Deemania since 56

I think that his kicking skills are as good as anyone's in the team. He has varied capabilities with the ball as seen with some of his 'shots' at goal from the boundary to square front-on, including some of his looping passing to teammates, and some of his more direct feeds with the ball. He has distance and accuracy. He is also a good crumber. His attack with the ball is seldom exaggerated by steadying delays - he gets it, he goals faster than you can blink - quite often. He is a very handy team footballer.

You know, I'd really like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gus. His last two games - playing in his rightful position and penetrating the field as he has done - has been more than inspirational for the whole football team. He is a class act doing what he knows best, the equal of anyone else in the League from the midfield. If he played for one of the glamour teams, he'd be classed as 'great', a 'champion' and one of the few with 'top of the rung talent'. Played out of position, his skillset was not required and he struggled more often than not. The rise of impact on games by Petracca and Clarrie has assisted Gus to blend with the midfielder's role more fully, to better effect and with more team confidence for him to access. Wonderful time of this season to hit his straps again; his potency is something of which the MFC should be proud and respectful. He is not a backline 'fixer', he is an attacking midfielder par excellence.

Tomlinson was a good avenue on the other wing. Both were assets in this game. Spacemakers, runners, eyes-up team members. ?

All class ... undisputed.

If not, it will be a premeditated AFL set up to propel North at the Demons' expense at this stage of the season.

I'd call it 'containing the catastrophe that they now represent' after the Crows v MFC game.

Too right. Gawny is a legend, with enough bearing to dismiss physical abuse and personal targeting. He avoided another penalty by not responding to the attacks. The umpires wanted to see him stumble but he outsmarted them. Held his dignity when all around were losing theirs. We won the game. The Crows lost. McHenry and in particular, Walker, disgraced themselves and in the eyes of the footballing public, deserve no respect for their losing efforts. Onyer, Max.

Subtle....

TMac could still be missing from the squad - injury flare-up is a terrible thing - and a surprise. It is as bad as memory loss.

I still reckon '...Brayshaw on ball for the majority of the game' is not only likely but also, highly desirable on many fronts. To me, Gus is all class once he has had a feel for the game and is in his correct place onfield.

Constant pressure will nullify HIggins; it may not stop him but it will assist in reducing his impact. The closer the pressure, the better. Higgins can rush his disposals and hence, we want to encourage that trend.

The Dees will need to be on their toes for this match, all match. The umpires will keep North in the game for at least three quarters, rest assured - so we have to lead the match, all match, by at least three goals. A few errant body slams in honour of a missing Max and a turbocharged Viney will be required to unsettle and confuse the North runners. Harmes, Tomlinson, Salem and Tracca are in for a testing and very big responsibility across the game, full of two-way involvement and initiative. We can take this game with creative initiative and hard work.

AVB will get him next time. Just once, please.

Harmes is terrific, sure. Harmes is a good tagger. Harmes surprises with his height - capable of good spoils and contested marks. Harmes ain't no backman. Harmes needs to go back to midfield and forward duties, creating opportunities and forward line 'gets'.

In my mind, that leaves Preuss and Jacko for a revolving ruck and deep forward exchange, and Brayshaw and Harmes to do the dirty work in the midfield. Drop in Rivers to the HBF, for Salem, and Salem to the HFF for some goals and passing to the mobile Hannan, Fritta and Melk. The Weed will have to move his feet a bit as a prong forward. Drop Jonesy, throw in Jordan and blood him as a tagger/backline utility. And for Heaven's sake, Goodwin, use the bench well and often. Tomlinson on a wing is critical to receive the kick-ins from a behind to North. I still regard him as a spaceman out there who can get to space, has the height to receive in a pack, can part-time ruck in the region, can feed the forwards with run and carry. Max won't be there to run into the back flanks to receive kick-ins, so the backmen must concentrate on spoiling, bringing the ball to ground and screening the gathering smalls to get the ball away.

Another indicative mistake by the alleged experts within the AFL. A self-justifying idiom, at best, applied to '...those who do not matter...' The irony is that the AFL are encouraging 'dangerous falls' for 'frees' within the mask of 'concussion'. The kid did his best to fall awkwardly after all, whilst ANB - who got him red-handed - clearly attempted to soften his bizarre theatrics. We hope the kid is OK but staging is getting more and more elaborate and its consequences are selectively applied.

Spot on - done it myself with the same result.

Razor Ray, he's a pretty good [censored].

