DeeSpencer

Haven't watched enough of Casey to tell you whom out of JKH, Kent or Kennedy should be picked. If he'd just been a bit more consistent and kicked a couple of goals I'd throw DJ in because Garlett's tackling is probably the one thing I'd like to replace the most. If they pick JKH I'd rather him play on a wing or high half forward and Stretch and ANB are in those spots and I wouldn't move them right now. Kent's the most natural forward but his tackling and pressure is ordinary. Process of elimination I'd lean towards Kennedy. Thinking a bit out of the box could we bring in both Wagner and Mitch White, roll Vince on to a wing/mid to tag Heeney or Hannebery, and then use Harmes as a pressure forward? Or Hunt goes forward. I don't hate that idea. Even if it makes the backline very young.

But was in our best 5 against Collingwood and the Dogs. We just have to hope the aggressive and focused Oscar turns up. Because when he's confident and attacking the ball he's good enough to stop Reid. I think a lot of the problem against West Coast was that McGovern, Darling and Petrie were moving and swapping well together. They know how to undermine zone defending because their tall backs (ie. McGovern himself, and Barrass) are some of the best at playing it. Hopefully Sydney don't have that same level of smarts.

Wagner to Sam Reid. Oscar to the resting ruck - Sinclair/Nankervis. Or vice versa, with the important thing being Oscar gets in the right position to play a tall to his strengths (reading of the play and work rate) and Wagner can use some bulk and mobility to shepherd the other tall up the ground and hopefully give some run and rebound. Tom stays forward because ball movement, scoring and forward pressure is going to be our best chance of helping out the backs rather than upgrading the backs themselves. That said, I'd certainly consider Tom back and Weeds in. And if it was a final I'd probably do that, but with Hoges a week away and both Weeds and Oscar needing continuity and confidence I don't think it's worth changing it up. Oscar might concede 2 more goals than Tom but Tom might get that back up forward (through work rate and effort if not actual goals) over what Weeds would provide.

I can live with him being down on pace and even not that great defensive running. We can move him around to hide that. Skills good but not great, good ability to get the ball out space. But if he doesn't stop shirking it soon he needs a run in the 2's. ASAP. Young Oscar McDonald has lovely skills, reads it well enough and could be a player, but he shows occasions where his priority is protecting himself rather than attacking contests. He can't have a leader along side him like Lewis pulling up short steps on leads, not bending down to get the ball, hot potato handballing or punching the ball on instead of taking some contact. The self preservation act has got to go before it spreads throughout the team.

Yes he was wearing a helmet thing morning. And was kept out of any competitive drills. He doesn't really need confidence. He needs technique training, awareness, strength and a bit of good luck. The helmet might help with the latter - it could provide a small amount of cushion for any time he's unlucky to get hit in the head. Otherwise though I hope there's a plan to teach him the rest. A bit of time in the gym to bulk up his shoulders and neck to give him some extra strength for protection. A heap of ground and aerial ball work to allow him to win the ball whilst protecting his head. Then game style training that sees him move and react without leaving his head open for contact.

This theory skips over the number of good games we've played when he's played to focus on the Geelong win in 2015 and the Hawks win last year. Geelong win: Dawes did a really good job competing at CHF and Gawn + Spencer combined to mark and kick a few goals between them deep (as well as Gawn's break out in the ruck). Hawthorn win: Pedersen played maybe his best game as a lead up CHF. Weeds kicked 2 as a deep target Adelaide win: Tom McDonald provided a contest as a make shift CHF in the 2nd half. Garlett was dangerous deep. Really I think it's more about other forwards stepping up and in to Hogan's role than Hogan going out making the side better. He could've played as Tom McDonald did at CHF on the weekend. In my mind Hogan is a very good mobile CHF who seems to dominate moving around inside 50 at Etihad when the ball is coming in quick but becomes pretty ordinary when stationed deep at the G or other big grounds with room to move. When he gets sent to FF to provide a contest or to be the go to guy the team suffers (and he does individually). It's just not his game. Had he played v Geel, v Hawks or v Adel and done the CHF job I think we would've played even better. Had he be reassigned to be the hero inside 50 we would've struggled. There are other concerns about his defensive efforts and sulking but most of those come from when he's stuck deep as the go to guy and isn't getting the delivery.

