titan_uranus

Angriest person in Australia right now - Scott Camporeale? With that Dogs loss they had the chance to move into 6th and a home final. Instead, they're almost certain to have to play the Dogs at Etihad instead. Meanwhile, nice to see Brisbane play their best game in the last round. I know they didn't have Beams, not sure who else wasn't playing, but it would be nice if we didn't routinely consider our final games 'meaningless' and tried to put on a show for the fans.

Adelaide's blown it in this fourth quarter. Lions are back on top of the Dogs and that home final remains a chance, but they've let Geelong steamroll them late.

Brisbane 8.11 to the Dogs 8.0. Imagine if Brisbane pulls off the upset but then Adelaide drops the game to Geelong, and misses out on the home final anyway.

I don't understand why, but is there any player on our list more polarising than Garland? People have strong views on Watts and Toumpas, but with Garland people seem to either think he's an underrated superstar, or an overrated VFL hack. There really doesn't appear to be much in between. Personally, I fall into the 'overrated' category. I don't think he's that talented really, but that to one side I cannot stand his attitude, lack of leadership and body language on the field. For someone who, whether he likes it or not, needs to be a leader of the club, he is failing big time, and that is the main reason I wouldn't mind moving him on.

There is no evidence that Fremantle stands to gain by losing this match. It follows from this that their decision to rest players cannot be tanking. Hence no one is upset. There is evidence that North Melbourne stands to gain by losing this match (if they win, they run the sizeable risk of drawing Adelaide in Adelaide in the first final). It follows from this that their decision to rest players can be tanking (there is a plausible reason why North Melbourne may want to lose this game). Hence, many are upset. The Fremantle situation is a perfect example of why resting players is not, on its own, tanking. The North situation, IMO, is no different to the Melbourne situation - coaches doing things that make winning a particular game something other than the highest priority, with there being a plausible benefit to be gained by losing.

I'm excited.

Care factor? 0

If we got rid of everyone who wasn't getting a game right now, we'd be left with 22 players. There is, believe it or not, more to list management than that.

I loved the decision to pick him up, and I think the decision not to offer him a contract for next year is also a good one. He's been a great addition and I hope the younger players have learnt a thing or two from him in terms of rehab, training, standards and commitment. His football this year has been OK - he gets the ball but he doesn't damage the opposition with it at all. He's been really helpful across half back, especially with Salem out and Lumumba useless, but I wasn't sure he was going to provide us too much next year. As some have noted, it's a bit jarring thinking that Terlich and M Jones have contracts for 2016 but Cross doesn't. To that, I say that two previously poor list management decisions should not force us to make another bad call. I'm grateful he came to the club and I'll miss him playing for us, but I think it's the right move.

But this implies there is someone shepherding for them.

Love some of those tackle numbers - Bail 9, JKH 10, Toumpas 7.

No, not 'this'. We can't redo the draft, so why bother talking about it? We took Toumpas, he's our player, he's the one we have to make a decision on now, and that decision has nothing at all to do with Stringer, Wines or Macrae.

Would be a nice way to end the year if we could pay half-decent football and knock off the Etihad hoodoo. Get to 7 wins, go past the 'everything's wonderful' St Kilda on the ladder. If we kick more than 0 goals in the first quarter, we might be a chance.

What's your definition of 'a lot'? He's played 9 games this year, out of 21. That's fewer than half.

Appalling commentator, and that's not even including the incredible anti-MFC bias he displays.

The running is a huge problem. As you've said, the mids who are going to make it are the ones who run. Michie, Riley and Newton either cannot, or will not, run (Michie can, but doesn't do it weekly). M Jones, as untalented as he is, runs, which is why he keeps getting games (the more so when we're down in talent). Off-season recruiting must target midfielders who can, and are prepared to, run. I'm sure we'll draft one or two, but we shouldn't exclude bringing in midfielders from other sides. We just need to identify the right talent - Riley, Michie and Newton haven't worked out as well as we would have liked, but doesn't mean we can't keep trying.

NQR usually means 'not quite right'. To use it in a sentence: McKenzie, Terlich, Bail, M Jones, Spencer and Fitzpatrick are all NQRs.

Today on 3AW as they were hurtling towards that 97 point loss, Richo said something like: 'well, they've just been systematically picked apart by Sydney. No shame in that though'. There's no way in hell he would have said the same thing about us. Five of their top six disposal winners were Steven, Armitage, Fisher, Montagna and Geary - the same, older players. We don't exactly deserve glowing praise right now, but I find it ridiculous how many people are [censored] in their pants over them.

Well that's not what NQR is usually used for. I agree though, he's not ready, but the way this season has panned out it's only a good thing that he's been exposed to what's required at AFL level 10 times, maybe 11 with next week too.

Can you teach acceleration or speed? I'm also not sure there's enough evidence to know we have worse endurance. On the smaller muscles point though, I agree entirely. For years and years our players have looked smaller/skinnier/weaker than their opponents.

NQR? He's played 10 games!

The other thread got locked before you could answer, so I'll try asking here again: Is that (i.e. Hogan being in the wrong place) necessarily Roos' fault?

Is that necessarily Roos' fault?

At least we've tried tackling - 83-61 in that stat. Viney's laid 12, Vince 10, Watts 7, Garlett 6 and Dunn 5. There's a semblance of leadership there, kind of.

Classic Melbourne, wasn't it. We did it with our coaches, going from Bailey who was too easy on the players, to Neeld who was too harsh on the players, a massive overcorrection. We did it with the drafting too. First we went for players who were stocky/well-built but for whom skill was not the highlight - Dunn, N Jones, Bartram, Bate. Then we overcorrected and went for skilful players who didn't really have the bodies for AFL - Morton, Watts, Strauss, Blease, Gysberts, Cook. We're finding players with more balance between the two now, it seems (maybe).