Gator

You think we lost the Essendon game due to height ? It was lost in the midfield. They had 128 more possessions and 70 marks, i.e. run and spread.

Why don't you ?

So I take it you agree with the above ?

McDonald is a frustrating player, but he has attributes that aren't readily found around the league. He has good pace, endurance, intercept marking ability and when in form spoils well. We're all well aware of his sometimes poor decision making and disposal. At a time when quality key defenders have never been more valuable I wouldn't trade him. With a player like McDonald you back your coaches and club environment to improve the player and tighten his game. Get him to play within his limitations. Great coaching groups don't trade out young defenders and leaders of McDonald's ilk. They back themselves to get the best out of him. McDonald has played 88 games. His best football will be from 100 +.

We lost to Hawthorn by 105 points last year and came out the next week and beat the Bulldogs. It's hard to evaluate form from one round to the next. What gives me confidence is their outs: Swallow, O'Meara, May, McKenzie, Thompson, Rischitelli, and hopefully Saad. Also, Ablett is never at his best playing sore.

And their best players are their senior players (not necessarily on Saturday). They had 4 players older than our oldest and those 4 have stood them in good stead for a long time. Quality experience out on the field providing directing/coaching is invaluable. They certainly give better guidance than our leaders. Also, did they have 3 players under 5 games ? While their more senior players are better than ours their younger players do not match Hogan, Viney, Oliver, Brayshaw, Petracca & Salem as a collective. And just because the opposition might be young, OR even younger, doesn't mean we won't have inconsistency. Our youth is a reason why we'll be inconsistent no matter the opposition, whether they're young like us on a given day, or not. I know whose list I'd prefer going forward.

No-one said we lost just because of inexperience. We lost because our midfield was beaten, we were outnumbered around the footy, we were out pressured and we didn't run hard enough defensively. We also played off our man too much. But, as stated, "young sides will have days like these". Our best and most important players are Hogan 21, Viney 22 and Gawn 24. Your leaders are usually your best players and the bulk of ours are young. I'm treating this group separately to others before the Roos era, because we've turned over 30 players. You can lump them in with previous regimes if you like. I couldn't care less, although I disagree. Once the bulk of our young midfield have played 50-60 games these types of results will become rare.

Sympathy is for losers.

Players in 2016 need to be flexible. Also, he played all of his footy at GWS in the backline, so it's not a foreign position. In fact, he's played more AFL footy back than forward. For structural purposes they want him forward, but it's silly to suggest he can't be moved back in 2016. He can and he may. Also... Dunn was poor. Slow to react, slow to read the play, gave away frees and can't bend over to pickup a ball below his knees.

We were the second youngest team on the weekend and bottom 3 or 4 in games experience. We'll have other days like Saturday. There were only 7 players that played in the round 1 loss to St.Kilda in 2014. I'm treating the current group and list as quite separate to the team of even just 3 years ago. We've turned the list over and this rebuild has to be treated as (virtually) a separate entity. So I don't see the "trends and inherent problems" quite the same way you do. I see a 2 win/54% team that 50 games later is a 3/3 102% team. Brereton made the comment this afternoon that we're heading in the right direction, but any time we're looking at 3 in a row between now and round 22 2017 tip against us, because we're young, inexperienced and still learning our craft. It takes games and time. Hogan is smart and has a better handle on the list and its direction than you, me or anyone posting here. He's also been told by Goodwin that perseverance and endurance = satisfaction. He'll get much more satisfaction doing the hard yards than bailing to an already strong team. Goodwin's point being, "who cherished the flag last year more, Hodge, Lewis and Mitchell or James Frawley ? It's an obvious answer. Think about what that flag meant to the players that have been on the long journey compared to the fly in. We have to hope that Hogan wants to be part of the journey. I'm confident he will be. He loves the club and especially his mates at the club.

He wasn't used to the pace of the game. He'll pick it up quickly.

Clearly he's important, just as clearly he's one of the most infuriating players I've ever seen.

He wouldn't have made much of a difference, Coot, but he genuinely makes us better.

We saw a different player. He was half-hearted in marking contests and his attack on the footy was substandard. I don't mind an off game, but his "efforts "were poor. I wouldn't have made the comment I did to Joeboy if I thought otherwise. He's had a good year, but can't afford to drop off in the effort stakes.

What's your point ?

I hate being told to "keep calm".

You rated his game ? You were there ? Wow. It's amazing how some people can view football so differently (assuming you thought he had a crack).

No-one loves Brayshaw more than me, but he needs a few very good performances at Casey before he's considered. Let's get him back in when he's confident and in form.

I understand that, but he plays off "too much", which was my point.

Yes, I agree. They broke even, which was a win for the Saints. Gawn wasn't "beaten".

Who beat Gawn around the ground ? Hickey took one mark for the day.

Yes, Dunny brush was terrible. Played off his man too much, which meant he often couldn't even attempt the spoil, and was shocking below his knees. He couldn't even bend over to pick the footy up. Roos famously called North a "one metre" team when he was a regular on On the Couch, we were a 5 metre team yesterday.

They broke even. And Joeboy, Watts was hopeless. He was back to the non-competitive version.

Bugg ? Don't rate him at all. Not sure why some think Trengove won't be ready. He played a Casey intra, which was his first hitout and did well. He next played a Casey practice match and had 18 possessions to half-time before fading in the second half. And today will be his third game for Casey (knocked out early in the other). This will be his 5th game in the last 6-7 weeks. Maybe he needs one more after today, but he certainly can't be far away, especially on the back of being best afield last week.

There's stuff you don't pick up unless you're at the game, but their team defence was miles better than ours. We played way too far off our opponents. Forward of centre we couldn't spot up a target, because there were always Saints players right on their ginger, but at the other end we were not only metres off our opponents we were outnumbered. Riewoldt was left on his own all day. In the second and third quarters they were also far better around the stoppages, while we over possessed when we did get it due to their pressure. Hogan was constantly double and triple teamed and when we pressed hard up to their forward-line he was constantly complaining to McCartney on the bench that he had no support, so when a ball did come back he'd be picked off. At one stage they had a spare in defence in front of Hogan, which should mean we had a spare, but we were still getting outnumbered at contests. The fumbles and mistakes were extraordinary. Vince kicking 10 metres to contests ! We had a dominant forward and when we should have gone long we didn't. Hogan and Viney are the only two who can hold their heads high. Maybe Jones. Certainly not the coaching staff. At least we can stop worrying about finding positions for Brayshaw (when he's ready), Oliver, vandenBerg and Trengove. Pick any one of Harmes, Kent, Bugg, Frost and friends.