poita

Other than Van Rooyen, who has he brought in over the past four years who has improved the list? Bowey started well, but has regressed significantly. Windsor should be okay, but was arguably a reach at pick 7. The rest look plain ordinary. Taylor is dining out on the successes of a decade ago and a change is definitely required.

How many analysts and coaches do we employ and we build a list of Z grade footballers completely unsuited to modern football. Our list is completely unbalanced with many fading players at the back end of their careers, and a few unproven kids of dubious quality. Our fitness levels are appalling and our game plan is non existent. The players look like a bunch of strangers thrown together and asked to compete in a game they have never played before. And the coach is a delusional egomaniac with questionable life habits.

Half of our players genuinely seem petrified of being tackled or taking a bump today.

We've got 6 home games to come this season. These last two weeks will cost the club millions of dollars.

They're trying to work out how they can further destroy a premiership list by playing even more boring insipid football.

I can only assume our game plan is to build the stats with short kicks backwards and sideways, followed by the inevitable error that results in chain of useless handpasses and finally a blind handpass on to the chest of an opponent. By this time our defenders are 50 metres off their opponents and completely out of position.

Well done to all Melbourne supporters who have gone today to endure this gutless, incompetent, clueless performance. Our forward line is useless, our defence is non existent and without Gawn we'd be 8 goals down. What purpose are Laurie and Howes serving? And when did Oliver last find a teammate?

They don't have a picture on his website profile, so I wouldn't be holding my breath waiting for more detailed coverage.

Even if we had traded Harry last year and picked up two first round picks, we probably would have bundled them up with our other picks and taken Tholstrup at 10 instead of 13. This club can no longer be trusted with draft picks, so player swaps are probably safer.

Serious question, do you see anything that would suggest he can make it as an AFL player, and how long do you give him to get to that point? Because it is a much lower risk to go and get a Liam Reidy from Fremantle or a Ned Moyle from Gold Coast when we're looking for Gawn's replacement in a year or two.

I went down to Brindisi Street reserve to watch SBMT take on De La Salle on Saturday. DLS currently sit fourth in a very even top 8, SBMT remain winless and last. SBMT had their best game of the year and led for the most part, conceding the match winning goal in the last minute or so of play. Kyah had some good moments early in the ruck and around the ground against two much smaller, but stronger opponents, generally when he was able to jump at the footy. Once again he was pushed off the ball far too easily once his leap was taken away, and his second efforts were non existent. His best and worst moment happened mid way through the second quarter when he took an excellent contested mark on the wing. After going back over the mark he inexplicably tried to run round the man on the mark and appeared to hurt his lower leg in the resulting tackle. He was on and off the ground for the remainder of the quarter without impact. He played the entire second half taking the centre bounce then heading to the forward goal square. I doubt he had a clean hit out for the entire half and he certainly didn't have a possession that I saw. Even when SBMT was desperately trying to extend their lead in the last few minutes, he didn't leave the goal square to compete at ball ups or fill a gap in the field. It was a completely bizarre situation, but one that further indicated to me that he simply doesn't have the thirst for the contest, notwithstanding the leg issue. I am absolutely convinced that you can either teach a category B rookie the game or develop them physically, you can't do both as we have tried to do with Kyah and Austin Bradtke before him. The likes of Mason Cox and Mark Blicavz at least were physically ready when they were learning the game, so could step into the VFL and compete.

We knew in November 2023 that Brayshaw and Oliver were both in serious trouble and we did nothing about bolstering the midfield in the national draft, the pre season draft, the rookie draft and the supplementary list period. Taylor, Lamb and Goodwin should be shot for what they have done to this list. But, hey, at least we have Laurie, Spargo, Adams, Jefferson and McAdam locked away for next year and beyond.

