The Moment: Rnd 1, 2024 vs Melbourne Demons

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

The moment, the best, most courageous moment that caught your eye in today's game against Essendon. Was it the moment that told you 'we've got this' or 'we lost this one right here'? Or was it the moment that you went 'wow....that is crazy courage'

Or was it a collection of moments that you thought 'oh dear that's sure to produce a flood of WOOF melts on par with GG's post GF loss..

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

For me McNeil's fumble in the 3rd. That was our last throw of the dice realistically.

[Mofra]

English whacking his head in the first.

[Grantysghost]

The end of the first qtr and the first half of the second qtr.

[Happy Days]

Ben Brown getting his 500th career free kick for looking like he’s only on the field because he won a fan competition fresh off Gawn getting a free 100m off the ball for no reason for me.

[jeemak]

The McNeil attempted centering of the footy. Intercept and goal.

[mjp]

The McNeil fumble ended the game. The Richards fumble that followed immediately after (well, Treloar came in and cleaned up McNeil's mess and gave it to Richards!) confirmed it was over...

I get there has to be selection integrity based on performances but I did think we pulled the wrong reigns in selection.
- McNeil, Vanders and Gallagher ahead of Daniel.
- Khamis on Brown.
- Gallagher on Windsor.

They (Melbourne) had a game under their belts so it wasn't really a fair fight going in but I don't think we helped ourselves.

[angelopetraglia]

McNeil fumble which then led to the Salem two contested hard balls in a row, where he was harder than VDM and Caleb. He wanted it more. It happened right in front of me. Which led to the Trac goal and four goals down. That was the game.

[Scorlibo]

The McNeil/Richards fumblefest would be my first choice moment as well.

Second would be Ryley Sanders getting subbed off immediately after his turnover on the wing cost us a goal. Just didn't feel right to me to drag the kid after his worst moment of the game.

[hujsh]

McNeil fumble which then led to the Salem two contested hard balls in a row, where he was harder than VDM and Caleb. He wanted it more. It happened right in front of me. Which led to the Trac goal and four goals down. That was the game.

I always remember that game in 2020 we thought VDM would be an AFL quality player after his desperate efforts late in a game to close it out. Think it was against GC on a greasy night. Salem is a very good player but VDM should be giving a much better contest in situations like that or else why is he there?

[ledge]

1st quarter when Viney just ran through the middle and kicked a goal, that was the minute I said nothings changed.

[westbulldog]

Our selectors gifted Melbourne the 4 points by selecting McNeill and Vandermeer

[ledge]

Our selectors gifted Melbourne the 4 points by selecting McNeill and Vandermeer

Selectors should be dropped when they make bad selections.
Who pushed for McNeil and Vandermeer ?
Who dropped Macrae and Daniel to sub ?

[angelopetraglia]

Selectors should be dropped when they make bad selections.
Who pushed for McNeil and Vandermeer ?
Who dropped Macrae and Daniel to sub ?

In the presser, Bevo basically said that the Macrae was not in the team due to interupted preseason and he isn't covering the ground as well has he normally does. He needs to build up his running ability.

He said Caleb, was out of the team as a few players went past him due to big summers. He did add those players lowered their colours today and had poor days.

[ledge]

In the presser, Bevo basically said that the Macrae was not in the team due to interupted preseason and he isn't covering the ground as well has he normally does. He needs to build up his running ability.

He said Caleb, was out of the team as a few players went past him due to big summers. He did add those players lowered their colours today and had poor days.

Nothing beats experience ., champions on the training track and nothing in the heat.
The Macrae defence blown out the window with Oliver’s game.

[angelopetraglia]

Nothing beats experience ., champions on the training track and nothing in the heat.
The Macrae defence blown out the window with Oliver’s game.

Yes. You could Bevo knows deep down he backed people, they let him down. He made the wrong call.

[chef]

The end of the first qtr and the first half of the second qtr.

Same here that period killed the game and we were just chasing our tails after that.

[JanLorMill]

When the afl drew us to play Melbourne again

[jeemak]

McNeil fumble which then led to the Salem two contested hard balls in a row, where he was harder than VDM and Caleb. He wanted it more. It happened right in front of me. Which led to the Trac goal and four goals down. That was the game.

What about Libba deciding not to go with Petracca on that very play? Or the time when we were a couple up in the first and as the CB contest was clearly looking negative for us, unlikely to be levelled, he went offensive and they just ran it out?

I love Libba but he gets a free pass too much of the time. He needs to read the game better and apply his effort accordingly at times.

