Coq au vin

The ball came in easily to Hawkins from the midfield domination of Geelong in the last quarter when our midfielders went to sleep. Oscar had little or no support unlike the multiple Geelong defenders on Hogan who ganged up and went up for the ball every time it was kicked to him.

It’s not that simple for the coaches to pack the back line in the last 2 minutes. The players don’t know how much time is left on the clock. The coaches have to work it out then communicate via runners. It’s not like you can text message the players.

The biggest danger is if our ruck is injured. We currently have NO viable alternative to Max Gawn. This situation needs to be remedied in the off season: 1. To give Gawn a rest during games and 2. To mitigate the risk of a Gawn injury.

Absolutely, hit the nail on the head. It was the midfield that broke down in the last quarter, leading to exquisite delivery by the geelong midfield to their forwards. And not into a pack of ten players on the top of their reaching fingertips like the delivery to hogan. Where were the rest of our backs? It wasn’t just Oscar on his own. It was a team stuff up. JKH, Tyson, Smith and Jones on the other hand....,

Two small observations: 1. Selwood held on to Jones in a very secure and strong fashion at many centre bounces, unnoticed by the umpires. 2. Towards the end, the Geelong players huddled at centre bounces and plotted and planned, led by Ablett. Our players just looked bedraggled and stood separately.

Unfortunately I was at the game. JKH was terrible. The scar can’t compete one on one with big defenders. We should have had two or more flying for marks with Hawkins every time, like they did with Hogan. It wasn't just Hawkins though. Of course, he marked it and kicked the goals but their midfield lifted and was feeding him the ball while our midfield just stopped dead. Taking Gawn off partly led to this.

Over-training.

Did you notice he was standing on the lateral edge outside of the centre square quite often when the ball was bounced after a goal and was therefore not involved in the centre bounces?

Jones was absolutely dreadful today. He was often standing away from the place where he should have been, and/or kicked it directly to the opposition. Looks like he’s playing injured.

Go back to the St Kilda website. You are not a Dees supporter. Troll.

I don’t believe it’s the little toe. It must be the fifth metatarsal. The little toe wouldn’t need time off.

I was hoping for a draw, given my hatred for both teams.

Why is it that collingwood has been in multiple grand finals and is now high on the ladder and has won two premierships since 1964 and we have been and are useless?????

Perfect changes.

Push in the back has evolved into fall forward on the back in a tackle or fall on a player’s back. This was not the original intent of the rule IMO. The intent was if two players were running in the same direction and the one behind pushed the one in front directly in the back with his hands instead of tackling him then that was a push in the back. FULL STOP. No fall into or fall on the back was included.

No he doesn’t. All this criticism of Lewis is a joke. He kicked a goal in the last 2 minutes of the game against St Kilda.

Yes Agree.

This year is feeling eerily like last year. A few easy wins against clubs out of form, bathwater being drunk all round; the bye comes and bye bye to our form. The losing culture returns and soon we’ll drop out of the eight, to end up 11th or 12th at the end of the season- or worse 9th again!!

No, we can’t yet compete against the best. Sorry.

Show me the randomized controlled trial of hip surgery in athletes versus sham surgery. There isn’t any! It’s orthopaedic mumbo jumbo. There’s NO EVIDENCE!!! Leave his hip alone! Rest and gentle exercise will heal the pain.

Where did MFC train in the 1950s and 1960s? On the MCG?

Where? Near Casey or some other ridiculous location?

And St Kilda retained the No. 1 draft pick for Paddy McCartin.

Leigh Matthews was a thug. The statue of him outside the MCG should not be there. He broke Neil McMullin’s face in an off the ball punch and many others too. He is the only player to have been charged by the police for punching another person on the football field. He was not a great footballer. He was a lout.

Collingwood managed to flood back every time into our fifty, preventing us from scoring, but left enough players in the corridor to rebound. Their run through the middle, with our (slower) players unable to catch them was impressive. In Alice Springs our forwards managed to get out the back many times and our players rebounded well out of defence. Today the players looked tired and flat and couldn’t keep up. Perhaps they needed a lighter week on the training track in the build up to such a big game-as suggested by Malthouse on the radio.