rpfc

It was Bartel, and I don't remember anyone getting stuck into Bartel 'for making the most of nothing'... Such an Australian response: He hardly hit you, why are you making a thing of it? How about we say: Mate, why throw an errant elbow? We are at our worst when say to people: 'why are you making a thing of it?'

Fumbly contributions but was in everything. I thought a number of our boys were fumbly and nervous around the footy - Hunt, Salem, Tyson, and a couple others. Brave win considering all that we didn't have going for us - but Lewis contributed.

The real winners here are the Demonland servers.

Yeah, but is he flexible? Can he turn a CHB into a goalkicking matchwinner on a cold Saturday night in Perth? We. Will. See.

He would be on peanuts right now...

I have had it too, but I had it in the middle of a season a few years back and had to take three weeks off while doing benign exercises and told to put kms into the tendon to stress load and get it ready for the rest of the season. 3kms, then 5kms, then 8kms then game. Essentially, it was being overused (and other muscles underused) but it needed to get ready to take the load of a game. If you had a different recovery that is fine, but that was my advice and it worked for me.

Achilles tendonitis is a tricky thing to get over. Rest is often the opposite of what you need. Hibberd doesn't look laboured to me so I hope it is just mild. That dynamic back 4 of Salem, Hibberd, Jetta, and Hunt compliment each other so well, I don't want to know life without those four.

This post has aged well. Lewis was solid, hardly the reason for our dominance, but certainly a contributor to it. When he has talent to feed - he looks very good.

Again with the Russia thing. This is fake news people, intended to take the gloss of our win yesterday - which we won by over 200 points. Biggest in history. Everybody knows that. Sad!

He's just a champion player. This isn't a portent of things to come, simply a reminder of what he has been for decade. Again, he doesn't look like is going to fade away without a fight...

Yeah, I just think we have an opportunity to run on Subi. Hard to pressure in packs on a bigger ground like we did today. More room, more 1on1s. I would go with a team with enough run. Don't know whether Bugg out and Gawn in changes the ratio...

On Subiaco?

This post has aged well... Seriously, though, can we fit Gawn, Pedersen, Watts, Tom Mac, Oscar Mac, and Frost? Good thing we don't have a hulking gun forward to fit back in...

Yeah, a few things: Tom is the better player. Oscar is a promising kid who is developing at a normal rate. Oscar is not best 22 in 2017. He is progressing well and the fact that he is 'making so many mistakes with the he footy' as 21 year old with 26 games is a good sign. The hardest thing in footy is getting the footy. But his brother and Frost are ahead of him in the backline for talls and they are more dynamic and versatile. Hibberd, Jetta, Salem, and Hunt are starting 18 backs and will make it hard for us to play the big three down back.

11 weeks is a lifetime in footy. Spencer went from being a 'list clogger' who would never be played unless Gawn got injured, to good insurance when Gawn eventually got injured, to a disaster and a reason to recruit a third pure ruckman when he got injured himself, to an afterthought when we played fine without a recognised ruckman, and, finally to being a 'list clogger' again because we don't need a 2nd pure ruckman behind Gawn. And breathe...

Love him to death but he will be devastating when he lowers his eyes. Setting up with 5 or 4 forwards the way we do means his 'bombing' is the exact thing we DON'T want HBFs and wings to do. When he kicks it 25 and runs and gets it back and kicks it 50 he will be even more devastating than he is now.

I am going to stand up for tackles here, tackles are great. Leaves tackles alone!

So people say you can't read tone from text... My little story answered your question - of course I would play a champion like Lewis ahead of more talented players because of the intangibles that he brings. If footy was so simple as to be the winner is the team with the most talented players - it would a lot easier to tip (and to coach). I always get uneasy when I see players written off when they are as good as Lewis. I am not going to say we won't move past him because that happens - players hit a wall. But my gut tells me that he still has a lot to offer the team on the field, even if it isn't with the footy in his hands.

I had 'hide' in inverted commas so I wouldn't read too much into that... Last year, I played a 28 year old with a shot body, no speed, fumbly with the footy early in the season... and I played him because he was like having an extra coach out there amongst a very young group. We could have won without him too, but in the last game of the season, the most important one, was the one we nearly lost but we didn't because when we were headed in the last quarter for the first time all year - we had someone out there who was instructing and imploring and pushing the younger players to keep their heads up, and keep doing the small things. He had been doing that all year - one of the few who did - and I think it paid off in the Grand Final. The kids saw an even bloke who was telling them to do the same things he had been telling them to do all year. He was one of my first picked, and he wouldn't have averaged 10 touches in the middle, but he didn't have to get the footy - we had plenty of talent - we just had no experience, brains, or calmness.

I think this would be a by product of his role in contests - we want him on the end of handpass out of traffic not in there competing and tackling to handpass out...

My experience is the opposite - the better your team becomes the easier you can 'hide' a leader with a declining game or body. Lewis will decline but I don't think it will be rapid and it will be evened out with the continued ascension of those around him like Oliver, Petracca, Hunt, et al. And intangibles are hard to quantify, I agree, but I can quantify his leadership because his captains mention it, his coach mentions it, and his direction on the field is plain to see and hear.

This group needs a coach on the ground. That is my analysis with my coaches hat on and you are welcome to disagree but I am big believer in the intangibles of a player like Lewis.

Watching the replay of the fateful goal, who was the bloke that Watts ran past as he went for his 50m hard lead? Taylor Adams. I really hope that kid joins a successful club one day, he deserves it...

Howe hanger and then Howe clanger. Clockwork.