Deetective Sgt. Taggert

Pretty sure there was a passage of play where Rivers effected a crucial smother then followed up on the opposite wing to set up an attacking foray that resulted in a Frisch goal. Pure class.

Brayshaw was huge for us tonight, and Rivers was desperate in defence and attacking in the rebound. Frisch take a bow with his clutch goals.

Random question for the podcast, but given the lack of home ground advantage for Melbourne in finishing first do you think the AFL should grant us the right to choose our opponent for the preliminary final? If we win the qualifying final of course. Ie we choose which winner of the semifinals we want to play. Same could also apply to the semifinal in terms of the highest ranked loser of the qualifying finals I see no reason why they couldn’t given that ladder positions only really dictates the first round of the finals.

I think Goodwins comments reflect two things. One is that he wants his assistants to know they are highly valued by signalling he expects them to stick it out until the job is done. The other is that with the current soft cap restrictions there isn’t enough coaching staff on the books to cover the loss of a senior assistant, so the club would be more compelled to play hardball in terms of holding them to a contract until at least the end of the season.

Did anyone else notice that Brayshaw let this slip in the post match interview? Seems like its almost a done deal…

The tigers have played there 12 times since the bombers last time there, so they’ve at least copped it every 3 year on average

We’ve played down there 20 times since the bombers last game there…

Yep, round 21 - 1993. I believe Collingwood now hold the longest time since a game at Kardinia - not since round 15 - 1999.

Ben brown, Mitch brown, melksham, hunt, Salem, Brayshaw, viney, jones. I’d back any of those guys to kick straight when it counts.

I didn’t watch the game but was concerned that a smaller ground would not suit our game plan, so expected it to be close. I’m comfortable writing this one off and still very content to be 11-2 heading into the bye. I also take some consolation in the fact that losing to bottom teams is actually better than top 8 teams because it not an 8 point game. But appreciate the frustrations of those who watched, especially those who made the long trek to see us live!

Do West Coast ever miss at home? 9.0 to 3.7

You made me curious so I had to look this up. Round 3 2006 Melbourne Vs Adelaide at Carrara (back when we sold our games interstate...). Arron Davey goal deemed touched on the line which would have levelled to scores. Instead we lost by 5 points. But a draw still would have seen us finish in 7th on percentage, thanks to the draw with Geelong in round 21.

We should be adopting the players mantra. We start each game zero-zero, but know we have what it takes to win if we bring our best.

It’s time to believe! Otherwise we’ll forever remain like Abe Simpson...

I agree with others above that the north comparisons are unwarranted. Arguably they are the exception that proves the rule, that teams that start the season without loss go on to play deep into September. Of course injuries will happen but we’ve now got a solid system that holds up under pressure and players can see the results.

Well played sir. Nice effort to work in that classic movie reference!

I appreciate the sentiment. I was pondering this the other day when thinking about who Richmond have beaten in each of their flags and none of them seemed like hardened finals campaigners or former champions. But I supposed that’s just the way it is when you are at the top of the pile. Certainly the Dogs flag in 2016 seemed more meritorious given they had to go via Perth and beat the previous champions just to get to the prelim.

Good alignment of values as indicated in the article. I like it. The more competition to the big 4 the better...and securing sponsorship for the Dees is a plus!

I saw the article headline and assumed Jones would be the only realistic option. Is a bit depressing that there is so little competition during that period and just goes to show how we failed to provide the right environment for players to consistently perform at their best. It seems like that is largely due to the mediocre facilities the club had for so many years (and still is yet to fully resolve). It does however reinforce how impressive the career of Jones has been even if he never reached the lofty heights of others.

Loved that era of footy cards!

They've basically rehashed yesterday's 2 hour road to the draft podcast in the last hour.

This is getting ridiculous

Total surprise but very happy with this. He has his quirks for sure but will be a nice counterpoint to Goodwin’s demeanour and brings in more experience that is critical given the downsized coaching structure.

Seems very unlikely they would let the public anywhere near the players given the women’s team is being kept seperate.

Does that make Tom Browne an Israelite or fanny by the gaslight?