DeeSpencer

Sign immediately: Brayshaw, Jetta, Oscar, Harmes Probably stay: T Smith, Balic Could go either way: Kent, Keilty, Wagner, Vanders, Flippers, King, Johnstone, McKenna Probably go: Bugg, Vince, JKH, Pedersen As far as contracted players: Frost, Stretch and Tyson the three most likely to seek trades I would've thought, unsure there will be much interest for any of them. And we might want to investigate moving Garlett.

Lucifer's contract template

I was a Kent fan from his debut up until 2016. Last year was shocking. But in a very small sample size his 2018 games looked vastly improved. - Nailed his shots on goal - kept his feet - laid some tackles - held his marks As for the rest of our small/medium smalls: I love Spargo but he is just a kid. I'm still very sceptical on ANB who works super hard but makes terrible decisions under pressure and isn't quick enough to get out of trouble or to run down good defenders. Garlett is pretty well done unless he proves otherwise. Hannan is just floating through games and isn't a proven tackler either. Bugg has the right work rate but his skills are just too far below the standard. Vanders is a hope that he can get back. Balic is yet to prove anything. Pretty much what I'm saying is I have little faith in any of our small forwards and I really could see Kent coming back in and making the team better and I'd like to see him rotated up to the wing for short bursts as well. I wouldn't bet on it happening or working, but there's a lot of people putting faith in some players who haven't done anything really. If Kent does come back in and isn't picked then yeah both he and club would be better off parting ways. But there's still a lot of time left in the year.

I'm actually not all that negative about Monday or where the club is at. I just think we need to keep making some big strides. Climbing back out of the dungeon we were in has been a mighty effort but if we don't keep making big progress things will stall. I get what Goodwin was doing but I didn't like it. The best thing he can do to represent the club is bring up a bad stereotype? There's nothing else he could find? I fear there's still an absence of solid Melbourne people in and around the team. Goodwin is very keen on a new era to distance the team from the failures of the recent past, I get that, but the best clubs are supported by their history. Roos manufactured the 'bloods' culture for the Swans, who hadn't been at South Melbourne for decades. Against good teams this year we have been a very passive team. No aggression against Hawthorn, Rich or Collingwood. Collingwood were certainly playing for the fireman. You can't manufacture those kinds of stories but they are what footy clubs should be about. I'm not convinced by any part of our defensive set ups. Our forward pressure has been lousy all year. Look at the number of forward 50 tackles we have every week. Bugg had a good game, Garlett one good game in Brisbane, otherwise it's a lot of ordinary pressure. Lazy kick in defending as well. The midfield spread still isn't up to scratch, it was better than the first month but took a step backwards on the weekend. And Lever wouldn't have done anything against the Pies. He would've been a deer in the headlights with the way the ball was coming in. Unfortunately none of the defenders could do much at all under pressure.

There were some things that troubled me deeply about Monday. I've done my spiel on Lewis. I'll add a few others: - Daniher's speech to the players going public, I didn't like that, I would like to see that kept behind closed doors - Goodwin's ski clothes - mocking his own members - Collingwood playing for a guy with MND far more than we were playing for Neale - Good players unable to deal with big game pressure - A team built for one particular style and light on for defensive substance across all 3 areas of the field I still think we have a long way to go in building the club and team that has an identity to draw on. Maybe the team finds it's identity and the club then swings in to gear. That seemed to happen with Richmond and the Dogs, from almost nowhere the team is winning and the club has a great feel to it. The Dogs have now completely lost that by the way. Nath Jones' 250th was a nice club moment, we need to keep that stuff rolling. I'd like to see Goodwin be less clinical and more emotional and I'd like to see a bit less 'brand' and bit more 'club'.

Back on changes: Todd Marshall in for Port makes me even more keen for Petty to get a run. 2nd year key forward (and a handy one at that) is a fair match up for a first year key defender.

Sure but his give offs are often short little get out of trouble handballs. I'd like to see him work on the Sam Mitchell style that almost invites the tackler in but can still get a strong handball away. Richmond last year, Hawthorn and Collingwood this year, teams are pushing us back because we are inviting it. I think the coaches are too blame as much as anyone but Clarry should get the ball going forward more.

