Positives-

Sylvia- OUTSTANDING! Best game i have seen him play by far! Really looks like he is getting how hard to work now which is great!

Martin- I know its hard at the moment but we really got to settle him more in one position. I really liked some glimpes i saw of him up forward including that ripper goal. Super-talented!!! Exciting stuff!

Frawley- I thought he did a reasonable job today! Love it when he tries to take it on from half back cause his disposal by foot is decent and has a bit of toe about him.

Jmac- Had the angry pills today, thought he battled ok and kicked a nice goal!

Maric- REALLLLLY excited about this kid... shows good decision making and beautiful skills by foot.

Negatives-

Petterd- Just thought absolutely nothing about him today, did not do enough that i expect and i now expect him to lose his spot and go to scorps.

Miller- He worked really hard like always and presents well but if your holding a position up forward .. god dam it, grow a pair and go for the goal!

PJ- I thought got killed today in the ruck, i would probably even get Jamar in straight away, not sure how russian went today in scorps but PJ is struggling a tad. Just dont think he is a ruck man, and not sure if hes a forward so therefor im not sure about him.

Brock- It looks like he is running in cement! has to be the slowest in the league i reckon, and that does not bode well for him in todays style of football!

Cale- Looked a bit slow today i thought. His decision making was a bit slow for my liking. Dont like him playing in the back half.

----- I think we showed a lot of heart to stick in there today seeing the hawks probably play one of their best of the year so far. Skill and decision making cost us like usual but that should be expected with this young team. Excited how things are starting to click in to place!

I thought Johnson was pretty good!!

20+ touches 25 hit outs and floated forward for a goal..... hes getting better and is our best option.

Takes jamar 5 games to get over 20 touches

I thought Johnson was pretty good!!

20+ touches 25 hit outs and floated forward for a goal..... hes getting better and is our best option.

Takes jamar 5 games to get over 20 touches

Haha True, maybe i was a bit harsh on him but just watching on tv it seemed like not many of his taps went to advantage..

Good things:

- We look fit. Last 3 weeks we have finished games full of running whist the opposition are out on their feet.

- Apart from the first quarter and a half one on one rivers/frawley did a great job on Franklin.

- Stefan Martins contested marking. Far better forward line resting ruckman than we've ever had.

- Brocky playing with a bit more flair. Havent seen that for a while.

And of course SSSYYYYYYYYYYLLLVVIIAAAAAA!!!!!

Bad Things:

- Seeing how professional Hawthorn games are compared to our home games. Giving away 5 grand at half time, Tasmania competitions etc.

- Millers inability to back himself EVER. Handballing running into an open goal just sums it up.

- Robbo.

Positives

Maric - Entering the game more and more each week. Having a bigger influence on the game, want him to go alittle harder at the ball though. Foot skills good

Sylvia - Need I say more?

Negatives

Robbo - Looks old and slow. Diving around looking for a free kick. Selfish at times trying to kick the ball around corners when a handball to a player facing goal would have been a better option

Cale Morton - Not his game play but his position floating across halfback. I don't like it, I think its an easy way out and gather cheap possesions that dont really count for much. Eg a game of 30 possys for Cale at Half Back wont have the same influence as say Cyril Rioli having 15 possys at half forward. Would like to see Cale play in a more prominate position say Half forward or on the ball not sweeping across half back.

Brock - His speed is obiviously an issue maybe his carrying alittle at the moment. No reason to trade him though as other thread suggest.

Coaching - Thought we were out coached today. Hawthorn killed us across the half back line in the 1/4 with the loose man repelling the ball faster off our half forward line than i can say yippie - ki - yay. Centre clearances we were completely and utterly dominated something that will be looked at in the game review. Other stoppages around the ground especially in Hawthorns forward 50 our inability to defend the defensive side of the rucks cost us dearly. Hawthorn continuously were able to read our predictable style of play, cut off a long kick and enter the corridor with numbers. I think Melbourne were in the first half EXTREMELY unaccountable and maybe Bails should have just had a MAN on MAN game plan to counter this. Because it seemed the Hawks always had men free and about 3 extra players on the ground.

Yeah I agree and Morton is a star in the making we need him in the centre and across half forward. It seems that a lot of our forwards are constantly down back Davey Green Morton etc. And yup Maric is going to be gooood and our 2nd halfs are now better than our first halves where as earlier...mmmm

Positives

- Sylvia

- Stefan Martin

- Great fightback, especially in the last qtr

- Maric, good decision-making on ball

- PJ, especially his strong presence around the ground

Negatives

- Hawthorn's strength (when they get tackled, they keep their feet which gives them time to get off a handball to a team mate. We go to ground and get pinged for holding the ball in half the time the Hawks get allowed)

- Miller (totally lacking confidence)

- Jones (great strength to get the ball but takes so long to make a decision to dispose that he invariably mucks up, cost us 3 goals at least)

- Hawthorn's smarts (their coaching was clever together with their ability to execute the game plan, their zones stuffed our style and they were quicker in response which meant on a turnover they had numerous options running free). Basically they're a smart side

- Robbo's lairising

Another positive

- just thought of this, our backs keeping Buddy & Roughead goalless in the second half. Great effort!

