old dee

1 hour ago, Neil Crompton said:

OD, I’m prepared to put out here that Luker Kentfield will start to display Hawkins-like potential after a full pre-season. That’s my prediction anyway. (My prediction during pre-season this year was that Disco Turner would become our most improved player this year - and I think I’m not far off nailing that one). I think Luker, JVR and Jeffo could well be sensational in our forward line in the next year or two. In other words, we don’t need an outsider - we already have what we need.

I hope you are 100% correct NC. It's a shame Kentfield had such a poor preseason, he wasn't just injured he had a very serious lung infection which keep him from any training for at least 6 weeks. I don't think Petracca has Yet got over his horrendous injury 13 months ago. On a number of occasions this year he has seemed hesitant. The second half on Sunday was the best 2 quarters I have seen from him this year. Sadly at present his kicking has been poor, no idea why. Before the season started I wonder how well he would be this year. Most players take a while to recover from big injuries even if they look physically fit. Here's hoping for a much better 2026. I hope so I am running out of years.

22 minutes ago, bluey said:

You include Action Jackson and Bradshaw we would be right up there.

Very good points bluey. Particularly Brayshaw!

There is only one stat that matters, its the one when the games final siren blows.

That stat places us 13th on the ladder with 6 wins and a low percentage.

The rest is for the stat devotees!

20 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

If we are relying on Melksham we may have a problem with Father Time.

Other than Turner I can't see anyone in the team or at Casey coming near filling his role

Spot on DJ! unless injury intervenes IMO we have 2026 to find a replacement. Have a look at how fit and lean he is, deserves another year contract.

We have taken a couple who had trouble getting / staying in a good side the last couple ofyears

Fullarton and Sharp. Both VFL talents. There is a reason he doesn't yet have a contract with North. I suspect he is an average player who occasional has a good game when playing on a poorer opponent.

22 hours ago, Deeminion said:

Can anyone shed some light on why Tom McDonald has been out of the side? I thought he was having a very solid season before being dropped all the way back in Round 12, and he hasn’t been able to break back in until this week. He wasn’t even recalled when Lever missed a game, which I found surprising.

Once again, I thought he played well. He defended strongly, used the ball efficiently, and made smart decisions. I know he’s getting on in age and this might be his final season (or maybe one more), but based on form, he’s been one of our most consistent defenders this year. I’m struggling to understand why he seems out of favour.

I get that it’s tough to fit four key defenders into three spots, but on performance alone, I’d have him in our top three. What do others think?

Amen to that D.

39 minutes ago, Previously known as LITD. said:

I know this probably does not need a new thread but it's worth noting yesterday's contrast with Round three this uear.

Ok so yesterday was a total reversal of our last game against North Melbourne.

Not just in scores.

In many ways.

Our delivery into our forward line. Fast and direct allowing for much space for players to lead and crumb.

Not the usual quagmire where players couldn't swing a cat ( that's not a footy pun).

It's was encouraging to see young Jefferson play his best game and he's obviously improving. I mean he really could only go up unless he started kicking goals for the opposition.

I wonder if that is a thing. I think unlike soccer they are counted as points and.not goals.

I digress ( as usual) But last time Jeffo played v NM he didn't get one disposal. I can't recall if he was injured. He was subbed off though.

But he made competitions frequently and.managed four strong grabs. He kicked a goal and realistically could have kicked three with some sad atrocious kicking where.he let his good work down.

Anyway from what I've been led to believe this is usually not a weakness of his game.

Our quality i50 delivery was due to Tracc and co winning quite a few CC and other players on the wing lowering their eyes frequently.

And it helped not a few take some solid grabs including Melksham and Fritta.

The former( Milkshake) didn't play in the last time we played NM ( round three) where we were belted 125 to 66.

This time with a quality fwd in the team in Melksham and KP back as well ( suspended in round three) it was night and day 219 to 83. With Kozzie adding only one major but creating a few goals assists with some classy i50s . But he unusually didn't dominate.

