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Legion wrong on all counts Jonesy had a bad one but not habitual kicker to opposition Lockhart every inch a player in defence Will be a long term mer once he gets back in He's eyeing Lord News spot And will be there at end of season. Tommy needs to respond with goals and marks to assist the smalls also. Let's see again how he goes.

Tomo was in the ruck For GWS a fair proportion of the Prelim Final last year especially when the ball was up forward And was very competitive too against Grundy.

No agree BD Jay should be in defence toAssist if Tippa gets loose. Will be regular by end of season Demon 11 fails to appreciate the pace and skill as he breaks lines which we need from defence. P

My idea is that if you get Weid doing some ruck work each quarter he gets involved in the game and Is far more prepared on the forward line to compete and take marks. He got 20 disposals plus hit outs the day in the Marsh Cup that Maxy missed vs Crows. Needs action to be forced when In the ruck and responds To this not waiting fir the ball and bound by 2/3 defenders.

Sue we can see better on TV than Stephan May did last week when kicking out! Could see the players end gaps etc. But he couldn't see Tomlinsons wing and that he is taller than his opponent and may well be an sdvantage to kick to!! Indtead of the ball coming back most of the time through inaccurate passing or poor judgement by our players !

No wrong it's Jets or Hibbo under pressure or Smith. if Jay played up forward then Jonesy might but he will lift on Sunday last week was as poor a game as he has ever played.

No ur wrong HB That night he didn't change Oscar off Hawkins till about 15/17 mins in after Tommy Hawkins has kicked 2 or 3 goals. Dont think he got Any more but Frosty closed on him and punched the ball away on the lead. As we all know we lost that game after the siren BUT I will always blame Goody for that LOSS which Cost us a top 4 Spot that year. Yes it's heartbreaking to see other Coaches tweak Their teams and win during games and we seem to be brain dead o the Coaches box! Thought Alan Richardson would have some input at least in this area!

Not me JTR

Roos is not here anymore It is irrelevant mostly to bring that Up. i am getting more disappointed by what's happening and believe at some stage very soon Weid must be given an opportunity to obtain a senior berth be it at CHB or CHF or FF or as FPocket/2nd Ruck backup to Gawny. I believe his best games have been as a ruck/forward and he needs to hit the scoreboard to get any credit by Coaches and fans alike. If Maxy was injured and Preuss not fit Weid would no doubt selected in the No1 ruck role. in the Marsh Cup he was very promising with nearly 20 disposals inc team role around the ground with some marks. That's why I favour this role as its best fir the team and Maxy as well. Jacko could still be in the team if form warranted because of his mobility and competitive nature gaining valuable experience rather than linguish in the scrap games week after week. Playing Fritta at FF will only work on some occasions but not consistently as he is not powerful enough in contests and needs to run around and create opportunities equally as well. We have this year and next I think as Weid is contracted until next years end to get it right. It's the biggest challenge of any player on our list and many of us ( and the FD and Coaches ) have only so much patience and confidence is so vital for him to succeed. Maybe a chat with a Wayne Carey or that ilk might help!!

Why /How fo you think Jonesy is injured? TMac is not totally out of form Yes he didn't score last week but give him another chance and LJ also. Smith lucky Lockhart better suited us faster and classier. ANB ok last week Prob deserves another chance not at Kossies expense though. Interesting clash plenty of questions to be answered. Even money if we can limit Tippa.

Looks as though it had been amended thank goodness !

At this stage all Mark R is doing is trying to justify his role and Adelaide's policy of not paying its players "overs" to keep them. If that means losing them so be it and he thinks that's all there is to it. However he refuses to reconcile that WHY are they leaving what many thought was a very strong and well run organisation in 2017 ( even after the Tippett affair) of overpayment and salary cap/ draft penalty /ies. Of course since Losing the 2017 Final the following Has occurred (1) Hugely stressful and even racist happenings to players At a Camp Trying to gain a leading edge on other Clubs (2) Very poor administration Trying to hide drink driving charges Of Steglein (3) Another Camp error at Barossa breaking Covid-19 rules and (4) things like the Tex Dummy spits and Andrew Macleod unwelcome expressions. Approximately a dozen players have either requested leave from the Club as a result of its pay program and Camp handling of refusing to acknowledge full blame. in addition a highly confidential outside enquiry at end of 2019 resulted in officials like Brett Burton parting or being shown the door. Three people have remained constants at the Crows ALL this time Chairman Rod Chapman, CEO Andrew Fagan and Football Director/Board Member Mark Ricuitto ( seemingly untouchable ). Snd that a result of why Roo is trying to hide some real facts instead of joining His Chairman and taking his CEO in calling it a day at this seasons end. And that's all we are aware of!!! The Club is now at its lowest ebb in its 29 year history but does have 5 draft picks in the first 25 in the 2020 National Draft so a quick rebound could be possible if the right recruits are obtained to overcome a solid but not pacy midfield. Roo has lashed out unwisely in Trying to protect the Crows without the full story being told in my IMO.

