DeeSpencer

Did my own ladder predictor to end of Round 14 Took some big guesses at some but came out with: 1 Geelong - 48 2 Freo - 44 3 Collingwood - 44 4 Carlton - 40 5 Bulldogs - 36 6 StKilda - 36 7 Sydney - 28 8 Essendon - 28 9 Brisbane - 28 10 Hawthorn - 24 11 Port - 24 12 North - 20 13 Melbourne - 16 So what I pretty much predicted before I did it came true. 1. I don't think it will be locked in, although I think they're will be less teams still in with a chance than I've predicted. 2. I haven't predicted another win for us in this time frame, but think we are some chance to get one. 3. You clearly rate the hawks and don't rate the dons. I don't think there is much between them, and have predicted the dons to beat them when they meet again soon. That is obviously a game that will have a big impact. 4. Carlton's next 4. Melb (MGG), North (Etihad), Freo (Etihad), Bris (Etihad). I've shamefully tipped them to go 4-0. They really could. They draw doesn't get horribly harder after that as well. Paying $4 to make the top 4 but will need to boost percentage and beat all teams including Freo in the next 4 weeks.

I think that was pretty much it. So it was a Pickett for pick 28, plus we lost out on a few downgrades (44 goes to - 54, 60 goes to - 62).In hindsight we should never have made that trade, but at the time it was a reasonable trade. A late second rounder for a quality player. Pickett added a bit to the side that we thought was getting reasonably close to a flag. But we found out we weren't and Byron enjoyed eating up his healthy pay cheque.

Late in the first quarter Casey 5.6.36 Bombers 1.0.6 Casey kicking with a wind that the boundary commentator estimates to be worth close to 6 goals.

At this stage I'd rather a certain loss playing the competitions best side in Geelong at Skilled rather than a trip interstate for a probable loss. What we need to do is really bolster our performance and bolster our crowds so the financial incentive is so strong that they have to play us with their home game at the G. Hard to do considering how much coin they get for a home game down there.

Send some tapes of Pods. He's nothing special athletic wise but uses his body seriously well, always in front and if he doesn't mark it goes straight to were he wants it to give him (with great second effort) or his smalls a chance. Good player. Watts was overawed today, it was a bit of a throwback to 2009, but that is not unexpected as he was up against a strong defence with a spare man for most of the day. His holding the ball tackle on Enright was his best piece of play all day, and there is something positive to take from it there. Kick wasn't bad, dead straight and only a tiny bit short.

Swap jumpers before the game - Moloney for Bartel. See which one gets caught with the ball with Ling hanging off him early and which one cruises around having an easy game. Moloney is limited, but always has a crack and sets a standard. He'll be extremely important especially when Junior goes. Hasn't had a shocker so far this year, a few average games, but always working hard.

In: Scully, Trengove, Bate + Any strong performers at Casey particularly Spencer, Martin (ruck) or McKenzie Out: Any of Wona, Rivers, Garland (inj), Macdonald less likely Bartram, Watts, Bennell, Jones.

Rubbish he isn't accountable enough. Rubbish he isn't strong enough in one on ones, he barely loses them. Complete rubbish that he is slow to move the ball from defence.Rubbish that he played much in the middle last year at all. Jack Grimes to play HBF for the next 10 years and to be as widely regarded as Corey Enright is at Geelong.

The other options besides waiting for Gawn or Fitzpatrick (who may never deliver) are: 1. Spencer improves to a stage where he can ruck for 50% of game time with little difference to Jamar, allowing Jamar to go forward. 2. Martin. His game against Brisbane was the best game we've seen from a back up this year. It was pretty decent. If Stef can ruck 35% and provide a contest up forward and still maintain forward pressure for another 35% and hold up his man (which Spencer and PJ haven't done in their games) then he deserves a spot going forward. Either way the team will have to cop some pain as we introduce one of these strategies more regularly this year and probably next.

One of Warnock (23 years old) or Hampson (22 years old) from Carlton would be worth looking at. Both are behind Kreuzer and currently behind Jacobs as well. I'm not sure they would be a long term answer as successful second rucks as they can't do much else but ruck, but they would add depth behind Jamar, probably along with Spencer and Gawn. Would allow us to give PJ the flick with no concerns. I still have some faith in Martin. He and Fitzpatrick seem the best suited to play as second rucks as they offer something up forward.

Opposition coaches have been attempting to hurt Ablett the other way quite a few times of late. Wellingham and Johnson got quite a few kicks on him, Joseph even got a little loose. But I think the best way of doing it is rotating players through not just one guy. So Silvia could take a short spell on him. That said I think the inclusion of 2 defenders for 2 midfielders signals the move of Bartram and one of Morton/Grimes to the midfield. I think Bartram might go to Ablett. I also wouldn't be surprised if Jones does another tagging role.

Tim Watson saying she's 16 or 17. I hope she is 17 (not that it makes it a whole lot better), and I hope it was consensual (which from reports it is).

It says it in the article.Also I reckons he's got harsh deal here, because all he did was go pick his girlfriend up from the airport. If he doesn't pick her up he's probably in trouble with her, so maybe he's picked the lesser evil.

No joke at all.Scully has to improve his kicking, it's not a minor weakness, its a flaw. If he doesn't improve his kicking then in 5 years time we will all be saying why didn't we take Dustin Martin. It will be like StKilda supporters formerly fustrated over Luke Ball (well at least Scully can kick 50 I suppose). I know its harsh, but I don't mind speaking the truth about our younger players. I wish them all the very best but I'm not overly emotionally attached to them, they aren't my babies like some people seem to think of them. And it is the reason I rate Trengove more.

Different activation points bring different sanctions for each type of offence. So Schultz's 5 results in a lesser penalty as striking is seen as a less dangerous offence than forceful front on contact. Which as a basic rule I believe is right, a tummy punch isn't going to cause as much damage as a hit into a head with potential to snap a neck.The problem is Moloney's action was not forceful front on contact. The forceful contact was delivered straight down the side, he may have collected the front with a loose arm but it isn't the type of contact the AFL should be worried about. It shouldn't be a reportable action. Best bit of that article At least proof read your work you flogs.

Shane Edwards isn't indigenous? Can't wait to see Aussie and LJ up forward, Jetta through the middle or forward, Bennell probably half back or wing maybe forward as well and Davey leading the boys running through the middle.

You can't see the FD dropping an unfit bloke who just went ok for a guy who was near best on ground. They must drop Wona this week. We played him because he knew the conditions in Darwin and attracted a vocal crowd that helped boost the team, but this week at Geelong besides changes to defenders (for example Warnock for Rivers) he'll be the first out of the side. He needs more time in the VFL.

Until Scully improves his kicking give me Trengove any day. If he's still kicking like he is in a few years time we will be regretting his selection, no matter how good he is going.

I think the North players were pretty gutless. They were being smashed on the scoreboard and decided to just target dogs all over the ground including Barry. If Barry gets more than 1 week for a headlock then its a joke. He has to have some kind of defence against a pack of desperate losers. Matty Warnock had plenty of niggle with Barry, but at the end of the day beat him when the ball was coming in, he didn't stuff around with knocking him over when he was doing up his shoelace.

In: Warnock and Bruce. Out: 2 of Rivers, Garland, MacDonald or Morton. In: Spencer Out: Wona - Wona didn't do much tonight, Bennell and Jetta have him covered and we need a back up for Jamar Possibly In: Bate or Gysberts Out:A young midfielder just for a rest, McKenzie probably, or Scully

Green best on, are you serious! Was good, but he had some absolute shocking patches of play in the middle of the game. Very fumbly.6. Davey - sets up our best passages 5. Junior 4. Jetta - sensational pressure, hard at it and used it nicely 3. Jamar 2. Bennell 1. Frawley Apologies to Miller, Trengove, Jones, Sylvia, Green and others. When 22 guys play a role its amazing what can happen.

Unless injuries I think it has to be Wona out Spencer in next week. Wona provided little up forward. Let's give big Jake a fair run against Mark Blake, resting Jamar forward as well.

Miller was rucking around the ground. I think they would have trialled him at training and decided he wasn't any good, so go with Sylvia who wasn't absolutely rediculous (nearly won a few) and then gave something at ground level.As for foxtel saying we would have been better off with Spencer, they clearly didn't watch Jetta's game. Next week I expect to see Spencer in though to give the russian a chop out. He can't do as much as he did this week every week of the season.

Every team plays guys every week who have below par skills, probably because they find and win the footy much better than the skillful alternative. Or they work hard off the ball, or bring others into the game. Their is so much more to footy than skills. Even tonight Luke Ball and Mark Blake will be out there.That said we should look to develop the more skilled on our list over the battlers. But at CHF Miller is in this week because 3 more skilled alternatives are injured - Bate, Petterd and Jurrah. Spencer is in this week as PJ is crap, Martin is injured as are others. Yes he's being played early but we are trying to get an advantage over Port instead of playing Dunn (who you've identified as a player going nowhere). On that point Bell hasn't played for ages anyway. Bartram is an interesting case. I think he survives in the back pocket as his defensive work is a class above what Strauss in particular can offer. He doesn't hold the team back he actually improves it. I'd be playing him if I was the footy department.

Yes SCG. The big question with PJ now is - Is he completely out of chances or with one more year and a preseason (cause he missed the last one) can he get back to some of the promise he showed? I think no, he just can't cut it at AFL level, he doesn't have enough weapons and has too many weaknesses.And come off it, Hughes' first game was better than any of Watts first 3. But really Hughes now has to fight back and play another 5 or more decent AFL games. We really aren't lacking mid sized marking forwards if we have Petterd, Jurrah, Bate and Sylvia up and going. Hughes just doesn't have the size to be a big forward or the speed to be dangerous when the ball is on the deck to get a game ahead of those other 4.