Swooper1987

1. Tracc 2. May 3. Oliver 4. Viney 5. Gawn/Langdon. The three games Max missed will hurt and Langdon had a cracking back half of the season. No question they have been our best 6 this season and by quite some way.

A very interesting selection of stats. I'm sure you don't need me to point you to the footy wire stats comparison but anyway - Gawn has had a significantly better season statistically than Grundy. Gawn clearly leads on average kicks, marks,contested marks, total disposals, metres gained(more than double), contested possessions, 1%'s, rebound 50's, inside 50's, clearances (just) and hit out averages are 32.7 to 32.8 (to Grundy). There's an array of other areas where he has Grundy beaten anyway. So my point stands. You can compare Gawn with any other ruck in the league and in its entirety he is statistically better than all of them. Anyway, I'm pleased he plays for us and I'd have him over and above any other ruckman in the comp.

May - proves you don't have to be dead to be stiff. I find the comments on Gawn's season interesting. Mid season he was the universal pick for AA ruck. He missed three games, scored coaches votes in the game against the Swans, one of only 2 Demons to poll, and wasn't beaten by any opponent in the run home. Was regarded by most of the media as best on in the last game. Goldstein faded badly as did Witts, and Grundy barely got going. Naitanui is great in Perth but has done little elsewhere. 11 marks for the season is a damning stat for a ruckman. I think Gawn is terribly underrated here and if he makes it, it will be well deserved. It wasn't as good a season as 2016 and 18 for him, but not terribly dissimilar to 2019. If he isn't in the best 22 players in the comp the I haven't been watching the game for the last 40 odd years. Tracc - rightfully a lock. Oliver - a good comeback after the Richmond disaster. Well done to him.

Great work again, Joeboy! You display a consistency of performance sadly lacking in the guys you review each game!

The man responsible for my greatest footy highlight - the late 1987 run that culminated in the magic day at the Western Oval when Robbie got his chance to finally play in a final!! I was in Year 12, about a month away from turning 18 and should have been focusing on my exams. Alas, the next few weeks were an awesome ride until we ran into Buckenara. 33 years later and still waiting for the ultimate success. Swooper Northey, the best Melbourne coach in my lifetime!

Just looking at the Age Player of the Year award in todays paper. With only the one game (Collingwood/PA) still to play, here is the leaderboard. Lachie Neale 101 Luke Parker 76 Jack Steele 73 Nic Naitanui 72 Christian Petracca 68 Jake Lloyd 64 Jack Macrae 62 Max Gawn 61 Dustin Martin 61 Sam Menegola 59 On 54 votes currently in 15th place sits Travis Boak who could move into the top 10 tonight and in 17th place is Clayton Oliver on 52. So three players in the top 17 and that doesn't include May who probably makes the AA side this year. A great effort by Gawn in particular who missed three games. The argument could be too much left to too few, but as David King said last night on First Crack, the talent on the Melbourne list far exceeds the Bulldogs yet they are playing finals and Melbourne isn't.

Except for the big contested mark against Daniher in the centre of the ground late in the game which directly resulted in the Fritsch goal from the square (mark>Brown>to the square where Fritsch snapped a goal). And then the intercept spoil from Hibberd's miskick which resulted in Hunt's goal in the last. 10 hitouts to advantage, 7 score involvements. Quantity and quality is a constant argument with ruckmen and you'll note Essendon are not a big stoppage team, hence the lower than usual number of hitouts.

Yes for this with an honourable mention to Brown. How anyone has left Gawn out of the votes today defies any reasonable assessment of the game.

161. Christian Petracca 133. Steven May 128. Clayton Oliver 111. Jack Viney 110. Max Gawn 87. Ed Langdon That would be pretty close to the top 6 in the Bluey I reckon. I think May might be ahead of Trac. Strange things happen when coaching panels award votes (at least strange to us outsiders), but I'd be staggered if anyone from outside that group threatened.

