforts as coach it must be said that while we failed in a few key areas, and that there are changes required, with a depleted squad were still able to go close to beating Brisbane at the GABBA, Port at Home, and GWS at home. While also beating Geelong and Port (away) earlier in the season. These are scalps that show we aren't too far off the pace, but that we need a bit more luck a tweaks to the gameplan. I'm glad that it looks like there will be a refresh in the FD, Stafford moving on is a great start. I also think Goodwin needs someone that can help him swing changes quicker on game day, too often he stands by original plan and by that stage it's too late.

For me my issues with Roffey around there being very little movement (until recently with Caulfield) on a home base, and this feeling that when the team was at the top of their game and top 4 contenders she was a prominent figure, but when things haven't been as good for the last 12 months she's been a bit MIA. Now I agree that the President shouldn't be doing all the talking, but it felt like they were putting too much of the burden on Goodwin and Gawn. Her interview with Whateley unfortunately signed her papers. Pert for me I have concerns about how our culture is being managed. He was CEO at the Pies when their culture wasn't great, and lately our culture feels like it's been average at best and in reality much closer to poor. I don't feel like he's progressed the club in any way and in fact we have regressed. Does that mean an immediate change is required? Maybe not. But I do feel like we can and should be doing better as a club at an administrative level. If Caulfield happens then Pert and Roffey should be given a lot of credit.

Ok maybe I'm living in delusion, and I am on the other side of the world so perhaps not reading the temperature, but given the statement that came out last week with Trac reaffirming his commitment to Melbourne and the club reiterating that he's not going anywhere, doesn't anyone else feel that these stories continuing are actually the media just drumming up more fuel to put on the fire and keep the story going? I mean it's been widely stated that no club has the ability to not only trade for him and satisfy with contract requirements. Is this all just drip-fed info to keep the story rolling between each finals week? I dunno, maybe it's just me wearing my rose-tinted specs. Also the media can go suck a fat one on this, they have reported time and time again that the mental toll and trauma that Trac has experienced, at yet they are quite happy to keep drumming this up and keep it front page. Get stuffed.