Analysis Is Melbourne in a proper crisis?

[rosejam]

Personally I've felt for years the players believe their own hype and a lot of them play for themselves rather than each other.

Everytime they look to get everything together they start talking a big game instead of putting in the work to be a great team.

They lack leadership. Gawn may be a great player but a great captain he is not.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

They have only 1 or two mature players that lead.
On paper the list has talent, no leaders.
Wouldn't hurt them to trade 1 or two kids for high draft picks, and use those picks for a couple of mature players

 

[amazingjoshy]

Mentally fragile club.

That's what years of tanking will do to you

 

[Lsta062]

They do not have the list of a bottom 2 team. So why are they there? It’s really puzzling. If they were finishing 10th or 11th, then fine, but being a 1-point win away from 0 wins in Round 5 is odd.

 

[the harry]

Disappointed the Clayton Oliver is unprecedented thread is locked after last night

 

[Corkintheocean]

They had that powder puff schedule in 2018 that greatly inflated their level.

 

[tonygeeks]

Lost to WC in Perth , Cats in a tight one , disappointing against a desperate Tigers and squeaked past the Blues

Solid underdogs in their 3 losses and won a 50/50 game

Not sure this qualifies as a crisis or a form line that says they are finished for the year necessarily


Sent from my iPad using BigFooty.com

 

[Jibroni]

For all of Goodwin faults the 666 rule has not helped and we have clearly failed to adjust. When we had our 5 man forward line in 2018 with Lewis / Vince essentially acting as quarter master behind the play it was much easier for us to run and carry the ball.

We are not a top 4 side but our best should have us in the 8 at least. Although Jesse has not set the world alite at Freo I would have him back tomorrow, our forward line is a mess ATM.

 

[SterlingArcher]

D Carlton by 1 point (giving up a 40 point odd lead)
D Carlton by 5 points
D Fremantle by 14 points
D Gold Coast by 1 point (a very lucky win)
D Hawthorn by 5 points
D Sydney by 22 points (I rated this win)

Wins since 2018.

It's not flattering.

It's remarkable that even reading this thread people who are having a go at Melbourne still seem to rate the likes of Jones and Jetta highly. These guys are struggling to get games in a bottom 4 side for a reason. They are done. There is a lingering perception even in those who don't "rate" Melbourne that they are full of good senior players. They are an incredibly deficient side who built around an all time great contender ruckman and some contested ball mids but forgot that to kick goals you need good ball users and accurate shots on goal. They have minimal of both.

 

[SterlingArcher]

Lost to WC in Perth , Cats in a tight one , disappointing against a desperate Tigers and squeaked past the Blues

Solid underdogs in their 3 losses and won a 50/50 game

Not sure this qualifies as a crisis or a form line that says they are finished for the year necessarily


Sent from my iPad using BigFooty.com

If say if you back up a bottom 2 finish with 3 underdog matches and a game against a fellow bottom side is "50-50" it's hard to see them not being finished.

 

[Tap Tap Tapperoo]

Hard to disagree with most of the comments here, or in the media, after yesterday.

Here are some of my thoughts:

Goodwin is clueless. We have had the same glaring problem for so long now, and he hasn’t even looked close to fixing it.

Skills are atrocious, especially when trying to play at speed. Oliver needs to take a breath, I feel his errors are more due to trying to go too fast - quick handballs or just throwing it on the boot. Should take more responsibility with the ball and take an extra second.

A lot of older players have dropped off pretty sharply incl. Jones, Hibberd, Jetta, TMac and Melksham. Some younger players also dropped off sharply - Brayshaw and Weid.

Trades coming back to bite us. Feels like we are always too generous and overpay. Not only that, but we have not once targeted a skilled user we so desperately need. Finally get one for free in Bennell, but don’t play him because “he has things to work on”, as if the 22 who played don’t have glaring weaknesses they need to work on.

Forward line mix is disgusting. Playing one tall, who is woefully out of form. Guys like Fritsch and even Melksham should be your number 4 or 5 up forward, and they would be dangerous, but instead they are playing out of the goalsquare with the best defenders on them.

But apart from that we are looking great.

 

[Pykie]

Didn’t you draft Davis-Uniacke top 5?

I’d take what kozi has shown in 4 games over what LDU has shown in 3 years.

You've sprouted this s**t in a few threads now.

