13 minutes ago, Docs Demons said:

Lets play the kids even if they can't play that well. Need to look to next year and get games into these youngsters. The kids from Port killed us plus Boak. No use playing the same blokes that keep on doing the same pathetic things. I'd rather us lose with at least kids having a go.

What's the use we will just teach them bad habits anyways no on field leadership has hurt this team dearly, Clarry, Gus they were all young prospects who would be absolute stars of the comp at any other team 

7 minutes ago, rjay said:

I would definitely pay Sparrow back.

He's not a natural mid.

Harmes is a better bet as a mid/tagger and should have gone to Boak.

I thought Sparrow did well in the midfield and could make it there, but he’s not what we need there.

I also didn’t hate the plan of fresh legs on to Boak whilst Harmes as the more experience player took half back.

Harmes just doesn’t look comfortable, so get him back doing what he does best and train either Sparrow or Rivers up for half back. 

Out: pickett, harmes,

In: Bedford, vanders, 

want to see brown and tomlinson come in but not sure who i'd drop particularly as like for like replacements. 

1 minute ago, DeeSpencer said:

I thought Sparrow did well in the midfield and could make it there, but he’s not what we need there.

I also didn’t hate the plan of fresh legs on to Boak whilst Harmes as the more experience player took half back.

Harmes just doesn’t look comfortable, so get him back doing what he does best and train either Sparrow or Rivers up for half back. 

He tried hard but Boak smashed him whenever they were head to head which was a fair bit of the time.

He's never going to be an A grade mid so lets develop him elsewhere.

We need to build a team going forward and if Sparrow is in our mid rotation we're headed nowhere.

 

No other side would carry Brayshaw the way we have.. has to be dropped, needs to be traded.

out. Mental softness.

in. A bit of heart.

3 minutes ago, rjay said:

He tried hard but Boak smashed him whenever they were head to head which was a fair bit of the time.

He's never going to be an A grade mid so lets develop him elsewhere.

We need to build a team going forward and if Sparrow is in our mid rotation we're headed nowhere.

 

Why was Sparrow up against Boak at all? Boak has a habit of smashing much more experienced opponents than 3 gamers. The midfield was totally inept tonight just hard to work out what is going on. And Max gets 40 hit outs but what were they? More like I got my hand to the ball but don’t expect me to direct it anywhere. 

Vanders and Bennell a must. 
Tmac and Jones a must drop. 

As much as we are all writing off the season, there is a chance that with a six-day break we could win against Adelaide, so hopefully we are measured with our omissions, although I have six out.

Out: Oliver (suspended and must sit in box with coach and be told to put his phone down and actually watch the flow of a game), Brayshaw (needs a week in the guts in the Allies before coming back for the Roos clash), Oscar (that's 80 games now and it's enough - Brent Grgic only got 77 and Cale Morton got 74), Pickett & Jackson (they should never have played against Brissy and Port in the first place and now they'll miss the game where they had a chance to really impact against Adelaide), Hannan (he's great when fresh - needs  a week off.)

In: Vanders, Joel Smith, Tomlinson, Bennell, ANB and Rivers (coach will go Spargo, but it should be Rivers because he is the future).

Keys: With Oliver out, VDB gets to play in the guts to show the Crows kids why you don't mess around with the footy. 

B: Lockhart May Salem

HB: Rivers Lever Hibberd

??C Tomlinson VDB Langdon

HF: Jones T.Mac Harmes (lockdown role on Brodie Smith)

F: ANB Weid Melksham

Ru: Gawn Trac Viney

Int: Fritta (start middle rotation, moves forward after half time), J.Smith (def), Bennell (start fwd, moves into mid), Sparrow (mid)

But note: Oliver, Brayshaw, Jackson and Pickett should all come back in with fresh legs for the Roos game. 

Just now, Earl Hood said:

Why was Sparrow up against Boak at all? Boak has a habit of smashing much more experienced opponents than 3 gamers. The midfield was totally inept tonight just hard to work out what is going on. And Max gets 40 hit outs but what were they? More like I got my hand to the ball but don’t expect me to direct it anywhere. 

I would have put Harmes or more probably Brayshaw...he needs a task like that to get him moving again.

It was bad Goody at the selection table this week.

I thought Max was poor tonight by the way.

Thought May was your best by a long way, kept Charlie to 1 goal and only 5 touches...when the ball was coming down silver service.

Out - TMac, Pickett, Jackson Jones Harmes Brayshaw Omac

In - Vandenberg , M.Brown J.Smith,Bennell, ANB , Tomlinson, Rivers

Edited July 30, 20205 yr by DeeZee

Is Bennell going to be able to come back against Adelaide? Is Vanders? Those would be the two that standout. Also do we think is Oliver going to be suspended?

4 minutes ago, rjay said:

I would have put Harmes or more probably Brayshaw...he needs a task like that to get him moving again.

It was bad Goody at the selection table this week.

I thought Max was poor tonight by the way.

