Cheesy D. Pun

Gary Ablett Sr. was a half back flanker.

Yep. Balance is everything.

It's self-fulfilling and is related to journalistic theory. Prominence is the news value that suggests people are much more interested in reading about people they know or know of. By calling every player a star, you're attempting to create new stars and therefore make your job easier in future.

Yep, an absolute champion and an exceptional leader. Would also have loved him at the Dees. That said, I do get a kick out of seeing his face when we beat them.

This is such good news! He's an odd cat, our Clayton, so it was very difficult to get a read on the whole situation. Go Dees!

Well there you go. Who would have thought you could learn something on Demonland!

I gave a laugh a emoji, but I'll be honest, I know very little about guns. Is there a a double entendre in there? Either way, sounds enticing.

Totally agree. I was critical of his performance last week because it was all dash for little return. This week, he brought some dash, used the ball well but more importantly - as you say - he defended so well. If he can do that consistently, we've got a real weapon on our hands.

Totally agree. We are very lucky to have a player of that quality to come in and it will be very interesting to see if can hang on to him long term. Too good to play VFL for another 12 months.

Nah, I can totally see where you're coming from. If you'd asked me straight after the game how TMac played, I would have said poorly. He made loads of mistakes and his decision-making was poor, at times. That said, I was surprised to see his stats, which suggest he's doing something right and I don't think he should be dropped but if our true key forwards get fit, his time may be up anyway.

Yep. It annoys me that some are applauding that he has stepped up. He's doing what he's always done and is being rewarded because he now has some help.

Love Charlie. He's now reaping the rewards that come with having teammates with the same willingness to run and chase and tackle. It's why I think Melksham needs to be left out. This small forward group has built a real synergy around work rate and pressure and Melksham, for all his skill, doesn't live up to that standard.

Yep. You don't have to convince me. He has skills but just doesn't give the required effort.

Doubt this will happen but would like Melky out, Sparrow in. May to be replaced by Petty or Hibbo depending on matchups.

Agree. Petty is next in line for the key back spot. I don't understand the Daw love. He's good insurance but he's been an inconsistent fringe player on a poor team for a long time. Furthermore, he's been training and playing games of footy as a forward/second ruck.

Yep, agreed. There's no way he meant that.

Agree on both counts. Spargo is just being Spargo. Now he has friends helping him out up there. Hunt's game was exactly what we need from him. A couple of good runs finished with some quality disposal and some fantastic contest work.

6 Lever 5 Petracca 4 Gawn 3 Oliver 2 Viney 1 Fritsch This was really tough as we played such a team game but I loved the games of Spargo, Langdon, Brayshaw and Tomlinson to name a few.

Absolutely. He's one of the best players in the game right now.

Fair point about the umpires but after watching it about 10 times, I don't think the tackle is the major influence on the injury. His knee hyper-extends just before the follow-through of the tackle. I'd be very disappointed if a player in a red and blue jumper - in the same situation - didn't lay the tackle.

It only takes one player not pulling their weight in the forward half for our whole game to come crashing down. Gee, I hope they know what they're doing!

This. If Daw plays, we're in crisis mode. He's our 5th key forward option, 3rd or 4th ruck option and 5th or 6th key back option. If he gets a run, we're in trouble.

The tackle wasn't out of the ordinary (wasn't paid as late) and Dursma's leg locks/hyper-extends as he lands causing him to buckle unpredictably. Nothing in it.

Yep. Absolutely no reason to believe Melksham will bother putting any pressure on. This is why Sparrow stays - you reward team-first behaviours. He's doing everything right at the moment. Not everyone needs to get their hands on the ball to be effective.

Leading into the pockets is the very thing that opens up the middle of the ground for key forwards. We don't have key forwards (yet). For every kick that hits Fritta in the pocket, there's a bunch of kicks that go to the space he creates by leading away from the middle. I understand the argument and I'd rather see him shooting for goal 40 metres out straight in front than on these acute angle he finds himself on but I think its important to have a look at the choices he has at any given time and take account of the overall result for the team..