DeeSpencer

Our list has been continuously overrated by anyone who thinks we are a super team. Great ruck and contested mids, great key backs, some other quality players but largely the rest has been closer to taped together than dominant. The key forwards are the obvious one but down back it was ageing Hibbo and kids in Rivers and Bowey. Langdon had a fine 2021 but he’s never been a superstar winger and the other wing has been a tape up job. Midfield and half forward rotations have been role players similar to most sides. The one emerging superstar that could’ve automatically upgraded the side last year and the next couple upped and left to Freo. Perhaps our best staffer in Burgo left to Adelaide through no fault of the mfc. The big mistake has been to think this super list will just win again rather than retool/reload which we are now been forced to do. St Kilda in the 00’s got none. GWS mid to late 10’s got none. Pies under Mick/Bucks got 1, that’s the side we are most similar too.

They had the best team just about ever in 00 and won 1 flag. We are half as good by comparison, that we haven’t made another prelim or granny doesn’t matter. It’s 1-1.

He has the easiest job in footy playing on second talls and gets dropped because he’s either no good or there’s no match up. And his body language is abysmal at times. He’s a depth player who somehow got elevated to a starter over summer.

That was surely the coaches plan but quite clearly it didn’t repeat itself

Tomlinson is 30 and has played 170 games, how much more game time does he need? Im not saying T Mc is going to be any better but I’m very keen to see if a move down back does unlock some form for him.

I definitely want him to be a more consistent centre bounce presence this year, but we need him in the forward line. There’s no one else with his speed and pressure. Has to be clear communication to work the swaps after clearances. And I agree he has to do more with linking up in centre clearances. You know who we underutilise after the first possession of a clearance? Big Maxy. He should be used as a basketball low post style distributor. Where every other player is spreading out and trying to run just handball up to big Maxy who’s impossible to tackle cleanly right away and have him dish handballs to the receivers.

The 2 Windsor kicks that hit targets were lucky shanks that wobbled on to chests, otherwise he missed pretty much every target on the run and some in slow play too. His role in the side is to take it on at pace and gain metres, plus he’s adapting to the pace of afl footy. In his career to date he’s almost always been able to gain a gap and then steady, he won’t have that luxury at afl level. He’ll adapt to the pace and hopefully get more cohesion with his team mates but everything I’ve seen at training has been a lot of missed kicks. Yet reports from Casey days has him lacing it out? A really good result for Windsor would be something like a less prolific version of Langdon’s 2020 season where his run was obvious but his radar and cohesion lacking. Or a bit of a Jayden Hunt season where there’s brilliance mixed in with some errors.

I’ve flirted with teams without him but I still think Chandler will play based on no Pickett and no McAdam. We need a small who can mark and contest in the air. The big change should be ANB and Spargo back on the half forward flanks. If either of those 2 miss then Brown is a chance potentially even ahead of one of Laurie/Billings who seem to me to be fighting for one spot. It’s hard to justify 2 attacking forward/mid types who aren’t at the level of pressure/run we’ve become accustomed to. The big thing we need to adapt is fast run from the backline isn’t a signal for 3 or 4 forwards to get deep, the plan should be for hit up leads at half forward to punish interceptors and yesterday it looked like JVR, Fritsch, Chandler, Schache all wanted to be inside 50. Too many leading back in to the same spot and a bunch of kicks just lobbing to intercept markers. Nibbler and Spargo change that balance, but still a big concern that without Petty there’s no tall or medium who’s a natural hit up player.

The only choice we made was a 2 year deal for Chandler and 1 year for Bedford at the end of 2021. At that stage Chandler was more advanced and had rival interest from the Crows pushing the extra year. All reports were we matched Bedford’s 3 year deal offer from GWS and were very keen for him to stay. He was never put on the trade block in preference for Chandler.

