the melbourne debacle (nearly) a week on

i've held off commenting on the game for nearly a week but it's time. i've been a freo member since the inception of the club (i'm member # 2060) and have been through some pretty dark days without my support ever wavering. i've seen some pretty bad performances and have been disappointed, embarrassed and saddened but the game last sunday left me more upset than any other. i'd been worried about the game during the week and had thought it may be a danger game but by half time i was wondering how i could have even considered us losing to melbourne. for us to lose from that position was beyond comprehension but somehow we managed it and i was left feeling quite distraught.

well, there's something about this game that feels to me like no other loss i've seen. it feels like a line's been drawn in the sand and the future direction of the club will be decided now. i really feel that the club needs to decide if we're going to be similar to clubs like footscray, st kilda and richmond that have a stench of failure about them or if we're going to develop the winning culture that clubs like essendon and carlton (before the afl's sanctions hobbled them) have. i'm encouraged that harvs has committed the club to using all our draft picks this year to secure good young players rather than picking up recycled players. for too long the passion and loyalty of freo members has made us accept underperformance that the slime supporters up the road would tear up their membership cards over. well, it stops here!! it's time for this club to cull the players that don't have the heart, hunger or drive that's needed to lead to sustained success. it's time to develop a game plan that cuts out the rubbish and promotes a winning style.

in short, it's time that freo became the club that's always been promised but has never been delivered. i'll remain a member regardless of what happens but i'd rather not spend the next 50 odd years of my life watching a club that never quite gets there.