Scipio

On 7/4/2022 at 9:46 AM, Lucifers Hero said:

 

• I wouldn't care if we lose but if we could possibility unearth 1 or 2 flaws in their game so that if we meet again in the finals, we can try to expose that weakness.

Because this worked for them last year 😂

Season defining day for us, got a good feeling!

But what are they saying in Shelbyville?

Just now, dazzledavey36 said:

Time to see how what we're made of.

Big job for Luke Jackson as he is now our number 1 ruckman. Could this be the making of him?

Does this mean Sam Weideman becomes the 2nd ruck? Majak Daw hasn't exactly had consistency of games in the VFL.

I was just taking a look - Majak has been dominant in the ruck when he has played but has missed a number of games... not up to speed with the VFL but assuming he's been injured?

Bugger, shattered for Gawn and Turner, rotten debut for Disco.

This will be the making of Dogga.

I feel like I remember Hibberd nailing a couple from outside 50. Could be wrong though...

3 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

He was up and down (with May playing) after his return from injury but has yet to find something like his 2021 levels consistently. 

As soon as May went out any 'ok' days for him have disappeared and any bit of intermittent (every other week) ok days have dropped away badly since.  This is also backed up statistically (starting with the Dockers).  Including that game he has produced a worse result post May's exit each week, culminating in his worst performance for the season yesterday.  3 'ducks' in a row.  Not good for us.

May makes every defender look better when playing, he is that good.

Funny thing is Lever will probably start improving after May returns.  If he doesn't however, we need another hard nut defender and would like to see what Turner can bring (once he recovers). I'd bring him in for Lever within a few weeks of May's return if Lever doesn't get back near his best.

Not many other options in this area other than Tomo and Smith who are pretty much a coin toss in difference in terms of the impact they are having at this stage in their careers.

I do agree with most of that, but Tomlinson is a quality player - people forget how well he was playing last year before he went down. I think it's just a matter of him rediscovering that form. If that does happen and Lever doesn't improve, we could end up with May, Petter and Tommo playing together.

FWIW I think Smith was playing well before he went down too.

8 minutes ago, poita said:

It's amazing how quickly things turn to [censored] as soon as Goodwin signs a new contract. First 2019, now 2022. Sure he can't run around and kick the ball for the players, but he has presided over the declining standards over the past two months, played unfit and out of form players, and failed to accept the need to change a game plan that has been worked out by every other team.

Failing to rest players through rounds 9 and 10 was a horrible, horrible error of judgement. Did it matter if we beat North by 5 or 8 goals, if we were in a better position through rounds 11 - 13?

I'm amazed that so many people are fixated on us are giving up quarter time leads. In recent weeks we have had 1.6, 1.5 and 0.5 kicked against us in the first quarter. If those teams had kicked straight we would have deservedly trailed on each occasion. We've plain and simply been poor for the entirety of the past three weeks.

The first player I would drop is Lever. He offers no leadership, can't / won't defend his opponent, and offers nothing with ball in hand. He spends more time lying on the ground than standing next to his man. He is playing like 2019 Lever with the arrogance of someone who thinks he is untouchable because he was good in 2021. Playing Turner was the equivalent of playing Petty in 2018 - you're just hoping to fast track a player who simply isn't ready.

I'm sick of players such as Sparrow, Spargo and Salem who hold the ball up for 10-15 seconds looking for the perfect kick, then dink a 15 metre kick sideways. Take responsibility yourself instead of lumping it on your teammate. By the time we are finally ready to go down the line all our forwards have led and are out of position, and the opposition have flooded back. No wonder we end up turning it over. 

Sparrow, Spargo, Bowey, Jackson all need a rest. Petty and Gawn injured. Langdon and Salem underdone. Harmes, Neal-Bullen, Lever MIA. Forward line abysmal. We're in a world of trouble. At the moment we look more likely to miss the 8 rather than finish top 4. Goodwin and the supposed leaders of the club have ten days to turn around this sinking ship.

 

 

Lever seems to lose the plot when May is out of the team. Not that he was having a blinder early in the year anyway. 

