Lucifers Hero

Thanks. At the 5.30 mark Ben Guthrie makes some statement/questions to which Goodwin replies something like: ...yes, there are few things we will look at, Ben... Could anyone make out what Ben said? It would be good to know what those things are. As an aside, when are broadcasters going to put microphones near the press we can hear the commentary?

Sure we had numerous i50 and lost by 13 goals but that isn't the major worry for me. What is most frightening is we had 100 tackles but lost by 13 goals. Let that sink in... Its not often a team has 100 tackles and loses, let alone be thrashed. Especially when you also easily win the hitouts, clearances and be not far behind on contested possessions. Those things are the very essence of 'our brand'. What is frightening is that we executed 'our brand' very well and we won on nearly every one of its criteria yet we lose by 13 goals. If 'our brand', the 'Melbourne Way' is failing that badly, i just don't know where we go. Its hard to see how 100 tackles can be improved upon. After last year's Hawthorn game PJ said the players trashed our brand. Last night they didn't; they executed it quite well. It wasn't lack of effort, nor 'drinking bathwater'. Something deeper and much more insidious is at play. It must be really demoralising for the players to know they did pretty much what the coaches ask of them re 'our brand' and have that result. The coaches have some serious thinking to do.

I'm going out on a limb and say his game was good not terrible. Squibbing the mark in 4th qtr was awful but then Max squibbed a contest with Ryder last week. Pertacca dropped an easy mark but so did Jones last week. Sh-t happens. I know stats aren't everything but they warrant consideration: 16 possessions (@ 81.3% efficiency) of which 11 were contested, 3 clearances, 7 tackles (4th highest) and 7 inside 50 (also 4th highest). That describes someone who was aggressive, worked hard and was relatively clean with the ball. Folks notice the 3 clangers but they don't undo his good work. He played on the ball where he did a serviceable job as his statistics show. He played deep in a forward line that hasn't a clue what it is doing and the ball rarely got far enough in fwd 50 so he didn't score. The club needs to decide if he is an on-baller or a forward. This 'hybrid' role isn't working for him or the team. He won't be nor should he be dropped.

Oops! Blues hit the front late in the 3rd. Not bad given Charlie Curnow hasn't played since the first quarter. Its hard to understand what happened to us last week ?

If it was a someone like Robbo we could say he doesn't know any better. But as a club President, Eddie knows it is a special honour to toss the coin. It doesn't matter who it was, ridicule of the coin toss is totally inappropriate. So his comments should be condemned for what they were not because of who the person was. An extra layer of condemnation because it was said of a very admirable person. Add another layer for his lack of contrition last night that led him to make another apology today. He may live in Toorak but will always be a Broady bogan.

Interesting start to the Port vs Carlt game. Port 4.2.26 to Carlton 5.2.32 just before Qtr time. Will be rather shattered if Carlton win or run Port to the line in a close loss.

When they did the fixture, this afternoon was left free for the AFLW Grand Final. The idea was to give it some media space and exposure without competition from the men's game. A lot of people would have watched the GF today, especially in Victoria given the weather. It was a meritorious idea but what do they do - they schedule the GF tomorrow afternoon up against a heap of AFL games. Only the AFL can shoot itself in the foot. Everyone loses: The Grand Finalists, their sponsors, the AFLW comp and fans in general.

Jumped or Pushed? Eddie steps down from calling tonight's game Today's apology of "I am deeply sorry..." is far more sincere than the long winded "I unreservedly apologise if it was communicated the wrong way..." He now realises it is what he said rather than how "it was communicated" that was ignorant and offensive. Better late than never I guess.

Unless the injury gods cast a dark spell over us... as they say, careful what we wish for.

Eddie puts foot in mouth again. Eddie's gaffe He ridiculed Cynthia Banham’s coin toss who was trying to balance herself with a walking stick as she had both her legs amputated after an airline crash. Cynthia is an incredibly accomplished and courageous person and the Swans No 1 ticket holder. To my mind this isn't about being pc it is about feeling empathy and showing respect. If he could see the coin toss, Eddie could see her struggle. Rightly, he has unreservedly apologised but this goes down as one of his most insensitive comments of all time. Somehow, an apology over the airways doesn't seem enough.

