Adam The God

We usually shut Danger out of it too. If we can manage Selwood and bring our A game, we'll beat Geelong again.

Had a bad week last week, but I think OMac has made really big strides this year. Those first two games last year were shocking. But he's looked at home for the majority of the year. He needs to build his contested game, but aside from last week, he's been pretty good all year, IMO. An important development year for him. Pity we haven't managed to get more games into Frost down back... They clearly have their favourites, but they usually align with mine, so I've been pretty happy with the selections this season. I think the FD are just doing what they think is best for the long term and IMO short term of the club. I think I disagree with you P. Garland or Dunn playing ahead of OMac gets us nowhere. Not once this year has OMac cost us a game, so despite some people thinking he's a liability, I'd much prefer OMac continue to hone his craft at AFL level, rather than watch Dunn and Garland fail to play to the new system with their scars and decision making frailties. I just don't think that gets us anywhere. And there's no way playing Dunn or Garland a few more times this year would have equated to more wins. If anyone believes that, I guess we disagree again. I think the FD feel they messed up Brayshaw's development year a little bit and are being extra cautious with Oliver. Given Clarry's limited TOG and his diminishing returns, I think they've played him pretty well. No use continuing to play him when he clearly needs a larger fitness base. But ultimately, I'm with you. I'd love to see him out there and I can't wait to see Petracca, Oliver, Brayshaw and Viney all in the same team. Then we're cooking! Do you ever post on footy or is it always about other posters? If this FD has backed a player a couple of times, they've usually let them bounce back after a down week. I think they've laid down the challenge to Oscar to respond. I think he'll be alright this week. And even if he gets beaten, I don't see it being an egg on their face situation.

I suspect maybe that call was already made well before this evening. Last week may well have been his last game with the MFC. Paul Roos is a politician. Take most things he says with a grain of salt. And Vandenberg is a limited fringer who for some reason is vastly overrated on Demonland. He's hard at it, but what else does he offer?

Well, no, our forward entries were ordinary.

That's my point. Every game is won or lost in the midfield.

This is why our midfield needs continued strengthening. We win and lose every game based on the performance our mids bring.

I reckon we'll get both Jesse and Tom signed up by the start of 2017. I've no information of that, just can't see either of them leaving now. We're on the rise and given our inexperienced team week in, week out, a part of me says 7 wins already this season is amazing.

A BP special, huh? 100 games in basically five seasons says he's very durable too.

Hang on. I think most people have derided Hogan for his pathetic performance last week. But Dawes has been doing it ever since he came back. He drops too many marks leading up the ground and offers the team the exact opposite that people continually claim, which is that he provides structure. Well, no, he actually undermines our structure by being ineffective as a lead up forward. I don't think anyone could possibly say he's an effective lead up forward, because he doesn't mark the bloody thing.

Pedersen has shown reasonable AFL form, Hulett has shown good VFL form (particularly early on) and Dawes continues to show average form at AFL level. So yeah, it is a better strategy. You play the guy that offers more. Dawes pretty much offers nothing most weeks.

He kicked his first set shot goal in I don't know how long and a Joe-the-goose. Apart from that he did bugger all. And when the game was in the balance in the last quarter, instead of passing to the top of the goal square to a free team mate, he decided to blast away and kick it on the full.

They'll let the great leader that is Chris Dawes redeem himself with another Joe-the-goose goal and then proceed to drop everything kicked to him. But he works hard. All that running after his opponent when they're running off him. Keep him on the list for next year, but don't play him. Get Pedersen back in or blood someone like Hulett. Or simply play a smaller forwardline.

What have they learnt from the Essendon game? Overwhelming favourites. A depleted opposition. The game being played on our home deck. We should win by 10 goals. This will be an interesting game.

Please explain.

Dennis has been known to support the MFC a bit too though. However, interesting that he could be bothered tweeting about it.

I disagree. I found the majority of his kicks hit the target early on.

I found his kicking to be really pin-point in the first half of the season. I suspect the rigours of a full AFL season are catching up with him. I'd also argue he's kicking in a more consistently offensive fashion, which obviously opens him up to more turn overs.

Great post, mate. Agreed. What I find really exciting about this is that these guys will basically grow up learning this system (and the tweaks applied to it over time). If all goes well, it's the only system Hunt, Wagner, OMac and Frost will play in their first 50-100 games. A lot easier than trying to get a bunch of older guys learning a new system. I've posted about our defence a bit recently, but it's one area of the ground that I think we've steadily improved all season and it's taken persistence and continuity. That's one thing this FD does well. We can debate whether Frost should have played forward or back earlier in the season, but one thing we know for sure is he was given enough run at it. Our mids are also owed a bit of a nod, as it's their pressure that has enabled our defence to hold relatively tight given our offensive focus. Incidentally, our midfield has clearly improved in contested possessions, uncontested possessions and clearances this year. If we continue on this upward trajectory, it won't be long before we're challenging for the top 4. We're not as far back as the ladder would suggest. And I see Frost becoming a really important weapon in our defensive/offensive transition.

Don't underestimate 13.

He needs to have flexibility thougb and get the job done up forward too. He's never going to be a first picked mid like Viney, Tyson, Oliver, Petracca and Brayshaw. The FD are seemingly demanding from all players that you develop multiple cards to your game, otherwise others will go past you.

Parish also has a lot less competition for a spot over at Flogadonis Central.

And isn't that an indictment on Jesse's pathetic game? Because Dawes was his ordinary usual self, except this week he did manage to hit the scoreboard this week.

Won't happen. We'll win.

I think he's a young forward with huge raps on him. He will be superstar, but at the moment his defensive work rate is laughable. He just simply doesn't lay tackles either.

No he won't. Hogan, Watts, Weideman, Hulett. Not going to happen.