Lil_red_fire_engine

We will not mess with our 3 pressure forwards. Brown is the only player outside our current side that must be brought in as we need to get him settled and once in will make us a better side. I also think if we want to get Brown in the team (which we should) then you need to remove one of Melksham/Fritsch and Jones/Jordon and also bring in another faster ground level player to counter balance. Jordon is playing more mid/forward than forward mid therefore whilst impacting stays. Jones played a satisfactory role this week and was probably his best game of the season thus far. However Jones body does not make him a 22 game player this year and if he is smart he will want to be there with a chance when the whips are cracking. Therefore I can see him being managed at times to get him through the year and playing in team or as sub when opportunity arises (which it will). Weid will need to bang the door down and show form that puts him passed TMac or Jackson. His VFL effort whilst ok this week was not even on par with the AFL impact of Jackson or TMac. In Brown, Chandler Out Melksham (sub), Jones (managed)

6. Salem 5. Petracca 4. TMac 3. ANB 2. Oliver 1. Hibberd

I reckon Sparrow did not play second half. Hope that does not mean a late change?

Yep, has made some poor execution errors and not been as involved as last week.

Tonight is a great test of how engrained is our team first role based style that has us sitting 5-0. Massive crowd, against the best team in a long time that rush at you defensively and offensively the natural instinct will be to try too hard and do too much. I will not be surprised to see our boys revert somewhat to bees at the honey pot, too many up etc.... Control that, bring the heat, take our chances and the champs may be ready to learn who might be coming for their mantle.

Great to get May and Fritta back. Fritsch being available was the unexpected that meant we did the right thing and did not bring in either of BBB or Weid. Why would you change the team structure when 5-0? Honour the players doing their job and playing their that got us here. Form lapse and injuries will occur and create chances at some point. Jackson whilst a key forward/ruck may not be kicking goals but he rarely lose an aerial contest and usually brings the ball down to a dangerous spot for our mids and smalls. The flexibility his role and athleticism gives us is one of the key reasons for our form and in particular our ability to MAXimise Gawn in varying ways.

Great ins and no need to rush back Weid or Brown and push out an undeserving player or messing with the team balance. Chandler for sub I would expect.

We do have a very balanced list so the old best available could be the go, however. Midfield run. Still don’t have a real second wing and we need to continue to bring in mid depth in behind our mid 22-25 yo midfield jets. Developing tall forward. Mid size half forwards.

I suggest he will go past Jones in the coming weeks and it will be hard to get him out once in. He has always had speed but he now has clean hands and disposal.

Did you watch him on the weekend? You know young players develop their skills yeah?

It amazes me the amount of players names in and out by people with no correlation to the roles they play,. Brown will play another week in my view, Weid demands to be picked based on today. Sounds like May is a very good chance to play. Out: M Brown, Petty, Sparrow In: Weid, May, Bedford (sub)

6. Gawn 5. Lever 4. Tmac 3. Langdon 2. Hibberd 1. Salem

Bedford and Chandler killing it and ready if Jones and Melksham have quiet games in coming weeks. Brown and Weid getting good touch but Weid seemed to play reduced minutes that qtr. Really love the look of Deakyn Smith rare you see such polish on show at VFL level. He das it in spades and looks like a serious player for a half back spot in the future. Based on the first half you would not want to be in the seniors and not play your role with fill commitment at full tilt today. There are players ready to take spots in most positions.

Vanders and Jetta (in the midfield) getting lots of pill. Deakyn Smith looks a beauty off half back. Bedford (our best in first quarter) is now too good for this level and is great pressure on our small forwards. Brown and Weid both looking good and have 3 but should have 5 between them.

On paper we should win and win well. However this is the first week the media have started to respect the Dees and talk us up. This and a combo of playing an alleged lower side with a marquee game next week would be the typical let down game from MFC pre 2021. You just need to watch Port and the Dogs who I think aside from Tigers are the contenders they just get these games done and done early and well. I go into this more nervous than any game this year as if we win this one I will start to believe we may be the real deal and in with a shake with those mentioned.

Nothing against him was just not my initial thinking. My wife supports Essendon so have watched him closely and was amazed they delisted him when they did. He is a hard working forward who has a knack of kicking goals and taking marks but the one thing he has never been good at is defensive pressure. Granted nor has Fritta before 2021 and you could argue most of our forward collective. I actually thought they would play Melksham in the Fritsch role and hence we would need to bring in another runner. Brown coming in fit and in form as a third tall lead up is the I agree the better.

I love Nev, the man has and will continue to squeeze every inch out of himself and for the team. He has been serviceable 4 rounds in but has been holding on until someone goes passed him to better the team. That is what should happen with good sides. Hibberd is a quality player now fit and by all reports in form. May is two players in one, a premium stopper but also a key driver of our half back attacking edge. We are basically replacing the two sides of May in our back 7 with Petty and Hibberd and that means someone’s gotta give. Whilst I was against it early Mitch Brown was the obvious choice to replace Fritta in the side for a like role though I do wonder what the purpose of Melksham. Melksham whilst it was only a first week did not make me confident 2018 Milkshake was on the return.

I like bringing both Petty and Hibberd. I was worried that bringing in Petty which sounds deserved defensively does not balance the amount of attack from the back half we get from Maysie as well. Whilst Jetta has not been bad he has just been hanging on and Hibbo coming in reinforces the we need to look at ways to continually get better. Brown for Fritta is like for like but I would based on last week and him not playing the Fritta role push Melksham back to medisub.

So is Jetta training as well?

Fritsch out is frustrating but injuries will occur lets hope they are short term and spread across the season at opportune time. Melksham plays the Fritsch role which he is best suited to, Sparrow stays in (which he should based on showing), Petty for May and Hibberd as sub (or vice versa).

This is to me is THE danger game, The weeks press has turned its focus to how great we are playing and that we are likely the real deal. We would have set ourselves for Geelong and looked pretty cooked when the siren sounded. I am worried that we will have our mind set for Anzac Eve and forget the one in the middle. We are against the craftiest coach in the game and whilst the Hawks are not much on paper they have some quality across the lines particularly midfield that need to be respected.

Trust us the year we have an NGA who appears to be a serious specimen we won’t be able to take him if picked inside 20. Mac Andrew please be good, but not too good.

A Melbourne side with 4 quarter intensity. A Melbourne side who stay with the plan. A Melbourne side who stick their tackles. A Melbourne side who run as hard back as forward, A Melbourne side who adjust roles on the run when things don’t go their way. Just need to start ticking the Melbourne side who take their chances and we will seriously start putting sides away and I will start to believe we are a serious shake. The injuries and soreness in the kids will come at some point but we have some quality depth old and young to replace them with. Always great to put the wins away early certainly better than chasing them late.

In Petty and Hibberd Out May and Jordon Jordon sub.

6. Petracca 5. Lever 4. Viney 3. Fritsch 2. Gawn 1. Langdon