tiers

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.

After the first game against Geelong in 2018, Goodwin lamented the fact that they had rebounded 49 times out of 64 entries into the forward line. Here we are, 12 months later, and the same toxic game plan is exposed. At times on Saturday I saw a ball kicked high and long into the forward line only for the defence to punch it away and the only player front and square was the opposition. I used to think that it was only because players were aiming for Jesse's head in the goal square. It now seems that the disease has spread to all players trying to position in the forward line. No good saying that they should be leading because most kicks are not well directed. I don't mind long (and quick) kicks into the forward line but we must find a way to hold the ball in. That's where we are struggling. A first gamer, a second gamer and the occasional mid passing through is not my idea of a structure that can hold the ball in. Time for a re-think on strategy and, most importantly, selection.

A third unique and innovative style? Yes. Play two big ruckman, set up mismatches (tall v short, fast v slow, one on one match ups) and attack the perceived weak links in the opposition. Oops, without runners how do we set this up as a dynamic model during the game? Smoke signals from the bench or cleverly crafted code messages on the sign boards? I know it will work but how do we implement it?

I concur completely. No matter what posters say, Jesse was a real talent who had too much pain and suffering heaped on him. Standing out for a year for being too young, losing another year to a back injury, losing his dad, facing his own illness, suffering a new injury and all by the age of 25. All in public and it was not fair. He kicked more than 2 goals a game and stood tall and won games as well. To those who maintain that his on field demeanour was not good enough I say it was - he used to express his disappointment with himself for all to see. I wish him all the best for the future and hope that he becomes the champion player he is destined to become (except against us of course). I will always applaud his successes. Someone should tell Niall to go and get ........! The club did its best for Jesse. Go Jesse.

I suspect that our best 22 over the last 40 years would surprise. It was not just the lack of talent that caused the misery, it was the timing. We rarely had the group of champions together injury free at the same time. Imagine if we had had outstanding talents such as Flower, Wells, Alves, Lyon, Schwarz, Jakovich, Stynes, Wilson, Healy, Smith, Fowler, Lovett B, Farmer, Neitz, Woewodin, Moore, Wight, Viney T, White, Johnstone, Tingay, Charles in the same era. I would put them up against any combination of 22 from any other team.

When Clarrie was drafted I looked at his draft video. Even then, at junior level, he displayed a level of skill with his handball that I had never seen before. At that moment, 50+ years of misery slowly started to slip away. Let's be patient and watch this superstar in the making evolve. For the moment at least, he is our's alone to enjoy. That will soon change and he will belong to the whole footy world.

Is it possible that Hunt's positioning is dictated by the coach? Could they be trying a thing or two? Let's not be so hasty to criticise. At his best, Hunt is a weapon and we should encourage him to find his way back.

Spargo's vision, choices and disposal in close over relatively short distances are first class. He is able to create good opportunities for team mates.He also positions himself well to receive. Hunt's strengths are his ball winning ability, his speed to carry the ball and his long kicking. He is the territory man who has the potential to rate highly on the "metres gained" (another affectation of the statisticians and dumb commentators). Trying to convert him into a Salem clone will be counterproductive. All the forwards need to do is spread - the ball will fall near one of them. Frost is another who could prosper in this role.

No one should ever be compared to the incomparable Robbie who played his footy in a higher universe. Clarrie will end up in the pantheon at the next level down. Very rare space. Added the following from 2016 Best hands at MFC since Obst. Best vision, awareness and selection of disposal choices in close that I have ever seen at MFC. Most successful teams have high class distributors (think Sam Mitchell, Greg Williams, Michael Voss) whose touches propel their teams forward. If handled properly, Clarry will rightfully belong in this company. The FD's challenge will be to develop the receivers to complement his role and his skills.