Maldonboy38

24 hours later, and I am still annoyed. However, we lost by 7 points and totally outplayed the Pies in the 2nd half. Are we ever that bad in front of goal 2 weeks in a row? I reckon we can turn it around. I still believe. And I would love us to meet the Pies again in the GF.

Deever, I thought Lever had some OK moments in the 1st half when everyone else was asleep, but Salem was... wow... grass watching. If he cannot play his role due to health issues, we can't play him because of what his best looks like. With Rivers, Bowey and Hibbo doing OK, I would consider Tomlinson for Salem if we play Carlton.

6. Gawn The distance between Earth and Mars to the next player 5. Oliver (but please don't kick a 55 metre drop punt to the same place EVERY time you kick inside F50) 4. Petracca (I rated him a bit lower due to ineffective 1st half) 3. Bowey 2. May 1. Sparrow I do not understand people voting for Kozzie. He was appalling for much of the night with little intensity, looking disinterested, or more interesting in tackling and bumping after the event, rather than getting the ball. He is a real worry in finals for some reason.

Finally made it home after a long and sad evening at the MCG watching the Dees. I haven't read this entire thread, but I can only imagine how disappointed we all are. Here is my 2 bobs worth. The first quarter was inexcusable. A simple lack of hunting the ball. From 1/2 way through the 2nd quarter to the end of the game, we were the better team, but we were SO unclean by hand and foot, especially compared to the (I hate to say it) brilliant kicking of the Pies. Daicos, Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Hoskin- Elliot and others. Thank goodness for our back 6. The Pies run and carry through the middle of the ground cut us apart all night, but our backline repelled it time and time again (1st quarter aside when they were asleep) I don't think we can wait to draft a monster forward, or wait for Jefferson who isn't big enough. We need an aerial beast who has forward craft, contested marking ability, and who can make the play. We also need an elite kick who can deliver inside F50. We also need a different perspective in our forward line. Apart from Fritsch, very few players lead. We kick to stationary targets (and this appears deliberate, an intentional set up) Those 3 missed goals in the last quarter were vomit-inducing misses when we had so much momentum. Max Gawn is outstanding. Apart from a few flashes here and there, Kozzie was atrocious. Actually, he was a dead set liability at times. Lack of effort and intensity. Collingwood will not win the flag on that effort. We still can. Maynard, the faux tough guy, is everything I hate about d**k head footballers. 4 weeks suspension please, but he will probably get off. Get well Gus. I hate Collingwood.

TMac and Hibbo in = very good news. Noble out for Pies appears a huge mistake to me. Don't understand it at all. Their whole game is built on run-and-carry and he has been a central pillar of that all season. If Ginnivan can't get a regular game at the Pies, I would be happy to have him at the Dees. I know he is a bit of a w-anchor, but a natural footballer with wonderful game sense.

6. Hore 5. Hanks 4. Bannon 3. Harris 2. Macklin 1. Heath couldn't squeeze Paxman into it.

Most of those names were good players, but Dean Terlich!!! He was seriously one of the least game aware players you have ever seen. But Col Sylvia is the sad one. Apart from his early passing, he had every football attribute you could ask for. Possibly the most wasted talent ever at MFC. Absolute gun who couldn't give everything he had to training and playing. O for what could have been!

Shelley Heath was so important, and did a LOT of hard work, especially considering how tiny she is. All while kicking a quiet 2 goals and keeping Davey ineffectual.

I thought moving Hore and West into the middle made a huge difference, even though West was a bit off her best. The skill level of Harris, Hanks and McNamara is really high, and I love watching them play. But individuals aside, that was a cracking game of team footy. Only 2 years ago I couldn't watch AFLW due to its low standard - not any more. That was great to watch. Our pressure, spread from stoppages, and running for each other in the 2nd half was brilliant. Great win - go Dees!

Hanks and Harris - wow. And a huge shout out to the 2 rucks - Pearce and Watt - there has been some great tap work.

We are all over them now. And our tackles ae sticking.

