Deespicable

Word is it that we are sticking with the same combination, including James Jordon as the sub. Here's my view on why Jayden Hunt should be named in that role ahead of JJ. 1) The sub role in the GF is different to the role required throughout the season - it requires an impact player. For 22 weeks plus the finals to date, the sub role was there to cover significant game-ending injuries and the coaches honored the AFL request to use it in that manor. But the grand final is different. Sure it might be activated early if a club sustains a serious injury, but this time there is a guarantee that the side that is trailing at three-quarter time will try and use it like they did during the short-loved sub era from 2011-15. And the Dogs will almost certainly name the pacey Anthony Scott or small forward Laitham Vandermeer for the role, allowing them the chance to take off one of their talls (Martin, Scache or English if they are getting beaten) to help provide spark. Perth Stadium is a big ground and that injection of pace could be crucial if it's a close game. James Jordon is a hard-working mid who is a great prospect - but he ain't going to provide a lively role up forward and he has had no training down back. Jayden Hunt is electric, even if his pre-2021 reputation is that he's somewhat erratic, and he is experienced in playing both down back and up forward. 2) The sub role should help with covering a key injury and ideally should have the potential to help with our two players under injury clouds - May and Spargo. Clearly the only player on our list (other than Tomlinson) that can try and fill the May void is Joel Smith. But he is also under an injury-cloud so would be a poor choice as sub. If May was to tweak his hammy further, the most likely scenario is that either T-Mac is sent back to play on English or Schache or Hibberd would be moved on to Schache and shifted off minding Roarke Smith and Bontempelli when resting. In both scenarios Hunt can provide value in being able to cover Hibberd's role down back or add forward pressure if sent up there in a quasi T-Mac role. Hunt also could switch into Spargo's small forward/tackle pressure role if Spargs ankle proves worse than thought. Jordon can do neither - he is best suited in the middle and would be ideal back-up if Angus, Trac, Olly or Viney get injured, although not crucial because Harmes, ANB and Sparrow can play more mid if needed. 3) Is it unfair to drop JJ after he's been in the 23 all season? I think JJ has been the sub for the past five weeks and we all should respect the fact that he is developing fast and has shown admirable courage. But he's been the sub - his omission does not alter team balance. All season he has won plaudits - but let's face it, he is a development player and his best years will be ahead. Will he feel aggrieved? Of course. Every player who narrowly misses will feel disappointed. Jayden Hunt must feel mega frustrated that after finally establishing himself as lockdown defender who links up well and playing every minute of our first 19 games before getting injured that he has been overlooked for a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old, albeit two very talented ones. Anyway to me it's clear cut - Jayden Hunt should be the sub. Just as the Dogs will try and inject pace late in the game, we need to be ready to do so as well. Hopefully the sub issue will be a non-issue and we have the game in our keeping anyway, but what's your view?

Love the fact that Cerra wants to come to us, but like many here I just can't see the deal getting done. And the big reason is that last year we traded out Josh Mahoney - the best wheeler and dealer in the business. In fact I very much doubt we will see any side deals of note this year because of his absence.

I think the only time we played to this level was at the end of 1987. Suddenly that team believed and they were doing everything for Robbie and the side had so many guns - Flower, Wilson, Sean Wight, Brett Lovett, Stretch, Danny Hughes plus some amazing youngsters - Lyon, Viney, Stynes - and our best back pocket ever Alan Johnson was out injured for most of the season. Guys like Yeats, Spalding, Dean, Jackson, Campbell stepped up come finals. But the argument would be that they weren't a gun side for much of the year - only hitting form in early August.

The mail I have is that there will be no change which is in keeping with the overriding finals philosophy that you don't change your finals line-up, unless you lose or have a star to recall. Our only missing player is Jayden Hunt, but whether or not he's regarded as a star is the question. Certainly if he's fit he plays and most of us get that Joel Smith or Bowey or even Rivers would miss, but it's a tricky decision especially in light of last week. What I found extraordinary, and I'm surprised most of you aren't noting it already, was the big call last week to play Joel Smith in preference to Hibbo and to change what has been a stable back seven on the eve of the finals. Just about every Demonlander has been hammering Joel since 2017 - claiming he didn't have the nous to play at this level etc. Goody's concerns about him have also been noted - he was after all only offered a one-year deal. Injuries have cost him a chance for much of his career and meant he missed the start of our highly successful campaign this year. He apparently has been training well, but to wait until round 22 to play him shows Goody's reluctance and reticence of his abilities and to then keep him for the clash against Geelong when May was back is huge. It shows two more things. 1) Smith has incredible potential as a quick negater who can play on tall and small, even though Goody and us DLers have some reluctance about him; 2) Hibbo is no longer rated so highly by Goody. The Hibbo thing comes as a bit of a shock to me especially as his left-foot skills provide a lovely balance for our backline and he's still tough and courageous even if he's slowing a little with age, but we all have commented for a long time that Melky and Hibbo are Goody's pets being part of his Essendon evolution. It's hard to comprehend but what may happen now is that our four most senior players on our list - Jones, Jetta, Hibberd and Melky - are all overlooked for finals. Extraordinary. Time will tell if it is a good gamble, but nonetheless it is a shock to me and I think most of you and I imagine, in turn, some of the players. But if Smith and Sparrow play well against Brisbane, that misgiving will soon be overridden by the wisdom of Goody's selections - which after all has been the case pretty much all season. We are not alone in our election revamps however. Essendon has got all cagey on Tipi leading into the finals; the Dogs have chopped and changed forward structures all year and have gone off English in an amazing way; the Cats were back to blaming Stanley for everything after losing to the league No.1 ruckman after halftime; the Swans have mysteriously been playing hardball with early-season star Warner; Power axed SPP last week and the Lions have to decide if they will rejig their back seven to include Adams, Andrews and Gardiner plus upset someone to get Robinson back in. So all side do funny things around finals - just ask John Northey about his decisions before the 1988 Grand Final. If Hunt is fit, then you can easily make a case for Bowey (too young), Smith (too inconsistent and injury-prone), but I reckon one of my favourites Rivers could also be a possible out. That's finals for you.

