stinga

3 things 1. If we hadn't dropped 3 simple marks that led to 3 goals for them 2. If we hadn't pulled the jumper for 3 goals for them 3.If just Fritsch (and there were many others) kicked straight we would have had 4 more goals. While they also made some mistakes, it would have turned it into a thrashing.

We can't beat St. Kilda kicking 10 goals. yet we have someone at VFL level who is kicking multiple goals. Our forward line would not be any worse if we take a punt on Daw. Fritsch is the only other consistent multiple goal scorer. TMac can go to the wing and still impact the scoreboard. Spargo and Jones both played well but spargo doesn't add to scoring unless inside 20 metres. One of them has to go, as Jxn and Picket are safe. Viney should help with the clearance problems. We need the same number of midfield players as St. Kilda also have an abundance. Harmes fumbled a bit, missed tackles and ran out of legs. I like him but he's the obvious one to miss out. You wouldn't touch the cohesion of the backline

Re midfield. On a player by player basis our midfielders had more of the ball than those from fremantle, yet we were smashed in the clearances. You can take that as a glass half full or empty. I see the possibility for massive improvement. Whilst both sides ran out of legs in the last quarter we were better off because we had more players who could go through there. Good endurance runners like Langdon, Picket(surprise), NB, Oliver and some others were very important. Re crowd. my own experience was to go with friends as a guest (but couldn't)as they are afl members. The website said guests would only be allowed on low number games, yet they refused guests for our game. I tried for 10 days to get a 3 game membership. I get to the last page of the process on line and it just freezes up and then times out. I requested a call back which didn't come. I thought no point trying for general admission if the AFL are not allowing guests. Others must have similar stories.

same as in Bulldogs game - very instrumental in scoring passages.

That's just about as good a side as you could select with the current injuries. Salem, Brayshaw, Jordan, Neale Bullen and Picket to go through the middle with Harmes, Langdon, Petracca, Oliver and Sparrow gives you 10 pretty good runners that could make all the difference in the last quarter. You could also add Spargo, Rivers and Hunt to that group. Not too many sides with 13 possible midfielders. I think Petty will be the emergency - Oscar showed the value of a tall there. If a runner goes down you can cover it, but not if we lose one of Tomlinson, TMac, May, Lever or Jxn. AVB is a bit unlucky as well as the other emergencies.

I've got a few wraps for him. Yes when we had a seconds midfield against the dogs we got smashed and he was number 2 or 3 in that. But it is what you would expect. If he becomes number 4,5 or even 6 it is a huge difference where his opposition is not so good. I watched the bulldogs from level one at Marvel and he was sometimes out of position at the centre bounce where the bulldogs took the ball from their defensive side to get the clearance. Then I went home and watched the first 2 quarters and last quarter (we were thrashed in the 3rd) where generally we were on par with the bulldogs. I noticed that jordan was instrumental in the chain leading to 3 goals, so he has smarts. We know our midfield and defence is pretty ok but struggle to kick enough goals to win games. If he can do that each week he will contribute

Oliver would beat Jordan every day. Petracca would beat sparrow every day. So its no wonder they were beaten by a talented midfield of Bulldogs that has about 10 players that go through there including the wings But if they are behind Oliver, Viney, Petracca, Langdon, Brayshaw, Harmes (and apparently Picket) they become numbers 8 and 9 instead of 3 and 4. I wouldn't be too hard on them until we see a few games with them all together. But I certainly don't see much optimism in our forward line. Apart from being small and slow, who apart from Fritsch could kick more than 3 goals consistently. The guy who had the highest average goals last year was Hunt, with 2, and he's playing half back.

It was a practice game and when many of your best players are out, you take the opportunity to see what the next level of potential will show. The trouble was we lost it at the selection table. When you rely on the CHF or F/F in Jxn to be the fill in ruck, so that you just have one tall forward -Tmac and a whole lot of lightweight four footers, there is just too much pressure on that next level to get any idea of what they will be like. Why they didn't pick 2 of Brown, Daw or petty to play half a game each beats me

anyone know when the VFL practice match is, where some of the guys from rehab are starting.

I guess there won't be a B game as the others will be playing VFL practice match on the Saturday.

One thing I left out of my training report because I'd already said a bit about rosman, is that he covers the ground. You know how some players get involved in something, stop and think I need to go there but are then too late. Rosman just goes. It's a breaking the lines thing. I think it's instinctive. Langdon does it for us.

