Red Sox

I think we need to work on being competitive for 4 quarters.

Pre-game Gerard Healy (who seems to salivate over anything in a Freo or Sydney jumper) made the point that Scully was to play one on one against Stephen Hill. Healy intimated that this would be a good thing for Hill as Scully was unlikely to play any kind of lock down on Hill who Healy thought could tear the game apart. Well, the opposite was the outcome in this game as it was Skulls continual gut busting running that left Hill flat footed - no mean feat! Hill can certainly play and is a super attacking player, can't say I've concentrated too much on his defensive efforts but he was certainly lacking in this area against Skull. Probably a harsh judgment on Hill as he won't be the last player Skull leaves in his wake!!

In my opinion he has already gone past the stage of going back to Casey to learn. Don't think for the position he plays and player we want him to be that he could get anything out of playing in that comp. This is not to say that if his form is really bad he shouldn't be dropped. But his form is showing continual improvement and he will only get better at his aggression & decision making with us. You can see he does 'hurt' when things dont work as he wants them too.

Miller time is correct but the interpretations still change from one umpire to another. It didn't cost us the game as we still had our chances but it was very very frustrating to see the 'throw' and then the decision paid against us. We got a few rough ones on Sunday, probably got the better ones against Essendon.

Demons WILL win this game. The second half from last week will, wait for it....see us win the opening quarter by 2 goals. We will hold a 2 to 3 goal lead and run away in the last for a 5 goal win. Young, quick legs will carry the ball and be too slick through the corridor.

Not sure of the symmetry between Baker and Cotchin. Agree there was a case to answer and there was more force than Waite on Bate....that's fine but where is the consistency where similar acts are concerned. This is what frustrates everyone. It is so easy to sit back and watch a reply but far too many people forget how difficult a game this is to play. It is hard to judge someones intent from the outside but I would be very very very surprised if Cotchin had any intent to actually cause the damage to the Nth Melb player. 4 weeks is well above the odds and simply not consistent with other decisions.

Fairly important point this one.....seasoned players require pre-seasons let alone kids that have yet to complete a full one.

Would suggest that Cale came out even at best - he had 10 disposals 4 marks to Goodes 17 disposals 9 marks. Goodes has not been in the best form this year. In any case, Cale should be playing on him to get this exposure. Goodes has played more often as a permanent forward this year - if this eventuates I would suggest Chip will play him all day.

Good call Bob....noticed how he sunk to the ground and almost remonstrated with himself. He willed himself to the ball and wanted the ball, just couldn't finish it off. Great to see that hurt....there is a slight hint of arrogance that all the best players had and this will come out when his confidence at the ball is there.

Confidence, Confidence, Confidence....is the key word!! Nice post above Age.....it is amazing when we hit a few targets and score that it can open up for us and we look fantastic. We do look scared to make any kind of mistake and seem almost too careful when trying to hit a target.

Will be missing.....hopefully a return of Trengove & Junior will help is some part with Beamers loss.

He keeps getting more of it and being involved more and more each week. The 'kid' needs a big pre-season. Players of 200 games need pre-seasons & Jack has yet to complete one. I reckon next year he will start to take control of some games for us and will be a beauty. Had he finished off some of his work would be a certain Rising Star this week, still could be. His finishing has been fantastic so far and I was a bit surprised he didn't kick that goal in the last but it didnt miss by a lot, not as if he sprayed the thing. We have something really good here and people that went early - sit back and enjoy!

Bail - better for run Bartram - attacking but costly Bate - make better decisions Bennell - alot of upside - nice game Bruce - bad under pressure Davey - in and out Dunn - is going ok Frawley - an absolute rock!! Garland - better 2nd half Green - no real impact Jamar - quiet around ground - worked hard though - Sandi not alot if impact Johnson - where's that been? Jones - good and bad? Jurrah - needs more games -more pressure MacDonald - one of best - better disposal be good Moloney - quiet then injured Morton - the next gen bruce? He can be better Rivers - another good game Scully - super super running Watts - more great signs McKenzie - blood and guts - indeed!

Good game....today.

Sh!t umpiring but we still had our chances. WTF is with these starts??!! Jack Watts had 20 odd touches, 7 marks & worked damn hard. Needs to be harder and with a bigger body will be. Anyone remind me if wrong but pretty sure he has NEVER got through a pre-season as yet. Dumb post above saying his kicking always lets us down - today at goal it did but this is unusual for him - non issue - going to be Fing good! Bate worked I thought but struggled to finish anything or make an impact. Bartram played a bit more attacking & ok but his opponent kicked 4. Another good game for Riv keeps the hounds around here at bay.

6 - Frawley 5 - Scully 4 - Rivers 3 - Bennell 2 - Watts 1 - Sylvia Paul Johnson! McKenzie .....

Stinger - # 52

Obviously not aware of those years, aware of the sarcasm .....most definitely more courageous efforts in his game 2005 onwards, IMO anyway. Damn good player either way and one of my favourites in red & blue.

Thank you!!! Reactionary call, flavor of the mth call, no chance to finish top 3 call!! 1 - Trengove - yeah the bias probably helps 2 - Rockliff 3 - Hannebery Martin would've won quite easily on this year. Not just one bloke does but he has made a huge difference to that Tiger side which is quite an achievement. First year and carrying team mates to better levels is something.

Yep and shows exactly how far behind we've been in even getting to this point. But it starts somewhere and the club, Jim, Cam etc etc are doing such a great job... The narrative is great and will help exemplify to young players how much of a rich history we have.

Yeah he has been a gun for the most part and the last 4-5 years especially. He did cop flack because he was a bit, not quite soft but at least no where near hard enough at the contest. It is a massivecredit to him that he changed that, which was also given a push by him not being included in leadership groups. Maybe a bit insular as a player. But yeah, so much credit to him cause he has a ton of talent, certainly is a gun. Captaincy would be fair reward, obvious how he can lead with his talent on the field, but some of those issues he has had, would also be a good leader off field.

That's a future HUN headline for sure! Suns is fine. Not just relevant to America at all. Sharks would've been good but never a chance due to Southport.

Cale Morton: I rated Cale as good. He had four consistent quarters from the perspective of being involved in the game, and winning the ball, and using it well. I still would have liked to have seen a little bit more intensity as far as pressure on the opposition, and that’s probably why he’s a bit down at the minute. He’s just got to add that to his game a lot more. He did a few things - there’s no doubt he was trying to do some things - but he’s got to make that a bit more of a focus in his game. But he was still pretty good, and had 24 possessions. But, they did put him under a lot of pressure. He had a lot of handballs that were under pressure, when he was getting tackled really hard, and not being able to dispose of the ball as effectively as we know he can. This weeks VFL rating probably sums up Cale. Finds it, can use it well when not under pressure, struggles more with intensity, with the ball and without it & needs to get this into his game. Probably why is at Casey right now. Plenty of upside though, especially if he gets that intensity going he will be a difficult player to control.

Going by the VFL review it seems Bail played a bit off half back, they might look to play him off half back at Subi. Could mean that it will be one of Cheney or MacDonald. Bartram hasn't done anything wrong. Could even be Johnson to add more run & Freo have part timers as back up to Sandilands. He does seem a likely type Bail and a bit like Jordie McKenzie slotted straight in & made an impact. Looking forward to seeing him back, he is a certain inclusion.