6 Oliver: I have been critical of Ollie in the past because I felt he just had scope for so much more, whether it be his kicking or his handballing backwards. But that game showed what he has been trying to achieve since midway through last year and was Chris Judd-esque. Did you hear the Cats imploring players to mark Ollie on the coverage? He was that good and he needed to be with Trac down. 5 Gawn: How good was it that he got his redemption against the Cats at the same ground that Zach Tuohey buried us after the siren a few years back now. He was frustrated early but he lifted and even if we hadn't won, he had shown again his resolve. 4 Lever: Quiet early and beaten during the 2nd term onslaught, he started winning the ball back late in the second term and kept going for the rest of the night. He's a major reason why we are good this season. He talks and he walks and he can even baulk. But it's his sure hands and clever mind that are critical - 12 intercepts. 3 Viney: This was like a final and as you'd expect, the hardnuts comes to the fore. Couldn't stop Selwood early but boy was he working. 2 Harmes: Same story as Viney. You have to have these guys in the trenches and he is just so fit. 1 Salem: After a quietish few weeks he asserted himself a bit more and with a young running defence around him (Bowey, Rivers, Smith) he was the smarts all night.

Effectively finals have come a week early for us along with Port and the Bulldogs. And with no clear indication on the finals bye positioning, the complexities for Goody and his selectors are even more paramount. One thing about finals is that you rarely change the side, except for injuries, so this week is the last chance for any slight tweaks and also to get our best 22 on the park. Effectively we are picking our GF side, should we get that far, because as I said, you don't mess with structure in finals and you back your best. But what is our best 22? The big thing this week is that three of our best 22 are most likely back - Viney and May certainly, T.Mac most likely. That means a decision of the three outs is also way more meaningful as normal. The obvious one is May in for Joel Smith. Yes Joel played well until Hibberd smashed him and for once the anti-Joel lobby didn't move into overdrive - but unfortunately he's up against an All-Australian in May. He remains a very handy back-up for our three tall defenders, but he's not getting the gig now unless one of Lever, Petty or May is injured. The other two are tricky. Viney is clearly in and T.Mac will be if he's fit, but which of Sparrow or Jordan or Bowey or Melky misses? To me until Jaidyn Hunt returns, Bowey's spot is safe. We could move Angus back into our defensive seven but I wouldn't. We need Angus to continue on the wing and negate and provide safety. Sparrow is a more attacking player with a better kick, but he is yet to really assert himself on a game. Down the track he may become a regular, but he's not quite there yet, so he's out in my view, although I'd be happy with him being the sub through the finals because he can offer more options with his size and his willingness to take the game on. Then it gets down to Melky or JJ. JJ's issue is that with Viney back, he's forced back out to the wing more and he's not a natural there. JJ is a quick release handball offensive conduit. He's not confident yet with taking the game on when he's in a mark/kick scenario which happens more often on the wing, but he's brilliant with his handball and he works his butt off defensively. He's the safe option, but he's not the best option at this stage of his development. Melky's issue is that once T.Mac returns, we already have seven forwards who have served us well all season. So where does Melky play. He has to go back into the midfield rotation and spend some time on Angus' wing as well. We know he has a weapon with his kicking, but is he quick enough still to play on the wing and is he enough of a team player - does he work hard to get back, to pressure like ANB and Spargo do innately. His advantage is that for his size he's good in the air with body positioning and provided he doesn't give away 50m frees, he is way more dangerous than Sparrow and Jordan in this role. He could still play primarily as a forward but that means ANB or Spargo have to become more mid/forwards, something that we've seen a bit of lately anyway. So ultimately it gets down to Melky or JJ missing out this week and most likely missing out on our finals series as a result. Which one would you go? I'd play Melky. Sorry JJ.

Why is Adelaide not being seriously considered to host all finals? I get that the MCG is not going to happen with crowds and I get that the spectacle is just so much better with crowds. But I am sorry I don't quite get why Adelaide is not ahead of Perth in likelihood of staging the finals. Adelaide, like Perth, has practically no cases Adelaide, like Perth, has proud footy traditions which means that all games will be close to capacity even without the local sides playing, although Port are guaranteed to be playing in at least two of the nine finals. Adelaide, like Perth, has a relatively new stadium that has won rave reviews. Crowd capacity is 53,500 as opposed to Perth's 60,156 - a slight difference but not massive enough to be a critical factor. Then there's the advantages: Adelaide is less distance for other teams to travel (ie Brisbane). Adelaide is more accessible for us Victorians if we make the granny. and while government policy changes, the one state that has been saying 'No' to any foreigners throughout the Covid era is WA. I also get that holding the finals in Adelaide would give Port considerable clout, but as with the Lions last year, even though the umps will favour them, if you aren't up to it, you still aren't up to it. So why Perth?

Forecast is for a nice warm 18 day at MCG, so it would be hard to use the wet excuse on Weid this week so he's in IMV. Then it's a choice of either Joel Smith or Hibberd for Hunt's spot. I think given it's so close to finals I'd be going the experience of Hibbo, although I get the temptation to give Smith one last shot at it. As to who comes out for Weid, it should be Melky (even though he was terrific last week), as we already have three smalls, one medium (Fritta) and with Weid (three talls) up forward. But Melky's already in the 18, so I imagine ANB and Spargo will get a bit of time up the ground and Fritta on the wing. That means the choice for the final bench spot is between Jordon, Sparrow and VDB - tough decision that one and whoever gets it is also the most likely omission when Viney comes back a week later. Personally I'd go VDB, but I reckon they will go JJ. And even if they don't pick JJ, it's been a great season by the youngster.

Delighted to hear talk (rumour) that we are after Brayden Maynard - who probably played his best ever game last Monday. He's still only 24, is a left-footer which we need, and as with Hibberd, loves playing on quality smalls or three-quarter talls and is tough as nails. He has an association with us via his dad and brother and significantly is part of the 2014 Victorian TAC group that we have put our faith behind - Trac, Angus, Lever. I would imagine we'd have to offload the Weid plus picks 33 and 38 to get this done - but what a perfect recruit if it can be achieved. I had been of the view that Hayden Young was the best fit for us in that role going forward, but Brayden is a here now quality player and given that Collingwood is in a rebuild phase, may be willing to switch.

