Enjoy The Ride

[comrade]

Yeah, we lost today. Yeah, we were 55 points up. Yeah, losing to the Saints makes me spew.

But....

Our team is made up of freaking kids. Today, 20 of the 22 had played less than 100 games.

Can we really be surprised when things go pear shaped at times. Teams this young will have ups and downs, we just need to embrace the fact and go along for the ride.

There will be more good wins this year, and likely some harrowing losses. We've been spoilt by our early season form in a way. The expectation started to bubble away and so some supporters become bitter when we don't perform to that expectation.

IMO, the expectation that we play consistent, winning football every week is unfair, for a group that will regularly feature 15-20 guys that are still in their first few seasons.

We're building toward something big and playing finals this year would be great, however are we genuinely a flag chance? No, I don't think so. The weight of history is against us based on our list profile.

So, just enjoy the ride.

Yeah, we got beat by 55 points. But damn, the footy that got us that lead was pretty fun to watch.

Enjoy the good times, weather the bad times and embrace it.

We'll be fine.

[azabob]

Well said Comrade.

Things are as never as good as they seem, and things are never as bad as they seem.

[Remi Moses]

Yep, but tough to take .

[The Underdog]

Not sure I could like that post more. With the game plan we're playing and the list profile we have, the progression won't be linear. But we're not looking at a premiership in 2015. We're building, starting now.

[bornadog]

Both losses have come in a similar fashion, although today we were very far in front compared to the Hawks game.

Both times we have endured two injuries during the game restricting our rotations, however, this week we really looked tired in the last quarter and the lack of rotations really hurt. If we had of won by 5 points I still would have been disappointed after giving up such a lead.

[GVGjr]

Our team is made up of freaking kids. Today, 20 of the 22 had played less than 100 games.

Can we really be surprised when things go pear shaped at times. Teams this young will have ups and downs, we just need to embrace the fact and go along for the ride.



Good post.
It frustrates me when I hear people say we should promote the younger players at the club particularly when you see those types of numbers above. As we have over the last 2 seasons we will continue to give young players games when they are either ready or have earned them. I still believe Melbourne are paying for the 2 or so years they tanked games and just focused on youth. it needs a balance Losing is a hard habit to break and that's probably the main reason I want us to pick the best sides we can and to achieve as many wins as that will allow.

By nature young players will be inconsistent. They will excite and frustrate us throughout the season and that is the price you pay when you go into games with a few experienced players out and some younger players in need of a break.

We have some winnable games in the next few weeks and while I will cross this loss off as missed opportunity I'm still looking forward to see how our young team responds.

I agree, we are in for a ride.

[Bulldog4life]

And who would have thought we would beat the Swans. We are still on track.

[Sedat]

I'm not writing off the list based on one half of football but there's enjoying the ride and then there's the 5th worst turnaround loss in 118 years of VFL/AFL history. And it was against an ordinary team who are behind us in their rebuild.

This was not a horrendous result but the manner of it was. You can't accept the vagaries of youth for such an alarming performance. Time will tell if this performance will give the players steely resolve in the future or destroy their confidence.

[josie]

I think we ran out of puff however that's no excuse for stopping leads. Quite a few times in last half, especially last quarter, there was no-one for us to kick to. Being down two players must have had an impact - especially as Clay & Stevens are two tough nuts, as well as being a young side.

I'd like to have won, however I'm actually more gutted at Clay Smith's knee injury than the loss.

Gee - Saint's fans would be excited by some of their young players - some of their KPP looked very good. Just hope if we play them in a prelim in next few years we can turn the tables.

Also think Bevo should have decided to tag ?Armitage? who was getting too much of the ball.

I think the coach & players will learn a lot from this. I'm strapped in for the ride !!!

[hujsh]

Plenty of us would have almost expected this to be our first win of the year before the Collingwood NAB cup game. After beating WCE and Richmond most of us would have been happy winning 1 of the next three games, realistically not winning any. Instead we're sitting 4-2. Even with an unexpected loss we've far exceeded exceptions to date. It's been 2 good games, 2 great games and 2 horrible games with some bad luck thrown in. Not bad considering where our list is at.

[comrade]

I'm not writing off the list based on one half of football but there's enjoying the ride and then there's the 5th worst turnaround loss in 118 years of VFL/AFL history. And it was against an ordinary team who are behind us in their rebuild.

This was not a horrendous result but the manner of it was. You can't accept the vagaries of youth for such an alarming performance. Time will tell if this performance will give the players steely resolve in the future or destroy their confidence.

If we put the media hype aside, in what way are they behind us in their rebuild?

Team A: ave age: 23y & 7m, ave games played: 47.3, games over 100: 2
Team B: ave age: 24y & 10m, ave games played: 83.4, games over 100: 7

Looking at those numbers objectively, which team would be considered further along? Most would say Team B.

