Dee-monic

Yes, he's a bit of a show-off but he's also a livewire who would bring some fizz to our up-and-down forward line. Some pretty grubby characters in AFL history have also been fantastic players. Luckily we have the mighty Max, who sets our standards for both character and performance..

I'd rather hope we clinch fourth spot tomorrow and can give Max, Viney, Oliver and Petracca plenty of resting time on the bench next week in a match where the result probably won't matter much for us.

Excellent idea, as long as it is restricted to one challenge for game-changing moments.

I simply don't go along with those who yell "corrupt AFL" whenever a poor decision is made. I believe umpires are doing their best to be strictly fair, knowing that they can be judged by TV replays. But incompetence is another matter. That last-minute shot was clearly a goal. And since it would almost certainly have been a game-decider, any goal umpire worth his salt would have asked for a replay to be certain of the right call. Getting a 50-50 decision wrong in midfield is understandable, but not when it comes to a match-deciding goal-line moment with finals spots on the line.

Homes urgently needed for elderly Cats. Mostly toothless, so soft food required. Too arthritic to catch mice. Can anyone help?

Latest results and form suggest we may be better off finishing fourth than third. I'd fancy meeting the Pies at the MCG rather than a possible trip to a Brisbane side running hot, especially if Daicos and Moore are still out for the first week.

Umpiring is the toughest gig in football. You get one look at fast-moving action from one angle and have to make an instant decision. So it is not surprising that umpires, like players, make mistakes. We all tend to remember with bitterness the poor decisions that went against us, but forget about the dubious ones that went our way. Of course it's disappointing when it happens, especially in a close game, but such is life. I'm all for anything that improves umpiring standards but there is no point in berating individual umpires who would probably be the first to admit their error if they saw a replay.

Barrass, Naitanui, Shuey, Ryan and Sheed just a few of the first-choice players on their 12-strong injury list. Then they lost Brady Hough just before kickoff today. And they have had by far the longest AFL injury list all season. How would we go without May, Lever, Gawn, Petracca and Oliver? Adam Simpson is not to blame. It's a combination of injuries and poor list management. Something like the mess we were in prior to the arrival of Paul Roos.

Please Goody, please, will you finally accept that Gawn + Grundy is a formula that does not work? Grundy is fine as a ruckman but in general play he looks like a goods train going up a steep hill. Pending Fritsch's return, Joel Smith up front and Tomlinson at the back seems the best bet. Also, I know there are some Jordon fans on this site, but if we want to win premierships he just isn't good enough. And even the normally reliable Salem could be in the firing line. Tonight's performance was surely his worst ever in a Melbourne shirt. If Carlton win their last two matches, it is still statistically possible for them to push us out of the top four, so a win next week is important even though chances of finishing second now look remote.

6 May - kept the dangerous Curnow on a pretty tight leash. 5 Viney - four quarters of ferocious work. 4 Brayshaw - unspectacular but effective. 3 Petracca - influence grew as the game went on. 2 Hunter - did more than his share of running and chasing. 1 Oliver - quiet first half but helped turn the tide in the second. Biggest disappointment: Salem, usually so calm and cool but the radar was sadly astray tonight.

Whether it was touched or not, we'll never know for sure. But we were NOT robbed. Carlton were the better side and but for poor finishing and some great defence by May and Lever would have been five goals ahead by quarter-time. If anyone is looking for blame, just re-run that awful first quarter. I'd just say two things: (1) James Jordon is a long way from premiership quality. (2) Gawn and Grundy is a same-day mix that has more minuses than plusses.

Midfield being slaughtered. Carlton giving us a football lesson. Oliver struggling to get into top gear. Will need to lift our game or this could get very ugly. Grundy/Gawn in same team not working (yet again).

I know young guns McVee and Bowey have made the most of their opportunities, but in the presssure-cooker atmosphere of finals I would find Hibberd's coolness and experience very reassuring. However, competition for places is never a bad sign.

The Pies are no certainties to beat Geelong tonight and the Lions next week. If they lose both games, top spot will be up for grabs in the last round if we keep winning. Who would have thought that possible a few weeks ago?

That's a bit unfair. Passes go astray in every AFL game, sometimes due to opposition pressure, sometimes just because of an error of judgment. There is not an AFL player who can hold his hands up and say he's never given a poor pass. There's a risk of injury in every contest for the ball.

What a dilemma! The Alleycats have to stay in front to make second place possible for us by tomorrow night. I guess it's a glass half full whichever way the game turns.

I have no medical expertise, but anyone could see the force of the impact between Aliir and Jones. If the AFL is serious about head injuries, Port should be fined or docked points for this fiasco. If Jones had a migraine, what was he doing on the field in the first place? And the whole world could see that for a few seconds Aliir looked as if he had taken the full force of a punch from a heavyweight boxing champion. If the AFL permits Port to get away with this, it makes a mockery of their claim to be serious about tackling head injuries. The main factor behind the AFL protocols seems to be fear of legal liability for brain damage rather than concern for individuals. The solution surely is to have an independent doctor present in all cases of head injury. Club doctors will always be under pressure from some maverick coaches whose overriding concern is to win matches, whatever the cost.

Yet another bye coming up for Casey. The VFL fixturing this season has been crazy, which makes life difficult for all AFL fringe players.

I certainly don't wish him into retirement. Sadly though, his best football is behind him and at Casey all he is doing is keeping out a young player with possible potential. Van Rooyen, Petty, Melksham, Fritsch and Smith all seem to be ahead of him at present in Goodwin's thinking. If he retires, he would go with my thanks for his service, not with any ill-will.

Given Petty's form today, Van Rooyen's continuing improvement, Fritsch to come back, and and Joel Smith also competing for a spot, what does Ben Brown do now? He is contracted for next season, surely won't find another AFL club and may be content just to spend a leisurely year with Casey. Or then again he might just retire with a well-deserved premiership medal to his credit. I hope it's the latter.

For three quarters today the result was in the balance. But for our fantastic finishing burst, we could have had the chasing pack at our heels.

Fantastic last quarter but until then our midfield and defence lacked pace and co-ordination. Outstanding displays by Max the Magnificent and the much-maligned Petty (six shots, six goals). Melksham's skills with both feet proved invaluable with two crucial goals from acute angles. We now need to win only two more games to clinch a top-four spot. Win all four and second place is possible. Altogether a superb round of results for us, and we still have Oliver and Fritsch to come back. I reckon Joel Smith's pace and ability to read the play earned him a chance to start ahead of Tomlinson next week. And to put some icing on the weekend cake, Freo's upset win failed to lift them on the ladder.

6 - Max the Magnificent. That says it all. 5 - Petty. Would have earned six on most days. 4 Viney - did the work of two men in a mediocre midfield. 3 Melksham - two crucial goals from acute left and right angles. 2 Petracca - but the radar still goes astray at times. 1 Van Rooyen - looking more and more like the genuine article.

It's not the umpires who have continually fumbled and missed straight-forward shots at goal.

Do Harmes, Chandler and Jordon even know which side they are supposed to be playing for? Premiership material they are not.