rufus

Biggest take out from that match is that if teams aren't petrified of kicking the ball into the corridor then the game can actually be entertaining again...just like it was 25 years ago...

Can win genuine contests (i.e. not talking about the contested posession stats necessarily, but those genuine one on one, 50/50 contests where if you win it you either drive a meaningful F50 entry for us or stop one for the oppo). Sadly outside of him, Gawn, Brayshaw and May (and probably Petty) we have too many who just can't win or half those contests.

Bingo. All this talk about 'forward connection' and how we have tired legs because we're 'loading'. Far out. Last year we applied pressure to turn the ball over in dangerous spots and got the ball into F50 quickly. This year we're applying no pressure, getting the ball back deep in D50, and then refusing to ever switch and hence moving the ball forward at a snails pace. Good luck to the forwards. The AFL is an extremely low skilled, high mistake competition where games are mostly won on pressure. 17th for pressure is embarrassing and reinforces just how far away from real cultural change we actually are.

Our style of play is so hard to watch...as a spectactle today, and last week for that matter, have just been so painful to watch that its hard to get excited. Our style can be fun to watch if our players apply the necessary pressure...but going to the football to watch a dour defensive team that relies on pressure get outhustled at basically every single contest in the match is so uninspiring. Our team right now look like exactly what you don't want to be known as...highly talented but not prepared to do the tough stuff.

This is why the talk of the 'great' culture the club has built (if they do say so themselves) in the off season was laughable. Still get done by teams that bring high levels of physicality. We look like we don't like the contest at times. Don't kid yourselves...Collingwood are a very ordinary football team who made a heap of errors today but beat us through pure willpower. Its unfortunately looking like we might be a team that played a good last quarter in round 23 last year, beat a poor finals team in week one, and copped cats and dogs with gastro bugs and traversing the country...everything just fell into line. Thankfully the flag can't be taken off us even if we fluked it. Also Petracca looks like maybe a one season wonder. So poor in the contest and so fumbly under any physical pressure (and sometimes no pressure). Also chases opponents in a manner that only Patrick Dangerfield would be proud of.

Playing this ultra defensive, slow and boring game plan is just so bad too watch when our contests and effort to get to contests are poor. It's funny how people blame the forwards but literally every time we get the ball backward of centre we slow it down and kick to contests...and we look extremely bad in the contest...

We don't look like we want it like we did last year. Lacking the will to work and compete at the level required. Shocking withdrawal from the contest at the end then against Mihochek. This feels like a loss coming and we are heading for scrapping for a top 4 finish after this.

I really just don't get the idea that we owe it to the club to go to the games. Some have made their financial contribution already and if they then choose to not use their membership to attend, that says more about the product than anything else. Most people work all week and want to do something they enjoy on the weekend, so if they don't enjoy it then why would we expect them to go? Whether people like it or not, the absolutely atrocious standard of umpiring is making games almost unwatchable. Half the time the players don't even know who a free kick is going to. They 1000% need to stop paying free kick for things that happen and do not affect the contest (unless they are deliberate). 40+ frees in a game is a joke. Also, the outstanding access that we all have to high quality sport like the NBA now just exposes the lack of quality in the AFL product. AFL teams need to move away from the ridiculous defensive schemes and back in their talent to win contests and win matches. Good defence is great to watch...but I personally don't consider outnumbering in and of itself to be a display of great defence...and that is pretty much the aim of every single AFL team...they all seem completely against the idea of ever having a player in a one on one contest anywhere other than forward 50. It's just not that enjoyable to watch.

27 frees in the whole game last week and 29 to half time this week. Have there really been that many more consequential infringements? And they wonder why everyone disrespects umpires. Once again they are refusing to let the contests be decided by the players.

Not sure what others thought but I also thought tonight was one of the best umpired games i have seen in ages. Only 27 frees in total...let the players decide the result. They didn't pay the incidental type of infringements that have no impact on the contest...which is exactly how it should be umpired.

