DeeSpencer

You want to trade Sparrow - a super dynamic forward/mid with elite pressure - for a half back flanker who can’t string together games for Adelaide? No thanks. Our elite defending comes from Sparrow and guys like him sealing the corridor. His ball use can sharpen back up when the forwards and runners are predictable to him. JJ has cleaner hands but he doesn’t have the speed to pressure and play half forward like Sparrow does. Kicking is no better either. JJ is wing/mid. Sparrow is forward/mid. Both are vital. Look at Casey - we have no midfield depth. Bowey at least gives us backline depth. Robbie Fox is Sydney’s lockdown defender. Geelong rotate Zuthrie, Bews and Kolo. If Hunt stays I think he can do the job as he did until Hibbo came back in this year. I’d definitely be scanning the delistings and state leagues for a specialist.

It’s a gambling event not a footy one

Unless we make a move to open a spot in the best 22 for him he’d be crazy not to leave. He’s a Dean Kent level player, would be nice to keep him but it’s time for him to spread his wings. If we can enough get trade currency to bring in someone useful that’s a good deal for us

A ruckman or key forward is highly unlikely to have 43 touches, you are correct. But Oliver was wasteful with the ball and turned it over or hot potatoed it to team mates, it wasn’t his best game. Cox was a monster behind the ball and forward. That Gawn was dealing with a nasty injury is irrelevant. Gun Midfielders get 30 every week. 40 is impressive but means little by itself. Tom Mitchell has had 40 multiple times with little impact

Cox was best on ground not Clarry anyway

It was nicely written but he read it like he has permanent brain damage

Joel winning the Stynes award partly for his Auskick work which is a paid gig to skirt the salary cap.

Pats, Vikings, Bengals

The entire first quarter was played on the opposite wing to his. Not sure why you’d leave a player stuck on one wing but that’s Melbourne/Casey. Second quarter he had some contests that provided chances to get involved and didn’t win them. Nothing awful, seemed to make good position just didn’t get the ball. At some stage after half time he seemed to shift forward and got a few touches. He might have to shift to half back similar to Rosman to learn the game. Or go to half forward which was his juniors position before going on to the wing. He’ll be better with more continuity as well, was a good effort to play some handy games after a 3 month break

JVR, Turner, wait and see for the first year kids. Hard to see anyone else who will play 50 AFL games out there today, not when they’re stuck getting 8 touches a game

Never said it was Casey’s decision. Carrying Brown, Baker and others on the list was a waste of list spots. And Munro, White, Dunstan and Grey playing most of the midfield minutes is someone’s decision. Its hard work watching Melbourne young players stuck in peripheral roles. They finally gave Weid a job of holding the number 1 ruck spot and he has developed more in 4 weeks than in the last 4 years.

Good for Casey, but for the sake of Melbourne we can’t carry so many experienced fringe players and VFL players chewing up important minutes. Casey’s first priority is to develop afl players and that needs to be reinforced next year.

Logue was always the 3rd key defender they just didn’t need. Not much else you can do than play him forward then let him go. The Acres situation is weird. They rejuvenated him as a player. Got him playing really strong footy on a wing and now they’re losing him for only a few dollars? He’s the kind of player that can frustrate a coach but with Mundy retiring and Fyfe under threat of injury Freo shouldn’t be losing experienced mids. Capable wingers are hard to find too.

He’s not good enough to be a pure full forward, no one is. If we want to play a more up tempo aggressive game plan - a plan that will ultimately help Fritsch - then we need two things. 1. More forward pressure. 2. More midfield rotations. Come finals next year Fritsch might never leave the forward 50, but next season should start more about the journey than the destination. A clean slate of positions and roles is important to that.

There’s no reason Fritsch can’t add it to his game if he’s coached up and coached hard, he has the physical tools it’s just attitude and technique. He should also be rotated through the wing to see the value of forward pressure. No more dining out on the grand final for Fritter.

Just needs 4 more years on the list to come good

Ineligible. Too much afl, not enough VFL

But too slow to pressure effectively or burn off an opponent the way Toby does. Chandler is and always has been a midfielder with forward craft more than a forward. He’s an excellent link player through the middle of the ground. He’s yet to master clean hands around a contest though to really push his case as a high half forward

What on earth. Not a great umpired game but miles off what you’ve suggested

Just like Melbourne late this season this backline is short on players looking to win the ball back, they're all keen on the intercepts falling to them out the back or happy sticking to individual opponents. Midfield and half forwards getting smashed is the bigger worry though. Casey are stocked with pressure smalls and can't get any pressure on.

Mitch White should go to half back to provide some skill, get more pace in the midfield too

Delist Tomlinson at 1/4 time

Atrocious free kick against Melk

If Chandler could actually give a first option handball rather than attempting hero mode that would be great

The Pies forward line for the bulk of their streak of wins was Cox/Cameron for maybe 70% of game time, 2 mobile talls in Mihocek, Ash Johnson and a gun small marking player in Jamie Elliott. Gawn/Grundy can do the same job as the Pies rucks. Whether it’s worth the money I’m not sure but they can do a job. Fritsch has a lot of similarities to Elliott as a goal kicker, without the defensive game. This summer he really has to develop his game. Can we get Mihocek and Johnson performance from McDonald and JVR? Yes. Would I like another mobile tall so we have depth - absolutely.