Lessons from the GF.

Macattacks · Joined: 12 Sep 2021

Melbourne had an ideal age spread, just enough experience, not too many kids and most of the guns in the sweet spot:

31 x 1
29 x 3
28 x 1
27 x 1
26 x 2
25 x 6 Petracca Brayshaw Langdon Harmes Lever Neale-Bullen
24 x 2
21 x 3
20 x 3
19 x 1

pietillidie · Joined: 07 Jan 2005

Rd10.1998_11.1#36 · Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 4:14 am

Don't think we should get too excited about our QB victory... while it was a highlight of our year, we caught Melbourne going into the bye and a 2-2-1 slump. Something to be celebrate to be sure but there's still a big gap between 17-4-1 130% and 6-16-0 85%

BazBoy · Joined: 11 Sep 2014

Sydney had the Roos / Longmire succession plan —it worked for a flag

Melbourne had the Roos/Goodwin sucsession plan -a flag also

We had Malthouse/Buckley where MM walked away. Failure

MatthewBoydFanClub · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: Elwood

Players win grand finals, not coaches. The recruitment guy at Melbourne (was it Taylor?) who recruited Petracca won them the grand final.

Harrysz · Joined: 15 Oct 2001 Location: Melbourne

Ben Brown's done ok at Melbourne but so would anyone who had the service of that midfield. I think that Ben Brown would've struggled at Collingwood and then Nicksters would've complained about us recruiting him. I'm interested to see how Ash Johnson goes as a full forward for us.

I'm bullish about our team in the medium term but we will have to be patient. Players like Macrae, Henry, N Daicos, Ginnivan, Bianco etc will need a couple of pre-seasons to develop physically. But it will be exciting to watch our team develop and improve.

Bucks5 · Nicky D - Parting the red sea Joined: 23 Mar 2002

Years of tanking and accumulating first round draft picks finally paid off Wink

neil · Joined: 08 Sep 2005 Location: Queensland

Of course many posters are ignoring the decades Melbourne spent at the bottom of the league. The tanking and all those early picks. Good to know that was irrelevant and its all Buckleys fault.

masoncox · masoncox Joined: 31 Aug 2015

BazBoy · Joined: 11 Sep 2014

Football changes all the time so they say so to learn a lesson from this grand final on style or plan is all well and good

But a burning desire to win what ever it takes from every player is an unlearnable lesson

You either have more desire to win than your opponent and several special
players to pull along the less special so they perform the best they can

And on boldness and audacity must grow from every contest—oh and playing injured players is both those when May was noted with a tear in his hammy after preliminary

GreekLunatic · Joined: 22 Feb 2003 Location: doncaster vic australia

Tanking does work also afl assistance was needed when they put in Peter Jackson etc also they didnt sack goodwin either.

Monco Matt · Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:01 am

Why was Melbourne able to win a flag? This is just my opinion from my general observations.

1. They have a deep & strong list profile that had developed together for many years. Well balanced with youth and experience. Many in their prime mid-twenties, complete spine, marking targets, runners, players that cover the ground.

2. No weak links. Their bottom 6 is strong and contribute well.

3. Excellent midfield depth. they always have a competent core group on the ball at all times.

4. Recruitment has been spot on. Went and picked up players to fill holes in the side. Brown, Langdon, Lever & May strengthened their attack, defense and rebound capability.

5. Identified that they had an over reliance on getting extra numbers to contested ball situations. That their midfield group tended to play too close to each other. They now have trust in their team mates ability to win contests which allows them to spread from contests more easily which addressed their lack of outside run and carry. At least this is what it looks like to me.

6. Did not panic by overpaying players after the 2018 PF defeat to try and buy a flag the following year. Money was spent well to develop the list. Our big mistake.

7. Invested in quality assistant coaches with new voices. Choco & Richo. Great communicators and motivators.

8. Have gun players in key midfield positions that turn games. Gawn, Petracca & Oliver are dominant ball winners and line breakers. They inspire.

9. Have absolute belief in their ability to win from any situation and know that their best is the best. Supremely confident in their gameplans and skillsets.

10. They have a head coach who has been able to guide the team in the right direction to get them playing direct TOTAL team football. All decisions around recruits and support coaches hit the mark. They ticked all the boxes and won a flag by 12 goals. They are a blueprint on how to go from rags to riches. Well done Goody!

The road to glory is long and you have to make all the right moves, sadly our club has not been able to do that over the past 3 or 4 years and it cost us our flag.

Boot · Joined: 22 Feb 2013

sherrife · Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:17 am

It's all about the midfield, and to a lesser extent the transitions out of half back. Ben Brown is average, I don't believe Fritch is particularly special. What lifts these and other average forwards is the speed and precision of the delivery by Petracca and Oliver.

Same was true in Richmond's glory days, Riewoldt was never a power forward. Nor were Roughhead and Gunston particularly terrifying by historic standards. I think you need an elite midfield, and then average to above-average talls can do their basic thing.

Obviously having an elite forward gives you a boost, making more from fewer chances. But it's not as vital IMO, especially when the ball doesn't even get down there if your midfield is being smashed up.