not especially. but i was happy that he seems to be working on that part of his game. maybe the penny has finally dropped? (it sure took long enough!!)

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i don't wanna spend my life explaining myself. Either you get it, or you don't- Frank Zappa

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

Good to know some one else can watch the game with both eyes open. We were not good enough when it mattered. Simple really. The ones who bleat are just looking for excuses. In a game of interpretation for so many rules, that is always going to happen. Good sides don't complain about the umpiring.

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"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

Menzels was a free but was consistent with how they'd umpired all night. Worse was the free to Yarran that wasn't paid in the second quarter when he was being held which resulted in a goal to them. The free against Waite for push in the back on the wing was the worst decision I've seen in a long time. Umpire had a complete brain fade.

We lost cause we lack polish and finesse in crucial moments. Docherty's turn over at the end on the wing, which led to Selwood's goal was just an inexperienced (and exhausted) players mistake. He's going to be a very good player for us. Garletts snap for goal in the last quarter which hit a Cats player cause Garlett didn't kick it high enough was inexcusable. He's a repeat offender at fancy low shots at goal and either the coaches aren't tough enough on him or he just won't listen to them. Jeff's marking attempt near the end when he squibbed it is also something that is hard to excuse. He's a repeat offender here too.

Why was Rowe left on Hawkins for so long in the second quarter when he was tearing us apart? At his presser Mick said it was because Jamison was off with his calf in the second half of that quarter. So why wasn't Henderson put on him or someone else. He was playing Rowe like a rag doll. What was Mick saying? If Jamison had gone off for the rest of the game, Rowe would have stayed on him? Please. Should have been moved off half way through the second.

Lots of positives though...

- Gibbs. Outstanding. I don't buy the comment of some on here that say 'why hasn't he been doing this for years'. Players develop at different rates. Look at Griffen who only become top shelf last year. Ditto Wells. Both drafted before Gibbs. There are plenty of others. And it hasn't been Gibbs fault that he was played for many years as a backline tagger.

- Casboult. Great game. Great presence. If he learns to kick could be an A grade player.
- Rowe good recovery after poor first half. His development this year has been a very pleasant surprise.
- Everit. The quiet achiever.
- Docherty. Fitting in nicely.
- Thomas. I think we can all start to breath a bit easier.
(These three were players brought in this year. Tick there)
- Menzell. May be a star. Is going to be a joy to watch.

Bitterly disappointed to lose but there is light on the horizon.

Where was that commitment last week?

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Number 17 - come on down!

Quite frankly that is bullshit. A player legitimately claims a goal & no review called. Why? Because it is Waite. That's not bias but plain common sense.

get @#$%&! - the umpires were useless

our uselesness doesnt negate their uselesness

they were and are incompetent

if this backwater competition that is the AFL wants to be taken as seriously as it thinks it is the umpires need to be full time professionals

enough of this amateur garbage, and while the AFL is at it - stop @#$%&! with the rules interpretations each year

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

Different rules for the two competing teams again this week.

Variable pricing, cost of everything associated with going to the game (parking, food etc) and umpiring performances like tonight. Any wonder footy is a bit on the nose?

Would've been worth the fine for Mick to give them a blast. They need to be held accountable for the gutless, cowardly officiating we've seen first hand in the last 6 days.

Some of the decisions (or non-decisions) were embarrassing for the league tonight.

The bounce fiasco, not reviewing Waite's soccered goal, the countless holding the ball calls let go, the runner being at the contest late on, Menzel high tackle... How many things does one team need to go their way to win the game?

We lacked poise late in the game, with a few key instances (Brock's handball cut out, Jeff ducking the head, a botched clearance out the wing that resulted in a turn over) costing us, but seriously, rub of the green hardly does the silver service the Cats received justice.

Gutted with the result, proud of the performance itself.

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Whatever happened to this club
I wish I understood
We used to be so strong
We used to be so good

THIS.

Umpire deserve the same treatment as players or coaches get when they perform bad. What's even worse is that their is little to no communication because you hurt them and AFL's feelings which leaves players unsure about how to actually play the game.

