CHF

The Roos win not only dropped WC into the 8 pressure cooker but also put a bit of pressure on the very bottom of the ladder in the race for the wooden spoon. that means there is interest all the way from top to bottom.

The West Coast result has made things interesting for the last two spots in the 8. I would say that the top 6 are pretty much assured of finishing in the 8 barring some major problem or Covid intervention. The way I see it is that there are 6 teams trying yo get into the two spots.

13-3 16 rounds played…..13 wins….. 52 points in the premiership bank and back on top after a Bulldogs loss. 6 Rounds to go in the home and away season “Defence under pressure…. Midfield looking flat and devoid of ideas and imagination …… forward structure non-existent….. or at least still dysfunctional after 15 games this season. Goody thinks that is a good thing.” The above is what I wrote at the beginning of last weeks Preview & Prediction. In the game against Port with the midfield running and pressuring the defence looked back to its settled self and with the introduction of BB the forwards had a better feel. The result was a much better across the board performance. I really felt the loss against GWS as it was so far away from how we had performed earlier in the year and seemed to be the latest game in series of deteriorating performances. It was excellent to see the response of the team as a whole. And so, to Round 18 and we play the Hawthorn this Saturday at The G. Interesting to note that the last 3 teams we have played have all played Hawthorn the week before us. They lost to Essendon, beat GWS and lost to Port. We did the opposite. Not sure if that is a form line indication but I find it an interesting quirk. The facts: We are coming off a good win on the road against a top 8 team – Advantage us We have two days extra rest – Advantage us We have been vulnerable against the lower placed teams – Advantage them They are coming off a loss last week in Tassie – Advantage us 1st Vs 17th …. No excuses. Problem areas of the game for us. Performing against lower placed teams….. Week in, week out our defensive structure has done a great job. We have the right people in the right place at the right time. Not a lot to say here except that the rest of the team builds on their work, and we need them to maintain their high standards. Their link through the midfield is great. I would have liked may to kick that goal last week. This week the Hawks do not look that potent in attack and in the last few weeks have not really kicked very high scores. Moore Koschitzke and Breust are their main avenues to goal and I think we have the defence to cover them. Midfield pressure on the ball and the ball carrier from the start was excellent to see. Not sure how or who switched them on, but we need to bring that from the start of match every week. Hawthorn have a couple of very good players in the midfield but I feel they fall away dramatically after that. Mitchell and O’Meara are the main drivers with possessions and clearances and I thin we might give a role to Harmes on Mitchell. I think he does best in a pure run with role. He has the ability to win a contested situation. I would like to see his hands be a bit cleaner with less fumbles. I think we have the talent and depth to really dominate this area of the ground as long as the mids bring it right from the start. Delivery into the forwards was improved and with BB there it gives taking at least one defender, it opens up the other options for the midfielders. This is important for their confidence. McEvoy and Ceglar in the ruck for the Hawks and I think our dynamic duo have them covered in the ruck and around the ground. Now for the forwards… much better this week with the BB inclusion. Hmmmm wonder why it did not happen the week earlier….. The good; We kicked a winning score…… with a much better set up and structure. The bad; Accuracy The ugly; Selection of BBB a week later than it should have been I am encouraged by this performance, and I can see a lot of good things to build on leading up to the finals series. Brown to stay in and give the rest of the team a chance to learn a bit about him in game situations. Hawks have the third worst performing defence in the league by points scored against them. Frost playing CHB says it all about the quality of this group. A good chance to work our systems in attack and begin to settle the way we want it to work. Selection this week is a one cheese platter night and I do not expect any changes. Might be a ‘rested’ player …. Never know. Bathwater express is getting a bit momentum and the seats are filling now that we are certain to play finals. Added a turbo boost to the power plant thanks to the win last week and I think we have the fuel to carry us along very nicely. Prediction was very wrong last week, and I am very happy about that. Exact opposite of what I thought may have happened. This week I see a strong win with the team playing out the game 100%. A win with at least a 7goal margin. Go Dees!!!

There is a possibility we could play the Cats two weeks in a row.

