Pates

Cheers for this advice, I’m coming straight from work so reserving a GA seat would be tricky. We’ve decided to go for the reserved seats, I like being on that wing near the MCC as well. Hopefully there won’t be too many insane pies fans around us! 😬

I feel like the low confidence in the talks is almost endemic. It’s like it’s spreading amongst all of them and they don’t know how it’s going to break. We just need one of our tall defenders and one of our tall forwards to stand up, and I genuinely think the others will follow. BBB needs to get involved on Monday, even in his worst form last season he still had a presence and managed to snag a goal or two. The last month he has been MIA. I realise this is a thread about Disco so I’m just going to say good luck to the bloke and it’s great seeing guys like this being given an opportunity.

Do you have an 11 game membership? If so and you’re wanting both of you to have a reserved seat then you have to select a seat for you both. The digital membership only gets you General Admission, there’s no seat attached to it.

My dad and I are trying to book tickets together on separate memberships at the reduced price, does anyone know how to do this? When I put my code in I can get my single allocated reduced ticket but I can only get the one, how do I get them both at the reduced $8 price? Also anyone know if this is going to put us automatically into a Melbourne area?

I wouldn’t say I’m getting more annoyed but it hasn’t passed like it has before. This was such an avoidable situation and for May as a leader to stuff up like this is so embarrassing and potentially costly for our season.

6 behinds scored in the final quarter by two teams is embarrassing for the AFL; Sevens ratings must’ve plummeted and their sponsors would’ve been [censored]!

Fritta’s miss was massively demoralising, it was such an awful shank from a usually dead eye. That was the moment for me, even Max’s checkside miss wasn’t as heartbreaking as that.

Thursday night footy is seen as a success for the league as the broadcasters love it, but for the viewing public it’s an awful time to go for I would say most of the public. I understand the benefits the league gets from TV rights but there has to be a balance to ensure the fans are being looked after as well.

Very separate issues but it’s a fair point. There are people that operate within the AFL that act as the moral police but have allowed so many worse indiscretions to continue or fade into oblivion. These “revelations” regarding May potentially going onto another venue afterwards, without sounding like I’m defending May I’m wondering what difference does it make? The issue stemmed from the argument and subsequent alteration with Melksham, is it a bad look that he could’ve gone on afterwards? Yes. Does it mean he should be given a further sanction? For what? I think at some stage it would be good to hear from Melksham, it can be during the bye once the dust has settled. I think what we need to see on Monday is a side that’s banding together, not breaking apart.

They’re waiting to see how Petty comes up I’d imagine, giving him probably until the last moment possible.

Good causes and good news stories don’t sell papers, it’s all about negative stories with clubs in turmoil.

That’s the thing though, I feel like we’ve acted very appropriately towards May so I can only imagine that the lack of sanction towards Melksham is the only part that could genuinely be questioned. Beyond that I can’t see what it else we could’ve done.

Of course it’s the way that this is all phrased which is what matters. I imagine just about every incident that results in a player being suspended is actually investigated by the AFL Integrity unit, but saying “Breaking: AFL launching their own investigation” sounds so much more dramatic and can of course fill more pages of the newspaper. What really grinds me is that this week and match should be focused on MND and the Big Freeze, but the actions of May and Melksham have ruined it and placed the club in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Even though I back Melky for sticking up for his teammates, it did make me wonder about him getting out of this with no sanction.

If we’re looking at it purely from a breaching codes of conduct side of things, aside from making a clown of himself and clearly making poor choices what has he actually done that would require AFL intervention? If anything perhaps there could be an argument for the AFL enforcing a ban on Melksham for violent conduct, however he’s injured anyway. Commentators and media pundits push these stories as far as they go because they know it gets more viewers, readers, listeners, and followers. It’s not because they think it’s right, it’s because they smell blood.

I think AA is extreme, however I would be very keen for the club to put some pressure on for him to give up the booze for the season. In a similar way a driver forfeits his right to driving when he breaks the law I feel that May has breached the club’s confidence in him being able to make the right decisions surrounding alcohol. Giving it up for the season shows genuine remorse and indicates we wants to do better for his teammates. But hey maybe I’m sitting too high on my high horse. I just think his decision making has been [censored] poor and alcohol has played a big part.

My opinion of someone increases when they stick up for a teammate, and when one of the “leaders” is in fact acting like a complete tool. Melksham’s decision to use violence is something I don’t condone, but his actions behind it are far better than the actions of May.

