Deemania since 56

Jordan and Rivers are young, and can recover quickly from bursts that can be expected to be required against the GC, whereas HIbberd - essential to the finals campaign - has played hard all year and one could expect that it is time for a restive 'management' to take place.

It is grating on the psych, but I think it is time to 'manage' Hibberd prior to the finals appearances.

We could be breeding another Caleb Daniels in young Bowie, only better.

Spargs just needs to get into the forward line alone (not necessarily inside the 50m arc, in fact, preferably not) and be seen as such in a circular waltz, ready to be seen and fed with low passes. Then his footy smarts, his good foot passing and his calming ease can do their work in the feeding of forwards (provided that those forwards are not static blocks of salt in the hot zone).

Interesting read - frightening read for two key operatives in our team - remember, folks, these two are not alone in this marked form slump. About 75% of our team is paddling the barbed wire canoe against the current in terms of recent form and only a couple of them have learned the Australian crawl. One or two can dog-paddle.

That is true - just imagine the free kicks in the backside if, in the public media, a player/teammate said something uncomplimentary or negatively about his team and its performance lapses/issues.

Numbing time of the year. The dreams are there, the reality of the recent past matches has not been encouraging. Yet, in so many of our recent losses, we were very close and a possible win was a frequent expectation but the 'run' of goodies could not be sustained. Destiny is in our own hands - for once, let's get there!

Well, it's about time but is it likely? We need team changes and at least half a game of footy to attempt to make it gel across the board. Strike power, mongrel, hunger, free running two-way, overlaps - just like earlier in the season.

Ridiculous, isn't it? The problem from the umpires' points of view is that '...disposal attempts...' will take the 'showmanship' away from the umpires as 'thrashing about' with nowhere to go - or a totally fake disposal attempt itself - is arbitrated by the umpires as an ultimate theatrical, desperate and feigned honesty of intent in the game by 'players/fakers'. Thus, it is encouraged. It also provides an obvious highway for the umpires to intercede for the purposes of increasing the spectacle of the situation; it is a sign of umpire 'astute judgment' in their opinion; it is a useful tool in awarding frees - one way or the other - to particular football teams for the purposes of evening up or dominating that particular game, itself - achieved as conventional cheating. These aspects (and several others) of our game push Aussie Rules backwards, towards and into continuous formative stages, across all games. Rules are conventionally manipulated by an actor's deliberated staging for the benefit of umpire powers. No wonder the concept of '...a level playing field...' is now the last consideration by the AFL in its oversight and intercession in the sporting arena.

We really have no other choice; at present, Fritta is our key forward. B, McD and Weed have to be trialled, and some would also rewquest the addition of Daw and JSmith, and the Melk. All sounds crazy. So many spots can be justified with our performances on record this year. Amongst so many players, surely someone knows a little about forward play, coz the Coach doesn't and this is obviated every week. A collective think-tank approach could be utilised for the benefit of all mankind.

Should give them all the time to think about their contributions. It would also assist the team, no doubt, to review previous 'managing' decisions plus blood a new skill set within the team prior to finals. (Have a look at their respective contributions and impacts.)

One would hope...

Fairy Nuff, have noticed it only on occasion so perhaps I had forgotten this aspect of his game.

Well posited discussions. The game most certainly is degenerating; so many new rules/protocols have facilitated widespread onfield misinterpretation and manipulation within an ether that most assuredly the AFL does nothing to ameliorate. They (the AFL) will be the last to admit their error ... in the meantime, such confusion and practice is condoned.

Many of the Doggies players have now mastered the 'Selwood shoulder shove' whereby a completely legal tackle is dealt with by the following: the player feels the tackle, noticing that it is a good one the player forcefully raises his arm from under the tacker's arm in the legal, low position simultaneously with the above, the player 'ducks the head' and torso as the offending arm is raised to shoulder height or higher, to neck height, thanks to the 'duck' and their tackling arm being forced upwards the player stops all forward momentum and drops to his knees or lower where body weight forces the (talented) tackler's arm even high up across the head. At this point, some very artful dramatic queens feign horrible agonies and twisted, facial contortions for the alleged violation of a head-high tackle, yet get up once the free is awarded without a problem in the world a few wobbles of the head by the player exacerbates the now 'head high' infringement status and short-lived head pains a free kick is rapidly awarded from the umpire, which is absolute 'tull bisht'. These little tricks and deceptions are now rife and well-practised amongst the Doggies' on-ballers and feeding lateral forwards, enabling many frees and deceptions in any game, and hence a high, positive free kick tally. There's something rotten in the state of play when rules can be manipulated for artificial gain.

I like this...Smith is a forward and deserves a go.

Disagree somewhat, but that is 'opinion' for you. Futhermore, he'd be hungrier for the ball and the team contribution now that he is over his injuries.

Basically agree but I feel that Harmes has, in the main, been grossly mis-matched, time and again.

This has been a huge factor to overcome, setting up more individual plays than team plays as it is uncertain in the players' minds when the hard work, effort and decisive winning of the ball will be interrupted - even though the opposition has been unable to turn the tide their way without umpire support. Suddenly, through the whistle, the Demons are in trouble.

...and a couple of up-coming games with umpires who are accountable...

He should be ...

An hour a day, that's more than enough to increase accuracy in kicking for goal from a variety of distances and angles. Hold the ball correctly. Keep the line of the ball constant - even in the drop. Have your kicking stance, leg and follow through closely observed and then adjust these for good, should the line be wrong. For all kicks except the torp, keep you nose almost over the ball with nil head movement (and no trunk movements). Minor adjustments are thus easy to make. These will usually be about the drop and its correct distance - same as the golf address but with a close-in moving ball - a big one, too. Observe and appreciate those factors that adjust the flight of the ball from absolutely still atmospheric conditions - and then take these into account in the kick. Regular practice will allow for windy, wet and distance parameters to adopt. Know you kicking distance/s to the millimetre and do not attempt hero-style, post-high big bombs - sure to put your kick off line in most circumstances. Practise snaps, instep and outstep; maintain a preference for a straight line through the sticks by contact control with the foot and the leg action. Keep practising day after day for an hour. Seeem- pill.

Some coaches like to be seen as 'decision-makers' and with such a small arsenal of ideas, Goodwin is one of them.

With regret, Spargo and ANB were smothered physically and by foot.

Good team. Might be time to manage Pickett and to retain Jordan (to turn him over time into a loose cannon).