The Geelong matches you mention could be a lot tougher than you imagine if those teams are pushing for the 8.

With 6 rounds to go in the Home and Away with us at the pointy end of the ladder I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread that looks at the impact of the results per round and speculate on the next round. At this stage we could end up anywhere between 1st and 5th. Saints and Swans did us favours this week end against the Lions and Dogs, at the end of this last round we could have sat anywhere between 1st and 5th and the result fell our way. The Pies might roll Richmond. 9 points ahead with a few to play at this time. We sit top after 17 rounds a game clear of both Dogs and Cats both of whom we play on the run home. these will be critical games. Next round the critical games in my view are, obviously, our game against the Hawks, one that we should win going away. Dockers Vs Cats in Perth? Dockers may surprise on their home turf. we can only hope. Tigers Vs Lions. Critical for both teams. Tigers to try and climb into the 8 and for the Lions to keep up top 4 aspirations. Suns Vs Dogs. pressure on the Dogs after the loss they just had. Go Suns! Saints Vs Port. Saints a big chance in this one and they need it to try and challenge for the 8. Best results next week see us 1st 2 games clear of the pack and the worst result would find us 3rd on percentage behind the Dogs and Cats ad a game clear of Lions and Power in 4th and 5th. It is going to be an interesting ride.

Forward setup looks better. I wonder if we will be smart or skillful enough to use it properly?

I am very pleased to be 12-3 on the ladder and lying second. A position I acknowledge in the very first lines of my preview. In previewing this round I have to look at our recent performances and, I my view, they have been less than acceptable performances from both the players and the coaching staff. So, from my point of view, not so very strange.

12-3 15 rounds played…..12 wins….. 48 points in the premiership bank and dropped to second on the ladder after a not-so-forgettable loss to the Great Waste of space. Defence under pressure…. Midfield looking flat and devoid of ideas and imagination …… forward structure non-existent….. or at least still dysfunctional after 15 games this season. Goody thinks that is a good thing. It is not as if we were playing world beaters in GWS. They are a good competent side that has a number of quality players but it is not a team that we should have lost too. Rubbish first half and a better second half with no one able to take the chances on offer. Midfield could not deliver with confidence to a forward structure that would not allow them to identify proper targets. Very disappointing and worrying performance. And so, to Round 17 and we play the Port Power this Thursday night at Adelaide Oval. 2nd vs 3rd and there is every chance that if we lose this one, we could find ourselves in 5th place come Monday morning…… And who would be surprised when the much lauded coaching panel still have no idea of the best forward setup? So much for adding Yze and Choco. They looked good when we were winning but are scratching their heads at the moment. The facts: We are coming off a grinding loss – Advantage them The game is at Adelaide Oval – Advantage them We have been rubbish the last few weeks – Advantage them They are coming off a win last week against the Hawks – Advantage them Not looking good, is it? Problem areas of the game for us. Still the bloody forwards…. And now you can add the midfield that looks flat and disinterested. Defenders did their job with very little support from other sectors of the ground. Goodwin swung Hunt forward in the last to remind us why he was moved back. Running out of defence the way he does is good when there are players forward of him, so he does not have to make too many decisions. Stick him in the front half and he runs out of players to pass forward to and he has forgotten that there are four sticks at the end of the ground you can have a ping at. Go back to the structure that works for the defenders and sort out the rest of the players. A bit of midfield pressure goes a long way toward winning a game of footy as can be seen by the difference between our play in the first half as opposed to the second where we remembered to apply pressure. Made a world of difference. We are rubbish at sorting out onfield problems during the game. Our clearances in the first half were less than acceptable and yet I did not see anyone changing things onfield to sort it out. If something is not working…. Fix it then and there. Try something different. Jackson to ruck with Max roving at the center bounce as a mid…Anything….. Anything at all. It has to be better than doing SFA. Max and Luke will win the taps at the ruck contest but so what? Oh dear……. Now for the forwards……. I hate to keep picking on them every week but a score of 7-13 from 56 inside 50s with 10 marks in the 50 arc leave them open, once again, to bear the brunt of criticism. The good; Fritsch kicked a few and Tmac is in good form but not getting the ball near to goal The bad; Wow. Where to start? No forward targets…. (left over from last week) The ugly; Selection stubbornness in not giving BBB a run. Another week, another win without a recognisable structure to the forward line. We took 10marks inside our forward 50…. 10. We scored 7 goals 13. Please, please….fix this…. Brown to come in? if so, will that make it any better? Could not be any worse. (Paraphrased last week) Shaking my head here…. No idea what could fix it but then again, I am not paid the big bucks by the MFC to come up with answers to problems, and the people that are, are not providing answers. Any thoughts on the subject Yze? Choco? Goody???? You guys have been around a lot ya gotta have some idea….. (repeat from last week) Selection….. make some changes don’t just nibble the chesses and have a friendly chat about the weather and leave the team to wallow without a forward structure that they can play too. I heard a few loud clunks last week and The Bathwater Express ground to a halt as the wheels had fallen off. To be honest they did not so much ‘fall off’ more like that jumped off and ran away into the bush as they did not want to be associated with TBE. Understandable. It will take a lot to get them back on the hubs. Last week I predicted a 6 goal win….. got it wrong…. Very wrong….. I would Love to predict a win here but, after a long bull run, the bears are in ascendancy and I have to predict a loss….. not even an honourable one…. 30pts and 5th after the round. Go Dees!!! ( I still love the team but they make it so damn hard)

