Redleg

According to Mrs. Redleg, our most improved player. PS. Sorry for sounding like Hardwick.

Then the coaches should instruct him to do that, if that is what they wanted. I think he basically did as instructed and assisted in 3 goals and could have kicked 2 more himself.

Agree. Our forward entries were haphazard last night and he was contesting against several defenders, including one of the best Defenders in the game. Did you notice whose hands the Pickett goal off the front of the pack came from, it actually looked a set play? He is our only young key forward atm and has proved himself in a final and he just needs his confidence back and he will be fine. I recall the get rid of Tom Mac, Hunt, Spargo , Petty and Jordon ( who hadn’t played a game) calls and where are they playing now? I was one who wanted ANB gone and I was wrong. Yes he still makes mistakes but he has been a good contributor to our success. Put your hands up if you wanted Goody gone? We have one of the best talent finders ever in Taylor, who as my son mentioned last night, has most of his previous 3 years selections currently in the side. Together with guys like Choco, who know football talent, we are in good hands with our playing list. I trust them immensely and am wrapt they are with us. Too many on here judge too quickly and frankly, wrongly.

Can we just extend Clarry and Tom Mac?

He seems taller.

Must be a high ankle if concussed.

What was wrong with Langdon?

Some of us know Pennant. My only post on the game day thread was stop Libba and we are a chance and Harmes was the obvious one. Thought Harmes was great.

IMO the most important player to shut down is Libba, the main distributor. Stop him and the free flowing run from the clearance, that the Bulldogs thrive on, is greatly impacted.

Parish is a good player, but comparing him to Clarry, seriously? Clarry is a one in a generation player. Dees fans should not underestimate him because he is ours, he is seriously brilliant.

We need to cut down the outside run friday or it's curtains. Pressure. Pressure. Pressure.

Incorrect. Field umpire 14 can be seen in the video, side on and nearby in the perfect position. He froze and panicked. Probably thought of the abuse he would cop leaving the field.

It’s not a silly point and IMO highlights our attitude and lack of awareness. We were simply not switched on. The players should all have been screaming to the umpires with hands outstretched. Then if the closest umpire doesn’t pay it one if the others might. How often do we see teams appealing to the umpires for a free and it does work, though of course not always. If a bunch of the closest Dees had visibly gesticulated for the free, the umpires would have known this would become an incident in the media and may have capitulated and paid it. When the players act like they don’t care, it is the out for the umpires to avoid a blatant free against the home side, that could cost them the game. In summary, our lack of reaction probably contributed to the umpires decision, even though of course it should have no effect, but as we know, it often does.

English looking likely according to media.

Well we wont get 10-0, unless we start again soon.

Weightman will run rings around Nev. Kid is too quick for Nev.

Yes I raised that earlier. I thought he was pushed, but whatever. The point of all this as I see it, is the huge home ground benefit of some clubs. If you have a look at the decisions this year that have been deemed game changers, coincidentally, they all favoured the home side, at real home ground advantage grounds, Geelong, SCG and Adelaide oval. The crowd noise and minimal opposition attendance at these grounds is significant. It clearly affects the umpiring as we have seen, but it also affects the way the home sides play. Look at the Crows game as an example. The Crows went extra hard in the knowledge that they would get the rub of the green. The were extremely aggressive. Look at the dump of Clarry by Tex and Fogarty elbowing Lever from behind. Incidentally, all the media suggested they would both get suspended, but neither did. That was their mindsight on the night. They were ferocious and became more so as the umpires seemed to let them get away with things that normally you can't. The 50 against Max was a joke. I have often seen players dragged to the ground after a mark and nothing happens. That was a crowd 50 and goal. Pathetic. They got 4 goals off soft frees. Remind me how many goals we got from frees. We have named 4-5 infringements in the last few minutes that went unpaid. The deliberate, the htb, the Pickett tunnel, the Oliver block and the other one I have just forgotten and I would even suggest that the last kick to Tex was barely 15 metres, but I could be wrong on that one. I am not saying the umpires cheated, but rather the crowd has affected them and when the game was close, they panicked and froze. As Kane Cornes said, those frees would have been paid every day of the week at the G, or if it wasn't close. We need to get the umpires to do better in these pressure situations, especially with blatant decisions. It is the aim of most in sport to have games won by the better side, without the need to reference the officiating. That said, again I repeat for these that don't understand my real point, I still blame us for the loss, as it shouldn't have been that close if we had played a little better and made some better use of the ball and our decisions.