I’ve got a t-shirt that’s got “Froffies May” written on it, but I actually think he needs to put the beers away. I’m not saying he’s an alcoholic but this has shown the alcohol does have a negative influence on him, I would like the club to strongly urge him to place a ban on alcohol for the duration of the season. My opinion of Melksham has actually increased since this since he was the one sticking up for his teammate and questioning a leader for drinking whilst in recovery from a concussion.

I was thinking the same thing, though I don’t know enough about Turner. Throwing a debutant into a Queens Birthday clash is fraught with danger, particularly given our history.

*Facepalm* you’re correct. I’ll see myself out…

Bedford for Melksham perhaps, burst of energy and forward pressure (something we have sorely been lacking in lately). Personally I’m glad Melk is out anyway, both should’ve been suspended. I would also like to see Trac and/or Oliver play a bit of forward time, we know Trac can be damaging as a forward and we are struggling there. Perhaps and rotation of Oliver, Trac, and Viney through there could bring something new up there. What’s really concerning is what was the strongest line (our defence) has fast become our most vulnerable with poor form and lack of personal. I don’t think we’re at the “throw the magnets around” stage, but something needs to change.

I don’t know what to think about all of this. May is my favourite player and I’ve been so impressed with the way he’s carried himself since he first arrived and was out of shape and with a poor attitude, to develop himself into a leader and one of our most important players. For him to act like a bloody teenage with this stupidity of drinking whilst recovering from concussion, then clearly getting inebriated enough to say something as to hurt a teammate, all this with other players around him. It smacks of us regressing back to the club of old. This doesn’t have to define our season, and it can be used to tighten us as a group if done right, but I also have to ask why didn’t another leader/player step in from the start? We’re they all stuck with bystander syndrome expecting someone else to stand up and stop this train wreck? After our last two weeks this was the last thing we needed, but perhaps this can be our lowest point of the season. Maybe this can be the time our leaders step into the spotlight and lead the way out of this dark patch. Whatever has gone on between Melksham and May needs to be put to bed. For me this looks like the biggest Queens Birthday match that I can remember, we have to win.

I think we’ve got issues across the ground which impact each other. Our midfield isn’t delivering well into the forwards, and even when they do our forwards aren’t taking marks they usually would. Our small forwards aren’t putting enough pressure on the opposition coming out which puts pressure on our midfield to defend, which then leaves our defence vulnerable (and currently undermanned). Across all line we aren’t playing well. I’m not saying we need wholesale changes but I do think there are a number of players that need a rocket up them. May being internally suspended really annoys me, it’s the right call from what little I can see but FMD for such an important player to do such a stupid thing and to a teammate no less is a serious problem. These sorts of incidents can grow into bigger issues at the club, sounds like there are some fractures building perhaps born out of our drop in form. If Petty is injured I think Weid has to come in, play him forward and move Brown to defence. I think Max will need to go back to his old role of being the floating contested marker and start by floating back. For the first time in over a year I’m going to tip against us this week. Really hope I’m wrong but jeez the Pies must be picking their lips.

Another theory I have regarding his form is what is being asked of him? Is he being asked to play like TMac or Brown? Is he being given different sets of instructions? Are the coaches trying to simplify it to “affect X amount of contests and aim for a getting 2-3 looks at goals for one a game”. Maybe I’m grasping at straws but I just wonder if there’s a way we can get through to him that we aren’t trying.

No, to retiring the number. A great servant of the club but Robbie Flower is a club legend and we didn't retire it after him. Jimmy Stynes is an icon of the club, Max has paid 11 even more respect with his career. I would only look at retiring a number if a player passed away whilst still being a member of the playing group (ie Troy Broadbridge). The next player we get that we are convinced will be a future 200 gamer should be given no 2, or a currently player who Nate nominates can get it.

I totally agree he has been given chance after chance, but this opportunity may come as a result of another player being out for the rest of the season, much in the same way Petty got his sustained go following Tomlinson going down. I think part of the issue for him has been that he feels so under pressure to perform immediately because he knows someone else will be ready soon enough that he gets down on himself at the first hint of something going wrong. Yes the the Essendon game was against a relatively poor defence but he still had to perform and kick the goals, and he did! So the ability is bloody well there. I think for this coming week we will stick with the Brown/Brown combo, but this is Sam's genuine chance to force his way in and stay in.