The best way to get Tyson in would be to drop Hannan, keep Tommy Mc and Hogan forward all game, move Petracca deeper when forward and rotate a mix of Jones, Viney, Brayshaw, Harmes and Fritsch all through the forward line. Tyson could play about a 50/50 mix of on ball (with Oliver, Jones, Viney, Gus and Tracc) and wing (with Fritsch, Harmes and Gus). Tyson certainly isn't a natural wingmen but it's not like he's the worst of all time in that role. Positioning and defensively he's ok and he moves to get the ball as a wingmen pretty well. The lack of pace and poor footskills certainly hurts but if the minutes are minimised it might not be a critical problem. I'm not convinced we should pick him nor do I think he's going to suddenly change the clearance count, but if we do pick him I think he could help. My favourite Tyson attribute might be his safe hands overhead after a short/medium kick in traffic comes his way. Combined with his good work rate he could unlock the ball movement that went missing on Monday. The midfield all looked so flat against the Pies. None of them were looking for the switch or 45 in to the corridor. Tyson is often working hard to make that happen.

Oliver isn't without blame. His handballs can be too hot potato and too short. Little 1m gives that don't achieve much. There's been a bit of that since he broke his hand. Viney tries too much but Oliver probably tries too little! I'd like to see him draw opponents a bit better so the guy who he's giving it to has more time, and of course he does need to kick more in some situations. A ruckman who is better at ground level would help as well but that's the reality of Gawn. He's never going to be amazing after the hit outs, so you have to maximise your return from the hits. Grundy's ability to bear hug him before the ball was thrown up certainly didn't help his cause. And the game plan was a factor as well. 5 forwards and a man off the square failed badly. It didn't seem to provide any protection to halt their clearances and it put us on the backfoot either over handballing or kicking it to a spare defender. If we are to use this tactic again I think we need to change the personnel. ANB doesn't have the smarts, speed or skills to be the off the back of the square guy. I'd probably use Nath Jones in that role and have Petracca in at more centre bounces that way. After the bounce Jones goes on ball and Tracc forward. Or use Brayshaw off the square and maybe Hannan or ANB on a wing until they swap at the next stoppage.

Very keen for him to stay forward and if possible not even go on the wing for the next little while, but if we do come up against a team with 2 genuine rucks he has a fair bit to offer in that role. Certainly a lot depends on the match ups. Collingwood are a threat because Grundy's work rate means Gawn probably needs a decent break each quarter. Against lesser first rucks we can leave Max out for longer. And against teams without a legitimate 2nd ruck it's not issue at all.

Strangely I actually think this could be good for both Jayden and us. He just hasn't looked like himself this year. After every drill in preseason he'd labour back to the group hands on hips. The brilliance of his speed was that he could sprint to get the ball, gather and burst again, there was little of that this year. Lots of fumbles instead. He didn't seem to be coming good at Casey. So some time off and a rest for his body might do him some good. I wouldn't rush him either. Give him a good amount of time to get healthy and get him back at Casey hopefully with a few VFL and AFL games left and there's always plenty of time for him to come in to the team.

They had in the centre square: Wines - Viney Rockliff - Jones SPP - Oliver Wingard - Brayshaw/Harmes/Petracca Wings: Polec - Fritsch Ebert - Brayshaw/Harmes Westhoff/Motlop - Tommy Mc/Brayshaw/Harmes And forward: Dixon - Oscar R Gray - Jetta Westhoff/Motlop, Watts, Boak, S Gray, Neade - J Smith, Hibberd, Lewis, Salem, Vince Could play Petty and use him on Westhoff/Watts and to provide aerial support infront of Dixon, but it might not be the week to bring him in looking at Port's structure. I'd do it because I'm not convinced there's the right match ups for Vince and Lewis. The Wines to Wingard combination caused Richmond a heap of trouble. We have to stop that. And we have to be prepared to help Clarry deal with SPP. They use a lot of variety on the wings. Polec is silk, Ebert is just a good solid contributor. Certainly important to get on top at the coal face. Their young backline is very underrated. No chance of winning unless we are getting one on ones and far better forward pressure.

