Dee-tonator

Kozzie. And that's about it at the moment.

Brad Green's heart is in the right place. but the stage has been reached where meaningless waffle cuts no ice. When circumstances change, good coaches and teams adapt. Sadly, Goodwin has put his head in the sand and refused to make necessary changes, in selection and tactics. Viney provides a classic case of this syndrome. Week after week he persists in belting every kick as hard as he can in the general direction of his forward line, frequently resulting in a turnover. Yet he is deemed undroppable and therefore has no reason to change. Green has to wake up to the fact that the fans are rapidly losing the confidence they once had in Goodwin. And that has to lead to tough decisions, not more attempts to hide the crisis.

I am very sad to say this, but why would Kozzie or any other talented player want to be at Melbourne right now?

The answer is yes, a highly likely 0-6 start after next week suggests his time is up. But some of the personal abuse aimed at Goodwin is totally out of order. Perhaps the game has passed him by and he has failed to adapt, but our only Premiership coach in living memory does not deserve to be the target of insults.

6 Langdon - classy all-round display. 5 Petracca - excellent third quarter. 4 Bowey - nippy and creative. 3 Gawn - fought all the way. 2 Pickett - pacy and elusive. 1 Oliver - put in the hard hards.

Skill errors almost unbelievable for an AFL team. But the good news is that we have only three problems to fix: A dysfunctional defence. A lacklustre midfield. A non-existent forward line.

Plenty of effort going in, but all the usual skill errors too. Fritsch seems half-asleep.

Is it time for Viney to feel some selection heat? His continual long kicks onto the chests of opposition defenders largely neutralise his ball-winning abilities.

The outs are fairly easy to pick ---- Sharp, Petty, JVR and Spargo spring instantly to mind. The ins are the problem. The only obvious major improvements would be Lever (if fit) for Petty, and Windsor (if fit). As for the rest, we have several good VFL performers (eg Laurie) who have never impressed when given a crack at AFL level. Turner's struggles last night provided a prime example. Given our apology for a forward line, maybe Fullarton is worth a try up there. I am getting the awful feeling that apart from one year of magic Goodwin is actually out of his depth as an AFL coach.

Since coming into the team, Van Rooyen has made almost zero progress. Yes, he is an accurate goalkicker but his spectacular attempts to mark from behind a pack hardly ever succeed. Also, he seldom gets into space, as Cameron and Dangerfield did all night, to provide an inside-50 target, and is hardly a brilliant back-up for Max in the ruck. Goodwin is copping plenty of flak at the moment, perhaps deservedly, but looking at our forward options in general I think the players we have are just not good enough. Geelong's defence won't have many easier outings than they did tonight. With Fritsch's radar on the blink, Turner finding the leap from VFL to AFL a bridge too far. and Kozzie buzzing around without any impact on the scoreboard, I do have some sympathy with Goody. Maybe a complete rebuild is the only way to turn our rapidly sinking ship around.

6 May - with TMac was the difference between a defeat and a humiliation. 5 McDonald - definitely one of his better outings. 4 Gawn - still a true warrior even if the years may be starting to take a toll. 3 Chandler - for his sheer effort and gut-running all night. 2 Petracca - influential but still not the dominator of old. 1 Fritsch - some classy moments but sadly the radar is still astray.

May - standout in defence Petty - slow and cumbersome Bowey - solid and reliable McDonald - some good moments Rivers - showed some spirit Salem - shadow of yesteryear Windsor - some smart moves Viney - oh, those turnovers Gawn - urgently needs backup Langford - draft regrets mounting? Langdon - some useful runs Oliver - tireless but inaccurate Sparrow - just lumbered along Petracca - couldn't lift teammates Sharp - no he isn't Henderson - average at best Chandler - unable to penetrate Pickett - couldn't outsmart defenders Fritsch - classy in patches Van Rooyen - seldom wins duels Turner - looked VFL standard Melksham - overall impact limited

Not even Max can get the better of Old Father Time. He desperately needs the back-up ruck we haven't got.

A for effort so far. C- for skill. Awful errors from Max and May.

Interesting views here on our drafting strategy. I believe Lindsay and Langford (like Windsor) have the making of long-term elite contributors, which any aspiring top-four team has to have. To get them we had to make some sacrifices on picks which could have been used to build depth. For me, quality always counts more than quantity. Anyway, drafting has never been an exact science (eg Max Gawn hasn't done badly for a pick 34) and I have every confidence in our current draft decision-makers.

Five goals for Turner in VFL today. Could replace any of our forward flops, especially Fritsch.

May - failed to dominate Petty - doesn't seem interested Howes - far below standard McDonald - off the pace Rivers - struggled under pressure Salem - hitting skids now Bowey - lively and productive Lindsay - really bad luck Viney - poor distribution again Gawn - on the decline? Langford - skills are promising Billings - selection a mystery Langdon - wasted on inside Oliver - too many errors Sparrow - just lumbered along Petracca - seldom in game Sharp - lacks necessary skills Henderson - just a plodder Chandler - good work rate Fritsch - useless at everything Johnson - VFL standard strongman. Van Rooyen - never troubled defenders Melksham - had little influence

6 Bowey - classy all-round performance. 5 Langford - looks the real deal. 4 Chandler - busy all day. 3-2-1 Take your pick from the rabble.

Must be Fritsch's worst performance ever.

This is no longer embarrassing. It's totally humiliating.

When players continually fumble simple passes, kick aimlessly and miss tackles, it's not the coach's fault. Whatever tactics are employed, multiple players who can't get the basics right will lose matches. And that's where we are right now.

May in, a big plus. Wiped out by...... Howes for Lever I hope Melksham has a blinder tomorrow. He has fought so hard to get his body back into shape for one final crack at the big time.

Point 1: We are badly missing the powerful presence of May, the positional awareness of McVee and the X-factor of Pickett. Point 2: Howes has now had enough chances for the call to be made that he is not an AFL-standard defender. Maybe Rivers needs to provide cover there until the injury situation eases. Point 3: Shifting Langdon from his specialist position on the wing seemed daft before the North game and would be even dafter if persisted with. Point 4: Spargo looks as if he needs at least a couple of runs in the VFL after such a long layoff. Point 5: Are we going to run Gawn into the ground again this season without providing a proper backup ruck? Hard to swallow as it is, he was outplayed by Xerri. Point 6: Yes, it was a terrible day at the office, but wholesale changes are a non-starter, given the injuries we have. However, Langford surely deserves a chance in the starting lineup this week. Point 7: With the honourable exception of Oliver, some of last week's flops need to take a long, hard look at themselves.

My pre-season optimism is evaporating like mist in the desert sun.

Sad at seeing the Cats somehow keeping their claws sharp yet again. Delight at the Dockers' implosion. Can you be happy and sad at the same time?