BW511

Had a bit of time to digest this and it’s not getting any better. We were belted around the stoppages by clean, slick ball use from their mids. That’s got a lot to do with the conditions and Brisbane being more at home with the greasy ball and surface. It would be interesting to see/hear what our plans and setups at the stoppages are hoping to achieve? Having opposition roving off Max should not ever happen. He is hitting the ball exactly where he wants it to go 80%+ of the time and there isn’t a Dees mid in sight. The Lions mids had so much space in the middle. They work really hard for each other. A lot of our forwards seem to play arrogant/showy early and they just need to do the basics right. Fritsch, Hannan, Melksham, Pickett all hope for 1/10 chances or even lower. It’s flashy looking stuff, but rarely comes off. Pickett could be a great player eventually, but if he keeps giving away free kicks for his best attribute (pressure) then he’s doing more damage than good. Jones had some typical blazing away at goal early and it showed why he had been out of the side. He’s always very rushed. The debate around Jetta is really hard to swallow, he’s been a great player for us for a long time. Just super reliable and dogged. He’s just too slow and lacking athleticism now. He does lead with his head and it is hurting him physically but also not helping our game by being a man down. A courageous act that causes an injury is one thing, sticking your head in the firing line continually is a sign of the end. You could tell this game was not going well from the first 2 minutes, we were off the pace from the gun. Admirable losses on the back of a huge surge are incredibly frustrating and have covered up a lot of sub par efforts for 3-4 years. We just need to get better at controlling games, not scrap our way back into them.

Brisbane got the rub of the green on many things tonight, the Fritta 50m penalty was no different to 3-4 in the minutes prior that we’re ignored. The stop of play on the Lever review was an absolute momentum killer. The commentators said we were lining up all the way past the wing ready to go. Faaark! So frustrating. Plenty of passengers tonight, just can’t afford that against the better sides

Brisbane are more desperate, so much hungrier to win the ball

We don’t have the leg speed to go with them, I fear a blowout in the final quarter

Big gap between Hawthorn and the top of the ladder. We are being led to the ball, out pressured and rushing. Brisbane have a bit too much class across the ground. The greasy conditions suit Brisbane and they are cranking it up

I don't watch many games other than ours, but he doesn't strike me as someone who using his size enough. He is a run and jump forward, not one that will run through brick walls to create opportunity

I think the novelty will wear off pretty quickly with him. He can have all the tricks in the world, but eventually he will have to tow the line for the team and he will be watching from the stands

This is a big week at selection. Not thrilled with any of the possible ins for VDB, probably lean toward Tomlinson. Our depth drops off quick

Rowell was on track for a special season!

I see the appeal in his short kicking, but what about going back the other way? If he were manned up on Langdon or anyone elses equivalent, he would be in serious trouble. Hannan and Fritsch would be well ahead of him for HFF positions for me.

I see plenty of people asking for Salem to be further up the ground, I don't think he has the pace/tricks/size to offer much more than a decent kick. He isn't going to break games open, we don't need another mid-range accumulator around the ball

Not knocking you @Dees2014, but this is part of the problem with the MFC. Having our best side on paper in 50 years is exciting, but it has to amount to something. We need to be better, even if this is the best we have had

ANB has been in and out of our side over the last 18 months and we have been pathetic. He won’t bring in any value from elsewhere. Bryce Gibbs & a Crouch brother have missed games at Adelaide and despite whatever issues they have with Gibbs, he’s a far superior player to ANB! We don’t have enough quality on our list to attract trades that will get us high value returns. I think Rivers covers one skilled half back role, will need another on the assumption Hibberd and Jetta are in the twighlight years. I still think we are short on elite ball users, we need someone to balance out Langdon a little more than Tomlinson does

Oliver is one of my favourites, but Trac can/does win you games off his own boot. His newfound fitness and shorter quarters have been a match made in heaven

He’s also more of a ‘place the ball out in front’ style kick than say a Petracca or Fritsch who kick through it, hard and low. He was certainly a lot better on the weekend, but he could find another gear. The point about him driving out of stoppages is the key, he can create space for others, by drawing players to him before releasing.

I’m not saying he was gifted games, but we have been the laughing stock of the competition throughout that whole period. He hasn’t exactly been surrounded by stars, so I was just pondering if he would have played 300 elsewhere. It’s a tribute to him that he’s stayed on and fought his way to where he is - he won’t get 300 and I’m entirely comfortable with that because it means there is finally players that can keep him out of the side. At the end of the day, winning games of footy is what we all want.

Jeremy Howe is the ultimate example. Is now considered a very important member of the pies and widely regarded across the league. He just floats around taking marks 90% of the time

It's an interesting one for sure. Almost 300 games at Melbourne, would he have made 200 anywhere else? Make no mistake, he's been an absolute warrior for our club over a long period of time

I think he's been very lucky to get to where he has. Not saying he hasn't been immense over the journey, just would have liked to see more competition for spots over the years

Good to see a bit of a shootout versus the rugby scrums we are used to.

One of the benefits of starting our play from further back is a lot more ground to work with. Jamming all our players in the forward half takes up space that we can’t find for attack.

Milkshake and AVB must be very good trainers

I hope Goody listens to SEN @george_on_the_outer & @Lord Travis. Maybe things look a lot more complicated and difficult from the inner sanctum and an outside perspective is all it takes. If Goody and Jennings were great mates, wonder if he's picked up the phone for a little advice?

Jennings has just told every club how to beat us and it's unbelievably simple. Interesting hearing the chat around Clayton and how it was hard to admit things were not working when he was getting plenty of stats. Jennings has made at least 2-3 references of not coaching to stats. It's sounding a lot like Goody & the playing group are all trying too hard to do too much. The idea of Max rucking back half and T-Mac rucking front half seems like a no-brainer, gets T-Mac involved in the play and maybe works him back into form. Edit: Everyone is frustrated with Lever, well he is being actively targeted. A lot are frustrated with Clayton, he is being actively targeted. Petracca was interesting, but people don't notice that one as much because he's about the only bloke doing anything the other way.

Love the optimism Chook, however what makes you think we can turn this around in a matter of weeks when the problem has existed for 18 months? The ball is in the wrong hands at crucial times because of selection, unless Goody and co want to eat humble pie, that won't change.