CHF

Good team selections given the injuries and unavailability of some players. Fills me with confidence when I see Gawn, Petracca, Oliver and Viney named in the engine Room. Add to that the players we can rotate through there such as Jackson, ANB, Sparrow, Pickett and Brayshaw and that is a very strong, deep midfield. Dunstan as the sub? I think so. I do not think they would name Laurie as sub for his debut but he must be close to selection. Tomlinson and Weideman named in emergencies to cover late outs back and forward. Dees by 10 goals.

10 starts so far this season for 10 wins.... top of the ladder 2 games clear with a healthy % I am not complaining, just sitting back and enjoying it. Some on here complain that we are not playing well and are out of form. I would agree except that I believe that most are comparing our form to the football we played in the last quarter and a half of the grand final. I have been watching footy for more than 50 years and that was the cleanest, most dominant football I have seen a side play....EVER. Impossible to play at that level over a sustained period. This season we have been playing our game with the confidence that it will bring the results that we want. Good structures and systems all over the ground with defence and pressure on the ball in all areas of the ground. Made possible by player discipline to their roles and top class fitness. This game against North showcased exactly the way we play. We controlled the game and had the ability to lift when required and run out the game. I love the way we play to our strengths and have other teams reacting to our game style. They are looking for ways to minimise the damage we can do and therefore their game suffers from not being able to score. It will be interesting to see when a side decides to really attack us and play open footy. I still think we will prevail as we build every thing on our defence and we have shown that, no matter the players back there, our structures and system works and is very difficult to break down. A few observations from the North game - Oliver?? What more can you say about him? He is the best I have seen in the red and blue and by the end of his footy will be right up there a the best the league ha ever seen. A sensational game. - Spargo had a very good game with sticking tackles and delivering to team mates - I watched out transition footy very closely in this game and it really is excellent. We move in anticipation of a teammate winning the contest and when the contest is won we have players in position and running hard. - Forwards seem to be a bit dysfunctional, but what is new? With North pinned back in their defensive 50 for long periods, they really had crowds of player filling that space which made it hard for clean connection. I can imagine that the coaching panel will be trying a few things to over come this. next week, Freo at the G.

Re: the Bulldogs.... In the Round 1 post game thread after watching Beverage's presser I said that they would not make the 8 this year. I still believe that.

Things I like.... Having 9 straight wins to start the season. Beating West Coast by a record margin in Perth Winning all 4 quarters in the game Watching the team perform and feeling comfortable in the result. The all team performance. Being on top of the ladder with a healthy percentage. Things I don't like... Some supporters expectations Things I observed Max having a quiet but effective game. A really good combined effort in both attack and defence from the midfield A good covering defence that work to cover one another. Jordon's game was the best he has had at the club. Brayshaw's play at HB is making it hard to move him on once Salem is back. Once again we controlled the game from start to finish.

Ok. Just finished breakfast and the morning coffee. The footy will now fill the space between now and firing up the bbq and a drink. go Dees! Looking for a 10 goal win

Yep...His turn to rest in the back pocket......

Something I do not understand with the fixtures AFL/VFL. This week we play on Sunday over in the West and Casey plays the same day against North in Melbourne. we will need to take 4 players over as emergency reserves so they will not be able to get a run at Casey. Next week we play North in the AFL and both Casey and North VFL teams have a bye... am I missing something? The emergencies that travel across to Perth will therefore miss two week of matches. Please tell me that somewhere this makes sense. Have I read it wrong?

That squad is just about a strong as you are going to get week to week in the H&A season. Salem to come back in to the back 50 team when fit and in form and that is about the only thing we need to top up this team. Harmes, Jackson, Jordon and Pickett on the IC.

I am loving the way that we are controlling games this season and this latest game was a great example of that. The Saints were talked up as our first big challenge of the season as they were sitting in the top 4 and were the highest ranked team we had so far faced. Add to that the fact that we needed the win on Sunday to retain the No. ! position on the ladder a game clear of second and there was a bit of pressure. No worries. The team played the first half as good as you could wish. The defence stood tall once again with a lot of pressure all over the ground to ensure that the challenge did not gain any breathing space. Job done by half time and then the team went into cruise mode and carried the game to its conclusion with a few late goals to add a bit of cream. A few observations: The spirit and character of this team (including the whole of the list) is remarkable. There do not seem to be any egos straining at the leash. The players are playing unselfish, supportive footy but with a hard edge to the opposition. Credit to the coaches and support people for generating this environment. Great game by Brayshaw. One of his best. He is making the defensive 50 very crowded for talent and it will be interesting to see what the situation is once Salem is back and in form. Good response to last week's game by Langdon. I just shake my head at his endurance and his awareness of where to run to advantage. I am not sure that is something you can coach into someone but, if I was a young winger I would study his game closely and try to emulate it. Oliver and Petracca double act was on song again during this game. A huge amount of disposals each for them and yet, IMO, they were outshone by the games of a winger and a HBF. Max was down with an injury during the game but still managed to be effective sitting forward. The forward 50 team looked good to me. all worked hard, not just to kick a winning score but also to defend the 50m zone in attack and to do the defensive job further up the ground as required. Such a strength in the team structure. Last week I observed that we looked to be crowding the contest too much and I took note of this element in the Saints game. we looked much more controlled in this area during this game. 1 or 2 at the contest as required with a couple more outside the contest looking to go if required. Very good. This week the West Coast game. given the present situation, I believe this is a game we would win 19 times out of 20 so I am pretty confident. The main thing that gives me confidence is the club attitude that no matter what the situation is game to game, we will control the things we can control and accept the things that we cannot have any influence on. Go Dees!