[jeemak]

1st quarter when Viney just ran through the middle and kicked a goal, that was the minute I said nothings changed.

See above.

[jeemak]

Our selectors gifted Melbourne the 4 points by selecting McNeill and Vandermeer


Selectors should be dropped when they make bad selections.
Who pushed for McNeil and Vandermeer ?
Who dropped Macrae and Daniel to sub ?


In the presser, Bevo basically said that the Macrae was not in the team due to interupted preseason and he isn't covering the ground as well has he normally does. He needs to build up his running ability.

He said Caleb, was out of the team as a few players went past him due to big summers. He did add those players lowered their colours today and had poor days.


Nothing beats experience ., champions on the training track and nothing in the heat.
The Macrae defence blown out the window with Oliver?s game.

Can we make our minds up whether we want players selected on reputation, or effort/ demonstrated form? McNeil and Khamis deserved to play, they don't need to next week. VDM has always played and it confounds me at times but he wasn't our worst today.

[JanLorMill]

Can we make our minds up whether we want players selected on reputation, or effort/ demonstrated form? McNeil and Khamis deserved to play, they don't need to next week. VDM has always played and it confounds me at times but he wasn't our worst today.
Form in practice matches doesn’t mean they deserved to play especially ahead of Daniel or Macrae

[jeemak]

Form in practice matches doesn’t mean they deserved to play especially ahead of Daniel or Macrae

Praise the lord! I agree, I've been on that wagon for a fortnight.

But others want reputations to have minimal impact on selection. Until it goes to shit.

I said in the Gags thread that I thought we went for style over substance, and what I meant by that is we figured perceived pace and run as a style was better than steady hands, reputation to date. Some didn't think that was OK in principle and that's OK. But what's the point in being quick if you can't handle the footy, kick or think on a footy field?

Gags was fine today as a debut, he did some really good things and a couple of really shit things like every debutant does. He wasn't really the sole target of what I was suggesting anyway.

[SonofScray]

Viney?s goal in the first. We were toast at that point.

[angelopetraglia]

Viney?s goal in the first. We were toast at that point.

mmmm yes, it gave off a lot of 3rd quarter 2021 Grand Final vibes didn't it ... way to easy out the front of the stoppage

[SonofScray]

What about Libba deciding not to go with Petracca on that very play? Or the time when we were a couple up in the first and as the CB contest was clearly looking negative for us, unlikely to be levelled, he went offensive and they just ran it out?

I love Libba but he gets a free pass too much of the time. He needs to read the game better and apply his effort accordingly at times.

Libba was poor on a few occasions in that respect. Tossed to the wrong side of the contest and gave up on the chase.

[Grantysghost]

What about Libba deciding not to go with Petracca on that very play? Or the time when we were a couple up in the first and as the CB contest was clearly looking negative for us, unlikely to be levelled, he went offensive and they just ran it out?

I love Libba but he gets a free pass too much of the time. He needs to read the game better and apply his effort accordingly at times.
I was dissapointed with Libba today. Got a fair bit of it however his defensive efforts were poor.

[angelopetraglia]

I was dissapointed with Libba today. Got a fair bit of it however his defensive efforts were poor.

Only one tackle from someone who normally sets the standard when it comes to this was disspapointing.

[jeemak]

Only one tackle from someone who normally sets the standard when it comes to this was disspapointing.

How can you play inside all day and have one tackle, when sometimes you get ten and average over five a game?

[angelopetraglia]

How can you play inside all day and have one tackle, when sometimes you get ten and average over five a game?

It wasn?t a tight contested game and Melbourne played the short kicking game well maintaining safe possession, but still it is mind boggling. Treloar also only had one tackle and he averaged over five per game last season.

[MrMahatma]

Marra missed set shot in the last. After that our typical “If we can’t win and I can’t get a couple of highlights for myself then I’m not gonna try” effort rolled out across most of the team.

[Mantis]

I was dissapointed with Libba today. Got a fair bit of it however his defensive efforts were poor.

This can be said of all of our midfielders.. Melbourne (especially Oliver) were harder at the ball and ran harder both offensively & defensively.

[Dazza]

The moment for mine was English crashing into Jones and letting the ball spill out the back for an easy Melbourne goal

[Pottz]

Second would be Ryley Sanders getting subbed off immediately after his turnover on the wing cost us a goal. Just didn't feel right to me to drag the kid after his worst moment of the game.

Compounded by dragging him off in front of about four more worthy contenders for being subbed out.

[AshMac]

Marra missed set shot in the last. After that our typical “If we can’t win and I can’t get a couple of highlights for myself then I’m not gonna try” effort rolled out across most of the team.