FB: Oscar Frost Jetta HB: Hibberd Tom Mc Hunt C: Stretch Jones Hannan HF: Kent Hogan Lewis FF: Petracca Watts Garlett Foll: Pedersen Oliver Viney Int: Vince Salem Tyson Harmes Out: Wagner (Oscar prefered due to the match up on Andy Otten, don't need 8 defenders if T Mc won't ruck) In: Harmes (fwd) Out: JKH In: Kent Out: Bugg In: Stretch Let's give Hannan a go on the wing and get some speed around the ball. His disposal has been iffy but he's quick and takes it on. Use midfielders as the high half forwards around the ball to hopefully control the stoppages. Harmes in for tackle pressure forward and tag a Laird or Smith. Kent in for speed.

10-12 last year. 3-4 this year. I mean if his complaint is we aren't winning then sure, but I'll take 13-16 over what has been served up before. If you're jumping off after that record then like everyone else I'd ask why not jump out after 2007-2015

The club only announces some of the truth - generally the positives - so we don't know everything that happens, which is why it's crazy to be so critical about isolated incidents. This guy has pretty much lost the plot about JKH. Maybe fair enough. But how do we know if the reason JKH is playing isn't because Kent and Kennedy are getting harsh treatment about their fitness, skills and pressure? JKH will probably get dropped this week and many on here will see it as a reason for delight when really it's a shame a guy who does have a fair bit of talent hasn't put it together. There's a number of mistakes I'd like to see rectified or just things I would love to discuss with Goody: 1. Getting tall forwards deeper for longer more direct forward entries 2. Playing speed through the wings - especially against the Hawks 3. The lack of confidence in slower plays from the backline when needed 4. Why the backline hasn't found any chemistry in terms of who's up and who's down 5. The inability to handball on both sides and get out of a contest going forward with hands But none of that is throwing it all in on the back of one player (or several players). It also doesn't counter off all the good that has been achieved since Goodwin took over: 1. Zone defending that has worked very well at times 2. Attacking ball movement in the corridor 3. Kicking scores from repeat forward entries 4. Far better stoppage numbers 5. Repeatedly turning around poor starts in games to make them a contest (we've been level or infront late in every game this year)

Wagner isn't fast so that explains they way he corrals to me. Not point rushing at someone if they'll burn past you. Agree he could be more desperate but I don't think he's any worse than Melksham in that regard. Same with his kicking, which is overall better than Melksham's. Much faster release time and ability to hit up targets, where Melksham can kick with good penetration but is even more hit and miss. Mainly I think he's less likely to make as many mistakes under pressure as Melksham does, who really goes to water several times per game. Getting mugged by Daniher was particularly poor on the weekend. He often chooses to bump rather than open himself up to lay a tackle and will run under or behind the ball when spoiling to avoid contact. Most of boxing isn't wearing punches - it's been able to see them coming and evading them. I think unfortunately Melksham can see trouble coming and doesn't want to wear it. If Wagner is over his injuries and can produce the same work rate as Melksham then it's an easy swap for me. Composure down back is vital this week because the one big area where the Hawks can still hurt teams is with forward pressure. Ideally I wouldn't play any of Vince, Melksham or Oscar McDonald down back against them.

I think it helped that Essendon's midfield were way down on intensity but I was really impressed with his decision making. He wasn't rushing and was kicking to safer and wider options. Too much has been made about an apparent lack of pace or impact at the contest. I think he's doing his job there, even if not as prolific. Just the bad decisions and skill errors have hurt his game and with that area vastly improved his overall performance seemed much more impressive.

Viney, Oliver maybe even Tyson do a lot of the heavy lifting at the coal face these days. Jones is splitting out to the wing a fair bit and in time will probably take Vince's half back spot. So I'm not too worried about him adapting his on field role to protect his body. I think Juddy has a point regarding the extra running but at the same time Jones is 29 which isn't all that old and I'd rather have him out there with Brayshaw and Petracca than not! If the fitness staff read this article I think they'll have a word to Jones about finding a gravel track or grass instead of the hard surface.

