Pates

I don’t like that the club gaining the player loses nothing other than salary cap space. If the AFL categorises the player as a first round compensation than the club gaining them should have to give up their lowest available pick. It’s not a direct trade as the club losing the player gets their compensation straight after their first draft choice location and it forces the team gaining the player to give up development of another youngster in their squad. Doesnt have to work exactly like that but Richmond shouldn’t be getting him for nothing. It was what annoyed me so much about the hawks getting chip from us.

It is interesting to consider the training camp stuff and how early on it was us copping it for the players backing out of it at the last minute. Of course the narrative for the media was all dependent on what happened in our year, we have made the finals and finished the H&A season by beating two top 8 teams. So there hasn’t been any more mentioned about it for a while. For Adelaide, they’ve missed the finals after being grand finalists and minor premiers so naturally the media will dissect anything they can to do with them.

He was the first trade for a long time to make an immediate and permanent impact on the team. He came to us as a bit of a party guy, but nuckled down and became a leader. One of my favourites, I’m gutted for him that he’s missed out on playing finals with us. Best of luck Bernie, I hope you know you’ll always have a home at the Dees.

Biggest thing that killed us both games was our inefficient forward entries, too many long bombs and then inaccurate kicking for goal, particularly when we were dominant. I also think back to QB with the big build up and big crowd, we were overwhelmed and didn’t switch on. Since then we’ve played in front of other hostile crowds and come out strong, we have to make sure we don’t get sucked in by Geelongs experienced players getting in our players heads. I feel like Viney is the wildcard here, without match fitness do we throw him straight into the guts? Maybe have him start outside the centre square to run in with purpose to smash the first Geelong player to grab the footy? Or perhaps start him in the half forward area to feel the game first before throwing him into the centre? Honestly I have dreams of Dangermouse gathering the ball and Jack tackling him hard into the ground (legally of course) and knocking him out like what OMac did to Darling.

He’s still got a long way to go in his development but he’s playing with great confidence, he’s attacking ball with desperation and that set shot today shows he’s got good kicking in him. I think a lot of it is between the ears with Sam but the last two weeks have been brilliant.

It’s interesting to consider but should we win this week our form coming into the finals will be as good as anybody’s bar the tigers. Particularly getting wins over 2nd at their home and (should we beat GWS) a top 4 aspirant. Although I think it’s unlikely the Pies could well fall into the trap we’ve done too many times to count, looking too far ahead. I’m glad we’re playing a finals bound side as it’s an opportunity to get a further scalp and more confidence. Playing a lower ranked side can sometimes have you not paying close enough attention to what’s in front of you.

I was the one that started this thread at he beginning of the season so I’m naturally curious about his development. I think we always knew he wasn’t going to be like Hogan making an immediate impact but there have been moments where he shows his potential. I actually didn’t realise he took 4 contested marks on the weekend, that’s a very good returnsnd he could’ve had more (there were a few he got a good piece of and just fumbled at the end). As a high draft pick people are always going to be impatient, but fact of the matter is that we’re in a luxurious position where we can allow him to naturally develop without pressure as opposed to how we’ve treated almost every other high draft pick in the past.

Actually quite entertaining reading some of the comments ?. I tried to find one that I made to see what I said, I’m pretty sure I was underwhelmed and annoyed we gave up a second round pick for him. Pretty good value looking at it now!

I remember we all raised our eyebrows when he was placed in the forward line, I was surprised and honestly didn’t think it was going to be successful. I don’t think it’s possible to be more wrong, he is our most important forward in that he rarely wastes it. I think there was one moment where he could’ve gone for goal himself but was on his wrong foot so he chose to centre it and the eagles rebounded. That was one of he few moments where I said, “c’mon Melks! Be selfish, finish the job yourself!” We’ve done some great trades in recent times, he’s up there with the best.

It's hard to rate how Gus was before this year because he didn't get a clean run at it for so long. Now that Gus is injury free he's doing what he was born to do. Harmes was in a crossroads place at the start of this year, no one could actually say what his best position was because he was playing a bit of everywhere. Now that he's gone into the guts tagging opposition runners, with runs in the forward line he's found his place in the team. He set up Kent for the 2nd last goal and it was everything that he's become; he controlled the ball from the smother, kept calm, and delivered well.

Freo were complete garbage this week vs Geelong, I wonder whether the Perth papers giving them a lashing and perhaps Ross Lyon giving them a spray might just lift them to an upset vs Collingwood. If that were to happen (unlikely as it is) that would make our game vs the Giants playing off for 4th spot!

Not a great finisher.....

He did what was asked of him for the most part, still needs work on settling his nerves in front of goal. But attacked the contest well, clunked a couple and probably should've clunked a couple more. But there were good signs.

