John Crow Batty

Big name players keep falling over. Now James Sicily out with a suspected broken wrist. Attrition is going to play a big part in the run up to the finals.

Port and Collingwood lose next week and we win we will be 4th. Lose and we are just surviving in the 8.

Jones to me seems to have played exactly the same game week after week throughout his career from when we were bad to now when we are better. Robotic player who only surprises when he does something out of character like lowering his eyes to hit up a lead or yesterday when he had an under 20 possession game. Still going OK but he can’t go on forever.

Sad to see Nicknat go down with another big injury. WC seem to have lifted by the news of that. But will hurt them in the long run. Their awesome second half could be a dead cat bounce.

We still haven’t proved we are the real deal but we are in the position to prove it. Things are a little different when at this stage last season we expected to cruise in and blew it. There are tough games ahead that cannot be taken lightly. The injection of small forwards, the discarding of the third tall and more emphasis on pressure and tackling is a step in the right direction.

Worked himself into the game in the second half. Looked off the pace in the first. His tackling pressure is something we need more of. I hope he continues the way he finished this game next week. If conditions are not ideal it would suit him.

We should have this game in the bag but at our unpredictable worst we can be as bad as Carlton.

Taylor Walker only gets a week suspension. A bit light.

The commentators failed to spruik tomorrow nights blockbuster. Some people might want to know who’s playing.

Tough game. Hope they pummel each other to pieces and Walker gets two weeks.

Zac Smith or Rhys Stanley in the ruck aren’t worthy of being Gawns toe jam. That’s their clearance problem. Plenty of bullets but no gun to fire them.

The reason why Carlton get so many Friday night games is simple. The AFL is catholic and Carlton are fish and chips.

Bombers injury strife. Stringer out for a month and Ambrose for the year. Players for our finals rivals are dropping like nine pins. This may be the end of their season.

Ben McEvoy out for at six weeks with a fractured cheek bone. Won’t help the Hawks chances.

I assume anyone here who wins a foreign jackpot will be taxed at the highest rate on whatever they won. Lotteries here are pre taxed. I doubt the ATO would recognise lottery tax paid in another country or give any credit for it. BTW has any Australian ever won a major jackpot through Lottoland?

A deer for the headlights.

Ben Brown won the game for North against the Bulldogs with a hack kick off the ground to a free player in the goal square the other week. Match winning play. If we used somewhat similar tactics against Collingwood in tight spots we would have fared a lot better IMO

Lewis and Jones $2000 fines each and Hogan $1500 for mucking about against Freo.

Old Hawthorn tactic. Sam Mitchell did it in just about every game when under pressure. Move it on rather than try to pick it up and get tackled. Usually praised for his quick thinking.

Last season Richmond broke their fickle inconsistency after their upset loss to the Saints in Round 16. Perhaps an omen? Fingers crossed.

Umpire directive. Fix game for GWS.

Collingwood will miss Dunn bad for the rest of the season. McKernan having a huge marking day deep forward.

I like his mongrel. Every good side has more than one. Without him we would only have Viney.

I thought we played with a bit more purpose and focus than usual despite the lame opposition and weather conditions. A better balanced side with the injection of nimbleness and pace. Hope this game wasn’t too taxing. We will see.

Saints proving today that our defence was actually worse than it appeared last week.