6. May 5. Gawn 4. Langdon 3. Petracca 2. Oliver 1. Rivers

6. Gawn - again comprehensively beat his opponents, some big marks on a terrible night for marking. 5. Viney - an excellent effort, with some effectiveness. 4. Rivers - a steady and sometimes brilliant game. A big future for this lad. 3. Fritsch - wish he went a bit harder but he is a genuine talent. 2. May - although not up to his recent high standards he did his job and kept the Freo key forwards quiet. 1. Petracca - toiled hard and kept himself in the game. I have re watched the game and Gawn made a couple of bad blues but he is held up to such a high standard. If any other ruck in the league played that game in those conditions they'd be lauded. Against a couple of decent opponents too. Very impressed with Rivers. I think he beats out Jackson and Pickett as our best first year player.

And then Max takes another make to defend that mistake, handballs to May who kicks it directly back at Kozzie again. It wasn't just Gawn tonight. He tried hard. All of our so called leaders struggled when it mattered most.

And the coaches agree with Demonland. Only Langdon and Gawn polled in the AFLCA votes. 3 to Ed and 1 to Max. 6 Swans players scored votes which is no surprise at all.

6. Gawn - won his position with ease. 13 hit outs to advantage and half a dozen big marks. 5. Langdon - ran himself ragged 4. Tomlinson - a very good game from start to finish 3. May - at least he looked like he was trying 2. Oliver - many disposals, most of which were rubbish 1. Brayshaw. - that he gets a vote on that performance says a bit about the other 16 who took the field.

What's everyone's hang up with 300? It's just a number, there have been many Melbourne players who have played far better careers than Jones with about half to two-thirds of the games he has played. He has been a warrior but he is no more deserving of being nursed to 300 than any other player. This should rightfully be his last season. He risks significant reputational damage by playing a season too long - some would argue that is already happening. If at the end of the year he finishes with 297 games and 3 Bluey's, that's a career to be genuinely proud of.

And was comprehensively outplayed tonight by Nankervis and Soldo. I think Max is still a big chance.

sooked it up at Brisbane, ditched Port, given the [censored] by North by the look of it. Sounds like trouble to me. That said, no doubt he can play.

When it's played well it's the difference between winning and losing. Gawn is a champion, Preuss is a trier. Gawn's deft touch is elite. The Bulldogs got away with it yesterday, and they may get away with it next week against Geelong, but the week after, NicNat will absolutely obliterate them. There are hitouts and then there are hitouts.

6. May 5. Lever 4. Tomlinson 3. Viney 2. Salem 1. Weidemann The fact that nearly all of the backline were in my best tells a sorry tale. A terrible performance from our one way mids, Viney the obvious exception. Very pleased to see Max next week.

I thought Tomlinson could hold his head high today. Ditto Lever. Our midfield was deplorable for the bulk of the game. Viney gave his usual wholehearted effort but to limited effect. Petracca and Oliver might as well have not played for all the influence they had (and I am a fan of both). You could throw Brayshaw into that as well. The forward half pressure was non existent. Harmes is just a shadow. And our relatively simple shots that we missed just meant at no stage could we put effective score board pressure on. Much more than three words I know. Goodwin was given a lesson in how to adjust during a game. Beveridge completely outcoached him.

Neale's to lose really. He's had an amazing season. Great effort by the three Melbourne boys - especially Oliver in recent times.

Max if he plays this week, has 6 games left. NicNat will have to leave Perth after this game. He was very poor away from home first time around. Don't forget that just two games ago Max was in both Robbo's and Jake Niall's mid year AA team. He only needs to dominate three of his last six games and he'll be in. My guess is if Max has a stellar finish to the year they'll pop both of them in. Gawn is still the 4th best player in the comp this year on AFL ranking and the leading ruckman. (tracc being first and Oliver 5th).

Dean Cox 2006

Grundy has been average this year. Currently rated the 9th best ruck in the league. Nic Nat and Gawn (presuming he returns this week) would be the two front runners. Keen to see how Naitanui goes away from Perth. Goldstein has had a reasonable year and Witts from GC as well. The two pronged St Kilda ruck team has been excellent as well.

Versatility has always been an underrated commodity. Tomlinson can play a number of roles reasonably well. That makes him a very useful AFL player. He's covering off the second or third tall forward in the opposition at the moment which is helping our defensive unit function much better overall. He can be a serviceable wingman who gives us that long, down the line option. He can pinch hit in the ruck and not be outbodied. I think as time goes on he'll prove his worth. Would I like to see him attack contests a bit harder - for sure, but overall he's going ok.