Team A = Bulldogs
Team B = Saints

We also lost 2 players to injury at half time AND reports suggest Stringer was on one leg by 3 quarter time.

I am willing to accept the vagaries of youth and the unfortunate timing of injuries for this performance, what else can you blame it on?

Our tragic history? The ghosts of 1997 & 2009?

Come on, let's move on.

I'm not prepared to dump 60 years of failure on yesterday's team, a team that just 7 days ago pulled off one of the most inspiring wins we've all experienced, particularly when 20 of them are still just pups.

Yeah, yesterday's loss hurt but don't make it something it isn't.

[jazzadogs]

I'm not writing off the list based on one half of football but there's enjoying the ride and then there's the 5th worst turnaround loss in 118 years of VFL/AFL history. And it was against an ordinary team who are behind us in their rebuild.

This was not a horrendous result but the manner of it was. You can't accept the vagaries of youth for such an alarming performance. Time will tell if this performance will give the players steely resolve in the future or destroy their confidence.

There's a perception that the saints are behind us in their rebuild, but they've actually traded quite well to have a ?better age profile than us.

Yesterday they had 5 players aged over 30, their best player (Armitage) is almost 27, Jack Steven is 25. Billings is only 19 but he's a jet.

In comparison, we had Murphy and Goodes aged over 30. Picken, Crameri, Dickson and Wood 25-28. Then the rest 23 and under.

To win last week against Sydney with the inexperience on our list was outstanding. Those young legs did all they could in the first half and with a rotation down couldn't sustain it.

I'm disappointed but not alarmed.

[merantau]

Given ANY circumstances I would never be disappointed with a win. A win is a win is a win. The only time I'd be disappointed with a win is if we had to win by a certain number of points to make the finals and we didn't do it. There's no such thing as a bad goal and no such thing as a bad win.

[merantau]

Thanks for this post. I really appreciate it. You have put things in perspective and made a devastating loss at least understandable. Our future is bright and we are heading in the right direction. We will bounce back from this.

[merantau]

Thanks for this post. I really appreciate it. You have put things in perspective and made a devastating loss at least understandable. Our future is bright and we are heading in the right direction. We will bounce back from this.

[Bulldog4life]

Big comebacks have happened in Grand Finals, Preliminary Finals as well as throughout the year.

Here are some that might interest you all: Some good teams were on the receiving end.

1. Carlton v Collingwood -- Grand Final, 1970

The Blues came from 44 points down at half-time to win by 10 points. This may not have been the biggest comeback of all time but it happened on the competition’s biggest stage, involved the game’s most traditional rivals and took place in front of the biggest crowd ever to attend a match. As such, it is undeniably the most memorable comeback in VFL/AFL history. For much of the game, the Magpies looked set to break their 12-year premiership drought, but the Blues conjured a remarkable victory on the back of coach Ron Barassi’s half-time
edict (“handball, handball, handball”), inspired performances from Alex Jesaulenko, Brent Crosswell and David McKay, and reserve Ted Hopkins’ four second-half goals.

2. Essendon v Adelaide -- Preliminary Final, 1993

The Bombers came from 42 points down at half-time to win by 11 points. Again, this comeback rates so highly not because of the margin the Bombers overcame, but because it happened in the heat of a do-or-die final. Inspired by the brilliance of Michael Long, Gary O’Donnell’s relentless drive in the midfield and two late goals from Tim Watson, the Bombers rammed on 11 goals to the Crows’ two in the second half. The ‘Baby Bombers’ carried that momentum into the Grand Final, where they jumped Carlton from the opening bounce and waltzed to a 44-point win.

3. Essendon v North Melbourne -- Round 16, 2001

The Bombers came from a record 69 points down at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter to win by 12 points. This is the biggest comeback in the VFL/AFL’s 114-year history. In the absence of their skipper Wayne Carey, the Kangaroos had ambushed the ladder-leading Bombers with a 12-goal first quarter, and looked home when they kicked the first two goals of the second term. However, the Bombers, led by midfielder Jason Johnson and spearhead Matthew Lloyd (nine goals), then rattled on 25 goals to North’s 11 to escape with a most unlikely victory. At the time, the Bombers -- three games clear at the top of the ladder and seemingly headed for back-to-back flags -- seemed invincible.

4. Collingwood v St Kilda -- Round 10, 1970

The Magpies came from 60 points down at the 27-minute mark of the second quarter to win by seven points. As we know, Collingwood was on the wrong end of the League’s most celebrated comeback in the 1970 Grand Final, but earlier that season it produced an even bigger comeback of its own. To put it in context: in Essendon’s record comeback of 2001, the Bombers had screamed back to within 21 points of North Melbourne at half-time, but the Magpies were still 10 goals behind the Saints just before half-time in this game; and they were up against a strong St Kilda side that would finish the season in third place. However, the Magpies steamrolled the Saints with a 12-goals-to-four second half. Peter McKenna and Wayne Richardson both bagged five goals.

