Dee-monic

After today's 77-point win, perhaps Kate Hore and Alyssa Bannan could come down to training and pass on a few tips about goal-kicking to our wayward forwards!

Max is in magnificent form and we shouldn't do anything to mess with his role. Grundy, if he comes in, could just stay at full-forward where he might at least take a mark or two or create a contest and get the ball to ground. Of course it's not ideal, but we are out of options. With Petty, Melksham and JVR out, and TMac looking like a steam train that has run out of steam, the only alternative would be to take a huge gamble on BBB's fitness. That would surely be too big a risk. I would bring Harmes in for Brayshaw to perform the one role he is good at ---- putting a tag on Cerra to disrupt Carlton's midfield. McKay's absence means we may be able to go with just two talls in defence again, although this does reduce Lever's flexibility. Whatever Goody does, this will be quite a test of his ability to come up with some creative coaching.

I suspect that Michael Christian did not want any involvement in this case, given his Collingwood connections. If so, he did the right thing by passing the buck upstairs. And Laura Kane has done the right thing too.

Maynard turned himself into a guided missile the moment he braced for a collision between his shoulder and Brayshaw's head. If the AFL regards that as acceptable, its "protect the head" policy will be seen to be a pathetic and fraudulent attempt to forestall threats of legal action over brain injuries. Jumping vertically to attempt a smother is fine, but doing so while charging directly at an off-balance opponent is clearly dangerous.

So is it now OK to jump headlong at high speed, leading with the shoulder, into a player off balance because he has just completed a kick? If so,there's an easy way to take out the opposition's gamebreakers.

6, 5 and 4 Max the Magnificent - a superlative all-round display. 3 Petracca - but where was he in the first half? 2 Oliver - worked hard but not always effectively. 1 Lever - some good intercepts. 0 - the entire forward line.

Can't blame the defence --- only 60 points conceded. Midfield --- dominant in final quarter after usual sluggish start. Forwards --- appalling conversion rate cost us the game. Even the normally reliable Fritsch put a straight-forward shot at goal out on the full. If (or when) JVR is suspended, a return for Grundy is the only option next week, unless we gamble on a hobbling BBB. Jordon probably to replace Brayshaw. A definite downgrade. I hope we play Sydney rather than Carlton.

With TMac moving as if he has just completed a marathon in 45-degree heat, we are effectively playing a man short. i'd love him to kick five goals in the last quarter but that's like believing in the Tooth Fairy.

Players are entitled to jump for a smother but to do so at high speed directly into an alnost stationary opponent surely creates a dangerous situation.

And the MRO will be looking closely at JVR's careless (or stupid?) elbow.

Much better second quarter. But don't just blame our makeshift forward line for our poor score. This constant long bombing into the forward 50 is so predictable that it is literally playing into Collingwood;s hands.

JVR looking at a suspension, Brayshaw concussed and Pies winning the contests. Looks grim after first quarter.

Is there anyone who seriously thinks we would have had a better season if Max had left the club and Jackson had stayed? Max's leadership qualities alone elevate him above any other ruckman in the competition. And it did not help him that the partnership with Grundy did not work out well through no fault of the players concerned. I can understand Clarry being left out. He missed a fair chunk of the season and is still not quite back to his best after returning. Otherwise he would have been a certainty. What we do have is an even spread of elite talent (to mention only May, Lever, Gawn, Oliver, Petracca and even Fritsch) across the board, which is a key to the more important issue of winning premierships.

No gong for five-goal Fritter?

Barnstorming and impressive final quarter but yet again we were slowish starters. Is Goody feeding them sleeping tablets that last until we're down by several goals? We can't afford a sluggish start against the Pies or we'll be history by halftime. Fritsch's ability to find space inside 50 and finish effectively made all the difference. Wrong-footing defenders is one skill that van Rooyen still needs to master. And a special mention for ANB, often the target of criticism. Today his intelligent and non-stop running, improved distribution and even a touch or two of previously unsuspected finesse proved his value when we were under the pump. Rotten luck for Melksham if his injury is serious, but at least in TMac we have a readymade replacement.

6 Fritsch - matchwinning sharpshooter. 5 Neale-Bullen - intelligent non-stop running and displayed unsuspected finesse at times. 4 Petracca - built up momentum after a slow start by his standards. 3 Viney - would tackle King Kong if necessary. 2 Oliver - not back at his best yet but getting there. 1 Brayshaw - always dependable under pressure.

If we produce three quarters of this quality the Pies will make mincemeat of us. Kozzie and van Rooyen almost invisible for most of the game, and our contest work well below our best. Now just need to forget about the score and protect our top players. TMac for an injured Melksham now looks a possibility for finals. Sad if so because Melks has been in fine form lately.

If Port win tomorrow the outcome of our game will be academic. In that case we should at least ensure that Gawn, May, Lever, Petracca and maybe even Oliver get plenty of rest time on the bench. That's good player management, not tanking --- those on the field will still give of their best. If the AFL do pull a dirty trick on us, it would also minimise the chance of injury to our key players.

Full credit to North for putting in the effort today. Unfortunately Freo did the same. As long as our trustworthy recruiters are on the ball again, those juicy extra picks should more than compensate for the loss of Jackson. Mind you, I'm still sorry he chose to leave.

I see the AFL is beefing up the ARC system for the finals. I wonder if they couldn't find a way to adapt cricket's Snicko technology which records any contact between bat and ball. I may be the odd one out here, but I can't blame goal umpires for errors that literally involve a couple of millimetres at times. It is a very difficult job with many close calls to be made under huge pressure.

We will have the advantage of knowing all possible scenarios before our game kicks off. We could face any one of the three teams above us if there are surprise results. We could even get to play the Pies in Melbourne.

I'm only saying we should consider giving Max a rest before finals if he is carrying some niggles and earlier results have already fixed our position on the ladder. In that case the result against the Swans would be immaterial. Having Max fully fit and primed for finals is the aim. Grundy is still an excellent ruckman and it is not his fault that the presence of Max has forced him to play a role to which he is unsuited. The experiment was worth a try, but it just didn't work out.

Fritsch (if medically cleared) surely needs a run for match fitness, and TMac also deserves a shot. Van Rooyen had his moments today but he is yet to become the kind of key forward who can win finals. In the backline, Hibberd for Bowey could also be an option. And maybe we could even give Grundy a full game and let Max rest up to sort out any niggles from the batterings he takes every week. The trouble is that the team will have to be chosen before we know whether upsets in earlier games have opened up an unlikely pathway to grab second spot on percentages. In that case, we would obviously want our best 22 on the park.

Really tough to choose, so many players had a mixture of good and bad moments. 6 Lever - the intercept king is back. 5 Rivers - strong and decisive. 4 Viney - usual warrior-like performance. 3 Sparrow - powerful in contests and showed good touches. 2 McVee - tidy and reads play superbly. 1 Melksham - has locked in his finals spot. Honourable second-half mentions to Max, Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw and ANB.

A few first-half judgments: Kossie: missing in action. Van Rooyen: ditto. Petracca: worst game of the year. Salem: in rapid decline. Laurie: not AFL standard yet. Langdon: the pace has gone. OIiver: struggling to shake his tag. On this display so far, we don't deserve top four.