DeeSpencer

Viney was excellent in the first half and the only mid still trying in the second. His work rate stood out as head and shoulders above our other mids. Decision making not always perfect but he got sold in to trouble a lot more than he sold others. Jordon had some good moments but his refusal to take any risk when kicking the ball on counter attacks is really hurting us. He turns every counter in to a slow play before hitting very safe short options or bombing it - and often bombing it poorly. If you’re the opposition you’re delighted the more the ball is in Jordon‘s hands on the wing.

Amazing the way he manages to clean lose one on ones from a strong position. Cox and the other Freo talls are handy but they aren’t that good. If he gets consistently beat he can’t hold his spot in the side. It’s a shame because he started well getting some touches up the ground but he just can’t do the main job of a key forward. Just isn’t a competitor

Very much doubt Harmes will be ready

Weid, Melk, May McDonald, Tomlinson, Langdon

Do you still rate Dunstan or Melksham? They stink. Roll the dice and bring in anyone else from the state leagues to have a go.

I don’t like 19 or 20 teams, and I don’t like state governments forking out 20 million a year to have one. A few games a year of AFL teams and a strong local comp is enough for the Nt/Darwin.

Correct, but I believe we could entice one of them to bring that decision forward by a few months

Hibberd is one of 4 players I believe will retire at the end of the year.

Howes isn't the only candidate. And I'm not keen on long term prospects unless JT has a hidden gem. We're 2 injuries to mids or flankers away from having to choose between Dunstan and Melksham. That's not ideal.

We’re in our flag window with limited depth players, I don’t see why we wouldn’t be doing all we can to get a ready made option. Some guys can come in to a system and just click right away. Shouldn’t we be having a go? Even if it’s a gamble

Let me put your arm in that position and see if you still agree with that view. 2 for the guilty plea was very fair.

I’ll take them on face value that their assistant was changing careers. And maybe even that they aren’t worried about Finnigan leaving, a chance to freshen up. The Hawks are still one of the best at recruiting though, so he must be respected. Luff cutting and running from the list management gig screams fall out with the coach, head of footy or CEO. Rawlings hired him I think. If it’s CEO or coach that’s a worry. Remember one of Roosy’s core lessons - you don’t get anywhere unless you’re united and stable.

The thing about the Jackson - Gawn combo is unless teams track and match our rotations (which would be very tricky) opponents won’t go against one of them individually. And by going against a combination they don’t get to settle. Ryder has to adapt his plan at centre bounces, and then even more so has to adapt his plan around the ground. Up against Gawn he has to constant position in better spots or play as a defender to avoid getting out marked. Up against Jackson he has to chase him around the ground. I can see why you’d rate Jackson very highly because every time Gawn comes out rather than getting relief you get a whole new challenge. The Saints know this as much as anyone because they do the same thing with Marshall!

For a long time being short has been seen as a disadvantage for afl footballers, and in many ways it is. But Spargo uses his status as being low to the ground to change direction quickly with quick steps and baulks and then to deliver short sharp kicks. Add in the free kicks he draws (at times cheekily) and he takes advantage of his lack of stature. He played a little on the wing on the weekend I think. I’d still love to see him get the occasional centre bounce, he might get pushed around but I think he’d be really creative in there.

I can’t recall seeing a player genuinely hemmed in on the boundary kicking it straight up the line towards team mates and get pinged. It’s usually a player running free at half back with plenty of room to go up the line of the square. Or a player towards the middle of the ground using the fact that the boundary narrows at half forward. The cost is a free kick, on the boundary, generally way away from goal. Worst case scenario isn’t usually that bad: We saw that with Brayshaw last year and the Cats coughing it right back! The way I see it is umps can pay it, get 80% or so of them right, and punish negative play. OR we can go to last touch. One or the other though. Really pessimistic defensive footy deserves punishment.

The umps will say ‘back 5’ if a player is 5m behind the mark, where they’re allowed to move sideways and not stand. A lot of teams are good at dropping more like 3m away from the mark and getting the same advantage of moving sideways.

If a players intent is to kick it to no one and gain ground then there’s insufficient intent to keep the ball in play. I loved those decisions in the eagles game. Dumping the ball down the line knowing the boundary will save a potential turnover absolutely should be punished. Id even expand it and punish any kids from outside 50 that trickle over the goal line and fail to score. Whether it’s a skill error or a kick for touch I don’t care, you don’t deserve a throw in for being that bad. And you absolutely don’t deserve one for kicking for touch.

Standing over the mark: a problem, I hate it. If a guy is over he still needs to be pulled back immediately. Players going off their line: umps have generally done a great job calling this play on once players wander sideways (hello C Petracca). Back 5: way too liberally allowed and officiated. If there’s nah doubt they should be made to stand. Dogs and cats kings of the back 3.

I think Harmes would've moved to full time wing and Melk would've been a really good chance to take Harmes' role. If both Harmes and Langdon were out pre-game....hmmm, tricky. I'm still not sure who'd they choose out of Melksham, Baker or moving Gus and bringing in a defender. Melk hasn't played a lot on the wing but Goodwin's track record is picking him and not picking Baker.

When Brayshaw and Jordon both started on the wing they had some low possession games too. I wasn’t at the game to see if Melk was positioning correctly but it didn’t appear like North were suddenly galavanting up his wing. But that defensive work is more important than disposals. If Langdon’s out he probably did well enough to keep the spot if they don’t want to move Gus now. If there’s other options for the wing and the competition for a half forward/on ball rotation is Melk v Dunstan v Bedford then I really can’t have a strong opinion either way on that.

I wish they'd actually explain these incidents. A big dumping tackle is a reportable offence. They can state why they think it wasn't or why the level of force makes it less than a fine or suspension, but instead they don't. There's not actually any explanation in their explanation!

It's the second time Thomas has injured one of our players in 2 games this year. He likes to dish it out, not sure if he puts himself on the line to the same extent. But I'd certainly love that tackle it was Viney or Kossie.

We won a premiership on the basis of our key defenders and Max marking or clean spoiling the ball. Every AFL coach talks up the importance of forwards bring the ball down. And Weid has plenty of games where he doesn’t get to the right spots or gets bodied off it. Brown’s isn’t perfect, he can be moved off the line too easily too, but in terms of positioning and competing in the air I think he’s far better

Brown just about never but I’m fairly sure Tom did it in the last few weeks. McDonald’s 11 pressure acts is very solid for a key forward. Miles ahead of Weid’s 5.6. (And Brown’s 6). Maybe JVR could be at 8-10 pressure acts and lay a few tackles, but his VFL form just hasn’t suggested he’s a reliable goal kicker or mark at that level yet. 1 good game isn’t enough for a debut. Watch this video from a week and a half ago. Choco isn’t pushing JVR as ready to go at all Brown had a couple of goal assists, took a nice clunk mark and missed a sitter. Bought it to the ground at times fairly well. Walker and Corr played him well, the delivery was awful and McDonald, Fritsch and Gawn got the shots at goal this week. Weid’s had a good chance this year, he hasn’t delivered.

A teenage tall who probably blows up by half time and Weideman, who hasn’t chased down anyone since 2018 isn’t going to fix our lack of speed in the forward line. Tom might need a rest if he’s injured but otherwise he’s doing his job since he came back in to the side. Brown and Weid are pretty much the same player defensively but in attack Brown’s worst days are less frequent and less bad. Brown is the one player from our list that I think should be managed through the season like he was last year. There was a good argument not to take him to Perth and/or to avoid 6 day breaks. But he also needs continuity and unless he plays a true shocker I’d lock him in for the next 3 weeks before the bye.