Yes but remember Trac has gone into midfield just now and looks as though he will average about 2 a game He of course is 24 and just hitting his peak like Cripps I now believe Clarry will gain status now that's Trac is in the midfield as they feed off each other That alone has got to make us a 2/3 goal better team!

Seems that's likely but ur means 7 FTA is on only now on Thurs and Frid night games !! if that's what Gil has arranged its nit such a great deal then. Uts the same as fir the next 2 rounds vs Geel and Sydney

Sorry Werridee but I am including Jay in the 7 instead of Smithy fir the reasons I gave! We don't Need to have any limit really but 7 or 8 is max for training Purposes. In any case I directly see Jay as Lord Nevs replacement and like Rivers/Hibberd it's looking imminent. Goody's desire for the need for pace would be further acceded and our run and carry improved. (Don't want Nev to be discarded unless he becomes slower or doesn't play his one on one role as well as before.) Yes Smithy can with training and scratch matches improve his footy smarts and judgement as no doubt his athleticism is tantalising rather like Sean Wight without the surety. Kossie should come in no doubt and Is Vanders ready ? iMO Jonesy had a real downer on Sat but to say he is Finished (Marsh game vs Crows was lively and knows where the goals are and can pass the ball) Is premature. Jacko should be given another game at least and maybe Weid included as talls are neeeded vs Bombers to provide marking options. Sounds as though we need 25 named or more!!! Should be a very hotly contested Game and if we can win this we are on our way even with a very young group in this rather quick and instant mini rebuild. At least we have options in 2020 in contrast to 2019 when they were in rehab or in the stands watching.0

OMac goalkeeper May CHB is better as he provides drive and aggression Just not sure we need 3 talls for Essendon but agree that OMac inspires confidence and structure. Smithy brings X factor chaos and dome indecision at this stage of his career. Really he hasn't even been in the backline at Casey much to hone his craft and confidence. TBH I estimate that he has been injured more than any total no of games He has played in either AFL and VFL. So he is a risk and possibly one we don't have to take at this stage. The downside is any player not in the AFL is left to take their chances with maybe lack of match fitness and bring included in the training group. I would much rather have Lockhart as our no 6 or 7 defender unless we need Smithy's height and agility due to injury or unavailability.

To be honest I don't even think Trac is thinking one thought at the moment about Brownlow votes. And we as Melb supporters would also be wise to be completely indifferent to them also. Lets not put any undue pressure on him or Clarry to get votes or get into any public race for that prize. Leave them to have a private joke etc. Its far more important that we take full and uncomplicated aim at our 13 th flag than celebrate one of them as our seventh /eighth Umpires darling. Yes I want the green whistleblowers to award votes to whoever earns them Fairly and if one wins then let's celebrate and recognise the achievement. What I do know Though is that there is every chance that Trac may inadvertently increase Clarry's chances if he keeps his elite inside close pickups and handballs to the nearest moving teammate to propel the ball forward or out of danger. His execution of this was breathtaking ( like Dusty can be) vs Carlton and will only ensure Clarry will want to raise his already high standards so that Viney Harmes Harley and Others plus youngsters like Sparrow and Jordan can get in the open to execute high class entries to our forwards. Its also placing heavy reliance upon Maxy to Palm The ball with great variety to enable us to gain maximum value out of his advantage. Then all players will be in the Brownlow vote winning queue and we will have developed an even better midfield both inside and out to worry the hell out of the other 17 Clubs in 2020. Who knows what the result will be but I believe it's absolutely the most crucial part of our game plan to put pressure on the opposition. The first quarter and half was a fabulous cameo of how to do it but for a longer period! Go Dees

Thanks WJ Yes was at the scoring end behind goals and seem to recall I wasn't that worried when we trailed early in the match Jako was good and Lovell also as you reported.

