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no chf, no ff, no ruckman, no 2nd ruckman. other than that, everything looks rosy

I read a Paul Roos comment a few weeks ago, they got him to pick that draft year again, he said he would take Gus at 1, Track at 2 and Paddy at 3. Shows you how highly Roos rates Gus, and I'm with Roos on this one.

About time someone in the media is biased in our favour

Kicked a couple of goals. Took a few strong marks around the ground. Got a few kicks and handballs. He also got 53 hitouts. Hitouts of themselves are often useless but hitouts to advantage are where ruckmen earn their pay. There were a few in there that enabled Hawthorn to walk the ball out of the centre clearance and goal. Untouched by us. That is critical stuff in deciding the outcome of a game. Now while Pedo toiled manfully, against a recognised ruckmen McEvoy doesn't get anywhere near that level of influence as he can't dominate through size, experience & technique. But he dominated Pedo in the ruck. Forest Demon is right to be concerned about what Jacobs might do as he is one of the premier rucks in the game.Possible AA this year. McEvoy, as FD pointed out, is average (at best). I've no doubt Pedo will try his hardest and will hopefully do some damage drifting forward but in the ruck contests, we are bringing a knife to a gunfight.

I need to come to young Gus' defence. If those comments are based on 2016/2017 its rather harsh...he played only 12 games of the possible 29, The 10 in 2016 were interrupted by injury. Roos said later they brought him back too quickly after injury early in 2016. In 2017 he took a hit in the 2nd game, dropped, then injured. The valid body of work is 2015 when he played 21 of 22 games and touted as a gun. From what I recall he was often in the thick of the contest and a very good kick. He is a much better kick than the likes of Viney, Jones, Tyson etc He is also a smarter player than those guys...how often in 2015 did he perfectly place the ball for Jeffy to run onto, race in to kick a goal... @Grand New Flag reported a few weeks ago (paraphrasing) that Gus was physically ok but needed to get his head space right regarding putting his head over the ball. I think we can all understand that. Regarding the concussions, Salem has had a few and he has bounced back and I think Gus can too, then he will recover his 2015 form and be the gun some of us think he will be. Give him time to recover, DA.

Is there a commentator who isn't extremely biased? Commentators wear their allegiances on their sleeves these days. Whateley is perhaps the most balanced, but everyone else, pfffh. Personally, I think it's amazing that there's someone who people respect that logically outlines where we're at and what we're truly capable of in time. Very important to have someone on your side in this age of knee jerk media scrutiny.

Not sure if anyone else has noticed but this year just doesn't seem to be going to plan.

No it wouldn't.

Thanks. Although if true I'm not sure it should be divulged. He should be afforded total privacy, not partial privacy. The club said illness for a reason and if anything is shared more publicly I know I'd happily wait for such information as the club sees fit. Or otherwise.

Me. Trust me on this all Demonlanders move on for now. Respect his privacy

If Hogan is out then I'd prefer Petracca to play at full forward and for either Stretch or ANB to come in.

Agreed. How good is that going to be if we kick better over 4 quarters? And I suspect the second principle (if there is one) is that when things start to go wrong, have someone who knows how to retrieve the situation take charge. Not much need for leaders when it's all going well but when the chips are down, someone needs to take charge. Leadership is a trainable skill but it's not obvious to me that there's much trainng taking place. It is not sufficient to merely be an excellent practitioner of the game, leadership is something more.

Spoke to Gus today at training, he reckons his head is a magnet, but learning how to duck Has had every scan and test known to man, got the all clear and is having a run this weekend

FMD od !! It's time you had a break from the grog.

Weid and ANB travelled. Weid hasn't regained any form in VFL yet so it would be crazy to bring him in. Go small in forward line. Give ANB the tagging job on Laird. Watts leading up at CHF. Petracca from goal square. Hannan also deep-ish with Kent and Garlett hanging around. It would require a fairly significant change in the way we have been taking the ball into F50 (no long bombs) but our recent strategies have been working appallingly anyway. On the Adelaide board on bigfooty they were worried about being too tall and slow in the forward line. Let's go for broke with a small and fast team, play with dash, take risks from defence. I think its the only way we can win. Oh, and tag Sloane with Vince!

North Melb 38,128 St.Kilda 39,760 We are going pretty well all things considered.