You realise that he has been injured for the best part of 12 months with a shoulder reco and OP?

When he's been fit, he's looked very good. His clearances and contested possesions per CBA are enormous.


Rankine = bust?

I don't think so.

Given the underwhelming showing of most of the 2017 kids with continuity throughout there careers to date, I'm still incredibly confident he will be the best kid from that draft.

 

[00Stinger]

The gameplan is ****ed. Once the 6-6-6 rule came in it took away Goodwins only decent tactic of running 2 players in from half back at the centre clearances, 18 months later and he still hasn't worked out another trick

It is like they are instructed to look to handball sideways at all times rather than kicking it or looking to attack fast

When they take the game on and attack fast, they look good but they only do it for 5-10 mins a game

Trading/recruiting over the last 18-36 months has been bizarre and is going to set us back a while. 3 first round draft picks for 2 KPD'ers and then week in, week out the coaching staff don't even play those two on the teams best KPF. Goodwin has been so hell bent on getting in players who can play as inside midfielders or be KPD'ers that he doesn't seem to realise that we need some outside class and a decent forward option to improve

Then the selection process is ****ed. I mean we win and there are 5 changes, then when we lose Goodwin keeps the same team. We lack outside class, so we get Bennell, he plays pretty well in his first game and get dropped because of his contested work. He goes down to the ressies and kicks 4 goals while our senior team manages 6 for the game and yet he still won't bring him back in. Dropping Jetta is mystifying to say the least

 

[SterlingArcher]

Disappointing Hogan dropped his bundle and requested a trade. Their forwardline looked ludicrously potent with him and McDonald down there, and their presence alone brought defenders to the ball which meant their medium and small forwards had holes to run into.

If things keep tracking this badly they’ll have effectively given up Pick 2 (and likely at best a top 5 pick) for Kosi Pickett. That’s as bad a trade as the Lachie Weller to Gold Coast deal - possibly worse if he doesn’t come on.

I back the pick long-term but was it really wise taking Luke Jackson at 3 too? They could surely of added a decent outside mid from the draft too. Stephens would have been a great fit for them.

I think the buy in from Weller (the only player to request a trade to GC for reasons outside of opportunity and dollars), Bowes (a Nth Qld native), and Miller are gonna be way more helpful to the Suns than any pick 2 by itself. If they don't have players like those 3 who want to genuinely play for the Suns and not just play footy, then they don't have hope of keeping Lukiosus, Rankine, King, Rowell, and Anderson.

It's why I think long term getting rid of Hogan isn't a bad result for the Dees. Short term forward line pain. But in Victoria he had enough s**t going on that I don't think he was ever going to 'settle'. I also think that because he plays well higher up the ground that their current issues would remain. They've got buy in from the likes of Viney, Gawn, Petracca and Harmed, they just need to balance the side with ball users even if they aren't star ball winners.

 

[Atomboy]

They have been in fhe comp 15 years too long.

Melbourne, North, Carlton and St Kilda really need to be merged/relocated/f’ed off as a matter of urgency. Not a scrap of culture within the joint and whilst Adelaide can get away with that being a two-horse town, 10 clubs in Vic is too many.

Any club that finishes bottom 4 this year should be f’ed off for the good of the comp.

Especially those that clearly have amateur management/cultural approaches that drive players away.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

For all of Goodwin faults the 666 rule has not helped and we have clearly failed to adjust. When we had our 5 man forward line in 2018 with Lewis / Vince essentially acting as quarter master behind the play it was much easier for us to run and carry the ball.

We are not a top 4 side but our best should have us in the 8 at least. Although Jesse has not set the world alite at Freo I would have him back tomorrow, our forward line is a mess ATM.

The gameplan is f’ed. Once the 6-6-6 rule came in it took away Goodwins only decent tactic of running 2 players in from half back at the centre clearances, 18 months later and he still hasn't worked out another trick

It is like they are instructed to look to handball sideways at all times rather than kicking it or looking to attack fast

When they take the game on and attack fast, they look good but they only do it for 5-10 mins a game

Trading/recruiting over the last 18-36 months has been bizarre and is going to set us back a while. 3 first round draft picks for 2 KPD'ers and then week in, week out the coaching staff don't even play those two on the teams best KPF. Goodwin has been so hell bent on getting in players who can play as inside midfielders or be KPD'ers that he doesn't seem to realise that we need some outside class and a decent forward option to improve

Then the selection process is f’ed. I mean we win and there are 5 changes, then when we lose Goodwin keeps the same team. We lack outside class, so we get Bennell, he plays pretty well in his first game and get dropped because of his contested work. He goes down to the ressies and kicks 4 goals while our senior team manages 6 for the game and yet he still won't bring him back in. Dropping Jetta is mystifying to say the least

Interesting stuff

 

[fpm84]

They need a new coach. Goodwin is clueless.