Deespicable’s 2021 Mid-Year Player Rankings I almost didn't do the rankings this season. I mean it's not like everyone has a markedly different view anymore - we all know why Goody rates some players highly and there's not a collection of hard-done by players being left out in favour of Oscar McDonald. And team changes on Friday are almost a thing of a past - with injuries the only rational for most. Tell me which player you aren't happy with getting a game now ... that's right, aside form the odd 'Melky is Goody's BFF' line, it's been almost complete silence. We as a club have become so boring - boringly good that is ... at least until our Queen's Birthday loss. Sure there will be odd change as a result and clearly our high-priced recruit Ben Brown will be back along with Jack Viney. But it's been a pleasure to be a Dees supporter this year and there's been just so much to love about this season. It makes such a difference when you have genuine stars of the game to go with all our role players. This year Clayton Oliver has taken his game to a new level that makes him a competition heavyweight along with Max Gawn and last year's revelation Christian Petracca. In fact I'd argue that you'd have to go back to West Coast of 2006 to find a better trio in the engine room - that threesome had Brownlow Medallists Ben Cousins and Christian Judd plus the best ruckman of the naughties in Dean Cox. But with any side, it's not just the quality at the top, it's the depth of good players and their willingness to be selfless. And based on recent mid-year All-Australian rankings by many commentators that had up to nine Dees in the mix, then we have that covered. The hard thing for me was deciding who out of our top three to give the No.1 this year and whilst I know he won't win the Brownlow, I have got to say Gawny again. His game in our abysmal loss to the Pies was typical of his year - when he had to lift, he found a way to do it. It's too early to tell how far we will go this year and I'm sure I won't be the only Dee fan biting his nails this September. Here's my annual list at mid-year. Links to my previous years are at the bottom. 2020: One to 44 – Rating our list (last year’s rank in brackets). 1 Max Gawn (1) There's no 'i' in Max, or Gawn for that matter, and that's been the message for the whole club this year. As our captain and most recognisable player (hard not to be when your are 208cm with a beard almost down to your knees), Max has a presence that goes way beyond the norm. In 30 years time Max will still be remembered by most AFL fans - and as such he's our brand. And it's not just what he says about our 'team first' philosophy which even comes through with the renaming of his Captain's Run podcast to the Gus and Gawny show (note which name comes first), it's more the way he is playing on the field. He's way keener this year to bring others into the game with a quick handball give or a shepherd or marking block. And his ground skills for such a big bloke are pretty damn good, invariably linking up with Olly or Trac with a one-two through the midfield. As for his snap goal against Lions, well that's a new one. You sense that he's accepted that he won't win a Brownlow, he'll just be happy to rack up the All-Aussie spots - he's on track for his fifth AA, which will see him join Garry Lyon as our highest ever - although I suspect RDB would have won seven or more if the honor was around in the 50s - it began in 1982. 2 Christian Petracca (2) What I like more than anything about Trac this year is that he seems to have more of a steely resolve in the big games. His second-half againt the Tigers was huge, he was on from the outset against the Cats making sure Olly was protected as well, he was ferocious against the Bulldogs nabbing Bont whenever he could and poor old McCluggage is probably still sore from Trac nailing him against the Lions. But his game versus the Lions was even more than that - he was all class and awareness - his third-quarter goal was one even Dusty would have applauded. I almost gave him the No.1 rank because of that Lions game such was his impact. He's also like a big brother to Olly, which is mega important as side's will spend more time now trying to negate their influence. 3 Clayton Oliver (4) Why is it that I still get frustrated by Olly? I mean he's cleaned up his “hot potato” act and is using his phenomenal pace to break lines like Chris Judd and he's now deservingly regarded as high-end elite as his Brownlow odds suggest. And yet I watched his facial expressions when he lined up for goal from about 40m against Brisbane and I knew he wanted to give it off, rather than own it. Eventually he was forced to have the shot and not surprisingly, given his fear, he made a meal of it. I think it's because with the close ups on TV we all see the emotion etched on his face. And his fraility came through big-time, just as it did when Matt deBoer tagged him in Rd 3 and he went into his shell. Trac helped him through against the Cats O'Connor the next week, but I bet he'll have a lot more tagging attention come finals and it's up to him to work his way through it - maturely. Maybe a chat with Juddy pre-finals about shrugging tags would be timely. And if he does learn to cope with the extra attention, then we win the flag - he's that important. Ask yourself which other player can win the hardball, then choose between a quick congestion give or a line-breaking run at such velocity. 4 Steven May (5) In 10 weeks time Maysie will win two honours - his first All-Australian top and his first finals gig. How lucky are we to have a decent key defender at last - one that you know will be up to any task and one who provides offence as well with his main weapon - his left-foot. His effort after halftime against the Lions when he got on top of Daniher and Hipwood and started taking marks was huge. And even better there's no frills about his play. Two more years like this and we may just have to decide if he's Melbourne's best full-back ever, even after less than 100 games. Sorry in advance to the relatives of the late 'Tassie' Johnson. 5 Jake Lever (7) A few commentators said recently it was time to start tagging Lever. But I just don't get how you do it. Firstly he does already man a tall forward, even if he sags off them a bit to cover the corridor, and it's not his run and dash that other side's need to negate. It's his smarts - his positioning is incredible as is his courage in the air which makes intercepts not just possible, but likely. So how do you tag that? All you can do is ask your forward to make him accountable in the air, just like Goody tried with Weid in his battle against Harris Andrews and Darcy Moore. But even then, I'd back in Lever nine times out of 10. 6 Ed Langdon (6) It took half a season for his teammates to figure out he was a viable panic release option for them last season and now everyone knows it, his stats are going through the roof. Sadly though, MCC members wouldn't know it because Lingers plays the far-side (non-interchange gate) wing as he does at every ground. That's largely because his coach knows that he doesn't need to come off - he's an everyready battery. As an MCC member, I'm a little peeved that I miss seeing his work close up but at least I can see it when I watch the Kayo replay. This year he's added goals to his repertoire (he only kicked two last year) and he thanks Chocco for improving his field kicking but the net result is that he's now being talked about as an AA. 7 Christian Salem (11) Finally Demonlanders have reached a consensus. No longer does every third DL request 'SayLo' to play through the middle. He's not the incredible hulk after all, his best asset is that he slices and dices with his left foot. He's not a thumper like Maysie, but he hits more targets than Arsenal did this season. He's also mega effective at shutting down his opponent and significantly was missing when we lost to the Crows. Richo and the club kept mum of the reason using the "general soreness' card but I suspect he may have a bit of groin tightness coming on and needs a week or two more off, which should happen now over the bye period. 8 Kysaiah Pickett (17) Most of us DL knew what lay ahead for him last year. But now every Tom, [censored] and Harry claims to have had an inkling what the competition's new Cyril can do. And how lucky are we to have a player who can turn a match with just nine touches, as he did against Brisbane. The draft swap with Freo that saw us also claim Rivers will go down as our best piece of recruiting since the days of Jim Cardwell. The value of Kozzy should not be unerestimated. His ability to lift the side when struggling against GWS (rd 3) and North (rd 7) and then against Brisbane (rd 12) is now the stuff of legend. In previous years we would have persisted with high and aimless forward entries and been unable to break through. Now we just dial up Kozzy and defenses crumble and goals happen. 9 Tom McDonald (18) OK, hands up if you wanted him out. Yep I was one. After a few injuries (turf toe/knee soreness) in recent years it seemed to me (and many others) that he was just too slow to have any hope of getting back to his 2018 days. But I suspect he was back to leading our 200m reps with ANB (Joel Smith would have ben injured) - apologies but I never saw those drills in my four trips pre-season to Casey. Tom’s never going to be a speed demon and as such I doubt the wing experiment would have worked, but he has a huge tank and his ability to continually work back and forward and his renewed confidence with his trickery (yes, he loves a baulk more than Bernie Quinlan) has seen him labelled as the AFL's comeback player of the year. As for the goal on the run against the Blues from a Kozzy pass, well you needed to be there to appreciate what it meant. Barring injury, he'll win our club goalkicking (sorry Fritter). 