Great Northern Summer

The man who has missed three sitters

A rare time I’m not at the game, watching in Morocco on an iPad. I have noticed Brayshaw, when he gets it, just rushes it onto his boot and often shanks it. So many of these times he could give it off or use a better option but just rushes.

Get Jordan off now. Killing us.

Gotta call it as I see it. We’ve had an absolutely blessed run with injuries. Had a few players out here and there earlier in the season, and a few banged up, but we’ve basically been full strength for over a month now, with only TMac out of our best 22. It’s not exactly like TMac is one of our AA players either, albeit he’s important to the team’s structure. That being said, missing the top 4 would really be a massive underachievement and questions would need to be raised. Yes, the fixture is flawed (ie Geelong getting two wins for free due to double-ups against North and WCE). Carlton are also getting a bit heckled at the moment, but they’ve got 1/3 of their list out, and were not reigning premiers. I expect us to win our last two and finish 2nd (getting enough % to finish higher than Sydney). We will then be at the same position as last year really, home finals right through. My reasoning for this is our form over the last two weeks. We win that Collingwood game 9 times out of 10. Despite looking at issues we need to fix (like anyone does after a loss), if we got over the line, we’d be lorded for such a powerful performance. The ultimate result was a massive abnormality and here’s hoping it proves to be a massive wake up call that wasn’t too late.

I guess you’re in WA? I just booked myself a ticket to the Freo game next weekend. I happen to be in town for the game. I can’t believe how ridiculous the stadium’s prices are! Hopefully we have a few supporters there converted from last season.

Why not? It was this coming weekend last year when we lost to the Bulldogs at the MCG and ‘experts’ were writing us off because of our forward line woes. We then went 4-0 before the finals. Granted, this season we have a harder draw on the run home, but we’ve set ourselves up very well for a top 2 spot, and at worst a top 4 spot. We travel very well too, so winning in Perth/Bris isn’t a concern (as I’m sure we will see in coming weeks). We have almost a full squad to pick from. Unless we cop a bad injury run on the way home, or have games where our perennial inaccuracy actually costs us games, we will be fine. Last year, most couldn’t decide between about 4-5 sides for the flag a week or so out from the finals. This season, once all has been said and done, it’s probably down to two sides (Geelong and us). I can’t see Freo or Bris winning a final at the MCG, and ultimately I don’t think Syd are talented enough. I still don’t know why people are getting carried away with Geelong being a different team this year, except their players being a year older, which isn’t a positive with their ages group. They don’t play a finalist this year twice, whilst they get double-up games against Nth and WCE, which is automatically two extra wins plus percentage gift over other similar sides (such as us). I saw enough in the Brisbane win to know what we will do when it matters. That wasn’t long ago. Geelong won’t be able to defend this. When we are at our brutal best in the midfield and winning clearances with quick ball movement, all of a sudden our forwards have space and we get shots on goal - this will happen.

3-2 with our percentage will almost certainly guarantee us top two, unless our wins don’t include Freo or Bris. 2-3 should almost guarantee top 4 given teams are playing each other in the 8. In saying that, we want to win these games against fellow finalists and build momentum rather than limp into the finals.

We’ve got just about the best record in the league at Docklands since about 2018. It holds no fears and no more concerning than the MCG.

There is no incentive for the top finishing team after the H&A season to bother winning any of its games in the initial round of your proposed finals series. For this reason alone, it’s flawed, and will lead to resting and not going 100%.

I personally think Freo shot themselves in the foot on Saturday night. I think they'll lose their next two and most likely, won't make the top 4, which makes it hard to win from there. Swans have a favourable draw and Lions should make it, with us and Geelong...

Montagna on Foxtel last night suggested Melbourne would keep the 2-2-2 forward line (that is, 2 talls being Brown and resting ruckman, 2 mid-size and 2 smalls) for the rest of the season after playing 3 talls has failed and believes its our best path forward

Quite generous overall given we lost in just about every KPI today except on the scoreboard in the end...

Great to see us back in our home strip today. The best and most striking uniform in the AFL. Hopefully we finish high enough to wear it throughout the finals.

When do tickets go on sale for the Freo game?

I really hope the club makes the decision to wear our normal home strip this weekend. I have no any issues whatsoever wearing an indigenous strip once a year like years gone by, but four times in a season is overkill. Particularly this one, which is probably the least striking strip we’ve had and just doesn’t look like a football jumper. Mates of mine reckon it looks like a pyjama top and it’s hard to disagree with that sadly. I know there’s more important things to worry about, but it’s worth making this point.

