Norm Smith's Curse

You must have been watching a different game to me. i watched the one where Morton stood twice in an area without any opponent on him and then handballed to Jones, etc who had two opponents and thus created a turnover through forcing his team mate to be caught with the ball... or the one who freaked out in the backhalf and paniced, forcing a turnover, or the one who twice stalled before a one on one contest and showed no second effort, allowing his opponent to run off with the ball and on one of two occasions create a scoring opportunity. Whipping boy or whatever mate, but he was terrible. And he is a pick 4 player who - once again - had no impact. Well other than creating opportunities for Richmond. Certainly not saying he was the only bad player - nearly all of ours were terrible. But the signs I saw concerned effort rather than just sloppy skills.

Exactly! Cheney, Buckley, Johnstone and Armstrong also come to mind...

Yeah I think I saw Morton in there as well but I got the feeling that was more panic desperation than anything else - if i was an opponent who saw players like Bate, etc in the midfield you just know we are getting desperate. it was only last year that I heard Dean Bailey talking about our midfield depth... Gysberts is a shining light for the future and Viney will hopefully reach his full potential, but midfield is our biggest weakness and there are no real quick fixes for that.

martin had one good season from many and I think we got a head of ourselves. he was a better ruckman than forward. Exactly, play him to get some currency so we might be able to get a pick 50 for a pick 4 failure... Cause there is a big market for players that fear a contest.

/ A list of running players designed to play something like Knight's Essendon trying to play Collingwood's 2010?? LOL

Makes you wonder when the rumours were that T$ didnt buy into our 'culture' (which appears non existent) and was shocked by some players attitude to training (also being vindicated thus far).

We were competitive for the first half - but the first quarter had some skill errors that could have been a comedy they were so bad.

He kicked well occasionally. Other than that he was poor by every measure. Uncompetitive, poor decision making, 5 hand balls to players with opponents on them, scared of one on one footy, avoiding competitive posession. Just what the team needs. This from a pick 4!!!

The problems are: 1. We have a list created to play attacking-style, running football (the crap that Knights tried at Essendon) that is now trying to adopt a game plan from Collingwood. 2. We have a list of players that complain they are trained too hard just to get them up to the normal level of other AFL teams. This from running players. 3. Today we had a midfield that lacked Moloney, the run and carry out of the midfield to forward 50 of Sylvia and a 1 player forward line. 4. Today we had a coach that didnt move semi-in form players into positions where they could have an impact: Clark into ruck; Dunn on earlier. 5. We've held onto the wrong players for WAY too long. Cale Morton was a pick 4 who can kick occasionally. He cant tackle, avoids one on ones and is nearly always beaten when competitive possession is required, he hand passes to players with two opponents literally on them, his decision making is ordinary and his effort is pathetic. Bate is VFL standard; McDonald's decision making and competitiveness was also poor today, Bail and Batram are just list fillers for mine - big on effort, low on talent; our midfield is just non existent. Jones isnt the quickest but always has a go, but the rest arent AFL standard. Rivers was poor, Garland is like 90s Nicholson all over again - bad decisions, flustered. 6. Collingwood's game plan probably isnt actually the benchmark for modern playing styles in my opinion and I worry that it isnt going to take us in the right direction. 7. I think if I was Neeld I would point to the Geelong game last year as evidence that the team is at a low point and not because of him, then rebuild the list around Mitch Clark, Frawley, Howe, Watts, Jones and Trengove. Grimes will also come good but he hasnt been great due to lack of recent game experience. 8. I think everyone got a head of themselves regarding out list. Stef martin has had one good season out of many; Jamar had many poor seasons before he was all Australian. If we honestly looked at our list from the point of view of a winning cultuyre like Hawthorn we'd probably massacre the list at season's end.

Indeed. But today it was right across the board - so it might be hard to see the genuine ordinary from the just playing ordinary.

Poor old Neeldie though - he could be coaching the Crows or the Doggies if things had played out differently...

But that is a good point...

I agree with all of that mate.

Makes you wonder - across the board terrible performances and totally off the pace. There is something wrong - whether its exhaustion, or lack of training on basic skills.

Did you watch the game? His one on one efforts lacked any interest in getting the ball, he avoided competitions, his tackles were ineffectual and half-hearted, his decision making was nearly always poor - numerous hand balls to players with opponents on them. And yes, he seems to also be scared of the contest, scared to take on another player and more importantly there were no second efforts. he is a total failure and we should have traded him years ago. McDonald was poor, Stef Martin had no impact and very little effort, Cale vindicated everything ever said about him, Watts showed a little but had no impact, and our midfield is just WAY off the pace and skill required. Our defense is probably our only strength. Warnock would have been a better keeper than Garland. Strengths were Howe, Davey, and Clark. But the poorness is across the board - no one really stood up in the third quarter or even showed a whimper...

RIchmond were ordinary in most of the game so there is no excuse. Our skills were almost laughable in the first quarter and our non effort and flatout tiredness was the most telling point in the third quarter.

Yeah good point.

We have never been this bad before and its right across the board. It has to be fitness. they look tired and too slow - especially in the midfield. Even Jonesy grabs the ball and just gets caught straight away. We are just totally off the pace. And I wonder whether its down to the 'elite' fitness regime and too little focus on basic skills, structures and starting the season way too tired... And Cale Morton - why did we keep him?

I think the 'elite' level fitness regime has been too much of a focus - not enough on basic skills and they are tired across the side. its going to be a long season. Upsides Mitch, Davey and Howe. Our midfield is non existent...

Im hoping they were positive and upbeat - that might be a sign that things will 'click' eventually.

I spend some time at the pub and at work discussing my beloved Melbourne FC. Interestingly people that know a bit about footy often say to me that rather than we being a side of 'thin reeds' - rather we have a bunch of players that are too big for footy. Ive heard from many people that we have a list of 'no where' talls and over-bulked players. Not sure I really agree, but for a while we did have a fair amount of not quite talls - Meeson, Lamb and Johnson come to mind as does Spencer. And they generally suggest that Moloney, Sylvia and Tapscott are just too big and consequencely too slow.

Agreed - our defense is solid and does ok against the Tiges. Midfield is the worry. I think (hopefully) that things will quite suddenly click at the dees and we will get some semblence of a top 22.

I think we are really missing Sylvia and an in form Moloney.

I think he would know and more I think Leigh was just making controversy.

I agree - I think this would be the best option - add forward defensive pressure because we've basically had none this year and Mitch Clark will be double timed no doubt.