Gold Coast aren't giving him up cheaply and he's not the mobile player we like. Tommy Mc can ruck if needed, I hope it's a card they are waiting to play later in the year. Tim Smith will come back in and do the job as back up. Or Weeds long term, or Pedda with a run of games against lesser opponents. Wright isn't any better than Sammy Weeds, he's just had more games at GC to get some cheap goals.

What do you rate our performance out of 10 to this point? Why? 6/10. We've gone 7 wins 0 losses against bottom sides, that's 10 out of 10. 1 win 4 losses against the good sides drags it right back. Even in wins the forward pressure has been average, the defensive one on ones just ok. And the midfield clearances up and down. Get better at those 3 things and we'll be a more sustainable good side. Which player has impressed you the most? Tommy Mc. Showed signs of a good forward last year but has got better off an injury interrupted preseason. Oliver maybe next. Fritsch. Throw back N Jones in the guts. The best games of Harmes and Melksham. Which draftee has made the biggest impact? Charlie Spargo. Fritsch probably the best and most consistent but Spargo really has given us what we needed across half forward. What has been our best win to date? Surprisingly it's the North game. Gave them a 4 goal lead and then dominated, should've won by more with good finishing and smarter ball use inside 50. Which player(s) needs to improve in the second half of the year? Track-daddy. Hibbo has to find consistency Forwards all have to sort their pressure out. What has been our most disappointing performance? The Hawthorn game was a team disliking the rain and almost giving up. Richmond game ok. Pies game smashed early and flaws exposed. Where do you see us finishing? Give a win/loss and finishing position 13-9 and 8th.

I've actually liked his year (outside of the Carlton game stinker) but there's very little composed about Bernie Vince right now. He's just running around giving his best. So I wouldn't put him in the composure category. Joel Smith played a fair game under immense pressure first up for the year and 3rd game overall. His spoils, smothers and tackles stood out. He'd made some blues with the good stuff but at 1/4 time he was probably the only defender who had broke even. Made some errors with his kicking but those are the kind of errors you cut out pretty easily with some more games and development. Harry Petty looks a natural, I'd love to see what he can do. I think you can play those guys and they can fill roles as willing defenders and competitors. Composed ball use is vital. Jetta is great at it. Salem is the best user in the team and doesn't panic when faced with a contested ground ball. Oscar now has a steady kick. Hibberd when not trying to do too much is reliable. All of Harmes, Brayshaw and Fritsch could do the job and we could bring in another forward or mid if needed. Or Nath Jones. The high half back sweeper role is the easiest position in footy. The ball comes to you and you can use it in any direction.

Really, I thought yesterday under pressure in the first quarter the backs were incredibly slow to set up with a number of stoppages in Collingwood's forward line. In fact I think they got one or two goals from forward stoppages when it wasn't right in the first 20 minutes. The backs also failed at spreading quickly and encouraging the switch. Hibberd and Salem are the two players I'd have in charge. I'd use them to get Joel Smith and (if it were me) Petty lined up correctly. Probably room for one of Lewis or Vince still as we don't have a lot of obvious inclusions so no doubt that experience is valuable but a 30+ year old guy shouldn't be in charge of the show, there's enough others who have played plenty of footy. And surely Oscar and Jetta don't need to be told what to do, they've been playing back in this system for the longest?

The hair is relevant. He spent all last year making sure it wasn't pulled out of place. Seems to have a stronger more reliable rug this year, I was hoping it would help his form. Look good, play good. He's not just a regular player, he's a player who does more media for the club than any other, a responsibility and a privilege. It also makes him harder to drop. AFL 360 probably don't want to hear from a Casey player every Tuesday night.

Stress Worried about making mistakes Pressure Overwhelming Overly frustrated Yeah Tom sure sounded like a confident defender. Tom is clearly a player with a new found confidence and at the time I made a thread about him he was clearly a player without a lot of confidence. I stand by it. Just as I'll stand by this one. There will be a touch of short term pain against certain sides where Lewis' ability to find and sometimes use the ball will be missed, just as there was short term pain last year without Tom down back. But in the long run we will have defenders who can actually defend and physically compete with the best sides.