Another positive

- just thought of this, our backs keeping Buddy & Roughead goalless in the second half. Great effort!

Exactly, next time it might be a different story. Every game we will get better.

PJ- I thought got killed today in the ruck, i would probably even get Jamar in straight away, not sure how russian went today in scorps but PJ is struggling a tad. Just dont think he is a ruck man, and not sure if hes a forward so therefor im not sure about him.

Are you kidding? A - He was fantastic around the ground, set us up a number of times. You can't expect him to get many taps to advantage with a midfield like the Hawks' and Sam Mitchell sharking everything. B - Have you ever seen Jamar play?

And missing Robbo in your "negatives" is mind boggling. He was up there in our worst 3 for effectiveness and approach to the game.

Johnson was easily the best ruckman on the ground IMO. Won majority of the taps, found heaps of the footy, generally used it well and even got forward and took a contested mark and goaled.

It's just when you've got guys like Mitchell, Lewis and Sewell buzzing around the centre sqaure, its always going to be difficult. But let's be honest here. They didn't win a ton of the footy because of the service they were getting from Taylor and Campbell. They won the footy because they're a bloody good midfield unit.

FWIW, we didn't do too badly in the clearances, lost it 28-32, and we won the hitouts 31-28. Much better than last week.

As an aside, in the last 3 weeks since Johnson has been our #1 ruckman, he's averaged 21 disposals and 22 hitouts per game. Not bad numbers at all.

Positives

- Sylvia

- Stefan Martin

- Great fightback, especially in the last qtr

- Maric, good decision-making on ball

- PJ, especially his strong presence around the ground

Negatives

- Hawthorn's strength (when they get tackled, they keep their feet which gives them time to get off a handball to a team mate. We go to ground and get pinged for holding the ball in half the time the Hawks get allowed)

- Miller (totally lacking confidence)

- Jones (great strength to get the ball but takes so long to make a decision to dispose that he invariably mucks up, cost us 3 goals at least)

- Hawthorn's smarts (their coaching was clever together with their ability to execute the game plan, their zones stuffed our style and they were quicker in response which meant on a turnover they had numerous options running free). Basically they're a smart side

- Robbo's lairising

Agree with every point 100%. Top post.

Are you kidding? A - He was fantastic around the ground, set us up a number of times. You can't expect him to get many taps to advantage with a midfield like the Hawks' and Sam Mitchell sharking everything. B - Have you ever seen Jamar play?

And missing Robbo in your "negatives" is mind boggling. He was up there in our worst 3 for effectiveness and approach to the game.

Yeah i know i know Maybe that was a bad decision on my part! Sorry...Sorry

It probably was the hawks midfield not PJ who was frustrating me.

But do you think PJ is good enough to continue to ruck alone with big stef having a go when pj is having a rest?

But do you think PJ is good enough to continue to ruck alone with big stef having a go when pj is having a rest?

As good as he has been the last 3 weeks, in all honesty, probably not. But if he keeps improving at the rate he's going at right now, who knows?

IMO you do need 2 ruckman at AFL level. Interestingly, since we've only been playing one, we seem to be running out games a lot better. Having the extra runner instead of a ruckman in the side has been beneficial to our rotations and allows the team to play an extra midfielder, and this has shown in recent weeks, with more run late in games.

That said, a 2nd ruckman is vital for the longevity of said ruckman's career. If Johnson, or any of our other ruckman, had to play as lone ruck for 22 matches of each season, chances of them breaking down become massive. Ruck is one of the most physically demanding positions, and at least 5-10 mins respite for each quarter is crucial. Especially for someone like PJ who has had a lot of injuries in the past. Stefan plays that relief role ok at the moment, but he's no ruckman. Still i'd rather have Stef as the #2 over someone like Leigh Brown (Collingwood LOL).

Of course there are exceptions to the rule- the elite ruckman in the league, Cox, Sandilands, Jolly, all play sole ruckman for their respective clubs. This allows them to rack up the huge hitouts numbers they do, and in Cox's case, huge disposal numbers too. White was a perfect example of a player who played better as a lone ruckman rather than as part of a ruck duo (in his peak anyway). Johnson seems like he is that way also, however his ruckwork and engine probably aren't strong enough at this stage to justify not selecting a 2nd ruckman when one is available.

PJ's last 3 weeks have been sensational and showed a lot of doubters that he can cut it at AFL level. Averaging 21 disposals and 22 hitouts per game in the last 3 matches, against some pretty good opposition, is verging on elite numbers. But he needs help, and as soon as one of Jamar or Spencer are ready for selection, i'd imagine they'll come straight in. Jamar apparently got BOG for Casey, so he'll definitely come into consideration for the Saints clash.

Yeah i know i know Maybe that was a bad decision on my part! Sorry...Sorry

It probably was the hawks midfield not PJ who was frustrating me.

But do you think PJ is good enough to continue to ruck alone with big stef having a go when pj is having a rest?

