DeeSpencer

Honestly happy we didn’t steal it. The quicker we reassess this side and attempt to fix the flaws with lack of run, poor balance around the contest. ordinary forward pressure and way way too much boundary play the better. 2021 isn’t coming back guys. We need to evolve and get better rather than fall back in to bad habits.

Starting to wonder if we’d be better off with McDonald or JVR in the centre bounces than Maximum fumbles

Grundy didn’t get in to the field of play. McDonald didn’t get off the ground and who knows where Lever was for that. Not a great effort for a ball that probably could’ve been touched with the perfect run and jump

Any chance Pickett can attempt a front and centre not a back and wide.

His IQ can’t compete with his legs and courage both being finished. I’ve never seen a regular 22 midfielder with so little power in the legs

Anyone else starting to see it with Hunter yet or will you all continue to abuse me? He’s shot

Yep Gawn is sooking it up and Grundy is a liability all over the ground. Doesn’t hold the ball in a contest and is so lazy defensively. Midfield Brayshaw is gross. Just so slow. Pickett’s not up for it as a mid. Honestly might be worth giving Chandler a go

Is there a Melbourne player over 27 who has any strength in their legs? May, Hunter, Grundy, Gawn, McDonald and Brown all completely shot in the legs

And never ever handball

Nice to have Tom McDonald back in to spoil his team mates

Pre grand final Goody in the wet ball. Too much mucking around and not enough flow. When you constantly try to spin around and u turn you’re going to slip and slide and lose numbers. You can use the ball in the wet but it has to be quick hands to players in motion.

Port completely out working us. We’ve been completely wide and unable to lock it forward.

Start patting blokes in the back of the head after soft goals and no surprise you’ll start shipping goals from nowhere right after.

Best thing he’s done at the Dees. Not sure why he was fined for being clever. That’s on the AFL to set rules on where players can and can’t be during their time on the bench.

Laurie and Woey are definitely mids, not sure if they are long term AFL players yet. I’d imagine it would be Rivers, Brayshaw, Pickett, ANB in to the midfield with youth in to the flanks before playing those young guys as pure on ballers even next year. I’d be expecting all 3 of those guys to push hard for selection next year though.

‘Could’ based on reports he had a look around last year. The way I see it is we won’t keep both JJ and Harmes. But I’d also be surprised if both go unless we line up a replacement. Harmes is contracted but depending on loading we’d possibly even have to eat a bit of it, JJ isn’t and is a free agent.

Absolutely. And we aren’t going to be at our best every week. I just think we should toss out the 3 junk games. 4-2 is a strong record against some pretty good sides. Sydney and Richmond on the MCG and up and about for big games were pretty solid and spirited contests

Take away the 3 easy beats and we’re 4-2 with a couple of nice wins and a couple of less impressive ones. 2 ordinary losses where we looked slow in the midfield, shaky down back and iffy going forward (and as importantly keeping it there). The next month will show a lot more if we are contenders or pretenders. Drawing conclusions about our ‘explosive’ style of play from smashing the Hawks or any other battling side isn’t wise.

T Mc, BBB, J Smith, Melksham, Schache or no one (with Tracc probably forward more). I probably lean towards Tommy if he’s had a couple of good weeks on the track given Petty has mostly played more of a lead up CHF role. Maybe Schache if he hasn’t? Schache played defensive forward or Aliir in the Dogs prelim final win. If the Dees coaches are reading this, go pull out the tape of that game and watch big Schach.

I went back and had a close look at the first time you see him limping is when he’s walking back towards goal as Spargo lines up to kick the first. The limping as he leads out when the kick goes to Fritsch before the stoppage and his subsequent goal. Just before that he’s in a big marking contest as Bowser pumps it in but didn’t appear to be stood on or in pain when he lands.

That same tackle is required for Cripps or Dangerfield (or Petracca and Viney who Sparrow routinely trains with). Its an issue with the rules and the game. We’ve got midfielders built like rugby players or NFL running backs who play that way. Then we’ve got guys like Day who is really only starting to fill out his lanky frame attempting a similar rugby style move. Footballers didn’t use to try to break tackles in this way before they did a heap of core strength and weight training. The game was about evading tackles not breaking them and moving the ball on. Now coaches are so afraid of turnovers they tell players to hold the ball. Rugby players can absorb these tackles cause they have 10kg+ more muscle on them. It’s why I think holding the ball has to go back to something that sadly resembles bit like kids playing tiggy. If you’ve had prior and get caught you’re gone. The footage shows what easily used to be construed as a throw too, there’s very little fist on that handball.

Umpires routinely miss dangerous tackles, one is trained to keep their eyes inside attacking 50, the 2 in the centre of the ground are watching the ball, so their eyes naturally follow the footy not the tackle (which went it a completely different direction) and they might be obscured by players. It’s really up to the one umpire in the defensive 50 to see it and they might not have seen it from 70m away. Or with enough confidence to call it. The umps on the weekend missed at least 20 frees so it’s hardly a surprise.

It will be, but the sling is initiated by Day, feeling pressure behind him and rather than kicking or handballing to the ruck who’s running free, Day (who’s had plenty of prior) raises his arms and spins 180 degrees attempting to burst through a tackle from behind and leaves Sparrow who’s locked on his hips with little option. The league will say Sparrow has a duty to lower him softly and they’ll win, even though that’s nearly impossible to do. It’s pretty crazy to me that a skinny young player like Day has immunity to attempt to shred a tackle and doesn’t have the strength to protect his head at the end of it. If we’re really keen to stamp out all dangerous tackles and head knocks then the MRP should start issuing statements on both players involved.

They changed that years ago. I believe it’s now 10k in fees if you lose, out of the soft cap too. If there’s any kind of vision of Day’s head hitting the ground then as stupid as the suspension is I don’t think we should bother challenging.

Apparently Day was slow to get up which will be shown on the down the ground cameras, as well as something that will look like his head hitting the ground (which happens when you go to ground in almost every tackle of course). With the way the tribunal has upheld tackle suspensions this year that’s really all they need