DV8

Actually there s another thing you just inadvertently raised. The transitioning, now going on for the ending of Bernie, Lew, Pedo, Jones, and Garlett. https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tp-melbourne-demons?year=2018&sby=15 ... explains a lot Re selections, and positioning.

Oscar Baker for Salem. this move may really put a shot right over the bow of any players at Casey who are just strolling thru their time with Casey thinking its just a matter of attrition and pecking order before they get their turn.? Garlett and Stretch have to start to wake up and really take charge. They're not pushing themselves hard enough. Oscar Baker seems another goer like Spargo. time now early season to do this and see what we have to work with before the half way mark. The extra dash will be important against the Saints, who are usually more zippy than us. Lets turn those tables.

I was just thinking, they might actually rest Hogan, and keep 'the Weide' in for one more match, ahead of Hogan returning a week later. Hogan looked proppy to me, and I'm wondering if he has shin splints. Or possibly a sore back. He jogged like a cowboy wearing chaps and 6 shooters strapped to him. Looks sore.

He's gone from an almost liability as No1 down back,,,, to being almost No1 up forward, and most important. The transition, almost unrecognisable.

In that Saints game, yes; and last years games, yes. The structure of the side currently with TMc &/or Pedo following, and up across the midfield has a profound sort of impact on the side, and how we transition thru into 50. Gawn does not have that same influence as they do. This seems to me one reason why Hogan is playing so high up the ground and being tried as ruck-rover. The influence after half time with TMc back in that role was almost immediate,,, and the teams response followed his heavy work in the mid zone up to half foward-line. Add the Sparrow at the feet of packs, and we were a totally different outfit, from that time on.

I agree go to a oppo player, run with them, and then run hard off them on the spread.

He can play Petracca's role. I want to see bull in as an offset to Spargo, deep forward, and I want to see bull inside the china shop, smashing thru Saints mids.

The Bite was into the bone. He played after this last game, and the infection spread, they had to cutaway some tissue and then needs a skin graft. Should not have played the last game he was in. We as a club have to start being cautious in the first place, with theses type strange injuries. Miss a game up front, to get things back to normal, before playing... instead of allowing things to get out of hand.

Thanks Roosy. Our midfield is better with him in there atmo. He improved us, but this won't last, as we will move past needing him, maybe even as soon as this season. Salem hopefully, and Hunt as well, will shake Tyson from the team, as Viney pushes back in, and Spargo will be around for a little while, before he goes back to Casey. I can see Tyson's time is limited with us.

Tmc's marking and surprisingly his goal kicking ha become a key for us. he uses his bulk thru the mid ground really well and is highly influential for us. We play better thru the midfield arcs when TMc is in there. His marking throughout the midfield has been sorely missed. He's more impacting for us, than Gawny is currently.

Oscar Baker might shake Tyson's spot up a little, when he gets going?

TMc's is best between the 50Mtr arcs, for his influence on our transition, then pushing forward with the play. I like him as the highest forward,,, followed by Hogan from 40Mtrs to up near the front edge of the square. Weide or other forwards can play deeper, plus our smaller forwards. I think ANB stays, as he covers a lot of ground and is just off form. The bummers game saw Harmes start to work back into the game, and some form. i think the trend might continue this week, with ANB coming back into some touch and confidence. I think Weide might go back to ruck some more at Casey,,, and gives Bull a go up forward and in the middle against the Sainters.

Petracca still in hospital today, may not play v the Saints. infection still raging, and a skin graft required apparently. Take this week off son. Don't bother turning up until game-day, to watch. Get the finger right for the Brisbane game. We can play Bull Smith this week.

Tyson is a good player, that's why he is valuable as a trade option. He has limitations with speed etc, and outside work is so so. He is very good inside with hands, spotting targets, but we, I think, are going to go past him in not too distant future, with others who offer more across the field. We need options for trade to improve the team list. We can't rely solely on drafting kids. It's time for a couple of free agents, to help spread the load on-field. Tyson I see as one possible trade option. We can't hang-on to all of them.

They've never been a real together club prior; now with some big ego's gone, the young players can have new leadership, and get on with it. HE, was a poor choice by the AFL. Just as Karmichael Hunt was as well. So all the more reason why WE should get after Lynch now, while the getting is good. Because later, he may not ant to leave.

And make him run hard, both ways. change him off the bench. He would be useful helping carry the ball from defence.

Put him on the wing.

I don't know if you noticed the few occasions in the last couple of weeks, where both were clean bowled out on their lone-somes. The Ball went past them down low on separate occasions. They were each out in space. This cannot happen in future, if we're to play finals, its just an area of weakness, particularly for Oscar, & a lesser degree for Lever, when he was less confident than yesterday. Oscar has a long road of improvement ahead of him, before he becomes a leader, as defenders go. Admittedly the standard in the AFL has dropped, the last couple of years. but lets not put Oscar up on a pedestal. he's not that good yet. And I've been one of his biggest supporters over his journey. but he's improved, but only improved. He's got a lot of weakness's, including his leg strength. still. he's on the improve.

Essendon allow a lot of space around the field of play. They did last week, and i thought if they allow Us space around the contest, and around the ground, like their game last week, then we've got them. And they did, and we did.

Lets see how we go with Spargo, et al, next time. More run and speed.

A little bit laconic, needs to develop some more intensity. For those soon to be, oneday, Finals games.

Yes but let us not get ahead of himself. He now has to improve below his knees, and gain more intensity,,, and stop getting clean bowled by full length deliveries. Lever as well, let some low balls roll past below knee level. We cannot let any ball past us in the back half. especially ground ball.

I can't agree DD. I think the game is craap. What they've done to it. I find it so hard to get inspired by it. And the vfl is no longer about winning, but about teaching. and for what,,, the press..... phuckkk

all away games, in the light blue. * under the roof @ Edi'shat - Saints * Gabba - Suns * away @ the 'G' - Blueboys Take none of these games lightly. We are not in a position to get ahead of ourselves.

They are not, we must stop thinking that companies are the bosses, they are not. The people are the bosses, at the checkout... we are the shoppers, of products, and like back in the good days, the customer is always right. we have become hoodwinked by listed companies getting bigger via takeovers and monopolisation of industries. We don't have to watch tripe on TV. And we don't have to pay at the turnstiles. And it sounds very much like the people are turning their backs on the tripe being served up. I watch maybe one game a week, if its on free to air nowadays, and cannot sit thru the whole game, because of the ugly press and lack of inspiration, with individual efforts a rarity.