Pates

Salem and (oddly) Lewis would be my choices. Sam wouldn’t, he doesn’t have the clutch ability yet.

I’ll join those in saying Weids played alright on Saturday night, he missed the winner that he should’ve got but he wasn’t alone in that respect and yet again we’re left thinking about what might’ve been (story of our year). We had some NQRs in the team that really dragged us down at important moments, Oscar was embarrassingly beaten and surely goes for May, JKH was a baffling choice to come in for Salem and again when given a shot proved he is a list clogger, both Wagner’s are depth, and Spargo seems to be the match committee’s love child because for me he’s not showing enough. Add Hannan being underdone to that (although should be better for the run), and Tommy Mac putting in yet another disappointing performance we definitely had our class dragged down. What concerns me is that we’ve gone back to the cliche of forgetting how to win. When the heat came on we panicked, no one stood up and said let’s think this though. We also had multiple chances to either ice the game or get back the lead and choked. This pattern is clearly getting the players minds now and I can’t think how we change that. I would never have picked that coming into the queens birthday the chances of finals are basically gone.

This is still such a punch to the guts right now, seeing Weids line up for a shot to win much like Gawn vs Geelong (though not as easy to be fair). It just sums our season up perfectly, so much potential, opportunity right there but we stuff it up. I really wish I didn’t care.

That is a choke of the highest order; like the West Coast game. Just end the season now, I'm bloody sick of it.

I feel in my gut we're losing this. It was ours to lose and we lost it.

We had chances to kill the game in that quarter and failed to finish our work. But although I feel like the umpiring has been pretty average both ways, Harmes is being held at almost every contest but it keeps getting ignored. So many times he was clear and the hold just gave the crows the chance.

Damn it, we just keep letting them back in.

We're getting chances to bury this game, have to start taking them.

JKH! Has he actually managed to kick it to anyone on the full?

Lowering the eyes, forwards leading and marking, looking good!

Well we got a few soft frees there that we managed to get a goal from.

Who was with Lynch???

Great first quarter, but boy Brayshaw couldn't have done much worse in that last 1 minute of play! Especially after kicking such a fantastic goal!

Well this is much more like what we saw last year!

Stupid from Harmes then.

That's ridiculously stupid. Such a shame. And JKH is not AFL standard, full stop.

That's the Jeffy we love!!!

What a pitiful fist from Wagner.

We're putting good pressure on but just still letting them get a couple of easy goals.

Hannan in without good VFL form is a sign of desperation in my eyes but if he gets in the game early his X-factor could really help us. The other two ins are big for us though, getting some class into the backline will be massively important. We might start getting our team back over the next few weeks but I fear it's going to be too little too late.

I was thinking the same thing. Bet you he smashes someone from the first bounce and plays a massive game.

It's about knowing when to go and when to read how the game is going. Playing on at all costs can look bloody fantastic when it comes off but when your playing and handballing to someone running past they have to have someone to link that chain to. I feel like the best styles that we implement are whe the first few kicks in the chain are controlled with the link up players moving to position further up, I think we are lacking this first initial control as well as the execution for basic deliveries. It doesn't help that our defence is lacking in genuine quality right now, both Jetta and Salem are excellent kicks.

Wow, I can't believe the really harsh negative sentiments towards Lewis. Did we think we were getting a gun player at the peak of his prowess? Of course not! When we got him we had a vacuum of leadership and experience and he was bloody valuable at that time. Has he been in decline in the last 18 month? Blind Freddy (and Lewis himself I'm sure) would tell you he has, but guess what that's what happens! Bear in mind we got him for practically for nothing, he has done what we needed him to do for his time at our club. I feel that given our position on the ladder and that 2019 is basically shot we should look at giving games to others in his position, and he can play as an almost on field coach at Casey. That's not to say he can't play for the seniors again but I'm not sure we get what we want from him anymore. As for his suspension, bloody stupid.

Heartbreaking to hear, my deepest condolences to Brad and his boys. Very tragic.

Low impact and to be fair the GC seemed to channel Oliver's flop from last year. I feel like if that had been the first offence in the run he would've got away with it, I still feel like the reprimand system (not so much the left over points) wasn't the worst idea, two reprimands equals a suspension. He should've been gone after his second elbow. This one he had to go, I think a week was right.