WB Game Day V Melbourne R1 2023 - Saturday March 18, 7:25PM, MCG

[Grantysghost]

50 points without May, Fritsch and Viney!

My word.

[macca]

3 quarters in and we have the same problems we’ve had for five years. Letting teams out the back for easy goals, bombing it in to a pack mark in the forward 50 that nobody takes (without a crumber), and brain fades where the opposition slam on goals. Pretty dispiriting stuff.

That first goal of the 4th quarter pretty much sums up our game plan. Long bomb and then Opposition just need to wait to score on us on the rebound.

We have been putrid tonight with skill errors and accountability.

this is so hard to watch.

[EasternWest]

Richards spoils Duryea, Neal Bulleen goals. We're actually not very good.

I've decided the best part about footy is the five minutes before the game starts for Rd 1 when the season is all there in front of you.

After that it's a crapshoot. Or crap.

[G-Mo77]

To be fair he wasn't expecting it.

Well why would you? A perfect pass inside 50, who would expect that in our team?

[Mantis]

Apparently on camera saying fk this shit and shaking his head.
Nice.

I’d be saying that too if I was playing in our forward line… our ball use is embarrassing.

[ledge]

We are a disgrace . That’s pathetic

[Grantysghost]

I’d be saying that too if I was playing in our forward line… or ball use is embarrassing.

I agree. Has been for a while. Libba aside, no one kicks to advantage.

Melbourne have gone from a bonafide basket case to winning everything.

[jeemak]

Aaaaaaannnnd, I'm already over this week and looking forward to next.

Nothing that happened can't be fixed with a bit of concentration and effort. It deserted us for some reason and Melbourne made us pay for it.

Really annoyed at the club and the players for the bullshit, because it shouldn't be that way and effort and concentration should be a given. But I won't dwell on it.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Can anyone at the ground tell me if Lobb is just lazy and not presenting or are we not looking for him?

Lobb was just one of a number of poor players. Apart from Liberatore Treloar Richards
Bailey Smith and Dale, the rest were very ordinary.

[merantau]

Lobb was just one of a number of poor players. Apart from Liberatore Treloar Richards
Bailey Smith and Dale, the rest were very ordinary.

Agree with that assessment. I thought English was good around the ground but very ordinary at centre bounces and throw ins.

[Mantis]

Not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater after 1 game… but as our first look into the year that was as bad as we could’ve imagined.

The issues from years past remain and our remedies that we either added or worked in failed at first try… on to next week.

[kruder]

The scary thing particularly defensively after working on it the entire preseason you couldn’t tell any difference in our defensive set up.

There was talk we wouldn’t be giving up space defensively and as expected Kosi walked around from the opening bounce without an opponent. Late in the third Keath refused to man up on him, choosing to guard space instead and you wouldn’t believe it, the ball found its way to Kosi out the back and it resulted in another goal.

I reckon that was one of the most disappointing performances we have had under Bevo its was absolutely pathetic.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Agree with that assessment. I thought English was good around the ground but very ordinary at centre bounces and throw ins.

English was always going to struggle against Gawn and Grundy at centre bounces. I just wonder having kept Sweet on our list that we should bite the bullet and use him in the ruck with English being released as the second key forward with Naughton. Lobb Darcy and Ugle Hagen all struggled up forward.
We also lack a quality small forward like a Pickett who was a match winner tonight.

[jeemak]

Melbourne had players out, however, I don't know whether those they selected were underdone like some of ours probably were or at least seemed to be.

[Dry Rot]

In this WOOF thread AFL Ladder projector I posted this on 7 Jan 2023

I have thought about your question for a few days.

Initially I was over the moon about getting Lobb and Jones, and I think we can cover the loss of Dunkley.

Upon further thought, I remembered our poor forward entries, poor midfield defence and teams running through us and our second half collapses in key games over the last 2 seasons.

We need to fix the causes of these things for 2023. If we can, then we are a chance - we have the talent.

If we don't, then we will finish like we did in 2022 or even miss the finals.

https://www.woof.net.au/forum/showth...ht=#post823744

Prescient.

We are rubbish. Maybe we have gone backwards.

And the Dees were missing many key players.