tiers

This was before zoning (the most distorting concept ever) and the draft/salary caps. Success was a direct function of recruitment based on foresight, leadership and initiative and we had them in abundance. Jim Cardwell was the most effective club secretary of all time when he could approach a recruit with an offer to play at the MCG with the likes of Barassi and Beckwith. Zoning made these advantages worthless as clubs had exclusive rights over their zones. If you got a good, growing zone such as the dorks and the lolly blues did, it led to success. If you got a lousy zone like we did, clubs struggled to survive and advance. Until 1964 we had exclusive use of the MCG for training and matches (we trained at the MCG until the 1980s before the move to the Junction Oval). In 1965 toiges joined and deprived us of our inbuilt advantage and progressively other clubs have made it worse. We was robbed.

The most uniquely gifted and instinctive forward I have seen in 60 years of watching footy. All teams. He made it without "silver service" lace out delivery from upfield by relying on his rare natural ability alone. Jacca, Garry, Duke, Darren B all in the same team. There has never been a more talented Demon forward line but injury to Jacca and Garry brought them down. Agree with Spud - if only. Alas.

Who does he think he is? It's our game, not his. Time to invoke the "up yours" campaign again. In any event, just paying more free kicks for extended possession when tackled eg. 360 or even 720 degrees, and eliminating the stupid rule that allows umpires to avoid ball ups so long as the ball is still moving that causes ugly rolling scrums to form will reduce the number of tackles and the punishment to the players and clean up the spectacle. Watch replays from the 70s and 80s to see how the game should be played. Quick whistles and even quicker ball ups (umpires then took less time to prepare for a bounce than today umpires for a throw) kept the game open and moving.

To monoccular's comments. To suggest that players are scared to shoot for goal for fear of opposition kick in strategy is to deny the fundamentals of footy - that is, to score at every opportunity. Letting fear make the decision is contrary to all that we love about our great game. Is it any worse to squander the chance and concede an easy exit from our forward line and allow a "slingshot" thrust to score easy goals against us? Kick for goal because that is the basis of footy. Kick for goal and let the opposition worry about us scoring goals. Once we get our range we will be right. We get enough opportunities so only a small simple adjustment should bring benefits. 2020 Go dees.

I have written in another thread that there should be a team rule that anyone within 40m of goal and running free (or for Tracca and Clarrie 50m) must have a shot. No more dinky passes or stupid hand offs to players in worse positions with their backs to the goals. If a player must hand off (being tackled) then only to a team mate running free and facing to goals. Better to shoot and miss than not to have a shot at all because of some stupid concern about being called greedy or goal hungry. These should be encouraged attributes. Just shoot. When it becomes normalised we will win more games than we lose because we will be conditioned to scoring with every opportunity. Simple change.

Let's remember that when we had May, Lever, Salem, Jetta and Hibbert out at the same, Fritsch and Frost were forced to play in defence. Both would be better suited to play up the ground but we had to cut the cloth to fit. Both are still learning good skills but this year is now gone so leave them alone. And who would they supplant in the mid/forward line?

Tracca has been excelling in his ability to win the ball and deliver to advantage when in crowded situations. Seems to me he needs to learn the same for when he is free. He knows how to get to where the ball is so let him focus and this and worry less about goal kicking. He can play outside 50m arc and still be effective.

It would make a difference if we won some clearances from centre bounces. The best ruckman in the game working with a combination of Viney, Oliver, Brayshaw, Harmes, Petracca, Jones and we get smacked in the clearances. How can this happen? When is this going to stop? Where are the changes to personnel or tactics going to be revealed? Why is there no response? What is being done? Just like forward entries on elastic bands (that bound straight back) this should have been fixed long ago. Help. Maccas last two paragraphs are spot on.

I normally defer to Saty's opinions because he is mostly correct and well reasoned. However while he reports that the players were fitter than ever in terms of their 2k run, and while aerobic fitness is good, were they "match fit" as a playing group able to implement their game plan? I am not convinced.

There is cause for hope. Start with Dr.G's last paragraph and add that if only a small adjustment results in a workable and effective game plan then we are on our way and off to the finals. My reservation is that, unless there is a "dees" specific game plan that builds on our strength,s then we might never reach the ultimate prize. We have the cattle and with an earlier start to a more productive pre-season with more players available there is only the game plan to go. 2020 Go dees.

Since last century. 1964.

It seems that most are treating this season's malaise as a consequence of one off 2019 problem such as a poor pre-season, injuries and an inexperienced list. Most of the deficiencies issues were also evident in 2018 but we somehow maked them due to good fortune, surprise factor and a stable list. Teams like toiges and doggies had similar issues but still managed to win premierships by adapting and adopting a better game plan based on their respective strengths and personnel. So should we.

