DeeSpencer

Looked to me like Bowes handballs and at the same time it gets smothered back in to him by Hogan who then tackles him. So his prior opportunity resets, he's then tackled and the ball spills out in the tackle. Would need a reverse camera angle to see. Either way, effective forward pressure turns a potential goal from a holding the ball in to a certain goal. Lovely look away handball by Hoges.

Copying soccer's red card rule and taking a team down to 17 a side would be stupid. Soccer invokes a send off with a red card because harsh punishments are needed for dangerous plays - to avoid leg and head injuries mainly - and for plays that kill scoring chances given how few there are in a game. Plus it's a game based on 3 substitutions and not rotations. Making the game 18 on 17 doesn't' make sense for AFL football. You can't defend and counter attack with 1 short in AFL footy like you can in a soccer game. I'm against red cards/send offs because these incidents are so rare (only about 3 in this whole season) so I don't see the point, but if you were to bring it in you'd start with sending the player off and allowing them to be replaced. That's enough retribution.

Hunt at his best used his speed to defend and to run in to space to receive as much as he did to have those big breaking runs through the middle. Coaches have caught up to the big run and the game has got faster with less plodders to run by but speed from half back is still a valuable weapon. Just don't think Hunt was fit and healthy at the start of the year. Was hands on hips after every effort instead of making the defensive play and then flicking straight in to attack. I don't think 1 VFL game will be enough to have him at his peak fitness. A couple more games at Casey and he could be an option either down back or up forward if they lose all faith in Garlett.

We don't have a good defender to bring in to replace Smith yet alone Bernie. Hibberd and Hunt when right, and maybe Wagner the options but sadly the backline is copping it with injuries. Bernie has played 2 absolute stinkers against Carlton and GC in near 100 point wins. Maybe he likes to give those sides a bit of hope!

Punching receives a fine from the MRP. Or sometimes no fine at all if minor force. Unduly rough tackles receive suspensions as well. Players are constantly belting elbows in to each other, throwing swinging arms in to tackles and crunching don't argues in to the chest or head. Gaff's was worse than that but I don't agree it was a simple stand and deliver punch. It was a wild lashed out round arm. I'm not saying Gaff shouldn't get a lengthy suspension but I thought it was an in game incident and not a completely vicious one that had no context in the game. Barry Hall's was worthy of criminal charges. Bugg's wasn't and I don't think this is either. If you watch the replay you'll see that it wasn't 100m from play. Gaff was right near the play and you'll see the umpire calling play on to the player with the ball. That's what I mean by getting sucked in to Ross Lyon's emotions. Of course Ross is emotional, but that's why we have a tribunal and why courts have independent judges and juries and it's not people with close relationships who get to decide on the punishment of someone else. I criticised Goodwin last year for being too harsh on Bugg. I though he and the club should've done more to defend Bugg as a good guy who made a costly mistake. Instead we went down this line of Bugg having to earn trust back from other players.

Brayshaw was blocking Gaff from running. Under tribunal rules that's in play and it makes sense with how this occurred. If the ball was 1m away he wouldn't have been blocking and scrapping. Don't get fooled by Ross Lyon's emotions. 175 games for West Coast without incident and Adam Simpson clearly holds him in high regard. If he wants to stay there they won't change their offer to him one cent. Joel Smith was dumped in a crude and possibly illegal tackle and is currently having reconstructive collar bone surgery. Should that be a case of assault as well?

I think we are well stocked with Hibberd, Joel Smith, Lever and Hunt for medium sized defenders with a variety of skill sets to replace Vince. Unfortunately all 4 are injured! Josh Wagner and Pat McKenna both options as well. What we do need is at least 1 hard running and clean ball using flanker to replace Lewis and I'd love to give Lockhart a chance. Worried that he's playing himself above a 3rd round selection though.

Kid? He's 18. He's a man. If he's not maybe he shouldn't have entered the draft or should be playing WAFL. It wasn't outside a night club though was it? It was on a footy field and context matters. He was blocking Gaff's run on the field. Gaff was barely looking at him. Brayshaw wasn't either and you can see him dip down to move away from Gaff. Gaff took a swing for his chest to whack him away and smashed his chin. Gaff has played 170 odd games and never hit someone in the head before. That, and the vision, counts for something with me. More so than a hypothetical.

Of course any mother would be distraught. I don't expect Gaff to be on her Christmas list but I imagine in time she'll come to forgive him. Especially once Andy is back healthy which I hope is sooner rather than later. As for Ross - well it's nice to find a distraction rather than talking about Freo's form. He's coached many players who have been suspended for some nasty things over the years I'm sure.

Angus and Andrew's brother Hamish plays for the Eagles. The Brayshaw's will get over it. Mr Brayshaw probably understands that these things happen in footy. Mrs Brayshaw has been through a lot but I doubt she'd hold a grudge. Smart sponsors will be happy a very good footballer has joined the Demons. They'll be fine.

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.