hemingway

Interesting comments with a positive spin. I suspect Petracca is always going to be judged against the high expectations that people have of him. We may have to lower those expectations and see his future a little differently. He strikes me as a footballer that will never have high disposal count, unless he spends his time in the midfield, and even then he seems more of a burst type of player than someone who will run all day. Whatever the reason, he does appear to tire quickly and easily, more so than others. This means that he is not fit enough, restricted due to injury or does not extend himself. Watts is very similar. Jack after a brief burst is always seen with his hands on his knees sucking in air. Unlike Watts, Petracca is prepared to commit himself to the contest, can break tackles and have an impact on the game. However, the game has reached the point where you can't afford to have a player who can't run for sustained periods of time. So Christian has some work to do. Bobby, getting back to your point, it would be interesting to see his 2017 and 2018 stats in order to form an objective opinion. Are his stats in 2017 very good, good, satisfactory or poor ? He may be on target to better his 2017 stats this season, but by how much and is the improvement satisfactory given the interpretation of the 2017 numbers ?

Port have simply lost patience. Not going to gift Jack any more games.

No just folk with a different opinion. Would you prefer unanimity? Make for a boring site. And you would have no one to criticise for a taking a contrary view from your own.

Likewise Clint, I get frustrated but recognize the validity of her opinion. The competition is increasingly under threat from big business interests, gambling and so on. Where big money is involved corruption and the corrupted are lurking in the shadows. As the old saying goes, society consists of the cheaters and the cheated.

Thought Febey's comment was not bad, but beware The Banana Thought Police. The barbarians are at the gates. They will take you down if you dissent or question the purity of the line.

This is footy, sport and life. Some make it, others don't, and even that can be subjective. Some have the mental and physical attributes to maximize their talent and potential, others don't, sometimes they try, sometimes they just make other life decisions. Often, the goal or sport and individual and team success is just not as important as it it with others. If you look at footy, most of those who make AFL lists either don't make it or never reach their potential. From my observation, those who make it have more natural ability than others, but more importantly, have the will, desire and ambition to strive to reach their own mountain tops. They are obsessive, perhaps compulsive, but most importantly, single-minded in their preparation, training and standards. They are not distracted from their goal and are willing to sacrifice what the rest of us seek, enjoy or consider normal things, Above all, their natural instinct is competitive. You can't simply pick up this competitive instinct, its inbuilt or part of you. In a sense, these ""successful"" people can be regarded as abnormal or unusual even anti-social, and the Jack Watt's of this world are like the rest of us. They are the normal ones.

It did seem that the umps had been given instructions to call play on at every opportunity.

Agreed, the Pies were very adept at taking our players out of the contest and when the ball was loose, you would see at least 1 or 2 pie players shepherding a Demon away from the ball particularly in the air. Must be a strong priority in training drills because they were very slick and avoided giving away frees.

Agreed. Weed in. At the present rate, Maxy will not get through the season. Fatigue or injury shadows him with every game. Weed in will at least provide him with some relief.

He is not alone, that's the problem. Other than for injury, we don't have the capacity to drop all the players that need a spell.

Fair comment. Needs to either use his bulk to advantage in the packs or get some weight off and work on his aerobic and anaerobic fitness to improve both pace and sustained running (unless he is carrying an injury or other physical problem that restricts his ability to improve fitness). Folks make comments about his attitude, but this is speculation. He did not appear to have a big head on the footy show. Indeed, the reverse, quite shy and modest. I would not drop him, at least not yet. I don't see anyone else that would be a better option.

De Goey is an absolute gun and I agree best game from a mid this year (i have seen). He has a tank, pace, intensity, great foot skills and good overhead. A dynamic footballer. Unfortunately, the Pies had too many guys with similar attributes. Despite comments on this thread, I would love to have Cox in our side. Reads the game well, mobile, and accurate kick. His height and long arms make him very difficult to combat. Also a very good backup for Grundy.

Agree, really struggled with the pace of the game and any sustained run.

Nice story. He was something special to all those you knew him but also for all those who knew him vicariously. Every time I watch the old footage, I watch with wonder and almost disbelief at his skills and unique style, never to be repeated. How did he do it? You know what I mean, the sidestep, the swivel, the timing, the grace, his stride gazelle like, his whole physical movement seemingly suspended in time. Like Ballet, a Rudolph Nureyev of the football world. All those one-sided players should study and watch his equipoised balance, delivery of both feet and long graceful handball from either hand. And such a beautiful human being.

Guess what irritates me Cranky is just the degree of interference and who is making it, purely for self interest and/or commercial reasons. These folk seem to think they have a right to influence or change the game.

I can't see either happening. Hope I am wrong because at their best they were valuable players. But Kent appears to be injury prone and has not had the opportunity to develop a tank. He is a burst player. When you look at the way we are playing with intensity, contested footy and run both ways for 4 quarters, I can't see him being able to make it. Vanders has had a shocking run but his injuries appear chronic. Both he and Kent have lost so much time, I think our individual and team progression has passed them by.

only if we beat the pies, otherwise on your bike.

we agree to disagree.

This stuff is disturbing. Increasingly, we are seeing the interference in the peoples game by television and its executives. So the 7 boss wants to see more goals and wants players to play with more freedom. I reckon the Demons and a few other clubs are delivering that to the spectators and TV stations today. Seriously, how much tampering with our great game are we going to see? No problem, pick up the phone and ring the AFL to change some rules to change the way the game is played. It seems that every week that as well as TV executives, there are media types, ex coaches and players calling on the AFL to change the rules. Just leave the bloody game alone. However, I feel that this is just going to get worse, and we will see more interference to please the games Masters. The TV and media outlets. One day, we will wake up and suddenly ask whats happened to our game. Sorry, i forgot the game is there for ratings, advertising and to fatten the coffers of the parasites, leeches and vultures that circle our footy game.

Must admit, I get a little sickened by the talk about trading in and out. I don't say don't do it selectively, but every time a name is mentioned, folks start talking about trading out players like a meat market. If a player like Tyson comes to the coach and wants out, that's another thing. However, if the mateship and culture is as good as is being stated, then it is important that we keep as many as our existing group as possible. We have a talented list and we will always need depth. Loyalty to the Club and to your mates is an important ingredient of any successful club.

You are one quirky dude, but I guess you are from the Wild West. Inbreeding or just humans and creatures living alongside one another in perfect harmony?

This is pretty banal Red. Surely you can provide more detail. As a legal eagle, I thought you would have a more inquiring mind! The banana lovers are crying out for more. To engage us on this topic, we need a bit of titillation. What type of banana's were they? There are hundreds of varieties, all with different taste, texture and feel. Red Jamaica's, Cavendish, Apple, Dwarf Cavendish etc etc. Perhaps the boys enjoy Lady Fingers? I know I would, particularly post game. I could go on and on. How many do they devour? Just one at a time or an orgy of bananas? Are there any risks of enjoying too many? Do the boys feel satisfied after one or do they prefer having a couple. I am told that three can be enjoyable and beneficial for one's health and well being. Can be a cultural thing of course.

Not a bad interchange bench to choose from. Who to leave out?

Ditto. Tiger I forgive. He was upfront and delivered an unpopular view. He took a lot of heat. Guest may have done a lot for the MFC over the years but his involvement In the voting fix was unforgivable and a complete misuse of his position and power.

I'm sure Eddie has an angle. He has more angles than a hexagon. However, obviously future revenue is whats it all about. Seeing the rise of the Demons and his own Pies, he sees $ signs all over this match over the next 5 years. Massive crowds and media coverage, and resultant revenue. His bias would mean that he would hate to see Melbourne cashing in.