McQualter left questioning his side after brutal Demons loss
'We're not tough enough at all as a football club, as a football team at the moment,' McQualter said.
'That's got nothing to do with age. That's something that we just can't accept.'
The Eagles officially claimed their third wooden spoon in a game where the Demons won contested possession 145-103.
McQualter said he might have to revert to an old-school, physical approach to training with games coming up against top-of-the-table Adelaide, a rampaging Western Bulldogs and Sydney to finish of the season.
'It's a good question. We might have to (go old school), because at the moment, when you get performances like that, you have to improve them by training,' he said.
'That might be what we have to do. It's intent, it's desire. We've got to put the right plans in place and put the people in the right places, but there's too many times where it's not at the level required.'
Melbourne kicked 10 goals in the third term, but McQualter said the loss wasn't just about one quarter.
'Disappointing game, not the way we wanted to play today,' he said.
'I think it was a bit more than that (one quarter) today, clearly at the moment the gap between our best and our worst is far too great and we can't handle it.
'Teams have momentum against us, and the scoreboard just flows too easily. We have to find ways to do it better.'
The Demons had 58 forward entries and McQualter said the back six did not handle the pressure.
'I thought we were beaten in that area of the ground today.
'I thought we gave way too many free kicks and I thought they scored a little bit too easily at times. But that's not just on the backs. That's on the whole team, but I don't think we had many winners on the ground today.
'It was pretty broad today, I think first half clearly ... we couldn't compete in the air, it was a pretty big thing in the game in the first half.
'We adjusted that a bit, took the game away from that space a little bit, but we got beaten by 40-somethig (42) contests, you can't compete in AFL football with that.'
Liam Ryan finished the game with staples in his head, but passed an HIA test during the game, while forward Archer Reid left the ground late with what appearad to be sore ribs.
'Hopefully it's not too serious, but I haven't really got an update on it yet. He's a bit sore at the moment.'
The Eagles coach said the team needed to get something out of the final three rounds.
'We have to be better than we were today, because we've got three tough opponents coming up.
'We have to challenge our team, our coaches, our staff, our club, that we still need to improve clearly, and the next three weeks is more opportunity to do that, so we'll just review this game the same way as we do, we'll get really clear on what we're going after.
'But we need to close the gap on our best and our worst. That's a big thing we're going to focus on the next three weeks.'
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The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Pride restored: The Wallabies' magnificent win proves they're back
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We'll live with the odd mistake — see the final decision of the second Test (don't get the fans started) — but rugby at this level cannot continue to have so many stoppages. And another frustration, seeing as you ask – beyond the wonder of the superb tries by Dylan Pietch, Max Jorgensen and Tate McDermott – were the tries gone begging that were left out there. A cricket score to the goodies was possible, but just didn't happen. Just after the resumption of play, after superb lead-up work by Nic White and Tom Hooper – who had a great game – Will Skelton slipped a singularly slick pass to the hugely talented but slightly erratic prop Taniela Tupou who hit the accelerator in a manner entirely unbecoming for a man who would give you little change from 140 kgs. He was through the defence and going faster still! Oh how we roared in Row P on the southern end of the ground as Tupou roared towards us like 'Pavarotti on a skateboard', to borrow Denis Commeti's felicitous phrase. 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First and foremost it was concrete confirmation of what your ever less humble correspondent wrote last week: two years out from a home World Cup, this side has the makings of magnificence in it. Ways must be found to keep them together. The heart of the pack must be Will Skelton. He is way too important to Australian rugby to be plying his wares in club rugby for La Rochelle in the French Championnat. Instead of having him as a fly-in fly-out Wallaby lock for three or four Tests a year, get him back here for the full season. It is not just his heft in the pack and his ability to make metres with five men on his back. It is his presence, his terrifying insouciance no matter what the opposition are throwing at him – his ability to lift the team around him. We now understand what we didn't when Eddie Jones unexpectedly named him Wallabies captain for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. How different that campaign, too, might have been had Skelton not been injured early to miss all but the first and last matches. But Skelton is the man. We all saw it tonight. With him, Nick Frost was a revelation in the lineouts, constantly securing the ball for us, and pinching theirs. Taniela Tupou, as mentioned, is like no prop we've ever seen before and like Hooper and Skelton is about to head off to European club rugby. Kiss' challenge will be to bring these crucial bits of the jigsaw puzzle back to Oz and turn them into the World Cup winning team they really could be, while Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight – and maybe even James Slipper for another year? – keep the home fires burning. Meantime it must be time to move Tate McDermott from the reserves bench to make him starting half-back every time. Yes, Nic White had a great game, and the standing ovation he received when he went off with twenty minutes to go was both for his Wallaby career now concluded, and how well he had played on the night. But McDermott is obviously the future, and it may as well start now. