leucopogon

The only problem with these groupings is the bottom 6. What a bunch of meaningless games to end their season. And what if you are a team sitting in 13th like the Suns are now one game out of the 8? Come the end of round 17 it's season over?!?

Interesting. Couple of questions. In the finals season, where are the games played, who gets home ground advantage? And, as you say the incentive for finishing in the top 4 is diminished in your system, it seems that the team finishing 2nd has an easier road to the GF being matched up to teams 4+6+8 (=18) vs the top team who is matched against teams in positions 3+5+7 (=15). Perhaps the final season groupings could be 1,6,7,8 and 2,3,4,5 to really incentivise finishing top of the ladder.

Thank **** that's over! Well done Kozzy!

He is potentially one of the best players on our list. Hence the scrutiny. It's a major concern. Going back to Casey will be a tough call but, it seems like he's getting less effective week on week and his confidence is shot.

I've lost faith and would be playing Tomlinson or Schache instead of him.

MFC - Gawn or Grundy? I don't see any way we can keep both in the same side. We've really shot ourselves in the foot with the recruitment of Grundy.

Nightmare game and I watched him really closely. Doesn't play a proper pressure forward game. Didn't stick one tackle tonight, all saints players were able to get there arms free and hit a target with hands. Again tries to take MOC and didn't get anywhere near it. Plays from behind against opponents that are a head taller than him instead of leading up and using his strength, his wheels. Just very rarely works hard to get to the right spots a crumber should. It's a dangerous cocktail of lack of effort, lack of smarts and poor coaching. Should be sent back to Casey to find some form.

My eyes don't lie, and he has been well below what he is capable of ever since the first couple of weeks. I'm not wishing him ill, just hope he can turn it around.

Nailed it

The way he's played lately suggests to me he is not a natural forward at all. Playing out if position?

I can see this team falling off a cliff in the next few seasons, back to the doldrums. Rucks and forwards are terrible. Mids are good but have peaked and they don't apply enough tackling pressure (Viney excepted). There is no A grade talent coming through the ranks that I can see, not even B graders. Defence has definitely peaked. Unfortunately I don't see Bowey, Rivers, McVee, JVR, Pickett and Sparrow taking us anywhere except the bottom half. We are going to have to perform a list management miracle in the next two years to remain competitive.

Y Agreed, it really has been a rapid decline.

Play the kids, this season is over

I already did. Sorry, serial pessimist with MFCSS here.

Kozzy, Angus, Gawn, Lever, May, Brown, Tmac ,Langdon, Spargo and even Petty have all regressed to differing extents since the premiership. We have little hope of a repeat flag. No hunger to improve and a few look very comfortable with their long term contracts. Add to that our best player out for a huge chunk of the season. I reckon GWS will roll us this week.

One thing I hate about Gawn's game this year is his propensity to grab the ball out of the ruck and hack a high kick straight up the chimney or at best to the edge of the centre square. What's the point of the midfield if not to tap it to them and get the ball moving quickly away from the contest and deep inside 50 while the forward line is one on ones due to 6-6-6?

I can't believe we flick a player like Jayden Hunt and keep players like Spargo and Chandler. My god we are an ordinary team. Time to swing the axe, play the next gen.

I'd be dropping Kozze Pickett, downhill skier extraordinaire

Too right. He should stick to a more disciplined crumbing forward's game. Be at the feet of Gawndy and/or JVR every contest. I guarantee he'd kick way more goals or at the least provide the opposition with far more headaches.

Magnificent performance

Exactly this. I hate how blatant pushing in the back has been allowed to creep back into the game.

I'd say the lack of midfield pressure was the main factor but whenever the ball hit the deck in our D50, we fumbled, invited pressure and only occasionally made good decisions on the rebound. We need some better ball users in the backline. Salem is sorely missed.

Yep, Derwayne probably just shades BT for the "commentator who makes me want to throw the remote hard at the big screen" award, for mine. Game was far more enjoyable when muted.

It's a big concern, isn't it? The side doesn't look settled across any line, least of all the forward line.

Fourth quarter was so much better with the volume muted. Viney and Gawn the difference. Bowey and Sparrow had good games.