Jaded No More

I have no idea where you got that intel from, but regardless, professional footballers making very good money shouldn’t be having a go at the club and putting up a stinker of a performance, because they aren’t staying at the Ritz. We won a flag when the players were in a hub for weeks on end. Freo played the same ground and probably stayed in the same or similar accommodation. Managed to win by 90+ points to keep their finals chances alive. If that really is the reason for the loss, and I very much doubt it is, then we have far bigger problems.

Lever not in your best 22? I still understand your point tho. We should win today. No excuses.

Well I mean unfortunately for Tommo. I really like Tomlinson and I think he has a lot of offer, but unfortunately for him and he’s always had too much competition at Melbourne. Hard to compete with May, Lever and now a reborn Tmac.

Or is one just holding a mirror? 🧐

Correct and unfortunately Tmac has shown more this year and deserves his spot ahead of Tommo. Realistically Tommo would have been dropped post bye for Lever anyway.

Incorrect. He is not fast or nimble enough to play on a small. Him May and TMac together make for a pretty slow backline anyway. It’s one thing when you have 3 talls to defend. Another when you’re defending smaller players.

For the 100th time, Tomlinson has no matchup. Pies have a small forwardline with their numerous injuries.

Prepare to enjoy that rubbery sole. I reckon Laurie is sub.

Another week another game ruined by poor umpiring

Well done to McAdam. He needed to go back and find some confidence. Clearly underdone and lacking in confidence at senior level, it’s nice to hear he went out and showed what he’s capable of. Needs another game or two at Casey to really solidify his own belief in his ability and his body before he comes back to the senior side IMO.

Tomlinson would have no opponent tomorrow, we need to go smaller and quicker down back or the Pies random forwardline will destroy us. Woey comes in for a full game, he's been a sub for too long, so if he wasn't going to start, he needed to be dropped to get some match fitness in.

To be fair, I've been trying to write the Cats off since 2021. Bastards refuse to die.

North Melbourne when they realize they might win a game

I am truly jealous of those who feel unaffected and unmoved by the whole Gus Maynard incident. I am still gutted about it, and can only imagine how Gus, his family and his teammates are all feeling. To suggest we didn’t do enough as a club post incident is frankly ridiculous. We had an elimination final to prepare for, and our main concern was and still is for Gus and his wellbeing. Maynard getting suspended would not have changed the outcome, as much as it would have made all of us feel better. What that piece of filth did ended Gus’ career, and it also ended our premiership tilt in 2023. I will NEVER forgive or forget that club, that player, their ex president or the AFL. I wish all of them the absolute worse of luck. And while I never wish injury on anyone, it would bring me great joy and pleasure to watch Maynard sustain a career ending injury… but even for that piece of garbage I wouldn’t wish the brain injury that he inflicted onto Gus.

So what you’re saying is, he could have at least played the second half. No wonder we are in crisis with this level of mismanagement

Gus is taking a deliberate break from the game. Leave him be. He has to focus on his own wellbeing right now.

Goody said in the press conference today that JVR is likely going to be fit to play, but still needs to get thru a big load of training in the lead up. Fingers crossed.

I am exactly the same. This is the first ever King/Queen's Birthday match I will miss since I had a uni exam clash with a game about 15 years ago (which I tried getting out of! ha). I cannot bring myself to attend this game, after what happened last year. I have been a paid up members for 25 years, I pay for one of the most expensive memberships every single year, regardless of whether we are winning flags or wooden spoons, and I attend games religiously. But I made a decision after our finals exit last year, that I can no longer allow football to impact my life. There has to be other priorities, namely my mental wellbeing. It's why I am choosing to watch this game from home. Of course if it was our home game I would attend without a second thought, but I refuse to engage with the verbally and emotionally abusive Pies fans. Edit: and if anyone wants to suggest that I am not a true supporter because I am choosing not to attend this match, they can frankly get [censored]! I challenge them to compete with the number of matches I have attended in my life, including while very unwell, with broken limbs, shortly after a death in the family, and through just about everything else.

Only Melbourne supporters would wait 57 years to win a flag, and then immediately find ways to poop all over that flag. Insanity.

Is that all the squad or just Max, Tmac and BB? Hopefully JVR can come up for this week. He is very important to our structure.

Kate Roffey to FF? 🙄

We have to be really mindful that we are already carrying a few young inexperienced players. To throw more and more in will absolutely not fix the issues. In fact, it’ll make them worse as inexperienced players are often inconsistent.

So you’ve written him off after one senior game and 9 VFL games?

No doubt he will return to the wing with Hunter blowing his old man calf. Just don't complain when Billings come back into that half forward role. Cupboard is pretty empty.

We got May, Lever and Langdon who won us a flag. We also got Grundy. Hard to attract big names still in contract when your salary cap is pretty tight playing the likes of Gawn, Trac, Clarry, Lever etc. Have the Pies or Carlton done any better in attracting big name players recently? We also have no idea what conversations we have been in. I am sure we have made plenty of inquiries, but when you have no cap space and no draft capital, it's very hard to get deals done. UFA is where you need to look, and the quality of these in recent years hasn't been great. Did you want to spend $800k on Ben McKay?