My ladder after Round 23: Geelong - 64 Melbourne - 64 Fremantle - 64 Richmond - 60 Carlton - 60 Brisbane - 56 Sydney - 56 Collingwood - 56 I think we'll win 4 of our last 6, one way or another. This would be a reasonable outcome too. Games I think we will 100% win: Bulldogs and Lions Games I think we should win, but could be danger games: Port, Collingwood Games which are probably toss ups, but you'd almost tip against us unless we can fix up our forward 50 entries: Carlton, Fremantle

In: Gawn, Jackson Out: B.Brown, M.Brown/Bedford

Lions because I still love them for 2001-2003 by denying Essendon and Collingwood

I go to every game in Vic if I possibly can, so just wear it I guess

I logged on at 2.15pm and the best I could get was $70 seats (that didn't have an impeded view). The high cost is probably partly due to lower capacity because of the new stand they're building, so they'll still sell out.

So Maynard just threw himself at Gawn for no reason...

I'd honestly look at bringing Hogan back next year if our forward line worries continue. I'm not sure he's contracted next year, and surely would be open to returning on a short-term contract (initially) for relatively limited coin now. This would be worth the risk.

Having sat in basically the same seats on the wing of level 2 in the MCC for the last three weeks (thereby having an ideal view), I've been trying to identify what the problem is. Until today, I thought it was primarily the continuous bombing of the ball to a crowded forward lines - doing the same thing time and time again for the same negative result. However, I think the reason we are put in this position is plainly due to slow ball movement and being too 'cautious', players too scared to take the game on and make mistakes. When we have the ball on the half back line, we try to get the ball forward with 15 metre kicks wide, adding in the odd handball, which simply gives the opposition time to flood back and make it almost impossible to find a free forward. We have no option other than to bomb in and hope - which is what teams did to us last year. On the other hand, opposition teams over the last three weeks have shown positivity towards us, use the 30-40 metre kicks to targets, which simply means by time they get it to their forward line, we don't have the numbers back and they can use space to score. Player for player, it's hard to argue we don't have the most talent in the league, so why we are not taking the game on is simply beyond me. If we don't change this come Thursday week, we'll simply be making up the numbers for the rest of the season, and wasting a very very good list. The 'problem' is fixible - once we do it, it will have immediate effects, we will have far more room and our forwards will all look way more potent - just like that! My take on today: Gawn - limited without making any real contribution, due to injury Viney - Prolific, without being overly damaging Brayshaw - Mr Reliable in the backline for three quarters in terms of blocking the opposition movement forward, albeit being 'too careful' when using the ball, hence contributing to slow ball movement Salem - Reasonable given game two Lever - Some decent uncontested marks but otherwise a deer in headlights Bowey - Liability Turner - A presence and relatively promising before injury Petty - Restricted but focal Hibberd - Classy, poised, encouraging game one Oliver - Lucky he plays for us! Petracca - Nothing possessions, clumsy at times Langdon - Ribs must still be a real problem Harmes - Little to commend B Brown - Restricted because of congested forward line, but needs to hold marks Jordon - Sound disposal, but a momentum killer, slowing play down too much, often reverting to 15-20 metre safe kicks Neal- Bullen - Pathetic Jackson - Needs to make a decision on 2023 asap, otherwise 2022 will end up a total waste Spargo - same as Jordan description, minus the 'sound disposal' part Sparrow - Player that has gone the 'most' backwards since 2021 Pickett - Mr Cameo who goes missing 99% of the time Fritsch - same as B. Brown description M. Brown - I was a fan before today

Got nothing against Jones as a person and loyal servant of our club, and by some responses I get the feeling people aren’t always allowed ‘unpopular’ opinions here (based on the old face palm responses), but I think Bernie Vince (in 2018) and Jordan Lewis (in 2019) had shown more in their respective final seasons to be given one-year contract extensions than Jones did after each of these seasons. Jones’ last 3-4 years were just so-so after he was unbelievable in our dark years. He was no doubt rewarded with new contracts for loyalty, and in actual fact even if he was gifted games to get to 300, it’s probably not a bad thing for the fabric of the club, whilst also giving players around him perspective not to take things for granted. His comments the other day probably weren’t necessarily, but he’s not an employee of the club anymore, so he can do what he wants - look what Matthew Lloyd says about Essendon almost of a daily basis - I’m almost surprised they let him in their little circle on Friday night 😊

Hardly, are we going to retire number 9 and 31 retrospectively as well? Eventually we may then have to retire so many numbers (11, 13, 5, etc) all of our players will be wearing Ben Brown numbers