10 James Harmes (14) If not for a broken hand, which he played through, in rd 1, I reckon Harmsey would be challenging T-Mac for the comeback player of the year. He's just such a goer in the Liam Picken or Mitch Robinson mould. He's never going to be an All-Australian, but I've said every year that he'd be one of my first players picked. He just does the one percenters and team things so well and is a huge reason why Olly and Trac have been dominating. I get that Goody wanted to try him as a defender last season, but we all know now he's better suited to the midfield where his run and passion for the contest is first rate. How good was his first game back against the Swans or his game nullifying Libba? Even the most niggardly (nice way of saying stupid) of DLers now realise why he's in the side. Yes he'll get caught on occasions, yes he'll butcher the odd kick and yes he will be bringing the blue-collar work ethic to our side come finals. And I love it. 11 Jack Viney (3) It's easy to say we don't need him at the moment. But come finals, he's one I want almost more than anyone else. He's our raging bull and he'll run through anybody. The only difference is that this time when he comes back from injury he has to remember that his courage and hardness must be tempered by the fact that Batman and Robin (Trac and Olly) are the main act and he needs to get on board that structure. His role is to mix his desperate deeds with tackling, bumping and grinding the opposition midfielders. Ultimately I suspect we will have to get past the Cats, Dogs and Tigers and to do so we need him to form his own tandem negating act with Harmsey. And if one our gun trio of small forwards gets injured, then I'd play him in that role as well. 12 Angus Brayshaw (8) Last year I said that Gussy is the Ringo Starr of our Fab Four and that he's got to find a way to beat the drums at any venue or in any spot and that includes the wing. And based on his game against the Dogs he's done it. Go back and look at the replay and have a look at the ferocity and awareness of Gus every time the Doggies tried to go down his wing. It was super stuff and with SPE(Ed) on the other wing, we now have a stellar combination that is the envy of many sides. His aerial work is also top shelf. And I just have a sneaky feeling that he might go up another level come finals with 50m goals on the run part of his pressure equation. And it's great that he's taken on cricket's Nathan Lyon role with our club song. 13 Bayley Fritsch (13) Injuries early meant that for the first six weeks Fritter had to play as a tall and to his credit his leading and aerial work was as good as anyone's and does seem to be at home playing out of the goalsquare. Sure he still missed the odd set shot, but his six goal game against the Roos just showed how far he has come from the spindly Casey kid who could take a hanger. Being just 188cm, he's a three-quarter tall forward and in this current AFL era that's not an easy task. Aside from Liam Ryan, Toby Greene and Jake Stringer - name me another lead-up medium forward capable of having a regular impact in a game. In fact since Brad Johnson, they have been something of a dying breed with bigs and smalls the only way forward. That makes him an imprtant POD, but he has to remember that his role includes tackling and chasing. It's for that reason why Melky is no longer regarded as our goalsquare option. 14 Michael Hibberd (10) A late start to the season meant poor old Hibbo had to wait four weeks to get a go down back ad he was immediately at his attacking best against the Hawks. The following week though it was back to his down and dirty Frankston best, niggling and harassing Dusty and the ferocity of his tackling needed to be seen to be believed. Aside from stopping our opponent's best medium tall, Hibbo's left-foot is crucial for our balance. It's why we need to sign him up again for '22, or move heaven and earth to lure Hayden Young away from Fremantle. 15 Charlie Spargo (31) As someone who has been dubious about Charlie's tenure in the AFL for two years now, it was quite a surprise to see him dominate training pre-season. The 2021 version of Charlie is much stronger and his tackles now stick. He also seems more confident with kicks in the 40-45m category, not that that is where he's been doing his best work. It's his short slick passes of around 25-30m that have hit targets and done the damage. I've always said his smarts and skills were very apparent, but this year he's become a man - albeit a vertically challenged one. And he seems to be loving every bit of that challenge - his aerial tap to T-Mac as we charged back into the contest against Brisbane was worthy of six footers. He's now a lock in the side and if anything, this rank may still be doing him an injustice. 16 Trent Rivers (25) I said last year that there’s a bit of Corey Enright in the way he goes about it and that early assessment is still on the money. He has great closing speed, is safe in the air, is a lovely kick and seems to be getting better with each game. My favourite thing about him is that he has the balls to run with it and take a bounce or two on occasions. And as for getting him with pick 32, that's just crazy stuff. 17 Luke Jackson (19) Browny and Riewoldt love raving about Dogga and there's no doubt he's developing well. But come on, let's get serious, he's still a fair way off being a star - just have a look at how many times he gets pushed off a ruck contest by a mature-bodied opponent. The good news is that he's got quite a good leap which means that, even at 199cm, down the track he may become a Brodie Grundy clone. With such a good work rate and willingness to try and win ground balls, he's already mega useful in that he allows Gawny to go forward and provide a mismatch. His third quarter against the Roos when Gawny was having an off day against Todd Goldstein and his effort against the Pies were highlights and so long as he keeps presenting when up forward, then I'm willing to excuse his mullet and his awful song playlist. 18 Alex Neal-Bullen (24) As with T-Mac, ANB was nearly shown the door at the end of last season. But rival clubs must have been reading all the disparaging remarks about him on DL and chose not to bite. Goody, in his Kozzy excitement, also seemed to have moved on. But a desire to go three talls, three 'hard-working' smalls and one hybrid meant that ANB was re-classified. As always he was among our best trainers pre-season and got another chance Rd 1 and some pretty handy games against the Saints and Cats, followed by a vote-catching display against the Tigers have seen him rack up the games with his 100th likely about Rd 20. At his best, he's like Robbie Gray, but I reckon he still needs a breakout game where he kicks five or sets up his talls like Spargo has been doing to secure his spot for the finals. 19 Adam Tomlinson (20) Big Tommo knew immediately the enormity of his knee injury - the second it happened down in Tassie. Finally after 160 games across 12 seasons, he had nailed down a spot. He'd taken on TomaHawk and Riewoldt and emerged with his repuatation enhanced and after six straight wins, was loving it at the Dees as our third tall defender. He's too nice a big bloke to not be cheering us on come finals, but you can tell it hurt. He'll be back next year though and at least now he knows he can play on the best and prevail. 20 Jayden Hunt (26) I said last year there was no more exciting time than when he used to springboard us off half-back in Roosy’s last season and Goody seemed to like him too initially before deciding that he wasn’t reliable enough with his kicking. As with Nibbler, he seemed on his way out and would have been had a club or two made more than a fleeting request. Thankfully the only coach who seemed keen on him as a defender was Chocco Williams. And so Jayden 2.0 has arrived. His renaissance also means that we have a player with the leg-speed to match the likes of Rioli and Castagna and that has really helped Say-Lo, who no longer has to chase the quickest small forward or be chased down by him. He's not the messiah, but he's been really good at closing down space, which is a role that often goes unappreciated. And as for excitement, there's been a couple of times where he and Lingers have been off to the 'handball races' on the far wing with devastating effect. One more thing, how many times have we heard opponents comment that the Dees are way quicker than we used to be. Wonder why! 21 James Jordon (NR) I still reckon he's a tad predicatable with his kicking and doesn't have any tricks to rave about but I'm warming to him. He's quick with the hands and he's a good tackler. His games against the Dogs and Lions were AFL-worthy and with Trac and Olly running the show, we need role players and he's one. What JJ's rise this year does show is that we have a much better development system than at any stage in the past. Credit Ben Matthews (2019-20) and Adem Yze (2021). After a lengthy Michael Tuck-style apprenticeship, he lined up in Round 1 and quickly showed his schooling in off-the-ball work and snagged a key goal in the third term against Freo. I'd still like to see him go back to the VFL and completely dominate a game before the finals, but I know I'm now in a minority on that score. 22 Harrison Petty (NR) After a year off with OP, it was nice to see Harry being settled back into defence and he was mega-impressive in the simulation matches that I saw at training. And as yet I've got to say he's been pretty ordinary in the real stuff compared with what I saw pre-season. His match against the Hawks lacked confidence and he's struggled pretty much since replacing Tommo in Round 8, although his game against the Dogs was promising. But he is only 21 and hopefully he's a slow burn as we need him to man the resting rucks and talls. There's really only two other options - sending T-Mac back there or our old mate Joel Smith, who is finally over injury .. at least until the next one. You could argue Majak could play there, but he hasn't trained there (yet) and ditto Mitch Brown. 