DeeSpencer

Is it between games on a Saturday? Because fox have a very limited window there. Or is it after games? In which case 10:30 on a Saturday doesn’t seem like a rating winner. Fox can’t ever seem to produce a decent post game highlights evening show, with a player interview and then recap of the round so far. You’d think that’s the easy and obvious thing to do.

Interstates almost certainly a non starter. And let’s sideline Melbourne for the point of discussion. Hawks: rookie coach, no Carl: as above but worse Saints: I like Ratten but is he even secure? North: I very much like Noble but also no Pies: pretty much the same as North Bombers; maybe, Rutten and Mahoney are a good pair, but they’re also new to AFLW and a one club alignment. Every second online troll is a bombers fan Dogs: maybe, but Bevo’s not everyone’s cup of tea Rich: maybe, love Peggy, Balme and Gale but Hardwick seems volatile Chris Scott is a premiership coach with an incredible winning percentage. And he speaks about the game as well as anyone. Even when he’s making excuses they are thoughtful! And when you hear Daisy commentate she absolutely idolises Joel Selwood.

The article just says 2022. It’s not specific about when. Have to assume it’s late 2022 once this AFL season is over? I’m not sure she should take an assistant coaching job whilst commentating Friday night footy. She’s already compromised by her Melbourne playing career, immediately adding in a coaching job only makes that worse. I also have my doubts about joining a coaching line up in late March/early April. When the players and coaches have busted their backsides for close to 6 months it’s tricky to join in the middle of that. Otherwise I’ve long thought the best pathway for female coaches is to be mens team assistants to learn from the full time professionals. Then go to women’s head coach if they desire. And eventually mens head coach - one day it will happen. If it’s coaching not media Daisy wants then good luck to her. Geelong are a reasonable choice. They’ve landed Eddie Betts and might land Daisy. That’s a coup.

Scanning the QR code these days is only useful as a way of authenticating that the subsequent green tick you’re displaying is legit. The app shows the tick and lists the location. It’s going through that process that authenticates you’re showing something legit. They may well let you just show the green tick on your phone without QR coding if they are feeling lax. But one way or another I’m guessing they’ll be trained to see green ticks and be fairly stringent early in the season.

Oliver and Salem were rested with genuine niggles. They were the only players rested. Others were injured or not ready. Remember we had a bit of a run of injuries late in preseason to Viney, Gus, Hibbo, Melk, Weid, Brown as well as Kosi coming back very late. No one was picked as an experiment. Baker, Chandler, Bowey, Lockhart, Vanders etc we’re our next men up covering for those missing. I’d have to find a list of the 22 v Richmond to check but I believe Vanders and Lockhart came in to the best 22 from the Richmond game. Direct replacements for Oliver and Salem. 26 players were named but we played 22 players in the starting side. Petty and Laurie didn’t play. 23 was Bowey. Subbed in only after Lockhart injured his ‘groin’. Like for like replacement. Lockhart played 16%, was subbed at 1/4 time, Bowey 57%. 24 was Bedford, got a late run for some fresh legs in the last quarter. Thats no difference to Weid, Bedford and Hunt getting some late minutes v North. Lever, Langdon and Petracca all played 90%+ game time and May would’ve too had he not been concussed. It was a dress rehearsal it just went badly against a great team on their home deck. We were only 3 points down at half time as well. I’m sure we held back some tactics but that’s preseason. There’s no indication that we won’t play our best available 22 fit players with a few emergencies off the bench used if required.

Umm you might want to check that, pretty sure vaccination is an ongoing requirement for events. The staff should absolutely be looking for a green tick that indicates either vaccinated or valid medical exemption.

There were more missing than I remembered. I can now remember Salem was rested with a tight hammy. It was Salem and Oliver rested, with most if not all of those who played against Richmond going again. Petty, Brayshaw, Pickett were coming back from interrupted preseasons and so they played in the VFL game. With Gus and Pickett ultimately getting up for round 1. But I don’t think there was any experimentation. JJ and Sparrow weren’t experiments, they were improvers over summer. JJ was talked up as a round 1 starter weeks before the preseason games even started. We picked the best side we had available, whilst not rushing or risking anyone. Which is exactly what we did against North. If the 3 big guns who missed aren’t ready to come back and others are sore we might see fresh faces, but it wouldn’t make sense to play just about our best side against North and not against Carlton.

They managed to get everyone to QR in last year, and they manage to check everyones bags and metal detect everyone. It will definitely cause a big slowdown at peak hour but given it's fully ticketed people can arrive earlier

Hibbo was the other one to come off and get a good looking over by the medical staff in the last quarter. Can't see him in the photos (which doesn't mean he wasn't there).

The only evidence that Brayshaw is anywhere near a Brownlow comes from 2018, when we were an awful defensive transition team with Gus on ball and when he got all of Oliver’s votes because Oliver talked back to the umps. There’s been nothing either side of that year to suggest Brayshaw is a good on baller, yet alone a great one. He has nice clean hands around a stoppage but his pressure and in tight defensive work is a mess. If Gus gets 30 you have to live with his opponent getting 30 too, and there’s plenty of mids who will do better with their 30. Thats why our coaches use Harmes, Sparrow and Jordon on ball rather than Gus. He might enjoy playing on ball more. And might get that chance more often at a bottom 6 club. But he’s not getting on ball minutes at a top team the way he currently plays. If he was at Freo for instance he’d be behind Mundy, Fyfe, Andy Brayshaw and Serong and playing on the wing too!

