Maldonboy38

I, too, am angry and disappointed, and also feel those 'wasted year' vibes. Like many other Demonlanders I can see the need to tweak the gameplan recruit, develop or trade in a power forward who can mark recruit, develop or trade players with classy kicking skills With this list we must win two flags minimum. Otherwise it is definitely a waste (for example, Essendon 2000 only won 1 flag) But no way is this really a time to change everything, kick out players, pour vitriol onto our coaches, footy dept personnel and club. We were 2nd after the Home & Away rounds and played in the semi-final. That rates the season as a low level success in my book. At this moment in time we are a great club - it's that simple. Every position of significance (President, CEO, Head Coach, Head of football, Captain, AFLW captain etc...) is filled with a person absolutely and abundantly filling their role. As an exception, perhaps the new fitness bloke doesn't get a pass this year. This is my brain talking. My heart wants to grab a piece of timber and smash someone's head in, probably starting with Lever or Kozzie.

One other change. I agree with most other Demonlanders - we need to address our fitness. Our last halves this year have been earmarked by fade out after fade out.

We need 2 out-of-the-park, line breaking, target spotting elite kicks. Either we develop them, draft them or trade for them. I love our defensive mindset and grunt but apart from Fritsch, Spargo (who doesn't get it enough to really count) and May, our kicking and decision making inside or around F50 is appalling. I'm talking Travis Johnstone and Jack Watts type kicks. We need a marking forward who is an aerial threat. I am not a fan of getting rid of BBB because although he is clumsy, but he has no real aerial presence. I still believe that Petty should be moved forward, but possibly JVR can be an answer. But they have to play from round 1. We need to stamp out a growing arrogance. For a leader, Lever's tantrum with 1.30 to go was unforgiveable. Kozzie continues to stuff up easy moments, our midfield messing around with hope-and-glory blind handpasses, players who can't kick trying for the 45 degree play into the corridor. Our bottom 6 have hurt us this in many games year. Unless something changes, I'm not sure if we can carry all of Rivers, Sparrow, Spargo, ANB, Jordon and others through an entire season. I am a huge Sparrow fan but he should have been dropped weeks ago - his kicking, decision making and momentum killing are becoming a massive liability.

6. Petty 5. ANB 4. Oliver 3. Langdon 2. Petracca 1. Viney Thought Harmes was OK too.

We. Were. Not. Out. Coached. The game plan worked brilliantly. It is simple: we don't have enough good kicks in our team between wing and full forward. At one stage in the 3rd quarter, 7 out of 11 disposals going forward (either shots at goals or entries) were absolute duds. Spinning badly through the air, missed the target, gave the advantage to the Lions, or kicked it straight to them. And the amount of snaps we get given to us by forward pressure, only to miss them is hair-tearing to watch.

That was not lost by game plan or selection or coaching. That was lost through atrocious kicking (again), poor decision making in close (again), and 2 x 50m penalties (again). What a wasted season.

Wow Kozzie.

Just can't believe our kicking and decision making.

I would love to see the goals from turnovers stats. I thought last week versus the Swans was bad - tonight is a train wreck. We can still win, but our lack of composure at half forward is becoming a thing of legend.

When we are clean we are brilliant. Stay clean boys.

How can we kick this badly every time? How is this possible? Surely, one of the leaders has to step up!

We can't kick. We can't kick. We can't kick. So many of our misses should have been goals.

Just not enough good kickers tonight. We are killing them, and then killing ourselves. Gut wrenching to watch.

Absolute stuff up by Sparrow who is the king of howlers tonight. Our errors are KILLING me.

I'm loving the movement of BBB up and down the ground, causing absolute havoc for Andrews. He has had some brain fades, but i really impacting the game. Even our transition inside F50 has been good, but some poor decisions, hesitation, and dropped marks make it look clumsy.

That was brilliant and frustrating.

That goal is our forward game plan working. Looks great when it comes off. Unfortunately, it is against Brisbane's back line which devalues it a bit.

We need to settle with ball in hand, be mentally cleaner. Making some decision and fumbling errors but our general play is brilliant.

For Kozzie's sake, I withdraw the lack of polish comment. wow.

Wasting our effort a lot. Lack of polish at the moment

ANB on fire. And sorry, but that was a rubbish free kick to Jackson. Forward transition looking good.

Not the greatest fan of "all things regal", more of a republican myself. Having said that, there isn't much difference in the outcomes of a constitutional monarchy v representative democracy. I would definitely not say that her passing grieves me overmuch, but I greatly admired QE2. She inherited a bigoted aloof worldview of royal families dominating Europe via interbreeding and snobbery. She had to be the figurehead over a period of time which saw the greatest ever social change including royalty being a sideshow rather than a centrepiece of governance. She handled it with dignity, wit, candour, intelligence and a profound sense of duty that none of her family could ever match. WW1 changed the world. I believe her passing will be another gateway of extraordinary change. I just hope the AFL doesn't attempt some ill-begotten token acknowledgment before the game tonight (I have Angry Anderson in a batmobile, or a pitch-imperfect Meatloaf at war with melody and timing going round in my head. "My spidey senses are tingling...")

Interesting about Ratagolea. I love his attack on the footy. He also hits packs very hard. But the outcome seems about the same as that of Weid. Lots of effort, gets to contests, but rarely actually takes the mark. Perhaps the difference is the physical impact on the contest. Ratagolea is like Casboult - everyone in the marking contest feels the thump of his presence. At the right price, maybe this means he is a good option and fit for the Dees. Not fully convinced, but worth a ponder.

The strategy itself is actually brilliant. It is the easiest part of the F50 to lock the ball in and defend. With our contested possession game it should actually work. Currently, it is not working for the following reasons: We use it almost every time, making it easier for opposition teams to plan around. Other options should also be happening (leading patterns, switching, 3 or 4 short passes etc...) Our small forwards are either not at the drop of the ball, or being kept away too easily. BBB is not a great contested mark. For this to work, the main forward target has to be a genuine threat in the air. In last year's finals, BBB, TMac and Fritsch were causing havoc in the air. I maintain the strategy can work, but not with the limitations listed above dominating.

4 great finals. 2 standout themes: defensive pressure and taking your chances to score. Defensive pressure. Tigers v Lions the only game where the winner didn't demonstrate it, so I would reckon the only team that can't win the GF from here is the Lions. Taking your chances to score. Dees and Freo were both wasteful but both teams can adjust that in a week. Looking at the quality of football, Cats, Pies and Swans looking the most likely at this stage. But I have had a mantra for this entire season - our best is still the best. I hang on to this so continue to believe we can win it.