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii gets better with every match and – good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise – should be a mainstay of the Wallaby backline for years to come. Max Jorgensen on the wing was dangerous every time he touched the ball as was Dylan Pietsch. Tom Lynagh went off with concussion 33 minutes in, but there is now no more doubt about either his courage or his skill. This match proves it. The Wallabies are back. We just need to back them, keep them together and watch them continue to grow. For now, be proud. Tonight, they killed it. A word for the Lions, though? Yes. Congratulations. Led by your magnificent captain Maro Itoje, you were worthy winners and by and large played a great kind of rugby. Bravo. Your supporters were great, and displayed the spirit that makes rugby such a wonderful international game.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Pride restored: The Wallabies' magnificent win proves they're back
The fact that this proved to be, without doubt, the driest and calmest 40 minutes of the entire night, made the decision appear absurd. Yes, storms with lightning can be serious, but surely this showpiece match being beamed around the world would only be stopped for that long when lightning had already taken out the three adjoining suburbs and was heading our way? The NRL match between the Roosters and the Manly Sea-Eagles over Brookvale way didn't blink, despite being under the same weather pattern, so why was this match? And it wasn't just that stoppage that caused frustration. Time and again in the second half there were so many injury stoppages and referee consultations with assistant referees and the bunker that – again – it was nothing less than absurd. Sure, the officials have to make the right decision, we get that. But that need has to be balanced against the need to keep the match moving. We'll live with the odd mistake — see the final decision of the second Test (don't get the fans started) — but rugby at this level cannot continue to have so many stoppages. And another frustration, seeing as you ask – beyond the wonder of the superb tries by Dylan Pietch, Max Jorgensen and Tate McDermott – were the tries gone begging that were left out there. A cricket score to the goodies was possible, but just didn't happen. Just after the resumption of play, after superb lead-up work by Nic White and Tom Hooper – who had a great game – Will Skelton slipped a singularly slick pass to the hugely talented but slightly erratic prop Taniela Tupou who hit the accelerator in a manner entirely unbecoming for a man who would give you little change from 140 kgs. He was through the defence and going faster still! Oh how we roared in Row P on the southern end of the ground as Tupou roared towards us like 'Pavarotti on a skateboard', to borrow Denis Commeti's felicitous phrase. The line was wide open and a try for the ages was just 15 metres away. Quite what happened next was not clear – a pass gone awry, or a simple drop? But the ball slipped through his fingers and went to ground. Bugger! Twenty minutes later, just after Len Ikitau nearly burrowed through the Lions' forward pack to go over, the ball came out to our superb fullback Tom Wright on the fly, who just spilled the pill with the line again wide-open and Jorgensen all but unmarked on the wing. Just a couple of minutes later again, it was Jorgensen himself who raged towards the stripe with his fellow winger Dylan Pietsch just outside him. Jorgensen took the tackle and released the ball superbly, only for Pietsch to just bobble it. Against such quibbles however, the Wallabies really were magnificent for their richly deserved 22-12 win and the lessons out of this match surely obvious to all. First and foremost it was concrete confirmation of what your ever less humble correspondent wrote last week: two years out from a home World Cup, this side has the makings of magnificence in it. Ways must be found to keep them together. The heart of the pack must be Will Skelton. He is way too important to Australian rugby to be plying his wares in club rugby for La Rochelle in the French Championnat. Instead of having him as a fly-in fly-out Wallaby lock for three or four Tests a year, get him back here for the full season. It is not just his heft in the pack and his ability to make metres with five men on his back. It is his presence, his terrifying insouciance no matter what the opposition are throwing at him – his ability to lift the team around him. We now understand what we didn't when Eddie Jones unexpectedly named him Wallabies captain for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. How different that campaign, too, might have been had Skelton not been injured early to miss all but the first and last matches. But Skelton is the man. We all saw it tonight. With him, Nick Frost was a revelation in the lineouts, constantly securing the ball for us, and pinching theirs. Taniela Tupou, as mentioned, is like no prop we've ever seen before and like Hooper and Skelton is about to head off to European club rugby. Kiss' challenge will be to bring these crucial bits of the jigsaw puzzle back to Oz and turn them into the World Cup winning team they really could be, while Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight – and maybe even James Slipper for another year? – keep the home fires burning. Meantime it must be time to move Tate McDermott from the reserves bench to make him starting half-back every time. Yes, Nic White had a great game, and the standing ovation he received when he went off with twenty minutes to go was both for his Wallaby career now concluded, and how well he had played on the night. But McDermott is obviously the future, and it may as well start now. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii gets better with every match and – good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise – should be a mainstay of the Wallaby backline for years to come. Max Jorgensen on the wing was dangerous every time he touched the ball as was Dylan Pietsch. Tom Lynagh went off with concussion 33 minutes in, but there is now no more doubt about either his courage or his skill. This match proves it. The Wallabies are back. We just need to back them, keep them together and watch them continue to grow. For now, be proud. Tonight, they killed it. A word for the Lions, though? Yes. Congratulations. Led by your magnificent captain Maro Itoje, you were worthy winners and by and large played a great kind of rugby. Bravo. Your supporters were great, and displayed the spirit that makes rugby such a wonderful international game.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Eyebrows raised over Hawthorn star Will Day's latest injury
