John Crow Batty

You make a good point. Our game is soccer style but more like the defensive style Italians used to play. The Catenaccio style they played translates to chaining the opposition. It worked very well against top ranked teams but often struggled against lower ranked teams. It did have success though. Italy won the 1982 and 2006 World Cups despite struggling against weaker sides in those tournaments as well as other deep finishes. It wasn’t a perfect game as it let the opposition freedom to make the play and move forward more often and left a lot to chance and luck that they didn’t score if the system broke down. At this stage our game plan is still working or else we wouldn’t be on top but the true test is in its resilience as we get towards the finals. That will be the definitive test. As with us the style always kept the supporters in a state of perpetual anxiety.

Or this; infidelium daemones or cant faciunt daemoniis

I do remember that game against Hawthorn in 2004 well. There seemed to be OOT celebrations by the players after the game and our fans as well. I hope we haven’t slid into that trap as well after our top four rivals demolition of recent weeks.

I get the impression by the way he moves and kicks the ball is like he has no toes. His foot injuries have impacted his game for a long time. Still he could have better impact if he made better decisions because he can get a lot of ball in tough situations..

I hope that stunned mullet look on the players faces after last night is poignant. They don’t need a lecture. I hope it shocked them in a positive way.

As the ladder currently stands we have beaten every side in the top 8 including us.

The easy money these days seems to be betting on long shots that pay $4 and over especially if they play us. Sometime I wonder if there is a perverse corrupt relationship between gambling and sport. Nah couldn’t happen…..could it?

That was the dumbest play of the night. We were 5 points up. He declined the chance of getting two straight kicks ahead. If he scored a point it would have still been a goal ahead. It was well within his range but elected to kick to a pack of a dozen players. Very low percentage option.

Like a Freudian slip (an unintentional error revealing subconscious feelings) showing where the players minds are at. Thinking about the big boys and being dismissive of the weaker sides.

Both times when when we had our biggest leads during the game in the the 2nd and 3rd quarters we let them have two 4 goal unanswered run ons. We had similar issues but to a lesser degree against the Crows and Pies. We surrender the initiative to lesser sides rather than go for the kill. They seem to sense that.

For the benefit of posters, this is what Clarkson said ; “The disappointing part is we had over 80 tackles and only three holding-the-balls, didn’t get rewarded for our super effort in that space. Having said that maybe the reward came just because we’re in the game and in the contest and got us to draw. We would have liked to think with the effort we applied in terms of our tackling we would have got more reward on some of the free kicks.”

I’m just thankful Frost was still playing for us.

Hopping Saints would win but now GO SUNS!

There should be a throw of the year to go with mark and goal of the year competition. Butler wins this weeks shocker.

A crunching collision with Mitch Robinson. Totally accidental. Kidney injuries can be very serious. Could be missing a long time.

Hawks are not worthy for a prime time game.

Endless search for perfection’: Scott optimistic scary Cats can get even better This is a headline from The Age after the decimation of Fremantle. Fremantle played bad for sure but are plagued by injuries and are not a top 8 side. Darcy and Fyfe both played with injuries. Rory Lobb went out injured. Walters a mere shadow of his devastating past. Talk about us drinking bathwater. Theirs must taste real good. A decade of beating up poor sides only to wimp out in finals, that is Geelong.

Geelong doing what they do best. Beat up on weak sides.

Freo are like Melbourne one year post Neeld.

Great to hear you beat it. It’s a horrible disease. My brother wife died from it at age 34 leaving two young children behind. She suffered terribly in her final months. The Pink Lady appeal is the worthiest of causes.

Steve Dunne the other umpire refused to no ball Muralli when he started bowling from his end. He said it was too difficult and unfair to call in real time and best left to the cricket authorities and video technology to judge.

Was convicted of embezzlement in 2017

Not a big free kick winner but doesn’t give many away either. 186 games, 124 frees for and 134 against.

Our problem is we take so-called soft opposition for granted. If we lose to them it’s our fault.