whatwhat say what

PETRACCATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

our defensive intensity went up tenfold after half time. we also lowered our eyes going inside 50 and it's made a big difference. we've been quietly impressive.

we're looking like we are going to lose it on the outside again. it's been symptomatic of all our losses this year (and the narrow win against gw$) - the minute the oppo are able to get the ball loose in space, we're dead meat. we also are very handball happy.

blues are playing okay footy but the pies have been shocking this year after so much hype, most of it self-generated. blues will match up well on us again, just as they did last year. and i agree with everyone - aish plays like a softer toumpas. at least toumpas tries to tackle.

16 tackles? Really? Get him back in the seniors. Stat.

We definitely looked flat, and it could be argued that our players were cooked from the shorter break. I guess we will see this week.

double ouch.

must've been a heavy hit! having a big case of the second year blues.

watching from level 3, hickey was very effective around the ground i thought. didn't mark it but also didn't allow gawn to impact the way he has in recent weeks. hickey drew even with him i thought.

hogan - he's a freak nathan jones - played like cotchin salem - absent, then concussed watts - excellent second efforts petracca - started very nervously viney - the new sellwood lumumba - offers no leadership gawn - beaten around ground tyson - good last quarter dunn - offered little coverage kent - a barry crocker frost - where'd he go? pedersen - embarrassing and inept vince - on media street tom mcdonald - looked very slow hunt - overwhelmed and exposed bugg - no celebrations again kennedy - ineffectual and underwhelming garlett - chocolates to carab jetta - exposed too often wagner - can't defend individually harmes - was he playing?

his run up is fine cos - on the whole - his last five steps, his head positioning and his ball drop are very steady. it's only when there's a slight deviation from these key last vital ingredients that it goes awry. he's a bona fide superstar in the making. 26 games...it's freaky just how good he could potentially be.

North are a good side playing good footy. Dogs are a super promising side playing promising footy. We are an emerging side playing decent football. Hawks, Swans are experienced and strong sides quietly going about their business and should both be top four by season's end. North should too, really, given their start to the season but may drop off as the year goes on. Who knows at this stage!

Whatever happens, here's hoping he commits at some point...

Will be about to turn 34 when his final contract year concludes. He's never been quick but he did have one outstanding year following a couple of very good ones. Peptides enhanced, possibly. Long contract to give to a bloke who is 28 by the time it begins.

love him, couldn't understand why he wasn't in the side from the first game.

We better not be the only side to lose to the Bombers in 2016.

the combination of hogan - watts - pedersen - frost is working superbly. it's the common factor in each win, and they won't be changing it in my view. IN: oliver, petracca OUT: brayshaw, harmes vince and viney might cop an unfair week which might save brayshaw.

no, lose hogan and we're back to the drawing board for a target man. he's vital to our future progress.

hogan was excellent moving up to the ball and creating space in behind him. 16 possessions and 10 marks is a classic chf's game. only thing he didn't do was impact the scoreboard with majors.

at some stage he'll get a go in the demon line-up. thanks all for the write-ups. hopefully a big win tonight with no injuries, and then more selection headaches next week with matt jones and oliver ready to go, and trac and trenners putting pressure on for spots in the 22.

Toumpas is hopeless. I feel bad for the kid as he's obviously a hard trainer, seems like a good bloke, but he's not an AFL level player.

The more updates the merrier for me.

Hoping for a tight tense tussle tonight. Crows by 13, Hawks bubble has to burst at some point - they've got by on squeaky bum time in the last fortnight. Time to drop one.

i want IN: vince, garlett, petracca OUT: m jones, oliver, hunt hunt unlucky, but i want this kid in, and vince can replace hunt's role as a half-back...with the added advantage of being that he's bernie and can also do a helluva lot more than a second gamer. hunt was solid last week. want to see wagner back up that game with another like that.

did he say that it was players who hadn't hit the 80 game mark or players that were already there? if the latter, my guess of the dees 13: hogan n jones salem watts petracca viney brayshaw gawn tyson oliver vince t mcdonald weideman so four of them are already at 80+ mark, in n jones, watts, vince and t mac. and in my view i'd question whether watts or t mac are close to elite. good players, not elite. nate and vince are, in my view. if you remove those four and add players who haven't hit that 80 game mark, i would probably add: stretch kent vandenberg neal-bullen