Thought May was your best by a long way, kept Charlie to 1 goal and only 5 touches...when the ball was coming down silver service.

May was great he's had a great year. I wonder what he is thinking playing for a side with no future when he could have stayed with a team with a future.

1 minute ago, Pates said:

Is Bennell going to be able to come back against Adelaide? Is Vanders? Those would be the two that standout. Also do we think is Oliver going to be suspended?

No chance he is suspended

1 minute ago, Pates said:

Is Bennell going to be able to come back against Adelaide? Is Vanders? Those would be the two that standout. Also do we think is Oliver going to be suspended?

No but he should be dropped or told to never kick again he is the worst kick in the comp.

Just now, Watts the matter said:

No chance he is suspended

But he plays for Melbourne, so two matches ?

Just now, WERRIDEE said:

No but he should be dropped or told to never kick again he is the worst kick in the comp.

I don't think I've seen a Melbourne player butcher the ball like that since Godfrey. I remember a game he got 35+ possessions and turned it over almost every time, the opposition actually wanted him to get the ball!

2 minutes ago, Watts the matter said:

No chance he is suspended

Ur Kidding its MFC .... Kid will get a Life Sentence!!!! FMD

8 minutes ago, Pates said:

I don't think I've seen a Melbourne player butcher the ball like that since Godfrey. I remember a game he got 35+ possessions and turned it over almost every time, the opposition actually wanted him to get the ball!

This is why he barely gets tagged. Is so poor by foot that he has no hurt factor. Teams are happy for him to get the ball, but know well enough he'll either handball it to someone flat footed or just absolutely butcher the [censored] out of it.

Remember this was his biggest weakness back at his bushies days when I was involved.

Hasn't improved it at all.

Edited July 30, 20205 yr by dazzledavey36

@Dr.D thoughts on Oliver's game?

6 minutes ago, Pates said:

I don't think I've seen a Melbourne player butcher the ball like that since Godfrey. I remember a game he got 35+ possessions and turned it over almost every time, the opposition actually wanted him to get the ball!

Have said for some time, he has had some of the worst 30 possession games I have seen. Doesn’t hurt opposition teams

6 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

This is why he barely gets tagged. Is so poor by foot that he has no hurt factor. Teams are happy for him to get the ball, but know well enough he'll either handball it to someone flat footed or just absolutely butcher the [censored] out of it.

Remember this was his biggest weakness back at his bushies days.

Hasn't improved it at all.

Without any experience but just watching him (and I feel like this reminds me of what Petracca used to do) he seems to rush everything. When he takes a mark he either takes off straight away without looking or tries to do everything off one step rather than getting separation from the player on the mark. Even when he does get the separation the motion all looks rushed, total opposite of Bennell where he seems to glide with everything he does (forgetting that awful miss last week! ?).

Petracca hasn't 100% fixed his issues but he has improved, Oliver is still young but has to want to change his attitude on disposal. Even his hands (something that used to be incredible) seem to have gotten worse.

Drop everybody. Cancel all contracts. Mothball the Club. Scrap the season. Stop the world, I want to get off.

Looking at how much time will have passed between the Hawks game and the Adelaide game I'm really hoping that at least Bennell will be ok to return. If he is then I think Jones comes out, sad to say but he just doesn't seem to add anything. 

The experiment of 3 talls may have worked with different players, if they are keen to try it again don't do it with TMac. He may be dropped for Brown, or perhaps Tomlinson to take us back down to 2 talls and Tomlinson brings back some outside run. Tomlinson could also potentially even fit into a 3 tall system with him being more mobile.

If AvB is ok to play, perhaps give Kozzie a spell for both management and a poor game. But he was not alone in the last part.

I'd look at dropping one of Sparrow or Lockhart for Rivers as well. So my changes would look something like:

Out: Jones, Kozzie, Lockhart, TMac
In: Bennell, AvB, Rivers, Tomlinson/Brown

EDIT// If AvB still needs time to recover then I say give Nibbler a chance.

Edited July 30, 20205 yr by Pates

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

This is why he barely gets tagged. Is so poor by foot that he has no hurt factor. Teams are happy for him to get the ball, but know well enough he'll either handball it to someone flat footed or just absolutely butcher the [censored] out of it.

Remember this was his biggest weakness back at his bushies days when I was involved.

Hasn't improved it at all.

Where is the coaching and development? Oliver came in with heaps of promise but hasn't improved and had gone backwards if anything. Brayshaw has not improved since coming to the club. Weideman hasn't improved other than natural development that comes with a more mature body. TMac never developed beyond the raw athleticism he had before his foot injury. Salem showed promise early and has not improved, no development since his first game against the Swans.

Petracca and Gawn are the only two players on our list who can honestly say they've taken their game to another level in the last 5 years. Maybe Viney as well. Jones developed earlier on in his career. The evidence suggests that unless the players have the inner drive or footy IQ to develop off their own bat the club will not help them get there. It's an utter indictment on the culture of the club.