45 minutes ago, frankie_d said:

I reckon the new "stand on the mark" rule is helping him use his speed. Once he's away, only the speedsters will catch him, and I think that gives him a bit of confidence. Haven't seen the DE stats, but I reckon his kicking was pretty good yesterday

71% DE

Just finding the time to watch the replay of the game and have got up to where Maysie got hit. It looked completely accidental to me and I liked how Hawkins went over to see how he was and apologise. I remember a few years ago T-Mac was interviewed and he was asked about the hardest forwards he's had to play on as a defender. He mentioned Hawkins but said he found him to be a good guy, even said he apologised for stepping on Tommy's foot by accident in one game. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. 

1 hour ago, TRIGON said:

Do they drug test commentators?

I doubt testing for low iq is allowed.

8 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

Just finding the time to watch the replay of the game and have got up to where Maysie got hit. It looked completely accidental to me and I liked how Hawkins went over to see how he was and apologise. I remember a few years ago T-Mac was interviewed and he was asked about the hardest forwards he's had to play on as a defender. He mentioned Hawkins but said he found him to be a good guy, even said he apologised for stepping on Tommy's foot by accident in one game. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. 

Looking at the replay again, May grabbed Hawkin's jumper, pulled him off balance and that caused the errant elbow movement.

12 minutes ago, old dee said:

I doubt testing for low iq is allowed.

Given the general public's appetite for 'reality' shows I'd suggest that it's mandatory.

I said after round 2 we are starting to see some maturity from this team and yesterday confirmed it in  my view.

Solid all round game. Hunt finding his feet at half back, Kozzie doing Kozzie things, Gawn a towering strength, Petracca imposing himself like we knew he could, Oliver relentless in his pursuit of the ball, Langdon - totally indefatigable and very creative, Lever rock solid general down back and a shout out to Tomlinson who has performed very well this year and particularly yesterday when called upon to take Hawkins.

There is something about this group that shows resolve and confidence in the way the are playing. When things weren't happening down back, Lever took control and really rallied the team.

A lot to like.

 

  

 

1 minute ago, TRIGON said:

Looking at the replay again, May grabbed Hawkin's jumper, pulled him off balance and that caused the errant elbow movement.

Given the general public's appetite for 'reality' shows I'd suggest that it's mandatory.

It makes you wonder what the average IQ of the audience is Trigon. 

9 hours ago, Rusty Nails said:

From behind the goals there was only one player that looked likely to put any kind of pressure on the carrier running through the middle.... and then i realised it was a pair of chunky chunk legs i was watching coming towards me at a snails pace chasing ?

But cudos to Jones who was still running his guts out to try and make a difference.  Who knows the Geelong carrier who muffed the bounce may have felt the thunder from those big thighs stomping into the turf 10 meters or so behind!  Good onya Chunk.

I saw Hunt streaming through the middle to put pressure on.

This team is behaving selflessly which we haven't seen for a long time

1 hour ago, leave it to deever said:

Is he named Trac?

Ed actually, so close enough.

42 minutes ago, Deestar9 said:

Happy to give him a pass with it being his first game & also horrendous conditions. However would have to show marked improvement next week. On song his delivery into the forward line is a weapon & he was generally a good shot for goal.

Conditions have nothing to do with an ability to pressure and lay tackles. He laid two for the whole game. His lack of defensive pressure simply cannot justify a game in our system. Two tackles is more than he usually lays mind you.

Overall another major step forward in building self-belief. Kudos to Lever and Tomlinson for holding the backline together after the loss of May.

5 minutes ago, A F said:

Ed actually, so close enough.

Conditions have nothing to do with an ability to pressure and lay tackles. He laid two for the whole game. His lack of defensive pressure simply cannot justify a game in our system. Two tackles is more than he usually lays mind you.

He will not be dropped no mattered how poorly he plays, remember last season? 

1 minute ago, old dee said:

He will not be dropped no mattered how poorly he plays, remember last season? 

It depends. Has the bar been lifted on expectations and minimum requirements this year?

Just now, A F said:

It depends. Has the bar been lifted on expectations and minimum requirements this year?

So why was he selected for yesterday's game? He had an interrupted pre season with injury and played in one Casey practise match. In that game he was not a stand out performer. Then given a spot in the team that were 3-0 and playing well. Mystery to me why he was in the team.

Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this match. (I,was,under cover)

2 minutes ago, CBDees said:

Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this match. (I,was,under cover)

So was I CBD but it seldom rains in my lounge room!

Looking at the May hawkins incident in slo mo....maybe it was an accident.

Can i just ask: How do we know it was?

The bloke through his elbow without looking towards Mays face and gee it made contact.

How could it not that close in?

Just saying maybe it was but one could say maybe it wasnt.

Why did he throw his elbow back in the first place?

Any player can throw an elbow behind him when being held by his opponent and say I didnt mean to make contact.

Was it just reflex? If so its still dangerous.

Is this a precedent for future errant elbows.

The Afl talks about concussion but maybe even accidents like this need to penalised. 

At least a suspended sentence.

This way players might just have to keep their massive elbows to themselves and stop either accidents...deliberate....or "deliberate accidents " from causing serious injuries.

I am looking forward to seeing Melksham perform against the Hawks. I have a feeling he will play well and maybe the coaching staff do too!

Edited April 12, 20214 yr by Thehardtackler

12 hours ago, A F said:

My son is 4 weeks old tomorrow. He's seen 4 from 4. This run is all him.

My daughter was born in 2008 and she witnessed 5 from 5. She even saw 16 quarters won in a row ?

1 hour ago, jnrmac said:

I saw Hunt streaming through the middle to put pressure on.

This team is behaving selflessly which we haven't seen for a long time

Hunt was 3 or 4 players back and had belief so was chasing hard. It was great to see

I listened to the game during a break of an online conference I was involved in.

For the first time since 2018, my heart didn't sink into my shoes and I had genuine confidence that the team would persevere. While we seem to no longer ruthlessly grind teams into the dirt during periods of scintillating football, we have replaced that with more consistent four quarter efforts. The wins thus far aren't along the lines of the regular thumpings we were handing out during 2018, but I feel as though we won't fall into a heap for 2 quarters like we did in the early days of Goody's reign. 4 straight and steady wins of roughly 3 to 4 goals is more reassuring than the streaky football of years earlier.

We have a magical dilemma on our hands. In my time as a supporter, we've never had anyone who is a recognized A grade beast. Jimmy was a great, but very much self made. Garry Lyon was naturally talented, but not in the leagues of Brereton, Ablett, Dunstall and co. Jaka and Schwarz were our chances during the 90's, but they weren't around long enough. Neita was similar to Gaddy, but his vintage was Voss, Buckley, Carey and Hird. Farmer was great, but it's rare you can build a team around a forward pocket.

We now have 3 of the absolute best in the league in core positions (Gawn, Oliver, Petracca). The latter two create a thorny proposition for other teams: do we tag Petracca or Oliver? Most would say the former because of his ability to kick goals, explosiveness and his better distribution by foot, but Oliver is no bloody slouch. Let him off the chain and you have got someone potentially picking up 40 possessions and sinking your chances. Even when O'Connor went to Clarry, he ended up with 34 possesions.

I'm genuinely falling in love with the footy after a period of extreme cynicism. I'm getting the AFL network this week (though other commitments mean I mightn't be able to see all the games). I'm also going to get a disco blue or indigenous round jersey. I'm not going overboard, but to get this type of love back for AFL footy is a comforting feeling. 

Edited April 12, 20214 yr by Colin B. Flaubert
Latter not former should have used in the second sentence of the third paragraph.

2 hours ago, adonski said:

71% DE

Not having a go at you adonski but what is the team average with regards to DE

My guess is that it hovers around 70% but I stand corrected ... and an efficient disposal can be a 1 metre handpass to a player about to be tackled.  Great

So a 15 metre kick backwards to a player standing on his own (in the meantime the other mob floods back) is deemed as efficient yet a long kick from a centre break to a 1 on 1 deep in the forward line is deemed as inefficient if a team doesn't retain possession of the ball (yet the ball may end up remaining deep forward with the defence under siege)

By the way if a player does kick long to a 1 on 1 in the forward line resulting in 50/50 results,  that ends up being a shot on goal half the time.  I'll take that result

The DE stat is a crock of ****t and people here need to stop using this stat as their go-to evaluation of a players worth.  It's nonsense

Clangers are different of course ... it's no good handing the ball back to the opposition.  But 1 clanger can turn into an exaggeration and often does for those with an agenda

Your eyes will tell you the true story and Hunt is now using the ball quite well

Langdon is also using the ball very well and he may well have attracted Brownlow votes (there's often a bolter and he's the sort of player that umpires will notice)

 

Edited April 12, 20214 yr by Macca

In the last, when Melksham missed a soda in front of goal, I really thought if he kicked that, the flood gates would have opened and we could have piled on a few more goals... was a shame, as it's great to get reward for effort.