23 Ben Brown (NR) Wow. If you believe the rumours he's fuming at his lack of chances and is considering a trade already. While he presented well against the Swans, I suspect a couple of errant handball gives against Carlton hurt his case and warranted the swap with the Weid, who has better mobility and ground work. But the Pies loss changed things. Brown is a marking presence and draws defenders and he's now had a few more weeks to get comfortable with his knee injury and improve his ground work. He also needs to mix up his long run-up kicking skills with the occasional quick link-up. And if he plays finals, then the trade talk is sure to bite the dust anyway. 24 Jake Melksham (12) Melky will turn 30 just before the finals. If everyone is available, does he get a guernsey ahead of JJ or ANB? Here's the thing. Melky has a weapon - he can thump the ball 60m to break a line and come finals that will be way more important than ever. Against that is the fact that as many DLers state, he's not working hard enough without the ball. And that's why his likely return to the VFL next week will be super important. He has to change his ways a little, show he still has the desire to make it and rack up the tackles. 25 Sam Weideman (9) After a breakout year last season, the Weid has had a few setbacks this season with a stress-related hip injury ruining his pre-season, making him a late starter. And with T-Mac on fire and Ben Brown initially preferred he had to do time in the VFL. A few big bags made it nigh on impossible to select him, but three goals in five AFL games since his recall is hardly making a statement, although to be fair, he's been a nearly-man every week. He gets his hands to it but just can't quite clunk it. So too his kicking. One positive is that he's still pretty handy at ground level, but his failure to stop Darcy Moore marking on Monday means he will surely be back in the VFL in rd 14. Then it's a race to see if he can get back in vogue for the finals. After last year he knows he can do it. The issue is whether it's at the Pies next year or with us in September. 26 Tom Sparrow (29) It was nice to see our VFL game against North televised and it gave all of us a chance to see how much Tommy Sparrow has improved. He's kicked a couple of good goals at AFL level now, so he's getting comfortable with the step up and he does have the tools to make it being a good kick and pretty quick. But he'll have to keep working his butt off, because right now he's probably about our 25th player when picking our side for the finals. 27 Nathan Jones (22) You have to hand it to the club for the way they got Jonesy to 300 this year and quickly made a call that even after playing in seven successive wins, that may be it. He's been a great and loyal servant and who knows he may yet get another chance as I'm sure his VFL form will be super impressive when the comp resumes. I won't make a call on the AFL finals, but I will say this, if Jonesy, Vanders, Melky, Jetta, Lockhardt and Joel Smith are all available, then we will win the VFL granny this year. 28 Jay Lockhart (16) Early indication were that Jay was going to play Rd 1, but his pelvic injury against the Dogs in the AAMI series cost him the spot. And by the time he was fit and raring to go again, Hibbo, Hunt and Rivers had established themselves as our running defenders. He's a huge plus for Casey, but with Jake Bowey aslo waiting in the wings for the role, it means we may already have seen the last of Jay at AFL level. Which is a shame because I reckon he offered a lot and I'd be pleased if we offered him another year. 29 Jake Bowey (NR) In previous years Jake would have five or six games up already. And just for a tick after our loss pre-season to the Dogs - a game in which he won a few useful touches - he looked a prospect even for Rd 1. But Goody stayed loyal to his senior players this year and it's paid dividends. And that means our pick No.21 has had to wait in the wings. I reckon he would have played when Salem was injured in rd 10, but he hurt his ankle in that week's VFL game, meaning Nev got the spot. He's a nice mover and disposer but he's a tad on the small side at 176cm, so he probably needs another year to develop his physique anyway. And he's a redhead which usually means one thing - he's tough as nails. 30 Aaron vandenBerg (15) The longer quarters this season would have gone against Vanders. Given that when's he's fit he can still only train a couple of times a week, it makes it hard to justify playing him for his gruntwork. And except for the Pies game, we've been the intimidators, although I'd certainly like Viney back before the finals. As I said with Jonesy, I really hope he finishes up the year on a good note, with a very deserving VFL flag. 31 Joel Smith (27) Am I now the only member left of the SOS fan club. Well here's something that will surprise you, I reckon Joel is still a big chance to be playing finals for us this year. Yep our No.1 rehab group member, only needs an injury to one of our defensive talls, Rivers or Hibbo and he's in. Don't be surprised if you see his name read out as an inclusion in the next few weeks in his own rights. Don't worry DLers, a more likely scenario is that he will be back in the rehab goup before the finals. Read my comments from last year and you'll know why I rate him. 32 Kade Chandler (NR) There's been two memorable moments so far for KC this year. The first was his breakout game against Richmond pre-season including a check-side banana goal on the run. The other was the Gatorade soap bath he copped when he played in his first win for the club - against Carlton - thankfully Trac stepped in to save him but his eyes would have been stinging that night. It wasn't his finest day - he'd earlier inadvertently spoilt Weid near the goalsquare. But he's shown enough this season to warrant another year and he'll be a key player in the VFL grand final. 33 Mitch Brown (32) He again showed what a reliable player he is when called up to replace Fritter against the Hawks. But ultimately he plays the same sort of hard-running lead-up role as T-Mac. And right now T-Mac is king. So that doesn't leave much room and at 31 by season's end, it's time to use his spot on a young project forward. 34 Neville Jetta (23) I was a little surprised when we kept Lord Nev on this year, but he's such a man of honor and integrity – that I reckon the club felt having him around was worthwhile. And Nev did get to play the first four weeks for four wins and a fifth game against the Crows, so it's hardly been a wasted extra season for him either. As I said last year, a great story of perseverance and credit to Roosy for saving him from an early exit in 2014. 35 Oskar Baker (17) Our other everyready battery got a chance to show his stuff pre-season and had a proper chance to stamp his name on the wing spot against North Melbourne in Hobart, and while he didn't do anything wrong, he just didn't do anything that was so classy you had to keep picking him. He's got good toe (but he's not electric like Jayden) and his skills are solid, but I suspect after four years it's probably time's up at season's end. 36 Bailey Laurie (NR) He looked pretty classy in the sessions I saw pre-season but needs a year of muscle before we can make a judgment. Whether he can put on bulk, given his dad was pencil-thin during his career at Fitzroy, is the big question. A fractured eye-socket kept him out of most of our VFL games, but he should be right to go next week when the comp resumes (hopefully). 37 Toby Bedford (34) I know there's a few DL'ers who love Toby, but I'm a little more reserved on his abilities - I mean his work ethic is good, but Spargo and ANB have better application, and I've been more impressed with Chandler's development than Toby's. IMO, he'd have to play out of his skin in the VFL finals to justify another year. 38 Majak Daw (NR) A good supplemental rookie selection, especially given we had a tall shortage at the time and he has experience in all three key big positions. We haven't need him yet, but he has offered good security and is a bonus for Casey. But as with Mitch Brown, I can't see us keeping a 30-year-old on the list. 39 Deakyn Smith (NR) As an NGA academy member from last year, we gave him a go pre-season and he looked quite classy in his role as a small defender, so we rookied him. The issue is that we now have a host of defensive smalls, so there's a lengthy queue. But the VFL finals will be a good chance to see if he can take his game up to another level. 40 Fraser Rosman (NR) Our super tall, super fit, long-kicking left-foot wingman looked the part at training throughout summer, prompting excitement by most observers, but the reality is he's very raw and will need a couple more years to make it. 41 Austin Bradtke (NR) I've seen enough of him at training now to know he's a tad slow and he's too nice a guy to make it, so I reckon he needs to drop the footy now and pick up the basketball again. With all his weight work, it may not be too late for him to play in the paint for United or Phoenix. No ratings Marty Hore (NR) His unlucky run continued this year when he ruptured his ACL joint, but he's back running and some say he could even be back in time for the VFL finals. Aaron Nietschke (NR) He again looked handy in December and again his season was over by February with his third ACL. As with Marty Hore, it's hard to justify another year when you can now just wait and draft them mid-season if their back playing VFL and prospering. 2020 rankings https://demonland.com/forums/topic/48748-deespicables-2020-mid-year-rankings/ 2019 rankings https://demonland.com/forums/topic/46363-deespicables-2019-player-rankings-mid-year/?tab=comments#comment-1717879 2018 rankings https://demonland.com/forums/topic/44154-deespicables-2018-player-rankings/ 2017 rankings: http://demonland.com/forums/topic/42181-2017-player-rankings/?tab=comments#comment-1413791 2016 rankings https://demonland.com/forums/topic/40708-rating-or-list-from-1-44/#comment-1294469