A waffle piece if I ever saw one... They miss a key point - we must use a first round 2019 draft pick as we have traded out the last 3 years for Lever/May. Not sure if we can trade our 2020 pick. I doubt we would as it means 1 pick of top end talent over a 5 year period. Sure we are recruiting well with our picks around the #30+/- mark, getting in some good B players and some 'journeymen' but at some stage we need picks at the top end otherwise we won't have the next gen top talent coming thru. All that aside its a bit early for trade/draft talk. Lets just win some games.

Agree about not beating Geelong. I assume the 1 win is vs the Saints? We must beat Ess - for so many reasons, a loss next week to that horrid club who are playing dreadful football would be completely unacceptable. So 2 - 3 minimum.

Didn't like my post a few minutes ago ?? Just joking - we were probably typing at the same time.

2018 record broken: 45,248 today. And still 4 months to go before the cut-off date. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2019-03-29/melbourne-breaks-membership-record Well done to all Dee fans!

Heartbeat came out in digital version: https://memberhq.s3.amazonaws.com/afl-mfc-2019/uploads/MFC_2019_SeasonGuide.pdf I guess it is saving a few $ on printing and mailing. It must have come in an email (which I can no longer find).

Clarkson may well have been the one who put the finishing touches on Port's 'control' style. He left when they won the premiership and refined it at Hawthorn and importantly recruits players who can play that style. I'm not sure man-on-man defence has gone out of the game but equally not sure if it is enough to counter 'control' football when a team is very good at it. I think it is true to say that defence evolves from game style. I would think that zone and man-on-man defence can work with 'chaos' and 'control' game styles.

Possibly because they gave away some of their best kicks and smartest players (Hill, Mitchell, Lewis, Hodge) in the following years; guys who had the nous to control the team on the field. Their replacements need time to catch on and mature. It will be interesting to see how the Lions evolve this year - wouldn't be surprised to see them go the 'control' style as their players mature.

Quite a few articles about 'chaos' vs 'control' (or 'possession') football were written during our 2018 finals. The contest is still key if the ball comes to ground. Both styles can hold up in September as shown by Bulldogs/Rich on the 'chaos' style and WCE and Hawthorn on the 'control' style. That is no coincidence as Simpson was a Clarkson protege during Hawks halcyon days. As noted I don't think we have the skills to play 'control' football so we need to find a way to counter it.

I don't think it is zone defence that makes the difference. Richmond broke down in the middle and forward. The difference is the underlying game plan: 'chaos vs control' football. Like Richmond we play 'chaos' style whereas Collingwood more and more play 'control' style like WCE and Hawks. They amass huge uncontested possessions and marks and can control the tempo. Very difficult for 'chaos' style to stop that when they are marking and the ball doesn't come to ground for a contest. 6-6-6 and other rule changes aid the 'control' style more than 'chaos' by creating open space, as Port showed last week. 'Control' football requires a team with very good foot skills and to be very disciplined. We don't have the foot skills to play 'control' football. And tbh I'm not sure we have the on-field footy nous to implement it.

Reports are it is a broken bone so I guess it couldn't get any worse so they let him play (or he insisted) on.

Can't say I feel sorry for the Tigers. They've had their day in the sun. They are lucky to have Lynch but they traded out good players to fit his $ in. Depth or lack thereof may come back to bite them. Having Rance and Riewoldt out will certainly challenge their game plan. They also have Houli and Caddy out for a few weeks. Their next month is: Giants, Port, Sydney, Demons. They could easily lose a few of those. They don't have much time to adjust their game plan to cover injuries. Doubt they'll make top 4. All the better for us! On every measure their game last night was worse than ours last week. Will be a very interesting ANZAC Eve game.

Wow, 25:9! Did Hardwick sook about it in his press conf? Maybe Coll is the AFL's anointed team this year. Had thought it was Ess given the unearned prime time FTA exposure the AFL have given them this year; a plan that may backfire just as badly as Carlton's unearned prime time FTA exposure did last year.

It looks like lady luck has deserted the Tigers: Riewoldt may be out for a few months! Riewoldt wrist injury They are fortunate to have Lynch but missing Rance and Riewoldt; doubt they'll make the top 4. A good thing for the rest of us!!!

Umpires have umpteen colours to choose from yet they wear yellow tops and black shorts at a Richmond home game - they look like Richmond players half the time....

Hogan makes his debut for Freo and wish him well and hope he has a super game. HW$NBN makes his debut for the Hawks but can't wish him well. What a steel for the Hawks - 4th round pick, I think.