In Germany they have a term in soccer, where junk time goals come from either team... it's called 'scoreboard cosmetics'...it'll come though...even if we lose matches (and we will) throughout the season.

 

How good does it feel being 4-0?

everyone has already said on here that was most clear about the game.  

I'm noticing better intelligence.  Little things like 'soccering' the footy off the ground to our advantage in contested situations.  For years ive watched other teams do the simple smart things like this against us and year after year we repeated the same mistakes.  There is not as much interference between our mids, again, in contested situations.  Everyone flying for the ball in packs and no one staying down is happening much less.  The frustrations of watching us are less this year.  Yesterdays win was a big, important win.   I'm bleeding for some games to be put away earlier so I can relax a bit more when watching.

The problem now of course is keeping a lid on it.  Not us fans.  The players and coaches.  If we can not let this little run go to our heads then again, that will be massive improvement and growth because that is another area (getting ahead of ourselves)we absolutely suck at and the entire AFL community know it and will be expecting it.  So this is a huge challenge we face as well. Blowing out Hawthorn would go a ways to making a statement with regards to this.

A couple of other things...Chocco out there pregame revving a few of the lads up I loved.  Comfortingly old school coach.  I am a Goodwin critic of the highest order, but at 4-0 can't complain.  

Umpiring was appalling.  As bad as I've seen.   loving Hunts return to form (of which he has only ever been able to maintain for a few weeks at a time), bloody well hope this continues.

Players look locked in.    Challenged in each and every game.  Undefeated still.  [censored] wow!

 

17 hours ago, dieter said:

At first glance it looked accidental: after watching it a few times, Hawkins threw his arm back at May; that's no accident. And, Hawkins has form....

It's is questionable that the contact was accidental.

a.  As the body turns to the point of falling due to the force of gravity or an external source, the upper torso rolls and braces in the direction of the fall - an autonomic response; try it, if you do not believe it.

b.  The shoulder girdle autonomically braces on the falling side thus reducing the likelihood and severity of a dislocation of the landing gear (humerus and clavicle and shoulder joint socke of the scapula);

c.  importantly, the elbow straightens for a more rigid and straight arm force absorption on the 'falling' side to support/cushion the fall (under the influence of the autonomic muscular system); if you don't believe it, try it. 

• The external force in this case was a fair bump by May on the opposite side of the fall direction and Hawkins' own awkward absorption of the not overly enforced bump stimulus. He met a brick wall, in other words and didn't like it 
• Against the autonomic response of the whole body including the impact arm of Hawkins' overt rotation of the body and a bending of the impact arm (as opposed to the autonomic straightening of the arm - ie: a deliberate act at the desired rotation radius of May's head), in consequence a successful blow was enabled

If some freakish, totally abnormal rotation from a static force (May) prevented the impact arm from straightening during the balance adjustment made to overcome the loss of stability, the effect of gravitational force and the autonomic falling sensation response, we have not seen it before in one who leaps and bounds and hits other bodies to dislodge their judgment at a professional standard of excellence. Of course, this act did far more than dislodge May's judgment at that moment. 

This raises the question: Was he successful in getting a head-high, bent elbow jab in for good, forceful measure - and faking 'accidental' to avoid disciplinary consequences?

Most probably not but some of these matters could be reviewed.

 

57 minutes ago, Thehardtackler said:

I am looking forward to seeing Melksham perform against the Hawks. I have a feeling he will play well and maybe the coaching staff do too!

A very nice prediction.

17 hours ago, Pickett2Jackson said:

How good was it when Pickett caught Selwood holding the ball without about 5 minutes left and then gave Selwood a mouthful.

Picket, amongst his others notable talents, is learning about 'mongrel' and doing it with aplomb. He's the sort of young bloke we need to win a flag again. The Dees of Old had it. The better Dees' teams since 64 had it. We're getting there, now.