Yep and if so Melky either plays or we bring back Chandler as well and ANB becomes and even higher half-forward.

The logic of what Turner is suggesting is fine - at some point we need to bring Bowey in so he gets a taste and the longer he and Ben Brown go without games is a worry and will make it that much harder for them. The other thing is that I suspect Salem will have the Pies game off to give him a chance to get over his injury and it's time either Bowey or Lockhart got a game instead of Nev. If Hunt's injury is more serious than I suspect then both could play. As to the other changes, Ben Brown should come in for Weid. It's been frustrating watching how close Weid has gone to really nailing his marks and he should be brought back in again in a few weeks, but big Ben needs another shot - that's why we recruited him. Finally Langdon has to play and there's only one underperforming player - so Melky has to go. As with Weid, Melky should come back in down the track, but he needs to go back and lay some tackles when VFL comp resumes hopefully the week after next.

6 Petracca - was vibrant all night and his third-term goal was vintage Dusty. 5 Gawn - crumbed a goal and was our best at half time with plenty of clever kicks and handballs, but Trac took control in third. Age has early deadlines, reporter probably didn't see the second half when Trac got even better. 4 Oliver - lifted after half time with amazing run and carry and is getting closer to being the complete player. Set shots a problem - you can tell he doesn't think he'll convert them in his face. 3 Spargo - what a game from this guy. Check replay of his tap to I think T.Mac for a goal in third. 2 T.Mac - may have been reading Robbo's bathwater up to halftime, but was just so prominent and clever after the break. 1 May - Some major marks after the long interval and shut down Daniher and Hipwood at times after the break.

I am actually hoping that both Viney and Jackson aren't rushed back and we get them ready for the Dogs game, which will be our second 6-day break in a row and we will need fresh legs. I also want to see how Weid and Chandler go again. Chandler was uber-impressive against the Tiger pre-season and has stepped up at VFL level. He got pinged in a tackle early and it was one of those days where nothing went right for him - even the Gatorade drenching post-game. But he did keep working hard on covering players (Saad, Docherty etc) and deserves another shot. Weid had to get used to a predominantly new roaming forward/ruck position (aka Jacko), which was very different to last year's main man role. His first real big chance, where he shrugged off his man saw Chandler spoil him, which was a shame - but that's football - it doesn't always work out. I am also hopeful that one of our mids is given a break so that Tom Sparrow gets his chance to see if he can get closer to dominating after two mega impressive VFL games.

Exceptional hey. So where does Luke Jackson sit if BBB is exceptional - on another planet. Try this: BBB has some limitations at ground level which are expected given he is 200cm tall. PS: Nic Nat says high all the way from Neptune as well.

