titan_uranus

There is a perverse sort of growth evident in today's game. When Carlton took the lead and had it at the start of the fourth, the same inevitable feeling started to creep up, just like last year's games against Essendon and Carlton. To turn it around showed, I think, increased maturity and improvement to pull it out when we needed to despite being way off our best. Carlton went ultra-defensive though, a tactic that I think only the weaker clubs are going to employ (e.g. Fremantle, GC and Brisbane). Other clubs will play a more attacking style and won't focus on just getting numbers back to clog up our movement - such as St Kilda, and we saw how that went last week. Contrary to some, I thought Hogan was great today. His work rate was fine, his ground level pick-ups were incredible, and he was really a team player. His two easy misses hurt, though. Tyson started awfully but worked his way into it and his fourth quarter helped us win. Watts' first and fourth quarters were great, the middle two were terrible - he's better than that sort of inconsistency. It's also good to know we can win with a bunch of passengers - Viney the leader of that pack (but add Lewis, Melksham, Hannan and Petracca). Yes, there is a reason - Carlton's number one focus today was stopping us from scoring, with their own scoring being secondary to that task. St Kilda last week was the opposite. I expect Geelong to play us more like St Kilda did and that will suit us. We weren't outcoached - indeed, Goodwin worked out a way to get us back in front without having to concede the game first. Bolton came into it focusing on stopping us. We could have blown them out in the first but we were far too cute, that gave them some confidence and they stuck to their task for three quarters, shutting down our movement. Bolton did well to do that, but Goodwin did well to work out how to fix it to ensure we didn't lose.

They are flooding back and waiting for our mistakes and we are obliging. Far too cute, can't believe that wasn't mentioned at the quarter time huddle. However, this game is in our hands. They aren't going to do much else than this so if we can clean up our ball movement we can score more, I think.

The thing I find with these sorts of games is that we are often "off" from the start. You get that sense in the first quarter if we are having one of those "off" days and it then becomes a disaster from there on.

I won't stop being nervous about this game until it's quarter time and we're in front.

After three Tests and two days of hard work to put ourselves in with a chance to win a series in India, or at least draw it, one bad day of cricket means it's all over. Getting bowled out for just 127 in well under a day is a brutal way to end what has otherwise been a strong series. The Saha-Jadeja partnership gave India a lot of confidence in circumstances where, if Renshaw had held that catch, they might have been all out by stumps last night 50 runs behind. Finally, if we're going to drop an in-form Khawaja from the series to play a "specialist" in S Marsh (who played, what, one innings of note in four Tests?), we should be dropping Warner the next time. Literally one decent innings from him all series.

Making my way through the game now, I've just seen Melksham run into Membrey's head whilst Membrey was bending over for the ball. Could get a look at from the MRP, I think.

Vince has a poor record so it might be one of those cases where even the most minor of charges results in him getting a week. Personally I don't think there was sufficient contact to warrant a reportable offence but who knows. I'm not entirely sure who replaces Smith (and Vince if need be) but I wouldn't be dropping anyone else and I'd only be replacing them with players who are 100% fit. As such, if Tyson needs a proper VFL game to get up to speed, so be it. Ditto Kent.

That also stood out to me watching the highlights package. I've never seen a Demon with hands like that and I'm not sure how many other AFL players I've seen at that level, at least not at the age of 19. And to think the stats he put up yesterday were from just 75% TOG.

Is there any other way to watch the replay?

One we can break on Sunday - a win will mean we have two more wins than losses. That hasn't happened since the end of the 2006 season. I believe we were in the 8 after Round 1, 2015 when we beat Gold Coast. Other than that, not since Round 14 2011.

Sydney losing to Port, at home, in a year in which Port did not take many punters' fancy, is positive too. Getting Hawthorn, Sydney and Geelong out of the finals is a huge step in the right direction for the AFL's competitiveness.

I saw a tweet earlier from the ABC's coverage of the game. Someone said Hawthorn didn't have the same aura or arrogance, to which Mark Maclure (I think) responded "one went to West Coast, one went to Melbourne". Hodge will help bring some of that back, but the new look Hawthorn really did look just average without them out there.

I can't stand the "poor old Essendon" narrative. I hate the way they got to pick their own Round 1 Saturday night home game opponent. But I love watching a thoroughly average Hawthorn walk off the MCG, embarrassed.

I can't see Hawthorn coming back from here. I love it, and I hate it. A few things about the "new' Hawthorn - Vickery still sucks, O'Meara and Roughead are rustier than most of the Essendon returnees, they're sorely missing Mitchell, Lewis and Hodge for the cool heads and experience at the stoppages, Sicily is no good as a defender, Burgoyne looks slow...all of which is enjoyable to watch. I wonder how much of this Essendon performance is emotion for their first game back (similarly to their first game in Melbourne last year...cough).

This game is driving me insane. I hate Hawthorn and watching them struggle across most lines on the ground is delightful. Wiping the smugness of their faces (including those of their supporters) is priceless. But, Essendon is being celebrated, rewarded and idolised for cheating and that makes me sick. This is simultaneously win-win and lose-lose. Edit: Also, the third man up rule is a farce. That free kick against Merrett is pathetic.

Easy now. We beat GWS in Round 1 last year.

Jimmy Bartel on 3AW just said the McDonald brothers were "impressive". Interesting.

Port Adelaide is about to beat Sydney, in Sydney. This is going to be an interesting season.

Pity they kicked that late goal, but whatever.

It's awful to see a true champion of the game get injured. In all other respects this is a great day.

Agree. it might be MFCSS but I'll be worried if they get the first goal or two.

In the third quarter we won disposals 150-70 (that's ridiculous), CPs 38-21 and inside 50s 20-5.

Apparently Wright and Brown went off with injuries that quarter? Not sure if they are back on or not.

For all the recruiting errors we've made over the last 15 years, it certainly looks like we can be proud of the decision to take Oliver.

AFL website says that since quarter-time we lead clearances 20-12 and inside 50s 29-13(!!).