Went down to Casey and watched through the fence. Don't know why you can't get into an area that could be partitioned off on the outer wing for supporters. Other clubs seem to have supporters around the grounds. A couple of rehab groups. Brayshaw, VDB, Viney and Hibberd doing laps. Bowey, Smith, Petty and Brown doing exercises, run throughs and similar on the outer wing. Bowey Petty and Smith together with coaches doing various drills whilst Brown just ran up and down the boundary line. B Brown doing a lot of body work drills with Stafford whilst other training going on. Apart from warm ups there were 3 main drills on whole ground. 1. Williams ran the first one where there were three teams. Yellow tabs, white tabs and Melbourne jumpers. going in triangular pattern HFF to HFF to FF anticlockwise with emphasis on fast continuous movement. 2. Two teams Orange tabs and melbourne jumpers run maybe by Yze. Full ground match play. They put cones down to bring the boundary in 20 m on each side so all play was through corridor areas. All about the side not in possession trying to touch the ball where it would be turned over to the other side. Kossie was one out with a white tab running through the middle going for runs bouncing the ball trying to avoid others. At one stage tracc chased him while he bounced it 4 times. Trac couldn't catch him but never gave up. Kossie kept the same 2 m in front. After Kossie kicked it Tracc collapsed to his knees trying to bet some breath - it was a great chase. Kossie just kept going. Nothing wrong with Kossie fitness. TMac is much fitter - at one stage he sprinted from the centre to the goal square to take a mark. Jordan looks really good. Jackson has gone up a level and has mixed the mobile ability to be more assured in his ball handling, especially at ground level. Bowey looks more advanced than Bayley. Oliver got tackled and went down for a while and one of the coaches convinced him to take 5 minute rest but then came back as strong as ever. The only other one to have a problem was Baker who was limping for a couple of minutes but then appeared to run it out. Rosman was the one who stood out for me. He's athletic, big strong and has a leap. Marked a few over the top of others and got a few handball receives running past. Plays like Bontempelli and even kicks like him. Wouldn't be surprised if he played first up. Spargo, Langdon and Hunt impressed. Weid presented well. Thomo, May and Lever main defenders but no close checking (emphasis on intercepting). Like the first drill it was about quick continous movement. 3. Two separate games on each side of the ground with little league type goal posts 2 m apart. Match play where eventually players tried to kick goal through the 2 m gap. No set shots - just snaps on the run. Rosman did a beauty from 40 m out. across his body. I left at 11 and they were still going.

That mark is better than anything leon rimes has done https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2315294268743397

has anybody put a current list together yet? With the three new guys.

Just what we need. A cheap back up ruck with a bit of mongrel in him.

Even without his speed he is the most important small/medium goal kicker in the list on last years averages per game. Others might look better but he gets the results.

We need either he or Tom in case either of our key backs fall over

Totally agree. He might turn into a 30 goal a season small forward, but much too early. Lots of promise.

He never had the ability to get the ball and go. Whenever he took a mark he would just back pedal then look to see where he could go. No urgency in his game. He was another one who wasn't developed properly to get his full potential.

I'm in 2 minds. With zoning, switching and many other variables, sides are just too good at creating mismatches. The days of having 77cm defenders is just too easy for forward set ups to take advantage of that. Unless you are someone special like Short at Richmond who really hurts you offensively is the exception. Lockhart could do that, but hasn't shown it yet, but certainly has 2 years of development to come til he can reach that standard. I like his commitment, so maybe he will.

Simply we need him incase either of our 2 main backs go down. The only way we could trade him would be a 3 way deal where we pick up another key defender. Same with brother Tom. We can't have him and Ben Brown as both are one trick and can do nothing when the ball hits the ground. That's why Jackson is so important.

If we just want a back up for max, geelong have got a few -some of whom will probably be delisted. Then we get a good player for Preuss from GWS. Win/Win

I hope they take a punt and play Gawne at CHF and put Preuss in the ruck. We don't lose a lot that way in the ruck but you saw what happened when May went forward in the last quarter with a guy who can compete hard in the air. Brown (as well as he played) just stuffs Weid up and Weid is the future. We can't afford to take May from defense. We are really missing Jackson or an improved Petty. The Defense should tighten up with Hibberd replacing Smith who I hope never plays another defensive game for Melbourne again. I don't know who had the great idea of turning him from a promising forward into a hopeless defender. Its a pity Jordan and Sparrow are unavailable. Probably VDB to take Brayshaw's spot if injured. Maybe Bennell to cover Jones if he doesn't come up. No future in Josh Wagner so I'd take Loquart Neale Bullen out for Pickett in.

If no Preuss , Jackson or Gawne and considering Smith has been emergency often recently, they might use him as a foil against English. I don't know if he has rucked before but he would certainly have the leap over English at Centre bounces. He gives a lot away in height though. Oscar could match him for strength but doubt he could keep up. Other than Bradke, there's not many choices.

why only limited game time