Pates

Yep and considering we don’t have Hogan anymore we need so much more from him. If nothing else he need to impact the contest and ensure they don’t have easy exits. Bottom line is though there’s so much work we need to do in all parts of the ground. We need to someone to stand the **** up!

Definitely, we are missing structure and marshalling in that area. We can argue Lewis’s playing ability for his age but there is no doubting we play better when he’s in the team. Off the top of my head the players that we are missing that were important during our final H&A games and finals are Hannan, AvB, and Lewis. While they aren’t brownlow medal contenders they each add something important in their respective areas that we are severely lacking in. Oscar and Frost are both very dumb players, they are one dimensional and panic when the heat is on them. Lewis being around them is a cool voice of leadership that lets them know what they might not be noticing. Taking a breathe and analysing all areas of the team it isn’t that hard to work out why we aren’t playing well. Key players have had interrupted pre-seasons and are underdone, average players such as Frost, and Oscar are not at their end of 2018 standard while Weiderman is struggling to recapture his break out form. ANB is also having a slow start not unlike how he was this time last year. We are down in form and quality in practically all aspects of the ground and in such a tight competition a drop of 5% means you’re already off the pace of the competition.

I want Frost out, the reality is a don’t know if there’s anyone that can come in. Our spine right now is as poor as I’ve seen it for years at both ends. TMac needs to be given hard words this week, I know the delivery to him has been deplorable but he also hasn’t been putting himself in the right positions.

There’s so much that needs to change and go right for us against Sydney, it starts with winning the clearances and then being able to lock the ball inside our forward 50. There have been some surprise results early this year, maybe it’s going to be our turn.

Delete please, wrong thread!

With the draw we’ve got this could really be a painful year, I think we’ve reached a ceiling with certain players and our quality aren’t coming to fore. Tom McDonald is better than what he’s showing, I think it’s a combination of poor delivery to him and low confidence but him getting his confidence back is important. Meanwhile our defence is a rabble, no one takes defensive marks and that’s the big difference. Lever is massively missed right now because right now all the defenders are doing/can do is unconvincing fists. I think we’re heading for bottom 6 this year, the draw we’ve got is very difficult and it would’ve been tough if we were on song. Now it’s going to ensure a year of pain. I hate to say it but the positive is that looking forward to 2020 (yes I’m becoming one of those people) we will have a favourable draw.

Dear Melbourne......?

Yet again forward entries are useless and making it difficult on the players, that said they aren’t leading well and demanding the footy. Melksham is a shadow of his 2018 self right now, he should have 3-4 right now but it just isn’t working for him. Our midfield is doing ok, but at both ends of the ground we are useless.

Definitely both frees unrewarded.

What the hell is going on with our defence? It’s way too easy!

Well that wasn’t a free either so there’s the leveller I guess.

Top finish from stringer but that was never a free kick.

We can’t play two way footy.

Soft free, I’ll take it. Still feels like a fight for us to get a shot on goal. We’re not playing smart inside 50.

I thought he over ran it to be honest.

Well this is it isn’t it, both teams under the pump, both having played diabolical footy for the first two rounds. It’s time we bring it or we can kiss any chance of finals for my mind.

I hate saying this but the seasons on the line this weekend for us and the bombers, neither team is good enough to recover from such a horror start. It means both teams should be coming out all guns blazing and I’m not gonna lie I’m worried about whether we will bring the heat. The few positives from the weekend was that there was lots of balls going inside 50, but the manner in which it was going in and our forwards failure to lock it in was just pathetic. Add to that the fact our defence is totally inept right now made for a massively dirty night. Among many things that we are lacking, one is a genuine livewire small forward in the ilk of the Rioli’s. Our forward lack pressure on their defenders which gives them easy exits. IF we get our mojo we will beat Essendon, that I have no doubt. Whether we will and be able to resurrect this already fading season....

