Here's what I'll say. It's easy to have 108 tackles when half of them don't involve a man with the ball.

The Dogs play like dogs sometimes, not impressed with that.

Agreed, Scoop. I would also add that while Grimes did a really good job on Griffen, we missed his influence in defence.

I think we're losing out at the moment with Dunn in defence - I'd rather him forward.

I'd bring Georgiou back as the true second tall, switch Dunn forward, and drop Byrnes who is giving us nothing at all.

Agreed, Scoop. I would also add that while Grimes did a really good job on Griffen, we missed his influence in defence.

Agreed. Well done on quelling Griffin's offensive capabilities, but it arguably made us worse off, given we couldn't stop them inside 50.

I felt alot of our kicking inside 50 was dumb and low percentage , dawes and chip had huge size advantages all we had to do was set the ball up but they seemed to kick it straight to the spare man every time

Great to see Garlo get through the game.

He is such a good player. Thought he was our best key defender out there tonight.

We can't blame the umpires for tonight. There was that one howler to gift them a goal, bu it wouldn't have happened if Jones had nailed his shot at the other end. Plus, it's not like we lost by that one goal. It may have been a momentum-breaker, but again that is more due to the Jones miss than the dodgy free. The fact is that when it really counted we weren't good enough.

Also, I have to agree that Watts, while quiet, did lay a couple of very nice tackles. Brought Cooney down when it looked like he was about to score another goal and every other tackle had slipped off him. He probably could have had a free for that, but the umpire gave Cooney plenty of time to get the handball off. Still a great effort to tackle him.

24 to 13 FK in our favour. We got a good run out of the Umps. Jones two misses and the two posters, killed us.

Dom Tyson. Wow. Next MFC Brownlow Medalist....

yeah we got more frees but its where they got them, reckon they got 4 goals from frees, umps killed us. especially that one for Crameri, and Jones missing two goals in last [censored] us up

Great to see Garlo get through the game.

He is such a good player. Thought he was our best key defender out there tonight.

I didn't see it. I thought he played a typical first game back. Loose at times, looked a little lost at times with the step up from VFL to AFL.

Obviously best 22 and we need him in the side, but I wouldn't say he was good tonight.

Ok with tonight. It's a world away from last year. During the course of the game though, I did decide that Minson is an almighty dead [censored].

Shite

Begs the question why you even post here. Pzzzz off. You have been banging on about Toumpas for two years. Give it a rest . We don't need or want ppl like you.

Why? does the truth hurt just too much Jnrnmac?

And in fact... you DO need ppl like me to add a bit of "Realism" and "Avante Guard" opinion to this forum!

Don't like it ?? then you need to Bzzzzz of to "Fantasyland Forums" my friend where all is "Hunky Dory" in the world of previous MFC drafting and recruiting and all will agree with just about everything you say!

Edited May 10, 201411 yr by picket fence

On a night suited to small crumbing players', and a night showing we needed them even more, Byrnes did jack sh!t. Used to be quick, but has lost all his pace.

Will surely retire at years end. I won't have a go at him, but will say that his absence will not be missed.

Howe numerous times went up to spoil only to turn it over. If you leave your player, you either mark it or kill the contest.

Watts...........not sure what to make of his performance tonight. Laid a good tackle though before half time. All i want from him, is to show that he wants to play. At the moment he just seems to think he'll get a walk up start in the 22. I want hunger from him, i know it will never be on the level of a Jack Viney, but just some hunger to play and for the contest, PPPLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Salem, Viney, Tyson and JKH...........good signs from the kids. All tough players, particularly the first 3. All want the ball. Tyson will be our best player before too long.

Matty Jones, kicking needs a fair bit of cleaning up, but he's got more toe than i thought he had. Some good runs through the middle, good stuff (just clean up decision making and disposal - but you're not as bad as Tom McDonald when it comes to those).

Dawes faded drastically, but we can't expect him to dominate every game, though he tries to. I know it doesn't help, but him and Mitch would have made a fantastic partnership, so MN at least got that one right. If only............

