joeboy

Gawn - the perfect game Viney - back to best Petracca - certainly amongst elite Jetta - still looked vulnerable May - composed and tough McDonald - reliable when required Salem - didn’t overdo it Hibberd - continued his resurgence Melksham - was rarely sighted Fritsch - classy and composed Jackson - showed exciting potential Pickett - exciting and important Bennell - better every week vandenBerg - tough and uncompromising Brayshaw - far from convincing Oliver - was all class Hannan - some important cameos Weideman- has hopefully arrived Harmes - great tagging role Langdon - indefatigable and important Lockhart - just do basics Lever - composure was vital

The former, for both, and thanks for your support

Gawn - dominated all game Viney - bullocking at best Jetta - never looked confident May - some horrible disposal Hibbert - continued impressive performances O McDonald - reliable and effective Lockhart - was almost unsighted Langdon - prolific and effective vandenBerg - some solid tackling Brayshaw - seemingly half paced Oliver - class must rise Fritsch - has little influence Melksham - continued poor season Bennell - classy with ball Pickett - just some cameos Petracca - class and passion T. McDonald - seemingly not missed Weideman- tried but limited Hannan - displayed some class Harmes - season best game Salem - great first half Lever - some important intercepts

I’m not suggesting the players need to check their cycles, I’m just suggesting there’s an evident correlation between poor form and having a young baby.

Lever, McDonald, Melksham, Viney.. all new fathers..there may be others Add Tigers’ Riewoldt to this list and they ALL have one thing in common Discuss

Gawn - couldn’t impose enough Viney - mind seems elsewhere Hibbert - better but lacking May - solid under pressure Fritsch - better when roaming Oliver - disposal was amateurish Petracca - elite player now Salem - missing under pressure Brayshaw - little to impress Hannan - limited but praiseworthy Langdon - was rarely sighted Harmes - effective in middle vandenBerg - underdone and undeserving Tomlinson - disappointing and limited McDonald - disappeared when needed Pickett - still looks lost Lockhart - little to enthuse Lever - slow and loose Rivers - far from ready Smith - not a defender Melksham - lazy and selfish Hunt - looked completely lost

I was joking, but thanks for your support

I’ve learnt my lesson and promise to only provide positive 3 word analyses even when everyone is crap... including the players

Gawn - failed to dominate Viney - used ball poorly Oliver - rarely effective disposal Petracca - tried but limited Tomlinson - seemingly without passion Brayshaw - just a game Langdon - had little influence Salem - overrated and slow Harmes - loose and slow Hibberd - good first half Melksham - not team focused Hannan - tried but lacking Rivers - some costly turnovers May - steady and reliable Fritsch - couldn’t get involved McDonald - devoid of effort Lockhart - tried but clumsy Lever - no second efforts Hunt - had limited opportunities Pickett - occasionally looked dangerous Smith - lost in defence vandenBerg - far from ready

Can’t handle the wet and windy conditions... oh wait

On paper at least we have an elite back line and on all brigade, but our forward line is bereft of anyone trustworthy enough to perform well on a weekly basis. We CAN finish # 5-7 , but alarmingly if nobody stands up regularly to kick 3-4 goals a week, we are potentially a # 12-14 position side

One lasting memory is of Brayshaw’s brave and thrilling intercept mark at Geelong when he was playing half back a few years ago.. it was inspirational and defining. Put him back there where he’s accountable and let Harmes resume his on ball role

Gawn - our most vital Viney - was tagged out Jetta - far from convincing Smith - some crucial errors May - surprisingly poor disposal Salem - rarely instilled confidence Rivers - confident and exciting Harmes - not natural backman Tomlinson - will be important Langdon - some vital touches Melksham - was rarely noticed Fritsch - untypically poor disposal McDonald - just a shadow Jones - was rarely sighted Hunt - took his chances Jackson - raw but promising Neal-Bullen - little to enthuse Petracca - exciting and dependable Oliver - best on field Bennell - survived the game Lever - not overly convincing Brayshaw - rarely disposed effectively

Conspiracy theory: It would have been our home game , likely without a crowd. With the alternating home team plan, Collingwood gets the spoils next year

Jetta - looked painfully slow May - effective and talented O. Mac - was not embarrassing Lockhart - showed some promise Hibbert - disposals were costly Harmes - lost in defense Lever - an encouraging display Langdon - prolific but wasteful Petracca - classy but sporadic Thomlinson - had little influence Viney - former captain’s game Oliver - didn’t appear interested Gawn - was easily outmuscled Brayshaw - little to commend Neal-Bullen - couldn’t justify selection T.McDonald - played without passion Pickett - impressive debut game Melksham - was hardly sighted Brown - performance to forget Bedford - far from ready Spargo - embarrassingly inept performance Fritsch - never appeared likely

Oscar has kept Darling to 2 possessions

Despite the woeful first half, if we’re still in the game at 3/4 time, I think we’ll run over the top of them

I might be wrong but I’m pretty there’s no hotel stays on this trip.. it’s a fly in/ fly out on the same day process

Funny!!

I wrote too soon?‍♂️

Surely would be all over the news by now if true

VDB was my standout at training.. before I left after an hour. He still needs to work on building up his calf muscles but he looked clean, crisp and extremely fit and strong as he was fully involved with all training exercises. Kickett will be a crowd favourite with his sublime skills which were on regular show despite the difficulties brought by the strong wind. Lever and Brown look like porn stars with the hair growth on the upper lips TMac seems to be a few kgs lighter whilst his brother seems slightly more robust. Petracca definitely wins the body of the day award.. he looked ripped beyond comparison with anyone else at the club.

I was invited to partake in a pre season with Prahran in the early 70’s.. does that count as a Melbourne /Prahran connection?

Shakespeare; ’as flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods, they kill us for their sport’

There seem to be a lot of excellent decisions going on behind the scenes.