You need to go to the footy with some new people. Might've been third best for Collingwood.

TOM MCDONALD believes a permanent move to the forward line will allow him to play with newfound freedom, with the Melbourne swingman glad to be free of the pressures of defence. Following surgery on both of ankles at the end of last season, and integrating into main training in the past month, McDonald said he was relishing his time training at the opposite end of the ground for the first time in his career. "I don't know why but it's taken a bit of the stress away from playing footy," McDonald told AFL.com.au. "Sometimes as a defender I was so worried about making mistakes. The pressure that comes with being a full back or centre-half back can be overwhelming at times, and I tend to get overly frustrated with myself and it costs me." http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-02-12/mcdonald-ready-for-his-crack-up-forward I was paraphrasing but I stand by it. The guy was making mistakes and I'd be pretty sure he meant with the ball more than defensively. Either way, he's a whole new player as a forward and my point was that Tom openly admits he had issues playing as a defender. I'd love to find a new position for Lewis but there's no where to hide a plodder these days. Half back is the best option but eventually the time comes from there as well.

Bummer, just not his year this year I think. Has looked out of form since preseason. Actually looked really tired all summer as well. Keep one of the old timers in the side then. Probably Bernie.

0 impact. How many did he get from playing on from the kick out.

Has Tom McDonald played as a defender since then? Or did the coaches eventually - through injury or otherwise - wake up to the fact it wasn't working and move him forward. Even Tom himself admitted he'd lost all confidence in his ball use as a defender. If you got them to speak honestly I think you'd find a few team mates who have lost all faith in Jordan Lewis as capable of winning a one on one contest or willing to really put his body on the line for his team.

FB: Jetta Oscar Hibberd HB: J Smith Petty Salem ? Fritsch Oliver Stretch HF: ANB Hogan Spargo FF: Viney Tommy Melksham Foll: Gawn Brayshaw Jones Int: Hunt, T Smith, JKH, Harmes Out: Vince, Lewis, Pedersen, Hannan, Petracca In: Petty, Hunt, T. Smith, JKH, Stretch That's my 5 as of tonight. Let the bye and actions of players demand if they be picked and not dropped. I think Harry Petty deserves a shot as a genuine CHB and I just want Hunt back in. Had enough of the old battlers. Bull Smith is an obvious one to come in and offer more than Pedersen as the third tall. Thought Pedersen went ok and still has to be an option if Hogan or T Mc get injured but we need the forward pressure, we can't have 3 non tackling talls. Otherwise I think it's time for midfield reinforcements even if guys have had a rest after the bye. That means Stretch in on a wing to tag Polec and in more of a surprise I'd give JKH one last shot as a midfielder. I'd be resting/rotating the mids more through the forward line, starting with Jack Viney opening the game in a forward pocket and setting the tone for forward pressure. But Harmes, JKH, Fritsch, Oliver I'd rotate them all through. No more rotating Tom McDonald on a wing. No more Hogan on ball either unless he's not getting in the game.

Not sure they are all that tall but they are very solid and they can all compete with good size/speed/strength profiles. Besides from getting smashed on the inside they just seemed like more ready made primed AFL footballers. Guys who could run and contest and really crack in. I think we need to start picking some higher quality athletes to return serve against the best teams. He made some skill errors but Joel Smith was able to do things with his athleticism. In the first quarter he looked ready to play when and able to physically get involved. A backline featuring Maynard, Langdon, Crisp and Greenwood as flankers is some serious beef. However with appropriate pressure they should start coughing up the ball. Sadly we couldn't chase or tackle any of these guys to force mistakes outside a patch in the 2nd quarter. Stephenson and Hoskin-Elliott had a field day. I'm not surprised. I thought Jetta and Hibberd/Vince could largely restrict them if given the right midfield support and that's where Salem and Lewis could beat Josh Thomas and Daicos. ANB and Spargo (and the rest of the forwards) couldn't get the pressure. Melksham, Hannan and Petracca couldn't get the goals. Everyone looks better in wins than loses but we need more consistently applied grunt.