stevethemanjordan

I'm sure he has curency, but I can't see us putting him up for trade. I just see him being overtaken really if he continues to perform the way he has been. FA and some trading of future picks would be the way to go now. Our core are still so young so I'm not fussed about draft picks this year, (depending on the depth of the draft). We need to target specific players now. We're ready for that.

Cousins?

I don't think we have that far to go. The way we play now is really exciting and as has been said an infinite amount of times, 'we play the way the game should be played'. If you consider how we played in that first quarter against Richmond, we really should have been up by many goals. Our midfield brigade are incredibly ferocious and attack the ball and man with an intent I haven't seen for years at the club and that's been the case since round 1. Where we fail miserably is in our execution and meaningful disposal both going inside 50 and from out of defence. And those two things can be easily fixed with the right additions to the side. Both of those additions must have composure because that's what we're sorely lacking in our defence and through our midfield. An ability to pick that right target and hit it. Hibberd is proof that some players have it and others don't. He's come in off the back of one Casey game and a limited pre-season and has put our entire side to shame with his ability to remain composed and hit the right targets at the right time in the wet, in front of 85,000 people.. I saw him get furious with a number of our defenders against Richmond. One more quality KP defender with foot-skills and composure and a two-way running midfielder with class and composure and we'll be laughing. This is where I see Tyson being pushed out. We have enough players who can win the ball just as well and as easily as he can now and who also offer a lot more to the team.

Look, I know you love stats. But do you watch the games without looking at them? Why do you give such credit to numbers for one? Tell me the percentage of those numbers that are gathered from short kicks without pressure etc. I'd say they would be half of his possessions. And no, the defensive pressure is not a myth at all. Defensive pressure consists of more than just the 'tackle stat'. He'll play this week because he needs to carry more of the load. We'll have about three to four players playing sore against Essendon if they're not rested. Jones, Viney and Petracca.

Not the first time I've made a comment about him, but for those who refuse to believe he is untouchable, I want to bring a few points to the conversation. As a competent midfielder in the AFL you have to be one of the following two things: 1 - A versatile midfielder who has the right attribute diversity to play anywhere from half-back, midfield to half-forward. Examples: Jones, Lewis, Petracca etc 2 - A midfielder who has one or two really strong attributes and plays a set position/role in a side week in and week out. That player may be considered a pure inside mid, (Priddis, Kennedy, Ward) or an outsider, (Billy Stretch, Josh Kelly, Shuey, Stephen Hill). I understand there are also those that are in between. Shuey for instance is a player who I'd consider outside because of his ability to run and carry, but he can also win contested ball and win it well. Now to my mind, Dom is a pure inside mid. He is a contested ball winner who in the past has displayed really clean hands in close, winning contested ball and an ability to hit the scoreboard. That is his jam. At least it is supposed to be. However, for a player who plays such a defined and limited role, it's of my opinion that they need to play it at a very high level and consistently. This is why: When Dom doesn't display it consistently, he is an absolute liability on the field due to his weaknesses which are his two-way running ability, agility, speed and field kicking. And the fact that he can't offer anything playing forward or back. Defensively on the outside, he can't do much other than guard space as an inside mid. As average as Viney has been this year, I still think he offers more. Especially defensively. And please don't give me a tackle count. Anyone can tackle if playing solely as a contested ball winning mid. I'm talking about perceived pressure, chasing, harassing. Viney does these things very well. Oliver similarly but he is also dominating as a ball winner. Dom is the odd one out and really I think his position going forward should be questioned given the midfield we've assembled. What we now need is a really classy user. We desperately need someone in the mould of Josh Kelly. Unless Dom gets back to his best of 2014 pretty soon, I imagine he'll be back at Casey before long -(injuries aside).

^ Agree. We have a plethora of midfielders and utilities who will and can run through the midfield. Most of whom are all under the 50 game mark. Going after Pendles with the way our list stands now would be a a very silly decision given what we'd have to give up and pay. Our major weakness now is quality KP defenders. Tom McDonald displays yoyo form weekly. It was like he was playing charades in the Richmond game. I'd be throwing coin at a really strong, smart and talented mature key defender. Neither Oscar or Frost are ready to perform at the required level and as I've said, I'm not even sure they'll cut it in time. And frankly, whilst Tom 'battles manfully' and all that, he is hardly improving his weaknesses over time, which you hope all your players do..

Surely that's not actually Ricky Nixon ^ and rather some internet troll claiming to be him.

Easily 80 percent Richmond supporters. Couldn't believe how many there were, was insane.

Didn't help that he would also have been under more pressure than most other opposition key defenders during some of those years. However I do believe the gap between his best and worst is far too great and when I look at our key defender stocks, I see that we don't possess quality there. Tom does great things and awful things. The best defenders in the league are far more consistent in their performances.

Depends what you define as 'mature'. I would say we would have one of the thinnest ruck stocks within the AFL.

I know, I can't wait.

Viney, Petracca, Jetta and Jones all looked to be hindered last night. Throughought the entire second half, none of them could run at full pace. It was horrible to watch. I knew Richmond would catch us eventually. Amazing effort by our guys really. Richmond are the worst 5-0 team I've ever seen. Yuck.

If he continues playing the way he is, it won't be long before he is at Casey.

Are we jumping the gun re: Brayshaw? Was it concussion or not? I hope the club was being ultra cautious and it's not a mild concussion and was just a slight knock.

Emily's now dead.

True. But I'm not sure you're the best example setter of that.. Interesting info though. I would genuinely like to see Tyson dropped. Don't like what he's offering our side and bringing in JKH for him sounds about right. Ins: Hogan, Hibberd, Smith and JKH Outs: Weideman, Hannan, Tyson and ?

Soooo nothing different to what everyone already knows.. That he might be out.

Confirmed?

Perhaps you're right. I hope we turn out in strong numbers too. Those numbers in my eyes are disproportionate and are not a true reflection of how we want to play. Consider the overuse of our handball for one.. In the wet, the skill level becomes much more even between any two sides and is therefore a battle of contested ball winning ability. And I'd back our midfield brigade to win that and win it well.

Might be a bit of rain about Monday evening. I'm not so sure we'll get 80,000. Although Richmond supporters will come out in huge numbers. Rain will help us too. Hope it floods. Dees.

Martin out would be huge for us. i hope there's truth to it.

He walked for an easy flag and he got one. Off the back of champion players who stayed at Hawthorn through the hard times in the early to mid 2000's. He left during some of the worst years our club has ever seen. I have zero respect for players like James Frawley. And I would be almost certain that if he was interested in coming back to the club, Nathan Jones would be the first one to tell him to get [censored]. Jones would take it as an enormous insult. Frawley is also overrated as a player. Yuck.

It'll be Elton or Griffiths. Not both. Richmond rely on their three mosquitoes in Rioli, Butler and Castagna to make turnovers in their forward-half. It's the reason they're unbeaten. Playing Oscar wouldn't be advisable against them. Not at all.

Whilst Frost is hardly streets ahead of Oscar as a key defender, he possesses speed and agility which at this stage we need - especially against a nippy Richmond forward line. Frost made no more mistakes than Oscar has over the first three rounds. I question whether either will cut it as an AFL quality key defender over time. But time is on their side and we have no one else at present. Regardless, I'll be shocked if Oscar comes in for Frost this week. Unless there's an injury, it simply doesn't make sense.

The fitter he becomes, the better he'll get. I think people still forget how broken his seasons and pre-seasons have been and how much of an effect that has on a young player's development. You build fitness over consecutive pre-seasons and seasons of footy. Christian has an incredible skill-set and is one my favourites.