If it's 17 players as has been stated, then you are going to struggle to pick a team without people that were affected

Which is what I was getting at.

I think we are seeing more Goodwin influence. The game plan is much more attacking through the corridor - that will help Hogan and Dawes

I think we are seeing more Goodwin influence. The game plan is much more attacking through the corridor - that will help Hogan and Dawes

How do you know it's Goodwin's influence?

Good to see Demonland is staying true to form. (rolls eyes)

Today id rather be a Melbourne supporter than a North supporter. They have topped up for a premiership that they can never win with a bunch of forward running flash in the pan types.

Meanwhile you throw Salem, Frost and Petracca alongside Hogan, Brayshaw, Viney and Tyson and we have a very exciting future.

Thought Dawes was very good today too.

This is a great post

I was frustrated today as we carried a few players I reckon. But that post makes me realise the best is yet to come

And it was a great fight back by the boys, pitty we threw it away in the 1st qtr

Okay, just got back and not all doom and gloom. However:

• in the first quarter they continually had someone running at speed through the stoppages
• too many cheapies out the back
• Norf seemed to have someone run past to receive the ball from a stationary position without a block
• some bad errors lead to four goals in the first half
• generally outsmarted early on

We will beat them next season and I'm convinced Norf is just a team. If Garlett had held that pud we would have had a stack of momentum and that's where we lost it.

I stopped watching after the first quarter.

I did not expect us to fight back, I switched back on in the last quarter and it was good to see a bit of fight in the boys against a top 8 team.

The question is were are we going to get 30 more point to beat more teams and play finals next season?

How do you know it's Goodwin's influence?

The reports we've had from training and such seem to indicate that Roos has focused almost solely on a defensive setup where they play the boundary and look for safe uncontested possession while Goodwin has advocated more attack and use of the corridor. Roos is a very big fan of defensive play, has repeatedly pointed to Fremantle and Ross Lyon as the model he's looking at, and his Sydney sides were very stoppage-based. A lot of watchers have observed that the faster attacking game seems to be Goodwin's plan rather than Roos'. I don't know if any of us will ever be in a position to know this for certain, but it seems to be in line with their stated coaching philosophies.

I thought we fought it out well. The margin at the end flattered North and was helped by 3 mystifying frees in the last quarter that snuffed out our challenge. The one on ANB in our forward 50 was unbelievable, he should have been lining up for his second. However we lost it in the first with 0 to 9 centre clearances and then coughed up numerous vital goals with our kick outs and our failure to defend their kick ins.

Can we do some coaching on these area? Our centre set up for Gawn seemed wrong. We mainly set up behind him and are static while he managed to win a fair share of the centre ball ups today and tap forward or sideways mostly to North players on the move.

Can we devise some semblance of a point kick out strategy? Kicking long to Waite or Goldstein doesn't make much sense. And when they are kicking out can't we man up and try to keep in our 50? Fixing some of these basic things to the point where we are highlyncompetitive in the clearances and moving the ball swiftly out of defense would make a huge difference to our score lines.

This was most evident today I think, at least in comparison to the opposition, who hit the contest hard from outside the centre square. Cunnington did it about 10 times. Our blokes were so often flat footed and he'd come crashing through like a bullet and rocket past our inside mids.

N Jones hasn't played a big game in a while. Needs to work on breaking a tag

It helps if your team mates block for you and help you out on occasion. We still don't do those team things for each other.

Did anyone see Hogans celebration after his first goal? He kissed his black armband and pointed to the sky. What happened?

As a guess it might be in respect to Nic Naitanui's mum, given Jesse is from WA?

The reports we've had from training and such seem to indicate that Roos has focused almost solely on a defensive setup where they play the boundary and look for safe uncontested possession while Goodwin has advocated more attack and use of the corridor. Roos is a very big fan of defensive play, has repeatedly pointed to Fremantle and Ross Lyon as the model he's looking at, and his Sydney sides were very stoppage-based. A lot of watchers have observed that the faster attacking game seems to be Goodwin's plan rather than Roos'. I don't know if any of us will ever be in a position to know this for certain, but it seems to be in line with their stated coaching philosophies.

