Wiseblood

It will smell of desperation if Gawn doesn't play well. If he is right to go, then it's the right decision. Jones make sense from a defensive point of view. Yeah, he doesn't have speed to burn, but he has been playing more as a defensive half forward over the last few weeks. He will come in handy in helping to potentially stop their run off half back.

If King doesn't play, then May is the perfect match up. Has the pace to go with him further up the ground, and is strong enough in the contest as well. The only bonus of King being out that matters to me, is that we can stick May on Membrey. He worries me more than King, as he is not much different from his brother and May smashed him earlier in the season. On Max - unless he is 100% then we shouldn't play him, especially as they have Marshall and Ryder in the ruck who can run him in to the ground. Preuss might get another run by default but Marshall will dominate around the ground on him. That is the biggest worry for me at the moment. Edit - and just as I say that, Goodwin confirms Max is back! So you can ignore that last paragraph!

Essendon stinking it up. It's great.

There aren't too many players Spirit looks at from opposition clubs that he doesn't like. If he had his way, he would turn over the entire list for opposition rejects each off season.

Is this the same Spargo that kicked three goals in the second term against the Pies, when the game was well and truly still up for grabs? The same Spargo that played a key role in our finals push, by hitting the scoreboard and setting up goals when, again, the game was up for grabs? I mean, fine, he's had some average game of footy, but downhill skier? Give me a spell.

Speculation is that, if Norf wanted out, that they would pay part of the contract that sees him earn around $750k a year. Even then, I'm not sure he is worth it. If he can't get a gig at Norf, and with the injuries they have, then something is amiss. He should never have left Port, but chased the money, and now he can't get a game. And you have to wonder if Norf will want something decent in return considering they traded out a first rounder for him and Pittard. You could see them wanted to recoup some of that as well. It all adds up to a no from me. I see why we would want someone like him on a wing, but I don't think he is the answer to that issue.

16 other clubs overlooked him as well. We aren't going to get every move right. We identified a need with Langdon and Tomlinson, then drafted Kozzie as the pressure forward. We can't recruit everyone.

I think most would, but I'm not so sure we can afford him, especially if Norf are throwing bags of cash at anyone who glances in their direction.

And, let's be honest, he wasn't alone in having little influence on the weekend. Pickett had five tackles but didn't have real impact, while Melksham and Hannan didn't really set the world alight either. Deserves at least a few more weeks in the senior side.

"And if there's one other person who has influenced me in that way I think, someone who is a maverick, someone who does that to the system, then, it's Ian Botham. Because Beefy will happily say "that's what I think of your selection policy - yes I've hit the odd copper, yes I've enjoyed the old dooby, but will you p*ss off and leave me alone, I'm walking to John O'Groats for some [censored]!"

He absolutely deserves to be in contention. Not only has his form been excellent, but it's been even better to see his leadership skills coming to the fore during games. You can see that he sets high expectations for himself and his teammates, but he is also getting around the younger players with a tap on the back and a quiet word in their ear on a regular basis. Plus he is also happy to swallow a few angry pills and stick up for anyone who might need it. He is showing us every week that he was worth the pick we gave up for him. Long may it continue!

Doc - do we need all defenders to have an offensive element to their game? It seems to me the way they are playing Tomlinson is in that lock down role on a key forward, similar to what Oscar was doing and Joel Smith in the earlier rounds. I think we look for the offensive drive from our flankers and, to a smaller extent, someone like Steven May. It seems to me that Tomlinson has been asked to play a far more defensive role than others. I'm only going on what I watch, but he is there to defend and he is doing that well at the minute.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/08/23/the-club-that-should-trade-for-braydon-preuss/ Garry Lyon and Tim Watson discussing the idea that Preuss should ask to move on from Melbourne at the end of the year, and that Geelong and the Giants should be interested in his services. I'm happy to keep Preuss - he is a capable back up to have - but if a club shows enough interest, and offers a good deal, then I think the club would have to look at it.

Meh. In a highly compromised draft, it means little. We got Kozzie at Pick 13, and even if North end up with a Pick around the 6-10 mark to begin with, they could easily push back to our pick anyway. People are treating that pick swap as if we lost a first rounder. We didn't. We just used it a year early. It really isn't that bad.

Is he a forward? Apart from a few goals in a pre-season game, what has he done to suggest he'll be any good there? I was happy to give him time to develop down back, but I'm not sure if he's going to solve many issues by getting a run up forward. He strikes me as a very athletics, but low football IQ, type of player, and we don't really need that right now.

No need to get pissy, Biff. There is merit to the point you're trying to make. But the example you used doesn't make any sense. Why think differently if it means you want to take one of our best players our his natural position for the sake of making 'changes'? If you had suggested sticking Pickett in the guts for five minutes, getting Harmes to a wing or forward flank etc then yes, that is something worth looking at.

So your solution is to shift one of the best backmen in the game, and one who is currently in red hot form, to the forward line? If you had suggested sticking Harmes on a wing, for example, then it holds more weight. But your suggestion of moving May makes absolutely zero sense and doesn't do anything for the point you're trying to make.

Geelong don't strike me as a fair comparison. They get to play down on their own home deck for at least 10-12 games a season and they know it like the back of their hand. Not many have won down there in the last 10-15 years. I'm not trying to devalue their culture, recruitment etc, but I don't think they are the right comparison when talking consistency etc. compared to ours.

Good summary. The part I highlighted is the important aspect to remember - nothing is ever as bad as it seems after a loss... well, unless we get smashed by 12 goals! The same can be said for a win, which we've all just found out. We won three on the trot, which sounds good on paper, but when you look at the opposition it doesn't hold as much weight. But as you say, all is not lost. We are playing a similar team in St. Kilda next, so I'm interested to see what, if any, changes are made for it.

Hey graz - you weren't being rude at all with your question to him earlier. Far from it. The onus of proof is on him. He claims Tomlinson is on the big money, so it's up to him to back it up.

I don't. It's been excellent for us for most of the season. The midfield and forward line pressure were the issue today. Had nothing to do with the zone.

Agree on both fronts. The only problem with our back half is Harmes. Hibberd had a bit of a shocker on Wallis today, but he has some points in the bank over the last few months and no one will play the perfect game every week. But I still wonder what Harmes is doing there and if they will continue to persist with it. Time is running out. And just when we thought the forward line was clicking, they revert to their previous form. We contested relatively well in the air but we stunk it up when the ball hit the ground and then we didn't work hard enough to win it back. As you say, up the pressure and we are hard to beat, but we have to be far more consistent with it, especially against the better sides.

I agree, but it would be also nice to think that we can make some noise if we got there, and not just make up the numbers. Sadly, I'm not sure I can see that happening this year. It would be nice to make it but would feel pretty hollow if we got knocked out easily in the first week. We have time in our side to potentially make changes, but that also sounds hollow as I feel as though we discuss that most weeks.

But, his skills aren't limited to that. I've seen him, on numerous occasions, hit some targets up the field with some really good skills. Just because he didn't really do it today shouldn't take away from that. My point is that we got him to play as a key defender, or as the third tall zoning off, and he's done that very well this year. I think we are nitpicking after a loss for the sake of it.