Good balanced article and response. I too am bullish ie half glass full rather than empty. Too be honest this R2 team was in excess of R1 in ability and that's one thing I believe our list has if not in spades but spread over the ground and even now in depth with little injuries other than Petty who I rate as top 32/33 footballers. BUT our consistently inconsistent mental ( that's what I feel are the main reasons for big very good/very bad differences ) or brain fades Costing multiple successive goals are a worry as alluded to above. This must be eradicated by strong ground leadership plus even more aggressive on field changes to give the team tweaks and positional and playing options to reassume control. Surely Alan Richardson can see this and play his part here as Goody is Star struck and motionless with tactics and personnel switches. Lets see what sort of ride we get and keep in mind that there are a big no. Of youngsters and new players to gel as early as possible which means most of the team stalwarts must stand up in this transition stage. Thank goodness for Trac who is looking a much more confident and complete player ready to start owning the fortunes of our team. His interview on our website also majorly impressed me as him being in a fantastic space and ready to inspire and lead us to some real achievement as soon as possible. Lets get behind him and the other pacemakers.

Didwe play the Bombers in the week prior to this game and beat them? The bombers were well off the boil and had lost a few games near the end of season I recall also as there normal large support was not at VFL Park fir this game Think crowd about 35,000 only actually! Any comments WJ? thanks

The problem was that Harmes wanted to video the song ( see the post And video in our website under Harmsey and winning) All Overlooked that Gawn Tomo and Langdon were nit there and so the song went ahead. Nothing to do with officials as they just stand and sing and clap! If in fact there were many or any! If I was Gawny I Would have been ropable about it fir myself but just as much as for the wingers Tomo and Langers who deserved to be in the centre with Jacko Harley and the great new man Rivers. Whst was Jack Viney leadership group thinking and the other 18 who have now been entrusted with responsibility instead of a leadership group. There are alarm bells ringing IMO already about leadership and the same out in the field when the Carlton fight back commenced to the end. Of course a passive strangled response from our Coaches DOES NOT help at all and is so 2019! A swap of Tommy for CHB and Smithy for FF fir 10 mins to make Weitering move and run might have changed dynamics during 2 and a half quarters ss our forward line hardly broke any records during this period.

Sorry but it may have something to do with being a ruckman ! Not sure Gawny has many footy smarts other than his ruckwork and comedy routines. No more leadership yesterday under the Capt VC and every one else then previously.

Who ?

Smith knows no other way ! Snd that's why he doesn't fit into our "All fly At once" Defence which has been going in at least since Roosy left. Jetta is undisciplined in this and at least 2 other backs seem to fly against Gawn Lever and May ( who committed his own Flying suicidal act yesterday. May would be better at CHB and Oscsr goal keeping in games where the opposition have 3 talls or similar. And Maysies kicking out yesterday was diabolical Always to LH side and Noplayers made any effort to make leads. Why didn't he kick to Tomlinsons wing and use his height advantage ? We are a lazy footy team with nit enough gut bust running and neither the forwards mids or backs work hard enough. In the first quarter when we were good (very good in patches) we put pressure on Carlton and they couldn't handle it. With some subtle positional changes and determination and the ruck evening up they overtook the initiate and never lost it. We had no plan B and didn't change our game slow the pace and pass short to break the game or reposition any players. Dont even start me on Jets standing next to Harry McKay!!!! A lot of work is necessary down back to galvanise the group into a tight unit Smithy is nit ready fir defence and A forward spot is more ideal to try and break in. Hibbo and Jets are nearly finished and Jones is better up forward So Rivers was a breath of fresh air and everything we hoped he round be on his training and expectations of the Club. He even kicks both feet!!! Lockhart is the other player necessary fir run and carry and minding small smart forwards maybe even Tipper on Sunday. Despite another poster saying his disposal is not good I feel he is better than most if our players. Salem was Workmanlike yesterday but feel he is limited in his speed of foot and delivery of the ball Although reliable in delivery. Wr need the aggression of May at CHB To break the opposition up. Sorry to go on but will not even start on the forwards leave it to another time.

If he flies fir marks he has to like anyone else IMPACT the contest. and please ONLY 2 UP at the one time There is no need for Jets to fly unless he is in a one on one!