BigRussian

I tipped Dees by 17 points on page 13 of the Match Preview and Team Selection Thread - never in doubt!

Not usually one to blow my own trumpet but just saying....

Comrades, Watch the Dees record a famous backs-to-the-wall win tomorrow! Great ins which give us increased potency in attack with Kent and Hannan, better ball use particularly into the F50 with Melksham (who actually leads the comp with inside 50 efficiency and who is also one of the best one on one forwards in the game), some much needed urgency, speed and poise down back with Hibberd, and if nothing else some competitive relief in the ruck for a tiring Max with Weid. In the entire time Goody has been at the helm, I can only recall maybe 4 or 5 games where we were clearly out of it. The fact is we have been a reasonable chance to win just about every game we’ve played over the last two years - and 10-15 minute patches of losses of concentration/dumb decision making have killed us. The fact that we have won the second most quarters in the comp proves that. Who could have imagined that only 3 or 4 years ago? We are almost never out of the game and even when 4-6 goals down we almost always find a way to come back, even on enemy territory like against Adelaide in Adelaide (twice) and West Coast in Perth. Even as disappointing as last week was, we still came back from 5 goals down, kept Sydney goalless in the last quarter, and had a number of fairly easy opportunities to ice the game (Jones, Garlett, Brayshaw, Spargo, Hogan) - not to mention some easy shots early which would have changed the course of the game completely. It’s obvious we still struggle to ‘close the deal’ at times, which is not entirely unexpected for what is still a very young and maturing team. But our game style has held up against almost every single side - we just need to tidy up forward 50 efficiency (I actually think having Hogan out will help with lowering our eyes and not just bombing it long) and decision making at critical times during the game. That will come with maturity and as the group continues to gel. Dees by 17!

Thanks for the updates, great to hear Kent still in the frame. Any word on How Tom Bugg went? Seems to have dropped off a bit. Still believe he adds value and showed what he can offer with those 4 goals against Norf earlier in the year

Now that you mention it DZ no I can’t remember seeing him at all. Hannan seemed to be doing all of the drills so it could be that Vanders is a late out and Hannan comes in to replace him...

Hi guys, long time reader, first time poster. Went to have a look at training this morning. Impressions as follows: - very light session focused on skills and touch - a few drills where they broke into several groups aimed at hitting up a player quickly in congestion with a 25 metre pass, with half of the players the attacking targets and the other half (wearing pink bibs) the defenders looking to spoil - Tyson surprisingly sharp here with his passes (his foot skills are underrated) - Melky and Hibberd doing laps and kick to kick. Neither looked overly impeded, although both still look to be around 90% - Viney doing laps in sneakers - looked to be running well with no obvious discomfort - Oliver and Petracca very close and love each other’s company - lots of man love between those two - Petracca’s kicking for goal not as sharp as it could be, trajectory seems a bit ’stabby’ at times (similar to Melksham). I wonder if the same traits that make both of them excellent field kicks somewhat impede them when kicking for goal - Gawn looked to be moving very well and participated fully in all drills - will definitely play - Vince on the sidelines with Todd Viney and a few others looking on, felt a bit sorry for him but probably the right call to give him a rest - Hunt looked good, but kicking skills still need a bit more polish - Harmes still had his glove but was looking super confident and was regularly landing 45 metre goals off a step from boundary. Taken another big step this year. Seems like a really nice bloke too - I was on the fence watching them kick for goal and he made a point of coming out to where I was to say g’day and how my morning was going Really positive vibe and energy around the place - lots of camaraderie, laughter and encouragement. Great to see. Go Dees!