Smokey

They say everything is fine, you disagree. Fair enough. Look on the bright side - you now have the opportunity to observe a period of curiosity in waiting to see whether indeed they were right, and everything was fine. And you were wrong. We all hope for the latter right

The issue is clearly the over-complication of the rules and interpretations. Nothing more. My comment was reserved for those who would suggest that umpires affecting the result of the game is a deliberate action.

I don't feel I said that at all.

Perhaps not directly, but if the senior player's are having to worry about aspects of the game the young guys have previously been handling then perhaps they are indirectly affecting those areas. I can only speculate.

You seem like a very sad and bitter man. Imagine being terribly offended at the idea of parent buying a pizza for a child after not being picked on a sporting team, and then calling others a snowflake? Boomers don't appreciate irony like we do I guess. Laughable stuff, can't wait till your generation is the hell out of my parliament.

This is what you look like when you claim umpires are somehow conspiring to effect the result of games. It's just rubbish.

Young teams get tired in the back half of the season. Add in the fact Burgo has a tendency to increase training loads around about the same time our form started to go down and I think the answer is clear enough. Lots of over-thinking happening in this thread in my view. We have 19-20 year olds in every part of the ground ... We rely on the likes of Pickett, Jackson, Jordan and Rivers more than some may appreciate. Their decline in output has had an effect on our results. It's not the worst problem to have ... as long as we resign them

We’ll be up and about. so will they. Should be a cracking game really Dee’s by 2 goals

If Jack hits one target out of all his i50 entries and we win vs Hawthorn I love his pressure, don't get me wrong, but pressure can't be your only trick if you want to be in the starting 22 for a team competing for flag. Accumulating 30+ disposals means little to me if none of the possessions are damaging, or conversely, damaging to us. I'm not a Jack hater, I would just like to see him improve in other areas of the game. It's not 2015 anymore, all players need to be more well-rounded if we are to be a chance this September.

Nonsense. No one, especially an inside mid of which we have an abundance of on the list, is immune to scrutiny. Jack accumulated lots of footy last week but his disposal absolutely killed us. He needs to start making better decisions. He needs to stop getting caught HTB. We all love Jack but no one is immune to scrutiny if we are hunting a flag.

"Heading the Hawks’ naughty list, it should come as no surprise that Dermott ‘The Kid’ Brereton has missed more games through suspension than any of his fellow clubmen. The famous No.23 coincidently sat out a total of 23 games after receiving 14 separate charges during his decorated career in the brown and gold. Brereton added another 16 games to that tally in the final two years of his career – 14 weeks from two separate incidents in his lone year at the Swans, and two weeks from a single incident at Collingwood."

Can I just take the time to say that, even with our recent form, I've never seen so many posts predicting a win vs a team second on the ladder during my entire time on Demonland. What a time to be alive

To your own point, being "hunted" sounds pretty fatiguing to me ...

It's funny because Derm used to straight up belt people in the head when he played, and now he's the patron saint of fair play? The irony is simply too much. The bloke is an absolute moron. Someone should ask him if, by extension, that means he was a "faux tough guy" in his days as well ...

Why isn't Brown on notice in your view? He is a key forward who should be taking marks and kicking set shots. He hasn't done either really. Saying we are infinitely better with Brown feels like a huge exaggeration. We were 6-0 before he even got his first game, and during this period we started Richmond on their downward spiral with a big win and accounted for Geelong comfortably. Brown then failed to fire in games against North, Sydney (who weren't red hot at this stage of the season) and Carlton. Since then, he failed to kick a score vs Port and got a lucky one vs Hawthorn. I like the balance he brings to the team, no question. He draws a good defender or two every time, I get that. But in the end of the day, if he can't clunk the odd contested mark and kick his set shots then he isn't as valuable as people make him out to be. Based on that I don't see any problem with the view that he should be on notice over the next few weeks. Kick some bloody goals, Ben ...

Problem is his replacement hasn't inspired much confidence at AFL level this year. I'm far from calling for Weid again yet, but Brown can't survive forever without kicking his goals.

Not sure old mate has been watching much footy this year ...

I agree, I'm only saying he's on notice. My first sentence couldn't have been clearer in fact. Our forward structure looks better with a big tall like Brown in. But he can only go so many weeks of not clunking his marks and kicking his set shots before his place is in question (like any player).

I know it’s way too early to think about dropping Brown, but he’s on notice for mine. Yes, doing some good things, but if he doesn’t start clunking a few and kicking true I will start to question his spot in the team again

I get the point people are trying to make re: our group being in a great position to break our premiership drought, but I really hope the club isn’t foolish enough to pile that pressure on the playing group like many here would have done. It’s like lecturing a nervous driver on the dangers of driving a car.

Finally, a game vs a top 2 team. I can relax. Dee's by 5 goals.

On the contrary, I think the score involvement as a stat is pure fluff. Score assists are material. And I reckon he has a higher number of "involvements" than most of those players you've listed simply because he plays on the ball and is normally involved from the stoppage. It's really just a stat for the sake of a stat though, the score can happen 10 disposals away from the player and they are still "involved" according to the stat. Doesn't tell you much other than the procession of players that touched the ball after you didn't turn it over.

Lot of people praising Jack for his "toughness", "loyalty", "heart and soul" etc. but not many praising him for his ability to affect scoring chains, hitting targets or making good decisions. That says it all really. Heart and soul doesn't win games, skill execution does. It's time for Jack to reinvent himself. He is a liability in the middle now.

Clearly did not watch the game ...