Missing a bunch of our best 22 in Salem, Jackson, Sparrow, Petty, Pickett, and Neal-Bullen I am very happy that we walked away with the 4 points. Have a look at that list of missing players, 2 critical players from the defensive zone, 2 week-in week-out midfield role players, a critical small forward and a star in the making ruck/forward rotation. I do not think there is another list in the league that could cover 6 best 22 players MIA. Very proud of the win. Some observations: * May looked off the boil a bit in the first quarter and a half with fumbles, dropped Marks and mis-kicks but pulled it all together after that. * Across the board I thought that the team was a bit too casual at the contest and did not secure the ball in possession. * We looked to be crowding the contest much more that we have when we are playing really well. Was it a lack of trust or confidence in the players? It might have been the number of changes that had an effect on the confidence. Not sure but from my observation we had sometimes 3 or 4 players diving into the contest when in the past we would have 1 or possibly 2 players at the contest with the others looking to spread the ball or take their turn at the contest if it was lost. * Max had another great game. I was one that observed that he was not in good form early in the season and I stand by that observation. Watching his last few games and how well he is going, in hindsight, he was well down on form early on. * Was good to see Bedford get a full run and for him to do well. I was also impressed by Dunstan's game. He flew under the radar a bit and managed to find some space and deliver. * Was a bit disappointed that during Max's interview after the game he talked about how they know that they have the 3rd quarter to come and that they can rely on that Or words to that effect). Just did not like that attitude. I felt that it might reflect that the team crises a bit in the first half with the knowledge that they will turn it up in the 3rd. (is it just me?) * Good games from both Oliver and Viney, Petracca down a bit on his standards but stepped up when required. The awareness that Oliver and Petracca have of not just of the situation around them but also of where each other is is spooky. they play off each other so much and so well. As gifted as they are as individuals, the presence of the other on the team improves both of them out of sight. A third of the way through the H&A season (or there abouts) and we stand 7-0, a game percentage clear of 2nd, 2 games and percentage clear of 5th and 4games and percentage clear of 9th..... Nice. Mind you, we have not played any team behind us in the top 8. That changes next Sunday when we meet the Saints. They are there-abouts but I think we might still be too strong for them. After that we have the Eagles in Perth and then, after a 6 day break, North at the Marvel. The two after that are Freo and Sydney, both at the MCG and both on 7 day breaks. I would hope that we are well in form by the time we get to Freo and Sydney because after that our fixtures get a good bit more difficult that in the first half of the season. Onward and upward.... God the Dees!

As I said when the team was announced..... there was not much coverage for the mids in the emergencies....

Not a lot of midfield cover in the listed emergencies.

Including yourself?

My hope is that none of our list end up getting the long version of Covid. From all reports it would wipe them out for the season.

Well, that makes the selection meeting a three cheese platter night. Jackson, Sparrow and Pickett out with H&S protocols and who is to say that there will not be more before the weekend. I hope that Lever and Viney are right to go as they will immediately cover a couple of the losses above. Lever coming in would allow Brayshaw to move back to the wing and Jordon to move to a more central role in place of Sparrow. You could, of course, leave Jordon on the wing and give Brayshaw a more midfield role. Either adjustment would not weaken the team. I can see Bedford coming in in place of Kossie. He has been close to selection in the past few weeks and I think he might be primed for a good one. Chandler the alternative but Bedford looks to be ahead of him at this stage. Jackson is a hard one to replace as he is so unique in the way he moves and plays. Having said that, He did not have a lot of impact on the game last week and it will be interesting, given the weather forecast, to see which way the electors will go. Do they try a like for like approach and bring in Tmac to free up Weid to share the ruck work with Max or do we look at Max to take 90% of the ruck work and bring in a smaller midfield cover? I would look at the later solution. Leave Weid and Brown forward as the main targets, Max to do the bulk of the ruck work in the center and in defence and bring in another runner. I would look at Baker to have a run, possibly Laurie. It will be interesting to see which way we go in this one and to see if more players have to isolate.

