praha

Argh, Bernie.

We applied fantastic pressure in the forward. Not sure what ya'all watching. Haven't been rewarded. If we start running two ways and don't allow them a direct entry to Hawkins one on one, we'll win. They won't get away with that forever. We must keep going to the well. That was a better quarter than Q1 vs Saints.

Better than the score suggests. Poor two-way running led to 3 of their goals. We look more dangerous around the ball. and in the air but their transition has killed us.

For what it's worth (and I don't think it's worth much), Nathan Brown on SEN just said Melbourne 40+ at $13 is the week's best bet. He said Melbourne will win and win comfortably. Told the guys, "I know you're going to laugh at me, and I know they don't have Hogan and Lewis, but they're going to win, and they're going to win well." That might be the first time I've heard a bookie talk like that about Melbourne in about 15 years. EDIT: And just like that it's slashed $3 off the price, down to $10.

This pleases me and concerns me. 1. We still have a large gap in the 80-150 game mark. I suspect we'll struggle against the likes of the Bulldogs and Giants for many years until we close that gap. Essendon I suspect will cause havoc for us as well because they seem to have a nice balance of experience across the board, albeit not as skill as the aforementioned. 2. We have to expect erratic performances as per last Sunday. It was good to get up but we're going to see some big wins and some disappointing loses still. I think it will turn around though and we'll see more of the former than we do the latter. In past years it was the other way around. 3. If we can make the finals as a group this young, it stands to be VERY good for the club. In 2-3 years we're going to be where the Bulldogs are now, age and games wise. They obviously over-performed last season, but I think in current development we are ahead of where they were 3 years (they were a basket case). Generally there is a correlation between age and experience, and performance. Of the top 9 teams, age wise, 6 are considered flag threats, 7 genuine finals contention. Games wise, 8 of the top 9 are all top-performing clubs. It would be naive to ignore the correlation between performance, experience, and maturity (which is different to experience). Freo is too top-heavy, as is North, which is causing them to go through what Melbourne went through in 2007. Pre-seasons, finals campaigns, you can't understate the importance. Rarely does an inexperienced team compete for a flag, let along avoid the bottom ladder positions. There are anomalies, but teams like the Bulldogs are utterly stacked with top-tier talent. Even still, they aren't the "pups" people perceive them to be, and are well within that "window" where they *should* be competing for a flag.

Suspect that if he ends up at Geelong they'll pay minimum price for him. Only way I can see him playing beyond 2017 is if he sits in the forward line. Could conceivably kick 20-30 goals a year for another 3-4 years. His years in the midfielder are gone. His shoulders have killed is upper and core strength and he's useless around the ball. Put him at that dud Hawkins' feet and he could be dangerous, though.

He won't miss but Hannan might get a spell. OUT: Hogan, Lewis, Hannan IN: Vince, Smith, Kent

That's just silly. We really aren't that far behind them, even with Hogan and Lewis out.

45k is a target this year should we start 4-0 or 5-0. Suspect maybe 100 sign-ups on Saturday, and if we win, expect an additional few hundred against Freo and then Richmond, perhaps 1000. Throw in bandwagoners jumping on board at that point. If we start 5-0, we will hit 45k.

We played Etihad extremely well in Round 1 and the space and width of the MCG appeared to negate Goodwin's plan. It could be that having played pre-season and then Round 1 on smaller, narrowing grounds, we thrived at Etihad. We will win.

They won't let him into Victoria with it.

How is going into bat for your teammates not being a leader?

His turnovers at Hawthorn didn't look as bad because, well, he was at Hawthorn. But his performance on Sunday is similar to games that have been creeping through over the past 2 seasons. He's past his prime but still a very good player. His lack of pace hurts him though and his age is catching up. I think that was widely accepted by Demonland when we got him. Still a great pickup but his mistakes tend to stand out more in the back half, as they do for any player that stuffs it up in front of the opposition's goal. With a better team around him those mistakes aren't as glaring and I trust that as the seasons progresses he'll become more accustomed to playing with his new teammates. I think a lot of his errors (and there aren't many, let's get real) are just him being in a comfort zone and expecting similar space and spread that he got at Hawthorn. He's not getting that (yet).

I actually believe the club's struggles over the past decade have made me more passionate.

Because it cheapens the brand and spot. It's a monetized aspect of our brand and it should be left empty until the price is met. Reach is great and it's fantastic we give it exposure but you can't just give a spot for sale to free "just to have something there". You devalue the spot and so suddenly offers come in below market value.

He has played two of his best games for the club to start the year.

Our backline ultimately won the game for us today I thought. They got the job done, and more often than not it was the mids and roamers that let us down going forward. The McDonald's were both great. Jetta was great. Salem. I think people underestimate our defense. There was a Carlton onslaught in the third and we're lucky we weren't 5-6 goals down the way we and they played. Our backline really held firm and our structure down back was superb I thought. That's a positive to take out from today. A year ago, we fold and lose that game.

Jones - Great captain's game. Viney - Bad captain's game. Hogan - Found ways to influence Salem - Game saving performance Watts - Inconsistent yet driving Petracca - Typical learning game Lewis - Bettered by Youth Brayshaw - Might Lack Confidence Gawn - Standard Ruck Performance Tyson - Grossly Understated Influence Oliver - Brownlow Medal Leader Stretch - Becoming Increasingly Reliable Melksham - Great In Air Hannan - Worked To Influence T.McDonald - Good Defensive Game O.McDonald - Solid Physical Performance Weideman - Powerful Last Quarter Hunt - Disposal Hurt Influence Neal- Bullen - Some Handy Touches Garlett - Game's Best Forward Jetta - Rock Solid Defender Harmes - Satisfactory Game Back

He was okay. Had a good last quarter.

Tyson with most AFL Fantasy points. 145.

Although, he was saying it to prepare the defense.

This is why you need good small forwards. When your talls struggle, they bop up. Garlett best forward on the ground.

Time left from those watching at home?

Wow.

50/50 contest at this stage, Blues have the momentum. Was there's to lose from halfway through the second. Defensive transition has been far superior to Melbourne's, putting more pressure on our backs than we do theirs. We saw in that quarter that when you're on top in that way and being effective in transition, eventually you'll score. We've dominated possession but it's overuse and inefficient disposal.