My son's under 14 team lost by 118 points today and that still wasn't the worst performance I endured. Well done MFC. So how did we get here? 1. The coach is convinced he is the smartest person in the room and doesn't need to change anything at any time. And we reward him by extending his contract after consecutive straight sets finals exits. 2. We simply refuse to respect our opponents by attempting to counter their strengths, negate their key players or changing our tactics. 3. Jason Taylor has absolutely butchered three consecutive drafts. His obsession with drafting half forwards has left us with a list bereft of developing defenders and midfielders, let alone a genuine back up ruck. 4. We give multi year contracts to C graders like Spargo and Laurie, and resign players like Melksham who are neither part of the present or the future. 5. We play injured and unfit players every single week. 6. We pick sides on reputation - we don't reward good performances at Casey and we don't drop underperforming senior players (eg Sparrow and Petty). Hence we have a team of lazy, complacent footballers. 7. Speaking of Casey, we haven't genuinely supported the alliance over the past two years and it shows with the performances we are receiving. 8. Every single experienced player we have brought to the club since the grand final has made us worse. None of Hunter, Grundy, Billings, McAdam or Fullarton is/was a best 22 player. 9. We don't turn over the list enough to give us opportunities to draft young talent. Being out of the 2023 draft after the first round was a disgrace. We used to be the best in the business at finding talent with late draft picks. 10. We squander resources chasing 1 in a million prospects such as Farris-White and Bradtke who were never, ever going to make it. It was embarrassing watching KFW on Saturday. 11. We don't have a game plan that suits our playing list and we ask our players to do things that don't come naturally to them.

As I was saying ...

Well played AFL. The players want a longer season, but the AFL doesn't, so they tie expansion to crowds then schedule games featuring interstate teams at night in the middle of the week. It's pure genius. It's pretty tough on semi professional players to have 4 games in 16 days.

99.9% of Victorians wouldn't be able to name a single Rebels player, let alone be interested in attending games. The way that team has been promoted is abysmal. Hopefully it frees up sponsorship dollars for the MFC.

Another key forward who won't help the side push for and win finals in 2024. On that basis, regardless of what he does in future, this is a disappointing selection. We're only one injury to a starting midfielder away from a full blown crisis in that part of the field.

Just admit already that you have no idea what's wrong with Spargo and no idea how to fix it. Melksham seems to have drifted out a fair way from his KB target.

From what I saw yesterday, and let's not forget that the opposition was rubbish, the only strategy that McAdam has to win the football is to launch at a pack from 6 deep. If he refuses to stay on the ground, play in front and lead at the ball carrier, he should be dropped immediately. 6 tackles sounds good, but it was because he was led to the ball all day. The key stat is 1 kick on a day where we had 67 inside 50s. We're already carrying Petty, we can't afford two witches hats against decent teams.

Mitch Brown has kicked 44 goals in 6 games for the Parkdale Vultures this year. I'd almost rather bring him back then look at a 28 year old from the WAFL given that neither WA team is remotely interested in him.

Much like having Brown and Petty in the same forward line.

Can someone please explain the following that arrived in an email from the club earlier this evening? Clearly they are expecting a dismal crowd, but surely our game is on Sunday afternoon? Are all reserved seat members happy to have a bunch of freeloaders in their area? Saturday Night footy is best enjoyed with family and friends, that’s why you should bring them to round 11. Your complimentary guest pass sits in the MFC App alongside your ticket. All you have to do is open the app and scan your Guest Pass at the gate for your family or friend to enter the ‘G with you. PLUS, you will have access to LEVEL 1 seating with your General Admission membership and Guest Pass.*

Is there anyone on our list who isn't (a) carrying an injury that should have been rested earlier or (b) coming back from injury lacking form and match fitness? Our player management is leaving a lot to be desired.

None of those players listed are much good and none are physically ready, otherwise they would be playing already. The fact that Howes and Billings are regular selections despite being consistently ordinary proves this. I'm hopeful on Brown, not confident on Tholstrup and resigned to the rest not making it.

Ed has been largely phoning it in since mid 2022, and that decision proves it. Afl players get paid a fortune because they have to make sacrifices sometimes. Missing a wedding to do your job is one of those times.