Ok, I have five big changes that have helped our team this year on top of the key one from last year. What I'd love to know is who was responsible? Should Goody get all the credit? I'd love to say I know the answer, but I put my calculated guess at bottom of each move. Interested to hear your views on who is responsible. 1) Loyalty to senior players In the past Goody has got excited with his new toys (I remember his glee at seeing Oliver play even when Roosy was boss) and promoted players ahead of their time. He was behind the Oscar Mac ahead of Dunny move, he promoted Spargo as an 18yo and kept him in throughout the finals, he pushed Sparrow in for Rd 1 of 2019, he was all over Kossie and added Toby Bedford in at Rd 1 of 2020 for good measure. This year, however, he stuck fat with Jones and Jetta early when almost all of us had them written off, he played ANB over Chandler for Rd 1 and he stayed loyal to Harmes as a mid. In previous years Bowey would have played 5-6 games by now, but not this year. Person responsible for making Goody see the light: I reckon he listened to Yze or Chocco on this - my tip is Yze because up until this year the Hawks stuck with senior men and mature bodies. I also reckon Goody's own off-field issues may have helped him see the importance of staying loyal and giving first shot to your senior players. 2) Giving Hunt another go down back Ok, so under Roosy, Goody used to love watching Jayden chase back or provide run. Then early in 2018 he decided that Hunt and Frost weren't reliable enough kicks and wanted to follow the Hawthorn/Geelong precise ball movement way. Jordy's influence I suspect. They were banished with Jayden given the occasional lifeline as a pacy forward. You could see him trying to improve his kicking efficiency, often with a two-handed ball drop to ensure its accuracy. Gone also was any notion of a torp, which he unleashed so successfully in Darwin four years ago. This year someone decided that having Hunt down back again would mean Salem did not have to play on the opposition's quickest forward and as a result would have a fraction of a second more time to set things up. They also saw that under the new rules, Hunt could usually set off and break lines at will if allowed and that assisted our chances of catching other teams over the back. And I don't have the stats, but I reckon his efficiency is pretty high this year. We'd all like him to do a bit more, but his closing speed has helped with our manic pressure on opponents. Person responsible for making Goody see the light: I reckon it was Chocco who spotted early that Hunt's kicking may not look a thing of beauty, but is just as effective as his teammates. Chocco also used to love run and carry defenders at Port, so maybe he sat down and said, we are too slow down back, Hunt's your man and Goody listened. 3) Going back to ANB ANB was another one of Goody's love childs six years ago when he identified that he was better as a hard-working high half-forward than as a midfield bull (partly because he isn't actually a bull). ANB has always been our No.1 trainer, he works his butt off, but eventually, like most Demonlanders, Goody lost sight of the hard yards he does in games and started counting his turnovers. The result was he was dropped after being one of our best three against Carlton in Rd 2 last year and when he eventually came back in and was over-exuberant in a tackle, the club left him high and dry to cop a four-week dangerous tackle penalty with no appeal. This year Goody decided to reward his training excellence again and, apart from the Roos game, Nibbler has rewarded everyone with his persistence, his tackle pressure and with a rise in confidence his clever vision plays have mounted (he's not a Robbie Gray and probably never will be, but he's definitely best 22 material) and even the most niggardly of DL'ers now can see why he's been kept on and not delisted. Person responsible for making Goody see the light: I reckon this one might have actually been Goody himself. He did love ANB when he was a youngster and Goody himself wasn't a beautiful player, but he was a hard-worker and got better and more reliable as he aged. 4) Returning Harmesy to the middle There was some logic in trying him down back. In 2020 the club could see Trac had to play more in the middle and with Viney and Oliver, not to mention Angus, in the mix, Goody decided that Harmesy was expendable in the core and might be able to provide run and tightness down back. Harmesy has always been one of our vibrant players - he bumps, he blocks, he has little digs at opponents and he gets caught with the ball (a lot). But he also gets out of trouble (a lot) and he also is almost always the first on the scene of any scrum-style formation and we already know from 2018 that he loves tagging and is not scared of big names. His game against Freo (half of it with a broken hand) was mega courageous and his game and intensity against Sydney was exceptional. He's our Liam Picken - he's quick, he can mark pretty well for his size and he works his butt off. In one sense, Viney's injury is a blessing as it's allowed the move back in the guts to happen without mucking up rotations. He's not a matchwinner, but he's probably our most important role player. Person responsible for making Goody see the light: I am sure Harmesy was keen to head back into the middle and I reckon Yze may have made Goody more aware of how other sides hate playing against him and what he bring to the table with his ability to get quickly to contests. 5) Playing three talls up forward and down back This one is still a bit of a work in progress, but I reckon Goody stopped toying with alternate formats (remember how Goody went five smalls up forward against WC in Rd 1 last year) and decided three bigs up front and down back was the go. He was forced to modify this a bit because of injury and classified Fritter as a tall for the first six weeks, but now has a more even mix. Jacko's mobility has helped negate the groundball issues that three talls can create anyway. And May's kicking skills mean he has a tall defender that can break lines as well, so we can get away with what appears a top-heavy set up. Person responsible for making Goody see the light: Once again I am not sure if it was Chocco or Yze's knowledge of other programs that forced him to see the light on this. But we can all see it's working down back with Lever and May backed by a regenerated Tomlinson (until injury) and hopefully Petty grows in confidence (he was exceptional pre-season) on the resting rucks the more he plays. Finally I'd just like to add that the biggest and most crucial change occured last year and it clearly has helped our entire group feel more worthy and at home. 6) Making Gawny captain You have to remember that Goody annointed Viney and that Jack was the son of a great and was everything you could (normally) want in a leader with his desperation and courage and fearless hard work at training and in games legendary. But Jack, for all that, is a bit of an individual. He's smart, he's got a good life with a very supportive family. But he couldn't unify the guys and he didn't have the whole side's ear. Gawny may have been a knockabout but he's jungle smart and way more approachable on any number of issues. The umps love him and his banter (so he has their ear as well) and and I think we all underestimate how courageous the big bloke is, partly because he's a big bloke and you expect it. He loves all the old blokes (not just the smart ones) and it is that ability to make everyone at ease that has made him a super leader on and off the field. And if you watch his games, he steps up even more when he's needed. Closely tied into this is that he has advocated the word of Goody that the players have to be more selfless and work for the team, not as individuals. Person responsible for making Goody see the light: This happened last year and I think the players actually finally got a say and Goody felt under pressure from the media and partners after such a poor 2019 that he had to make the change.

