John Crow Batty

It’s a winning formula that other clubs have not come to terms with. Every club these days tries to flood then pick or scramble their way out of defence to where we already have them covered. Weight of entries eventually grind them down.

Thats our regulation game plan. Been playing it since beginning of last season and usually works a charm. it’s part of Goodwin’s ‘win the contest mantra’. Kick it deep to the pockets in static play and when other teams flood the back line. This time the extra pressure from the tigers stumped us a bit but basically it made sure they couldn’t exit cleanly.

Another side that didn’t play their natural game against us. Slow the game down and chip the ball around.. Game conceded before the bounce. We have spooked just about every other side in the comp.

Tmac well down on career averages. 11 disposal a game this season to career average of near 16. He used to once average over 20 for a long time. And only four goals so far. Contested marks down as well. Needs a reset.

Last season Freo lost more games from clangers, inaccuracy and butchering the ball than any other club despite a solid game plan. Had their fair share of injuries also. They lost possibly a top four position as well as finals appearances because of this. This season so far they have cleaned up their game. They will be a force.

How times have changed. Last season Richmond beat St Kilda by 86 points in round 5 and were going to teach us a lesson in round 6 according to many pundits. Reviewing the replay the commentators were marvelling on Richmond’s power in the first 15 minutes of that game and saying we were playing a team on an other level above us. That game was one of my favourite replays to watch.

Do the betting agencies take wagers on the free kick counts? One could retire betting on dogs games.

I remember watching the sporting news on TV when Adelaide won their first flag. Adelaide players were training with the reporter in the foreground talking. This was during the finals series. The players in the down the ground vision moved beautifully like a synchronised school of fish. Convinced me they were going to be premiers then.

Tipping that umpire disrespect will kick the most goals this week.

Current All Australian selection is a joke. I have always said their should be two all Australian best 22 teams. That way appropriate match ups and outstanding role players can be recognised. Works like this, Team 1 selects a player say full back. Team 2 selects his opponent. Next position selections are reversed and so on until two power house teams are formed. Its great to see Langdon getting well deserved recognition now. He was doing this all last season.

He has declined in all areas of the game. Doesn’t move around as much as he used to and virtually zero forward presence or impact. I barely noticed him. Only goal from a soft free. Mitch Brown would offer far more in his place. Looks like he playing just to get paid.

Highly respected former senior umpire Darren Goldspink believes disrespect rules and associated penalties have backfired badly for AFL. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/stricter-respect-rules-putting-more-pressure-on-umpires-goldspink-20220419-p5aeir.html

50 metre penalties will win the Coleman Medal this season.

We played 164 consecutive games between 1955 and 1963 without conceding more than a 100 points a game. There were higher streaks before then but all were before 1920 when scoring was significantly lower. I’m not sure but I suspect our current streak could be the longest in the AFL era.

We weren’t much chop when he had to decide between us and Geelong. After all their stocks looked better coming off a GF. We were still fumbling outside the 8. He thought they were the better prospect for another premiership.

I have said it before, if all umpires cannot be full time professionals then there should be at least one full time professional umpire for every game with the power to overturn any bad decisions by the others if blatantly obvious. Should reduce bad decisions significantly. Currently all umpires act like best buddies and unwilling to call out a bad decision by their mates. Having a master umpire should give that separation of roles, relationships and responsibilities.

It was clearly a push by Frost. He gave him an almighty shove with his left pinky finger under Hawkins right armpit.

He also tends to drop his knees when tackled from behind so the tackler falls on top of him. Does it all the time but some umpires seem now to be aware of this. Watch the GF and see him doing it when Pickett tackles and dispossess him and the ball goes to Bowey to set up the Brayshaw goal. Weightman flops like he’s been knee capped and Pickett falls dead set square on his back. Luckily the umpires ignored this.

Freo looking really good. Seem to have eliminated their error prone game that ruined their season last year. Their defence is awesome so far as well.

As I recall, Richmond fresh after a demolition of the Saints was billed as the tigers going to re affirm their premiership authority and humiliate some upstart 5-0 pretenders.

If Trac is not playing it will be the first game since 2018 he’s missed.

Thats what I was thinking after seeing Niknats understudy spud Williams in action.

WC get first goal courtesy from a non push in the back free and second from an unpaid push in the back. Umpires face palm yourselves.

Thanks, typo error.

“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" or meddlesome priest. A quote attributed to King Henry the 8th when he was wanting to get rid of Archbishop Thomas a Becket before he had him assasinated. I guess umpires are like priests and their reputations have also fallen.