Great teams usually have at least one great key forwar

I think you undèrated Kossie. In the last quarter him, Max and Pteracca took North apart in the second half particularly in the last quarter.

23 hours ago, joeboy said:

Gawn - excellent from centre

Viney - bullocking of old

Petracca - great after first

Fritsch - four quarter effort

Melksham - smart and important

Lever - a slow liability

McVee - little to enthuse

Pickett - always looked dangerous

McDonald - never drop again

Salem - regularly intercepted well

Tholstrup - one important disposal

Swallow - an indecipherable role

Rivers - just a game

Langford - impressive four quarters

Turner - strong after first

Oliver - a solid game

van Rooyen - good in bursts

Jefferson - finally showed promise

Chandler - some clever touches

Langdon - valuable running game

Bowey - not as noticeable

Lindsay - obviously has tired

Windsor - had no Input

100% agree again Joeboy!

6 hours ago, hank said:

Your three word analysis looked like the game I was attending, not Joeboys game analysis who must have been attending another game

Don't agree! " Turner " becoming defensive kingpin, not on yesterdays stat's Seriously I thought he had a poor game.

AF 31, Disposals 7, Tackles 1.

24 minutes ago, 58er said:

Isn’t there a case for giving extra time on some occasions if you are not at the top of your game to see if you can find some form.

Not necessarily risking the result of course.

He has had numerous games this year and IMO rarely justifies his spot in the senior side. A week or two back he went back to Casey for a game which was not more than average and then straight back in. He needs to find form at the lower level. Now I acknowledge he had a poor preseason due to injury.

19 hours ago, Pennant St Dee said:

After a poor first half much better second half and some positives

Like the fwd structure of JVR, Jeffo, Melk and Fritsch. Fritsch workrate and team first today good to see makes the team better

Clarrie showed some of his clean quick hands around the stoppages. Trac ran the game out well but his kicking is a worry.

Jeffo leading patterns are good and he halved several contests, must persevere with him and JVR.

Langford is a very good player both Kolt and Windsor having poor years but like Bowey get good pre seasons behind them and see them improve.

Great performance by Tmac, Lever probably makes way for May or Petty down back.

A win with little impact from Kossie another positive

One of the positives of having Jefferson in yesterday is there is another tall especially when JVR is in the Ruck. With those two to cover Fritz gets a lower quality Backman.

17 hours ago, binman said:

I don't think it was intentional either but i think collectively the sport needs to get its act together in what is ok on the field.

Reckless seems to be considered not such a big deal. Acccidental adjacent. Sure give him a few weeks, but it's not as if he meant it, yada yada yada.

Mooney's response in commentary was that sort of vibe. He'll get weeks, but geez he's a bit unlucky. A football act.

But reckless is a not accidental. And its not unlucky.

It is defined as 'acting without regard for potential consequences or dangers, often characterized by carelessness and a lack of caution.'

And that exactly describes Xerri's action.

The ball was at Sparrow's feet when he was struck. Xerri got nowhere the ball. And in doing so he showed no regard to the potential consequences of swimg on a closed fist in the vicinity of an opponents head.

And dees fans know full well how serious the consequences can be.

Tragically so do Pies and Eagles fans who have seen players in their team also have to retire because of concussion in the last two years.

We'll never eliminate the risk of concussion from footy, but if the AFL is serious about minimising the risk of an injury we know can cause LIFELONG damage then they need to get serious about penalising acts that show zero regard for potential consequences.

Four weeks is a total joke for that hit. Change it to six minimum and players might think twice before swinging a clenched in a way that could conceivably result in a player being struck to the head.

Binman you get 4 weeks for name calling but that concussion causing act is a footy incident oh please. I am not having a go at you. The FL will be shown up once again. Any less than a multi week suspension will show how society issues drives them more than player long health issues.

14 hours ago, Dee-tonator said:

Luckily he wasn't 15 metres out directly in front of goal.

I said to the guy next to me ( north fan ) big chance he will kick this 20 metres out! Close your eyes.

