DeeSpencer

Same as Bugg last year. A player getting blocked off the ball - (which is a free kick), the guy gets sick of it, swings a round arm and hits the jaw not chest. He'll get his 6 but he's unlucky. He's only trying to do what Steele did to Oliver but luckily for Steele, Clarry didn't change direction, lower his body and cop it on the chin.

Dogs B+F 2014. Libba, Macrae, Dahlhaus, Wallis. Bont was 2nd in the Rising Star. Stringer was sent to the backline, then the VFL, then kicked a stack of goals in the 2nd half of the year. McCartney had no game plan besides throwing numbers at the contest and he might've lost some of the lesser young guys. And hey, maybe these young guys were just good but Bevo took over with half a dozen of the best young guys in the comp at his disposal. 1. Tom Liberatore 235 2. Jack Macrae 168 3. Ryan Griffen 154 4. Luke Dahlhaus 138 5. Robert Murphy 133 6. Dale Morris 124 7. Matthew Boyd 118 8. Stewart Crameri 117 9. Liam Picken 112 10. Mitch Wallis 99

I don't expect him to play well against the contested based Swans but I also think Lewis, Tyson and Vince are slow, Vanders isn't fully fit, the key backs aren't great and most of the team badly needs to use the ball better inside 50. Agree he stays. Doing a lot right with smart running, decent hands and doing enough in the contest.

FB: Vince Frost Jetta HB: Fritsch Pedersen Salem C; Harmes Oliver Tyson HF: Melky Hogan Spargo FF: Garlett T Mc Tracc Foll: Gawn Brayshaw Jones Int: Lewis JKH Vanders ANB Out: Oscar, Smith (inj) In: Pedersen, Melksham T. Smith to cover for Melk if injured or possibly replace Vanders if he doesn't pull up well/needs more fitness. If Hunt isn't right then all we can do is move Fritsch to half back to cover Joel Smith, slide Vanders/Tracc in to more midfield time and play an extra forward. Harmes to tag Heeney, that's vital. Time to make the move with Pedersen in for Oscar. Oscar just lost all confidence, can't watch the footy and keep track of his man at the same time. Frost really the only option for Buddy unfortunately because Joel Smith would've been a good 2nd choice back up. So the other keep b Sadly dislike the lack of pace in the backline given the way the Swans leave open space for their forwards but without Lever, Hibberd, J Smith and Hunt underdone it's the best we can do.

This is so heartbreaking. I hope the club can arrange some kind of appropriate gesture. The symbol or message on the banner is a good idea. Then his extremely brave wife and those little girls need all the support, love and fun they can get.

Maybe not my finest thread. But in 2014 I thought we should cash him out when he had value as his athleticism, kicking and decision making was never going to work down back. In 2015 I thought he should've been switched to a permanent forward role. It happened in 2017/ 2018. In 2017 I was a bit upset after he had a poor game where Melbourne threw away our finals chances. I wasn't the only one talking crap on that night. He's had a great year. If he can start sticking some tackles and get his radar on his set shots back he'll go to another level again.

We could always reanimate the corpse of Harry Taylor. I've said for 18 months now there's a spot in Geelong's forward line that would be perfect for Cam Pedersen and we could certainly do with Harry Taylor at full back for the rest of the year. Unfortunately mid season trading didn't get up.

Oscar McDonald the only regular starter yet to sign on for next year. Gold Coast potentially shopping May. A future first rounder, Oscar and steak knives Tyson. Where do I sign? May at FB, Lever at CHB, Frost capable enough to play either role or as depth or taking an opponent to free one of those other two up, Joel Smith developing along, Hibberd, Hunt, Salem, Jetta. That sounds like a premiership backline. Would be a lot of resources tied up in the backline but hey if you keep the opposition to 70 points each week we can find the small forwards and outside mid depth in the bargain bin.

So no direct rule that says you can't bump someone after they've handballed the ball. Comes down a grey area whether it's a reasonable bump or a 'charge'. Charging itself has been largely removed from the game and replaced with rough conduct which is a pretty general catch all rule.

