Pates

Regarding the choice of the SCG as the ground, maybe it doesn’t suit us (it certainly didn’t appear to watching on the telly) but it was the same dimensions for both teams. If we’re seriously wanting to contend then it needs to be anytime and anywhere. It was the best choice to get a decent crowd in for the Big Freeze which is more important than the game itself. We can also be a seriously quick team when we want to, but the players didn’t seem to use that. There was a distinct lack of energy from all the players and I don’t buy any tiredness excuse when they had 10 days break. The attitudes were reminiscent of 2019 where they just went at 50% for most of the game and didn’t give everything on second efforts. Meanwhile the pies brought the energy for Bucks and gave him a fond farewell. Sickening. We’ve got a tone of work to do make sure we aren’t another team that fades to obscurity after the bye.

This is the point, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to drop games during our 11-2 start but fact is that is only our second loss for the year and by far the worst performance. The players responded well after the Adelaide loss, this is their chance to learn and respond again.

Weid out. Fritta, Kozzie, and Tommy were non existent. Spargo seemed the most lively but Quaynor was way too dominant. Our forwards really were so far off the pace. Meanwhile our much loved midfield was absolutely beaten, Pies still have some quality (which would be frustrating if you were a Pies fan) and they stepped up. Petracca (aside from a couple of good cameo moments) wasn’t close to 50% of his best, Oliver was well held and clearly roughed up through the match. Gawn had an up and down game but aside from his 3rd quarter would rate his day as very average. LJ was the only player I’d say gave an effort all game, he’s definitely got a special quality to him. I know they’re different types of players but boy you put him next to Weid and you just have to shake your head. I don’t write players off but Weid is now at the bottom of the BBB/M Brown/Weid pack after that pathetic performance. The whole footy world has been waiting for the “old Melbourne”. On one of our biggest days of the year they returned, but here’s the good news: they players have two weeks to stew and be ****ed about it. Return after the bye breathing fire, I have a feeling the media will be loving this.

Game over.

Get Max on now, get all the mids in a huddle and say, “we are not losing this”.

Pickett completely stuffed that, had to handball to Fritta then.

Our entire forward line has been awful tonight.

If I were a pies fan I would actually be angry about this, the players have pulled out a very discipline performance and I would be questioning where this has been.

Almost need our own teammates to injure him, liability.

We look beaten, we don’t look like the top team.

Kozzie just kick it! ?‍♂️

Who the hell was on Pendles then????

Fritta’s done nothing today, should have plenty in the tank to do something in the final term. Our entire forward line have just looked off.

So obviously a much better quarter, but for me we seem to have gone back to trying to do too much. Taking on tacklers when there is isn’t the space, Trac and Oliver have probably been the biggest offenders at this. That said the players have definitely lifted, if we keep the intensity from that quarter going we should overrun them. Game is in the balance, first goal important.

Barring a 4+ goal effort for the rest of the game, Weid can’t stay in the team.

Our pressure has lifted.

There’s Trac! C’mon Dees!

Big goal skip!

Wow Weids first half is playing himself out of the side. 0 kicks 0 marks.

Even before Buckley’s announcement this was a danger game. Every year there’s a team down the bottom that probably isn’t reflective of their actual ability and I’ve felt the Pies fit this. Not saying they’re top 8 but they’ve got quality and that quality is rising to the top today. On the flip side our quality is barely showing itself, Oliver was literally doing everything himself at the start of the second quarter before his teammates pulled their finger out. Gawn seems off, marks not sticking and taps not going our way. Petracca is having a nothing game so far. May and Lever being kept out of the game through good planning. TMac only having a bit of a game (though did well to give LJ the goal). And Kozzie barely in the game. Long way to go, so much to do. We came out of the blocks against Brisbane in the second half, we need a rocket up them for this game as well.

Petracca’s having a mare.

Anytime, anywhere. If we’re good enough we’ll find a way.

I was one that had felt St Kilda were further ahead of us until we beat them very comfortably. Certainly Nibbler and Spargo were two players often mentioned as guys that would never be a regular part of a successful Melbourne team. TMac as well was labelled as “cooked”, Harmes was useless and a wasted 4 year deal. Really goes to show you how much fans use emotion to base their arguments, eg with Spargo his first game last season against West Coast was awful and had posters (I may have been one of them) saying he should never pull on a Melbourne guernsey again. EDIT it’s why I’m backing Melksham to come back at some stage and prove his worth, and why I think BBB will give the coaches a reason to pick him again. That said Langdon for Melksham was correct in/out.

This is insanely crucial any clubs hopes of pushing up the ladder and being in premiership contention. Luck is an element that is supremely undervalued when looking at premiership teams. The tigers broke their drought off the back of a stupidly good year of injuries, even better than what we currently have. The dogs had injuries in their year but their piece of luck was they peaked absolutely perfectly and got an armchair ride from the umpires. Even back to the dominant Essendon team of 2000, they had an incredible run of no injuries and no suspensions (that last part ironic given their thuggish actions on GF day). Luck is the element that I feel like we’ve constantly missed out on. All the way back to Jimmy running across the mark in prelim, to ‘98 getting pushed over to the tougher finals draw despite beating the premiers by 50+ points in the first week, 2000 we came up against unstoppable force, and the years from 2004-2006 even though we were in contention we always seemed to get injuries right at the worst times. So far Lady Luck is shining on us, fingers crossed that continues!

Hard to argue with that, a much more intelligent system would be if there’s an outbreak in the Melbourne metro/suburbs area you put everyone on a 5km radius lockdown from within that area. Mildura is so far away, it’s hard to imagine there being connections if a localised lockdown is done quick enough. Watching from afar I’ve been proud of the efforts with Australia with COVID, but I’ve also been disappointed that in the year they’ve had they’ve haven’t A improved the systems they have in place, B the federal government hasn’t taken on more responsibility for those systems, and C the “us vs them” state to state still exists with very little viable cooperation. I’m coming back in July, I’m absolutely desperate to get to watch us play and I can’t fathom the idea that we get a crack at the premiership with it taking place anywhere but the G.