Is me panicking over something I have no say in going to make a difference to any of the outcomes? nah. I think I will let the people and players that are paid the big bucks decide if it is time to panic. l’m looking at you Goodwin. 15 games into the season and you still have no idea on how to structure the forwards.

Yeah DeeS. I can see that argument but the forward structure was so non-existent last week I think wwe need to make some change to see if we can get at least a couple more goals out of that area.

Proper questions those...... now if only MFC had the coaches that could answer them confidently....

That is why I said 'unlucky'. I like the way the kid plays and is developing.

Defenders- no change. Midfield - No change to the core players from last week. Oliver, Pteracca, Viney, Langdon, Brayshaw, Harmes and Jordon. Sparrow might be unlucky. Main discussion will concern the forwards. Ben Brown will come in. He must. we just need a second tall down there as a target and to ensure a bit more freedom for Fristch. So Tmac, Brown and Fristch are there [censored] far as I am concerned. Spargo a must as he exerts good pressure, tackles well and delivers the ball well. ANB applies a lot of pressure and provokes trurnovers in the opposition. Not going to be popular for this but I would seriously look at Kossie have a run with Casey next week. So... in Brown, out Kossie or Sparrow

12-2 14 rounds and a bye weekend played…..12 wins….. 48 points in the premiership bank and a game clear of the Bulldogs. Always good to beat the Drug Cheats and always good to know they are moaning and making excuses… we coulda…. shoulda... woulda...... Biased Umps……. yeah, yeah, yeah……. Every one is against you. Suck it up. We have the bye behind us and the way the game panned out was very much like the games before the bye. We wandered through the game with the coaches making adjustments where required and the players do what needed to be done without any player other than May looking as if they were out of first gear. I found it frustrating but was happy to get the 4 points. Any game is a good game if you walk away a winner. I think we were surprised by the Bomber’s pressure in the first quarter and a lot of players were caught with the ball. It was not until the second quarter that the adjustment was made. And so, to Round 16 and we play the Great Waste of Space in the early game at the ‘G’ on Saturday. They have a stronger team (on paper) than last time we met, but that counts for little if they don’t turn up. I expect a reaction from them after dropping their last game to the Hawks. I also get the impression that there is no love lost between them and us. They will be on their toes in the first quarter at least. The facts: We are coming off a grinding win – Advantage us The game is at the ‘G – Advantage us We have an extra day rest – Advantage us They are coming off a loss last week against the Hawks – Advantage us No excuses! (honestly, I did look for something for them to hang their hat on and could not find anything…..) Problem areas of the game for us. Wash, rinse, repeat……Still the bloody forwards…. What can I say about our defence that I have not already said? They are solid as a rock at the back. Settled, well drilled and working together as a team very well. May and Lever giving invaluable guidance to Petty with Salem, Hunt, Rivers and Hibberd all connecting well. If this structure stay fit and in form we can beat any team, anywhere. Besides the Toby Jug kicking a couple last week, most of the rest of their goals came from their midfield players. Briggs named as a HF looks to have done some forward rucking and kicked one. We can defend GWS well. Our midfield need to work harder and in a more straight forward way. Cut out trying to carry the ball through danger and get the ball forward. First option. GWS have some talent in the middle that we will have to play a bit of respect too. Hooper is their main avenue to clearances. He had 10 last week. Next best for them was 4. Oliver wins clearances (7 last week) but needs to put them to more harmful effect. I think Petracca will have a big one this week. Viney will be better for the run and it is good to see him smiling after the game. Looked to enjoy it. Max and Luke will dominate the ruck