15.12 FREE KICKS AFTER DISPOSAL (a) Subject to Law 15.12(b), a Free Kick will be paid against a player who makes Prohibited Contact to a Player who has disposed of the football or Prohibited Contact to a Player who is Shepherding a Player who has disposed of the football. The Free Kick shall be taken by the nearest Player to the location where the football touches the ground, or crosses the Boundary Line, as the case may be. If taking the Free Kick at this location will penalise the Team awarded the Free Kick, the Free Kick shall be taken by the Player against whom and at the location where Prohibited Contact was made. 15.4.5 Prohibited Contact and Payment of Free Kick A field Umpire shall award a Free Kick against a Player where they are satisfied that the Player has made Prohibited Contact with an opposition Player. Laws of Australian Football 2018 49 A Player makes Prohibited Contact with an opposition Player if the Player: (a) makes contact or attempts to make contact with any part of their body with an opposition Player in a manner likely to cause injury; (i) above the shoulders (including the top of the shoulders); or (ii) below the knees. (b) pushes an opposition Player in the back, unless such contact is incidental to a Marking contest and the Player is legitimately Marking, attempting to Mark or spoil the football; (c) holds an opposition Player who is not in possession of the football; (d) unduly pushes, bumps, blocks, holds an opposition Player or deliberately interferes with the arms of an opposition Player, who is in the act of Marking or attempting to Mark the football; (e) pushes, bumps, holds or blocks an opposition Player when the football is further than 5 metres away from the opposition Player or is out of play; (f) Charges an opposition Player; (g) trips or attempts to trip an opposition Player, whether by the use of hand, arm, foot or leg; (h) kicks or attempts to kick an opposition Player, unless contact is accidentally made whilst the Player is Kicking the football; (i) strikes or attempts to strike an opposition Player, whether by hand, fist, arm, knee or head; (j) holds or throws an opposition Player after that Player has disposed of the football; (k) engages in rough conduct against an opposition Player which in the circumstances is unreasonable; (l) Kicks or attempts to Kick the football in a manner likely to cause injury; or (m) bumps or makes forceful contact to an opposition Player from front-on when that Player has their head down over the football. 15.4.4 Charge or Charging (a) A Charge means an act of a Player colliding with an opposition Player where the amount of physical force used is unreasonable or unnecessary in the circumstances, irrespective of whether the Player is or is not in possession of the football or whether the Player is within 5 metres of the football. (b) Without limiting the general application of Law 15.4.4 (a), a Charge occurs when a Player unreasonably or unnecessarily collides with an opposition Player: (i) who is not within 5 metres of the football; (ii) who, although within 5 metres of the football, is not in the immediate contest for the football and would not reasonably expect such contact; (iii) who is attempting to Mark the football or who has Marked the football or been awarded a Free Kick; (iv) after that Player has disposed of the football; (v) who is Shepherding another Player on their Team; or (vi) before the football is brought into play.

Yeah that was a silly comment. 14-16 he was very consistent. Last year he did the job as a serviceable half back. I had doubts about him playing this year more because I didn't think he'd be best 22 (and still don't) and I wanted to see what younger guys like Wagner and Joel Smith had to offer but with Lever, Hibberd and Hunt all out injured he's mostly kept his spot. Very deserving of the 100 club games because the first 40 in particular were hard going.

I'm actually a huge fan of Tex. Beautiful kick on both sides, smart footballer, aggressive. He has a couple of problems: 1. Not suited to the captaincy. 2. After his ACL and even more so with injuries this year he moves in very straight lines. Frost is therefore the perfect match up because Frosty can stop most guys who just lead straight up at the ball. When our pressure was good up the ground it made Walker's movements predictable. Pyke really should've moved him deep so at least he could've worked Frost up and back and round and round. Jenkins. Never been a fan. Not a smart footballer. Great athlete and good skills but that's about it. Oscar can play him from behind and use his body to keep him under the ball. If Oscar was in good form he would've even marked some of the contest where he kept Jenkins under it. Anyway. Who cares about the Crows big boys? I'm more worried about our own. Tommy isn't catching it nearly as well as he did earlier in the year, his kicking is hot and cold and his tackling is disgusting. Got to get those ankles moving again. Lateral agility drills all day long please. Hoges is a mess. Not jumping, not running. And on the weekend not even holding simple marks.

