Agree Tommi. Our best footy, which we saw in that first quarter, is incredible. But like the mythical Icarus, the closer we fly towards the sun, the greater the chance our wings will start melting in the next quarter.

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1423 wins in 2492 games makes me a little positive

It’s professional sport. We made plenty of changes over the summer to get better. We all start 0/0 each season. We are 0 wins in 2 games. Are we happy/satisfied? No. Can we however still see some positives along the way? I sure can. We can win the next 2 games. I can feel it!

Was at game yesterday. Not often I get to see us live but what stood out like dogs b@*lls was Ports ability to use the whole oval for the whole game versus our predictable/safe down the line into opposition numbers style. When we went quick, we at least looked dangerous

Their wingers held there position and gave strong outlet options. Number of times when we had ball in defensive fifty there were limited/no options outside of down the line....coaching???

Garlett...please! So much hands in crap versus body over the ball. That caused free late in third they got goal from.

Still not strong enough in contest (outside Cripps) for long enough. SPS and Dow did respond in third in contest but couldn’t sustain it in last.

Setterfield and Fisher disappointing first half’s

Plowman needs to run through ball stronger....waited a few times and paddles the ball

And yet Polson gave the ball to Ed to kick his goal and McGovern to kick one of his goals. That's 1 goal and 2 goal assists. That's reasonable output form a small forward.

Nice technical assessment without the negative subjectivity.

I didn't see the game, so probably shouldn't make too many comments, but they had 70 I50s FFS.

70 to 53!!!!!!

It's a @#$%&! miracle we didn't lose by 20 goals.

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Nice effort over there in a traditional graveyard for us.Been flogged over there many a time so it was nice to give 'em a fright.Played some very good footy at times.Like last week,couldn't sustain the effort.Still reckon we are turning in the right direction even if a little slowly..............We have an excellent backline and the making's of a terrific forward line that i believe is gonna click..................but,i must agree our midfield although very talented has got to do more or Cripps is gonna collapse under the enourmas load he has to carry.PetSet did very well but still needs to get more of the ball Ditto Fisher.Even Dow for that matter.Reckon they all are a bit small actually.Brushed aside so easily at stoppages and that is my main concern.Kennedy,SOJ,even Ed back in there..........would be already making big plays for Coniglio,Taranto,or even Whitfield who would provide that outside polish and class that we are in desperate need of................all in all it was a pretty good effort but like plenty have stated its gotta start with a win against the Swans who clearly are a shadow of there former selves.

Regards Mick.

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All my dangerous friends

Interesting observation...

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A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Deamons won the I50 count 73 to 48 and lost by 80 points!!!!!

I guess stats can be used to suppport any opinion.

70 to 53.
88 to 72.

I'd say it's relatively proportionate.

Melbourne had 25 more inside 50's and lost by 80 points. You call that relatively proportionate?

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

No, I call it @#$%&! hilarious.

I thought the game was won and lost off the back of the clearance battle, which leads to the territory battle. We had more of the footy in our forward half in the third quarter and were able to build pressure and set up a defensive structure that made it difficult for Port to move the ball.
Through large parts of the game we were unable to gain any territory. Our defence held up well, but we were left with a difficult situation of kicking long down the line because of Port’s zone or needing to play quick and find holes in the zone. A lot of times when we went quick we got the ball forward, but then lost it and Port were able to spread and come back the other way. That happens when you play quickly and don’t have time to set up a defensive structure behind the ball.
We either need to get better at our fast paced transition and capitalise from it more often, or we need to adjust that tempo a bit and get a better structure behind the ball to avoid being hurt on turnover.

I’ve read a lot about lack of effort, defensive mindset, being out coached etc, but I didn’t see it that way. We simply failed to gain control of the contest for long enough. For me that lands with a young midfield and clear loss in the ruck battle.

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@cecil_anderson

Losing can be a habit.
A few senior players, particularly Murphy butchered the ball at crucial stages under no pressure.
When the game was on the line you could see certain players rush and panic. This behavior is not isolated to just this game.
We need to start winning.

It's great if they are three of twenty five possessions. It's not that flash if they are part of ten.
Fasolo kicked a goal and people are screaming for his head. Maybe it's the two goal assists that make Polson's game better.

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

Look at Polson's 3rd , he impact the game, helped change the momentum our way- show me any quarter - or any 10 minutes of any quarter where Fasolo actually impacted the game.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I don't think he did. I just plucked his name out of the sky. He did manage a goal, though.

Polson playing ten good minutes of footy in one of four quarters should not be being used as an example of how positive things can be. I could just as easily have used Garlett as Fasolo. Or McGovern, who played two excellent minutes in the third to get us back into it. They all were found wanting.

All I am asking for is that they play four quarters instead of two. For that I get all the negative vibes this week. That's OK, I can handle it but those who thing playing 50% of a game is good enough are being too soft. If they lose after they have a red hot go, that's fine. If they lose after they toss in the towel thirty seconds into the last, that isn't.

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

Fasolo spends most of his time on his arse. Can't keep his feet.

I don’t think we tossed in the towel. Port were simply better than us, as were Richmond the week before. The test will come when we’re playing against a team of similar quality and whether we can lift against them.

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@cecil_anderson

I'm reading this thread from page 5 to 1.

I mentioned a while ago you have changed and definitely not a glass half full supporter.

To use a line you used in reply to Okhams reasonable post...." what game were you watching?"

Tell us all what SPS did wrong, and where you think he was playing and what role.

He showed class and poise. He didn't get 30 possessions but he was playing as a defensive mid as opposed to an accumulator. Doesn't waste much.

Maybe you should compare players for number of successful connect with their disposals.

Last year and the year before are the past. Gonski. Just as 1995 and 1968 have.

In case you didn't notice umpires did not pay the same to Carlton for incorrect disposal or head high slaps as they did for Port and Richmond for that matter. Makes a difference. Refer to Dogs game in the last quarter when they had the rub of the ump.

Umpires aside. I see a better game plan and improvement in 2019 compared to 2018 and 17.

We came out of the blocks and held the lead till we lost our best running forward with a knee. We didn't adjust and took a while to do so. When we settled we fought back and took the lead. We missed some obvious options to score goals in the last which we expected, but it wasn't the kids that turned over the ball.

Last week at 3/4 time most people thought Carlton were going to run over Tigers, same against Port. We didn't, but we put ourselves in a position to do so. We can fix that and I bet we do and get a few wins from that fix.

Obvious some players need to show more than they did, or be replace by Silvagni Kennedy OBrien.
Those individuals are the reason we failed in the end. Lucky for Fasolo that ball fell in his arms in the last otherwise he would have nothing to show other than an assist in a lucky goal in the 1st. Murphy had a dog of a game, and I haven't been a fan of his for a couple years now, Polson should do more but showed something albeit not enough... and so on.

It's not a coaching thing that failed us imo.

I'm not accepting failure but I can see signs we will hit a winning streak at some stage this season, maybe when Kreuzer Marchbank Silvagni and Curnow are all playing with the best we had on Saturday.

All I can say is that it is a new year and the signs are good...there's something there.
We know we need to lift for 4 quarters, and I know the players know that too.

I don't think they only played 4/8 quarters his year. I think we didn't put pressure on for 2 x 10 minute periods per game. We can bridge that or do you think that's impossible too?

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue