DeeSpencer

They managed to deskill their players by playing Malthouse dribble and then ruin several of their players both current and former with terrible fitness and injury management. Thomas, Dawes and Wellingham were 3 traded out, but plenty others like Cloke, Reid and so on stayed and aren't close to the players they used to be. We have to make and win a few finals first before cleverly trading some offcuts. The Hawks have done it better than most.

Needs a bit of work, but helps him kick long when running flat out. Has improved. At this stage kicking it's his weak point, but he does enough defending and running with the ball that he stays in the team. He doesn't need to be the pinpoint kick from half back. Hopefully they sort it out over preseason.

I think he'll be the type of fringe player who ends up playing a heap of games because if a forward, inside or outside mid gets injured he can do a bit of both + pinch hit down back as we've seen. Obviously that depends on drafting and injuries over the next few years, but if we're leaving out Harmes more often than not then I'll be excited about our depth.

I'm more worried about the repeated moments of dumb footy from individual players than the game plan. Oscar not chasing down the Kennedy kick. Gawn manning the mark from a slow play whilst his opponent ran down the line. It's hard to see the number of players who make really smart examples for the rest of the team to follow.

Watering the ground is a good way for Tyson to not get caught with it. He's a gun in the wet, just needs to improve his burst a bit so he can do it on a dry day. Plus watch tapes of the good parts of Priddis' game. If this is Gus with some lingering issues then I'd hate to see him fully healthy! I think it's a guy who's missed a lot of footy and has barely played at the top level. A few poor handballs in traffic and a couple of less than ideal kicking options let him down, but his hands around the packs, tackling and zip all looked good to me. Plus it was nice to see him kick well on his left. A dual sided clever stoppage player is a handy weapon and he'll tidy up those handballs.

I agree. Don't think the backline will be his go, but still think he offers something and am glad he's having a crack there for now. Will make him a more dangerous forward/mid for having some time down back.

Could pull his head in just a little Bern. We need in your face aggressive play but not silly frees and reports. I'm willing to forgive him for the slip. Just pumping it in wasn't working, we needed to do something different to score.

I didn't think the plan was all that bad today. West Coast have a great aerial defence led by McGovern. Bombing it to him does no good. It's really the lack of decisive kick when running free that gets me, but from what I saw in summer there was a certain plan to get the ball forward quickly. We just have a few too many midfielders and half forwards who struggle to get in to space with time to hit a target and we still need more forwards who demand. It's Hogan, Watts and that's about it. Garlett doesn't lead up as much as he should. No one has faith in Dawes. Otherwise it's kids and midfielders forward.

His pace helps the zone because he can sprint back and cover someone and that takes a decision away from the player with the ball (and from his fellow Melbourne players). Purely because of speed he doesn't have to do as much defending which is great. Certainly a heap to work on and I'm not even convinced he's a lock for a long career but his pace sure is exciting.

Plays well for a bit, gets an injury, looses fitness and he's stuck back at Casey. He's 29. Dawes is 28. They both don't have a lot more to give. I'd be surprised if we took both of them in to next year and I don't know where we will find an upgrade from.

Not true. Vanders last year was promoted straight away. We've had similar players to Viv who have been dropped back to the rookie list then delisted.

I'm not convinced Mitch White will be kept on. I really like his kicking and the way he competes but he's very slow and I'm not sure a slow medium sized defender has a great future at AFL level. If we get Hibberd and Melksham, Lumumba gets healthy and plays on, Joel Smith comes on, then White might struggle to ever play games and his development will suffer. It would be a tough call but it wouldn't completely shock me. Similarly Max King has had another injury interrupted and underwhelming year where he's been poor in the ruck and hasn't exactly stood out forward either, but if you were ever going to give a guy one more year it would be a ruckman right? Would redrafting King for one more year on the rookie list (or even promoting him) instead of keeping either Dawes or Pedersen change much? We know Dawes and Pedersen are only stop gaps who are unlikely to play well consistently. If it's not King we are going to need to grab a mature 2nd ruck/forward somewhere at this years trade/draft process and they are very hard to find.

We've got more spots on the main list available than players to fill them. He'll be promoted. If we had decent options to replace them and ways to get out of a few contracts we could move on up to a dozen from the senior list. That won't be the case but there's still going to be more than enough spots. In fact I could see us taking 38 main list and 6 rookies next year because after the early 4th round of the draft you may as well take extra rookie players as a cheaper price than more late round picks.

What exactly didn't look right for Jones against Adel - his best game for the year - or against Freo? One poor game is a bit of a leap.

There's a few points: 1. Let's absolutely maximise a positive in the ruck by having 2 rucks v Lycett and Mitch Brown. 2. We need another forward marking target on the long Subi ground. If Hogan and Watts both get up the field there won't be anyone to kick to 3. West Coast's zone defending is their strength and Hogan and Watts up the ground in play can find gaps in that zone. Spencer/Gawn can do the grunt work setting up for the kick down the line. 4. May as well have a look at Spencer now given he's still contracted for next year and Gawn could do with a light week especially given the travel. Points 1 + 2 were how we beat Geelong in Geelong last year.

I'll agree we haven't gone forward but disagree that we've gone backwards. You think competition for spots would increase with picking purely on form in the VFL/AFL side. I think you have to pick players to fulfil the roles and positions which means it's not always so black and white. We both agree it's not ideal and more talent would help! Roos has talked selection at a lost of post game press conferences and it might be the only time his disagreement with Goodwin or others in the coaching team has shown itself. Certainly it's annoying hearing him talk about bringing in fresh legs and not doing it. Sometimes I think he's focused too much on stability but I understand that as stability really was his mandate when he took the job. I'm also a fan of the way Clarkson throws kids in early to the 21st/22nd spot in the team for a taste and rotates them through. That's a smarter long term play than sticking to the exact best 22 mantra. But there should be integrity in selection for most of the side.

The individual run down was explaining on a case by case basis why they've had more of a shot. Some guys have shown better AFL form than ANB did in his 2 games and then played fantastic VFL games when dropped. The other guys play in different positions. Trengove got 3 games. Newton got 2. Depth inside midfielders without a lot of strings to their bow are going to struggle for games given Viney, Jones, Tyson have all been healthy and Oliver was first choice at the start of the year. Absolutely rubbish that ANB has been a victim of a culture of not rewarding players or making players earn selection. And we certainly haven't gone backwards. Remember last year when Howe played every week getting shuffled forward and back depending on where he was less useless? Or when Watts dropped himself then came back straight back in. Or Matt Jones, Bail, Michie and Riley were in and out every 3rd week? We haven't come as far as we would like because the depth is still thin and performances and still inconsistent.

They are all Melbourne FC players??? Kennedy and Harmes got dropped, each played a fantastic VFL game and were back in to the team on the strength of their AFL performance in the season. For most of the year they have been consistent contributors. Harmes' speed and desire to take the game on has seen him trialled on the wing and half back, both positions were we are very short on depth. We've talked about Garlett before and agreed it was probably the right call to put him back before his form turned around. He's inconsistent but has the ability to kick multiple goals and plays in a spot no one else on our list can. 2 goals, decent tackle stats yesterday reflect whilst otherwise playing poorly he's doing his role in some ways. Oscar has benefited from the terrible form of Garland and Dunn. Let's remember he won a battle with Dunn for a spot in the round 1 team and since then Dunn hasn't done anything of note and Garland has also been in bad form. From all reports that terrible form hasn't stopped prior to Sunday. Meanwhile Oscar has shown some signs of improvement. White has been in good form for most of the year at Casey. Got his chance in round 15 once the mid year rookie spot became available. Michie is almost certainly not part of future plans, but a lack of defensive depth saw him trialled on a back flank due to his attributes being somewhat transferable to that role and his consistent VFL form. He had a run of games and didn't do enough. Vandenberg came back quickly from injury but has the ability to play forward and midfield and tackles players with force. He was used to that effect well in wins against Coll and Freo and against Adelaide.

Jeepers 1 loss and people are talking about the club not surviving? Come on. If we turn up each week, pay our memberships and if the club just get a few more smart list and coaching moves right we could have a really good team on our hands. Then if we market that team properly and capitalise on it the club can grow rapidly. We've got: - The best young key forward in the league in Hogan - Possibly the hardest young midfielder in the league in Viney - A pair of young midfielder/forwards who love playing with each other in Petracca and Gus - A number of exciting to watch forwards who can form a really good group in Watts, Kent, Garlett, Weids, Ben Ken - A classy utility who's got the talent to do anything once we get his body right in Salem - we haven't had a player as skilled as Salem since the Daniher years - A young bull of a clearance midfielder with some wonderful hands in Oliver - A fantastic ruckman We are actively trying to do something with the womens football to grow the club. We have made significant changes to the coaching and culture of the club. I get as negative as anyone on the deficiencies of the playing list and the deficiencies/difficulties facing the administration but even I'm above this level of doom and gloom.

Still going with this line despite the fact we've left plenty of talented kids out of the side (Oliver, Hulett, Weeds, Stretch) and played almost everyone who's been doing well in the VFL (Matt Jones, Grimes, White)? It's probably now time for ANB to have another shot. He should've come in based on refreshing the team after Darwin. But there's minimal evidence he's been passed up due to a preference for getting games in to the kids of the future. I'm hoping the long stint in the VFL was to allow ANB to change the way he uses the ball, which he clearly needed to do, both with kicking around the ground and getting the ball out of congestion using his hands. Until he did that his disposal numbers or times in the best were irrelevant because he won't do anything at AFL level if he's not using it better.

Clearly wasn't right when he played early in the season. Since he came back in I thought he played well against Collingwood, Adelaide and Freo. Scrappy with his ball use - he'll never be a sublime user - but crashed in, tackled well and played with good burst. The pace and pressure that the Saints play with at Etihad found him out + whatever the Darwin factor is. If he has to go back to Casey for a few weeks so be it. Overall though I think he'll get his body right at the end of the year he'll be the same player he was last year. Strong at the contest, excellent tackler, good in the air or on the ground. He probably wouldn't be a regular in a top 4-6 side unless his ball use improves or he becomes a truly elite pressure forward but I still think he's got a heap to offer.

Almost certainly an idea from Goodwin and also the Jennings the strategy coach we got from the Dogs/Essendon. I expect those 2 will drive our game plan over the years and that they would be behind the idea to get Melksham and Hibberd. We need some experienced players who can read the play, position themselves accordingly and know when to leave their men and when to play tighter. 4 kids - Hunt, Wagner, White, Oscar in the one backline is always going to be an issue. But I'll stick with my original point in that if Rawling's didn't recognise where the game was going, how to get there and that we needed new players I'm not sure he should stay for the next evolution of our backline.

Surely that doesn't get a week. If he really was aiming to elbow him he would've dropped him. Throwing an arm back to a guy holding you has to be a fine at worst.

I watched the first half. He took a ripping mark on the goal line that the goal umpire decided he juggled when he was just moving it in his hands. Had a few classy handballs, but otherwise isn't physically ready to move like an AFL player. Hulett is more mobile at this stage and I'd be tempted to throw him in but I'd give Spencer first go. Sure he'll stuff up a bunch but he should be able to halve the ruck contests and cover the ground. Gawn looks in nice touch up forward, may as well give him more time there.

FB: Jetta Frost Dunn HB: Vince T Mc Hunt C: Bugg Viney Stretch HF: Kent Hogan Petracca FF: Watts Gawn Garlett Foll: Spencer Jones ANB Int: Harmes Kennedy Wagner Brayshaw Out: M Jones, Grimes, Oscar, White, Tyson, Vanders In: Bugg, Stretch, Frost, Dunn, ANB, Spencer Time to shake things up a bit. Go with 2 rucks and Gawn forward. Let Hogan and Watts roam up the ground more and hopefully get away from McGovern. Give Dunn a go down back on the resting ruck or Darling. Frost to Josh Kennedy, Tom Mc to the left over forward. Go back to Bugg and Stretch on the wings. Try ANB, Harmes, Kennedy and Brayshaw through the midfield/foward mix. Vanders is out. Tyson is unlucky to be dropped but he's too good to have 1 tackle, 20 touch games. Time for him to get the message.