DeeSpencer

He’s an excellent pressure forward when up and running. Competes overhead, gets first to the ball, seals off his man from attacking. Smart player and accurate kick for goal when up and going. One of the worst games he’s played in a long time today. He was tripped and had a sore ankle early but didn’t seem too badly hampered. Hopefully he was just getting the rust off! Still can’t believe in something that didn’t happen?

Can’t really make that proclamation until he’s made the 4.5 hour flight home and trained a few times. Hopefully just a cork but a bit early to be sure even with the extra weeks rest.

There was no Fritsch (or McAdam or Tracc for that matter) last week, so they needed someone to play the Fritsch role. Jeffo looked every bit to be covering Fritsch’s role last week. Every training I’ve seen has been Disco, JvR and Fritsch as the A team with Jeffo and AJ on the B team. If they had any inclination to run the 3 big bodied talls together surely they would’ve done it by now. I also disagree that Disco was missing against North, he did a role throughout most of that game.

Rivers is an A grade defender? When? And are we sure we don’t need him? At least until Kossie is back we need more than just Langdon to provide midfield run. Sparrow excellent? He’s killed JVR with his first lob inside 50. Frequently beat to the ball by defenders. He found a lot of the ball and seems to be moving well but he has to start being cleaner with it. Assuming we stick with the smaller forward line I’d have him start deeper forward just to get out of the way especially early in games.

AJ didn’t start either practice game. 2 talls and Fritsch/Jeffo as a medium seems the plan and I can’t imagine that will change. Even if they replace Langford with another smaller flanker. No way they drop Fritsch off a practice game. I’d be shocked if they drop Disco after a good preseason. So if JVR gets up it will Casey for the big fella. He’s looking like a smart pick up but we need agility and speed in this forward line, we can just bomb it to 3 big blokes

FB: Howes May Petty HB: Salem Lever Windsor C; Lindsay Rivers Billings HF: Tracc Turner Sharp FF: Fritsch JVR Chandler Foll: Gawn Oliver Langdon Int: Bowey Viney Sparrow Langford S: Woey Backline: Where's Petty? Could Rivers take Bowey's spot and add a midfield rethink? Maybe, but I doubt it. Can't imagine Howes is in real jeopardy, he's no good at all on talls but we rested May, Lever and Adams more than 3 talls usually would and otherwise I thought he tracked Walters and Bolton reasonably well, they did their damage on others. Midfield: Will the real Riv step up? No one loves Billings but I guess he gets that 2nd wing spot for now? Forward: Is JVR right to go? I can't see Sparrow, Sharp or Chandler getting dropped even if the results aren't great. Langford....low minutes and low impact today, playing the trickiest role on the field. Back him in or go for a more mature body? Others: AJ - clearly can do a job filling in for JVR if needed T Mc - back up if Petty isn't good to go Henderson and Culley - who knows how they went in the mystery Casey game but they've got to be around the mark. My prediction is as above but I think Henderson will be right in the frame given how our half forwards just lacked any polish against Freo.

2nd whatever looked bad but when it was a 5 goal wind the real damage was done in the first quarter with really poor inside 50’s and coversion and sloppy transition work. Scores followed the wind in the middle quarters and we fought it out more in the last and were aided by a fresh Pickett being worth a lot more than a fresh Erasmus

He’s not the player he was in year 1, a little muddled in the head still after a bad injury last year? Or from Steve May barking at our backline to chip it sideways and bomb it long for 3 years? Whatever it is he has to do better than this

8 in the first half then none, ran out of steam

It’s not so much lack of goal sense as a psychological illness.

A Lever decisive switch sets up a goal (even if it goes messy on the wing)

Just not sure what we are doing with our backline structure but Lever has to be played to his strengths or he’s just not good. He has to trust his skills to provide something in attack too. Dirty day for anyone deep forward but 2 poor outings for Chin and he hasn’t looked fully fit. The dribbling kicks around the body that don’t get off the ground are very confusing. I’d like to see Chandler at half forward more and Sparrow deeper.

I’d play 10 minutes more then leave

Have we taken 25 rather than 26 to Perth and now have no one to cover Gawn? Seems like smart Melbourne is back again for a 4th straight year

Our players still look scared to give away sling tackle free kicks/suspensions. Guys, when it comes to the real stuff just dump them.

Nice Lindsay aerial contest down back there and not sure it was his fault Tommy no skills hammering a handball back at him. He’s ticked a few boxes today

Good non advantage call. Thanks guys

Making strong contributions for Freo

The battle between Fritsch, Chandler and Disco on who can do less is the real contest

Positives so far are Tracc’s selflessness and the Windsor thing will work if we can get him involved.

Lindsay ok but mostly defensive wing stuff Harvey flashes but not quite there AJ very solid workhorse, hoping for more Sharp - messy Adams - some decent stuff, can get caught flat footed in transition but having a go

Missed Fritsch for an easy out the back kick too, he’s been far from the worst but so uninspiring

Exactly. We’ve changed game plan without enough changes to personnel. Either because we couldn’t land anyone in trades or got scared to ship guys out (or both). But we also aren’t drilling the fundamentals. We have easily enough skill in the backs and mids to execute basic kick it around and find an opening footy. And same goes for quicker counter attacks, if they see space and trust their run and team mates it will open up, but too few have the belief or the coordination to work the hands.

The ball movement just isn’t up to it. And not surprisingly neither is our defensive run because our players never have to train against a side that can move the ball. The skills, the spacing, the coordination, the commitment to run and hit targets just isn’t there. We have a red hot crack, which is nice, but we need more than just Pickett to fix the overall skill and coordination in our ball movement.

Goal kickers: Jefferson 4, George 3, Henderson 2, Verrall, Mentha, Culley, Brown, Fullarton, K Windsor (I made it up)