Ollie fan

Totally disagree. Their job is to kick goals when they get the chance. Every pass to another player is an opportunity for a turnover. This is the sort of thinking that caused Fritsch to lose his confidence in the middle of last year.

I thought May looked proppy from the start - walking quite stiff-legged. Perhaps the old trap if playing injured players?

Swap Petty and TMac.

I can’t believe that any team is thinking of tanking these days. Forget the moral arguments, powerful though they are. It is completely discredited as a strategy for success. First, it is terrible for team ethos and morale to ever contemplate deliberately losing a game. Second, as Scully and many others have shown, eg Jack Watts, Horne-Francis, getting the No 1 pick is often a disappointment. It is instructive to look at the AA team each year, as it shows how little the draft really means. As you point out, Gawn was pick 34. One of the greatest players of the last twenty years, James Hird, was about pick 52 IIRC. There are many others like that. High draft picks are good; no 1 is not essential. So why tank?

I did just that and agree - although in the highlights on YouTube you don’t see much of his marking which I recall as generally pretty good. He could be an average kick for goal – missing some sitters quite often – but if the kick was important, he never missed.

It seems clear to me: Petty in the forward line for two weeks; in those weeks we average 20 goals 10 behinds. What more could we want? Sure, he is a bit at sea at the moment but he is contesting, chasing, bringing the ball to ground and pressuring. If it ain’t broke…. I think BBB will gave to wait, get completely injury free and maybe find his best form at Casey. Meanwhile, we keep things as they are but if we have an injury then BBB gets back in. If no injury, it is likely that JVR will need a freshen-up after a few weeks in the big league and then he and BBB can take turns each 2 or 3 weeks for the rest of the season.

I think the selection is 100% correct. We obviously are going to continue with the Petty forward trial. That means TMac HAD to come in, to add an extra tall down back or, if Petty struggles, an extra one forward. Kossie has to come in. Jordon is stiff but the fact is, we have minimal injuries ATM (touch wood) and that means good players will miss out eg Harmes, and even Salem will have to earn his way back in. What a great situation!! But as we get the inevitable injuries and/or rest players mid-season, people like Jordon will get their chance. PS Bbb will likely be “injured” for a while, if we kick 20 goals again.

Carlton umpiring again. Shocking!

Count on it: when you are counting on Daniher, he will let you down.

The tagging role on Nick Daicos that you suggest: we are so well equipped for that- it could be either Spargo or Nibbler and either would absolutely get the job done.

Really interesting analysis

And always one of my favourites -so exhilarating to watch, especially when he and Lingers waxed it.

It sure does. Back in the 60s and 70s, all games were on at 2.10 on Saturday afternoon. The combined attendance would regularly be near 200,000 and the total population of Melbourne was maybe 2-2.5 million? Incredible community buy-in to our game.

I’m sure that what we saw on Sunday will be our forward setup for a while - 21 goals against a top team!! I don’t think they’ll change it in a hurry.

… and when Harris Andrews monstered BBB, BBB may have kicked four goals but Andrews set up countless counterattacks: one of a number of reasons Brisbane killed us.

I disagree. Whole team defence means whole team defence, not 17-man defence. On Sunday, Petty and JVR showed the value in having forwards who pressurise the defenders. Thus, 21 goals. Proof of the pudding….

On the bench/ backup ruck and forward/ into defence if we need him. I admire him and I love what he brought in 2021 but eg against Brisbane he may have kicked four goals but Harris Andrews annihilated him. He is too slow when he is chasing and very clumsy when the ball hits the ground. Our defensive system requires constant pressure from every player on the field and he can’t do that.

I thought our forward line looked structurally so much better with Petty and JVR in it. I have thought for some time that unfortunately BBB has had his time. For mine, I would bring Tomlinson and TMac back next week, drop BBB and somehow find the space for Tomlinson and Kossie.

Unbelievable play by Clarry in that quarter with that handball smother. Best player we have ever had.

Whatever happened to the dissent rule?

Neither can Collingwood generally. I think to beat them you have to attack hard.

If there is one player in the league, I would like to add to our team, and I know it’s not going to happen, but it would be Shai Bolton.

Completely agree

I’m with you. I thought he played far too well to be dropped.

Our midfield was beaten badly - they simply didn’t handle the greasy ball - but they NEVER capitulate.