It's not a few mistakes though. It's repeated fumbling, running in circles, being unable to break tackles to dish off a handball and missed goals. I think in the Cats game he single-handedly killed about a number of good scoring chances with the common mistakes he often makes. In my opinion there's a valid argument that ANB would do well with another 10 or so VFL games in the midfield getting 35 touches working on how to get out of congestion, honing his stoppage work, using his left sided skills and also nailing some goals on the run and set shots. At his best he's an important player, out of form he isn't. And if we had better options there'd be no harm in calling for them to come in. Maybe if Kent or Vanders were 100% fit at some stage over the last 6 weeks ANB might even have been dropped. I support the team not individual players.

Let's break this down a bit. First the defenders: - Astbury, Broad, Grimes are all locked down defenders who are excellent in contests and keep it simple with the ball. Astbury and Grimes are excellent footballers - Short and Ellis (when in form for Brandon) are excellent skilled running defenders - Vlastuin is a star who can do it all as a defender. - Rioli is battling injuries this year but he's a star. And Caddy is pretty close to it too this year, he's elevated his decision making and skills to be a really talented player. - Castagna and Townsend are very much role players in Richmond's system and they would frustrate fans in losing sides. That said, they have clearly defined roles. Castagna is a great athlete and uses his pace to pressure and stick tackles. Townsend is pretty much a cheap shot artist but he's mean and physical and competes in the air. The players ANB resembles more to me are Lambert and McIntosh. Like ANB those guys are both elite runners and therefore they get involved in play frequently and contribute defensively through work rate. However I wouldn't call either of them role players. A role player to me is someone who can excel in one part of the game - attack or defend - or one skill - hit out, punches, tackles, pressure - and that be enough to contribute to the side. ANB is going to keep finding the ball and being involved around the play and so to me he can't be classed as purely a role player. Lambert at Richmond sorted out his disposal and is now a superb player and has even gone in to the midfield more this year. McIntosh hasn't sorted his disposal and is still best 22 based on his run and contested work on a wing but has been dropped and played VFL footy. ANB has to keep developing his skills and awareness or he'll be more of a McIntosh than a Lambert.

Really? Crouch, Gibbs and others had shots on goal from 50+ that easily made the distance. Our kick outs from the goal square were falling just around the 50 mark. And other long bombs in from the Crows carried their forwards to get to Fritsch. Oscar's (not flushed) set shot blew wide and didn't get close. Not convinced it was a gale but looked a strong breeze which when combined with wet weather actually made it very hard for us to clear the backline. We pretty much set up to concede goals with the hope we could beat the clock and maybe score 1 or 2 ourselves on the quick rebound.

Has too many slip but he's excellent at picking the right opponent and the right moment to pressure and he has the speed and agility to get on guys quickly. Doesn't hold his tackles when bigger guys come straight at him but will chase down pretty well. I also think if Vanders is going to be the in I wouldn't bring him in straight after he's had a bye. Another game of match fitness and a chance to shake off the bye week rust could be important.

Think his best cracked in to the top 20 mids that I'd call A grade, as Jones probably was in 2014. Not convinced it was a long peak of quality though. His marking, and ability to get to and influence contests was as good as any midfielder not named Fyfe. A little surprised we put Harmes on to Sloane and not Gibbs but I guess it was to shut do Slaone befre he got started and go head to head with the rest

The most frustrating player on our list because he does so much that is very important with his huge work rate, but he's not quite fast or strong enough in the tackle to be a stand out defensive player. A yard quicker and a big stronger and he'd get a game every week purely on defensive chase downs and everyone would love him and excuse the errors with the ball. But his work rate is equally impressive in attack as it is defending and that means he's getting a heap of the footy in space across half forward. No left foot, not even a left side really, slow to process the play, wonky kicking. His best move is the big 270 spin and kick that can be a huge weapon but is also totally unpredictable. And he holds the ball low ready to kick so when he's tackled he can only drop if for a kick. Doesn't power through contract to give a handball. Useful but infuriating

How many times can I say given Hogan a rest? He's had knee, ankle and last week a hip and now another knee. Isn't jumping, isn't playing with any speed. Get him right. Play Weids or Tim Smith for the week. The fringe midfield/half forward brigade: Tyson, JKH, Spargo, ANB, Jeffy all did enough to keep their spots. Can't see how Vanders comes in there unless he plays a blinder. Joel Smith - horrible first half, but not so terrible to the extent that I'd be removing him for Josh Wagner or another fringe defender.