Bail is playing some good footy too. Done better than what i thought he would. Was on my delist category, but turned that right around.

NJ just a workhorse display. When was his last poor game? Not as effective or influential, but a real blue collar effort again from the skip.

Grimes was very quiet. At least he didn't hurt us with his regular howlers.

Terlich doesn't fill me with confidence when he has the ball in hand, but he takes the game on. Will have a headache tomorrow for sure.

Jetta was quiet, but no other small defender is raising their hand up for his position, so he should continue to play games.

Chip provided another avenue to goal, and is becoming quite serviceable forward option. Ain't nothing wrong with having a quality swingman. Would be happy to give him 500k - 600k a year.

Garland will take a little while to settle back in to AFL pace, but he clearly belongs out there.

Pederson has really found his niche, and good on him. Had/has a lot of haters, but Roosy clearly knows how to use him. Would love to see him use his big body a little more.

Crossy whilst getting no younger, definitely is worthy of getting another season. Hell, here's hoping he signs another few more single year contracts. Sure he gives away a few free kicks, but he continually does the basics.

Bernie, would love him to stand up more, but he is a kick first type player, which we could do with a few more of.

Dunny had his colours lowered tonight. Crameri clearly won that battle. Free kick wasn't there so not his fault. Though we had the run of the umpires for the majority of the game. Found it comical that paid holding the ball for the first time of the night with a minute or two to go. Cooney's was way more worthy of being paid, but oh well.

Jamar had a lot of hitouts, would love to know the amount to advantage though. Kicked a nice goal. Does a lot more around the ground than Spencer and is way more physical.

Picket fence, we have toumpas, wines is a port adelaide player might be time to give up the pointless rambling on past decisions hey?

Whilst Grimes beat Griffin, which was handy, we missed him badly down back. I'm not sure I agree with taking him out of the backline after his effort last week. Feels like we cut off our nose to spite our face.

While Griffen (111 SuperCoach points) didn't have a great influence, he was much more influential than Grimes (23) and won the dual. I thought Roos might have tried Jones to run with Griffen to break Picken's tag.

Also, I think Frawley playing forward rather than on Crameri was probably a mistake.

Byrnes should be replaced by another mid to play as the sub and with Salam to start forward. And I think Clisby (or even Blease) will give us more drive than Terlich.

Garlo was good without being excellent.

It's nice not to get that tight feeling in the chest when one of our defenders has the ball.

Why? does the truth hurt just too much Jnrnmac?

So far, we clearly have lost that one. Though all hope is not lost with Toumpas. Confident Roosy can turn him into an effective player for us. Doubt he will ever be as good as Wines though. But time to move on.

You win some you lose some. For every Toumpas, there's a JKH. The Tyson and Salem decision appears to be a good decision too (more than happy with that trade).

Edited May 10, 201411 yr by Demon Disciple

How about the free against Frawley for "shepherding"? It's one on one! You're allowed to stand your ground!

That lead to a goal, the Crameri one lead to a goal, the Boyd dive led to a goal, Cross free kick for picking up the ball led to a goal, Will Minson received an 8 meter pass that went through for a goal.

That's 5 goals from soft, ridiculous free kicks yet we still lost because we cannot use the football and do not have enough composure around half forward.

Matt Jones should've drilled that goal.

Fuming. But not heartbroken, because it's a game we were in til the death and we haven't been like that for a long, long time. There's a pulse, but it's frustrated. A few other things go our way we could so easily be 5-3 or even 6-2! Instead we're 2-6 facing a tough draw.

However, we're on the mend and there were still positives - though the dogs showed us a lesson in tough footy tonight, if we play that hard next week we'll roll the Tigers.

Footy sucks sometimes.

I'd say our team is playing above what we have out on the park. Roosy is doing an incredible job with what he has at his disposal and what he's had to deal with so far this year. Defense playing without an All-australian defender in Frawley, No Clark or Hogan upforward, lack of midfield depth and depth in general in the back and forward halves.

