Pates

Great goal but that was such a bitter loss. Amazing game though, probably one of the best we've been involved in.

I've read a couple of pages and from the jist of things it appears no one knows for certain for Barrett is on about, only making educated guesses. Financial loss is a certain, losing QB the same year we don't have ANAZAC even puts a massive dent in our bottom line coupled with significantly lower crowds. I really wish the AFL had stepped in with Collingwood's request for the gates to be shared to make it interchange with ANZAC eve. Makes it very difficult for this year when two of our blockbusters go begging. Players unhappy is not a massive surprise as well, there doesn't appear to be harmony among the playing group. You only need to look at the way they've been bickering to know that our poor form has created fractures, but "big names" requesting trades will be an interesting one to see if there's any substance. That meeting Petracca's manager had with the footy club, pretty much all the reports on it highlighted that he doesn't want out he would just like more time in the middle. Of the players I could perhaps picture "wanting out" MAYBE Brayshaw by his down year, could be playing him as a winger and naturally resulting in a poorer year might've frustrated him. As others have mentioned ties west are appearing, but he is also Vic born and bred, we also stood by him during his concussion issues and I'd like to think that would earn us a bit of loyalty back. We had so many injuries this year I can't imagine any player being frustrated at lack of being picked, except perhaps Pruess. There were rumblings that Jones wasn't happy with the offer we made him but frankly he should be happy that we are asking him to go around again. I agree with a few others that sometimes there are issues that can be coming out of a club that are not good but all it needs to be turned into a "crisis" is a journo like Barrett labeling exactly that and pouring gasoline on the fire. Having said all that this off-season is absolutely critical. To back up such a pathetic 2019 with another poor 2020 will send us back into the cycle that we're all familiar with, we can't afford to be terrible next year.

Brayshaw's had a poor year, but I also think Goodwin has played him incorrectly, maybe it was a form of teaching to develop his game but it certainly didn't work. He likes the guts and getting into the packs, I feel like he began to second guess some of his natural instincts and it impacted his confidence. He's certainly better than what we saw this year, he's one that should be setting himself for a massive off season. He's a keeper.

I had to have a chuckle at Jones being considered a crucial re-signing. Love the guy and all he's done at the club, but he's getting an extra year based on his standing at the club. Certainly not on form. With Langdon, it sounds positive but until he or his manager comes out and says "Melbourne is his choice" I'm not ruling out a swoop in by someone else.

Totally get what you're saying and don't disagree, I feel our fate is in our hands for 2020 and with our low pick (be it 2 or 3) we have a chance to resurrect ourselves quite quickly. If our high performance team are able to get most of our team fit over and pre-season and our players put in the hard work, the only thing that's holding us back is if we have the right game plan and attitude to be the best. My bigger issue on GC getting an additional PP is that a: the precedent set by how awful we were and yet we were turned down an additional pick was just as dire as what GC are in, b: if being a Melbourne fan has taught me anything it's that you can't throw low draft picks at a club and expect that to fix the problem. They get these two top end talents, but what then? They will likely follow either two pattern, they'll develop and become good players but then get poached by other clubs, or they will fail to develop because the culture there is non existent. They need senior players, culture builder that the young guys can learn off and be dedicated to.

Can't agree more, he's had his chances here. It's time to go.

It's hard to gauge a win from a trade until the trade is well and truly done. I don't think we "won" out of the trade that saw us get Tyson and Salem, long term at least. But in the short term when we got him Tyson was very good in his first year and played consistent good footy for a few years after that, at the time we needed to short term options to get us in the game in the midfield to build something at the club. Not saying I would do it all over again, but we got a benefit out of it even if it didn't yield the long term result we were after. See what's table to us to split the pick and go from there, until then it's just pure speculation.

I have no problem with him being given another year, he had an awful year but in such a horrific year with players around him his abilities were found to have significantly dropped. My hopes are that the club has told him in no uncertain terms that he will not be captain next year or have a position in the leadership group, and he is not guaranteed of a spot week to week. Basically exactly what we did with Bernie and Lewis. At worst he will be valuable as a bottom 18th to 25th player, and at best (if used well) he could provide a us with a useful senior head on the field. This has started to become a lot more the norm nowadays, we've done it to success with Bernie and Lewis, while the Hawks did it with Roughy this year. And really using one position in the squad is not much for someone who has been a great clubman, no matter how poorly you rate his 2019.

Would absolutely love this to happen!

We’re entitled to pick 2 because we finished second last. Would I prefer we actually did what most of us here expected to do and back up last year with finals? Of course. But the team that finishes second last gets pick 2. Gold Coast getting another top 2 pick isn’t surprising but it’s not going to solve the issue. They should’ve instead been given multiple additional picks lower down (say top 20-30) that they’d have to trade and go after senior players that can help build something there. They are a rudderless ship and to send another top two draft prospect there not going to fix their larger issues.

One thing that I feel a lot of us agree we don’t have is a genuine small forward who chases, has pace, and a little x-factor. So what are our options that people know if either in the draft, in the VFL/SANFL, or poaching from other clubs?