I knew when we weren’t converting at the start of the 3rd we were done. They’ve had 6 inside 50s for 5 goals, went way too tall for the conditions and our midfield is letting them get simple kicks in there. Absolutely disgusting efforts inside our forward 50 all night, TMac has been awful, Weiderman (who simply HAD to kick his) mostly unsighted, Melksham continues to look off the pace, and Petracca mostly useless. But ultimately our deficiencies in defence has made this an ugly night. There’s no logical set up, no one marshalling the troops into position, they look like headless chooks. I don’t think it’s possible for me to be more [censored] off with such a pathetic effort.

I was thinking we we might have a drop off this year, but right now we don’t look like a top 8 team at all.

Jones has been absolutely terrible tonight. Should seriously consider dropping him.

We’ve lost our constested ball dominance from last year, that was the main area that we were able to win games. So far this year we’ve been terrible, I don’t know if it’s teams being able to better read Max or our contested ball winners have dropped off the pace but we need to get that back. Also during the period in that quarter where we were in somewhat control we have reverted back to our long kick and hope into the forward line. A) it’s a slick night so we need to be smarter than that and B) lower the bloody eyes. May must be shaking his head thinking he’d gone to a team where there wouldn’t be the ball down his area for most of the game. Bloody terrible second half of the quarter, I hope Goodwin’s able to work some magic because right now we are bereft of it.

I stopped reading at the suggestion of dropping TMac. I think serious questions need to be asked about certain players (you named a few) but dropping a bloke that kicked 50 goals in just over half a season of footy last year? Based on one H&A game in which the midfield was soundly beaten? That said I do have this bad feeling in my gut that this year might not be all it’s cracked up to be. One of the reasons is one that you pointed to: we’ve been traveling in an upward trend for so long, most history has shown that it doesn’t keep going that way forever and most teams have a drop before they head towards a peak. I have a bad feeling that might be us this year. I feel hopeful that when we hit our straps it’ll be enough to make finals but we may find ourselves around the 6-8th mark by the end of the year with a quick exit. The main reason I feel this will happen is that we’ve had a very interrupted preseason for key players. A common comment being said during the game was that we had the most amount of off season surgeries of any of the clubs, that has to take its toll. Oliver had serious surgery done on both of his shoulders for example! Jones and Viney looked way underdone and were mostly unseen, although he contributed Melksham didn’t seem right passing the ball when in very clear shooting positions. We don’t have Lever (who will take time to find himself again), AvB is injured again, Lewis pulled out late, while we also got injuries to fringe players like Garlett and JKH. If we had an injury run that Richmond experienced in their premiership year we’d be in good shape, but so far luck is not on our side. We need May to be the dominant defensive force next week or we could find ourselves chasing the 8 for a while.

One thing I learned watching our dismal round one performance is that I have a new found respect the the Lions, Hawks, Cats, and Swans teams that were so dominant for so long. It’s a credit to their list, and fitness staff that they were able to hit the ground running every year. Now that I’ve swallowed that little bit of vomit that came up from praising the Hawks here’s my two cents. We are clearly suffering from having one of the most interrupted preseasons of any of the so called contenders. We looked off our feet walking into the rooms at half time and while we had that burst in the 3rd quarter it didn’t last very long. Ultimately it showed that most key players were underdone, particularly our captains who were terrible. Jones’s drop at the start of the third quarter was the game, it was inexcusable and the team looked shot from there. Salem is the only player who can hold his head up that he gave a complete performance. The good news, it’s only round one and there’s next week for redemption with May coming in.

May comes in for Frost and I hope that’s the last we see of him getting a game for the seniors. Lewis for Hore I think Pruest might get a game on the back of Gawn getting roughed up, it won’t surprise me if that becomes a theme for poor Maxy this year. Maybe Sparrow for Pruest? Salem is the only one I could honestly say played a complete game, his class was a cut above. Everyone else should be given a swift kick up the bum starting with Petracca, it’s time he delivered.

What was de goey thinking!?