How well are we going?

[Harrysz]

All teams have injuries - some more than most and we have plenty.
Theoretically we'll be better when some of our top-liners return, particularly Adams, De Goey and Moore.

But the fact remains that we struggled to beat Essendon, Carlton, St Kilda and Sydney, none of whom are likely to play finals. It's good that we won all of those matches but there were moments during all of those games when it looked like we might get beaten.

We'll be put down as favourites for the next 3 games, but Freo looked pretty good yesterday. In the second half of the season we still play GWS away, WCE away and Richmond. We need to bank wins now because things won't get easier as the season progresses. Making top 4 will be difficult and making top 2 will be extremely difficult.

[David]

While I agree that the last few weeks were not amazing (and that things would be looking very different if we’d dropped even just one or two of those games), I think we’re at the same stage as a number of other teams, like West Coast and Geelong – that is, we’re not always playing amazingly, but generally doing enough to win the games we should win. That’s what separates that top tier of teams from the ones below, all of which really seem to be struggling to put any consistent form together.

At the moment, I’d say we’re clearly in the top 4 (along with Geelong, GWS and West Coast) and a fair way in front of the rest of the pack (with Richmond the only team outside that group that looks any serious chance of breaking in at the moment). It’s a long season and entirely possible that we won’t make it, but if we keep up our current form I think we’ll definitely make top 4, and possibly even top 2. What we need to prove from here is that we won’t just be making up the numbers.

[Pies4shaw]

When we’re down to selecting a half-fit Wells, along with Wills and Magden, because we have almost no one to choose from in the seconds - but we have still won 7 straight - I think the team is, as a whole performing remarkably. We do need to get a few of our missing stars back befor the remaining good players are overwhelmed by the struggle. Nevertheless, I don’t think we could have asked for more at this stage.

[Pies2016]

We’re in great shape, better than 16 other teams in the comp. North don’t even have a coach.
We have also won seven in a row and that’s not easy in an elite competition.

We know we have depth and we know we get our most important players back sooner than later.
I’m not fussed how impressive we do or don’t look in late May, as long as we keep winning.
GCS Suns nearly beat ( but didn’t ) the Cats on the weekend. Good teams still find a way to win when they’re not at their best.
We’re playing the long game this year and I believe we need to play another top side before we know where we’re truly at.

[Presti35]

All you can do is win games. And that's what we've done.

When September rolls around, we wont be looking back saying, we just beat Essendon and we just beat Sydney. We'll be looking at our ladder position based on the 4 points won on those nights.

To be winning without Cox, Moore, JDG, Langdon, Adams and others has shown the AFL world that we can battle out wins and will be very hard to beat at full strength.

[E]

[RudeBoy]

We're performing magnificently, considering our injury list, to several A grade match winners.

Luckily, most of these are short term injuries, so we are well placed to have a much stronger list on the park in the 2nd half of the season.

[tbaker]

[BazBoy]

Melbourne with long injury list are loosing most games

With our long injury list we are winning most games

[tbaker]

^ Injuries are not the reason for Melbourne's failings this year - it's more that they're just not as hungry and not switched on this year - perhaps they entered the season with an air of complacency, where they thought a finals finish was just going to happen for them because all the pundits said it would.

[King Malta]

We're missing a large chunk of our list, not playing our best football and still beating teams.

As far as I'm concerned we're travelling beautifully. I'd rather be playing our best football at the tail end of the year anyway, so hopefully we get most our top liners back and start to click into top gear later on.

[BazBoy]

The rich vein we experienced Preliminary last year —-but right thru finals

[Skids]

8 points better than at the same point last year.

Next 2 are must wins before the bye. Then we only need 6 (wins) from our last 10 to make the top 2 IMO.