Yeh - that and English's missed snap in the 3rd

[AshMac]

Who ran harder? We identified that we lost these stats in almost every game last year.

Total distance covered.

Langdon 16.2km
Bont 14.4km
Fritsch 14.4km
McDonald 14.3km
Rivers 14.1km

So Melbourne have four out of the top five.

Distance at high speed

Langdon 3.5km
Sparrow 2.7km
Gallagher 2.7km
Neal-Bullen 2.5km
Billings 2.4km

So Melbourne had four of the top five.

Total Sprints

Langdon 23
Billigns 23
JJ 22
Sparrow 17
Chandler 16

Melbourne have four of the top five.

Repeat Sprints

Billings 5
Langdon 4
Windsor 3
Pickett 2
Van Rooyen 2

Melbourne had the top five.


Overall distance covered was similar. But in repeat sprints Melbourne had 20 and we had 10. So we specifically priortised players with an athletic profile to cover the ground as we thought that is where we could hurt Melbourne and we were still out worked by the look of it. They do have some good runners but the way. Langdon is a running machine and Billings sister is a world class middle distance runner so assuming he also has some good genes.

Lucky we prioritised speed over skill and experience. Good point though - they just worked harder.

If that?s the fittest most ready team for Bevo it?s time

[angelopetraglia]

Lucky we prioritised speed over skill and experience. Good point though - they just worked harder.

If that?s the fittest most ready team for Bevo it?s time

We were beaten in almost every area of the game.

[lemmon]

For me it was those consecutive slow high balls into our D50 at the end of the first term (I think Van Rooyen might've crumbed one for a goal?) that we couldn't defend.

That kind of footy from Melbourne should play into our hands and it's what drives their supporters mad, and our backline couldn't handle it. That was a big danger sign.

[Grantysghost]

This can be said of all of our midfielders.. Melbourne (especially Oliver) were harder at the ball and ran harder both offensively & defensively.
Yes true mate. Treloar jogging along whilst chasing and generally looking uninterested most of the game.
Oliver looks ten kegs over weight and still dominated.

[Mantis]

Yes true mate. Treloar jogging along whilst chasing and generally looking uninterested most of the game.
Oliver looks ten kegs over weight and still dominated.

I'm done with Treloar... getting paid good coin to put up that performance is shameful.

[Ozza]

I'm done with Treloar... getting paid good coin to put up that performance is shameful.

His ability to get 30 touches without impacting the game is peerless.

[Grantysghost]

His ability to get 30 touches without impacting the game is peerless.

28 one metre hand passes.

[chef]

Jones getting easily outbodied by Fritch. 2nd quarter i think, i said to my wife that we just aren't up for a fight today.

[Go_Dogs]

What about Libba deciding not to go with Petracca on that very play? Or the time when we were a couple up in the first and as the CB contest was clearly looking negative for us, unlikely to be levelled, he went offensive and they just ran it out?

I love Libba but he gets a free pass too much of the time. He needs to read the game better and apply his effort accordingly at times.

Was the the one where Bont made a huge effort to try and chase down and it looked like the rest of our midfield were just coasting and leaving it to him?

[Happy Days]

What about Libba deciding not to go with Petracca on that very play? Or the time when we were a couple up in the first and as the CB contest was clearly looking negative for us, unlikely to be levelled, he went offensive and they just ran it out?

I love Libba but he gets a free pass too much of the time. He needs to read the game better and apply his effort accordingly at times.

I think he?s lost a bit of lateral quickness. It showed out in the first Viney goal too. When he commits to a side he isn?t agile enough to course correct, so if he goes all out offensive and doesn?t win the ball he gets completely cooked.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

His ability to get 30 touches without impacting the game is peerless.

I would hope he's not lost the passion to push him and the rest of the team. We can't afford to have him in superannuation mode...

[Happy Days]

He did put in a pretty incredible effort to win a 2 on 1 after McNeil’s brutal fumble, only for Richards to immediately stuff it all up. I don’t think he’s fully all the way out.

[Mantis]

He did put in a pretty incredible effort to win a 2 on 1 after McNeil’s brutal fumble, only for Richards to immediately stuff it all up. I don’t think he’s fully all the way out.

Treloar is invested, but he looks to have no desire to push himself when his ability to impact the contest is minimal.

Bevo spoke to the group at the beginning of pre-season about the phases of the game, and the one we continually struggle in is how hard we are willing to work when we don't have the ball... we are bottom 4 in the comp in this area and if it doesn't improve, we are going to continue to be a BOG average team.