Adam The God

Greater efficiency and balance from stoppage and contest.

Just have to keep them together mate. Number one priority. Add Harmes and Brayshaw and there's a bit of diversity in that mix, alongside Langdon's gut-running.

He continuously failed to provide a contest against Sydney and Fremantle. The team defence against him in the Freo game was not as good as it was against Sydney and he still failed to bring the ball to ground. I think he's had a good year for a young key position forward, but he's been very poor and a deadset liability the last three games IMV. If we're to beat Essendon, he needs to be a lot stronger. For a guy his size, with a few pre seasons under his belt now, he gets outmuscled far too easily.

I thought we played the more aggressive territory press tonight, but their goals in transition were so simple. If you look at the goals they actually score, most of them I felt were weak goals to give up. Either from our completely unforced errors or a lack of two way running. Was this because they moved the ball to fast for our defensive mechanisms to have a chance to react or were our forwards and mids too slow to get back and cover? I think we got some quite easy goals going back the other way, because I felt GWS didn't defend particularly well either. Shoot outs are often about leaky, poor defensive, one-way running teams. I'd characterise both teams' performance tonight as that. I didn't feel like GWS came in to try and stop us from playing how we wanted to play. They were happy for us to play that way and felt they'd eventually come over the top as they did. When Weideman's not marking the ball or bringing it to ground we desperately struggle. We did manage to stop them from slingshotting back the other way when he failed to compete, but he didn't look like marking it all night. Our forward structure breaks down when he's not providing an adequate contest. I think Essendon will let us play the way we want to next week and we'll probably let them play the way they want to, so we'll probably have another shoot out. St Kilda could still fall out of the 8, which would be fascinating.

So impressed by this kid. A real Jason Taylor special. Well done, Melbourne. He reminds me quite a bit of Zac Williams, which is ironic given some want us to go after Williams.

What a strange way of putting it. It's very rare a quote sounds awkward and avoidant, but he's nailed it with that one. He's gone I'd say. Question is are we pushing him or has he made his own decision?

Salem losing another crucial 1v1. Utterly hopeless game.

Terrible kick again from Max inside 50. Our guys don't think.

The stoppage that lead to that goal was everything that is our midfield. Viney trying to break a tackle and almost being pinged. Next ball up, Oliver is clean to Salem, to Spargo. Goal.

Weideman is killing us.

Apparently, although our guys seem content to play it all on their terms. They're fine with running forward, but no defensive running our structure set up behind the ball. When May was intercepting earlier in the night, it was less about our defensive structure and more about their poor ball use. They haven't kicked it to him since.

I agree. I don't think we can carry Fritsch even when he's kicking goals. His non defensive efforts kill us.

lol the last 4 or 5 games?

No defenaive system whatsoever tonight. Their goals have come so easily.

Put your body on the line Fritsch!!!!

Your goal Jake Lever. Been very good except for giving up two goals. Our defence has been so loose.

Salem. Hasn't won a 1v1 all night. Having a shocker.

Mumford has literally just spent the night whacking people.

Lever has been solid in 1v1s. His spoiling has been particularly good. His turn over kick before was horrendous and turned the play. But for the rest of the game, I'd agree that he's been one of our better contributors.

That's fair.

Love that they've finally made a move with Melksham, as if to say, you're not getting involved enough, so they put him in a tagging role and have refused to put Harmes in a tagging role all year. Staggering move. He seems to me to be playing a defensive role on a tagger, in de Boer.

Max was slaughtered in the ruck and around the ground in the last 5-10 minutes of that quarter. Turned the game. He's playing on a guy who is 83. I'll say it again. The ruck position is hugely overrated.

I thought so. He needs to have the confidence to kick a basic set shot from 45 in front. Conversely, Hunt seems to know where they are these days. I'd back him to snap a goal anywhere inside 50. Strange.

Great work rate from Kozzie. Trac and Hunt's goal.

He's got no idea where the goals are, Kozzie.