rufus

Well we were a laughing stock for 56 years so it's only appropriate for us to go out this way. $1.20 favourites on your home deck against an interstate side and give no yelp. Normal service resumed. Completely arrogant season from all involved. How about talking about how we are still trying to change the culture and it is a work in progress instead of spouting off about this great culture we have after one good season. This club just doesn't understand what it takes to be at the top. This season was a complete and utter failure. From the players to the coaches it was not only a lost opportunity to have another crack at a flag, but a terrible regression in our attitude to competing when things aren't falling into place for us.

Last year we were the number 1 ranked pressure side. This year we have hovered around 17th. We are not getting the ball off our opponents in situations where we can move it forward quickly and into space. I am 100% confident that this is the reason for our forward struggles. It's also why I believe that the idea some hold that we should maybe drop players like ANB or Spargo, or we should bring in McDonald or JVR is just missing the point. Get the pressure right, and ANB and Spargo will look just fine. Having said that, the fact that we couldn't have seen any clearer what applying pressure to our opponents brought us last year, and yet we have given it up in such a huge way so quickly, says we probably aren't getting it back in the next week or so. Looks to be a huge opportunity missed for us.

Having had a chance to calm down and really think about, there's just no escaping the feeling that this has been a pathetic premiership defence from us. A few months ago you had multiple respected football people (including David Parkin) saying they may have never before seen a team so good and committed to each and to winning the contest. Honestly, only at the MFC could the wheels fall off so completely so quickly. Despite our 'changed culture', we're getting beaten every time an opponent brings high pressure on us. And we seem to have no will to dial up the pressure in response. Just like 'old Melbourne', this season is going to return a result that is less than what it should have been. Although our opponents are stronger this year than last, this is still a weak period in terms of really high quality dominant teams. A massive opportunity wasted by these guys. So grateful for the flag in 2021. Had we not got over the line last year, this capitulation would be soul crushing. It's looking like 2021 was an absolute heist where everything went our way. We are looking like real flat track bullies right now. And now we have massive pressure on us next week, against a side to whom we've given huge ammo to want to roll us. Brisbane are ordinary and we should beat them, but a win of any magnitude now tells us nothing about who Melb are. All it would do is again confirm that we are quite ok when playing on our terms (against a side that lacks physicality at a ground they don't play well).

Both almost concede contested ball and pressure us on the way out...works well when we don't apply the same level of pressure back. It nullifies our biggest strength.

We've lost every game we've played against the other 3 teams in the top 4 this year. We can dream, but you can't really argue with the fact that we just aren't as good as those other sides. Most of those losses on our home ground. Really thought we'd have Sydney's measure tonight, but I have overrated us too. We are being beaten in the physicality stakes by the big boys and that hurts.

Amazing that Brisbane won that game. They just didn't seem to play that well. That chain (highlighted by the commentators) in the last where Richmond kicked short along the boundary to uncontested marks all the way from full back to inside 50 and for a goal was shocking. We allowed a bit of that during the season...really hope that's all behind us now!

Will be watching Bailey Fritsch very closely tonight. Last year, his increased physicality and attack on the ball and man from the start of the finals told me that through all levels of the group they knew what was going to be required to win it all, and they were prepared to do it. It's going to take that level of pressure, and probably more because our opponents are stronger this year, to get it done. In my mind, if we match or exceed Sydney's pressure around the ball tonight, we win. Wouldn't surprise me if they follow Collingwood's tactic of almost conceding the in close contest to us, to try and harass us and turn us over on the way out. We need to put them under massive pressure whenever they are near the ball to counter this.

What a magnificent performance. High pressure applied around the ball. Something we have barely done all year. Result is that we can move the ball forward in a way that our forwards like Ben Brown look good and we are much more able to score. General hardness at the ball, both air and ground, was where we want it to be as a club week in week out (and it hasn't been there consistently this season). Also loved the odd kick out going down the guts, and some f50 entries coming in lower to lead ups. If we play with that level of intent and hardness and we don't win it all this year, then so be it. We will have made another team earn it big time, and it will be something to be proud of for us.

It really feels like we went away and did all this analysis of scores achieved and conceded from various positions on the ground and through various scenarios, identified the best outcomes, and have gone with the idea that things will only arrive out those statistical outcomes if we do it that way every single time. We might have missed a trick in that it seemed to have opposition sides stumped last year, and a bit early this year, so maybe we should have mixed things up just so we can pull this plan A out when we really need it. Now that plan A has been analysed so much by opponents, it's not as effective anymore. Having said that, our way of playing is hugely reliant on us applying pressure around the ball, and we have been extremely poor in that area this year. If we can somehow switch that on, all of a sudden teams will be inherently kicking the ball to the spots we want them kicking to, rather than having the time and space to cut through us and generate good deep entries. Our game will go from painfully boring to watch, back to the more exciting stuff we saw at times last year.

Game will be decided the same way every other AFL game is decided: pressure on the player with the ball. If we bring our A level pressure and force their inside 50s to be haphazard and landing 40+ metres out, we will be fine. If we let them walk across and up the field towards our folded back zone, and they get their entries within 35 metres then we're dead ducks. There's no way we can handle all of Rayner, Cameron, McCarthy and Bailey if it's played on their terms.

On reflection after being pretty disappointed with our last few weeks, i like the way we're starting to win the i50 battle. It means our mids are starting to win more ball, which is our biggest strength. Even if our forward line isn't humming, the pure weight of numbers of entries will give us a shot. However, i do question whether we have been physically hard enough this season. We 100% have been timid in the air, though that was present at times last year too. I wonder if other teams are coming off the ground hurting from the way we've hit their bodies around the contest. It hasn't looked like it. I'm not saying we haven't been trying, but to be the best means digging deeper and going harder than you maybe thought you could for longer than your opponent. If we switch that on, we are in it up to our necks. If we can't lift it, we will struggle with the sides that are unconditionally hard like Syd and Coll and even Rich.