We are very much built from the Paul Roos school of defence...which is to always try to outnumber and not need to be one out in 50/50 contests. Looked like Freo tried to shift our zone but importantly were then prepared to kick to one on one contests where many of our highly rated players were exposed all night...and Freo also worked harder to be the next number at the contest. I still think we are a side that has thrived on system more than talent...teams will do well to isolate our talent and make us try to win games by winning contests in genuine one on ones...

This x 100. The game is difficult to adjudicate...so if you're not sure it was an infringement then let it go. Do everything in your power to let the result be decided by the players. AFL games can go from one of the most enjoyable viewing experiences to one of the most painful based on the level of involvement of the umpires. Even if it doesn't necessarily advantage one team over the other, constant free kicks are an absolute spectacle killer.

A big thing for mine is that we didn't seem to fight too hard to convince guys who mighted have wanted to leave the club to stay. Players who are considering jumping ship for 'success' are exactly the kind of people you don't want at your club...especially our club which had a recent history of the tail wagging the dog. We seem to have managed to find a group of players of good character who seem to be invested in the idea that the MFC is not simply a vehicle for their own fame, but rather an important organisation that means a lot to a lot of people, and that representing this club is a privilege moreso than a right.

The Dennis Cometti call of the game is my favourite. Not so much for Dennis but for Lacky Reid calling the final siren. Captured the emotion perfectly for me. Not much of a fan of James Brayshaw, but will never forget the bang, bang, bang call on 7.

Here here. He is a winner. What length contract did we sign him to before the season?

Probably not as a player as I personally rate Oliver as the best MFC player I have seen. But for what he has been able to do in bringing this playing group together, he is the one I am most thankful for in my time following the club. At the time I thought his appointment as captain was a strange one...but I was wrong and to my dying day will never forget the contribution of Max Gawn to this football club. He is a legend.

Dogs are a great football club with a long history of scrapping and giving their fans something to be proud of. Was unusual for them to go out like they did last night...hard to say how much of it was the toll of the last month of travel and how much was just an over powering by our mids. I generally think the MFC have handled themselves pretty well in showing some class and humity in winning. Hopefully it continues club wide (including supporters).

Did Daniel stand over Max and give him a gobfull after that too? Felt like he did to me. And it felt like the moment from which we started to break them...

What ended up happening with Darren Burgess' contract? Is he definitely leaving us for Adelaide next season? He has obviously been huge...

Thanks Simon Goodwin. Thanks Max Gawn. I will never forget. You guys did what i thought was impossible and turned the culture of this club around and took us to the promised land. Kudos to all those whose faith, support and optimism never waivered. You deserve to lap this up and celebrate this like no-one else!

After so many years of finding ways to deliver less than expectations, it's time for this club to find a way today. Won't be easy against a quality side...we are going to need to withstand a huge amount of pressure and respond with more pressure for longer. There are no ifs or buts today. Just find a way.

Yeah agree with that mostly. I think more than tagging though...they are going to be very physical with Gawn and Lever. I expect them to be getting pushed and shoved and niggled constantly through the match, particularly when the ball is dead. We will need to overcome this kind of stuff, which will be best done by giving the Dogs a level of physical pressure they have never seen before when the ball is alive.

Yeah my whole house was shaking...we all had to go outside. Lasted 10 to 15 seconds...

Beveridge is such a good coach...they are going to put a lot of work into Gawn, Lever, Petracca and maybe Salem. It's going to be hard for those guys to have huge games. We need our big guns to compete and contribute and we're going to need big games from the others to get this done. Plus they all must apply massive pressure to the Dogs so they can't do the things they want to do either, which is prerequisite number 1.

Our prelim umps let them play and let the players sort out the winner. Mid 20's total frees for the game is about right. Too many frees in the other prelim...high 30's is going to kill the flow of the game. Hope these guys stay out of it and let the players decide it. Not sure how i would react if we cop Sydney's 2016 run.