Everything posted by Mel Bourne
- PREGAME: Rd 24 vs Sydney
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PREGAME: Rd 24 vs Sydney
Heās really the one player Iād like to see rested this week. As weāve seen in the past, Maysieās body doesnāt seem to hold up as well as others come the pointy end of the season. Heās lost a noticeable amount of mobility in recent weeks. Though many will argue that playing through his soreness is optimal. I just worry about that hammy of his.
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PREGAME: Rd 24 vs Sydney
Iām not sure I really buy this. Whoever we play first in the finals is not going to be afraid of us because we beat the Swans. I donāt think any of the top teams would have any of this so-called āfearā going in any direction. Everyone is gettable this year. There are no true monoliths, and itās made for a great season.
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PREGAME: Rd 24 vs Sydney
Form - true, continuity is important, but all teams are about to have their continuity halted after next weekend (which is why some coaches have come out against it). Fitness - the risk of fresh injuries after being rested - is their much evidence of this? Coming off an injury, and being brought back too soon, sure. But getting injured after being rested for a week (while still maintaining peak physical fitness)? Iād need to see the stats on that. Again, the Cats employed resting their older players throughout the season last year. And key players, at that (Selwood, Hawkins, Dangerfield and Isaac Smith, who was rested in Rnd 22 and went on to win the Norm Smith). It was all about making sure they had the best team available in the final game of the year, and didnāt see the above issues as much of a threat to that aim Gawn and May would be it. No need to go crazy.
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PREGAME: Rd 24 vs Sydney
Whatās the argument for not resting players? Is it the risk of a potential ārustinessā when a rested player returns? If so, isnāt this negated somewhat by all finals teams forced into a supposed rust-onset via the pre-finals bye? Sure, in that regard itās two weeks vs one week. But weāre talking about elite athletes here. I have trouble accepting that such a break would create any significant drop in form. Theyād still be training and keeping their skills sharpened. But itās more than merely resting a player. Itās insurance that we have them playing finals. As for any suggestion that the AFL would come down on a club for employing such a tactic - did they ācome downā on the Cats last year?
- PREGAME: Rd 24 vs Sydney
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POSTGAME: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
Make no mistake, I do not want to see him go. But what did you make of his move to the centre bounce against the Tigers? The lead-up to it was interesting. It essentially was the first time the football media had put him in check, and the clubās response wasnāt exactly along the lines of āhe plays a role that you donāt understandā. They responded in a way that seemed to indicate they saw a concern too.
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POSTGAME: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
Iām not saying he needs to be electric every week, just involved at a consistent level. Five disposals is not good. Iām not using goals as a metric. If I was, heās behind Greene, Cameron, Elliot, Papley, Higgins and Rankine in that regard (and not sure why Cyril Rioliās numbers are the benchmark - small forward-wise, Greene has kicked 56 and Cameron has kicked 53 this year). His inconsistency is not an illusion. There was a reason why he was moved to the centre bounces against the Tigers a couple of weeks ago - to get him more directly involved. Iām not sure why it hasnāt been adopted more since, as it seemed to be having the desired intention. I say all this as somebody who loves to watch him play when itās on his own terms, and really want him to be the champion he keeps hinting at becoming.
- POSTGAME: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- VOTES: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- POSTGAME: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
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POSTGAME: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
I donāt know if this has happened to anybody else, but I accidentally let Kayo continue playing after the match. After a while, a program came on called āThe Bounceā. It seemed to centre around AFL and was a bit hard to follow, but eventually it occurred to me that Fox have given a few older people with acquired brain injuries the opportunity to host their own show about AFL. Kudos to Rupert and all at Fox for embracing inclusion!
- VOTES: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- VOTES: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
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POSTGAME: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
Great game from our core players. Lever, Brayshaw and ANB battled hard and were top three, for mine. Laurie seemed to find his feet as the game progressed. Sparrow worked hard. Didnāt always make the right decisions, but did some important stuff. His strength is an asset. Rivers has become consistently solid. Love his work rate. Langdon and Hunter did their jobs. Hard running and skills on display. Hunter does find ways to get himself into trouble though. McVee is the quiet achiever. Love how his game is developing. Viney didnāt have a standout, but Iām still so glad heās out there week in, week out. Maxy had a fairly reserved match by his standards, but my love for the big fella only grows. Trac? Pretty weird game. Probably the most ineffective game Iāve watched him play. But not cause for any genuine concern. Clarry? Hard tag most of the game. Those things work. Glad our youthful forwards have an experienced player like Melk out there with them. Chandler was good. JVR a bit better. Smith, though no youngster, has surely worked his way into the starting squad now. Good on him. A few things to furrow the brow. May and Salem both looked pretty sluggish. May especially, playing down a gear. Salemās delivery has lost a little silk of late Pickett needs some serious coaching guidance. He must get bored out there, watching his buddies play. Iād like to see him start in the centre again next week. Lord knows whatever system we have at the centre bounce is, in the words of Logan Roy, āfungible as f$&kā. Bowey did some good things, and Bowey did some not-so-good things. Tomlinson also showed moments of class, but gave his opponent too much space, too often. He lacks pace. Forward entries are still a bit of a Hail Mary. Kicking for goal was pretty dreadful at times. But my biggest concern are our sluggish starts. Are we trying to spread our energy levels across four quarters? Or are we simply too slow assembling our game plan?
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn
- GAMEDAY: Rd 23 vs Hawthorn