titan_uranus

The Dogs usually get a good run from the umpires but that holding the ball free kick to Yeo was absolutely appalling.

A chance to break two streaks on QBD this week: Win on Queen's Birthday - 8 game losing streak (last won on QBD in 2007). Beat the same team twice in the same season - haven't done this since 2012, haven't done it to a non-first-year-expansion-side since 2010 (Richmond).

I didn't particularly rate Dawes' game yesterday but they're not going to drop Dawes after one game. Have we dropped anyone this season after one game? I'm not sure. We gave Michie, ANB and Newton at least two games each.

Fair enough. IMO, Harmes' disposal has been atrocious whether wet or dry. It was no better vs Port last week in the sun than vs Hawthorn. He turns the ball over almost every time he touches it, at the moment.

Why if wet?

Both Harmes and Kent were abysmal last week. Kent improved slightly yesterday, Harmes did not. Harmes goes first.

If Dawes won't ruck then Pedersen is a better player for that position.

You said worst over the last four weeks. He may well have been our worst yesterday but I don't want us dropping match-winners after one bad game. He was bad yesterday but he has enough credits in the bank to hold his spot.

And reduce our key defensive stocks to...who...? Who are you referring to? Grimes is clearly out of favour but has played 98 games and hasn't been a regular in the side for a couple of years now. Dunn is also out of favour but has never been a leader in his time here and given he appears equally, or less, capable of implementing the current game plan, what's the difference? Who else? We also get Melksham (114 games) into the side next year. My personal view is that OMac isn't good enough to hold his spot right now but with Dunn and Garland now injured, I suspect OMac will keep playing. I also don't necessarily think that replacing OMac with Dunn would automatically get us more wins than you think we'll get with OMac.

No. Not even close. Seriously, no. That's not to say he's in sparkling form, he's not and he needs to lift. But he's seriously not even close to our worst in the last month. Try Harmes, Kent or OMac for starters, let alone those who weren't good enough to hold their spots (ANB, Michie, Newton, Kennedy).

Good for Ingles. His Tweet was infinitely more garbage than anything Vince did. Spangher doesn't count, he's barely a fringe player. So yes, they're without Hodge and Roughead. We were without Brayshaw, Garland, M Jones, Lumumba, Salem and Viney, all of whom are either best 22 or much closer to it than Spangher. I think that's a relevant difference in injury lists.

With Garland and now Dunn injured, OMac and Frost are safe. Kennedy for Harmes the only change IMO.

Good to hear Kennedy's standing up. Right at the right time to take Harmes' spot. Hope Casey can get up today.

Eddie is actually one of the better commentators going around, provided he's nowhere near Collingwood.

Agree generally with the proposition that forward pressure is vitally important. The tackles inside 50 stat is relevant to that, obviously, and we need to do better than 8 from an entire game, but I actually felt we did better in this area yesterday than last week. Our pressure all over the ground, especially through the middle, was a notch or two above last week.

I don't think we can play Hogan, Dawes, Watts and Pedersen in the same side. IMO, Pedersen and Dawes are fighting for the same spot and on what I saw yesterday, I'm not sold on Dawes. The more so given Pedersen will do the second ruck duties which is a far better option to Watts.

You're talking about the backline as if they're trying to do the same thing they've done for the last two years but this year can't do it. They're not. The plan this year is wholly different to previous years and we are clearly not at the point where it's working all the time.

Groupthink? Get off it. Some people disagree with you, AF. We only need to go back to the Bailey era for a reminder that not every kid develops quickly when playing AFL over VFL. Agreed, though IIRC (and I may not), we improved the kick-handball ratio as the game went on.

Definitely agree on the difference between talls and smalls. IMO, OMac's first few games have been well below the standard seen in those you've named except Watts, who we all can admit was debuted too early, which is essentially how I feel about OMac right now. I understand that the FD wants to get games into the players it sees as taking us to our next premiership, and Dunn is likely not one of those, but I just do not think OMac is worth his spot in the side at the moment. Good luck to him if he continues to hold his spot. We all want him to become a new FB for this team going forward. I just, currently, think he should be developing in the VFL not the AFL.

The answer is to stop putting Watts in the ruck.

Yes but 89 is well above "couldn't get involved".

It's in this article: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-06-04/alastair-clarkson-post-match-press-conference Seriously one of the worst decisions I've ever seen. Umpire was right in front of him. Regardless of what has happened over the last few weeks, that is a duck plain as bloody day.

I don't think anyone was happy with anything we lost to Essendon, or St Kilda, or even Port last week. We've had more than our fair share of disgrace, forgive those of us who can see positive moments in losses (else we'd all have given this up years ago).

The query is whether he is worth persevering with in the seniors. He's not adding a whole lot and he's making a huge number of mistakes. At least with Hunt, Wagner, Oliver, Petracca etc. the positives are generally outweighing the negatives. I don't think there is any reason to write his long-term future off but right now I just do not think he is best 22, or even close to it.

Depends a lot on Casey, but I'd drop Harmes for Kennedy, I'd personally drop OMac but it's not going to happen, and I'd look at resting one of Hunt or Wagner and giving a game to the best performer out of ANB, Grimes and Michie. Harmes is the only stand-out to be dropped, IMO. Kent was better and I don't think we'll drop two half forwards in the same week, at least he improved on last week. I'm not sold on the argument that Dawes is any better than Pedersen was, and Pedersen is a better second ruck than Watts (who is not a long term second ruck option). But I'd give Dawes another game or two first. He put his elbow into Mitchell's head right before that though so he could still find himself suspended.