AFL Grand Final Grand Final 2021 - Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs - Sat, Sept 25 - 5:15pm AWST / 7:15pm AEST

[Sir_Loin]

Had to re-read this to assure myself the post was real.
We would have smashed both grand finalists
We couldn't even get past Gold Coast two months ago and barely won a game in the last eight weeks.
I can only wonder what the Dees would have done to us from midway during the third quarter.

we just haven’t adapted to the rules changes. Not being able to play a spare at centre bounces has thrown us completely out of whack. Not sure what Dimma can do about it TBH

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Melbourne had hardly an injury all year. It’s easy to forget what’s difference that makes. Look at the key personnel missing from teams like Brisbane and West Coast. It affected the doggies too - Dunkley hasn’t been that good post shoulder, Weightman looked like a player coming back from a game off, Bruce out affected their structure.

We of course had probably the worst injury run in the comp.

I’d like to see how Melbourne and Richmond go next year with our respective injury lists from 2021 swapped

Bruce was a big loss for the doggies...

 

[Dr Tigris]

At our best we'd stack up against the Dees. To me that isn't the question. the question is whether we can get back to our best in 2022.

What happened to the Dogs? They basically stopped defending. A half tap towards their goal and suddenly there was no defence, so they ran it in easily. Something went very wrong there.

 

[peternorth]

What happened to the Dogs? They basically stopped defending. A half tap towards their goal and suddenly there was no defence, so they ran it in easily. Something went very wrong there.

i believe we saw this happen in our games too where we just stopped

 

[Dr Tigris]

i believe we saw this happen in our games too where we just stopped

It's just weird. Last year we just wouldn't go down and ended up running over the top of he pussies. But they kept trying, they were just too old and slow. The dogs simply stopped defending. It looked strange to see players run out of the centre with no one to make them accountable.

 

[RunningBounce]

with this, oppo teams hit to their defensive side and either go straight through us, or actually go wide out to the wing as our wingman have already headed back to help the defence, except the oppo winger kicks it over our wingman's head.

Pretty much what Jackson did in the withering burst. Tap back to Oliver, who beat McRae and feed it forward for Petracca to run onto. The one below leads to Petracca streaming forward to set-up the Fritz goal halfway through the Q3



Bont takes himself to sweeper directly after. Doesn't matter. The Demons win the clearance anyway.

 

[RunningBounce]

It's just weird. Last year we just wouldn't go down and ended up running over the top of he pussies. But they kept trying, they were just too old and slow. The dogs simply stopped defending. It looked strange to see players run out of the centre with no one to make them accountable.

Gotta be there live to see whether they did actually stop defending or not, IMO. The telly view shows very little of what's important.

Looked to me like momentum was the winner on the day. The Dogs tried things, and didn't drop their heads until pretty late in the last. Sometimes, when a team gets rolling, the only thing that will stop them is the siren.

Even more so now with the combination of rule changes that take away almost all of the obvious tactics to halt momentum - except Rugby League 101, start a stink. Lol, if the Demons were playing Carlton, a stripper would have hopped over the fence just before 3 quarter time.

 

[prodigy1311]

we just haven’t adapted to the rules changes. Not being able to play a spare at centre bounces has thrown us completely out of whack. Not sure what Dimma can do about it TBH

So who else can do something about it? He is the head coach and getting the big chq.
has to find a way to adapt and change

 

[mauricerioli]

we just haven’t adapted to the rules changes. Not being able to play a spare at centre bounces has thrown us completely out of whack. Not sure what Dimma can do about it TBH

Are you referring to the 6-6-6 rule not being able to play a spare in defence at centre bounces?

 

[DickieKnee]

Are you referring to the 6-6-6 rule not being able to play a spare in defence at centre bounces?

We eon a flag with the 666 rule (2020). Our troubles were injuries to our midfield and defence. We had Balta, Broad, Vlaustin, Astbury etc out for long spells plus the injuries in midfield.

 

[tora tora tora]

Are you referring to the 6-6-6 rule not being able to play a spare in defence at centre bounces?

We won back to back flags after 666 was introduced. This season we looked terrible across the middle and up forward. I don't know if our old timers aging 12 more months helps us going into 2022.

 

[Hank Heavenly]

We won back to back flags after 666 was introduced. This season we looked terrible across the middle and up forward. I don't know if our old timers aging 12 more months helps us going into 2022.

Our forward entries were putrid at best...

