Pates

Yep same guy that said Jackson wouldn’t make it as a ruckman…🤣

If I were fans of the other clubs I would’ve taken note of our finals form, that is the closest to our best we’ve played and we never put in a 4 quarter performance. I wish we had Burgo for our off season recovery.

Our combined losing margin is outrageous, we went through period where losing by that much in a week would’ve been standard (and accepted). The Adelaide game was our “we was robbed” moment, a draw would’ve been fair that night. The Hawks game we should’ve found a way, but didn’t. GWS and Dogs we kicked ourselves out of it. The Pies game was for me our worst performance, we looked slow and disinterested. It was the only time that I was concerned the old Melbourne could return.

Good fun watching watching those highlights, that’s now almost the standard Max Gawn game he’s set the bar so high for himself. Of course something he has improved is his kicking for goal after the siren!

Funny you say that, does anyone do a “team of the finals”? Clearly it would be dominated by Dees players but would be interesting to see someone’s take on who the top performers were across the ground. I still pinch myself at how cool and clinical Fritta was with his set shots at pivotal moments in the game. Ice in his veins!

Definitely think there should be a multi-part documentary made. Perhaps history of until 2020 (large focus on the dark days), 2021 pre-season to 9-0, then round 10 to perhaps round 22, then round 23 and finals series. I hope they’ll at the very least be doing a season review DVD/downloadable content. But this story deserves so much more than just the usual effort.

Can you pick these up from the newsagent?

I don’t think I’ve seen a Melbourne team turn their kicking misfortunes around so drastically. After Fritta bagged those two quick ones we didn’t look like missing, Gus’s set shot was massive. So much of it can come down to confidence, one person kicks a pressure goal then the next person doesn’t feel as much of the weight of the world on his shoulders.

It’s time that the likes of us, the dogs, north, and the saints really kick up about this. It’s time EVERY Victorian club got a trip down there regardless of size of the club. No team should be spared that trip. Really pisses me off.

Definitely not going to do 2x NT games or at least not one in Darwin. Those days are over. But since you bring it up I would love us to bring the premiership cup to the NT when we play our game next year. Give fans up there an opportunity to have photos taken with it and have it on display while at the game. The big thing that the club has done so well at lately is making every component of our club be recognised as a part of the success. That should 100% include the Northern Territory and their long time sponsorship of us. I’d personally request we play Brisbane there, generate some genuine interest in the game.

Beautifully summed up, she is a great lover of opening up old wounds that have been closed long ago. As for the curfew, biggest non-story ever. Ask the players now if they could care less about being told to be professional for a 1 and half week period before the biggest game of their lives. She tries, I think, a little too hard to be the policewoman for the AFL’s morals. She gets some right, but when she gets them wrong she looks like a real goose (not unlike many others in her industry).

I’m sure he’s pretty happy with the call now but from pure money and contract certainty perspective she was probably right at the time. He might be worse off in a financial way but now he’s a premiership player I doubt he cares much!

We experienced this a little when we were 9-0 but we have officially now “the hunted”. I think this group of players is going relish this opportunity to make an even bigger statement. I just remember when we garbage and we’d come up against the top of the table and the various coaches would talk about the challenge the players had of going up against the best. We are now the best, we are the standard and everyone else is trailing behind. I love it!

Get on those odds, might be the best you get! 😉

Yeah I think people would’ve forgiven us for slowing the game down after we got 40 odd points in front but the boys were just having fun and didn’t want to stop. My only sadness about the game is that neither Kozzie or Gawn got a major in the game.

Begs the question of if they had filled their sponsors quota then why not just stay live and show more replays/chat between the goals? I’m sure people would’ve been very happy to do without the extra adverts.

I think for me we traded Watts and Fritta was the one who we ended up with from the pick, I’d seen some of how he’d played at Casey and thought the talent and footy smarts were there but wasn’t sure if he would follow through on his Casey form. I will also say his kicking last year drove me nuts at times, I think the most annoying part was I could tell he had a good action he just needed a little adjusting.

Fritta’s transformation into the player he is has been a really interesting ride because he’s one that doesn’t come from the traditional drafting system straight from U18’s. When he came to us he had talent and looked a good pick but the question was whether he would be anything but decent. He’s had his struggles, inaccuracy being one he’s had to overcome, but boy he has become something really special. Him kicking that goal and pointing to his jumper is one of my favourite GF moments.

Like many analysts he doesn’t look into the future he looks at the present. It means that all he’s doing stating what would appear obvious to most football fans and not people with genuine analytical knowledge. Montagna to his credit rates us from the start of the year and a few scoffed at him. But Buckenara’s biggest facepalm call is surely suggesting we trade out Oliver! I mean c’mon the guy was an out and out gun last year that needed more support. Calling Petracca a B-grader as well was boldly dumb. Ah well stuff him, he can eat his words now!

Gawn v Cats Rnd 23 after the siren has top spot for me, I think now we know how much more it meant because of the confidence it gave the team. We could well still have made the premiership anyway but the wave of emotion and momentum can’t be underestimated in going into finals. Trac’s 3rd quarter dribbler has to make the list as well now though! As a team effort I love Clarry’s running goal as well.

I’ll add there needs to be a Gus and Gawny commentary of the full game perhaps with Gary Lyon along side them, and special guests for each quarter (Trac has to be the 3rd or 4th quarter).

So in years gone by we’ve had “Hotter Than Hell” for 1998, “Dynamic Demons” for 2000 as the review VHS/DVD’s. There surely has to be some kind of review merchandise than they do for this incredible year, I would love it if they actually did a Netflix/Amazon style documentary series with elements of going through the review of the season. “Date with Deestiny” was one thought, “Too Hot To Handle” was another (although I’d have concerns about putting that into a search engine). I’m also absolutely serious about the club trying to get a Netflix/Amazon doco series on the go for this. It’s a story that stretches back decades.

Sad, but expected. All you can hope is that the lessons learned have been put into a plan for future seasons. He’s helped us get to a premiership, not much more you can ask of him. I hope Adelaide aren’t in the mix for a while.

Bugger it, that’s tomorrow’s problem. If a team wants to stay together they find a way.