5. St Kilda v Sydney -- Round 7, 1994

The Saints came from 48 points down at the seven-minute mark of the final quarter to win by one point. No other team has been so far down so late in a match and won, as the Saints did on this memorable Sunday at the SCG. And they could largely thank one man -- Tony Lockett. The champion spearhead was at his dominant best that afternoon, kicking 11 goals as the Saints piled on eight last-quarter goals to snatch a win. Earlier, Lockett had cleaned up Peter Caven in a clash that subsequently earned him an eight-match suspension. The two became teammates for a season when Lockett moved to the Swans in 1995.

6. Brisbane v Hawthorn -- Round 16, 1995

The Bears came back from 51 points down at the 25-minute mark of the third quarter to win by seven points. This was one of those great wins that turned a club’s season around. In Robert Walls’s last year as coach, the Bears were in familiar territory down near the bottom of the ladder, in 14th, after round 15, 1995. But on a warm July day at the Gabba -- the Hawks moved their three-quarter time huddle into some shade -- the Bears, inspired by Michael Voss, piled on nine goals to the Hawks’ one in the final quarter to claim an upset victory. They carried on
that momentum, winning six of their next seven games to make the finals for the first time in their eight-year history.

7. Hawthorn v Geelong -- Round 6, 1989
The Hawks came from 56 points down at the 28-minute mark of the second quarter to win by eight points. This match pitted the powerhouse sides of 1989 against each other -- the reigning premier, Hawthorn, and the emerging challenger, Geelong. The Cats had the ‘champs’ on the ropes for most of the first half, kicking a remarkable 17 goals to half-time, with Gavin Exell ultimately finishing the game with nine majors. However, the Hawks proved they were equally at home in a shootout, kicking 17 goals of their own in the second half to remind the Cats of the League pecking order. The move of Gary Ayres from defence into the centre was instrumental in the Hawks’ win, while Dermott Brereton and Gary Buckenara both kicked five goals.

8. West Coast v Geelong -- Round 10, 2006

The Eagles came back from 54 points down at the 18-minute mark of the third quarter to win by three points. Any Cats fans will tell you 2006 was not a good year for Geelong. However, on this day, the Cats looked like claiming the scalp of ladder-leader -- and eventual premier -- West Coast, when they held a nine-goal lead on their home turf more than halfway through the third quarter. To make matters worse for the Eagles, they had gone into the game without injured superstar Chris Judd. Not that they needed to worry. Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr (both 31 possessions) combined beautifully with ruckman Dean Cox to get the Eagles home.

9. Geelong v Carlton -- Preliminary Final, 1931

The Cats came from 47 points down at quarter-time to win by six points. At first glance, the size and timing of this comeback don’t demand its inclusion on this list. The margin is only equal-20th on the League’s biggest comeback list. And the fact the Blues had established their lead by quarter-time, gave the Cats plenty of time to get back into the match -- indeed, they’d hit the front by three points at half-time. However, the circumstances of the Cats’ revival make up for these factors. They were scoreless at quarter-time, it was a preliminary final and it set them up to claim the premiership the following week, when they defeated Richmond by 20 points. The Cats also almost kicked themselves out of the game in a tense last term, with 1.7.

10. Hawthorn v St Kilda -- Round 12, 1999

The Hawks came from 63 points down at the five-minute mark of the second quarter to win by 13 points. This stood for more than two years as the VFL/AFL’s biggest comeback and remains the second biggest. The Saints jumped the Hawks with a nine-goals-to-one first term and then added the first two goals of the second quarter. However, the Hawks then kicked 16 of the next 19 goals to run over the top of the Saints, with Shane Crawford (26 possessions) and Nick Holland (five goals) leading the way.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/footy-list-amazing-comebacks/story-fn6bn7f4-1226142924061

[firstdogonthemoon]

It is clearly time for Bevo to go.

Alright maybe not.

In all seriousness I will never be able to accept a loss to the Saints ever. But that's just me.

However... If you had come to me in January and said we will be 4 and 1 and then have an extremely educational loss to a hated foe I would have been first in line. And also laughed at you.

I remain extremely enthusiastic. If we come close to Freo that will be amazing and I will be "ok" with losing that one as well. We are really building something here.

[Twodogs]

Well said Comrade. It's not all doom and gloom.

[comrade]

Well said Comrade. It's not all doom and gloom.

It's not even close to doom and gloom.

[chef]

It's not even close to doom and gloom.

Yep. It's the complete opposite.

[Maddog37]

At this point we have beaten three of the top five and beaten another one of them convincingly in the NAB challenge.

[Go_Dogs]

At this point we have beaten three of the top five and beaten another one of them convincingly in the NAB challenge.

That's a pretty reasonable sounding stat, isn't it.

Another big challenge against the best of the bunch this week.