It's hard to see any changes, but there's at least four players who they need to get a game into - Chandler, Sparrow, Weid and Bowey. Hard part is figuring a way to do it when you are winning. As to those who started the drop Harmesy jibber, you seriously need to understand football. His best game since 2018 finals.

A surprisingly tricky selection night coming and with wait on Fritter and maybe Brayshaw. Six players have good cases to come in - Harmes, Sparrow, Weid, Chandler and Bowey and Petty. The obvious outs are Tomlinson and Jones (he was 23rd anyway) and then it's a question of whether they want to pull the trigger on Baker and Melky or rest up a player for balance. Great to see so many people have finally cottoned on to the fact that ANB provides something, although clearly he went from riches to rags in this game. Can't see him missing though and that means Chandler has to wait. Could be sub. There's also no obvious spot down back for Bowey at moment, so he has to wait. Could be the sub. Harmes and Sparrow clearly come in and Baker probably didn't do quite enough and his absence allows Brayshaw to move back to the wing. As for Petty, does he come in for T.Mac, who didn't do anything wrong down back in an impressive second half against Roos. So I'd say we have to play T.Mac at this stage and if he goes back to his low-kicking turnover days then Petty comes in. Then it's whether we want to ditch Melky to make room for Weid and a reshuffled offence. I would, because so far this year Melky hasn't provided enough pressure, so playing an extra tall won't hurt us. But against the quicker Swans I could well understand if we want to go with more pace and if that's the case then Chandler comes back into the equation for Melky. If Fritter is out then Weid definitely plays. Tough choices and nobody is right or wrong on this one at this point. Out: Tomlinson, Baker, Melky, Jones In: Harmes, Sparrow and Weid or Chandler.

6 Fritter 5 May 4 Salem 3 Jackson 2 Kossie 1 Oliver

I certainly get the logic of not changing a winning formula and reading Goody's comments today he's decided he won't alter his line-up also with Brown and Weid to play North's VFL side on Thursday. And I also get that anyone who suggests a change against that philosophy at the moment is going to be howled down. But I am sorry, I just reckon that now is the perfect time to trial our planned new-look forward set-up which was halted in early Feb when Weid and Brown went down with injuries. I certainly understood the logic of staying loyal last week against Richmond and it paid off in droves. But there is no logic in keeping an elite footballer like Brown (my understanding he's our fifth highest paid player) in the twos simply because we are winning. I mean let's say we win against North (which you have got to say is mega likely with our odds $1.01 at Sportsbet), then what are you gonna say to him - sorry I don't want to change a winning line-up. And what say we win against the following two weeks - home games against Sydney and Carlton - sorry Browny, you have to keep playing with Casey? Let's say it was Oliver who had been injured, would we be willing to make room for him or tell him he has to play VFL until we lose. Ultimately we have to confront and trial the three-headed monster and delaying the inevitable is just poor planning. Let's find out if it works and what tweaks need to be made to it well before the finals.

6 Gawn - What a captain's game, laced by great goal. 5 Lever - Brilliant marshalling of our defence, critical with May out. 4 Langdon - Has anyone noticed how confident we are going down the wings now and how good is this guy. He will be tagged harder from now on. 3 T.Mac - with Fritter out, we needed one of our talls to step up and he was very good all day presenting. 2 Hibberd - Salem got more of the ball but Hibbo was sensational. His link up work was just amazing and he still played tight and tough like Nev. 1 Kossie - Sometimes you have to give a bloke a vote for negating. Which Hawk has been cutting it up this season - CJ. And I lost count the number of times CJ was under pressure from Kossie. And Kossie was damaging going forward as well. As to Oliver. Yes I know I'm marking him hard, but he was again ineffectual for large parts of the game as he went about the easy gives and I am sick of him trying to milk frees like he tried against Frosty. God he'd be good if he really believed in himself. He has all the tools - just needs to stop playing Robin to Trac's Batman and start realising that he can be as valuable as Chris Judd with his linebreaking speed.

It was great to see the impact Hibberd had down back - and as I said last week, it was critical he played in place of Jetta because he provides the left-side attack that we were going to miss with May out and Petty doesn't get involved in as much offence and we couldn't afford having two dour negaters in our back six. So thankfully Goody and MC didn't go through with the "we won't change a winning line up" plan. As to this week. Firstly on Petty. Yes I get that he didn't have a great game but historically he has shown he gets very nervy and takes a while to settle into his new role. But he is a beautiful mark (when relaxed) and well and truly up to the level and will be way better should he end up on Riewoldt this week. But that said, should May be fit, Petty is the one that should be left out - Tomlinson is in great form and Petty will get more chances later in the season. The forward issue is an extremely tricky one for Goody, especially if Fritter gets up. I can't see him go away from playing three small forwards providing tackle pressure in his seven-man forward mix so all of Spargo/ANB and Kossie will play. Obviously Mitch Brown as last cab in, will be first one out to make way for Fritter (if fit) or one of the two talls. But should Fritter be available, will Goody bite the bullet and add another big boy to our mix. Is it the right game to trial a whole new look? If he does then I'd expect Melky's experience to mean that he will be sent into the midfield at Jordon's expense.

Please don't keep endorsing this utter crap and get some perspective. James Jordon is a kid who works hard and has learnt his craft from a very strong midfield group for three years now. Because he is a kid, the expectations are not as high and the coach is only going to say nice things about him at a press conference. But Jordon is yet to do anything that stands out - anyone who saw what Hibberd brought first up knows what I mean - and while his work ethic is high, there is no guarantee yet that he will make it because he is not quick and he is not an exceptional kick and as a kid he is not yet ready to take the game on and invariable goes the safe option. He may yet develop into a serviceable hard-working tagging-type mid of the Matt de Boer or Levi Greenwood variety, but he ain't going to be a star and he is a long way off having a great game ... yet. So if you are going to use the Demonland moniker as the voice of reason, please don't come out with inflated-hype that a marketing man would use.

Yes, reading the tea leaves it sounds like there will only be one change to our 23 from last week with May and Fritter out and our 23rd man Sparrow automatically in because we don't want to alter a winning line up. That means one of Petty or Hibberd is in as are Jetta and Jordon, who have barely touched it but have played a role in the first four weeks. It should be noted that the Dogs continue to make changes and drop players, even though they have been winning - just ask their vice-captain Mitch Wallis. Similarly Sydney brought in Buddy the other week, despite all the wins. But because it's such a shock to our system to actually win each week, our match committee is having a drunken orgy and has decided to just leave things how they are - and just have faith in the boys that did the job the previous week. So actually looking at ways to best cover losing our best left-foot defender and our best left-foot forward are irrelevant until we lose or we get another injury.

Sorry, just did a count - five out 10 had Fritter in their votes. But still one vote only!