KingDingAling

We are dragging Essendon down to our level.

I am watching the game with an Essendon supporter. He notes that it is like watching dumb and dumber.

We played Martin better than any side this year. His disposals were often rushed, and at times he was just getting boot to ball. After last weekend I can see other sides using the multiple player approach. The key is to hurt Martin when you can from the right side. That way the next time he attempts the fend off in the back of his mind he is unsure whether someone is coming from the right side. The fend off has finally been cracked IMO.

If you lip read the missus it looks like shes says "Oh F*#k".

I am no fan of Goodwin, but he is possibly - and understandably - perplexed as to how to handle this group. He may have give them a whack last week and they didn't respond, so he might be trying to cuddle them a bit. I don't really know but I wouldn't read too much into that.

That is why I prefer Hannan over many of these limited and wasteful mid types. Harmes and ANB don't really offer a lot. One of them lacks penetration (ANB) and the other is just bog ordinary (Harmes). Hannan is like Hunt - a handful on his day and gives the side another dimension. I'd of preferred see Bayley Fritsch on the flank as opposed to Harmes or ANB.

I thought Gawn was great. I thought Hibberd and Lever played some of their better footy - which is good to see. Nev was mostly great tonight (especially early). I was impressed with Wagner at times (really love his intent). Weideman was ok, I thought he actually showed some glimpses, and when he was in the ruck I thought he did ok - I would persist with him in our side. He will be ok. Melksham and Hogan good up forward. Of the negatives. Salem should be first dropped IMO. I think he had 8 tackles early and nearly ended up on that. But all he shown to me was that he is actually a really good player - till he disappears. So go disappear at Casey. It would be good standard to set. You can have all the talent in the world but as soon as you stop working you get dropped. Very disappointed in Salem because he can actually play football, whereas others who were ordinary (Harmes, ANB, Stretch and Tyson) just aren't very good footballers. Not sure where Brayshaw is at either, but he is Watts like at times (no urgency), but unlike Watts we actually see some desperation sometimes. Not sure what is worse.

I would agree with that. I'd cut a lot of these guys at seasons end (or at least let them know they aren't in our plans). I will say, Stretch isn't taking us anywhere, James Harmes is terrible (especially considering he doesn't know his limits), Brayshaw is too slow for AFL - and can only play as a mid, and isn't even up to that, Tyson is wasteful, ineffective, and rarely seen defensively. I could go on and on, but I think those are the main guys who have stood out as poor to me (at least tonight). Really disheartened tonight. Haven't rated our year at all, even when we won it was poor football. We are regressing big time IMO. Its just really disappointing.

Melksham has a hardened physique and a quick couple of steps. It puts him in good stead. Many of our players just look soft.

He is very slow. Very. Its like watching Jack Trengove is slow motion.

Rchmond are keeping us in this. Gee we have some really good players, but on the flip side, we have some really, really ordinary players.

Considering how many seconds are in a Grand Final, and for Rioli to get injured in the last 3 seconds. I would have to agree with Tiger fans. I must admit I didn't notice him getting injured at the time so perhaps I'd already switched it off. Can't stand Richmond. Hopefully Rioli gets back out there though because he is a tremendous talent.

I recall there been talk of Lever being capable of playing as a mid. I don't know where I heard that from, so its possible I heard it in relation to MFC considering selecting him with the potential of Lever playing as a mid. You could be right. He could play mid. He is well balanced and usually makes good decisions.

It was a deliberate tactic and I find it disgraceful. It is against the rules and why it was allowed is anyone's guess.

Lever is superior to Dunn. I wasn't a big fan of the Lever trade, but its done now. The positives are that Lever has previously played up to an AA level, has talent, is a great mover, a good kick and usually a good decision maker. On top of that, he has only recently turned 22. Still a kid and given time to fill out he could be the KP player we need.

Brayshaw isn't very quick, but his lack of pace isn't a bad thing. He needs to slow down going into congestion. It decreases his chance of getting concussed. It is the really short and sharp movements in tight that Brayshaw needs to focus on. He doesn't need to be explosive in a 100m sprint, he just needs to be good in a small space. He is also great on either foot, so if he can improve his spread he should be able to utilize those skills. So long as Brayshaw can avoid getting concussed I think he has a future. We are not talking about a Jack Trengove who has nothing else to offer once he loses his speed, Brayshaw has a lot more tools at his disposal. Should he slow down he can still be very effective.

They did it all day. I was watching them do it and swearing my head off. Its not in the rules. The man on the man was blocked out from running east or west. How isn't that not a free kick against Hawthorn? This didn't just happen a few times either - it happened regularly. I don't want us to do it because it should have been a free kick to us. I reckon if we did it then they'd of paid it against us.

Out: Bugg and Harmes. In: Hannan and Hunt.

It won't be. He does this sh*t all the time. But then he comes out and kicks 3-4 goals some weeks and people forget about him being sh*t - which he is most the time. Demonland seems to be onto Bugg today. Its taken them a while. The bloke is nothing but a turnover merchant. He is a useless kick.

That is what Salem can do when you put him on the ground Simon.

We should go hard at him. We have a really good list, we just need a competent coach.

No. This would be a good game to pinch because we have played like sh*t. All that matters is we get the W. But hopefully we concentrate on our weaknesses during the next week after stealing those wins.

I couldn't believe that. Nothing surprises me anymore with Goodwin, the bloke is completely out of his depth as a coach. It is just stupid to have Harmes go up against McKovey.

It is pretty evident today. Clarkson must be giggling to himself watching Harmes go up against McKovey - whilst Gawn sits on the bench.

We are poor down back. Young McDonald is doing a superb job though.