rufus

Yeah it was definitely these 3 guys' fault last September when our players went over to Perth and took about 45 minutes to undo 5 weeks of work towards regaining some respect in the football world. I wouldn't be surprised if they disliked a coach who was trying to push them too hard. Digging in and working hard just doesn't seem to be something our playing group sees as the highest priority. There's always an excuse. It goes deep with this club, all the way to the broader supporter base. Crap efforts have always been brushed over and excused, and have therefore continued. MFC needs to look at Collingwood for an example of where crap efforts aren't tolerated and being competitive is the number 1 priority (including when their list has been ordinary).

Add him to the long list of players who build a good reputation and get paid by the MFC approaching their peak years, only to regress (in terms of what they contribute to to the team). The list is huge. It's hard to fathom how inconsistent the output is from players with solid experience. The whole idea of experienced players is that you're supposed to get a solid baseline. So when they're out of form, you at least still get a contribution to the team from them. For my entire time watching this club, we get performanes from experienced players that look like they've never played a league game before. This is one reason i will always love the contribution Nathan Jones has made to this club. He is an exception in that through his peak years he seemed to work harder and harder and get better and better.

The MFC players dont get it...but then they never have really. It's quite funny that the Dogs, Tigers and almost the Pies won flags with lesser talent but great defensive pressure, yet we've once again decides it's just not for us. Your defensive intensity drives your offence. It does so for pretty much every team ball sport in the world. The Golden State Warriors have more talent than any basketball team in history, yet when they get lazy on defence their offence stalls and they can get beat by anyone. Once again the supporters have contributed to the state of affairs. The adulation for this group after last years run, despite it finishing with a 'half 186' on preliminary final day obviously had to contribute to the chest puffing that has accompanied a playing group that actually look like a bunch of new born giraffes at times. The crap people are spouting about Goodwin is also counter productive. Yeah his plan may not be great and he needs to make changes. I'm sure he knows that and he's working on it. I have more faith in him than the players given he doesn't have a history of shirking his responsibilities. All the talk about him just once again provides the players an excuse for being uncommitted chest puffers. Let's change the coach. Definitely a great idea...it's worked before hasn't it??? Players were crap at the end of Daniher when they decided they knew better than he did, and they've been utter crap under every coach since (including Roos who had to go into legacy protection mode by flooding the backline when he pretty quickly realised that the work isn't something our playing group feel is expected ).

Oliver basically won us the game imo. He lifted his intensity in the second half and his ability to move through a contest at speed and be clean in doing so is brilliant. The contrast between him and his fumbling teammates could not be more stark. Try to sign him for 6+ years next contract...he needs to be the pillar around which we grow.

Regardless of the outcome here...that half was an out and out disgrace. Minus 10 in contested possessions. Only 4 more tackles despite 50 less possessions. Behind at every single contest. Fumbling every time we go near the ball with any pace and any opportunity to break it open. Key defenders who would be poor in state league. Constantly taking opponents high as we're second to the ball and re-actively aggressive. Hard to see this ending well.

Their kickout...they are in their f50 within 15 seconds...our kickout...deep into the pocket and everyone static...

We are literally trailing behind in every single contest. Bizarre.

How about that space around the stoppage for that goal...we don't get afforded that kind of space...

At least 15 shoves on the opponent though...which is good because it looks like we're getting back to the Frawley/Rivers days of elbowing our opponents in the back before the opening bounce...only to go bruise free once the game starts.

The Nathan Jones effort to grab the Tom McDonald kick across the backline, albeit a crap kick, really is a great example of where we are at. Didn't seem to care about getting the ball...was more focused on giving McDonald a stare down.

We look a bit scared again. Don't want contact and crapping ourselves and going to ground constantly. Hate to say it but we've reverted to type this season...back to the bruise free Demons. Last year was an aberration on the physicality front (even then it wavered at times).

The point about our inability to defend in one on ones is spot on. It goes back to the Paul Roos days. We never learnt how to defend properly...just a modern flood. Obviously right now we need to get more numbers back...all teams still get numbers back. However, realistically we aren't winning anything meaningful with defenders who can't win, or even neutralize a contest. Our defenders just aren't very good. May and Lever will hopefully help. The FD must know how bad our talls are down back, evidenced by the price we were willing to pay in getting May last year.

Thankyou Zac Clarke. We have finally found someone in the AFL that Oscar Mac can match up on. Seriously though, regardless of which way this one goes, surely we cannot play him again. Enough is enough. The one on one beat downs are one thing...but I'm sure our defensive coaches teach these guys how to try to make their opponent lead into spots they don't necessarily want to lead into...I've never seen a player stand on the side of their opponent that basically invites them into the most giant open space in the direction of the ball carrier...

We could have had wayne carey and gary ablett snr in out forward line yesterday and still would have got pantsed. If the team is prone to shirking the hard stuff your forwards will never be the difference makers.

What I would like to see happen, but obviously can't for logistical reasons, is for the MFC to be allowed to have an 'amnesty' of sorts. We should be exempt from the limit of players that can be turned over. We should once and for all interview each and every player to determine those that have some kind of issue with the club and don't really want to be there anymore. Every one of them should be put up for trade to find a mutually beneficial outcome, or delisted if none can be found, so that once and for all the supporters may have a chance of seeing a group take the field that seem to give a $ hit. I would not exclude any player from the process. If our best young players don't like it at MFC they will soon be producung the apathetic, sooky performances that have become so prevalent and expected at the MFC. This would be their chance to speak up and fark off. We would need to be granted more draft picks because from what we see there must be a large number who fit in the category of having some kind of problem with the MFC.