When we reward ourselves for the periods where we are on top, we will start winning more games.

We get on top and scrap a couple of goals in 20 minutes and cop a cheap one. The opposition get on top and put on 3 or 4 to zip.

To be fair, better than previous years where we would have 7 or 8 kicked against us in quick succession.

Yeah but he didn't have any big bodies to support him though. We have Dawes and Frawley to take the two best defenders now. I don't think Roos is playing him to his strengths. His one trick (i.e. the speccie) is too dangerous for the backline.

Don't agree. He's a very good field kick and competes. Not sure whether to spoil or mark sometimes.

Looking at the stats. How good are the doggies at tackling? No wonder we couldn't break the game open.

Griffen - 15 tackles

Libba - 14 tackles

Macrae - 11 tackles

Boyd - 10 tackles

They are huge numbers.

A few observations.

Shannon Bynes,

should not play another game for the club.

Mc Donald,

Fatally flawed!! colors lowered by a bloke on one leg, yep I know he has dash but he seems unaware of where his opponent is and as I have said before disposal can be "Iffy"

Watts,

played a reasonable game BUT doesn't impose himself enough at this level, or break games open, nice "Neat" player and it pains me to say but gee is it time to think about his value?

Matt Jones

skills let him down ,could have put scoreboard pressure between us and them! need I say more?

Finally, Jones, Vince, Cross, Tyson, Viney, Very good midfield unit but as I have often said "You can never have too many in and under mids on rotation"!

So whilst Toumpas continues to struggle at Casey, Wines keeps tearing it up!

Begs the question? doesn't it ? Get recruiting right and you are infinitely better placed with more options! Another Strong mid tonight and who knows !?

Don't agree. He's a very good field kick and competes. Not sure whether to spoil or mark sometimes.

fair enough, at least get him to punch to the bloody boundary then if he chooses not to mark.

Pretty sure that having an actual impact on the stat sheet is also a non negotiable.

He's 31, it's not like we are nurturing his talents for the future. He isn't contributing enough. Needs to go.

Its pretty sad when I think how much better it would have been to have Blease in his spot.

Would have provided some sizling runs, given us momentum broken the lines. Yeah he would have put in some weak ass defence too, but might have provided a spark.

Is there anything worse than getting a player from another team, paying him big bucks and getting little in return?

I mean, if we had played Blease, Nicho or Toumpas they might have spudded it up a little. But at least they would be our spud and not some other teams reject.

It's only been 8 weeks.

Nasher

Of course you are correct I am just frustrated.

Its pretty sad when I think how much better it would have been to have Blease in his spot.

Would have provided some sizling runs, given us momentum broken the lines. Yeah he would have put in some weak ass defence too, but might have provided a spark.

Is there anything worse than getting a player from another team, paying him big bucks and getting little in return?

I mean, if we had played Blease, Nicho or Toumpas they might have spudded it up a little. But at least they would be our spud and not some other teams reject.

Yep!! Blease for Byrnes sounds good to me!

Yep!! Blease for Byrnes sounds good to me!

That's a sad state of affairs...

Yep!! Blease for Byrnes sounds good to me!

I'd much rather Kent.

I just got home.

How many goals did they snag from dribbles from the boundary.

No-one standing anywhere near the goal line.

The 8m kick to Minson in the 3rd quarter which he goaled from.

They hunted the man and got away with it.

Liam Jones what a tool.

Cooney also. If those two aren't mentioned on Monday I'll give up.

Our kicking really lets us down, specifically kicking to blokes on the lead. Far too many show too much of the ball to the opposition and sit it up on the marking player's head, making it easy for defenders to spoil.

Just gonna blame M. Jones for losing this game and leave it at that.

Great to see Garland back too.

I'd much rather Kent.

Me too, and I'd be surprised if they don't trade places when Kent returns from suspension. Byrnes really gives us SFA.

We were beaten by a team tonight who stuck their tackles, were cleaner out of the pack and took their chances. Our overall improvement is obvious though. Aside from West Coast I thought tonight was the only time our defensive six have been beaten this year.Tyson's current output is way beyond my expectations, he was stellar this evening. Unsure why they moved Grimes out of defence this week or why we allowed Jones to play deep forward so often. Next week Byrnes out for another true mid in the rotation and subject to Terlich being ok I would leave it at that for next week.

OK. I was shouting at the TV over that idiotic free to Crameri, but in the final washup it didn't cost us the game. If anything, I would say Matt Jones' two missed shots in the last did that if anything did. Even beyond that, our continued poor passing into the forward line meant we weren't keeping scoreboard pressure on them. We should have been well up by half time.

It's great to see how well our kids are coming on now. They are fearless, they are skilled and they are starting to figure out how to play at this pace and intensity. The future is looking brighter all the time. Also very nice to see how well our traded-in players are doing. They are all contributing and setting a great example for the young-uns.

All in all, I think that tonight's result was about right for where the team is. We are pretty close to the doggies, but they have a little more polish and cohesion than us right now and in the end it was the difference. To our great credit, for large portions of the game they were reduced to piling bodies on the ball to stop us from using it. Given that they pride themselves on their ability to extract the ball I think that's a pretty good sign. I am disappointed that we couldn't pull it off, but not devastated.

Byrnes out, someone younger in please Roosy.

Am I the only one here that thinks the Jeremy Howe in the backline thing is not working. We need him to be the target for the half back flankers to be kicking out to the wing towards. If he's going to play back, take the effing mark FCS, sick of the two handed punch that goes straight down the throat of the waiting bulldog crumbers.

Yes you are. Howe was one of our best

Extenuating circumstances at play but imagine slotting Clark in to that fwd line and ruck contests. It couldve been a ripper of a fwd line but not to be.

Blease in would be a mistake. Byrnes is lacking, but he does work hard, do his defensive stuff and compete for the footy. Blease has talent, but needs to do the things that make his team mates trust him on the field.

I was disappointed we lost, but mainly because I believed we were the better team out there. But you need to take your chances when they pop up, and we didn't.

But we are so much better than we were.

I love Dawes but at almost every contest his opponent was able to get a spoil in.

The floater kicks he received didn't help mind you.

Matt Jones - needed to put at least 1 of his opportunities away in the last quarter.

It's great to see how well our kids are coming on now. They are fearless, they are skilled and they are starting to figure out how to play at this pace and intensity. The future is looking brighter all the time. Also very nice to see how well our traded-in players are doing. They are all contributing and setting a great example for the young-uns.

I reckon the young players seem to be developing without the Melbourne expectation syndrome. Rather than being expected to develop because they're pick X they expect to fill a role in the team. I would really love to see Salem get a full run next week. He's kicked a goal in every game he's played from 3 and a bit quarters, be clearly knows how to find the ball the only question is whether he can run the game out.

we're still not good enough. lots of work to do.

you'd presume it'd have to be byrnes out next week, salem into his starting spot.

blease as the sub?

Gutted. Just gutted.

I guess it's better than feeling numb by half time, but [censored], we should have won that.

Like

Dom Tyson

JKH

Extremely [censored] dislike

Shannon fumbly joe Byrnes

Go on, I dare you to try and tell me he "plays a role"

McDonald wasn't as bad as people are making out. He has a good burst of speed and is still a promising defender.

As for Watts, did some good things tonight there were two instances where he chased and brought down two doggies as they were about to kick for goal. He also used his body well to take a good contested mark I think in tHe 3rd quarter.

Dom Tyson is looking like the star player the Dees have been forever searching for, really impressed.

Dissapointing game, goal for goal most of the game. I thought we were the better side but just couldn't break away from them.