AFL 2019 Round 3: Melbourne v Essendon, 7:50pm AEDT MCG

[TheEnsign]

Looking at Melbourne's draw.. the second half of the season is where they can make the top 8. If they can win the games they are supposed to win between now and round 12, they could be just outside the 8 and into finals contention as the season winds down. It's possible they win at least 7 of their last 10 games... as the only real threatening teams they play are Collingwood, Richmond and West Coast in those last 10 games.

True but in the last ten rounds they are playing us at home and we're something of a banana peel side for them; plus they have the Lions in that bunch and it's a bit early to say where they're at.

Also in rounds 9 - 12 they are playing WC (in WC), GWS, Crows (Neutral ground) and Pies. They most likely need to win the next 5 on the trot imo if they're any shot of getting 12 wins. I just can't see it happening.

 

[sr36]

Melbourne need to swallow some ego. They're obsessed with trying to smash teams with purely attacking footy. The only way they don't beat Essendon is if it's an open attacking game where the Dons speedsters can do some damage. So Melbourne go with a wide open game. They'll smash some teams that way, becasue their on-ball brigade are so good, but it doesn't suit their list, they don't have great outside runners and their defenders aren't great one on one, particularly whilst their high priced interceptors are out injured and they have noone else who is a reliable third man up. At least until May and Lever are playing, they need to roll numbers back and against Essendon they needed to congest play more.

 

[footy75]

The best thing about that game was Wayne Carey saying it as it is .... umpires constantly pay soft, ticks touch, s**t free kicks and ruin games.

 

[Hawks1994]

My favourite part of the game was when the umpire called "touched play on", only to then award the mark from the same kick.
I think most of us are beyond angry with this sort of stuff. It's amateur hour at the AFL

 

[The Bandwagon]

Goodwin had his one trick last season of two running off the square at a centre square bounce. He needs some new tricks and has become easy to coach against with the new rules.

Also Viney and Jones are getting absolutely killed going the other way. I don’t think they can carry both in the one team.

What I've noticed with Melbourne this year is they tend to always handball back once they win at the stoppage and if they miss with the target which they've done quite often, their opponents always have numbers at the ball and take it away with ease. The Melbourne midfield are cheating a little expecting Gawn to win the taps and position themselves forward of the ball. Oliver mostly always handballs backwards, same with Harmes, and teams are swooping on it. Those extra runners off half back like you mentioned were often on the receiving end of that backwards handball last year which gave those midfielders free space forward of centre which is why you were able to hit the scoreboard more often than not. Those tactics aren't working because you can't start those extra numbers back at the centre bounce.

 

[The Bandwagon]

The best thing about that game was Wayne Carey saying it as it is .... umpires constantly pay soft, ticks touch, s**t free kicks and ruin games.

I love Carey because he isn't a 'yes man' like the rest of them.

 

[PCORF]

Not surprised Essendon won, they were the better team and would have won by a lot more if Melbourne had not kicked as straight. Melbourne made it to a preliminary final last year from 5th spot and I think they are still hurting from it. No doubt it is a huge challenge for Melbourne now at 0-3, finals hmm? .... we'll see. They did start 2-3 last season and then recovered.

 

[kaiserchief13]

My favourite part of the game was when the umpire called "touched play on", only to then award the mark from the same kick.
I think most of us are beyond angry with this sort of stuff. It's amateur hour at the AFL

It's pretty much expected every game will have lots of s**t calls

 

[footy75]

I love Carey because he isn't a 'yes man' like the rest of them.

yep I agree he says it how it is, its a breath of fresh air ....he´s quickly becoming the best commentator.

He will probably get pulled in and told to stop criticising umpires by the bosses who will get a call from the AFL...watch.

 

[kaiserchief13]

What I've noticed with Melbourne this year is they tend to always handball back once they win at the stoppage and if they miss with the target which they've done quite often, their opponents always have numbers at the ball and take it away with ease. The Melbourne midfield are cheating a little expecting Gawn to win the taps and position themselves forward of the ball. Oliver mostly always handballs backwards, same with Harmes, and teams are swooping on it. Those extra runners off half back like you mentioned were often on the receiving end of that backwards handball last year which gave those midfielders free space forward of centre which is why you were able to hit the scoreboard more often than not. Those tactics aren't working because you can't start those extra numbers back at the centre bounce.

If they were handpassing to players running in from the back of the square last season, then who are they handpassing to now?

 

[Americanpies]

So I just saw Melbourne's banner. I didn't watch the start so I missed it.

This is the mindset of this team. Seriously, why focus on negative rubbish like this? The media is talking this banner up like it's some kind of stand against the evils of the world. But here we have a team with no heart on 0-3, crying like kids in a playground about randoms online.