Even when we did win it in the middle, we didn't show it on the scoreboard

 

[Bojangles17]

That was the game I thought Dusty would teach Petracca again who the best player in the comp is. Petracca took his game to another level that night, not saying he jumped Dusty but he looked every bit a challenger and just went from strength to strength.

Umpires dead set mugged us that day , McDonald got 2 gifts from frees and it didn’t end there , was not dissimilar to swans game

 

[tigers12]

Melbourne president looks like the Sheila out of Tones and I and she reckons they are going to be a powerhouse cmon please can someone slap some sense into her go by these figures they are far from a powerhouse

 

[BillHickman]

Dan Murphy trolling the **** out of Dees fans:

 

[mauricerioli]

We won back to back flags after 666 was introduced. This season we looked terrible across the middle and up forward. I don't know if our old timers aging 12 more months helps us going into 2022.

Correct.

That’s why I asked Sir Loin if he was referring to 6-6-6 when he said we haven’t adapted to the new rule changes and not being able to put a spare in defence has thrown us out of whack at centre bounces.

we just haven’t adapted to the rules changes. Not being able to play a spare at centre bounces has thrown us completely out of whack. Not sure what Dimma can do about it TBH

As you rightly point out it was brought in at the end of 2018 and we won back to back Premierships under that rule change.

 

[Sir_Loin]

Are you referring to the 6-6-6 rule not being able to play a spare in defence at centre bounces?

yes. We handled it with our best team but the system (we’re a system team) broke down when we didn’t have our best players in the side

 

[Sir_Loin]

So who else can do something about it? He is the head coach and getting the big chq.
has to find a way to adapt and change

that would be a fundamental change to the way we play the game. It would mean upping our contested and clearance numbers. Have a look at who the best clearance players in the game are.

 

[Sir_Loin]

We eon a flag with the 666 rule (2020). Our troubles were injuries to our midfield and defence. We had Balta, Broad, Vlaustin, Astbury etc out for long spells plus the injuries in midfield.

we did but we had our best team on the park. Being a system based side that took away one of our key strengths

 

[Lacustrus]

Correct.

That’s why I asked Sir Loin if he was referring to 6-6-6 when he said we haven’t adapted to the new rule changes and not being able to put a spare in defence has thrown us out of whack at centre bounces.


I just


As you rightly point out it was brought in at the end of 2018 and we won back to back Premierships under that rule change.

we just haven’t adapted to the rules changes. Not being able to play a spare at centre bounces has thrown us completely out of whack. Not sure what Dimma can do about it TBH

I just wonder if the reduced list no has impacted us more

We have had a fantastic strike rate picking up mature players and those ignored in the national draft.

it was a competitive advantage given our game style allowed for disciplined role players than individual brilliance

 

[Hamsatma]

Wouldn't say it means buggar all, but yeah, our defence of centre bounces in the second half of this season was one of our biggest issues, and it didn't get better when we got our mids and Nank back from injury.

yeah you're right I was exaggerating a bit, just trying to say that just because we played well for a certain period doesn't mean we'll still be able to produce that same level. We had some injury troubles this year but we were pretty far off the pace anyway

 

[Sir_Loin]

I just wonder if the reduced list no has impacted us more

We have had a fantastic strike rate picking up mature players and those ignored in the national draft.

it was a competitive advantage given our game style allowed for disciplined role players than individual brilliance

Im making the observation that under the rules changes our system suffers when we don’t have our best players playing.

That’s antithetical to being a system based side. When the rules are changed and you don’t have your best players playing and your system isnt working what’s the cause?

it’s not rocket science the evidence is this year

 

[Bojangles17]

Demons players to get life membership , is there anything we got left that hasnt been copied

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Demons players to get life membership , is there anything we got left that hasnt been copied

Both our injury list and free kicks against...oh and maybe our membership numbers...a book on our year!

 

[Brick Loosener]

Gotta be there live to see whether they did actually stop defending or not, IMO. The telly view shows very little of what's important.

Looked to me like momentum was the winner on the day. The Dogs tried things, and didn't drop their heads until pretty late in the last. Sometimes, when a team gets rolling, the only thing that will stop them is the siren.

Even more so now with the combination of rule changes that take away almost all of the obvious tactics to halt momentum - except Rugby League 101, start a stink. Lol, if the Demons were playing Carlton, a stripper would have hopped over the fence just before 3 quarter time.

Carlton's strippers have declined in quality for sure.