contests against whoever they put in there. Flynn and Briggs look to have shared the rucking and not to great effect. Taps to advantage are all well and good but it is the ones that are not to our advantage that we are not getting our hands to. Oh dear……. Now for the forwards……. The good; Not a lot to report here… we did kick a winning score… a low winning score… a winning score with a lot of behinds The bad; Wow. Where to start? No forward targets…. The ugly; Maybe this week it could be BBB’s hair. Another week, another win without a recognisable structure to the forward line. We took 14 marks inside our forward 50…. Really that is what the stats say….. 14. We scored 9 goals 14. Please, please….fix this…. Brown to come in? if so, will that make it any better? Shaking my head here…. No idea what could fix it but then again, I am not paid the big bucks by the MFC to come up with answers to problems, and the people that are, are not providing answers. Selection….. Back 7 select themselves as do the core of the midfield. Forwards will be much THE discussion. Without a second tall last week Tmac tried to be all over the place and many times it seemed we were without a target because he was up field looking to link into the forwards. Ben Brown to come in and someone to go out….. Not many will agree but I would drop Kossie for a game or two. He did not give us much last week and I think he could do with a run at Casey and some close coaching. I have a new wing courtesy of the Drug Cheats on the Bathwater Express. A bit of a mis-fire last week but a bit of adjustment and we will have it running smoothly once again. Plenty of spare seats available. Last week I predicted a 6 goal win….. got it wrong…. Got the win but not the margin….. Ok 6 goals better than GWS this week. I am sure there is a 6 goal win there somewhere. Go Dees!!!

So, I am awake, up and about, showered and in the kitchen cooking pancakes for breakfast. What have I missed so far?

Well I’m off to bed. Game starts at 11.25 my time. So a watch of the game, a glass or two of wine and then a late lunch to celebrate.

Fitness?

I would go further to say that that VFL team would be better than a majority of the AFL teams we have sent out over the period between 2005 to 2015.

Ben had an interrupted pre-season and it may have been that after 3 games of 'kicking the tyres' the powers that be decided that he was not fit enough and needed a good block of training to bring him up to speed.

With regard to B. Brown, how long is it since he has had a game? I did read somewhere that he was having a mini 6 week pre-season as far as fitness goes. In My opinion, this is a good thing. Give him a run or two at Casey and we have a chance to look at his form. Would love to see a fit in form BBB in our forward 50.

I like this change and I like the forward structure that is named. Viney in is a big plus in my opinion a is the retention of Sparrow. Gawn and Jackson to spend time in the forward 50 as will Petracca.

Favorite win: Has to be the win against the bulldogs for me. With that win I started to have confidence in the team and the players. There were (and still are) a lot of questions being asked of us and with each winning game we answer more of the questions. Game Highlight; TMac's goal against Brisbane after the best in close buildup work I have seen from the Demons. Love the movement and handballs that worked to get the ball free and moving forward from the wing. The goal was icing on the cake. Other random highlight: the quality and consistence of Salem's games. He has always had the talent and ability but this season he has really put it all together. Top 5 in the Bluey: Petracca, Oliver, Gawn have to be in that group but after that there are more than a few that could fill the last two spots. Lever, May and Salem in defence. Langdon from the wing has to be in the discussion. In the forward 50 you might get TMac or Fristch sneaking in. Most improved: again, a few that could be in the discussion. Rivers is on a steep improvement arc for me as is Spargo. Charlie does not get a lot of the ball at the moment but puts in a lot of work putting pressure on the opposition defenders. When he does have the ball in hand he uses it very, very well. His game compliments Pickett's nicely.

