Concerning when we play Sydney...

[CaptainDavey]

*Venting Anger Post*
I just got home after watching Carlton play Sydney with a bunch of my mates and I'm sorry but Sydney played the most horrible style of football I have seen in my relatively short life, that being 17 years. They completely grabbed the game around the neck and strangled the absolute life through it, not only dropping the standard of football skill but the entertainment value too. You ever go and buy something and realise how shocking it is and demand your money back? Yeah well I felt that way tonight, OK I payed 11 bucks to watch this game BUT CMON this was like a game of rugby, NO probably much lower than rugby, it wasn't Aussie Rules football, it was completely bulltish. They didn't deserve to win tonight and THEY CERTAINLY didn't deserve to win the flag last season, as it is no way near reflective on who dominated in the 2005 season. Brian Taylor on Triple M this afternoon summed it up brilliantly when he said flags are all about being in the right place at the right time. However, after tonight, not only do I feel a wierd twinge in my stomach everytime I watch a game of football, I walk away with a horrible bitter taste in the back of my mouth thanks to the 2005 reigining premiers. Woeful, deplorable, UGLY football.

But what does this have to do with Melbourne? Considering how we play them next week, along with my new found deep seeded hate for the Sydney Swans, I would love nothing more to see us completely outplay the Swans with the slick, mecurial style that we so rarely use but are capeable of using. My only worry is that they'll do to us what they did to Carlton. If so, I give up on the AFL and devote myself to the A-League most likely. No, that's going a tad far, but by then I would rate the likes of Collingwood higher on the list of lifeforms, promoting them beyond the status of parasites, and relegate Sydney to something much worse.

You're stuck in a room with a axe mudered, a man eating lion and a Sydney player. You have a gun with 2 bullets. Who do you shoot?
The Sydney player
...
Twice

 

[goDees22]

Yeah i'm definitely not going to watch a sydney game ever again, i said that last year after we played them. We got to within nine points and there was a tiny bit of excitement before they chipped it around the boundary line and ruined a good finish to the game. I hate em, and i didnt see last night, but i can imagine what they would've done

 

[grimlock]

So you guys aren't going to watch next week?

I'll admit it wasn't a pretty game to watch, and I emphatise with those spectators who weren't supporting either team but there wasn't much choice because of Carlton's tactics. They dropped French back to block Hall's space and pretty much dropped 17 men back whenever we had the ball. We weren't just going to bomb to ball long into a huge pack of players. If our skills were a little bit cleaner we would have surged away.

Bad luck today, and good luck for next week. FWIW, Iyou guys seemed to employ a similar chipping around the backs style today.

 

[Deestroy]

The difference is we don't have a game plan and we go backwards inside defensive 50 because there is no real direction to the team whereas Sydney do it on purpose.

 

[davey_magik]

It wasn't the Swans fault because Carlton flood back to every side and force teams to do that. Only problem was it was playing right into Sydney's hands.
This week against the Swans we need to go long at every opportunity.

 

[Marns]

Bad luck today, and good luck for next week. FWIW, Iyou guys seemed to employ a similar chipping around the backs style today.

That's not planned, its purely them not knowing what to do when they get the ball.

 

[Klyntonius]

It wasn't the Swans fault because Carlton flood back to every side and force teams to do that. Only problem was it was playing right into Sydney's hands.
This week against the Swans we need to go long at every opportunity.

And we'll lose to them like we lost to Carlton. We gotta play smart and pick the right type of kick long rather than mindless bombing and incessant chipping.

 

[Supermercado]

I'd take ugly and negative football for a flag. Who's with me?

 

[Deestroy]

I'd take ugly and negative football for a flag. Who's with me?

Anyone who wouldn't is either a liar or a fool. Just some kind of gameplan at all would be an improvement.

 

[davey_magik]

And we'll lose to them like we lost to Carlton. We gotta play smart and pick the right type of kick long rather than mindless bombing and incessant chipping.

When I mean go long, I mean go long before they can get players back. We actually went well in the clearances today and if we do that again we can afford to go long.
If the flood happens, we should just chip chip chip then get it in the hands of someone like TJ.

 

[Bartram_Class]

Q: How do you beat the Dees?

A: With a gameplan (because we certainly dont have one)

To be honest though, we have a pretty good record away to Sydney i believe and as much as i dont want us to stoop to there style of football, if it results in a win, i'm all for it.

 

[AllStar7]

i dont want us to stoop to there style of football, if it results in a win, i'm all for it.

