The heart beats true

What is so bizarre about this behaviour is that literally ALL the AFL clubs have strong indigenous histories, the game is based on an indigenous sport, and when the white fellas came they built their cricket ovals (subsequently footy ovals) on locations with long histories as indigenous meeting places. Its like loving pizza, but hating anything Italian.

Where does ‘cheer squad noise’ and ‘supporter pessimism’ rate in these metrics?

I hope someone new comes into the footy market in the next broadcast contract. Kayo is the worst app I’ve ever used. A big international player will surely wipe the floor with the garbage tech we have to put up with. From what I’ve read everyone is pushing for their own commentary on all games. That at least gives us an option to avoid BT.

Any idea why Chandler and Bedford didn’t play?

I reckon he’s playing at about 80%. His hand is still impeding him a bit. He’s such a good player to watch as a supporter. He just gives absolutely everything.

Pathetic isn’t it.

I actually think it’s quite realistic to say we aren’t even playing at 60% of our capability. We all know how good our best is. 👍 I just get tired of people saying ‘that was terrible’ when it excludes the reality of the competition. Carlton were literally playing for their first finals spot in 9 seasons. That meant everything to them, and often the opposition’s effort doesn’t get given enough credit by some. Carlton poured everything into that game, and I think would have beaten 14 or 15 of the 18 teams in the comp with the effort they put in last night.

Carlton Supporters - Simpsons Villagers

Yeah, this rule needs an overhaul. Perhaps we should just do away with it, and instead have a system where clubs are granted extra interchanges for losing players to injury (dependent on when in the game it occurs). Keeps the available players fresher, and can’t be tampered with so obviously. You can’t have fresh players available to come into a game late. It’s asking to be corrupted.

I thought last night at the G that as a supporter group we don’t have an easy run. That’s the second home game in a row where we are outnumbered at our home ground. Geelong, Eagles, Freo, Crows, Power, Brisbane, Sydney, Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon, Richmond and often even the Hawks don’t have to contend with that. Then, because we have smaller supporter numbers, commentators openly barrack for the opposition on TV - because that’s what the majority of viewers want. It sucks being a Melbourne supporter.

I’m not sold on pessimism as a form of support. I understand it’s psychological benefit to the pessimist, but see no value of it to the side, or other supporters. Realism shouldn’t exclude hope, nor the ability to understand how difficult the competition is. I agree there’s room for a myriad of emotions, but it often feels like the same people having the same emotion on repeat.

This can’t be understated enough. You have to find a lot of different ways to win, and it only gets harder once you’ve climbed the mountain -because everyone follows the same path up again.

You inferred we had no luck last year, which is untrue. I’m not saying we are in top form right now, but I think it’s important to remember that in 2021 we had a lot of things go right (which all Premiers need). The nostalgia for 2021 focuses heavily on the football we played in the last half of the Grand Final. The draw to Hawthorn and the loss to Adelaide doesn’t come up much.

This is a great take.

This is actually pretty close to how it went down, except my kimono is red and blue, and it has Brett Lovett’s number on the back.

You’ve come to the wrong place. I spent the whole game looking for an upside down Gus. Did you have face duties tonight?

Joeboy: veil of negativity

But that doesn’t change the fact that things went our way last year too. Close doesn’t punch the ball over the boundary and we’d be week one in Port Adelaide and who knows. You need some luck. It’s easy to look back now and think it was preordained, but it wasn’t. Also it’s tough to argue we’ve lost our killer instinct after watching that last 2 minutes. We had no right to win that game, but we did - because we didn’t give up.

Did you not remember that round 23 game in Geelong? We won after the siren following a 50.

Koz got dragged to the ground 3 times off the play in the last. They targeted him.

I was going to say ‘I pulled a guy off another guy’…

Oh, and the Blues supporter behind me yelled at me and my nephew hugging when Koz kicked his goal because she ‘couldn’t see the ground’. I also got yelled at for sitting in a ‘Carlton members area’ when I brought my reserve seat from the Demons, and had to show my Membership app to prove it. Other Melbourne members copped the same thing. These people are so entitled. I hope they all cry themselves to sleep.

They were rabid tonight. 2 fights around us after the siren. One I am 90% was between 2 Carlton supporters. Why do security go home half way through the last? I had to pull 2 guys apart and no cops or security anywhere.

I thought Melksham was the difference tonight. He was fantastic. He needs a lot of praise for that game. It was awe inspiring.

I waited all week to say it, but when Koz kicked his goal I yelled as loudly as I could ‘maybe you can appeal?’ Let’s just say I’m lucky to be here.