Last Sunday, Melbourne made an extraordinarily low number of interchanges . This may have been partly due to injuries, or perhaps it was designed to help us to lose...... but what happened? We played an in -form side, full of confidence, who we didn't want to beat , and , surprisingly, we played much better than we expected , and bloody nearly beat them!

Perhaps it actually HELPED us to make so few changes! Perhaps our on-field eighteen actually developed some stability. Defenders actually knew who they ere on. Players who scored goals actually stayed on the ground while their confidence was raised!

Perhaps we may have learned something,in addition to the fact that Warnock and Frawley aren't useless up forward. Perhaps we,(and every other side) are making it more difficult than it need be, by making 100 interchanges in a game. Iknow it's perhaps a bit simplistic, but do any other Demonlanders have doubts about the value of multiple interchanges?

Last Sunday, Melbourne made an extraordinarily low number of interchanges . This may have been partly due to injuries, or perhaps it was designed to help us to lose...... but what happened? We played an in -form side, full of confidence, who we didn't want to beat , and , surprisingly, we played much better than we expected , and bloody nearly beat them!

Perhaps it actually HELPED us to make so few changes! Perhaps our on-field eighteen actually developed some stability. Defenders actually knew who they ere on. Players who scored goals actually stayed on the ground while their confidence was raised!

Perhaps we may have learned something,in addition to the fact that Warnock and Frawley aren't useless up forward. Perhaps we,(and every other side) are making it more difficult than it need be, by making 100 interchanges in a game. Iknow it's perhaps a bit simplistic, but do any other Demonlanders have doubts about the value of multiple interchanges?

You may have a point.

I Personally Hate seeing a goal kicker leave the Ground straight after a kick.

Would much prefer them to try & kick another one myself.

God only knows how the box keeps up with the rotations & gets them right.

Tough job no doubt.

You may have a point.

I Personally Hate seeing a goal kicker leave the Ground straight after a kick.

Would much prefer them to try & kick another one myself.

God only knows how the box keeps up with the rotations & gets them right.

Tough job no doubt.

I agree.

I usually sit in the northern stand above where the players interchange and I often watch some of these blokes running on and off. Sometimes they look like they're getting more tired doing that than they do from playing.

That said, Bailey really didn't have much choice last week with 18 or 19 fit men at the end.

I agree.

I usually sit in the northern stand above where the players interchange and I often watch some of these blokes running on and off. Sometimes they look like they're getting more tired doing that than they do from playing.

That said, Bailey really didn't have much choice last week with 18 or 19 fit men at the end.

I sat Right Behind The Interchange Bench for the 2004 Grand Final. That was Fascinating.

Those Guys were Truly Spent when they came off. I was waiting for someone to drop dead quite seriously, but within 5 minutes Rehydrated they looked fine & out they went again. Never forget it.

I think the low amount of interchanges was a combination of having our hands tied with Bennell, Whelan and Martin all sore at times, and Bailey leaving players like Newton, Miller, Johnson and Spencer out on the ground for long periods of time, when, in other circumstances, he may have dragged them.

I have to admit, seeing players sprint from one end of the ground to the interchange bench, only to be brought back on after only 2 or 3 minutes makes me question the point of bringing them off in the first place.

Uhh... the low number of interchanges may have something to do with the three players out for the game, plus the one who missed about a half sore and only came back on because there was nobody else to rotate with.

Nothing to see there, I'm afraid.

"Uhh... the low number of interchanges may have something to do with the three players out for the game, plus the one who missed about a half sore and only came back on because there was nobody else to rotate with."

Uhh......my post wasn't about the REASON for the low number of interchanges, but a possible unintended benefit of it.

God only knows how the box keeps up with the rotations & gets them right.

You have a lot of faith :D