We're all loyal and ever forgiving fans on this site, but WTF?

They just do my head in.

Come on guys ! This is how it works !

Just when we think they're coming good, they throw a game like this at us. Been going on like this for years ...

Masticator, I think that you might find that a few key players missing can make a big difference.
So, the next time someone asks you what Chris Tarrant is doing in the team you just might have an answer.
Same goes for Josh Carr.

Yep Sandi beaten tonight, Dodd deliberately mismatched as a lesson and a few others. They played the second half like they ate chips and pies at the break. But we also found it hard to navigate the congestion. Old habits of back back side side. I must say though I liked the look of Grover across half forward at the end.

Don't tell me we're copying the Slime's tactics now.

Look, I'm a huge fan of our coach at the moment and so I'd don't want to go too far with this ... but, I've got to say I'm not too sure I get the 'deliberate mismatch' thing. As far as I can see, all that Mayne learned last week is that he'll never be as big and talented as Adam Goodes. I don't quite see the point of that lesson.

The meaning of today's lesson — that Dodd is not as strong and tall as Mummy's Boy and will never beat him while we fail to apply enough pressure to the StK ball carriers — also escapes me.

With Dodd playing on him, Mummy's Boy was always a fair chance to kick 5 today. (Even so, he had to pull about 3 of them out of the darkest depths of his posterior.) But I doubt he would have been a chance to kick 5 had Luke played on him.

I reckon Luke's the equal of any key-position back man in the comp. I don't think even his Mum would rate him the equal of any key-position forward in the comp, however.

So that's another thing I don't get. How come we're playing our best tall back man away from the backline?

Once I understand the masterplan, I'm sure the answers to these questions will be obvious. But for now I'm just a bit confused.

I thought Saints exploited our weakness in congestion (and played a smart flood and peel-off tactic), something few teams seem to have either done well or bothered with of late.

Our disposal and hot potato passes were woeful in the second half. They just completely stifled any run. you could tell they just had no answers when there was a bit of room, there was no one to pass to.

Bradley was particularly bad. Make a fricking decision. I don't think I've seen anyone 4th guessing themselves before

The Saints beat us the same way they did last time we played at the Telstra Dome. Shut down, congestion and limit the flow.

It was frustrating to watch at the Dome - it was twice as frustrating to watch it again today. Lyon obviously reviewed the tape of the earlier game - and the Saints simply did it a bit better today. We didn't - it's as simple as that. Wizfan, I too can't see the point of a lot of stuff that goes on out there - having Ibbo standing around clueless and unwilling to go for the ball was painful to watch.

Must have been heartbreaking for Belly (if he hung around Subi for the entire thing).

Yep as fans we feel as lost as they looked I reckon. And who was that guy impersonating the PAV. He was crap anyway. Bring back the real one.

I can understand ( I think ? ) why the mismatching is happening but I CANNOT understand why things don't get changed back to something like normal when we are starting to lose grip of the game?
I agree Mayne against Goodes last week was a spectacular flop and he wasn't taked off him for far too long.
Still, I have plenty of faith in Harves and hey, it won't be long 'til next season.

Coaching experts in 119 had Luke moving back not long after quarter time.

I don't care whether we're 0-19 or 19-0, coach the team to win.

Harvey has been a miserable failure in the last two games.

Had Harvey known that Goodes was going to be camped in their 50, he might not have started Mayne on him and thought it a good idea to let Mayne run with him through midfield, once the Sydney plan became evident maybe he thought well ok lets see him learn, the fact that we are no chance of finals might have influenced the length of time he played on him. Dodd on Revolt? Grover, lessons learnt on the ground stick in the memory far longer than those on the training track.

"Had Harvey known that Goodes was going to be camped in their 50"

Was he getting a coffee in the first five minutes?

no,coke.

when is someone going to tell the coaches that coke is such a bad drink to be seen with in the box.

use a freo stubby holder or something.

i know it sounds pedantic but not a good role model for the kids.

I'm a goose and I was a bit harsh on Pav. He's had a good year and deserves a quiet day.

On McPharlane, I think he should play as a forward most weeks - the only exceptions being where he is really needed to stop a key opposition forward.

It is harder to turn someone into a good forward than it is to make them a good defender, and Luke is a good forward.

Lukey's good everywhere...lets just clone him.

Can anyone tell me why backmen loose the ability to man up defnensively when they go forward? Luke's a shocker for it when oppsition backline has possession.

Luke McPharlin is, in my humble chicken salt addled opinion, a superstar in the making.

He dominates in defense and he dominates in attack.

Show me another player going around these days who can do that.

I have no problem with playing one of our best 3-4 players as a FF when he can hold that down. Leaving him there when he might have been able to control Vitey doesn't bother me so much either, because, as Harves said post match, it was the supply to Vitey that was the problem. As hard as it was on Doddy, enduring a day like that on a dominating forward will only steel his determination to not go through that again... and possibly, punch a bit of work ethic into the midfield to help him out.