DeeSpencer

It wouldn’t shock me at all, given the club have access to hospital care a short course of IV antibiotics could speed up recovery. Would obviously mean more doubt about his availability for Monday.

https://twitter.com/edbourke6/status/1666284703241105409?s=46 not sure why this isn’t embedding WHE and McStay available, Lipinski and Elliott likely

McVee maybe with some handover to Rivers will be on Elliott regardless. Hibbo isn’t up for chasing the smalls these days. If McStay comes in then I’m tipping Ash Johnson comes out. 4 tall forwards is unlikely. I’d still rather play Hibberd on McStay or Mihocek than give that job to Tomlinson. Better to give away height than to give away mobility.

I’ve been contemplating the talls and Moore conundrum. I think we stick with Smith, play him low minutes with high energy to hopefully sit on some heads and provide some pressure. Ask for a big effort from JVR, Gawn and Grundy to up their minutes. But if we were to go a different route there’s 2 options: 1. Schache, and, controversially have him match ruck minutes with Cox. Allow Gawn to play almost full time forward and get in a rhythm in that role. He’s our only hope of countering Moore directly. 2. Go small, use Sparrow and Petracca at times as extra medium forwards. Bring in our next best mid/forward with some pace and commit to running/switching footy that avoids the long bomb as much as possible. The player best suited to come in for that role to me is Woewodin.

If it's purely the blister that's infected he'll probably be right to train later in the week and likely to play, if things are improving over the next couple of days. If there's cellulitis they'd be wise to get that fully under control which would put him in more doubt.

Scroll a little, tap the AA next to the demonland address. Tap the bigger A on the right

Harmes was the sub, doesn’t count It will be Bowey and Tomlinson for Oliver and Hibberd. Gus goes back, plays as an interceptor. Hibberd is the best possible match up for Ash Johnson. Lever has to play on a tall, be it Cox or Mihocek but he would’ve had to do that anyway. Spare me the Lever has to be the third tall. He still is. Hibberd > Tomlinson unless the opposition has 2 gun big talls like Carlton.

I believe he was a midfielder in under 16’s who was sent to half back in colts footy. Whilst I don’t know for sure I suspect he struggled with the increased physicality against bigger kids which isn’t surprising for a skinny kid at that age. I don’t think anyone in the club last year was really thinking he’d be a lock down defender. He just seemed to progress with his defensive efforts as the VFL season went on leading to a strong grand final.

The big issue is ages. Most players start in their teens or early 20’s and by 25 have either made a career or a great financial start and can then continue on strong wages or turn their attention to other careers. Umpiring is always going to demand more maturity by the nature of the job. 30-40 will be the prime years for umps which is also the prime career advancement years for most people. I think it would be smart to identify a number of 25 year olds with elite potential and create a pathway for a number of full time umpires. 1 per game would be a wise aim. But making the entire system full time certainly isn’t a short term option if at all. Umpires are already very well paid for part time work and a lot of careers are now flexible with jobs. They can’t give up their jobs but I’d imagine many are doing 3 or 4 day weeks. The thing that’s been overlooked with umps this year is that the shift from 3 to 4 has lowered the standard across the comp. It’s also messed with positioning and with overruling. These are short term negatives that we are suffering through for the greater good. The overwhelming positive is that for the first time in decades the running work load on umps has been significantly eased. We will see that benefit with less injuries, longer careers, less rigorous fitness demands over the next few years. And the teething problems with getting more umps per round, different angles, poor or reluctant overruling from off ball umps will start to resolve.

He had kicked the previous Melbourne goal to that one! ‘I need a goal’ is a terrible justification for selfish play. No matter your own personal form or confidence you should do the team thing and it will come back around to you. I just don’t think it was selfish given when and where he received the ball. Having waited under a lofty handball he couldnt have been certain Chandler wasn’t covered and he had to make a split second decision turn in board and handball or roll to his preferred side and kick. If he was a right footer I’d expect a handball but once he went left it became harder to see and pass it off. As a team our forwards need to learn how to share the ball with handballs and create space for each other to get better shots. Really in this situation JVR should’ve gone to Sparrow who then would’ve had 2 on 1 to walk it in. But it’s not always that perfect and JVR and Fritsch both went direct to goal, nothing wrong with that. Our forwards also need to learn how to block for each other and how to lead up to create space too. A lot of to work on more than Fritter dribbling in an open goal.