We have a great system and a strong team. Hore, Paxman, Harris and Macklin (the red headed defender) and Mithen doing well. The Pies gut running to the next contest is impressive. Our tackling is 2nd rate (maybe even 3rd rate). Our field kicking has been atrocious. And can the commentators stop going on about the Collingwood captain - please! She is a great player and looks a cut above everyone else on the field, but the commentator-love is vomit inducing.

If a coach could get Chol to release some inner aggression and play more physically, he could be anything. His skills are really good and he can kick straight. But like Binman said above, Hardwick and Goodwin favour intense, contested ball players so I can't see us being interested in him.

I wonder if it possible (or even beneficial) if, in the future, for the Melbourne Football CLUB to have a membership that fully covers its three teams - Men, Women and Casey? And from a central pool of membership funds, the club administration distributes the required funds appropriately to each of these teams. It feels logical and reasonable from my moderately informed position, but perhaps there are others who could explain why it couldn't work.

This is a significant moment. I was watching some clips from the 1990s of Shwartz and Neitz the other day, lucky to be 20,000 people at the ground let alone 20,000 members. And then the whole "benefits of losing" and Mark Neeld eras. We are a large, successful, financially stable, long term sponsors-keeping, attractional club with exceptional personnel in the Board and Executive, and great staff & volunteers behind the scenes. We have a dogged, resilient, brilliant coach who the players love, and a team full of talent and marketable personalities. Top 4 - 3 years running. Best jumper in the game, our home is THE home of the game, we ARE the history of the game. I have waited a b****y long time for this and I am going to revel in it, and brag about it. Loving it.

I think when Max impacts a game, he absolutely dominates it, and has huge stats in those games when he does. In 2023, after the first 4 rounds, Jackson has been consistently impacting more moments in more games.

I reckon Taranto is stiff not to be in the squad, and yet deGoey made it in. What the...? Redman makes it in before May = old boys club. Ridiculous, I am also OK with Max not being in the squad, and Jackson in.

We just beat an in form, well coached, tough, contested ball team in Sydney on their home turf and people are wanting 4 people dropped... Goodwin and the selectors under his coaching reign rarely make sweeping changes, and our form of late (including getting ripped of for a win versus the Blues) will mean few changes again. There are considerations like Salem's poor form, Hunter's turnovers, Bowey's patchy form etc... but I don't reckon any of these rate a mention on Goodwin's radar. How will Turner go against the big bodies of Mihocek and McStay? Week 1 focus is rest and recover hard. Bowey, Fritsch and anyone else with a knock or problem. Melksham is unlikely to play, so that will be one change. Any other changes will be dependant on matching the Pies, and perhaps weather if it is a factor. We beat them on King's Birthday, with the only thing keeping them close being our poor goal kicking (which we have well and truly corrected). Our players like ANB, Brayshaw, Langdon, Max, and Sparrow are really important because of their defensive spread (which the Pies hate, relying on players like Daicos x 2, pendlebury and Sidebottom playing wide for the free ball). I both hate and love the pre-finals bye.

Are you saying this as though it is a bad thing?

Carlton's best is very good, but their worst is horrible.

Wow, GWS looking really impressive.

4 field umpires. Throw leads to a Giants goal. A non-mark paid to the Blues for another goal. Mind boggling mediocrity from the umpires.

The feral Blues fans are doing my head in. They are like toddlers who are being denied a lolly pop.

Very tight, pressured, squeezed kind of game with lots of pressured turnovers. Liking Turner. Full team defence looks strong. The SCG is so tiny it makes for a scrap, and most goals will come from mids and small forwards. Tidy our kicking, we win well.

I reckon it is between Bontempelli and Daicos. Dawson from the Crows is a possible smokey. I suppose Neale also has a chance but he had a big potion of the season in unusually average form. I can't see Trac winning it. He will receive a lot of 1 or 2 votes. He will lose votes to Oliver (early in the season) and Viney (who has been our best player IMO). Taranto has had a very, very good year but not Brownlow worthy.