No arguments for me on the final play but for the rest of the game, the Darwin game (both on TV which never shows you the full picture) and for the Dogs game which I saw live I had no great issues with his positioning. The same dumb rushing up for tackles at times and the fake tough guy go the bump after the contest has been lost that Vince and several others of our backline/team love but all in all I think he's improved since with his time in the VFL. Anyway, we need Lever back and Hibberd and Joel Smith to keep improving and a healthy in form Hunt wouldn't hurt either, but barring that we need Oscar to find his legs and attack the game again. Maybe it's an issue of game time? Last time I checked Oscar had played more minutes than anyone in the comp. Jenkins going off to ruck could help him see more bench time and split the minutes more evenly through 7 defenders. That alone could get him running with more intensity.

I meant that Oscar is usually the deepest defender - that's his spot in the zone - and was caught trying to cover the back because that has been his role for most of the year. With pressure up the ground he's often stayed deep and let the forward come back to him. He holds his ground well and that's how he was taking his marks. He clearly had to get in front and stay there but it wasn't natural for him and so he was turned around by Hawkins multiple times and once Hawkins had a lead he had no pace to close. I'm not buying that every single kick to Hawkins - who had a stack of the footy including winning the ball off the ground - came from great delivery. Certainly the off the ground goal where he beat Oscar for speed/anticipation wasn't and a number of others weren't either. I'm not a huge Keilty fan, I'd give him a go if we needed a CHB against the right match up, but I'm not huge on him or Pedersen playing next week, the match ups don't look right. But if they did I'd gladly send Oscar back to the 2's, he's been off the pace for 6 weeks. Frost is in far better form since he had a good spell in the 2's. He's not a superstar but he's positioning himself much better, at least using the ball well by hand and holding some marks. Oscar is losing the confidence to aggressively attack contests and hold his marks that he had in the first 10 weeks of the year.

Sam Collins a realistic alternative! The cats are a well coached team. They dragged the flankers away to create space. Oscar was caught up in his zoning mentality and didn't take the dangerous space in front of Hawkins. Same thing happened with Lever in round 1 where every other cat forward dragged away and left Sav Rat on Lever with room in front. At some stage defenders have to defend. No one was expecting Oscar to keep Hawkins goal less but 6 on him and plenty of other handy pick ups and dish offs when clearly first to the ball killed us. Chris Scott might be a fool but he's a smart one.

Now I've had time to be a little less emotional I think Oscar might stay in the side. Only because he's had a decent record on Jenkins in the past, and Frost can take Walker. I'd like to see Pedersen at FB but he's too slow for Jenkins, and Keilty coming in at CHB to take Walker on debut doesn't seem fair. Hogan should definitely have a week off and it might be Tim Smith who replaces him. He can ruck against Jenkins and then Tommy Mc can play 90% game time as the main key forward. Use Smith as a decoy/pressure player and Melksham/Petracca FF/CHF as the secondary targets. Maybe Tyson stays and JKH goes, I'm really over caring about the depth mids. Give Baker a run on the wing though. ANB? Has to go. Had more fumbles than disposals for about the 8th week in a row. Kills momentum. Someone at Casey surely can provide 90% of his pressure without the glaring errors? Hannan? Bugg? Kent? JKH as a forward? Anyone???

Oscar simply couldn't get near Hawkins though. It wasn't being over powered or even out sprinted by a speedy player. He had decent position, but would get turned around or led to the ball and was floundering. Same thing happened against Schache, same thing happened against McCartin at times. Up field pressure sure helps but at some stage a defender has to read the kick, attack the contest and do their best. If Hawkins was clunking strong marks under pressure or shoving Oscar off with strength I could cop it. In the same lack of team defending Frost won 3 contests against Hawkins by using his speed to close on the contest and get a fist in. Oscar doesn't have the speed, so he has to be switched on and reading the play and right up on his opponent. Yet so many times he was trailing in miles behind. The signs were there against the Dogs when Schache - who has no discernible athleticism - left Oscar in his wake last week. Never said anything about the quality of opponent, was simply saying Frost was doing a decent job on the guy he was playing on most of the night. There was an opportunity to move Oscar on to Henry but they took far too long to do it.

I'm far from a Frost fan - he'll always make errors like rushing up for crazy tackles and letting his man over the back - but he looks in decent form right now and I'll admit he wasn't perfect at the end but he made some big plays on Hawkins after Oscar let him have free reign all night. Frost was mainly on Jack Henry who had 11 disposals and 1 mark for the game.