Hopeful Demon

He's been getting plenty of the ball but he just tries to do too much at times.

I've been impressed by Tom Mcdonald's performance this year. By the end of 2020, I was starting to feel very concerned about his future but now I consider him one of the first five players to be picked every week. I understand that Fritsch is our leading goal kicker at the moment but I think that Mcdonald has been our most effective forward. He may not be getting a great deal of attention from the media but he should be in contention for the All Australian squad based on these first 17 games.

I had a photo taken with Colin Sylvia in 2012, when I was only 10 years old. Whenever I look at that photo I can't help but feel a bit sad about what happened to him six years later.

Based on the first 17 rounds, Petracca, Oliver and Salem have to be locks. You'd expect at least one of May and Lever to be there as well. While Gawn probably hasn't been as spectacular as he was early in the season, he's still been very good. If he doesn't get his fifth All-Australian selection this year, I'll be pretty surprised. Tmac and Langdon should be considered outside chances.

I've been very impressed with Petty lately. I was initially concerned that Tomlison's injury would have a negative effect on our backline, but Petty has covered him perfectly.

You said numerous times on this forum that we'd lose to Essendon and Port Adelaide and we ended up beating both teams, so it's a bit early for you to say "I told you all."

Excellent win. Prior to this match I was starting to feel a little concerned because of our poor performances over the past month, but this was the exact response that we needed. We were challenged in the third quarter but the fact that we didn't let Port Adelaide's momentum continue shows that we deserve to be considered grand final contenders. We have been extremely consistent against top 4 sides. Petracca and Oliver were outstanding. Tmac is continuing his resurgence. Pickett finally retuned to the player he was early in the season. Our defence was unstoppable, as usual. This win shows that we are not pretenders, after all.

I loved the ending to that quarter. Those two Tmac goals were crucial given that the momentum was going Port Adelaide's way. We just need to make sure we don't let them get back in the game in the last quarter. The best way to do that is kick the first goal or two.

It's impossible to decide whether the Port Adelaide crowd or the umpires are more insufferable.

And what are you going to say if he kicks 3 goals or more?

Oh yes his form in 2016 was excellent but I honestly think that his form early this year was just as good. The only difference is that his 2016 form stood out more because other midfielders such as Oliver and Petracca were yet to rise. The problem with Viney is that in recent years he's been getting injured after showing promising signs. In the middle of 2018 he was finally returning to his best football until he suffered from a foot injury. I think that if Viney was less injury-prone he'd be far more consistent.

At this stage I'm not too concerned about Viney's future. Prior to his foot injury I thought he was excellent. In fact, he appeared to be in career best form. He's only two weeks back from his injury so he's clearly not completely fit. If we keep persisting with him, he should return to his early season form.

I don't think you're right. We're still second on the ladder and we've got seven more games to maintain our position in the top 4. Even if we don't make the top 4, would finishing 5th really be that bad given how underwhelming our last two years have been? As for your "Kozzie Pickett projections," give the guy a break for once. He's barely even 20 years old and he showed numerous times early in the year that he's got the potential to become a star. Two years ago I was reading some pretty insane Christian Petracca projections (e.g. he will be traded, he'll never get fit, he's not going to be a star). Look how those projections have turned out.

At this stage I don't think we're pretenders. It's normal for a team to suffer from an occasional form slump regardless of their position on the ladder. I remember in 2018, the year where we played in a preliminary final, we lost three games in a row in the middle of the year but quickly returned to our best. Unless our form slump continues over the next few weeks, I think it's pointless to panic.

There's no way that Salem is going to be shifted to another position based on his current form. He's a potential half back All- Australian. Keep him there.

I wouldn't drop Hunt. While he did get pinged a few times late, he showed much more intent than others. But yes, Brown is the obvious inclusion. I like Sparrow but I think he's the most vulnerable.

Agreed. If we were winning more clearances our forwards would be more likely to score. It's as simple as that.

I'm at ease when Sparrow takes a set shot.

Tmac's on fire so far.

Ha ha. Of coarse Green gets the first goal.

Are you serious? 2019 was one of our worst years in terms of injuries. Neither Lever nor May, who are easily our two best defenders, played more than 10 games due to constant injuries. Tmac did his knee after kicking 6 goals against Carlton and was unable to play for the rest of the season. Melksham, who had been in career best form, got injured very early in the season and wasn't seen again until around round 21. Our forwards were so hampered by injuries to the point where we were forced to play Hunt and Petty in the forwardline. Our performance in 2019 was obviously a shamble, but to say that we have "no excuses for it" is just ludicrous. If our players remain fit in 2022, our supporters should have every right to be confident.

You keep saying that we'll lose to Port Adelaide, West Coast, the bulldogs and Geelong but our record this season shows that we have been much more convincing against top 8 sides than we have been against mid-range and bottom teams. It shouldn't come as a surprise if we manage to beat three of the four teams mentioned above, if not all of them.

I find these two comments very unfair. Oliver's ability to win the ball was crucial and he provided some great run through the midfield. I don't think he should be judged based on a couple of skill errors. He was clearly our best midfielder tonight. I find the criticism of May bewildering. He was absolutely unstoppable in defence and he won almost every one-on-one contest. He was best on ground, in my opinion.

The hostility of the Essendon supporters was just as noticeable on TV. If they want Essendon to stop conceding 50m penalties and free kicks, then they should ask their players to be a bit more disciplined on the field.

He still nailed set shots at crucial times, though. Without him we wouldn't have won the game.