In theory we should have a strong bargaining position with players coming out of contract by pointing out we are low in the order for the PSD. Whether we actually exploit it is another thing. Fingers cross we get this done well.

Definitely on board with this! We desperately need a small forward with x-factor and he seems to have that in spades. Go for him Dees!!!

I wouldn’t have an issue with us having a look at Patton, I’m not sure what gets the job done in terms of picks/trade options. He is injury prone and that’s the major risk we’d take with him, it’s a matter of whether our (new) high performance team would feel that they can nurse him back to health without too many regular setbacks. Right now our forward line is completely impotent, do we think that TMac will get back to his best? Do we think Weids will become the player we hope he can be? In the last two trade periods we’ve given up two forward in Watts and Hogan (while also delisting Pedders who had decent hands on him) but haven’t got any sort of key forward back. I don’t think we can continue to hope TMac and Weids will be the answer to our goal kicking issues.

Clarry has had a good year without being outstanding, he’s still very good at finding the ball in close contests and feeding it out but he has to improve his efficiency with kicking and become more damaging. Mat the moment I’d say he’s an excellent inside player but that’s about it. Needs to hit the scoreboard and be damaging when he gets the ball on the outside. His spray of Fritch was a very poor look, I can only hope a senior player or coach has taken him aside and tell him to pull his head in and think of the team.

Max captain, Viney VC, Melksham, and Jetta (and maybe Lever depending on fitness) as the leadership group. Jones gets one more year for me but relinquishes captaincy with no guarantees of spot (similar or Lewis this year). ANB, Stretch, Keilty, both Wagners, JKH, Maynard (already gone) all get delisted. I'm unsure of Garlett's contract but if he doesn't have another year to run he gets the chop too. I would like to see OMac traded out and we get another tall defender in (not sure who). Target pace/outside run at the trade and draft table. We have to get small a forward or two that will work hard and provide a spark. If Ratten or Voss doesn't get the Saints job then target either one for a midfield coaching role. Hire a skills coach, I saw Yze mentioned above I would love that.

I'd say it's confidence for the most part, he's not the only one. Hibberd is usually a very good kick has been way off, I would imagine that most people here had him clear in front on the B&F in the first half of the year. He's dropped off and his kicking has been way off the mark. But like many other he's performing well below his best and I'd be pretty confident in saying he's also struggling with an injury or two.

If it wasn't the last game of the year I would 100% be calling for him to be dropped. That kick from Fritch was sublime and absolutely the right decision, for Oliver to give him a spray for that is pathetic and I hope Goodwin gave him a spray back. This has been a horror year and the fact the players are turning on each other shows that they are in completely self preservation mode. They want good stats to be able to say, "see, see I'm doing well". Feels like an eternity that last year they would say things like, "well I didn't have the greatest game but the most important thing is the team performance and that we're backing each other up." All I can say is Clarry better put in a gut busting, BOG performance next week because that was embarrassing.

I live overseas, I've been buying my long distance membership every year since I've been here. I'll continue to do it if nothing else because I'm a gold member from consecutive years. But jeez this year has made it tough to cough up the dough.

I remember during Roos's time at Melbourne he very clearly said that Josh was a very good operator at his job. I think up until this year his track record has been pretty good, it all depends on how you look at it. Now obviously with our team having a horror year you're going to analyse is with a negative view point, but how about we think about how we rated him at the end of last year? I'd say most of us would've said he's doing an excellent job. He'd managed to attract talented players to our club, and overseen a period of long stability in amongst the key coaching ranks. The regular knock on him was that he didn't negotiate hard enough on the Lever trade, I don't disagree with that but we are yet to see Lever have a proper season with us. I suspect when that happens he will show us what a difference we makes to the team. Now flashing forward to now. It has been a horror year and as head of the footy department of course he has to take a measure of responsibility for that as do others in key FD positions. I'm not interested in the wrist slashing view points, until this year he's been in charge of a footy department that has seen improvement every year until this nightmare. How history will ultimately rate him is how he reviews the downfall of this year and what he does to ensure that next year we are back up to the top 8. If he isn't brutal and impartial in his assessments, if he doesn't ask the hard questions of the coaches (mainly Goodwin), if he takes the approach of "oh injuries screwed our season before it began" then he is not doing his job and by all means the fire can be lit under him. But Paul Roos and PJ BOTH spoke extremely highly of him, and as I said until this year we've seen steady improvement. This is where he earns his money, if he does a thorough, proper review of the FD and the squad, and if he's again able to identify and secure some talent from other clubs to nab then he's doing his job.

He kicked 32.24 last year and was no. 1 for goal assists so his kicking was pretty on point for the most part last year. Maybe like a few others last year was the aberration. ?

What was Hibberd kicking to then?!

We’re playing Frost as our key forward!

We could seriously go goalless for three quarters. When it gets inside 50 we are useless.

Two goalless quarters against the swans, pathetic. Milkshake should’ve scored at least a couple, it’s a sign of how low our confidence is that he is missing goals he would’ve gobbled up with his eyes closed last year. I know we went through the up and down years of the Rev but I don’t think I’ve seen a bigger drop off compared to where we were last year.