Do we think this is: A) Tim 'the Bull' Smith. B) Tim 'the drink driver Smith C) just a regular Tim Smith

No idea why I said grand for Toby. Meant final. He's played some really good ones. The best argument against him is that he'll get suspended and miss the rest of the finals as he has now twice if not more. I'm not saying Fritsch didn't play well or even amazingly well come the granny, he just has a distinct role as a goal kicker for the comps best side. And I'm not convinced that other players are finals flops because of lower averages, especially when they play in a lot of losses due to being in inferior sides to Melbourne 2021. Naughton did get May once in the 2nd quarter and I guess if Fritsch got a mountain of space and good delivery he'd be a chance to get May too. But May's brilliance is in his positioning and body work before the ball arrives to gain an advantage for the contest. May buffered, blocked and out positioned Naughton in the 3rd term and did what very few key defenders can do on Naughton and beat him in contests and helped turn the tide. If he was given similar up field pressure and could do the same to Fritsch he wouldn't have touched it. Anyway, happy to agree to disagree. I just think Fritsch is more of a star in his role than a true star forward of the game. But I'm certainly keen to see more and see how he develops his partnership with a fit Ben Brown. I'd like to see Fritsch used in some different roles this year including up the ground more to use his penetrating kick creating goals as well as kicking them.

Unless an inside mid has to miss I can't see why he'd suddenly get elevated in to the team

I’ve been liking Gillard but I think Colvin is still more trustworthy at the contest mostly when the ball is on the deck. I also think it’s time for Shell Scott to have a rest. Maybe a freshen up does her good. Fitzsimon back in. Depending on the opposition and ground and various other factors we could move Sheriff to the wing, Heath back and rotate the mids forward more. But they are options.

5 - Mithen 4 - Heath 3 - Paxy 2 - Purcell 1 - Harris

I like her game. Reads it very well, punches, uses her height advantage. She’s doing an incredibly job as an 18 year old who was barely eligible for the draft

She’s been excellent since Mick came to his senses and moved her to the wing at half time last week. New lease of life

North have the rub of the green with umps and we’ve got the 2 vital 50’s resulting in goals. I think we should use Zanker and Purcell in tandem on Garner and free Hanks up to see if we can get some clearance wins.

Kate Hore needs to realise the pressure has gone way up this year and take first options. She consistently burns team mates

2 goals per final is about par these days given so many are tight low scoring contests. Hawkins single handedly turned a grand final. Greene’s had 30 and 3 in a grand final. Naughton had 9 marks and 2 goals against Port. We averaged 20 goals a final with a winning margin of 10 goals. Fritsch was a part of that scoring but he was also a benefit from excellent and constant supply. You can’t just declare him a superstar on the back of a sample size of 3 games. Not unless you want to swap Steven May on to Fritsch and give Naughton a run against the ghost of Easton Wood too.

This time last year we rested Oliver and Viney was out and otherwise we went with the best 22. I’d expect we’d go the best 22 again and only rest someone if they are sore. Hibbo and Salem two to watch in that regard. I don’t expect anyone outside the 22, or possibly the 25 if you include Hunt, Weid and Bedford to get a run. If Fritsch, Lever and Viney are good to go then that’s our best 28. The opportunity to throw young players in was there against North. But they can do it the old fashioned way through the VFL.

The top 50 is not just limited to one role. It was one game. Jayden Short was the runner up for the Norm in 2020, he didn’t become the games best back flanker. A fully fit Ben Brown and Pickett with more consistency and hopefully kicking 40+ goals again are better footballers.

I'm also the Melbourne coaches who decided he was our 11th best player and behind 3 other forwards. He played an old school undersized full forward role and did it very well, and had a blinder in the grand final. But if I had to pick 3 Melbourne forwards for this year I'd go Brown, Pickett and then have a tough choice between ANB and Fritsch.

The phrase he's used multiple times is 'most valuable players heading into season 2022'. He says he's assessed recent form but the decision making is based on who he thinks will be the best this year. So if I was lining up all the players in the comp and picking them purely for this year I'd have the following forwards (excluding the flanker/midfielder types) ahead of Fritsch: - Naughton, Greene, Hawkins, McKay, Charlie Cameron I'd say are 5 locks, any argument there? - Then I'd add Max King, Papley, Daniher and Ben Brown as 4 more I'd go with for season 2022. Did they have better seasons than Fritsch last year - no, but overall I'd say they are just better and likely to do so this year. So Fritsch is down to 10th at best. - Plus I'd certainly consider a number of others like Franklin, a healthy Jeremy Cameron, Breust and Kosi Pickett. Add in 10 defenders, 20 midfielders of various roles and a few rucks and suddenly that's 40 ahead of Fritsch. Goal kicking big midfielders who can go forward are the most valuable players in the comp. We've seen that with Fyfe, Danger, Dusty, Bont, Petracca really having a stranglehold over the comps best player status for probably a decade now. I totally understand the argument that guys like Heeney and De Goey haven't paid their dues to be thought of in that company, but the same was true of Petracca prior to 2020. 'Kmart Dusty' might be a joke but if you are the budget version of the games most dominant player then you'll be in the top 50 and climbing. If he doesn't do it this year I'll give up on him. But out of contract, on his last chance at Coll, new coach and a commitment to play him on ball, if his body holds up I think he'll comfortably be top 50.

I’d say Butters was close to top 50 in 2020. Cal’s betting on him resuming that trajectory. But it does seem inflammatory that he’s skipped the 30’s and 40’s and lobbed him in at 25