It depends on whether or not you think one ruckman can do the job at AFL level for 22 rounds plus finals.

My answer, absolutely not. He's not superman. The question is, could he do it as a first ruck option? The answer to that is that if we got someone as a pick 4 or 6 or thereabouts that was going to be a career ruckman, like Leuenberger, or Naita etc etc, then they would have to be considered our first ruck.

Truth be told, even if we got one next year, it would take 3 years minimum for that player to come good, so for now it's between PJ, Jamar and Spence. I'm happy with Spence and PJ, not so much Jamar. I'd prefer to see Martin played as a defender... and truth be told haven't seen him ruck enough to make up my mind on that.

I think another good ruck prospect would round things out nicely, but for now I like PJ (when he gets some help). I think there's ruckmen he should be first choice against, for example Cox... And then there's ruckmen that a taller, better "palmer" of the ball should be considered for... on those days perhaps Spence or Jamar depending on injury, form, place in the list etc etc

If we were to stick with PJ in the main job, on his own, sooner or later opposition clubs would sus him out and expose him for whatever tiny weaknesses they feel like concentrating on. So I'm hoping he's not alone for too much longer.

Agree with Dappas post. Robbo's footy has been disappointing. Being unselfish is not good for the team and no longer part of team rules.

Positives: Sylvia, Maric's first half, Bate (though there's still more work to be done), Johnson's around the ground effort

Negatives: Petterd, Robertson, Johnson's ruckwork

As good as he has been the last 3 weeks, in all honesty, probably not. But if he keeps improving at the rate he's going at right now, who knows?

IMO you do need 2 ruckman at AFL level. Interestingly, since we've only been playing one, we seem to be running out games a lot better. Having the extra runner instead of a ruckman in the side has been beneficial to our rotations and allows the team to play an extra midfielder, and this has shown in recent weeks, with more run late in games.

That said, a 2nd ruckman is vital for the longevity of said ruckman's career. If Johnson, or any of our other ruckman, had to play as lone ruck for 22 matches of each season, chances of them breaking down become massive. Ruck is one of the most physically demanding positions, and at least 5-10 mins respite for each quarter is crucial. Especially for someone like PJ who has had a lot of injuries in the past. Stefan plays that relief role ok at the moment, but he's no ruckman. Still i'd rather have Stef as the #2 over someone like Leigh Brown (Collingwood LOL).

Of course there are exceptions to the rule- the elite ruckman in the league, Cox, Sandilands, Jolly, all play sole ruckman for their respective clubs. This allows them to rack up the huge hitouts numbers they do, and in Cox's case, huge disposal numbers too. White was a perfect example of a player who played better as a lone ruckman rather than as part of a ruck duo (in his peak anyway). Johnson seems like he is that way also, however his ruckwork and engine probably aren't strong enough at this stage to justify not selecting a 2nd ruckman when one is available.

PJ's last 3 weeks have been sensational and showed a lot of doubters that he can cut it at AFL level. Averaging 21 disposals and 22 hitouts per game in the last 3 matches, against some pretty good opposition, is verging on elite numbers. But he needs help, and as soon as one of Jamar or Spencer are ready for selection, i'd imagine they'll come straight in. Jamar apparently got BOG for Casey, so he'll definitely come into consideration for the Saints clash.

Do you think they could work a rotation with Johnson, Spencer or Meesen (whoever becomes our no 1 ruckman) and Martin in the coming years so that say:

Martin plays an entire first half at CHB while Johnson for example is in ruck.

3rd qtr Martin plays first 20min in ruck with Johnson on bench before coming on for Martin for remainder of qtr. (Frawley or Garland who'd be playing on a HBF could go CHB for 3rd qtr.)

Johnson plays entire final qtr in ruck and Martin at CHB.

Would a rotational scenario like this allow enough rest for each of them while still allowing Martin to play mainly at his preferd CHB. Or would he need a longer rest considering that would require him to ruck the majority of the 3rd term?

- Great fightback, especially in the last qtr

just as well. i lay out far to much money for my comfort on the 33.5 point line. was sh*#ing myself the whole day

just as well. i lay out far to much money for my comfort on the 33.5 point line. was sh*#ing myself the whole day

ha ha! They did you proud in the end... :D

ha ha! They did you proud in the end... :D

that they did mate. sounds bad but was celebrating when sylvia got the 50. thought if he scored a point then even if the hawks get a goal i'm still in the clear by half a point. but the siren went anyways

so for now it's between PJ, Jamar and Spence. I'm happy with Spence and PJ, not so much Jamar.

That's embarrassing. I didn't even mention Meesen. I should ban myself for shame...

+ve's

Sylvia

Rivers, Green + Frawley back from injury

Whelan's tackle on Gee I'm Buddy Good

Martin

PJ

-ve's

Umpires

Brock's pace

Robbo's turtle goal NOT!

Mediocre Demon attendance

So called MFC supporter behind me who objected to my passion

-ve's

So called MFC supporter behind me who objected to my passion

Inexcusable!