DeeSpencer

Absolutely, more bounce from half back, half forwards leading hard and above everything a greater midfield work rate would really open things up. But good teams aren’t just giving the corridor up repeatedly.

JJ’s (nearly) fatal flaw is he can’t weight his kicks on the run. He has an elaborate kicking action with good penetration but it has a big wind up that struggles unless he’s balanced. He can kick a goal on the run because there’s no concern about depth. But when he gets the ball and has forwards streaming to different patches of space that require a 20-40m weighted pass he often won’t pull the trigger. He’ll just wait for the shot target to unlock and chip it. Langdon can’t kick either but backs his legs and has developed a pop pass that works at times. Gus will sometimes hold play up, other times will go for it and either make it or send it 4 rows deep in the crowd. In handball situations JJ is usually good. Draws tacklers, keeps the legs pumping, covers a heap of ground. But with teams so good at covering the corridor and our half backs so bad at providing genuine drive there’s a question of how much attack we are losing by having such a safe player on the wing. Honestly I’d love to try Petracca on the wing in very short bursts when it’s clear the ball is getting stuck there. He’d get great one on one match ups and space to use his powerful risk/reward kicking.

If he’s going to tag Neale on Friday then he can only play a half at most today. Maybe even not at all

Gawn gets man handled at every marking contest and averages 1.8 free kicks a game. Should be 6+! Given he competes for at least 30 marks a game I’m impressed he doesn’t flop for more. Certain coaches would be in the media every week after the treatment Gawn gets. May likes to leap forward when pushed in the back. That should be a free kick. He definitely takes a risk in playing it up and maybe he shouldn’t. But he only takes front position when he’s read the ball better and he gets clean shoved in the back. No better example than when Hawkins tore his hamstring by shoving him. I’m more worried that May gets a little nervous and drops marks when he isn’t sure what’s behind him, but that’s part of his quirks.

May was excellent at times but had a couple of howler moments. Including the big gamble off McKay that gifted the goal and a smothered kick. I liked Brayshaw’s game on Cripps around the ground. People get angry on here when you question Gus’ disposals but it was his standard throw it on the boot and pray it works out. And whilst it wasn’t Salo’s finest moment Gus drilled a 15m kick that was nearly impossible to mark just to mix it up from the bombing

Umpires couldn’t afford the legal fees

They’re missing Kennedy, Hewett, Cerra (3/5ths of their starting mids) from their midfield and Williams and Newman down back too (with Docherty forced to play on ball). No idea how they’ve juiced the salary cap to keep importing players but it’s a strong list. Add those 5 and take out Stocker, O’Brien, Marchbank, Setterfield, Motlop and it’s a strong best 22 that would’ve touched us up easily

Didn’t kick straight and had a shocker with that play on out of bounds, but otherwise there was a very solid amount of contesting with some good clunk work too. He’s playing up high to generate space for Melk and Fritsch too.

Like most footballers he does struggle when shoved clear in the back.

I’ll be less negative when our players and coaches start putting out a product that isn’t so negative. Jayden Hunt and Trent Rivers tonight took the game on late and created scoring chances. If we get some run, carry and corridor football I’ll start believing. Until then, we’re making up the numbers.

Good, yes. Amazing, no. 9 kicks, a solid by un spectacular 6 score involvements, 187m gained, no score. Apart from an excellent kick to Curnow early that caught May stuck in no man’s land Cripps’ influence was kept to the phone booth.

Curnow might be the best forward in the game and he had the 1 mark and goal late which came from awful midfield defensive work from a stoppage and that was it for the game. I think it was Petty’s best pure defensive game of his career Have to put Melk one, but Petty’s a worthy 2.

6 - Melk 5 - Petty 4 - Hunt 3 - Brayshaw, excellent job on Cripps 2 - Rivers 1 - Pickett

Yep get him in for Melksham. That’s a good idea

He’d make us worse forward and worse in the ruck. Jacko was great in the ruck early and made a contribution forward, just couldn’t nail tricky shots. They’ve got the balance right that brings Gawn and Brown in to the game as it goes on. If the team kept running they’d all get more chances as forwards.