Am hoping he is good to go, but don't know. Goody did say he thought he would play friday.

I don't see Weid being dropped. If Salem is ok I could see him and someone for Jetta and Melk. Might be a good time to try Bedford as his pace would be an asset.

Agree. I thought BB would come in at Marvel where he has played very well, but given his game yesterday I doubt that will happen. Salem is the one we really need back.

Read the Casey thread.

Sub rule (b) is just ridiculous, as every kick or handball that goes out, went there because the player didn't keep it in. Therefore how can a player "demonstrate sufficient intent" to keep the ball in play, if they kick, handball or force it out. The rule is a nonsense. Shouldn't it simply be " a free kick will be paid against a player who "deliberately" kicks, handballs or forces a ball out of play, except in the act of spoiling a mark. That way all the umpire needs to do is decide quickly if it looked deliberate. No need to assess "demonstrating sufficient intent".

You have discussed the key backs now let's discuss the smaller ones and then the forwards. How were Hunt, Hibberd and Jetta's games yesterday? Now the forwards, how do we assess the games of Weid, ANB, Spargo, Pickett and then Tom and Melk after quarter time. Oh I forgot the mids. What do we think of the games of Jordon, Harmes and Brayshaw? While I am at it, how about the Captain dropping about 4 marks and then tapping it straight to Rowe for a soft goal. Aside from Clarry, who some idiots on here even suggested trading previously, which Demon didn't fumble the ball at all during the game. I think I know why we really lost.

We will get the apology for the "mistake". Problem is, I don't believe it it was a mistake. It was deliberate by the umpire who saw it. Not in a cheating way, but out of fear, in front of a ground full of fanatics, to pay a free that would lose them the game. This is a dangerous precedent and we have seen several this year. Not paying a blatant free to the away side that could give them the game has occurred too often this year to be just a coincidence. If this is not eradicated, we will have a very serious problem for the game. Umpires are supposed to be professional and impartial. This is a failure on both fronts. I repeat, this was not a mistake by the umpire, but rather a choice to not pay what he had seen. Even Nicks in the Crows box winced and swore when the handball happened. Btw, Pickett was pushed fair and square in the back a few seconds earlier, when he went for a mark about 40 out. There were 3 blatant frees not paid to the away side, in the last 2 minutes, deliberate, in the back and holding the ball. All would have changed the result. See the similarity. On another note fairly soft frees and 50"s were paid to the home side, resulting in 4 goals from the umps and loud cheering from the crowd. Popular umpires. Better feeling than being booed. It is simply not good enough in professional sport to allow umpiring to the crowd to continue. On another note, the Crows were the better side on the day and we should never have been in the position where a bad umpire call or two would affect the result. That is on us. Fumbling. Falling over. Long bombs to the forward line. About 2/3 of the side having their worst game of the year, together in the same game. As an example I don't think Hunt had one clean possession in his 7 meaningless possies. It was the disaster happening in front of our eyes, against a low side, with 5 losses in a row, who were as fanatical as the crowd. Meka no mistake they set themselves for this game and rested Tex in preparation. We on the other hand brought not our A or even B game, but our C game. In professional football games that is nearly always a loss. Time to regroup and take on the flag favourites in the next two weeks.

And just by the by, we didn’t kick a goal for the last 13 minutes of the game while the Crows kicked 3. So much for superior fitness.