Cheesy D. Pun

How good was his contested marking, last night! He is a beast for his size. That said, I can still understand people wanting JJ over him. I'm on the fence as JJ has looked very lethargic in his last few performances, so I suspect it's less about who is the better player and more about who can bring the heat.

Yep. Absolutely. Similar to the free paid against Melksham last week for kicking it into the stands. It simply becomes 50 because a free kick already existed.

I had a demon supporter mate text me when we had let 7 in a row through and say 'I'm not that fazed, it is one part of our game (centre clearance) that needs adjusting'. His positivity made me want to vomit but he was right - we didn't have issues all over the ground, we were just setting up horribly in the middle. Had they kicked a point or two in that run we may have sorted it out a lot faster but they had their kicking boots on and we're back in the middle in the blink of an eye.

6 Gawn (goal aside, his final qtr was sublime) 5 Oliver (stiff not to get the six but Gawn's influence was absolutely irreplaceable when we made our move) 4 Lever 3 Salem 2 Viney (9 tackles when we were struggling to stick them) 1 Kozzy (not his best game but 14 touches, 3 goals and looked dangerous)

Yeah, that's a fair summation.

I think the 'drinking your own bath water' narrative/argument is pretty weak and doesn't come with much to support it. It comes across as an emotional response from angry supporters, rather than a rational one. I'm certainly not saying it doesn't happen, but rather it is not as likely as other explanations for a lack of success e.g personnel, strategy, experience etc. I think this is particularly true at the elite level where the mental aspects of the game are analysed and picked apart to the nth degree.

You will not find a more harsh critique on a man's ability to kick the footy.

Spot on.

If it's true that Cox has a bruised larynx then this will and probably should get weeks. It looks like a pretty mild hit, but it's difficult to tell. What was said or done beforehand is a separate issue.

Love this guy - almost faultless in his picks over the journey and has made some risky choices that have all paid off. Obviously, he sticks to a script to ensure he doesn't give anything away and only talks about the players that have been widely reported as high picks but great to hear this legend's voice either way.

I love this about our sport.

Great point. The way he delays the handball and uses all of his time to draw the defence is a thing of beauty. This is why I think he'll play his best footy on the ball. He needs to be in traffic where his calmness, instincts and peripheral vision take over. That said, he has developed his contested marking so quickly that it's scary to think what he might become. As others have said, Max's influence should not be understated. Let's not forget, Max developed into an amazing player despite the MFC, not because of it. LJ now has the perfect mentor and a great organisation behind him - I'm confident he'll become the best player he can be.

He also has a calmness about him that belies his age. He is so composed in traffic, it's as if he doesn't believe there's any possibility someone could tackle him.

Both really good players with great futures ahead of them. Jordon, although a bit down of late, has found a role that no-one else is filling. He's a very sensible player, runs hard, knows his own limitations and is an elite tackler. I think it's no coincidence Petracca's increased defensive output has come with JJ's dip in form. We've really missed his tackling and others have had to take up the slack. Sparrow is a young Jack Viney with perhaps a little less nous. I think Sparrow needs a spot to open up for him before we see his true value. He's so far down the pecking order for that bullocking inside mid spot others are doing the work he's most suited to. He's virtually unstoppable at VFL level because he owns that role. Would love to see him develop some smarts to go with his physicality, so that he can contribute when not in his perfect role, much the way Brayshaw has had to do.

If one of our boys was hunting a defender with the ball, then stopped and let him run off, I'd expect the coaches to give him a week's rest anyway. Surely, you're laying that tackle everytime? To be clear, I'm not 100% sure it's not worth a week but his choices are limited in that scenario. If we're asking players not to tackle a player with the ball, then we need to provide an alternative.

I think it's a tough one. It's similar but nowhere near as brutal as this which received 1 week in 2018: Natanui dumps Amon What should Hawkins have done? He's running at full speed then has to lay a tackle. There was no second motion. I'd be furious if one of our players was suspended for that.

Love Hibbo but I agree with this.

I think we rate that wing role as super important to our game plan. I can't see us experimenting after finally locking down two functional wings.

Probably a fair point re: round 1 selection. Double-checked squads and injury lists and you're right.

I didn't have to draw a conclusion, it's an historical fact. Now, it doesn't mean I'm saying he's a gun player, but I think it's pretty fair to assume that the selection committee like him if he's being picked for round one games when available. He has had a horrid run with injury and I'm open to the argument that these ongoing injury issues are enough to warrant him being let go. That said, he's played no more than four consecutive games in his AFL career, almost exclusively due to injury. I can't see how that's enough footy to make a judgement. His footy at VFL level has been exceptional.

I say it because the football department love him. He's a round 1 starter every season when he's not on the injury list. God awful footballer? That's a ludicrous statement with no evidence to support.

6 Jackson 5 Fritta 4 Langdon 3 Trac 2 Salem 1 Gawn

If this guy can stay injury-free, he'll be a permanent fixture in our best 22.

Sorry mate, don't know how I managed that!

In some ways, they're incomparable. Every good team needs one of each. When Trac is on, you could argue that he only needs half the touches of Oliver to give you the same value but neither could be the player they are without the other.