Saad didn’t get a single corridor kick all night, hoof hoof as he blows it down the line. ANB was very very good.

Against a side with 3 talls he stays in but against smaller line ups we really should ask what the point of Lever is chasing around half back flankers, Hibberd, Hunt and Rivers all did a better job intercepting and actually provide rebound.

Will never happen but we’d be no worse with Harmes for Petracca. His defensive work is a joke and he’s not giving much offensively. JJ and Sparrow just going about their roles. So they’re the most vulnerable. Gus more wing and Harmes to Neale makes sense. Not really his fault but Spargo struggling. Bedford and Chandler managed this week from VFL The problem with the side is mostly the best players underperforming and not the role players.

All a bit hypothetical as he’ll probably land at the Hawks but I actually think we’d keep JJ in his current wing role and use Amon on ball, rotating forward and perhaps as the 3rd winger. We need more kicking skills and run from the on ball brigade than we do from the wings. Ie. the role Brayshaw has played the last two weeks but Amon actually has the ability to hit a target.

The problem with Gawn (and Grundy) playing forward is it's really hard to carry more than 1 immobile non tackler in a forward line and maintain forward pressure. Jackson's mobility is what allowed Brown with McDonald and Fritsch to work. If that's Gawn/Grundy then we're really going to struggle to play Ben Brown. Which honestly might be ok because Ben Brown's struggling to play AFL too, so it's a bit mutual. But it probably means calling time on the structure and value of the 2021 forward set up. Gawn positioning 55m away from long bombs, with McDonald and/or JVR and/or another medium marking option and Fritsch all working to various space off that reference point makes sense. It's what the Pies are doing now with Cox and did with great success in 2018. It's often how the Tigers use Lynch.

Weid has 1 more year on what has to be modest coin, if things go well JVR takes that salary spot I guess. Both Brown and McDonald have 2 years on what would be significant but not massive amounts. Neither seem likely to play longer than those 2 years, not for big money anyway. I'd suggest our key forward budget is well and truly open for 2025, which might even mean we could bring someone in on a backloaded deal for the next couple of years too. But I'd doubt we'd even be thinking about Grundy if we had a proper big fish key forward on the line.

We don’t usually announce rookies so early in the piece, that’s interesting. AMW: Really like the Niz, he makes quick aggressive decisions with the ball and can take a mark. Groins haven’t quite held up to afl training just yet but if he gets on top of that and puts in the work I think he can develop in to something. Smith: I like the way he plays as an aggressive small defender with a great leap, but his skills haven’t come on too much and he’s undersized. A touch surprised they locked him in this early. McVee: has settled in well at Casey and is improving his output. Seems like a smart player with a good balanced all around game for the VFL level. Struggling to see the AFL upside though. Hasn’t really shown the pace, size or ball winning to fit in any backline role.

Amazing that one minute the Pies are crying foul about their silly child who throws himself in to every tackler looking for high contact, but then spent Friday night going head high at players tackled to the ground. Happened to Langdon, happened to ANB, happened a handful of times. If we play them again we need a lesson on tackling intensity. Honestly, find a list spot for Vanders and give him the first 5 minutes of the game.

The problem with that logic is: Keath, Jones, Lobb, Josh Bruce are all 30+ next year with a host of injury and other issues. Darcy and JUH are just babies unlikely to produce consistent footy until 2024 if not longer. A spine of 30+ and babies is asking for trouble. The only way it makes sense for the Dogs is if Jones and Lobb are actually moves getting made after they've already decided to move Naughton. Which means there's either been a serious falling out and/or they're interested in the Jackson compensation package. I can't imagine they're actually keen on Lobb and a late first (or 2) for Naughton, so the latter seems unlikely.

We aren’t 2008 Hawthorn, and none of our mids can consistently hit a target. But Fritsch has no problem generating one on ones and kicking goals. Naughton would have a field day. But I just can’t see the dogs off chasing Lobb and Jones and giving up their best tall