If he gets his shot, which I feel like he will, he should be instructed to run all day. He can't just be a roaming stay at home forward, he needs to be mobile and try to run his defender into the ground. Hard work and application has seemed to be his biggest fault in the past, we can't afford laziness at this time.

There's a part of me that would prefer it be down to us having to win one of these two games. As much as I want us to play finals I'm not sure I want us in there limping in with no wins against anyone of note. That said I really desperately want us in the finals.

These last two rounds Hogan has to stand up and be counted, right now he's the epitome of a Melbourne player. A rock star vs lower teams, goes to water against the good teams.

There was a lot let go tonight, at times on both sides although the third quarter really felt in the Swans favour. There were some downright puzzling ones where we would lay perfect tackles and not be rewarded while our guys would get zero time to get rid of it or would have their heads taken off and get pinged for HTB. Not the worst I've seen but it wasn't great, and yes Nicholls was the worst of them.

One week at a time and focus on ourselves, the rest will sort themselves out. Adelaide away was an important win (and probably underrated by many) but is it the “big win” to give us the confidence to push forward? Sydney can be that win for me, we haven’t had a happy hunting with them for quite a while and last year were given a ridiculously hard run before facing them last year. They haven’t faced us in prime nick for a long time. If we can knock them off then I place no limits on how far we can go. The players should have every reason to feel confident but we need to be the ones to bring manic pressure from the start.

I suspect it was something the airport/airline assisted in setting up. If I’m on that plan the last thing I want is a media scrum at the other end. This way the passengers get out at their destination without that madness.

It’s an interesting one that because Subi really was a massive advantage for Freo and WC due to the unusual dimensions. Making it more like the G takes that side of things away, of course you still have the hostile crowd. We were hopeless at footy park vs Adelaide and Port but seem to like Adelaide Oval so far. Hopefully same thing can happen with Perth stadium.

From an article on the club’s website: “Bugg was sent away from the club for 10 days in the immediate aftermath of the incident with Mills, time he used to contact the young Swan to express his remorse for his actions and to reassess what he wanted to stand for as a footballer. Upon returning, Melbourne's fitness staff put the forward through a punishing regime while he was ineligible to play between rounds 16 to 21. Training would finish and the rest of the players would be laughing and carrying on, relaxing on the sidelines. And there would be Bugg, often the only one out on Gosch's Paddock, as the coaching and equipment staff were packing up, looking down at his watch to make sure he was meeting the times that had been set for him during gut-busting running sessions. To his credit, Bugg didn't complain. He didn't drop his bottom lip, didn't blame anyone else other than himself. Bugg just got on with it and, after playing the final two games of the season back in the VFL once his ban had finished, set himself to have "the best pre-season of his career". The 24-year-old beat out usual time trial king Tom McDonald in the club's 2km time trial post-Christmas, and he was often regarded as a standout – based on his work ethic on the training track – over summer.” http://m.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-04-05/bugg-resets-to-earn-trust-and-respect

Agreed, I thought the way Goodwin played the Bugg incident was spot on but Simpson on the other hand is seemingly trying to excuse and praise him. Its like the way people carried on after Houli’s hit last year. The character of the man doesn’t change the act, it should be condemned and Simpson putting him in his votes is a slap in the face of Freo and Brayshaw.

Hopefully there’ll be some upsets just to throw things up as well. But I think that’s a simple likely scenario. Its tough to call, I can see us winning all three and I can see us losing all three, it’s so tight.

If that happened (has it ever happened in any professional sport?) the AFL tribunal wouldn’t play any part. But most (if not all) one punch hits that cause death are as much to do with the person landing on concrete as it is the hit itself. Brayshaw wasn’t knocked out, he got hit on a soft part of the face. Half an inch lower and it’s quite possible he’d be playing this week. Again not defending Gaff but there’s always luck involved when it comes to any injury.

So I feel like they shouldn’t put weeks on it, I think they should simply say he won’t play again this year. Brayshaw’s season is done, Gaff shouldn’t have a chance to play in a grand final. If they do want to put a figure of weeks make it 7, and it potentially runs him out for games next year. But should he play again this year he will be given a lot of heat. Ironically probably the same sort of heat they gave Adam Goodes (still can’t work out why that went so far). I’m not defending Gaff but I’m sure doctors and Ambo’s could say severity punches can depend so much on where the person is hit. I very much doubt Gaff picked a spot on his face thinking “this is going to cause maximum damage” I see it more as a wild swing not really aiming at anything. Bugg’s hit could’ve been just as bad last year but Mills only (I say only in comparative recovery terms) ended up with concussion. For that reason the teeth and jaw being so badly damaged shouldn’t weigh as much into it as I think people think. It’s as bad as Bugg’s hit, Brayshaw’s gone for the year, given the timing of it so should Gaff.