All correct about the pre-season and injuries. There is no doubt that they have significantly affected our chances of success this year. But my concern is not that we will miss finals and finish low. My concern is that when, in games, we have the chance to perform to a high level that we still fail. Fatique, lack of match fitness and restricted preparation should not impact on basic choices and skills when we are free to make an impact. It's the stuff ups when we are not under pressure that hurt us most. All 42 (44?) players on our list should be able to execute to advantage. That they can't be relied upon to do this is damning. 2020 Go dees. BBO posted while I was writing. Agree with BBO's post.

We miss too many gettable set shots in front of goal and running shots when not under pressure. The opposition's game plan does not affect these simple mistakes. It's all our own fault. If we score in proportion to the number of inside 50s we achieve then we will win. If we stop wasteful fancy shots (Jeffy's dribbles, Tracca's hurried play ons) our ratios will improve and we will win by even more. It's time for the coaching panel to step in and coach.

Our greatest weakness is the inability to offer good options for the kicker. Partly due to "play on" mentality, partly due to lack of confidence in the kicker delivering the ball to the advantage of the receiver, partly due to the absence of a cohesive, effective and predictable (to us) game plan. Time for the coaches to step up and instill these qualities into the team. Injuries should not affect these parts of the game plan - the plan should apply to all players on the list.

The secret to the success of play on football is for the receivers to present to the best position. Unfortunately our technique has been to play on regardless and deliver to contests. Over time, oppositions work us out and learn to read our game (does anyone doubt what Clarrie or Viney is going to do when they play on?). Its too easy to defend. Until our team and our game plan is settled (injuries don't help) I believe that we should limit play on to those situations where we have created an advantage. Otherwise hold the ball until a receiver makes a play. Agree with Clint.

Ablett's hit was deliberate, unnecessary, to the head and with raised arms. One week minimum. Soldo was responding to an aggressive movement to block him while play was stopped. One week laughable. Gilo and Chriso should both go now to save further embarrassment. Shocking Hocking too.

Is this like 1987? No. No way. No way Jose.

For some time I have been ending my posts with 2020 Go dees. I explained in an earlier post that 2020 was the year when the core of our best team will have played about 70 games together as a group (Oliver, Harmes, Gawn, Tracca, Brayshaw, Hunt, TMac, OMac, Jones, Salem Jetta, and some others) and fulfill the late Dean Bailey's prediction that it takes 70 games together as a group to blend as a team. Further, 2020 is the year when most of the above will have been in the AFL system for at least 5 years thereby fulfilling Brendan MacCartney's comment (made to me at a family day) that it takes 5 years to create an AFL footballer. Cats and Tiges experience is instructive and may work for us as well but the development of our team rates higher. So I continue to say 2020 Go dees.

Phil Rhoden in the ressies. Best drop kick I have seen in 60 years of watching footy.

A good kick into 50 relies on someone willing to lead or at least make good position to the expected drop of the ball. Clarrie's team mates must know by now where his long bombs will land and start heading in that direction before the oppos. Long bombs into the forward 50 will then work to our advantage. We have to stop dreaming about "lace out" passes and work to retain contested possession where we should have a slight advantage in skill and knowing where to go.

The spirit of our game is dispirited tonight. How can a player doing no more than shepherding a team mate and who does not leave the ground or raise an arm be offered a week while a player who deliberately raised both arms, leaves the ground and makes contact with the head of an opposition player get off. Degree of damage should not be part of the consideration on guilt, only on penalty if considered deliberate. It is a great miscarriage of justice and a sad indictment of the depth to which the administration and adjudication of our great game has sunk. And the Rampe non-decision discussion is also troubling. The original intent of the 50m penalty was to prevent time wasting. How can time be wasted after the siren? Can you imagine the outcry and embarrassment if the result had been changed due to a innocuous action like this? Games should be won, free kicks should be earned and 50m penalties should be awarded from a contest, not some silly little strict liability nonsense like this. The shaking the post prohibition is meant to prevent players from deliberately and vigorously shaking the post to disturb the player shooting for goal (remember this goes back to the time of shorter, timber posts). In this case, the only umpire intervention should have been to reset the game. Pedantic, pathetic and puerile decisions should be avoided for the good of the game. Gil, go. MC, go with him. You are both dragging our game down. Footy is our game, not yours.

Was it Gawn who got the ball out for Hunt to handpass to Dore?

It was almost nauseatingly apparent that both Garry and Roo had been instructed to talk about how many "ground balls" we gathered in the forward line. It seemed as if it was "ground ball day" all day for Jeffy and others. And Jeffy at least got to the ball drop and had scoring opportunities. Finally we were able to hold the ball in the forward line and prevent "slingshot" clearances leading to easy scores against. What a change! The coaching panel finally also decided that a "back stop" last man behind the ball was going to work. No more easy over the top handballs to the goal square. But why has it taken seven weeks.These deficiencies were obvious in round 1. 2020 Go dees.

When May, Lever and Jetta return, it will free up Frost and Hunt for the wings. Open space to run and long kicks to attack. Rotate through the wings with TMac & Weideman to offer variety in size and marking ability as well as run. Tracca needs a chill pill and to be instructed to hold the ball after a mark to take the time to make good choices and to set up his kicking. There is no rush to win.