A lot of the time this season I have looked to our defence to be the bedrock on which we build a win. While I still understand the importance of the defensive structure we have in place and the success of it, in this game winning the midfield is of primary importance. They are very good at finishing inside their forward 50 so we need to disrupt their supply of quality ball into that zone. We have the talent and the systems in the middle to contain their key play makers in Parish and Merrett. I would be asking Harmes to close down Parish with a hard tag the way he did with Libba in the Bulldogs game. He does that and it takes away a lot of the ball and drive they get from stoppages.

11-2 13 Rounds played…..11 wins….. still only 44 points in the premiership bank and nothing has changed from last week. We still sit on top of the ladder thanks to a Cats win against the Bulldogs Bit different this last weekend not having any football from the Demons. Still I am sure they have enjoyed a weekend off. And so, to Round 15 and we play the Bombers, the team that suffered a number of player suspensions due to systemic drug cheating. We play them on Saturday night on the G….. maybe. I am not sure what to make of this iteration of the Bombers. I find their list a strange mix of bits and pieces. Some good young talent and some older more experienced guys that tend to run hot and cold. Biggest interest for me is to see what sort of shape we turn up in after the break. Will we be switched on or flat? We seem to be making all the right noises but the time over the white line will tell us what the players understand and believe. The facts: We have the week off – Advantage us Their home match – Advantage them We play at the G – Advantage us They are coming off a win last week against the Hawks – Advantage them (maybe) Problem areas of the game for us. Still the bloody forwards…. Our defenders are well settled and have the first half of the season in form. They did not look shiny and bright in the outing against the Pies but I am looking forward to seeing them re-set and work back into form. Stringer and Jones look to be their main avenues to goal and I see that they have their own version of our Wied in Wright. He is not in good form up forward and would not be surprised to see him ‘rested’. Our defenders will need to be sharp as a number of their forwards apply good pressure and tackles. As long as we stick to our structure and trust in each other we will get on top in this area of the ground. We have the talent in our midfield… I am sure that is not news to anyone. This week I think we will add Viney to the mix and it will all be for the better. Not just a break to freshen up but the return of a fired up Viney to spark the others. Parish is the one we need to shut down he is the one that drives a lot of their scoring ….. Harmes anyone? Merrett and McGrath are his main partners in crime but if we contain Parish we will go a long way to winning this. Max and Luke will dominate the ruck contests, but we need the players at their feet to work off them properly. Essendon will have done a lot of work on our ruck’s tap work. It may be that Max spends a lot of his time either back or forward depending on the state of the game and Luke taking the rucks. Now for the forwards……. The good; Well in the bigger picture we are 11-2 without a performing forward structure. And while we have the least points scored against us so far this season, we are only have the 5th highest points for. The bad; Weid’s form but that may not matter this week The ugly; It could be BBB’s hair this weekend. I really hope that there has been some in depth thought and coaching that has gone into our forward 50 structure. While our delivery into the forwards has improved, I am not sure that the delivers have confidence in where the forwards are going to be. We do not seem to be able to consistently find space on the lead and in static marking contests we lack some weight and strength. Selection will make for some interesting reading this week. I expect Weid to be dropped and for B. Brown to come in. Viney in for Sparrow? Most likely. The Bathwater Express is all polished up and ready for the sprint home. I have not started it up since it has just been serviced so I am not sure how it runs at the moment. Expect it to rumble into life with a power surge come Saturday night. Tough to predict this week. I want to see us turn up to this game a we turned up in Round 1….. Fresh, tough and well disciplined…. If we do that, I believe we will run out winners by 6 goals. Go Dees!!!