Little Goffy

Half time spelling competition for shillelagh, shillegha, shileya... Landlord-whacking-stick. Dear me, I'd love to have a proper landlord-whacking-stick. I can feel a St Patrick's Day tradition starting...

From what I've seen the open style is very much in fashion and the rules favour it too with fewer boundary stoppages and the boundary-hugging tentative advance now coming with its own new risk. I suspect that many defensive units will have to reassess what they can really protect. Instead of a full arc resembling the 50m line, pinching the edges a bit to create a more elliptical shape (a bit like the ball come to think of it). It might mean giving away a few extra shots out wide, and will also backfire sometimes if the opposition can get their sharpest ball users into that space and then delivering a final piercing kick, but all up lets say it gives away 2 goals 4 behinds, but prevents four goals two behinds, thats a big win.

I suspect I'm not the only one who has watched that goal a couple of times. What I've loved on close inspection is how deliberate it was. Not a simple case of 'I go fast, I go sideways too, watch me go!' but a genuine anticipation of what the defenders were going to do, and a dash into space that actually didn't exist until the defenders kept going to where Latrelle suddenly wasn't.

Mihocek was also constantly in for the posr-goal celebrations. I haven't seen that level of consistent investment in other's goals since Nibbler, who should have a season hug tally trophy named after him. Mihocek and Steele are looking like big wins for character and culture whole also so far proving more than handy in actual play.

@Ghostwriter Welfare check on Ghosty, you alright? Didn't accidentally bite through a Red Bull in the final quarter? All okay? I for one had a good time watching that game. Like, vintage good time. A good time in a way I haven't since before the darkness. It was a game that deserved a Dennis Cometti commentary.

Jarrod Witts' around-the-ground contribution is not even half that of Gawn's, and I don't think he is a true rival for the AA Ruck spot, but at half time Witts is on target for >100 total hitouts after the first two rounds. I mean, rucking against Blicavs last week and Flynn this week isn't exactly top shelf, but... still... With just six goals in the second quarter, looks like Gold Coast have eased off a bit and '186' will not be threatened today, but on the other hand there's travel, there's a young team potentially dropping their heads, and there's the alleged round zero conditioning advantage. Not as if Hardwick is likely to go soft - certainly not when he is trying to turn a brilliant but mentally soft team into ruthless killers.

Harry Sharp; 51% time on ground, 6 score involvements. I think this could be the start of a beautiful player-coach relationship. Latrelle 59% I would have expected but it is interesting to see Rivers only had 58% time on.

Harry Sharp; 51% time on ground, 6 score involvements. I think this could be the start of a beautiful player-coach relationship. Latrelle 59% I would have expected but it is interesting to see Rivers only had 58% time on.

Harsh on Tholstrup. Worked very very hard and took a lot of responsibility to limit a dangerous opponent. Unfortunate that when he got it things rarely worked his way, including a few just plain clangers. On the other hand, 8 score involvements and 360 metres gained is no potato. I think Tholstrup and Chandler actually sum up our game, despite neither of them being outstanding. Both continued to persevere and maintain their effort after some bad moments. In Tholstrup's case that resulted in a total 'body of work' which deserves credit, and in Chandler's case it resulted in some really good moments late in the game which were important to the result.

Just a little brainfart to finish the half, oh well.

Vintage Petty in the last line of defence. Still super rusty but that was a glimpse of the gritty second efforts that made everyone love him a couple of years ago.

Van Rooyen now 8th in the Coleman race with a game and a half in hand. OH DAMN YOU GOALPOST, I HOPE A DOG [CENSORED] ON YOU FOR EVERY MORNING WALK FOR A YEAR.

Lindsay just had the defender's equivalent of shave the post on the way through. Got up, timed it, connected with the ball, but didn't quite knock it enough to stop Wilson collecting it on the second grab. I'm gonna say it, though, this has been a fun half of footy. After a half of football Van Rooyen is the leading goalkicker of those without a second game. Which presumably means by the end of the second half he will have caught up. Noticing Tholstrup working really hard to get up and down the ground. Hasn't always gone well for him when he has been on the spot (such as that behind) but his head is in the right mode.

Latrelle Pickett also bringing good advice on how to make friends. That's hilarious, do it again!

Geebus, Mihocek, if you want to make friends, then "Looking for the team first option, not seeing it so kicking a nice goal under pressure" is a good way to start!

After all these years of structure structure structure in defence it is a bit hair-raising not quite knowing who is supposed to be doing what in a given situation. Bit of a feeling that the defenders are having a bit of the same feeling. Also, no way in hell that was a free against Lever then.

You are mistaking quantity for quality. Collingwood have very poor attendance rates 'per fan' and drop away more than any other club in poor seasons. There's just a whole lot of the little buggers. That's what happens when you share condoms.

There would have to be ten players at the Dogs I'd barely know on a team sheet - some I'd only know because they have a fun sounding name. But they appear to be doing their jobs and giving the big names the freedom to absolutely crush Western Sydney. If this is what Bontempelli is going to look like every week with a team which doesn't need to be carried, then we should all be afraid. Meanwhile it would appear that Oliver is going to join Stringer in the 'yeah, I'm great, but just once a month' club.

I raised an eyebrow at that one, too. "Look, Bayley, we know you've kicked 14 goals in your last four games, and even your defensive efforts have been going well since Brown and McDonald have both been available and the structure is all set, but what we desperately need right now is to find a spark, an avenue to goal of some sort, to capitalise on our plan to have our midfield guns all fresh in the 3rd quarter to seize momentum, so we're taking you out and bringing in a tagger." Personally I'm hoping Fritta sticks around Gunston style and gets to be football's first boyishly fresh-faced grizzled veteran.

They have a thread reflecting on the shining contract extensions of the likes of Henry Slattery and David Myers way back, and then this beautiful effort; who have we got that can’t string 3 games together at the moment? "Essendon."

Don't discount that there will be games this season where Essendon click and their opponents don't hassle enough, and the Bombers will get momentum going and kick some big scores, even against notionally much better sides. On the other hand, the scoreboard flattered them significantly and at some point this season a talented, disciplined team is going to absolutely ragdoll them. Getting a real 'Demons of 2011' vibe about Essendon 2026. I should have had 'no Scott twins coaching before the end of the season' in the big predictions thread.

You hit that change of momentum like Wile E Coyote hitting an anvil!

Nick Watson's make-up gives me the uncanny valley creeps. Overall this game looks like it is being played on top of a wobbly table.

Premium solid gold sincerity. You and the family are a credit to the club.

I call it 'woo woo culture'. Where absolutely anything, no matter how inane or just plain wrong, has to be followed by a crowd indicating their group membership by going woo woo. Prominently American in English-speaking culture, but not uniquely American of course. You can see it in anything from Korean dating shows (I think she has nice hair... woo woooooo) to the Nuremberg Zeppelinfield. Those who recall the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy might remember the alien planet where everyone had telepathy, but it got really awkward knowing everyone's thoughts so to mask them everyone began talking constantly about absolute drivel. Yeah, this kind of [censored] is just that - a screen against sincerity.