To me, that banner is just negative stuff from the get go. How about just ignoring idiots online and playing footy and in the words of Teddy Whitten... sticking it up em, which is what these guys are being paid 100s of 1000's to do...

Online trollls can come at me as hard as they want if someone hands me 500k a year. I'd be laughin all the way to the bank!

 

[Seadog]

The best thing about that game was Wayne Carey saying it as it is .... umpires constantly pay soft, ticks touch, s**t free kicks and ruin games.

The funniest thing about the game was listeneing to Carey as he watched his 2 hungy or whatever it was disappear into the distance and he resorted to bashing the umps as all losers do.

 

[caspian]

Yeah I thought Carey sucked. Not that I'm particularly sticking up for the umpiring in this game. You know it's a grim day in the commentators' box when the best part is roaming ******* BT

 

[JuniorWatch]

Agreed, umpiring was awful in this game. So many free kicks that neither set of supporters were happy with.
Just stopped the flow of the game.
We got the rub of the green tbh

 

[Rotayjay]

When was the last AFL game in which both sides scored over 110 points?

 

[ItsGameTime]

When was the last AFL game in which both sides scored over 110 points?

Melbourne vs St Kilda.
Round 15, 2018.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

As a neutral I get where your coming from and yes it’s entertaining in parts (a chaos game like tonight)
And Stating the game was Nothing short of rubbish might ve been a bit strong but I was commenting on it from a holistic view.

It was , to me quite frustrating to watch. The poor skills , bewildering decision making st times but more so than anything the umpiring.

I have no qualms stating it was the worst officiated game I can remember.
(I sure as hell wasnt the only one either)
It’s just turned the game into a complete confusion for all involved.
Players, officials and fans alike.

It totally had an influence on the contest and the players and subsequent plays that resulted from some of the most bewildering calls and none calls was nothing short of farcical at times.

But so many will just sit back and say “all those goals tho!!, what a game!”

As a spectacle for what makes this game truly great i sure as hell wouldn’t be using it as some sort of example to a new observer of the game.

I’m sure they’d be just like me any others and be sitting back after seeing that and thinking
“What the **** did I just watch”

"worst officiated game I can remember"

******* footy fans goldfish/recency bias syndrome is unbelievable

 

[Lance Uppercut]

50k on a warm Friday night between two Victorian teams isn’t great. I get they’ve both had poor starts to the season but supporters need to be turning up to marquee games.

wtf?

That was NOT a marquee game. Jesus christ

 

[footy75]

The funniest thing about the game was listeneing to Carey as he watched his 2 hungy or whatever it was disappear into the distance and he resorted to bashing the umps as all losers do.

the umpiring was s**t making it hard to watch and he said so...

thank god.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Not surprised Essendon won, they were the better team and would have won by a lot more if Melbourne had not kicked as straight. Melbourne made it to a preliminary final last year from 5th spot and I think they are still hurting from it. No doubt it is a huge challenge for Melbourne now at 0-3, finals hmm? .... we'll see. They did start 2-3 last season and then recovered.

Massive question marks over the coach IMO.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Massive question marks over the coach IMO.

I've certainly never rated him, but didn't they just re-sign him long term?

Edit: yep last month, to 2022

 

[ziad]

the umpiring was s**t making it hard to watch and he said so...

thank god.

it did spoil the game at times - plenty of soft frees then the miss the big ones
it was 17 V 18 I guess, so you dont expect the best

 

[kickazz]

So I just saw Melbourne's banner. I didn't watch the start so I missed it.

This is the mindset of this team. Seriously, why focus on negative rubbish like this? The media is talking this banner up like it's some kind of stand against the evils of the world. But here we have a team with no heart on 0-3, crying like kids in a playground about randoms online.

To me, that banner is just negative stuff from the get go. How about just ignoring idiots online and playing footy and in the words of Teddy Whitten... sticking it up em, which is what these guys are being paid 100s of 1000's to do...

Online trollls can come at me as hard as they want if someone hands me 500k a year. I'd be laughin all the way to the bank!

Yeah maybe their heart is in the right place here, but the whole exercise smacks of "feeding the trolls"

I've twice now seen Max Gawn respond to crowd verbals by looking extendedly into the crowd, like he is trying to find out who said it.

Mate, these are just dickheads in the crowd, pay them no attention.

 

[gingernuts]

BT is going to wander into the toilet and interview someone on the throne next. If I was in the rooms I'd carry a tazer

are you really Darren Weir?

 

[FRUMPY]

So I wonder how Melbourne's mean tweets went after the game? I'm sure there were none after a performance like that

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