Already nominated. JVR didn’t completely dominate but it was a very good 4 quarter game and the highest SuperCoach score of the round from the eligible players so far. Short of a great performance by someone in the Ess/North game he’s in the box seat. Personally I’d love to see McVee get it for another very good game and consistent performances but he might have to wait a little longer.

I like George, and he has weeks where I’m stunned he’s not on an AFL list because he has a touch of class to go with what appears to be a good work rate and attack on the ball. But at the same time I don’t think he’s got enough speed to use it as a weapon, is on the smaller side for a mid or flanker without a leap or sticky hands, hasn’t established himself as a consistent midfielder and isn’t an absolutely standout ball user. There’s probably a number of lesser players getting games at AFL level this week but with list spots so hard to come by I’m not entirely sure Grey will get one

I’m as harsh on Fritsch as anyone but he got the ball completely blind to Chandler’s location swinging on to his left with pressure closing. Absolutely no issue with him kicking that one. Fritsch has been far less selfish the last 2 weeks too. Every situation is different and that was one to kick the goal.

It’s stiff because he’s in position to tackle, the Carlton player fumbles, he can’t dive on the footy, that’s a free, shouldn’t lead with head and get crashed in to, that’s dangerous. He can only really try to block the Carlton player. Obviously he’s gone a little heavy with a bumping action but it’s an attempt to clear the space. There’s a reason there’s no damage don’t because it wasn’t an attempt to cause any.

Jackson is far more mobile than Gawn, Grundy. And T Mc was churning kms at CHF. That allowed for an immobile Brown. Now we have a kid in JvR and a big ruck, often Gawn, the biggest of rucks. The pieces around BBB are different and BBB is different. We also nursed BBB through 2021. Any chance he does have of making us better involves timing his run to perfection.

No point flogging a dead horse with BBB though, for what he’s got I thought he contested and jumped at it well today. Maybe, just maybe it might spur him on. He’s had a lot worse VFL games lately. JJJ’s endurance is his weapon at AFL level. He’s still just 22 and filling out his frame and has barely played consistent footy as an inside mid. He wasn’t a TAC pathways gun on baller who’s been doing this since he was 14 like Jack Viney for instance. He doesn’t provide us anything to the senior side right now, hence why he isn’t in it. People think he needs to be in the afl side. I firmly don’t. But I’d love to see what he can do with 10 more weeks at Casey as the main man. His skills and stoppage craft can really improve with 30-40 touches a week

Best defender: Deak Smith. Really solid game. Turner quiet. Howes I can’t believe had 23 which is a testament to how easy he makes it but his contest work is poor. Best mid: Woey. JJ had moments as did Laurie, but Taj I thought combined inside and outside efforts. Best forward; Depsite rucking a lot was Schache. With an honourable mention to Gorgeous George Grey.

He actually had 2 excellent aerial contests in the last 5 minutes and he took a strong grab and laced out Schache for the vital go ahead goal. Athletically we know he’s not much but he played well.

Casey sending Valentine back it looks which I hate. Go for a goal

Desal bailed out with a soft free when he should’ve taken the mark but he’s got the goal

Can’t tell if it’s Sestan, Howe, Howe or Jefferson having a set shot but he’s all over the interchanges

Or often a first

Obviously Casey are bombing it too much but I don’t agree with the commentators statistics that every long kick will land in the opposition arms. Casey have a number of goals from long deep kicks. It’s just a matter of getting the balance right and the kicks directed to forwards on the move.

That means he either takes McVee’s role and has to chase smalls which he struggles to do or he plays half back and Gus is probably more suited to that.

A few chances for quasiJeffo to get involved to start the 3rd and he’s a mile off. meanwhile BBB takes his best contested clunk in 18 months but missed