Jaded No More

We looked exhausted after quarter time. What happened to our fitness being great again? Once again when the opposition put pressure on our ball carriers we fell apart. This is an issue that has plagued us for a long time and yet nothing has improved. Same goes for our ball use off half back and going inside 50. The sharp drop off in our clearance work was also very worrying. I expected it to balance up, but they smashed us in the 3 quarters that followed our fast start. Even without a ruckman. Our leadership vacuum continues. We still have no leaders. Gawn is wonderful. But where was the passion? We were losing grip of the game and Gawn, Viney, Jones, Jetta, Tmac... all the guys I expect to stand up did nothing. Trac was the only player who actually stood up. If we played any other team yesterday, we would have lost by 6 goals.

Goodwin McDonald Melksham Lever. Pick who does less on game day.

[censored] this [censored]

Regulation shots missed. Just not good enough!

Disgraceful performance. Says everything there is to say about this club.

How anyone can think Goodwin is premiership coach material is beyond me.

Lol. Why do I even bother with this team??

Pressure is our downfall. We go to absolute water as soon as any tiny amount of pressure is applied against us.

Waaaay too cocky playing 2 new gamers and Bennell who has done nothing.

Pathetic. Lose this game and the season may as well be over. 0-2 after losing to Carlton.

19-5 clearances since quarter time. What the [censored]?!

Melksham has done SFA

Sorry but this is a joke now. Melbourne has done nothing since quarter time. What’s the excuse?

Another poor quarter thus far

I assume that will start to impact them in the second half.

Full credit to them. They killed the clearances.

I hope we don’t fold like we usually do

Salem hasn’t hit a target today

Second and third everyone who says Rivers looks the goods. Love his composure. Wish Fritsch practiced his goal kicking some more. And if Tmac ever hit form again I’ll be happy.

I hate our inside 50 use yet again. I love everything else.

I’m even madder now that because of Kosi’s stupidity I now have to watch ANB stink it up. Bloody hell!

It has to be done. Given no social distancing at training or games is possible, all it takes is one positive test to shut down the entire competition. Say Pickett gets infected by the friend he visited. He tests positive and therefore everyone at the club and the opposition side we played have to be tested and quarantine. That means two teams at a minimum are out of the competition for up to two weeks, which means virtually the entire AFL has to close for two weeks. It’s a disastrous situation and I agree with the AFL’s hard line.

Agreed. How [censored] hard is it to follow simple rules?! Two players pushing for selection, one very much on the outer, who have just cost themselves a week. No excuse.

I am excited by the changes but also concerned by 2 things; our lack of experience with 2 debutants, Pickett off 1 game and Bennell who hasn’t played in virtually 4 years. I’m also worried that we’ve gone too short down back. I’m not sure why the dropped Omac (no need for haters to reply). It leaves us with one tall shut down player in May who will obviously take McGovern. We are putting a lot of pressure on Rivers and Smith to play serious shut down roles. We obviously think that with shorter quarter and the fast deck of Etihad that speed is the way to go.

For the first time in probably a decade I can look at our team on paper and not think “slow”. That is exciting. I sincerely hope Harmes plays on Cripps and not as a half back flanker, which makes no sense. We have a clear advantage in the ruck. Their back line is not great but our forwardline hasn’t been in form since 1987 so that doesn’t mean much. Our back line will have their work cutout for them. Where do we think Bennell will play? Half forward? Surely he doesn’t have the fitness to play wings for more than a few minutes.