My key takeaways after taking the night to ruminate...

• Our structures around the ball seem to have disintegrated... is it fitness?
• Our tall forward depth is shallow as a small pond
• Ben Brown cannot hold a mark to save himself
• Too many dump kicks resulting in turnovers... reminded me of 2019/2020
• Trac and Gawn need a rest, bad
• Jordon, Gus and Viney can hold their heads high... Oliver too, obviously
• Bedford must come in, maybe Van Rooyen too.

It can turn around quickly.

14 hours ago, Swooper1987 said:

Gawn, Turner, Petty all shot which gives an alibi.  Jackson shouldn't escape criticism for his poor effort when asked to step up.  Tracc really struggling.  Two weeks to get it right.

I liked what I saw from Turner early, made a couple of errors but did some really nice things and attacked the ball hard. Such a pity he copped that head knock.

Any danger of:

 - Kicking to a red and blue jumper.

or

- Ben ‘trampoline hands’ Brown holding a mark?

1 minute ago, rjay said:

The way the policy has been set up it makes me wonder if the AFL are using mental heath as a smokescreen.

They would hardly want players suspended for illicit  drug taking.

They may have deliberately set the policy up to fail.

Absolutely possible. This kind of thing is absolutely rife throughout the league, speaking from a number of first-hand encounters. 

Obviously a huge game. We need to galvanise and beat what is a genuinely threatening Collingwood side.

Looking like it's going to be a great crowd... just hoping it's not a sea of black and white. 

4 minutes ago, ucanchoose said:

There is no way he has an infection,  that's total bs.   And even if he did it wouldn't need surgery 

I'm no doctor but that seems like far too soon for an infection to have spread enough to need surgery.

This whole thing pisses me off so much, it's just so cringeworthy.

Feel for Joel Smith - he'd be a walk up right now. 

1 hour ago, FearTheBeard said:

The funny thing is that this year our pressure and tackling numbers are among the worst in the comp. 

That's weird, I wouldn't have guessed it watching most of our games this year.

Frederick and Schultz were very impressive I thought, their forward pressure was very Melbournesque.

19 minutes ago, Maldonboy38 said:

I also am a Weid fan, and love what he can bring but to be honest, his game tonight was indefensible. Just so physically weak and lacked effort. I don't remember him actually leading more than once when he took  that great mark. Actually for many of the contests he might as well have not been there. TMac back in hopefully - if not - I would prefer  JVR to be given a go. 

And BBB looked way out of sorts. Again, physically weak and unable to handle the physical hustle-and-bustle of the Freo defenders. But he has a LOT of credits in the bank so one bad game is no means for being dropped. 

One thought I had today was that these guys have nothing on Cam Pedersen in terms of physicality.

Long live Pedo.

13 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

I liked that some posters were decent enough to defend Ben and enjoy his success. 

The rest I put into 'the haters will hate' category.

If any of their fans turn up this week it will be interesting to see if they boo (last year's North game was in Hobart so their die hards weren't there).

Here I was thinking that all of the above comments were made by either one of their two supporters.

1 hour ago, one_demon said:

I thought exactly the same thing.  Success for Melbourne supporters is a foreign concept, we don't know how to process it

It's legitimately only sinking in for me now that we won a flag and are not only good, but yards ahead of any other team. We have to all enjoy it while it lasts 😈

I don't think they're a bad outfit at all and have some real quality in the middle and up forward but jeez, their back six are light on. Potential for Fritsch and Brown to bag up.

The biggest factor in keeping him at the MFC is clearly Gus and Gawny. What the hell would he do without the podcast!?

42 minutes ago, old dee said:

Each to his own Scipio. VB is close to the bottom for me. The bottom beer is a drop from the UK called Old Spectacled Hen. Drank at room temperature. It has the honour of being the only beer that I could not finish the glass. 

I'm sure I tried a pint of Old Speckled Hen over there and came to the same conclusion... from memory it was pretty damn cheap!

25 minutes ago, old dee said:

Surely you joke. VB! Give me strength.

It was tongue in cheek because I was expecting a response like that, but I do love a Vic!