Akum

My question is still - why did our skipper & best player have only 74% time on ground? He was effectively off the field for a whole quarter - why? He was one of the ones responsible for dragging us off the floor in the third. For that matter, Vince & Watts didn't have much more game time either (77% & 79%). But these were the guys we needed front & centre. He hasn't looked right for 3 weeks now (OK, 'flu last week fair enough). All a bit odd.

We surprised them last time by being able to tie up their running game. But they were ready for us this time and worked out how to make sure we wouldn't do it again. They have a system that allows them to transition brilliantly from contested to uncontested play, like all the very best teams do, so any team that loses that many clearances to them is gonna get smashed. Our 3rd quarter positional changes worked extremely well. We began to win clearances & put them under pressure, which made them panic & look quite ordinary. It's very unlike Roos to make such decisive and bold positional changes (T.Mac on to the ball for the whole quarter & Gawn forward were really out of left field) in the course of a game, but they nailed it. So why couldn't we keep it going? Did we change it all back in the last quarter? T.Mac seemed to be back in defence the whole quarter. It was a very strange game, and our third quarter was the strangest part of it. We seemed to grab the initiative with bold moves, and then just meekly hand it back again.

Their clearance work is great because it relies on not having to think. As soon as they get a good possession they give it off in one of about three directions, where they know a teammate will be. Just get & give, without having to think. They know where each other are without looking, let alone thinking. If they get it to a teammate who's 5 metres away from the stoppage, they're away before the other team works out who's got the ball. Many of their clearances follow this same pattern. We have no idea where our teammates are. So at clearances, one of our guys gets a possession, he's got to look up & find where his teammates are, by which time he's tackled and off balance. The very best teams (Hawks, Freo, WCE and now Dogs) have that kind of system at clearances.

Again, he was trying to get some movement going in a moribund team - not a hanging offence when we were 80 points behind. And M. Jones, Michie & Bail were nowhere near our worst. You'd be better to complain about the AFL record we must have set in missed tackles. We played 2005 football, except with a whole lot more mistakes and a whole lot less awareness.

I don't think he's physically right. According to AFL stats, he only had 74% game time - less than everyone except Grimes & Jetta. Jones was definitely one of the ones who lifted & got us going in the third quarter. I don't think the captaincy is the problem.

... and, um, not so good when he isn't! (I know what you mean, I just couldn't resist)

We caught the Doggies at a low ebb last time. We'd have to play out of our skins to come near them this time. Possible, but not likely. On the other hand, if we hadn't beaten them, they'd be third (assuming WCE lose the derby) and vying for second place. They have plenty of incentive. Bad feeling about this. We might learn a lot though.

... and something else all these have in common is that their teams have all played in finals - many of them have played in prelims. Jack may well be unique as a No.1 draft pick in playing 7 seasons in a bottom-4 team. You're comparing apples with oranges. Wonder how many of these would have done better having to contend with the sustained carp that he's had to put up with? Not least from his own "supporters".

A tsunami isn't selective about who gets drowned. It wipes out everything. If HIrd goes, the collateral damage could be massive. Let's think about the implications of that. If there's anybody who knows everybody's involvement, it's got to be Hird. EFC's problem is that if they dump him, however gracefully, without his consent, what if he tells everything he knows? The damage to EFC, not to mention the AFL and therefore all the other clubs, could be massive.

Spectacularly incisive pedantry. I dips me lid sir!

Agree with the first half but not with the second half. I think his improvement is because he made up his mind that being the "distributor" & relying on others to get it out to him isn't ever going to work with this side. He's going to have to go in & get it himself.

We do need extra foot speed though. If we were too slow at times against Norf, we'll get burned against Dogs. That means Matt Jones (who was OK) stays, the most likely ins are Salem & Bail, and Riley & Newton have to wait. If a slow has to go, that's where Michie might be in trouble.

Could we make him our Environmental Ambassador?

All sounds like pretty thick mucus to me!!

A helluva lot of mucus if he's got the 'flu!! Remember, some of the things that you & I would take to ease the symptoms are banned substances for athletes.

Do you mean "foot" as in "ankle", or "foot" as in "navicular"???

Maybe there should be some sort of ceremony for handover of whipping boy status. Any ideas BBO?

On the other hand, if we lose because Petrie & Brown are too big & strong for T.Mac, Dunn & Garlo, it's a classic selection stuff-up that's totally avoidable.

Michie was truly horr On the other hand, if we replace Michie with Jamar & go in with both Jamar & Dawes (as well as Gawn), they'll run it out of defence unopposed and we won't get within 50 points.

Who pulls them off and pumps the team after scoring a goal? Is that why we run out of steam halfway thru a quarter?

The Jim Tilbrook what?? I'll let myself out.

Wouldn't that take Viney out of the game? We might be better off using Jetta or Grimes, seeing as he mainly plays as an opportunist flanker these days. Love to see Viney wrap him up a la Mav Weller though.

They are much better drilled and have much better system than us. Generally when we play better drilled teams, we get smashed. But we could beat them one-on-one. They have a lot of vanilla mids, so nobody stands out to be tagged. The brains trust need to put some thought into how to break up their system.

So does this explain our win against the Pies????

Would have been better if he'd nailed that goal on Saturday. Point of the year!