Unbalanced on purpose at the moment of being tackled by ANB - he wore the consequences because the tackle completion was to reduce the impact on the ground, with ANB attempting to absorb and hold back the force of the turn. It is unfortunate that he hit the ground so heavily; however, ANB is not a big bloke - yet he still attempted to limit the impact of his opponent on the ground albeit unsuccessfully - the umpire should realise that he does not have the responsibility to 'carry the weight' of a player in the throes of staging (that worked out for the worst). ANB does have the contested responsibility to tackle an opponent in possession of the ball - there really is no sense in the interpretation that the impact with the ground and hence, injury, was ANB's purpose. ANB was correctly determined to tackle, then in a split second, determined to reduce the ground impact of the staging player in the throes of milking by not letting go (absorbing the fall impact and weight). It was a desperate attempt for a 'free', rather than be pinged for incorrect disposal / dropping the ball once caught, and both had limited control of what might be considered as an umpire misinterpretation. I hope that the young fella is OK - but it is unlikely that he will perform that balletic manoeuvre many more times in the future, once caught with the ball.

I'd think we were 'wasting' him on the backline. He can kick good distance and fine shorter kicks, he can run and run, he can apply effective tackles, he find space quickly. He is very light and has difficulty 'stopping' opponents who are big blokes. This means, to me at least, the following: he's fine for shots at goal up to 50 metres he is agile, moderately fast and balanced he can be selective but effective in tags and spoils, including similar sized opponent tackles he can be very evasive, moves to spaces rapidly, slips opponents when moving in anticipation of receiving a pass he is not a great backman due to his slight frame - limited physical threat with the big boys highly suited to the penetration of the forward line with depth or in the transition from midfield to deep forward I'd reckon he could be better placed against certain teams, not all. At least, shifted to attacking roles for shorter bursts when our players up forward are lumbering with their static tendencies. He'd be a great feeder for mobile forwards, such as the Melk, Hannan and Jackson. Just an opinion...

AVB is fair dinkum. He is already an icon. He'll be up for next week, coz he was out for so long. He makes our team accountable and straightens us up. Even Taylor Walker (who thinks he's tough with little guys) side-stepped and got out of the heat. All AVB was doing was walking past, silently. We love that contribution. For some of us, it is like having both Ray Biffen and Rod Grinter in the team.

Hell, no - no OMac. Out: a managed Gawn and Bennell In: Hannan, Rivers, Hunt, Preusse (the latter if ANB is suspended) Rucks: Jackson, Preusse, Tomlinson, Weideman (on rotation, zonal duties) Hunt to wing when Tomlinson rucks Hannan stays HFF for Bennell Rivers big-time half-back flank opportunity May CHB, Lever FB (both on rotation) Salem HBF on bench

Midfield bursts for Viney, into the forward line for a rove around and a few shots. You've got this right, AF. There is more to his game than what we have seen this year (and that has been commendable).

Ken Oath!

Great win. Team play was evident. As the match progressed, our team observed the road to success within it - all about looking for each other and taking the opportunity to exploit the positioning upfield. Forwards could still have been a little more mobile into space but it was a huge improvement from previously. Goodwin, I consider, had little to do with the ideas mindset employed; this was the result of player determination across the game, led by Clarrie and Viney, early and (when he got onto the field) Gus with his pick-ups and deliveries. AVB is our Rock of Gibraltar - taking hits from behind without umpire observations. Jackson was very impressive and is coming along very nicely - he will get a couple of bags scored at the deep forward line in the near future, and he looks highly capable of good team play. Must say, Melk put in a good one - leading to space and in recoveries. Fritta was a little lost out there, though; he did not move as frequently as he should - finding space for the quick grab He held a few nice ones despite the battery of blows he received from Crows backmen, again, not seen by the umpires. It seems as though the umpires give the Crows (as well) a licence to play dirty, cheap and illegally when the chips are down - for the first three quarters, the umps kept the Crows in the game, as well. Gawn was hammered behind his back and received several knee-delivered (at full pace) body kicks once again. One of these was directed from behind at this bandaged knee/leg with the intent, obviously, to maim. Umpires did not see or react to these attacks, either. It is as if Clarrie and Gawn - predominantly - are such good footballers that it is OK to trash them both at any opportunity without penalty. Oversight and disregard are now standard fare from the whistling snot goblins, where the MFC is concerned. Salem passed well with good heads-up resolve. May was brilliant and of course, dominant. Walker swung a few until May's temperance warning was issued in the second quarter and from that moment on, it was as if Walker was no longer on the ground. Trac had a quieter game but his influence was ever-present. Viney was superb across the game - a powerhouse driver and scrounger. His teamwork was highly creditable, looking and finding outlets across the field (under these influences, he is able to play an unmatchable style of footy for the benefit of the whole team). Played great golf this morning, in the calming knowledge that we can play footy if our whole team acts as a team. A great win. We invented our own way to win the footy, propel the footy forward and to find targets. Goodwin must be thankful that a few heads got together to put up such a stern exhibition of thinking footballing. The whole side responded.