The heart beats true

We deflate ourselves with our game plan.

It’s almost like the fixture has somehow over inflated Essendon’s value and they aren’t actually any good.

Interesting to read the truth about why Gus disappeared from the boundary after one week in todays Age interview with Goodwin…. The plan was for Brayshaw, after his shock enforced retirement, to remain at Melbourne in a development role, but any hope that Brayshaw could find some fulfilment off the field so soon was dashed after one week at the start of the season working on the interchange bench. Brayshaw found it too upsetting being so close to the action and has chosen to explore other avenues away from football, including, at least this year, travel.

Middle of the year in ‘21 we lost to Collingwood (who were a bottom 3 side at the time) and looked awful. No run and horrible skills. We’ve had some pretty awful results around the bye for the last few years. I’m not making an argument about anything one way or another, just stating the facts of our mid year performance the last 4 seasons.

I wouldn’t support that. A lot of our plans were built around Salem and Brayshaw having more midfield time, and Tracc being a forward. That plan didn’t even make it to round one. With Clayton miles off the player he was, for reasons I think are easy for us all to understand, a lot then rests on Viney. Jack’s been clearly injured for 6 weeks, but we can’t really afford him to take the time off his shoulder obviously needs. I’ve felt for almost all this season that our game plan now clearly relies on Gawn and/or Tracc playing a blinder. It’s left up to too few. I don’t think that’s necessarily Simon’s fault. When you are up the top it’s hard to get access to players who make you better, so you have to rely on internal growth. Rivers, Sparrow, Spargo, Petty and Chandler haven’t taken the next step. A coach can only do so much. At a certain point that age group of players have to do it for themselves.

What could an AFL employee possibly be saying to the umpires that impacts the game as it’s being played? I suppose things like ‘play on advantage’ when a team was only points in front in a grand final where the financial gain to the AFL by one team winning was literally millions of dollars. But apart from that it’s not like this is a huge story that calls into question the very integrity of the entire sport, and makes a mockery of the money supporters spend attending games. It’s crazy to suggest otherwise. Crazy.

I agree with this. The amount of time supporters complain about consistent behaviour from our players, without realising that we are a very experienced team. If it’s happening repeatedly it’s not an accident. It’s part of the plan.

Well done to the young fella on having a great game today!

The Eagles couldn’t look better last week, and couldn’t look worse today.

Lever to go forward. Backline don’t need him. 😂

Horrible finish. Percentage will be the difference this year.

Yeah, it’s too obvious that he’s trying to get him into the game.

That was very, very ordinary.

Aside from former Dees… Shai Bolton. When he’s on he’s the most entertaining player in the game.

Lever is now listed as 4-6 on the clubs injury list, so no way for KB.

Apparently he was having knee issues and the club decided with the missed week and the bye to have the surgery now. Will miss Freo and Kings Birthday.

Lever out for a month. Having knee surgery.

I thought he spoke really well, and in all honesty carried himself like someone who was very aware how far off the pace we were tonight. I actually think Simon doesn’t get enough credit for how composed he is in front of the media. He gives them something, but never anything that will be of value to opponents.

He has the core and glute strength of someone who’s been in the system for 6-7 years. Both Tracc and Rayner had lower body strength at a young age, but they carried it in a way that made them look bottom heavy, until they filled out. Reid is thick through his whole body already. That kid has the body of a 25 year old pro athlete. He’s a genetic freak.

I get the frustration! That was as weak a performance I’ve seen from us for years. I kept waiting for the response, and we just looked like we couldn’t be bothered. Let’s see where we sit in a month. Long way to go for us yet.

Not me. I’m here rain, hail or shine.

Game over. So disappointing

Billings has to go now. He’s deplorable by foot, and that was the only reason we got him. He infuriates me.

They are having a day out up forward. Cant do anything wrong. Meanwhile their defence is literally just trying to hurt us, and the umpires have just woken up to it.

Have some faith. We aren’t playing well and lost one of our most important players in terms of winning the ball back in the first minutes. Hopefully we can reset with a new plan at half time and come out firing. Go Dees!