13 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Spaz’s mum was on the other side of the ground and wasn’t sure what had happened. One of our DA members is good friends with her and was on the phone trying to explain, such a hard thing to hear because you just knew she’d be frantic and sure enough she was very distraught. I can’t imagine how it must feel to see your child in such a state.

As a parent and grandparent I cannot imagine either GW. I felt horrible. He was just lieing there not a movement. I had a serious injury at the age of 19 that end my footy playing days ( not head). My mother would never go to games for fear of seeing something happen. Even though I love the game I am glad none of my offspring had any desire to play football. It's a tough dangerous game

14 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Xerri shouldn’t have even played today and the Sparrow incident would’ve been avoided.

Last week against the Dogs in the last quarter, he looked like a punch drunk boxer as he stumbled on his feet after a head contact incident. Basically every player who’s been unsteady on their feet after a head knock over the last couple of years has entered concussion protocols- no ifs, buts or maybes.

Disappointing IMO.

Interesting to know BBP.because of the Collingwood incident I seldom watch non MFC games now. I did watch the first half of blues game on the weekend. The AFL are all talk and little action when it comes to protecting the head IMO it is all about looking to do the correct things for future legal cases.

58 minutes ago, D Rev said:

I went with a neutral mate who commented that Jeffo looks like one of those inflatable figures that you see out the front of used car sales lots

I wish I had thought of that. A very good description. He doesn't look like an Aussie rules player.

11 hours ago, layzie said:

My love for the sport was on the wane before that but that night and subsequent week after nuked anything I had left for taking the AFL seriously.

I hardly watch any games other than ours now. I used to watch most Thurs and Fri might games now barely any. I was part of a weekly footy podcast that recapped the round's action but now the thought of watching more than 2 or 3 games a weekend seems like a headache.

The passion for the game at the highest level isn't there now.

You are not alone, I seldom watch a non MFC game any longer. My spirit died a few months later when he was forced to retire.

11 hours ago, At Least I Saw a Flag said:

Like Dusty? (Springfield, not Martin)

She could sing that girl.

33 minutes ago, binman said:

Mine too

Yes I still struggle with that night. The follow up destroy my faith in the AFL. There was no justice.

Give him and Tmac another contract year for 2026. They are both playing well and keeping no one young from getting a game.

2 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Gee the commentators went soft on him. Football act, split second BS

Just like the excuses for the Collingwood thug.

19 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Seeing Spaz lying motionless and unconscious like that brought back awful memories of the Gussy incident. You could feel it around the ground. It was eerie. I don’t know about other North supporters but those near us were respectful, unlike the disgusting Collingwood fans on that fateful day.

I will take that memory to the grave gw. They were chanting Collingwood Collingwood. What's the betting that he has no case to answer but a player who name calls gets 4 weeks. I thought the head was a protected area.

1 minute ago, Chook said:

Do you reckon Xerri wants to be known as the best ruck in the AFL and can't hack that he isn't?

He went ok till the last quarter. Max, Kossie and Petracca took the north centres apart in the last quarter.

Today he had 10 minutes in the last quarter. I would have subed him off at 3/4 time. Just not senior standard at present. We were playing North, if you cannot have a reasonable game today when can you.

Today I went to particularly watch 2 players. Lever and Jefferson.

Lever played his worst game I have watched since his arrival. Why we have been playing him instead of TMac the last few weeks is dumb founding. If May is back next week we should drop lever and keep Tmac.

At Half time I was unimpressed with Jefferson. Time after time he was just not in the play

Quite often had his back to the play, looked to be somewhere else. The second half was much better. He all of a sudden looked interested. Could easily have kicked 3 goals. One was a tight one from 40 metres out. He still looks to skinny to me. He was manavoured out of position a few time and edged under the ball. No weight or power to hold his position. Having said all that he deserves a game next week there were others who played worse games. Speaking of worse games I am not sure who was the worse in the backline Turner or Lever.

Of the two I concentrated on Lever poor, Jefferson a pass this week.