Why? Playing with your brother is overrated IMO. Even if they play at different ends of the ground. Easier to be your own man at a different club in this day and age. If I were him I'd make the decision based upon: 1. Money 2. Success 3. Place in the team structure - a starting CHF gig, preferably without ruck duties. Geelong could make a convincing case to play him CHF, with Hawkins FF and Blicavs back up ruck with Taylor going to full back if Lonergan retires. Richmond could have him at CHF with Jack Riewoldt playing deeper. There's a number of clubs who might offer a lot better success and role than the Pies, and who knows how they are placed for cash.

Hard to know where he'd fit if we've got faith in Weeds coming on quickly in the next few years. If the Swans offer up the money to keep Reid I wonder if we wouldn't be better off making a play at Tippett just for a couple of years as a Pedersen upgrade and quality ruck/forward until we fix that position. Same concerns over durability but you wouldn't have to keep him for as long.

The Clarko saying 'If you can't kick you can't play' is pretty true (even if Melbourne ignore it) but more than anything if you can't run you can't play AFL football. Trenners doesn't have the pace to play AFL these days. McCartin looks quick and agile enough for his role but he doesn't have the tank to play AFL. If he develops it and stays injury free he'll be a very good player. If he keeps breaking down and can't ever get fit then he'll be a bust. I'm hoping the kid makes it for his own sake and then we can just enjoy Petracca without silly comparisons. Petracca's tank is also a mile off where it will end up so I'm keen to see him with a few preseasons when he's fit enough to play midfield, half forward and then rest close to goal.

Hogan coming in could see Watts and Pedersen sharing the ruck job and then Tom McDonald playing CHB and taking a defender out of the team. But I think the more likely thing to happen is regardless of whether Hogan comes in or not they play 8 defenders and let Tom McDonald play the sweeping ruck role and Pedersen the half forward/ruck role. Melksham, ANB, JKH and Bugg remain under pressure for spots in my mind but I don't think there will be big changes. It's important to note these are probably 4 of the fittest 10 guys at the club. They are getting games for a reason. I'd bring Stretch straight back in for ANB and use the spare mids through half forward more. Another week for Harmes, Kennedy, Kent and Wagner in the VFL most likely.

I doubt his form is worse than in 2014, it's just the teams got much better and he walked in to a bad team in 2014 and racked up a lot of disposals. Playing a tired Essendon always helps but I thought he was starting to spread from stoppages faster and his running to get outside ball and clean hands are both positives. I thought his kicking was getting better too until a silly turnover and a missed goal. This will sound really harsh but I think he's just afraid to get caught holding the ball or to open his body up to get crunched so he isn't looking up and picking out targets. That's confidence in his body that isn't there yet. Another interrupted preseason and he's going better than this time last year so I'm hoping he's about to turn the corner. Adding more mids to the rotations and using him on the wing and forward is probably good for his game as well.

He's missed more games than he's played so far... Quality footballer when fit. Wasn't fit when he rocked up to the club in November. I hope he gets a clear run at it now for a long time, but my expectations are more that he'll have to be managed at times as well so he's in peak fitness for important times.

