Dee-monic

I understand the frustration expressed by some posters with aspects of Fritsch's game, but his main job is to open up opposing defences and score goals ---- and he has achieved that consistently. He is excellent at finding space inside 50, has taken some good marks against bigger-bodied defenders and is usually an accurate goal-kicker. We certainly don't have a superior replacement outside our current best 22.

Well, the Petty debate will no doubt continue but he did have a significant impact in the half-game he played.

6 Petracca - the human bulldozer. 5 Oliver - our Mr Everywhere. 4 Petty - only half a game but had a big impact. 3 Rivers - cool head and clean distribution. 2 Hibberd - reads the play superbly. 1 May - for sentiment's sake, but one could choose from a range of candidates.

Absolutely spot on. Why on earth did it take all this time to reach such an obvious conclusion? The ball is firmly back in the AFL's court to clarify its rules instead of trying to bend them to its will. The issue of intent is crucial, because in any contact sport collisions are inevitable. Van Rooyen's intent was clearly to attempt a spoil for which he arrived a fraction of a second too late. Given the speed of the modern game and the powerful physiques of full-time professionals, perhaps more players should give thought to following the example of cricket, where protective headgear is now compulsory for batsmen.

The club must surely appeal again. Van Rooyen's only intent, as clearly shown in the video evidence, was to execute a spoil. To suggest he committed a reportable offence is laughable. Even for the ever-inconsistent tribunal, this must surely be one of the most bizarre decisions ever made.

Essentially we are in agreement. All I am saying is that in the current climate it seems that any player who makes contact with the head of an opponent seems to be automatically at risk from the MRO and/or tribunal. In a contact sport, such collisions are sometimes inevitable, which leaves the grading of "careless" difficult to define, especially when clouded by club loyalties.

Interpretation is everything in the current crackdown on all head contact. JVR's action was clumsy and at least careless, and although the outcome seems fortunately to have been far less severe than at first feared, the MRO will look also at the potential for serious injury. I would think the odds are about 60-40 that he will get suspended for at least a week. Hope I'm proved wrong, because there was clearly no malicious intent.

Hard to pick six really on a day when quite a few were below their best. 6 Gawn - steadied the ship at vital moments. 5 Brayshaw - unspectacular but worked his socks off. 4 Viney - tigerish as always in a struggling midfield. 3 Oliver - did his share of the hard yakka. 2 Bowey - gave some more illustrious names a lesson in ball distribution under pressure. 1 Chandler - purely on the ground of his outstanding goal just when it was needed.

So many negative comments on this thread after a gritty win against a Suns combination that is far from the easybeats of a few years ago. I''m inclined to agree that Petty's talents are better suited to a role in defence, and Fritsch had one of his fairly rare off days, but give the opposition some credit for the intensity of effort that kept us under pressure. I certainly wouldn't mind having Anderson, Rowell and Miller (absent today) in our midfield mix.

He will be nearly 38 years old when Tasmania play their first game. An AFL player approaching middle age would be quite a rarity!

I know that was little more than a good training run but one very positive point that did emerge is that in keeping Chandler and letting Bedford move on the Melbourne brains trust got it absolutely right. His accurate goal-kicking, constant pressure and excellent ball use stood out all night. And it was great to see Steven May showing his annoyance when North kicked some late goals. That's the kind of ruthless attitude that wins premierships.

6 Petracca - totally dominant in every aspect of play. 5 Chandler - how will Spargo get his spot back now? 4 Grundy - silenced the doubters about his all-round game. 3 Oliver - ran the show in midfield but wasn't the opposition woeful? 2 Pickett - some magic moments, especially in the first half. 1 Take your pick, but I'd go for Steven May. Shook off recent struggles and even got cranky when North notched their late goals.

The Weid in a nutshell: A+ for character, A- for ability, B for consistency. If he can improve on the third category he still has an AFL future. Just sad that it wouldn't be with Melbourne.

I don't see the point in hating anyone who decides he no longer wants to play for our club. If that's how a player feels, a parting of the ways is best for both sides. The jury is still out on Luke Jackson. If he fails to reach the heights Fremantle are counting on, Peter Bell might even have done us a favour. Those extra picks in the next draft might prove very valuable in the long term. Solely for that reason, I would be delighted to see the Dockers finish as low as possible on the ladder this season.

Positives - Viney immense, Oliver influential, Van Rooyen silencing the doubters, Chandler on the rise, Lever making key intercepts, Gawn/Grundy combination grinding the Tigers down, great team effort in the last quarter, huge crowd. Negatives - vulnerable against speedy counter-attacks, a bit lucky the under-strength Tigers missed a few very gettable shots at goal, Steven May again below his best. Verdict - a gritty win, and in the end that's all that counts.

6 Viney - the ultimate warrior when the chips are down. 5 Oliver - slow start but really motored in the second half. 4 Van Rooyen - anonymous for three quarters but his three superb contested marks (and goals) were crucial at the end. 3 Gawn - not quite at his very best but in combination with Grundy eventually wore Richmond down at the stoppages. 2 Chandler - worked hard and kicked key goals when we were under the pump. 1 Langdon - covers the ground like no other.

JVR: three magnificent contested marks in the last quarter, resulting in three goals that turned the game. And unlike TMac and BBB the lad has plenty of upside to come.

Granted he has been slow and clumsy so far tonight but he's still a youngster on a steep learning curve. Hasn't worked out yet how to time a run to provide a lead or find space like Fritsch does. Far too early to just write him off.

Some big reputations on the line if this showing doesn't improve. Defence shaky again, Kozzy lost in an outrun midfield, and delivery inside 50 hopeless. And Harmes and Dunstan apart, the second-stringers showed nothing for Casey yesterday either. Big test ahead to see how smart Goody really is.

The extreme range of opinions on possible ins and outs reflects the early-season inconsistency of quite a few players, including some big names. But one thing for certain is that we cannot risk Max next week unless he is 100 percent ready to go. One other point I would make is that although Harmes is far from our most polished performer, we missed his hard-running pressure game when the Bombers took control in the second half.

Granted that May struggled badly today, but when he is working alongside Lever the understanding between the two has usually been excellent. And without the irreplaceable Max to help out in defence, we were simply monstered by their talls. I would cut May some slack over one really poor performance. We all have our off days. May certainly wasn't the only one well under par today.

6, 5 and 4 - no candidates 3 Oliver - strong second half. 2 Viney - non-stop effort all day. 1 McVee - far cooler under pressure than his more experienced colleagues in defence.

Outfought, out-thought, outrun, outmarked, and out-coached by a side that adapted far better to the conditions. Oliver and Viney about the only honourable exceptions. Lever and Gawn hugely missed, with Steven May having possibly his career-worst display in our panicky defence. If ever a wake-up call was needed, this was it.

First quarter a bit sloppy at times against undermanned opponents but overall an efficient job well done. Got to also give credit to Tim Kelly, whose lion-hearted effort for the Eagles prevented our midfield from taking even greater control. Overall, plenty of positives, especially with Grundy now match-fit and increasingly dominant at stoppages.

6 Grundy - dominant performance. 5 Viney -tigerish display. 4 Petracca - slow start but then took control. 3 McDonald - silenced the doubters yet again. 2 Oliver - influential but not quite at his best. 1 Rivers - rapidly becoming an automatic first team choice.