These two are now on the emergency list mongrel and I have it on good authority one of them is likely to replace 'Weid' in the starting 22.....

I don't take a lot of posters seriously but 'Pennant' is well connected in Perth and his mail is good.

I got down to today's training session a bit late to find the boys running in four groups around the ground, doing 300/400 meter runs at 3/4 pace, then resting, before going again. I noted Trengove was off with McCarthy doing contested ball work drills with another coach. The running groups then moved to different parts of the ground to do some kicking, hand balling drills across the length of the oval, first with the right foot, then with the left. At this point I noted there was no rehab group doing laps, so none of the injured list players were in attendance and I did not sight Hogan. No Maynard either, still recovering. They broke up into smaller groups where they practiced doing a lot of quick contested ball movement to set up a player who would take a snap at goal. There were 2 groups at my end doing this, a group in the middle doing more centre clearance contested drills and in amongst all this there were selective players and line coaches working on technique Rawlings was doing a lot of body work drills with Frost then Hibberd, not using a ball but just being really physical imitating a big forward trying to out position you. A lot of goal kicking practice, one lot practicing set shots from the boundary using the Stevie J set up, others having shots from 50 on an angle. Neville was doing a defensive drill with Bugg, Hannan and JKH where the ball was kicked high to them and they went body on body trying to mark or knock the ball to a player's advantage nearby. Toward the end Stafford had the ruck division, what's left of it doing centre bounce work, he acting as the opposing ruck with big pad, Cross throwing the ball up inside a marked out centre circle. Keilty, Filopovic and Mitch King taking it in turns jumping against him. I think his main message was for them to take the space under the ball forcing the opposing ruck to have to reach over your shoulders to contact the ball and thus struggle to get an effective tap. King looks to be moving well to me so he may get a shot at some stage before the big boys are back. Trengove was doing individual running drills with 2 coaches, doing 20 meter sprints with ball in hand. They were filming with their phones then showing him the vision, they may have some app that analyses technique. They were emphasising the need for him to stay low on the push off, almost like a sprinter starting from the blocks, replicating in a match when he picks the ball up he has to push off with a lowered centre of gravity. I watched Trenners in the contested centre drill and he looked OK for speed but then that all done in a confined area. i watched Gus in a few drills, he just looks like he is going through the motions, not much energy there at all, I haven't been to training much this year but I thought he was more animated in the past. the session finished early, it was supposed to go through till 12.00 but when I left about 11.00 there only a few still going, Stretch and Kennedy were doing some contested ball drills I think. As I rode off I am sure I went past Saty talking to Neville about something!

Sorry, to me the word isn't intensity, but composure. Lack of composure has been a major problem in all of our losses, not a lack of intensity. Going for even more intensity can stuff up our composure. If we can find the right balance of intensity & composure, we're well & truly in this.

When we (eventually) beat Adelaide, I will... hope that my kids are close to a ouija board, so I can send them expressions of my joy!

You can have mine demonique I doubt they will let me out of the nursing home by then.

True this. Unfortunately, Jack Watts is the best of our non ruck rucks, because he reads the intentions of the oppo ruck, tries to influence their tap to our advantage, and is thinking as much about being involved at the fall of the ball (which he often is) as contesting the hit out. The good thing about that is it involves him in the game, the bad is that we'd prefer he were down forward more.

And StK sold a mountain of memberships on $1 deposit. While North has 3,000 t0 5,000 members in Tassie. And we are not too far off Carlton who have 46,426. For some ungodly reason they are considered one of the Vic 'powerhouse clubs'. This false status gives them umpteen home games at the G (at our expense) against the high membership clubs like Ess, Rich, Haw, Coll. It also gives them numerous FTA games in some prime time slots. It sure helps to have friends in high places and an ex captain head of the AFL.

Major indictment on those clubs imo. They've played in Grand Finals, Prelims, finals, and we've been crap for a decade.

I actually should have put a disclaimer in that Pedersen and Watts, and even TMac, have battled well in the ruck, I am a Pedersen fan. But Pedersen is a good 10cm shorter than othe rucks. McEvoy floated forward and got his hands to a lot, which directly and indirectly led to a lot of scores for Hawthorn. I actually think TMac rucking more last week left our back 6 a little unsettled in the talls department. Goodwin tweaked it at half time and we improved, but I would expect TMac to stay down back full time tomorrow night.

That's easy for you to say.