6-0 to start out defence of the flag I will take in any season. Just as I will enjoy getting the 4 points in any H&A game. Did I find it frustrating to see so many gettable goals turned into points? I sure did but on replay I managed to put that aspect of the game aside and watch the way we controlled the game building on a rock solid defence and moving the ball well through the midfield. Always looked to be winners. I also think that the players and coaches will learn a lot from that game as the Tiges look to be in damage control from the very early stages of the game and looked to keep numbers behind the ball and not allow us any space to work in in our forward 50. A couple of critical players missing out through H&S protocols and we slotted in a couple of others on the list and the team just accepted what it was on got on with the game. Smith and Dunstan were both more than adequate during the game And have given the list a boost with regard to depth. With just 3 on the injury list at the moment we have unrivaled quality depth available to cover any requirements. Enjoyed the games from Oliver, Langdon, Jordon, Sparrow and Hunt. Bowey has been so consistently good over the journey of his 13 undefeated games, that I must admit to taking his game a bit for granted. Tackles well and always looks to have plenty of time when he ha the ball in hand. On to Hawthorn.... 7-0? Yes please!

Good squad named. Gives us plenty of options, flexibility and direction and does not give anything away to the opposition. So many different ways we could set up. Love it!

Sparrow I like but he plays a similar role to others in the team IMO and is a step or two behind them but closing fast. I prefer Jordon at the moment because he has a bit more of a point of difference.

This kid's nickname should be 'The Waiter' because he always delivers on a plate to team mates.

As others have said, we are in a great position with defensive depth on the list and at the moment the only ones that are fit and been dropped Smith and Tomlinson. I am sure we will have other injuries in time during the season and what I have seen to date gives me confidence that we will have a good functioning structure in the back 50. Once Salem is back, fit and firing then He would be included in the team. Lever, May, Rivers, Petty, Bowey and Salem with one of Tomlinson, Hunt or Smith as the 7th defender selected depending on the matchups and form. Some may have Brayshaw in that group as well and fair enough, he has played the position well but I think he ha more value for the team on the wing. He also has great value as he covers wing, HBF and can also be an effective mid in the center. Players that can not just cover those positions but play high value games for the team in those positions are as rare as unicorns. Jordon is required in the 22 as he can also cover a few positions and free up Brayshaw from a wing as required. With Salem back my team is: Lever, May, Rivers Bowey, Petty, Salam Langdon, Viney, Brayshaw Harmes, TMac, Spargo Pickett. Brown, Fritsch Gawn, Petracca, Oliver IC: ANB, Jordon, Jackson, (Hunt, Tomlinson or Smith)

Yeah... I have heard that it will be 2 years but I also heard a conflicting version that it will be longer.... possibly 4 years. Not sure what to believe.

I think we will go in with the same team against GWS. Petty to get a run in the Casey team again. Wied is lucky that Brown is having a week off. Would love to see him kick a few and have longer term success but My hope for him is fading. He needs to attack the ball at every opportunity.

Well, that was enjoyable. Another W and 4 points in the premiership bank, I will take that every week of the H&A season. My take-a-ways from that game.... - Max, BOG and really stepped up after his performances in the first 3 rounds of the season - While Petracca and Oliver were quiet, Viney, Langdon and Brayshaw were excellent. - The coordination between Max and Luke is very good in the way they cover the ground in attack and defence while they are both on the ground. - Jordon on the wing worked well and his development in that position may allow Brayshaw more time on the ball. - Brayshaw operating out of the HB line, and operating with great effect, is a great move but may be temporary until the defensive wounded troops are back. Jordon on the wing, and Brayshaw to take Sparrow's spot may be on the cards. Having him rotating through the mids would be a great addition and he has the quality and experience to run the wing or slot into the defence. Agree with Pert, he is a superstar. - The setup of our defence and the evolving structures are the best I have seen. They just did not allow Port a way forward and forced them to play on our terms. - one thing that we look to be better at then just about all the other teams is our reaction time to turnovers, both in attack and defence. I am interested to see the selection for the Casey game to see who is back and how they go.

So, the game starts at 11.40am my time so come the second half I might just have a beer or three while watching. Very civilized. And after the game a bite of lunch and another couple. Think I will stick to the Duvels rather than the Trappist beers I have on hand...... The Trappist West Vleteren is 10.4%..... a couple of those and I go to sleep. Expecting them to come out hard in the first quarter and for us to come home with a wet sail.... Dees by 6/7 goals

Good to see Lever back but I notice in the Captain's Run Gallery, he is not wearing footy boots but trainers...... Am I over thinking this?