No, we didn’t

Howes played on Bolton for a fair chunk of the game and got beat up, clearly a harsh test that he wouldn’t get in a real game. McVee played on no one of note and up the ground more and whilst he had good moments I thought he was lost in transition at times. A simple change to help the backline defending is revert McVee to his job. Gus or Salo to half back where they have more experience. But the talls is still a worry. We need guys who can cover ground and variable match ups if we are playing more open at the back. And they need skills as well. May bombed every kick and spilled every chest mark. Lever was rusty with the ball. Tomlinson didn’t do enough on the counter.

I’d be tempted to go small. Lever takes a man. Gus plays as the interceptor, a role he excels at. McVee and Rivers take on some height. But we are hardly stacked for flankers. If Salo is moved to the midfield to finally attempt to fix the unbalance in the midfield we are looking at another medium tall in Hore playing out of position, Howes - who cant defend at all but has interesting flanker skills, or possibly mix it up with Woewodin? I’d even think of trying Sparrow on a back flank if he continues to be an almost player as a mid.

We dominated the middle early with Gawn, Tracc and Viney and even in the 2nd when we didn’t play well Kossie won a number of centre clearances with ease. We just didn’t turn them in to deep and retained forward entries. Then we butchered it on quick counters. It wasn’t so much bombing inside 50 or even aerial contests that were the problems, it was mids and half backs turning great run in to bad missed targets across half forward Petty draws the ball. Fritsch can be freed up by McAdam. But in the meantime and perhaps for longer we might have to play Tracc at CHF just to have someone demand the ball.

Possibly not on the Wednesday but I’d be surprised if they don’t have something organised for the vfl guys closer to the weekend. If nothing at all is available then maybe a half for Clarry in the side

FB: McDonald May McVee HB: Brayshaw Lever Bowey C; Windsor Petracca Langdon HF: Billings Fritsch ANB FF: Pickett JVR Spargo Foll: Gawn Salem Viney Int: Rivers Sparrow Laurie Verrall S: Schache E: Chandler, Woey, Tomlinson Out: Tomlinson, Howes, K. Brown, Chandler In: Brayshaw, Salem, Spargo, McDonald if fit Another week in the 2’s for Clarry. That would be my plan.

Not so sold on Clive Waterhouse but he has novelty value

I like the look of Bent/Benckt whoever the medium tall is for Casey, nice body work unfairly pinged Quality finish from Jeffo

pros: - first 20 minutes was champagne football - Laurie and Billings both had some really good moments, not sold on either but they can both contribute - Windsor was a mess with his kicks but he made position and surely had 15+ touches? - Kynan Brown looked comfortable - Max dominated and then Verrall injected something in the second half - Kossie (sadly just one of him when we need 2 or 3) Cons: - tugboat - run and carry being too condensed and so easy to defend, need width on the runners - still not going out the fat side enough - JVR and Fritsch both stationed too deep, get someone who can draw the ball at half forward - Schache - forward pressure was non existent when Kossie was on ball - midfield pressure poor all game - half backs gave a heap of room and didn’t show a lot of ability to close space and tackle

What?

Not sure what we’ve done to Windsor’s kicking but he’s now holding the ball funny and hitting the inside of the foot on half of them. He’s been nicely Melbourne’d

No he hasn’t, moments of class but he’s a few steps behind in pressure and contested work.

A comedy who just laced the ball to targets twice in a row only for them to drop it.

Lack of handball chains from the contest has been a huge concern. Tigers go bang, bang, out. Too often one handball has turned in to a player then under pressure trying to create.

More than happy to take some lumps playing attacking footy from half back. But geez we need more skill through the midfield and more pace at half forward to make this work. And we need a backline committed to covering off rather than sagging back after our slow movement has kept them in position. And of course, lower the eyes!!

The Sparrow charging up the middle and a kick goes to 2 players getting in each others way is the big thing to review in terms of structures. A mountain of fat side space and an open 50, short of a completely flubbed kick or simple dropped mark that has to end with a set shot.