Wiseblood

We get it, OD. He had 4 touches last week and you aren't happy about it. No need to go on and on and on about it. I think every Melbourne supporter is aware and I don't think anybody is happy with his output last week. I certainly wasn't. But if Pedo is being overlooked then it must be down to something. We aren't playing the kids for the sake of it as we are pushing for a finals spot - wins would take precedence over development most of the time at this stage. It could well be a combination of no Hogan and the fact that they believe Pedersen needs another week or two at Casey to build his fitness levels. Either way, they've gone with Sam for a reason. I highly doubt the club would have been happy with his efforts and would have been told that. He needs to lift and the FD is obviously backing him in to do so this week.

And he did a pretty good job, too. If they thought Pedersen would give us something that Weideman doesn't, and help us win games, then he would be in the side. My guess is that his fitness levels aren't totally up to scratch yet.

If Pedersen is so great and ready to go, then why have the FD not picked him? No doubt that Weideman is struggling for form, but if Goodwin and co. thought Pedersen would offer us more then he would have been picked, yes? Either they don't think he offers us more at the minute or he is still struggling a little for fitness.

Not a dig, just fact. Big difference.

Is he, though? If he got to lots of contests then you would feel he would accumulate more than 4 touches a game, like he did last week. He needs to continue to work on his tank going forward as I don't think he hits as many contests as he should.

Weideman survived another week as Hogan is out of the side. He's horribly out of form but you get the feeling that the FD rate him highly and want to get games into him as quickly as possible. The Freo backline isn't all that flash so they may be hoping he can play himself back into a little form. If we can get 3-4 goals out of him this weekend we go a long way to winning the game.

@stevethemanjordan just had his Christmas and birthday all at once with the omission of Oscar. The changes are fair, though, and reflect a need (Spencer) and good VFL form (Frost and Bugg). The guys at Casey need to see that their good work is rewarded and the guys in the senior side also need to see that poor form won't be tolerated. Still nervous about this game, though. It could be a slog fest.

Yes, seriously. I've never heard him called that.

Forgive me for the potentially silly question, but who the hell is Ozzie? Is it Oscar McDonald?

He's out of contract at the end of the year so he may be able to leave for nothing after being on our list for so long... ? Either way, it's a moot point as he will no doubt be using this as a huge opportunity to impress.

It could also be a good, 12 week period where he can actually put himself forward for a contract at another club. I say that not because I want to let him go, but even with Gawn's injury he knows he will always be the second choice ruckman. If he plays well, does it alert other clubs to the possibility of picking him up? Either way, there is plenty of impetus for him to play well over the next few months.

I feel like I add this to the thread every week, but the list is not as bad as it looks. Hogan and Lewis are just suspensions, Hibberd is off the list entirely and we have a couple who are just a week away. Fingers crossed these last few weeks are our hardest for the year.

This post just makes me wish I had the spare time in my life to analyse 12 games that Jake Spencer will play in. The big fella will go alright.

I agree, and it's a problem we've got because we want to get games into these young players and there are only so many spots in the midfield to go round. It's the same for someone like Brayshaw. Now that ANB is getting more midfield minutes we are seeing the sort of player he can be for us going forward.

Me too - I'm certainly not suggesting I won't be happy with another win. I'll always be happy with a win. I just don't think it will be an easy game to watch as I have a feeling Ross Lyon might get them to go defensive as it worked for Carlton.

He's had more than that, though. He played the last seven games of 2016 and had a positive impact, especially as he was able to spend more time in the midfield. He averaged a tick over 20 disposals and around 5 tackles a game, and 8 of those disposals averaged out to be contested. While they aren't stats that will blow you away, when you consider that he came back from concussion issues, it shows the quality he has. This year he's been stuck on a half forward flank and not given many opportunities to play through the midfield. As ProDee says, I'm happy for him to spend a little time at Casey rediscovering that form.

We will win this game, but, it has all the makings of being a game similar to the one we played against Carlton a fortnight ago. Across the board we have more quality, more skill and more talent, yet we're still learning how to put sides away. We just can't do it at the minute and I have a feeling that this game could be tough to watch. Freo have a good midfield that can probably match us, but if we can curb their influence AND move the ball quickly then we will have them covered. But I'm not expecting it to be easy to watch.

Slow night, Dan?

Does it? I thought our usage through there, especially in the second and third term, was the catalyst for how often we were able to hit the scoreboard.

St. Kilda gave up their first rounder (Pick 10) from last season for Hawks first rounder from this year, plus a second and third rounder from last year. Hawks then used Pick 10 to land Slowger O'Meara.

St. Kilda. It will come in handy if they want to chase an out of contract star. Hawks have served it up to them on a platter.

Everyone deals with these things differently. He may have already spent his time at the hospital and took the opportunity to take his mind off things by spending a little time with friends/family at the music festival. Being caught smoking is only a very minor issue, but trying to even criticise him while his father is clearly unwell is poor by even your standards.

You're doing it wrong, Moonie!

Yes, I was there playing at the music festival. We killed it.

Not a good look, but it's hardly a big deal. I'd rather him puff on a ciggie than be popping pills instead.