Hawthorn has copped a crushing blow with star midfielder Will Day ruled out for the rest of the season with a recurrence of his worrying foot issues. But a closer look at his struggles during Friday night's 14-point loss to Adelaide surely raises some question marks over why he played out the match. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. The 24-year-old Day, who missed six games in 2024 with a foot issue, was forced out of another 16 matches this season following surgery on a navicular bone after the round three clash with GWS. He had only returned against the Blues in round 20 but picked up yet another foot injury against the Crows, with the club confirming he has another 'bone stress injury' in his foot. Day was sent for scans in Melbourne on Saturday following the 14-point loss against Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval and revealed another navicular issue. 'We know Will has put in a mountain of work to get back to playing, and indeed performing, at the elite level and we are really disappointed for him,' Hawthorn football manager Rob McCartney said in a statement. 'The club's medical and high performance team have taken extra precautions with Will throughout his rehabilitation this year. 'This included very closely managing his workload and consulting external specialists both in Victoria and interstate to help guide his return to play timeline. 'Will is an outstanding person who has showcased an incredible amount of resilience and we know he will engage his rehab with the same attitude. 'As a club, we will obviously support Will throughout every stage of his rehabilitation and wrap our arms around him as he navigates this tough period.' There were various reports that Day had been stomped on during the game. Day was also the subject of some fierce speculation over a possible flaunting of the rules deep in the fourth quarter when play was stopped and he was taken from the ground with apparent cramp. But the fact Day was playing with a broken bone in his foot must paint that speculation in a different light. The youngster was seen struggling to shake off a leg problem at various times during the game, particularly in the final term. He also started the second half on the bench and was shown getting treatment midway through the fourth term. And yet he continued coming back onto the ground. Yes it was a close game and the Hawks are in a finals battle, but surely his long-term future is of paramount importance and any hint of a foot problem should have set off alarm bells. Fox Footy commentator Jason Dunstall noted Day was on the bench after halftime, while the midfielder appeared to be favouring his right foot before he came on. It all came after Hawthorn kicked the first five goals of the match, before the Crows responded with seven straight and held the Hawks scoreless in the second term to leave the Victorian club under the pump to start that third quarter. 'Interesting Will Day is starting on the bench second half,' Dunstall said. 'I would've thought you'd want him front and centre.' Fellow commentator Garry Lyon then noticed Day returning to the bench. 'You talked about Will Day not starting in the centre bounce which we all find a little unusual,' Lyon said. 'He's just emerged from up the race.' Anthony Hudson added: 'That will make Hawthorn fans nervous.' Day finally entered the second half at the 16-minute mark of the third quarter and battled to play out the game, despite clearly having trouble with the foot. 'He's coming off Will Day,' Dunstall said in the fourth quarter. 'He just copped a couple of knocks there, he's spent and needs a spell. 'They'll need another effort from him late.' Pick six in the 2020 draft, Day ultimately spent 71 per cent of the game on the ground, finishing with 19 disposals, nine tackles and seven clearances. But he appeared in more discomfort the longer the game went and didn't return after going off the ground with just over three minutes remaining. When he went off, with the commentators all focusing on cramp, Lyon said: 'It's not Will Day's fault. 'It's the umpire who should've identified 'no, you've got a cramp, get out of the road and get on with it'.' Considering what we know now, perhaps there was more to it than simply cramp, and the situation raised eyebrows on social media. After the news of the injury broke, journalist Ronny Lerner tweeted: 'Wow. That's extremely concerning to have two bouts of that in such quick succession. Reminds me of James Hird. Almost ended his career. Hawks have to take an extremely conservative approach with such an important player.' One X user replied to Lerner: 'Foot injury management will be professional in the AFL one day.' Another fan wrote: 'According to the morons commentating on the game it was only a cramp.' Kane Cornes slammed Day's 'cramping' situation on on Saturday morning. 'What are we doing stopping the game for cramp?' he said. 'Football is about the hardest, toughest football team wins and we are giving a team an advantage because one of their players is under prepared and can't get through.' X user Michael Emmerson noted that, tweeting: 'Kane Cornes, love your work, but will you be apologising along with the Seven commentary team regarding Day's cramp when actually it was a serious injury?'
