tiers

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.

Correct. Ball drop is the key. Both in the starting point and in control onto the foot. The guiding hand should control the position and posture of the ball before it comes into contact with the foot. Note that it is "guide" not "drop" and should be gentle. Tracca is of the school that believes that if he slams the ball onto the foot it will go further. He needs some one-on-one practice guiding the ball onto the foot to produce perfect drop punts starting with short kicks and building up. Develops muscle memory. Not hard to fix but takes time.

Exquisite ball skills, perfect balance both sides, could play tall or shorter and in any position, a capable mark one-on-one, even netter mark when out of position (notice how many two grabbers), versatile, tough, courageous and a great leader. If not for injury would have been undoubtedly been forward of the 90s after Schwarz and Carey. Magnificent promoter of the club and the game and also a great analyser of the game. Not too good at picking coaches. The video highlights are how he played all the time. Thanks for the reminder.

When the opposition run the ball out of our forward line, transition to attack and score an easy goal because of our inability to hold the ball in the fifty, it has zero to do with 666 or any other afl induced rule change. It's our fault alone. The rotten part is that if we can fix this problem, we will become dominant with our extra inside 50 entries that we can convert. Maybe not far to go but it will take a massive effort from the coaching and selection panel. 2020 Go dees.

I couldn't watch the whole game yesterday but three things did stand out: The ball still comes out of our forward line quicker than it goes in with almost no resistance. This has been a failing for more than 2 years and, sadly, I have come to the conclusion that it is a coaching issue. More inside 50s for fewer scores and a 40 point loss is totally unacceptable. Geelong was worse. Fix it or get a new coaching panel. Twice I saw the ainters tall forward successfully fly for marks against Hibberd and Fritsch who were both too short to compete. There was no one taller in the backline to compete. How could the selectors allow this to happen. Fix it or get a new selection panel. I was staggered to see Gawn and Preuss compete for a mark in the backline against the point post. WTF????. How could this happen?? This is not the way to play two giant rucks. Who was meant to be up the ground as a target to relieve the backline pressure? If that's the best two ruckmen plan, then fix it or get a new coaching panel/selection panel/gameplan panel. The current ones don't work. It is now clear that all opposition teams have figured us out and are playing to negate our strengths and punish our weaknesses. Pious and serious statements of greater intent and effort no longer have any currency. The only currency worth having is success. As always, I say 2020. Go dees.

It used to be that the game itself was the only star that was needed. As for alienating fans, even with the increasing competition for eyeballs, the lack of any sustained organic increase in fan numbers with the extensive amount of promotion/publicity/pitching is a worry. Let the game speak for itself. We have the greatest game on earth and to treat it like a mere form of entertainment is a travesty. Shame on the AFL and the paid boosters. Shame, shame.

Let's separate the issue into pack/contested high marks and leading marks. We have not been as dominant in pack marks as we would expect with Gawn, TMac, Preuss, Weideman running around from kick ins and long transfers down the ground. Can't explain why but they just don't stick even when we get first hands to the ball and we seem to be easily outmarked. Better at one on one contested marks but not by enough. Then we are behind other teams in our ability to deliver direct passes to leading targets (not targets wide on a wing). Again either the ball doesn't stick or the passes do not advantage team mates by kicking to the open side rather than dropping the ball into a contest. Our ability at chaos ground balls is not enough to overcome these deficiencies and the coaching team should be working hard at a fix.

Broadcast pasture. All things must come to an end. In his case, as ManDee so perceptively observed, he whole shtick is to seek too much affirmation for his inane comments. Makes no contribution of his own. It would be nice if there was a straight commentator who could describe what is happening together with an insightful and intelligent commentator who could analyse what is happening. Part of the problem is that there is only so much that can be said without being overly repetitive over a long 120 minutes. Davis might have been good last night but he also would become tiring over a season. Maybe commentators should be rotated in and out over a season.

Spargo adds a new dimension - short clever kicks to advantage. A good team needs all types and he fits this role well. As does ANB when played correctly. Frost is filling in down back until he is freed up to become the weapon on the wing - big, strong, extremely fast, long (albeit erratic) kick and, when in space, can be damaging in a 6-6-6 world. Oliver needs a chill pill - not every possession has to be dynamic and instantaneous. Still learning how to pace his game but his ball winning skills are beyond stunning. Think of the double handed ball pick up at speed at the base of a pack spoiled by a hurried long kick around his body to no-one. Gawn and Preuss's domination of the ruck and our inability to take full advantage is a long standing problem. I suspect that our mids are being asked to tag at centre bounces (why were we always behind the druggies) and they are too slow to anticipate and respond to Gawn and Preuss elsewhere. Better coaching and perhaps a better game plan for ruck contests seems to be the answer.

When I see Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney, Jones et al getting possessions in the defensive goal square on a semi regular basis or , if not, then offering leads as an escape path for our backs, then we will have the basis of a stiffened and supported defence. I see them too often foward, not enough back. Two way running means goal square to goal square if necessary, not goal square to centre square.

I believe that he was selected to play for Casey. If he is fit enough to play for Casey then he is fit enough for AFL. Need a better reason for not being played.

I post this again in support of George On The Outer's (GOTO) incisive observation in the match review that we were a tall short and need an urgent rethink. If we recruited Bruiser to be a back stop only for when Maxie is not available, then we wasted a pick. If we recruited him to create an imbalance or mismatch, then it is time to invest in the choice. And for once, can we see a well thought out game plan that allows the forwards to have a real chance to be effective both as forwards and as the first line of defence. It's up to you Goody.

I wonder if the coaching panel were ready for the season start? There have been some strange selection and strategy moves made that have not helped our cause. So if the players are fit and ready to go, then its the coaches that must step up and lead.

I have been watching footy since the late 50s and cannot recall a demon using torpedos as first choice to kick in from a point. Maybe in wet conditions only but on a dry day the best kick ins were all with drop kicks. Tassie Johnson and Bernie Massey in the seniors and the masterful Phil Rhoden in the ressies for those of us who came a bit earlier. Rhoden was surely the only player in the history of the game to be considered for selection in the seniors for his kicking alone - he was that good with a drop kick. But not good enough to be selected for the seniors and played nearly all his career in the ressies. In the bad old days, watching Phil was the greatest pleasure we had. To use a true footy expression, he was the best exponent of the drop kick I ever saw.

Kicking a true torpedo punt requires great skill because the preparation in the hands, the ball drop and the kick have to be in perfect coordination requiring innate timing and execution. It is not as easy as and less forgiving than a drop punt, especially on the run. I would identify the most stylish and consistent kickers and try to develop their skill starting with short kicks and progressing over time to longer kicks. Use it sparingly as a surprise weapon. When the skill is mastered, low direct torpedos are an effective short or long pass because they cover the ground slightly faster. The downside is that their trajectory, especially at the end of their travel, can be more difficult to judge for marking.

As I have said before, he plays a different game. Multiple efforts, flat out attack on the ball, repeated exhibition of the quickest hands ever seen, perpetual motion. He might just be too good for his team mates. In time, they will learn to understand his plays better and will anticipate his delivery. 2020 Go dees

The new centre bounce rules are not a contributor to the problem. It happens throughout the game, not just after centre bounces, and will continue to happen. My best guess solution is to spread out to force more one-on-one contests and to kick quick and low into the forward line so the opposition do not have the time to set-up. This could allow our so-called "chaos" model to come into play where the pack arrives after the contest, not before, and we can play to our strengths. Better selections would not hurt either.