So presume our best spine is Frost, Tom Mc, Gawn, Hogan, Watts. How have we assembled the depth talls: We needed young talls for the future so we have drafted Oscar, Hulett and Weeds. Because that depth is so young we've kept Pedersen because the reality is we needed a key forward good enough to play if one of ours went down and the youngsters didn't perform. He'll likely play as the tall forward this week. We've kept Garland because we had to after signing him for 3 years. If we didn't have him we might have a taller experienced depth defender. We've kept Spencer because he's the best available back up we've got. But because Spencer isn't much chop and to avoid having to trade a good pick for a guy who won't play each week we've added Mitch King and Flippers - both of these guys recruited to become back ups in a few years then maybe starters. Unfortunately Max King didn't make it as even a back up so they pulled the pin. We added Tim Smith because we thought he could play as 3rd tall and push the best 22 and be valuable depth in the short term. With a very late rookie spot we added Keilty because he has versatility and to add another tall prospect. Pretty much we kept Spencer and Pedersen and added young tall rucks and Keilty because we are still trying to develop the list for future success compared to adding back ups for now. Then Tim Smith because he could complement the current players. In an ideal world we'd have a 3rd ruck like a Shaun McKernan instead of Pedersen or one of Flippers/Mitch King. But also in an ideal world we'd have Weeds and Mitch King ready to play as back ups right now so there wouldn't be a need for a McKernan/Pedersen type at all. We've been punished for trying to fit back ups and kids on the same list, a very difficult juggling act that reflects where we are - no longer rebuilding but far from full development. I full understand the club taking the risk because we need as much talent on the list as possible because we are still trying to find youngsters who are up to the grade. That's why we've seen Hannan and Joel Smith in round 1. There's still plenty of sorting through running players, yet alone the talls. Unfortunately there's a pretty obvious answer as to where we could've had an extra list spot that isn't getting used and could've seen a ready made 3rd ruck added to the list and that's Lumumba's spot.

I think he's ideally suited to the high half forward role because he has a good tank, runs to the right spots to open the game up for others and can be clean with his hands and kicking (although didn't show that on the weekend). I think he can be effective in that role despite not kicking goals. Probably 0.5 a goal a week can be enough if he's coming up around the ball and distributing. But aside from goal kicking, some skill errors and lack of x factor I'd drop him on the basis of some really poor efforts on the weekend. If he's not putting his body on the line then he's got to go. Sort that out and I'd still like to give him more of a go over ANB or Kennedy.

Out: Hogan In: Pedersen Out: Spencer In: Oscar Mc (with Frost or possibly Tom Mc rucking) or Keilty to ruck. Out: Smith In: Hannan - need a mobile 3rd or 4th tall who might be able to mark it Out: JKH In: Bugg Out: Melkshake/Vince - can't have both of these 2 head cases in the same side In: Lewis FB: Jetta Oscar/Frost Hibberd HB: Hunt Tommy Lewis C: Bugg Jones Stretch HF: ANB Petracca Harmes FF: Garlett Pedersen Watts Foll: Frost/Keilty Oliver Viney Int: Tyson Salem Hannan Melkshake/Vince

Yep he played a big role in the last quarter going in to the middle and then forward. Still happy to base at half back until the backline gets a regular run at it with some additions who can kick -Lewis and Hibberd at least, ideally probably Wagner as well. Then in time he'll start games in the middle and finish them forward or back.

The Oscar, Frost and Tommy Mc backline worked pretty well at times last year. Means we actually get good aerial coverage and allows Frost and Oscar to position in to spots that used their strengths. Frost plays as the full back sweeper and can run his way out of trouble. Oscar gets involved in more marking contests where he isn't directly responsible for a key forward and can intercept and then use his kicking skills which are mostly decent after intercepting. He kicks nicely after a mark. Disposes poorly when on the run. That said.. I'd imagine Hibberd is priority 1 for the backline. So unless he isn't right I wouldn't bring in Oscar. And Harmes would be my next choice to replace Melksham as well. JKH. I think Goody likes him and he had a big summer. Can be a strange decision maker but is another who can kick the ball pretty nicely when in time and space. I wouldn't be at all disappointed in him having a run in ANB's high half forward role. I still have belief he can be a long term player in that role.

Agree with this and would love an explanation from the coaches. He's almost always a decoy and it just has to be a set plan. The poor guy never touches the ball and then lacks the confidence to go and get it when he finally does end up in better position.

Smith will be lucky to get back to playing AFL this year. Wagner should hopefully get a clean run soon. There will always be more injuries and Bernie will have some value on the wing, midfield or forward if need be. Either way the plan should be to get him an end worth playing for by making finals. But he has to contribute to that. I said before I'd leave him in and fix the Milkshake problem first but the reality might be it could be better to fix Bernie sooner rather than later as well. A week off or lower grade to get him comfortable making decisions or comfortable with his nasty toe injury might be in line sooner rather than later.