rpfc

Poetic licence? I think the Poets Association would revoke a licence for a grandiose leap like that.

Salem and Tyson were good... That trade is having a renaissance.

The knives out for Nat Jones is disappointing... I know he has been down on form but he has been solid this year and is adjusting to a different role with the emergence of two of the best young mids in the game. He is well ahead of anyone we have down at Casey. I would love to see AVB play again for the Dees but as a supporter I don’t know whether he is in our best forward line... Kent intrigued me but has to be at his best. Garlett has to stay as he is our only natural small forward who can crumb. Spargo has had an excellent start to his career but if Kent displaces him and brings his footy IQ, his toughness, and his left foot - we would have a devastating forward line.

Good god. We have broken hands, split webbing and long walks late at night to avoid reality. It’s a tough life being a Melbourne supporter...

That was a pretty good game for a 300th...

Look, I am a forward who rates midfield as the be-all and end-all of the best footy sides, so it is through this lens that I look at defensive backs. Their role is to minimise the damage; the gorilla tamer so to speak. With that said - who could contain Hawkins when he is playing like that? A player better than Oscar for sure - but where do we get that player and how much do we pay to get that player. I would prefer we spend the time focusing on how our midfield again allows such movement of the footy through them. The forwards have a part to play too, but we have an excruciating habit of front-running at the minute and it is causing ructions down the line. We don't have a balance and I want to believe it is close to clicking but until then - Oscar and Frost and whoever else are being left more exposed than a team of our talent should leave them...

Oscar is developing ahead of time for a tall back. However, he needs to realise how important the small things are in beating the best and helping the team win. JKH is being asked to do more than he is capable of providing IMO. We rewarded form and that is what good teams do.

We are getting to the point where players are asked to replace those they just can’t replace. Our best mid and now our top 2 defenders... The passage way to September is getting narrower.

10 and 6 and writing obituaries. Only on DeeLand.

Spargo and Garlett are actual small forwards and need to stay in that forward line. Putting ‘medium tall’ forwards in there like Hannan, ANB, Harmes et al is what I think leads to our problems with Hogan and McDonald having space. More efficient today... The stats didn’t like us but we were the better team. When Jones said - the better team won in adelaide against Port - this is what he means. Just because we get so much footy forward doesn’t mean we get good delivery. Just because we win contested footy doesn’t mean it is fait accompli that we turn that into clean possession in space. We can beat anyone but we are vulnerable to anyone. 6 weeks of anxiety coming up...

I still think the positives far outweigh the negatives. And he is a scapegoat right now for our issues. Our mids are frontrunners and until they work hard back against good teams - we are nowhere. It has little to do with Jordan Lewis. PS. I appreciate what Lewis has done the last 2 years - he has almost directly filled the role of two of our most important players the last two years; Viney and Lever. And as @america de cali points out - and we need - he is very unMelbourne in his demeanour...

Why are we finalising the second last player on the primary list in July of the previous year? I just don't see why this had to happen now.

So we are NOT who we thought we were... We are a bunch of frontrunners and we are wasting a lot of talent and a year where the comp is very open. The Goodwin Questions remain.

I highly doubt there is much brains to that auto-fill, guys... I wouldn't worry about that. And if we go 5 and 4 from here - we aren't the team we thought we were so who gives a rip if we do or don't make finals... We should win the next 3 and go to Mordor the next week a bit bullish. Adel over there doesn't scare me, GC we should destroy, Syd at the G will be the biggest win since '06 and we have a chance, WCE over there will be tough but we should be looking to beat GWS on our deck in the last round. We should at least go 6 and 3 IF we are who we think we are... PS. It is pure MFCSS to have us dropping gimmie games but every other club in the league not...

$600k is not going to do it... The cap is $12.8m next year. $600k is not big anymore.

It's all about image with the AFL - Bugg gets 6 because a young blonde kid copped a roundhouse. This was more complex to the layman but far more dangerous and recklessly intentional and he gets a week less... Disappointing.

If we lose to one of WB, StK, Freo, GC, or GWS - THAT will cost us a finals place. But if we lose one of them and don't knock of at least one of Geel, WCE, Syd, or Adel - then we aren't as good as we all thought we were.

I would love to see some smarter entry into the forward line and against an inferior side like the Saints our front running ways will help us get some goals that we just won't get against teams with a semblance of a structural defence. Tyson wasn't great but does he get another week? Does Weed come in now or in a few weeks time. He is our second best ruck from what I have seen so that makes the inevitable easier to deal with even if he is providing much as a third tall. As an aside, the fact that he can be a third tall is a great introduction for him to this team. I wish we could find a place for Garlett - he is such a natural forward to feed off our talls. I would hope he is a part of the 22 come late August...

I will be impressed when he gets 10 weeks and doesn’t fight it at the tribunal.

In time. Through acts of contrition and changed behaviour. He deserves what he is getting right now - that was horrendous and with an intent to hurt Andrews. But instead of a knee in his kidneys he chose an elbow to his head and put his future in danger. The last thing I care about is Cameron’s repu-effing-tation.

I’m with WYL. He knew the damage he could inflict and he didn’t care. Rest of the season.

This is pure MFCSS. ... ...doesn't mean you're not onto something...

If we are who we think we are - we will win the the next three games. We played very well against PA - a very good team - but didn't make great decisions moving into the forward line. I have 6 teams (2nd thru 7th) on 11 and 5 after Round 17 is done... We would be up to two games and percentage in the 8. It would be tight but we just have to get there.

Has a team ever won the Inside 50 count by 20 and had more Inside 50s than their score?

Different boys club?