Positive that we found a way to win. Also positive for our long term objective to become a consistently competitive football club that we have been in a position to win all 21 games so far. Just not convinced that we are as good as many on here think we are. I've been thinking/hoping we've been keeping something hidden and had a switch we might flick at the pointy end...but our defence has dropped way off (uncannily kept teams to 16 to 18 scoring shots every week last year, this year it's regularly 24 to 25), and we don't seem to have a method of getting the ball forward when plan A isn't working. I honestly see us in big trouble in week 1 of the finals if we drop next week...I reckon the Tigers are a better team than us and Dogs and us are line ball right now.

I reckon it'll be heavily dependent on what happens in the next 2 weeks. If we lose one of these games, then get bundled out in week 1, the club will be pretty aggressive around the fringes. If we make it to the last 4 when all is said and done, then it might be looked at as an acceptable return from this group and we might stick fat.

I am in the minority but I like Collingwood. Always have. I don't care about ther supporters...sport for me is about one thing...watching the best athletes battling it out desperately for the win. When i check which matches are on Channel 7 for the week, if I see Collingwood in those games you know it'll be worth watching. Regardless of ladder position, there is a pride in the club that means they will give it everything. I have a theory on their poor GF record...they have made many GF's that they had no business making. They weren't the best, second best or possibly in the top handfull. They get there by out husting better opponents. When you get to GF day, both teams tend to scrap and fight for the full 120 minutes. Collingwood lose the gap they often have over their opponents in the desperation stakes. Best team usually wins and its often not them. Still think it's a record to be proud of.

He might be dirty, but they have looked tougher, stronger and more resilient than us in each of our last 3 meetings. The only way to respond to this stuff, and to their general physical domination of us is to raise the intensity at our end...give back bettet than what we get...

I know he's won a Norm Smith and had a good year last year, but I've just always felt he's a bit overrated. He still fumbles whenever under hard physical pressure, something that players usually get out of their game as they mature physically, and with his body size you'd expect him to have no problem with that. He is Dangerfield-esque with his defensive efforts, which isn't a great look for his teammates. And i find it hard to remember a time where he's ever actually in genuine 50/50 contests in dangerous spots on the ground.

Staggering how much legs this has ever gotten. Sure we have probably loaded, as have the other teams, but it's just another embarassing excuse for some of our down hill skiing. Our stats last night looked like it should probably have been a win, but in the one thing that really matters, pressure, we again got out done by the Pies. Everything we did was under pressure, while not everything they did was. That is just will to win and unrelenting competitiveness. It's just not in the DNA of our club. We can do it ok when things are on our terms. We look timid and weak when the physical pressure really gets put on us. Really not an admirable trait for a team to have.

Gee this has been an arrogant season from the club, through admin to the coaches and players and down to the supporters. We are heading for a big serve of humble pie. Absolute nightmare scenario to cop the Dogs in the first final. We will legitimately be putting our season in the hands of the incompetents in yellow, with a very likely 10 vs 25 free kick count. AFL umpires love nothing more than piling on to a narrative, and the whole league will be salivating at the idea that the MFC chokes away a 10 zip season start without a whimper.

Yep one of our best in 50/50 contests which is huge. IMO it is the second most important component to winning games (behind applying pressure to the oppo).

Cats look extremely good...pretty similar to us last year...just overwhelimg teams with inside 50s until the goals flow like an avalanche.

When you're in a position to compete like we are at the moment, players like Hibberd must be retained. So good at halving genuine contests, which really stands out the way football is now played. The change to player empowerment has been terrible for players like Hibberb...unless they are at a club that is trying to win a flag the next season, foot soldiers up and around the age of 30 are now being let go in favour of bringing in youth. With high profile players abandoning clubs as soon as they think the flag window is shut, clubs are now also abandoning the peripheral contributors as soon as they believe they'll be too old for the next flag tilt. Free agency and players dictating destinations between contracts does not work well in this sport.

When our pressure is up we're a very good team. When it's not, we're ordinary. Surely it couldn't be any clearer to the players now. Having a good shot at it is 100% in their control from here.

Tonight will tell a lot about our hunger to win it all this season. Players should be stung by the earlier meeting where they belted us in the contest and on the scoreboard on our own patch. When teams have really upped the physicality this season we just haven't responded well enough. It's going to take a full 4 quarters of intensity tonight, including finding a way to drag ourselves back up when things are going against us. Do we have it in us?

Great signing. I personally love the long term deals for your best players...reduces the annoying noise about potential defection. I was getting a bit worried about him leaving and what that would have said about what we're trying to build the MFC into. Very relieved. Brayshaw is a much improved player over the last few seasons...one of our very best at winning genuine 50/50 contests.

I remember early in the season when the Blues were up and about thinking "let's just wait till they face Melbourne and see how they go against some real physicality". Was probably the first time in my life i have thought of Melbourne that way. The way things are going, we might just let them stroll out the front of stoppages under little pressure and tear us apart. I can't believe how much we have dropped off in terms of physicality/pressure. The absolute phyical belting we let Freo give us on our home ground could maybe be excused after so many wins on end. But the lack of response vs Syd, and then getting belted physically with very little response vs. Collingwood was a massive downer. We play a boring style based on probabilities of outcomes in certain parts of the ground, that has been painful to watch when we don't bring the main ingredient: pressure. Still time to turn it around, but we are dancing with the devil by allowing it to drop off as far as it has. Hoping for a product to be proud of over the next 4 to 8 weeks.