The dogs have more depth in midfield and you could see in that last 10 minutes the midfield clearance rotations were killing us. Cooney, Boyd, Griffen, Liberatore, Picken, MaCrae, Daulhaus. Against Viney, Tyson, Jones, Vince, Cross. Viney and Tyson are young blokes who will be stars, Cross and Vince are both over 30, Jonesy was held all night by Picken. Until we get more midfield depth through the draft and free agency we won't win those crucial 5-10 minutes of quarters in tight games.

As much as I don't want to knock Toumpas, it was a dreadful decision not getting a bonafide clearence machine in Wines along side Viney. Both could have held the inside midfield mantle for the next 10-12 years. Byrnes has to go. Too slow, no penetration, no creativity. Kent or Toumpas must come in and play his role. I see how Roosy wants Howe to play that loose man in defense but tonight he should have put Frawley down back and Howe at FF. Open up the whole forward line and let him lead out of FF. Would have been a big mismatch for their defenders. Otherwise, good night, poor result. Could have gone either way in retrospect.

Edited May 10, 201411 yr by JimmyNP

While Griffen (111 SuperCoach points) didn't have a great influence, he was much more influential than Grimes (23) and won the dual. I thought Roos might have tried Jones to run with Griffen to break Picken's tag.

Also, I think Frawley playing forward rather than on Crameri was probably a mistake.

Byrnes should be replaced by another mid to play as the sub and with Salam to start forward. And I think Clisby (or even Blease) will give us more drive than Terlich.

Griffen's points come mainly from his 15 tackles. He did some good defensive work but usually he destroys teams offensively. Tonight we managed to quell his offensive influence.

I think Grimes probably won the dual overall, but we missed him in defence, and I would rather see Griffen play a bit better and Grimes play across half-back. I wouldn't play Grimes as a tagger again.

Byrnes has to go, and I wasn't impressed with Terlich before he got injured either (Jones deserves weeks for that btw). But Blease is not the answer. One good game for Casey all year is not enough.

Just got home, and have to admit I am more disappointed abut this loss than any other this year. We lost a game we should have won.

About 8 of the Doggies goals were very easy, out the back of the pack, running forward in unaccounted for numbers, and their midfielders either scored or somehow created space inside 50. Roos will not like that at all.

At vital times we lacked class. We definitely have grunt and defensive pressure but at certain times Cooney and Liberatore looked a cut above us.

The Dunn/Crameri non free kick, and Matt Jones missed goal were momentum sappers. We did not recover well after that, and I think the Doggies got three centre clearances in n a row straight after.

We were really in this game, in every play, and at every point.

The style of play from the Dogs is horrible. The amount of tackles they got was because they choose to mongrel around at stoppages. We actually beat them to the ball a lot but our spread from the stoppage was often second rate.

Tyson is a gun. Not missing C. Sylvia at all.

I defended Byrnes during the week, but he had a really bad game of fumbling and falling to the ground tonight.

For some reason, from kick ins or stoppages right near our goal, the Doggies spread with 3 or 4 players to 1 on numerous occasion from the city end up the Brunton Ave side. By the end of the 3rd quarter I was seething with frustration at this.

Picket fence, we have toumpas, wines is a port adelaide player might be time to give up the pointless rambling on past decisions hey?

Yeah I know but couldn't resist it... another "Gun" in an under mid and you can have my kingdom!

What the **** does Byrnes do to constantly get a game?! 10 touches and 2 tackles, that bloke can go into a bloody nursing home, put Salem or someone fresh up forward for that geriatric fool

These are the kind of comment that I really really detest!! The guy does not pick himself in the side. The guy does the best he can and if he is not good enough, then that is hardly his fault that the game has passed him by.

How many games of AFL have heroes like Dees13 played that entitles the likes of him/her to abuse a player because he gets a game???

Fair enough, we do need toumpas to come good though some pretty handy players from that draft that we overlooked

I thought the dunn crameri match up was all wrong and probably cost us the game in the end.

Dunn is good on the third tall but not the number one target.