Lil_red_fire_engine

Salem does not work hard enough to play wing. If anything he should be tried in the middle in spurts where less unheeded running is required. Plays much better from behind the ball.

Brisbane and MFC are the only 2 teams to have 40+ inside 50 in each game this year. The only real difference between 2018 MFC and 2020 MFC is conversion rate. I suggest the shift in forward personnel today with Weid and Bennell is a good start. That is what makes the stat so damning and also why we are not far off turning this about.

6 tackles and is watched more at stoppage than any player on the park. Not getting much ball yet but when he does its quality. Unless his pressure acts drop he plays.

People will have a fit when we make only a few changes next week. In Weid, Bennell Out, Melksham, Hunt

6.Hibberd 5. Trac 4. May 3. Gawn 2. Hannan 1. Fritsch

Constant closing pressure. Run to create options. Take the first one. Maximise the chances that present. Do these things and the talent in the 22 will get the 4 points.

Whilst I agree 6-6-6 has hurt us and an in form tall is also part of the solution I would be keen to see our I50 tackles and also goals from I50 stoppages. The ball just seems out of there a lot easier and I feel in 2018 we got a lot of goals from a boundary throw in clearance or forward stoppage. I feel this is why we should be playing two talls to try and get more balls to ground and use our clearance strength to score.

If we did he would have not been on the list this year.

Some general points. Ross Lyon was not exactly known for forward potency football even though he had generational key forwards in Pavlich and Reiwoldt available to him. How many clubs ruckman or inside bull has decision making and kick execution as their strong points? Agree its hard to get players to change which I suggest is why we have brought in natural runners in Langdon and Tomlinson and are playing Rivers, Lockhart and Kozzie and Bennell once fit. Have we considered our players are not used to having running options available to them yet? I still believe the scoring problem is too many mid sized half forwards who do not pressure out enough or run and connect back inside 50 ie: Fritsch, Melksham, Vandenberg, Hunt. We need one less and either a proper tall or a proper small.

How many contests did Smith lose today? The problems at the other end. Out Vandenberg, Melksham In Weideman, Bennell.

Avatar is not something I gave much thought to. He just coasts through games. Has no real impact or urgency. Has a neat kick but doesn’t really use it as a weapon. I just keep waiting for him to step up. I feel what you see now is the best we’ll get.

Or we have just over rated him? He is a very beige player.

We looked like a team who had played little. We defended well other than the two brain fades that cost us goals. We need to learn how to turn teams that play the short kick with us which takes away contests. Forward line needs 2 talls and less mid sized forwards. This MFC brand of football which should be recognisable is still not clear to me. As long as we build off it its not the disgrace people are stating but we need to fix the challenges and not stubbornly ignore them.

We are so focussed on defending that we have forgotten how to try and score. We have given our guaranteed 3 own goals per game so hope that is all. Ned the first and to actually play with some run and dare.

He kicked 6 in one of the last 4 games he played. How quickly people forget. Weid should be playing ahead of AVB or Melksham. We need two talls and TMac just needs to keep contesting like he is today.

As others have mentioned TMac splitting lots of contests. That’s all I expect and the rest will come. We look like a team who has played one proper game in 3 months. The effort is there and the structure is there defensively we just need to get cleaner with the ball and start more consistently moving the ball on quickly. The rest should come.

Nothing wrong with the defensive effort. Lacking any dare and clean take aways, May this be the last game without a second tall and can our first one please find something that resembles form.

In my opinion Tmac and Brayshaw are given more chances when form is shaky because if they hit form their value to the side is significant. Also what is the potential impact of the player that is missing out. I think I heard someone mention Ben Matthews state that Angus was the best performed mid in the intra last week. Hopefully this starts to translate into this week against the cats.

They have a healthy list to choose from and have stated they are unclear what is our best combo. Most have stated our backline has not looked right And our forward line has not functioned well bar one quarter. We need to quickly shake it up to find the right dynamic and then settle it as fast as we can. I personally think we are a set up one tall forward short. I also hope Hibberd back in will allow Harmes back into the midfield rotation. Otherwise I have no issue with what they are doing to try to get the right mix.

I reckon its Pickett, Brayshaw, Lockhart, Jackson. Jetta is a step off and I think they are very keen to get Lockhart into the side. I think we need a touch more height at the G and Jackson is the only additional height.

I reckon Smith will play on Stringer when forward. I suspect he will play in the back 6 at least to start with (unless others know otherwise).

He did look heavy last week. However his best games as a forward were playing a deeper role than he has been asked to play so far. He is also a massive confidence player and I suspect will given at least a few more to get in the groove. I just want to see him apply himself more and at worst halve more contests this week.

How many minutes did Gawn not ruck for last week? I can recall no more than one small portion but TOG stats on AFL suite aren’t populating? Tomlinson could chop out for the very small portion if required or TMac or Smith or you could go completely unconventional with AVB or Harmes.

Thoughts on Essendon forwardline?

Bombers play small forward so would not be surprised to see Hibberd played ahead of Smith. I suggest Lockhart just needs a bit more work into him still. I would personally play Weid particularly if it’s wet over Jackson but understand reinforcing his first game and making Weid work for a spot. They may not even take in LJ if it is as wet as expected. Of those nameD on I/C from I think it will be Pickett, Jones, Hibberd, Jackson (if we shift for the wet AVB over Jackson),