Goodwin was taking the lead last week at the breaks too, so I'd say this is the case. I thought we surprised North with our use of the corridor today. We still don't have the skill to utilise this game style properly, but in another off season we should be able to.

We need blokes who can kick the ball receiving on the edge of the centre square at half back, rather than guys like Garland who tend to butcher short passes or kick long in hope. Salem will help here. I'd love to get someone like Lewis Jetta or Trent McKenzie from the Suns. Our slingshot will be really dangerous then. I'd even look at Gus Brayshaw back there too.

As a guess it might be in respect to Nic Naitanui's mum, given Jesse is from WA?

I doubt it.

As others have said apart from the first quarter we played some fantastic footy. Some of the best in years.

But the game summed as up as to where we are at at the moment. We still can't maintain the great football we are capable of, but we can sustain it for longer than last year and we play a better brand of footy.

Hogan is a gun and Dawes FINALLY played as well as we all want him to. Now he needs to keep it up.

There are good times ahead guys.

As a side note - Michie is not up to it. Butchered the footy ALL day. Those crying out for him to get a full run - you got it and he fluffed it. No good.

What game did you watch?

How do you know it's Goodwin's influence?

Educated guess - he is being given more responsibility, is in charge of the midfield where the attacks begin and reports from his previous clubs say that is his preferred style.

Happy to be proven wrong.

Half the team had the flu!

Fitzsy pulled out of the Casey team because of it. Watts and N Jones were sickest I believe!

FWIW Grimes is finished.

Michie aint good enough

Dawes played his best game

Neal Bullen starts next week

Riley starred at Casey

White needs tio be played the last few games is a quality act!

That'll do for Now!

What game did you watch?

The one at the MCG. How about you?

interesting about Watts and the flu - should have been in hospital as he looked semi- conscious thought the game.

Hope it's true and not a return to bad habits.

As others have said apart from the first quarter we played some fantastic footy. Some of the best in years.

But the game summed as up as to where we are at at the moment. We still can't maintain the great football we are capable of, but we can sustain it for longer than last year and we play a better brand of footy.

Hogan is a gun and Dawes FINALLY played as well as we all want him to. Now he needs to keep it up.

There are good times ahead guys.

As a side note - Michie is not up to it. Butchered the footy ALL day. Those crying out for him to get a full run - you got it and he fluffed it. No good.

Dom Tyson too.

Bernie did look quite flat so the flu makes sense

Home for an hour or so and a couple of settlers, ex Viney, Tyson and Matt Jones our midfield stunk it up. ( Read N.Jones, Vince, Brayshaw - terrible).

Almost predictable that Jones and Vince would receive attention after last week, but did we have a plan to discontinue the tags? Didn't look like it to me.

8 centre clearance to 1 in the first quarter. North midfield coach and players did a nice old job strategically on our sleepy midfield coach and players. Result 5 down at quarter time. Top sides like Hawthorn have the men like Hodge and Lewis who take care of the taggers. Who have we got? What prompt remedial action did we take? Couldn't help thinking Riley might have been useful at times today. Hogan, Viney very good again, but yet again let down by supposed leaders who are supposed to turn up every week.

Does the flu injection actually work?

The one at the MCG. How about you?

I thought Michie was okay today.

Does the flu injection actually work?

When was the last time someone you knew died of the flu?

95% of the time when people talk about a flu, they mean the common cold, for which there is no preventative injection.

No amount of 'anything' is going to work if you haven't the cattle. ..just saying

No amount of 'anything' is going to work if you haven't the cattle. ..just saying

So not having the cattle was the reason some of our players had a cold?

Bernie did look quite flat so the flu makes sense

Just 14 possies for him today. Still had a dip but clearly wasn't as up and about as the previous few months. Flu might certainly explain it.

I thought Michie was okay today.

His kick to Brayshaw in third was good and he gets to the right positions, but his disposal otherwise was poor - a case in point his horrible shot on goal and turnover when trying to kick to Viney 25 metres away under no pressure.

Having said that dropping him for someone like Riley, Toumpas or even Newton is not much different so there isn't much we can do right now.