Nasher

I didn't see it - was in transit for the first 10 mins of the game. Timed my trip to the park with the kids very poorly. Just watched the footage though. No wonder he was booed. As Derm put it, "he'll want that piece of film to disappear".

What did he do, anyway? I assume it happened in the first few minutes of the game as I missed that.

Was Toumpas's whole game bad, or did he just have one major blunder that tarnished the view? I had it in my head that he had a shocker, but now that the emotion has worn off a fraction, the only thing I can remember is the stuff-up that Lumumba fixed. He touched it 6 times with 14% time on ground and now I'm starting to doubt myself. Need to see the replay, I think.

Haha, talk of being 6-0. Someone only last week said we were a big chance to be 0-7.

I got too high on excitement at us playing convincingly well and forgot to pay attention to individuals. Will vote once I've watched a replay, if I get the opportunity to watch one.

I know. Happy to ride my high horse for now though. Thought he was excellent today and a timely refresher for quite a few goldfish-like memories around here.

I did a big "hoooooooray" in my living room along with everyone at the ground. I think my family thought I was a goose, but oh well.

This must be what it's like trying to select the side in good teams. Been a while since we've had clear best 22 players running in the twos and wondering how the heck to get them in.

He won't, but I think we'd all agree that whoever makes way will be bloody unlucky.

In: Vince, Dawes Out: Toumpas, Frost I advocated keeping Toumpas previously, but I can't see who else could go out on that performance. Despite the fumble I still think he's stiff. Frost for Dawes only on team balance. It has to be a tall and there are no other candidates. Don't know who rucks for 5 mins per quarter though. Hogan?

Seems Jack Viney and Col Garland aren't playing for their careers after all.

Weathered the storm there which was very pleasing, for a break even quarter. Come on boys, bring it home. I'm absolutely pooing myself.

Could watching the footy be... enjoyable again?

It's not.

Yes, but as it is not a VFL H&A game, he can still play in the VFL. The rules as they are mean Victorian players can play in the VFL if serving an AFL suspension in round 1, but if they are AFL suspended round 2 and beyond, they can't. In effect, Dawes doesn't miss any weeks of match practice despite being rubbed out, but only because he happens to only be suspended for round 1.It's a bit silly; Dawes should really not be able to play this week. I'm not complaining though, we need him in peak condition when he comes back next week.

Handy. Is that allowed because this is a practice match? That's a pretty funny loop hole.

You haven't stood for excuses any other year either, and it's made SFA difference.

Exactly. If Brayshaw wasn't playing, I expect Michie would be.

To give him until the last minute to prove his fitness, presumably. It's the only reason I can think of anyway. Can't see what's going to change between yesterday and Saturday since we (again, presumably) know Howe has recovered from his injury but is just short of a run.

If people weren't blaming his form on #31 then I wonder why it's the only part of any of it they mention in their posts - yourself included? I'm assuming you're going to tell me they're intrinsically linked and I should have just been able to draw the inference, but like I said to rjay the jumper is a minor, barely significant part of the symbolism.

Again, not sure what that's got to do with #31. He didn't even wear #31 until he was made captain, so talking about what happened prior is going off on a tangent. The two things are tied up, but #31 accounts for 0.000001% of the burden in my mind. The requirement to speak all the time and the expectation of leadership account for the rest - yet the insignificant thing is what people mention.

I don't disagree that he was over-burdened - but if that's the case, then people should just say "he shouldn't have been made captain". The number is irrelevant, so why mention it at all? Not that it in any way justifies it, but I reckon JG and JT being thrown under a bus as 19 and 20 year olds has allowed NJ to blossom as a true leader in his own time, though. I wonder if we would all view him as the same leader that he appears to be had he been thrown under said bus instead?

I was thinking a few times in the PS games that a few of the new players had obviously not been told the "don't kick it to Watts no matter what" instruction like last year's midfield seemed to have given themselves. I watch on TV so it's not always the easiest to be able to tell, but it seemed to me that he got ignored by his teammates a lot in years gone by.

Am I the only one to think it's beyond silly that people are blaming Grimes' fall in form on the fact that he wears jumper #31?

Agree. Salem was never really in question, but it's a particularly big vote of confidence for Toumpas I think. It could just as easily have been Matt Jones in his place as the 'safe'(?) option. I'm really happy for him and hope he can deliver - and if he doesn't, is persevered with for a while.