It won't though, because we can't play the possession game. If we don't move the ball quickly, we get smashed.
Maybe it's because our players don't work hard enough, maybe it's the inability to execute simple short-kicks, either way we can't play that way.

To beat Sydney, we need to win the clearances and when we have possession go long. Simple.
The SCG is a very small ground, Beamer, Wheatley, TJ, Yze, Neita and Davey could practically kick a goal from the centre square. Take your chances when you get them and kick the frigging thing FORWARD!

 

[Klyntonius]

It won't though, because we can't play the possession game. If we don't move the ball quickly, we get smashed.
Maybe it's because our players don't work hard enough, maybe it's the inability to execute simple short-kicks, either way we can't play that way.

To beat Sydney, we need to win the clearances and when we have possession go long. Simple.
The SCG is a very small ground, Beamer, Wheatley, TJ, Yze, Neita and Davey could practically kick a goal from the centre square. Take your chances when you get them and kick the frigging thing FORWARD!

I agree. For some reason we don't seem skilled enough to play the possesion game which is strange given we were touted as one of the most skillful in the league til half way through last year. If the midfield plays a bit more accountable on the defensive end and is prepared to work as hard as they did today then we should win.
Also, if Holland was amongst the best for Sandy this week, you would imagine that he would be under consideration if Miller plays on Hall next week. Hopefully he could give a bit more marking power up forward.

 

[Bartram_Class]

They are killing Millers development as a CHF, we're going to end up with Robbo playing out of CHF again or at worst a Whitnall type player just sweeping along the HBF and stopping every half-decent attacking move we have.

We have the defenders, just let the boy play up in the forward line.

 

[melbournemartin]

im scared Miller will play vs Hall. Thank god Carroll had a decent game vs Roo and will hopefully get a gig against Hall.

Miller has a great oppertunity if he plays on LRT.

as does neitz on leo barry who is seriously out of form (i dont care if he took 50 marks last night, Fevola nearly won carlton the game)

 

[CaptainDavey]

as does neitz on leo barry who is seriously out of form (i dont care if he took 50 marks last night, Fevola nearly won carlton the game)

True that, considering how of those 50 marks Barry took, 48 of them were uncontested

 

[grimlock]

I have to admit that the Barry-Neitz matchup is a worry. He has been beaten in the past and despite a better game against Carlton, he still looks suspect under the new rule interpretations. Richards may be an option if Neitz gets on top early.

 

[demon_chick7]

i did watch the swans games and i was disgusted with the game in general but if melbourne played like that and managed to win a flag i wouldnt complain. As much as i hate that style of play it wins them games which is more than i can say for us at the moment.

 

[Canna7]

We have beaten Sydney in Sydney the last two years, but they have beaten us in Melbourne the last two years.

Given that record, I am quietly confident about next week. We match up well against Sydney.

We will hardly need a centre half forward at the SCG which means we can chuck Miller down back on Hall again (he beat him last time in Sydney) and Carroll can take O'Loughlin. Rivers will then be the spare man in defence which will be perfect on a small ground such as the SCG. Bruce got destroyed by Goodes last time so don't let him go near him again. Depending on where Goodes lines up, we can maybe chuck Wheatley on him to run with him all night.

Kirk will probably line up on Johnstone and Jude Bolton on Bruce. Barry will have first crack at Neitz, with maybe Craig Bolton on Robertson. If Miller plays up forward, Roberts-Thompson will take him. Jolly and Chambers vs. White and Jamar in the ruck.

 

[melbournemartin]

Miller barely beat Hall last time they played. Yes he had a good night but Hall kicked 1.5. If he had his kicking boots on then he would have slotted home an easy 5 and it would have been counted as yet another dud miller game in defence.

 

[AllStar7]

Miller barely beat Hall last time they played. Yes he had a good night but Hall kicked 1.5. If he had his kicking boots on then he would have slotted home an easy 5 and it would have been counted as yet another dud miller game in defence.

Miller will not do a better job on Hall than Carroll.
If Daniher tells Carroll to stalk Hall, and when in possession to please not try to bounce the ball and go for a run, we might just win that battle.

Miller up forward is going to be a big advantage for us, given the size of the SCG and the fact that in his position, Miller could impose himself by running in the middle or go deep and kick some goals.

Keep Warnock in and play Rivers as the third man, so he can mop up and cut off their leads.

If we can win the clearances and KICK LONG AND DIRECT, we will win the game. It's not brain surgery, it's very straight forward.