AgRogers

Players are just lazy. Win one game and they are a bunch of prima donnas. Watching this crap just ruins weekends.

Umpire kills us again with Garlett taking possession in forward 50

MAN UP MAN UP MAN UP MAN UP!!!! How freakin hard is it. Our zone is a joke.

Seriously if we keep playing like this the whole Paul Roos investment has been a waste of money. Still playing like a team turning up to lose, with no desperation or desire to tear the game away from their opponent. Almost an entire list turnover and the culture is no better.

Defence is horrible. Every time they have the ball they hit up easy marks the whole way down the field. Getting outdone in run and spread in the same way we used to under Neeld. An absolute reflection of effort, and says we came into this expecting and easy win. After being so horrible for so long, surely we can appreciate every game needs 100% effort.

Umpiring is shocking!!! Yes Melbourne need to do more, but seriously every time we look like getting the ball moving they find some BS free kick to turn us around

Haven't played this bad since West Coast game. Just insipid. Long way to go before competing with any real class outfits. Tough few weeks ahead....

Grimes.....urrrrgh. We are looking amature. Worst footy we have played since West Coast game.

Have just become so fumbly in front of our defensive goal last two weeks. Any time a disputed ball is ~ 15 meters out from goal, you just feel like we are going to cough it up.

Just can't measure up against top sides. Outdone for skills, fitness, effort, set up and smarts. Embarrassing some of the set play traps we are falling in to tonight.

Umpiring ridiculous. This is rigged!

Feel so sorry for the bloke. Stand your ground and cop weeks. Try and dodge the contest and either open yourself to get injured by the significantly larger bloke running at you,or be labelled soft by all and sundry for avoiding the contest. Lose lose. Feel very bad for Lynch and understand the AFL wanting to stamp out these sort of injuries, but this sort of knee jerk decision making (see the slide in rule) is neither consistent nor going to prevent other random serious injuries as long as we are playing a high paced CONTACT game.

Generally am a fan of Jack, but not doing nearly enough running tonight. Too often his player is the uncontested "get out" mark when we are trying to lock the ball in. Too often standing still on the edge of the back. Just needs to learn to WANT the ball. Will be subbed in next 10 mins.

High tackle on Grimes!

Skills and decision making costing us dearly. Not coping with the pressure?

How do you miss a handle ball to a player 3 feet away!!

Aweful decision making from Nicholson

Umpiring horrific. In the back for Howe???

I know I harp on this, but seriously annoys the s#%t out of me every week. MANNING UP IS NOT STANDING 10 METERS FROM YOUR MAN!!! Being there to stand the mark when your opponent takes an uncontested mark is not helping. Deprive the ball holder of available go to options, and we may actually start to force a team to make "unforced" errors. Since the Neil Daniher days we have been a shocking defensive unit. Better still, while we seem to do nothing about opposition uncontested possession, we can't/won't run to give options for our own players when we do have the ball. Is it a lack of of motivation and desire to work together as a team? Surely it can't be fitness, unless Dave Misson has lost whatever mojo he had working with Sydney?! Don't get how, from one coach to the next to the next to the next, not one of them is pushing hard running and defensive pressure? Or is it just a super soft playing group who are happy to accept the losses at the expense of truely running their guts out and leaving everything on the park?. Or are they just not smart enough to get the message? Sorry for the rant, just get so an annoyed watching the same lack of competitiveness week in week out.

Before anything else this team neads some heart and soul. Very little celebration after goals, or general encouragement pumping each other up. None of the players really stand up for each other when there's a little bit of biff. Try putting Jimmy Bartel or Cyril Rioli on their arse and see what's coming to you.... Need a coach to bring the team together, rather than a trying (or not trying) to develop individuals. Probably doesn't help when half the team are up for de-listing each year (not that I want to defend players).

What if we took a few of our players out of our overcrowded forward line to allow some room forwards to lead? Perhaps instead of all running forward they could just man up in the mid field and actually put some pressure on the end to end rebound they seem to get every time. Oh that's right, Melbourne don't believe in manning up...... Or kicking to a target. We have just been bombing it long into the forward line as an excuse for attack since the Neitz days! Sometimes wonder if Howes once a week screamer is just rewarding and reinforcing a style of play that went out in the 70's.

Call this an oversimplified view of football, but I am pretty sure one of the most basic principles they teach juniors is to man up..? For as many years as I can remember, across numerous coaches, Melbourne have never been able to lock down a team so there are no options. Perhaps if we could bring in a coach from any local under 15s team, get them to teach our boys to defend man on man, perhaps we would be able to put some pressure on teams defensively and create opportunities from turnovers going our way for a change. Would probably save about $950k a year in salary as well...... Just a thought.

Bail shocker for missing Davey

In last 2 years team has shown no improvement in fitness, defensive pressure, or skills. What exactly are we working on in the pre season??

Grimes!!