DeeSpencer

I'd only pick Lever if he's absolutely cherry ripe and able to move like healthy Jake not hobbly Jake. And I'd also have a very short leash to sending May or even McDonald forward and Disco back if things aren't working.

I think it will be either Windsor to the wing and Rivers back or we move Chin to the wing and Sharp stays in. Sestan is probably waiting on Bowey or Salem missing time. At least until later in the year when we may as well have a look at him

Spargo’s put together an excellent month before yesterday. I don’t think he’ll even be mentioned in match committee. Goal kicking hasn’t been good but if that was a criteria to play for Melbourne we’d have no players

Yeah he’s starting to find his confidence in his marking around the ground. For just a few minutes a quarter whilst one of the talls are on the bench he could be the extra marking option.

Nice goal, but it wasn’t express pace taking him away from defenders, he just had a good angle and the Hawks missed some tackles.

He really provides neither. His pace is a myth. He can sustain a run at good pace but he doesn’t burst away from a contest. Spargo’s as quick if not quicker over 5. And then he’s too slow to read the play to consistently pressure.

What game did you watch?

But there’s lots of little things with positioning at front and centres, leading to create space, not fumbling, halving a contest, tackling of which plenty don’t show up in the stats sheet and Spargo does that way better. Spargo has to nail a good percentage of inside 50 kicks and set shots and he did neither of those today but since the Freo game he’s been a positive. Sharp has made no progress

Not another larynx! (although potentially better than concussion if he recovers quickly)

If Disco can add some pressure to his game forward (has been surprisingly bad at it) then along with Petty we’ve got some mobile talls. Suddenly we can get Fritsch in the side as a medium not a tall if he can do the bare minimum pressuring and tackling without frees too. Spargo is doing a lot right, he just makes the saddest of errors when he misses targets or shots. But he’s still a cut above the other options like Sharp. I wouldn’t worry about what the afl side is doing with JVR. I’d just get him in form, if that’s forward back or ruck either works. (He should back up ruck at Casey and give Verrall a full game forward). Long term tho I think his weaknesses (undersized, flat footed, double grabber) would be worse back than they are forward. What he needs is belief to crash and bash. His one strength is literally that, he’s such a big boy, just needs to find a way to harness it.

Lever if he’s 100% right for AJ. Disco forward. Don’t love Viney for Sharp but that’s probably the move. Ideally we’d have a genuine half forward to come in but Casey is petty thin. With Viney back I’d like to see Rivers take some rotations as the 3rd wing. Chandler more forward to keep that pressure and forward craft. Wouldn’t be against a bit of shuffling the magnets with Langford deep forward in bursts and Lindsay high half forward. Just for development would be nice to give them some different looks Fritsch must stay as sub.

You’d have to take Windsor out and despite his poor game today his pace has proven so valuable when he’s able to sweep. And you’d have to move him to the wing and swap other things around.

6, MelK 5 Bowser 4 Gawn 3 T Mc Langdon Tracc Oliver contributed. But I’m not seeing where the votes are coming from. Neale clearly got the points.

Sparrow first in sprints, first in repeat sprints, first in distance at high speed. Routinely makes position across half forward both in defending and attacking. He hasn’t made it as a mid. Just doesn’t make decisions in tight quick enough. But he’s a solid worker across half forward and right now he’s well clear of Sharp who is very unreliable at the contest, no better with the ball and doesn’t have good defensive awareness despite his work rate. And Kolt who has the scope for more but isn’t in good touch. Kynan Brown is working his way towards another go and I’d like to give Jack Henderson another shot now he’s starting to get some VFL form. Back it’s pretty slim pickings.

We’ve seen him forward in practice games and early in the year and he’s not quite big or strong enough to compete as a tall against key backs, doesn’t create a lot of space on the lead and gets burnt defensively. He’ll develop all of that with more time but his best attribute right now is the smartness of his midfield running. Wing lets him show that without the heat of being on ball.