Waite was a waste of space, and has been out of form since the Eagles game.
Retirement beckons.

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James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

If we can't see why Thomas was worth every penny after tonight then we are blind.
There is a reason he has a premiership medallion and Kenny hunter has 3. It is called guts

whitnall would have 10 premierships if that was the case

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

Agree completely. Roll my eyes when people discount or ignore the influence of officials in any sport. They are often - not always - a decisive factor. More than anyone cares to admit or realise.

If one has the balls to interpret the Menzel incident as a free, he goals, we win. It's totally due to the failure of the official to apply the rules of the game as written and penalise the offending player/team.

Same with the bounce that went awry (failure to apply the rules of the game) and the review of Waite's effort (failure to utilise technology designed to achieve the right outcome).

The common word to describe the officials tonight is "failure". Its unacceptable.

But, like always, the AFL will bury their heads and ignore the issue until it goes away or the people slighted have given up. Why ever would they want to address the shambolic state of one of the key pillars of the game?

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Whatever happened to this club
I wish I understood
We used to be so strong
We used to be so good

That center bounce in the second qtr that wasn't recalled really the only (non) decision that had my blood boiling.
Gave Warnock no chance to contest and the Cats scored a goal... and from memory, kicked another 2 to end the half shortly after.

The runner... not sure what the rule is but isn't it time to eliminate them from the game altogether?
With all the rotations in the modern game, do they really serve a purpose other than to give ex players that are not good enough to coach a wage?

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“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard Feynman

Proud of the boys tonight ..... yes we lost and it sucks but they kept at it

What really pisses me off is what a waste last week was ........ we need tonight's kind of effort week in week out. It needs to continue next week v Hawthorn and then some.

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"IF YOU FAIL TO PREPARE, YOU'RE PREPARED TO FAIL" - Mark Spitz

People saying the umps didn't cost us are DELUSIONAL...NO , F&&@cking stupid...delusional gives you an excuse.

You don't get it...I have no problem with the umpire making a mistake...no problem with players making a mistake, there's pressure...it happens....

Menzel gets beaned, umpire misses it or ignores it ...happens

BUT F@@ck me...that's not what I'm talking about
Centre square bounce...everyone stops, clearance, ball in the square...F@@@ing Geelong player stops expecting it to go back...DEAD BALL...THREE UMPIRES LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND DO NOTHING.

Waites kick off the ground...Field umpire doesn't give all clear, boundary ump is giving death stare at goal ump...DEAD BALL, no review, no discussion

BALLup in last minute...everyone can see the runner in a Barney with Robinson...commentators, players, crowd AND TWO, PROBABLY THREE UMPIRES ON THE GROUND! It s a dead ball situation...

That is getting well and truly F&&KED OVER BY THE UMPIRES...gutless pieces of sh!t...what the f is the point of them all being there if they are ignoring obvious mistakes or misses of their colleague...??

Disgraceful ...and at a completely different level to a "umpire must have missed that"..

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“Every single element of the Club has to be the best in the league, meticulously and methodically, and only by doing this will we be elite and challenge for number 17.”
Greg Lee

I was at the end that Geelong kicked to in the 2nd and 4th quarters.

They got their goals easy ... we laboured for ours.

Our lack of composure under pressure is really telling. Very evident when we tried to get the ball out of defence. I cannot work out how MM when coaching Collingwood nearly always played on from an opposition behind ... we don't ... the best way to get a ball out of defence is to run it out.

We have to start weeding out players that are slow, lack skills and composure. We will never catch the likes of Geelong with these types.

Just saw footage of their runner actually going goal side of the pack just before the siren, that's a free isn't it?

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

Depends what colour jumper you're wearing and what the stage/state of the game is.

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Whatever happened to this club
I wish I understood
We used to be so strong
We used to be so good

This is pretty well what I said earlier without being specific but it is true. One mark and we win. Simple.

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Let slip the Blues of war (with apologies to William Shakespeare) (and Sir Francis Bacon, just in case)