Some will scoff, but Ross Lyon or Brad Scott would have them around the 8 in 2021. I'm certain of it.

 

[Giant Pete]

What did they pay for Lever? I reckon he’s so over-rated.

 

[Joao]

They need a new coach. Goodwin is clueless.

Some will scoff, but Ross Lyon or Brad Scott would have them around the 8 in 2021. I'm certain of it.

I am sure Ross would make them better but their forward delivery is awful and that is probably not Ross' best trait.

 

[Obeanie1]

First Crack on Fox Footy talked about them tonight for about 20 minutes. Since the 2018 Prelim, they have won something like 6 out of the last 26 and those wins coming against (Carlton x 2 ,Gold Coast, Freo, Hawthorn, Sydney). None of those wins were convincing either.

Teams have worked out Oliver, let him handball and he won't do any damage.
Brayshaw is half the player he is from the back end of 2018. What is his ideal position?
What is the point of keeping Nathan Jones and not playing him?
Viney. Absolute Bull at the football but disposal efficiency is major issue. Is he overated?
Pectracca has improved and started to show his potential. Big tick this season.
Weidman hasn't developed as they would have liked.
Too many passengers who are not up to it.
Lever (I know he has done his ACL twice but very one dimensional)
What has happened to Jetta?
Also they don't have a first round pick this season either.

If you go through their list, they should be so much better.
If this continues in the hub, then I would not be surprised if the Melbourne board give Ross Lyon or favourite son Adem Yze a call.

They can't kick.

Oliver, Viney and Brayshaw. Tough inside mids but kicking efficiency isn't their strong point.

And they traded in Langdon............who gets plenty of it.....but can't kick well.

People blame the forwards but the service they are getting is sub par.

 

[Harro59]

They need a new coach. Goodwin is clueless.

Some will scoff, but Ross Lyon or Brad Scott would have them around the 8 in 2021. I'm certain of it.

Yeah I could see that, the talent is there clearly, just need structure and they will go alright.

Goodwin must be feeling the heat but might get a pass this year as it's a odd season.

 

[ptrg]

The gameplan is f’ed. Once the 6-6-6 rule came in it took away Goodwins only decent tactic of running 2 players in from half back at the centre clearances, 18 months later and he still hasn't worked out another trick

With the lack of goals comp wide, and the shorter quarters, why can’t these same players (assuming they are fit and have good endurance) just immediately sprint from half forward to the quarter back position? On average they’ll have like 5-10mins down there before having to get back for another centre bounce?

why not try it? Just instruct them to stream straight through the centre, only take the ball if it’s needed, otherwise sprint to half back?

Goodwin literally is making zero changes on game day (or even before).
To leave Fritsch and TMac in the slaughter zone for the entire game is ludicrous!

Didn’t bring in a tall, so no extra key forward to swing down there, so why not at least try something different like Gawn forward and Tomlinson or Smith up against a Richmonds 15th gamer backup ruck?

 

[iameviljez]

Melbourne's never really recovered from losing Jesse Hogan. He's the kind of player that you could build a team around, or at least he was a few years ago.

I also don't feel as though they have the balance right in terms of what they've recruited in his stead. Generally, they've paid up for defenders - May, Lever and Kolodjashnij. Meanwhile, their only tall forward is Tom McDonald - a converted defender. Even just picking up someone like Josh Bruce - not the most consistent full-forward, but at least he's there - would have done wonders for their structure.

They have the most dominant tap ruckman that the game has seen since Sandilands and it is getting absolutely wasted.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Trading for Lever/May while made their team better, was not worth two top 10 picks. They are missing a lot of run and carry. Where Oliver is Ok. Viney is great, but drops off a cliff right there.

Also Goodwin is a crab

 

[sobrave]

It's worse than proper crisis, but definitely proper something..