I compare Brayshaws first couple of years to Scott Thompson. In four years with the Dees Thompson careers was just littered with injuries and form and could barely get on the park. He played 39 games in 4 years. After he got traded to the crows Thommo had a break out year in his 5th year and played the whole season. Brayshaw is in the exact same spot and currently on 31 games who's also had his career filled with injuries and form. I can see him coming back in the AFL over the next couple of weeks and playing a good stretch of games. I too also think Brayshaw will make huge strides next year and we'll show the AFL world why we took him high in the draft. The trade talk is just plain silly and ridiculous.

It seems to be the same posters on a different day or week that say he can't kick or will be finished with one more head knock. We get it. I reckon you're spewing unadulterated cr@p, but it's your right to do so. Just not every frigging second day.

No I'm not either Ox... Especially after the excuse filled response from Goody. Hope he isn't pushing that rubbish inside the four walls

I think Weiderman will play for Hogan. If you remember back to the Richmond game (and to some extent the Essendon game) Rance absolutely killed us when we were a KPF short. He was 3rd man up and flew almost uncontested. Weiderman can (hopefully at the very least) take a key defender and make them accountable. If we need the dump kick into 50, we need someone to try and halve contests and let our smaller forwards do their work. It will all come down to our ball movement and outside run.

Forget the tall element mongrel the Weid is not an AFL player at this point. Play anyone else they are like to get a dozen touches. That will be six more than the Weid. Play Trengove from the square he will at the least make a contest.

How about people just assume Hogan is actually ill. FMD.

I'm loving it. So used to getting the other end of the stick. Opposition supporters especially hate it. It's great.

Shame Vickery didn't play last weekend. Good luck to Fitzy. Oh the irony of two ex Melbourne ruckman playing against each other this week and we haven't got one.

Thrice , it's just possible BBO and Diamond are right concurrently. BBO's caveat is the explanation. Further to that I'll repeat the gist off something i wrote earlier: In order to be half a chance Sat evening we need to .... Come out of blocks switched on and accountable, yet to do Not play rubbish football the first 1/2 qtrs , yet to do Play ALL FOUR qtrs , no naps , yet to do Play on road well, not overly known for it Win on the road, again not our forte Beat an arguably superior team.....nupp, haven't done that this year So, being realistic I can't see us getting up. I'm not suggesting an honourable loss is fine, they never are but I want to see us play PROPERLY not like some fumbling clown outfit who only gets going after a good wind up. Adelaide at Adelaide is a hard game even when they aren't travelling too well. If not careful we'll be lambs to the slaughter and then ALL we will see is the cue back in the rack, and the FD trying out everyone to see who to keep and bump up market values as Finals will be a pipe dream. It was generally accepted that we had to make the very best of the first half of the season as it would be harder in the second. We needed that foundation of wins and percentage to assist us through to September. Well that's all gone by the wayside I'd suggest. For what it's worth and I take no pleasure in writing it I think we're about to get a Football lesson.

Nah, he’s from WA so he’s just fully sick.

Bit of an oversight there from Fox Footy!

No E? That would be unusual in such meetings.

Bitters chains and chokers might be the appriopriate sponsor for our BoJ . "Guaranteed to choke with little pressure" "Chains that never break"

I'm waiting for the moment when Nev is left one out in a marking contest with Tex

Only two media tipsters favouring us. Gotta love Daisy for sticking fat. Not so keen on the KOD !!

Apart from the ruck situation, that's not a bad side. If we fail to bounce back and cop a heavy loss then it's bye bye season 2017.

Kill a bunch of misfits and dissolve their bodies in hydrochloric acid while still accessing their dole payments.

Write a nice letter to Goodwin.

Watch his last game before dropped, read the feedback from Plapp and you will understand why he is back there working on his game. He actually wasn't running and carrying he was slowing our play hence that is why he is working on it in the seconds. I would have him in before Bugg but the reason is pretty clear.

He 'Bugg's' the opposition. I'll see myself out...

I aiways have a chat with Gus, knocked out myself half a dozen times when playing, he understands everybody's concern these days The last knock frustrated him as it was behind play, hence the joke about the magnet He has no issue with putting his head in harms way again, just wants to play

Adelaide are way too tall, for us. Jacobs will have a bath as will their forwards. Backs will shut us down easily. Melbourne by 2 goals.