Tough Kent

Small forward is the hardest spot on the ground to play. Some weeks the ball just doesn't bounce your way and you'll have a quiet one. Even Betts and Cyril have games where they don't get near it. As long as they keep the pressure up they'll earn their spot.

Thanks for your insight.

And shutting down the opposition prime mover whilst racking them up.

If anybody watched Freo in their last outing against Collingwood there is no way you'd be tipping them. Their inability to hit a target and their trouble scoring makes us look like a top 4 side. Take Barlow out of their side, who has been their prime mover in their three wins and they are up against it. Something would need to go seriously wrong for us not to win tonight.

One could have said the same of Jeremy Howe and the Suns. They offered more him cash than Collingwood. They had way more to trade with than Collingwood. In the end, Howe just wanted to play at Collingwood so we had no choice but to deal with the Pies.

According to Jay Clark in the HS this morning Richmond are the clear leaders for Dion. We're obviously not privy to something or Jay is talking out of his ass.

Roosy said in his presser that Jeffy will play. Great news. His pressure and ability to split a game open when on is needed against good sides. He always takes the best small defender.

I think sometimes we overestimate a player's loyalty to a club. Players are loyal to their mates. If Hurley stays at Essendon it will be to play with his mates, some of whom went through the same horrid [censored] as him.

We're not at the Junction Oval anymore. AAMI Park stands up very well to anything Princess Park or Punt Road has to offer.

I realise Jeffy's form has not been sparkling at either level but he provides something we severely lack, the ability to break a game open. We are far too vanilla. Jeffy can turn a game on its head. If I was picking the team to win the game against a quality opposition I'd pick him.

He signed a one year extension keeping him at MFC until the end of next year.

Viv Michie

Unless Essendon do the honorable thing and let a justifiably disgruntled employee move on to make a fresh start. I think they may have already stated that they won't just let players walk?

I don't get the "But we really need a KPD" or the "We need a gun mid more" arguments. 1. We can recruit multiple players to our club in any one off-season. 2. MH would walk into our best 22 and make us better. 3. Hopefully we would get him for nothing without paying him the world. It's a no brainer.

As you say, you're making a judgement on 1/2 a game of footy. I've watched us out at Casey for 7 years. I hate watching footy there. I can't imagine it would be much fun to play there. I watch every MFC game too. They may as well be playing on different continents.

He's a small forward, very low on confidence, getting smashed around by bigger bodies in terrible conditions. You suggest he's not trying. That's my issue.

Really??? That's your offering?

I'd hate to be a marking forward or a rebounding defender learning my craft and playing on that windswept ground every second week. Those conditions are not reflective of the conditions they will play in 9 weeks out of 10. I watched young Liam Hulett run around like a lost lamb today. He got nowhere near it and had very little chance to be honest.

Gosh, I bloody hope so!

Last thing I'll say on this because I haven't got all day to trade quotes with you Stuie. Our list will improve through trading, free agency and continued good drafting. And continuing to be patient. Your argument is flawed because our kids are developing, aren't they? Is the team not improving?

Fair call. I think the development of players under the current coaching set up if far better. I also believe we have senior players around them who can help the team develop. We could do with some more experienced, quality players, but our list is a slow build and will take time.

If we had the best of both worlds (a great blend of youth and experience) we'd be a top 8 team. We don't, that's why we aren't able to play consistently against good sides. It will come.

Not my graph. I think the poster was answering a prior question about us having a side one week that had an average of 30 games played.

It happens with good coaching and by playing with good footballers. We are providing them with both.

This is why Oscar, Harmes, etc. are given games when they are perhaps not at their best. The coaches want to show faith in these boys and get them playing games together. Playing a Grimes might help us slightly in the short term, but it's all about building a side that can compete for higher stakes long term.