Ollie fan

I have always believed the draft is overrated. I would never trade a good player for a high draft pick. A high draft pick is a hope, a good player is a good player. The overvaluing of the draft can be seen if you go through the all Australian team in any year and check their draft positions. If the draft was completely effective, they would all be top 10 picks. They are not.

I have said for years, he’s our best since Barassi and now he’s heading towards being Barassi’s equal. However, I would not describe it as a “dramatic rise”; he has been outstanding since his first game in which, I believe, he polled two Brownlow votes. The other thing that the article doesn’t mention is a story that went around, I think, last year, that someone – it might have been Burgo - suggested to him that instead of hand passing as soon as he gets the ball, if it all possible he should take two or three steps at full pace and then dispose of it. He has obviously listened to that advice and it has taken his game to an even higher level.

9 - don’t forget Brian Dixon!

I have a memory of a Jakovich goal where he had a mark or freekick – can’t remember which – on the boundary line. Chris Langford was his opponent and was standing the mark. Jakovich ran in to kick but instead of kicking, he just kept going, straight at Langford, who did not know what to do. He was so bemused; Jakovich ran straight around him, and kicked the goal. It was outrageous play.

For us oldies: Hassa Mann v Hawthorn 1964.

Jeppers, Luke Hodge has been in a good paddock!

He is so weak. And he takes cheap shots at small players.

Both good habits and bad habits start early. Our player development then was criminal. Jack Watts is the worst example but there were dozens of others. He could have been a beautiful player and an absolute star.

Actually, his opponent kicked 3 on Salem in one quarter, and 2 on Smith for the rest of the game.

When I mentioned her potentially being a coach or having another role, I wasn’t talking about in women’s football…

Just watching Daisy and Nat on the AFL website: how good Daisy is!! Unlike the men: no ego, no rubbish, just great sense and analysis. Whether she has the material to be a head coach, I don’t know, but if she doesn’t want to confine herself to media work, there is a huge role for her in analysis/ strategy.

FWIW, the TAB betting on the Norm Smith Has six out of the top seven coming from Melbourne or Geelong – I guess the money thinks it will be in Melbourne V Geelong grand final.

Totally agree. The players love Goodwin. Can’t we assume that he actually does speak to them, and speaks to them honestly? I’ve got no doubt that Nathan Jones is entirely aware Of his situation, and I suspect Goody is being quite honest in his press conferences – I would think Nathan Jones is about 24th or 25th in our best 22, so that means that if we get a couple of injuries, he will be called upon and if we don’t, he won’t. I would also guess Goodwin had a frank discussion with Jonesy either before or just after the 300th, and that Jonesey was well aware of his position. I am sure that he could have chosen to bow out gracefully then and if he chose not to do that, it would have been with the knowledge that he was by no means certain to be selected again.

Agree with a lot of the above but comparing Clarry to Robbie Flower is like comparing him to Lyon or Schwarz – you just can’t. The real comparison is to RDB, And I believe he’s not quite there – yet. Another season like this, and he will be, or more.

Just re-watched the first quarter. Scott saying they controlled the game up until 3/4 time is a joke, as was him saying that they had the better of the rucks. it’s okay to try and put a positive spin on things, but who did he think he was kidding?

If Sparrow can’t learn to kick, he should be out of the side.

My expectation is that the way Goody speaks and the approach he has always adopted, means that we will be going as hard as possible to win on Saturday night, as we should.

AFL website says Hawkins and Dangerfield, no case to answer. Predictable, really. It was an act of foolish optimism to have posed the question in the first place…(with apologies to Monty Python)

They might say 4 to 5 weeks for Hunt, but I can’t see it. He has had surgery, so he now has recovery, rehab, and then has to get back into football mode. I love watching him play, but I don’t expect to see that happen this year. And TMAC looked very proppy in the rooms after the game Hibbo lost form a bit but has the score on the board for the job he did on Dusty and on Toby Greene, and even (for most of the game) on Stringer. He would be the right man for Cameron and for the medium size quality forwards that every finals team has. I would expect that at this stage, there is no trying of new players; they will be anxious to settle our finals team. I would see Hibbo for Hunt and Weed for TMac; sparrow to lose his place, and probably Jordon goes out for Viney when he returns.

And he is so much fun to watch!!

It’s rare that you have two such completely different opinions in these coaches’ votes. Jackson, Oliver, Brown and Neal-Bullen each only rated by one coach. It is assumed by someone that Naitanui was rated by Simpson; who knows if that is correct?

I won’t be popular for saying it, but I never thought Jones was that good – he was just in a very poor team. I don’t think he chases nearly hard enough, and that is such a major part of our game. I have always liked VDB but he wasn’t great last night, but given the amount of football he has missed in the last year or so, he was always going to be very rusty. I say, give him another chance because his capacity to stick a tackle and hurt with it is enormously helpful to us.

Best game Harmes has played

Tanking! The worst thing a team can ever do. It makes me shiver to remember it, although I tried to fool myself at the time that we weren’t doing it. Destroy a team’s morale and for what? Tom Scully?

There is every reason to think we will go 3-0 from here. Each of these games is winnable. We are not trying to make the finals; we are trying to win finals and particularly, the grand final. If we are good enough to do that, we are easily good enough to win the next three.