Pates

Typically I wouldn’t bother responding to such a silly comment but his stats from the Grand Final, the most highly pressured game of the year, were: 22 kicks, 5 handballs at 96% disposal efficiency. I’m not sure who you think you’re watching that isn’t a good kick, but it ain’t Salem.

Love the idea of Salem up forward but as someone said earlier to shift him mid year could be a tricky proposition. He’s not quick but his tackling is excellent, when he tackles someone they go down hard! Hypothetically if he was to return during a time where we lack some class up forward it could be worth a crack.

Yep end of the day we can shift to a ground that’s smaller than the G. We’d have the exact same problem as them. Unless we’d have a better plan of shifting the stand without demolishing it and still being able to create it as our own training facility it’s not the solution to our home base problems. Would love to get an update on our facility though, feels like this has been dragging forever.

I’ll start with the kick after the siren, why the hell wouldn’t he take the kick? It rubbed salt into the wound of the Dogs and that extra goal is in the books to show how dominant we were. I say good on him for nailing it while ever fibre of him probably wanted to hug his teammates. As for the mark on the weekend, at the end of the day the result is what matters, ie the goal. If we’re all about the team then Harmes should be recognising that at the end of the day he did his role which was to get the ball out into a goal scoring opportunity. Tom did his role as a forward in finishing the work. I don’t care who gets the goal, as long as it’s to the mighty Narrm FC.

I think keeping it simple in saying the player misses the following week if they are subbed out is the way to go. It means that players who cop a corky/cramp/or a light niggle aren’t utilised, it should be there for players who have zero chance of returning to the field and are extremely unlikely for the following week. It’s also there to ensure if a player gets a head knock they are taken off the ground immediately without impact on the club (at least in the rotations). Clubs should be deducted future cap space for misuse of the sub, fines won’t suffice as to win the game clubs might take the hit. Cap space threatens the ability to retain or recruit future players.

It wasn’t Tom’s finest moment but to be fair him marking it made it a certain goal at an important time, for all he knew there could’ve been someone coming from behind to spoil it. It’s in the book for Tom, but I’m sure everyone recognises it as Harmes’s goal.

Hoping that the Saints coming from the humidity of Cairns will mean their speed will be heavily affected, plus us getting back quite a few H&S affected rested players may just give us an extra boost of energy. I would really like Bedford to keep his spot, I just don’t know who misses or who doesn’t come back. We sorely missed Kozzie and Nibblers forward pressure to slow the Hawks out of defence. Hate to say it for Weid but I think TMac did enough to stay in. I swear Tom isn’t doing a lot but he just seems to do “enough”.

I was watching this match while at work so wasn’t able to to fully concentrate on it but these were my thoughts. I think we hit our straps for about a 20min period in the third and that was enough to do the job, the rest we were fumbly, scrappy, and particularly in the first quarter dropped marks we would usually swallow. I will tip my cap to the Hawks on this that they put good pressure on us almost constantly which meant we had the perceived pressure even when we were out. Our forward connection is my biggest concern at the moment, we are too often doing no look kicks and putting it in the defenders advantage. Happened at least 4 times to Brown but I also noticed Weid had occasions where it was put on the head of the defender. Fritta showed the mids how it was done with kicking to space for Bedfords goal. I was really happy for Bedford in that he not only got a full game but contributed positively, he’s lively and I think if Kozzie wasn’t Kozzie he would have a decent crack at being in our 22. Currently he’s in our 23 and he just needs to keep taking his chance when they come. Speaking of taking chances, sadly Melks didn’t take his. While he had some good moments, that kick at the end was such a butch for someone who used to be a dead eye. He kicks that and there was zero chance the Hawks come back, he missed and it kept them in the game. I thought Weid fought hard as the second ruckman, it’s tough on him though as I thought TMac did his job as second forward but Weid was going to be given a body of games to prove himself. So Jacko comes back next week, who goes out? We got scored against the heaviest in a while, but it was still 4 goals less than 100. Our defensive unit won’t be happy with that but was that also down to the structure up the line? It’s never all down to the defence. Finally, credit to the Hawks for playing their style. Slow playing against us is playing into our hands, but the Hawks we’re quick and daring. I don’t they’ll last the season but it was one of the few times I really felt we didn’t have the game on our string as usual.

With Kozzie and Nibbler out that is a big hole in our forward pressure department. Hopefully Bedford comes in like a man possessed, and Melksham has great memories of games vs the Hawks so fingers crossed he can turn back the clock. Thankfully our COVID H&S changes are all of players that while valuable aren’t the core key players of our team. Will make this a tougher assignment though.

Considering the outs the inclusions are pretty handy, Kozzie will be hard to replace as I don’t think people understand how important his 2nd/3rd/4th efforts are. LJ out sucks as well but he’s been a little off touch lately so TMac gets a chance to reclaim his spot. Question will be does Weid slot into being second ruck or will in be shared equally between him and Tom (with a bit of Brown in the forward half)?

Damn this is really going to test our depth, was going to happen eventually though so bring on the challenge. Bedford for Kozzie Majak for LJ maybe? Or does TMac come in and Weid second rucks? Viney back for Sparrow Lever back and Smith makes way

I hope the crowd gets massively behind Adem and when he walks out onto the ground there’s a big “oooooooze” from the MCC. Get well soon Goody, hope he can kinda take this as a bit of a break. If anyone deserves it it’s him!

I get that all the team we have beaten are outside the top 8, but it’s so funny hearing people STILL use the almost exact same language of “we won’t know they’re a good team until…” I mean FFS we’re the reigning premiers and I think I’ve seen us get into 4th gear once this year, against GWS and we blew them out of the water. I feel like had we kicked straight on Sunday night, and beaten them by the margin it should’ve been (ie 50+ points) suddenly then people would be quaking in their boots. Oppo fans are saying this week we get tested, nah it’s the other way around. Every week someone plays us it’s the other team’s test. That said, I’m looking forward to us playing the Hawks.

It’s not an effort for Langdon, I’ve barely seen him break a sweat!

I’d be very surprised if JJ was dropped, he’s barely put a foot wrong as stand in def winger. Really like Rivers but he would be my pick right now.

I think that one handball mistake was a mixture of the pressure from the tigers and a bit of colour blind. I know it happened to a couple of others through the night. In any case he will be the most likely to make way for Lever.

Yep the Brownlow is becoming less and less the medal to win. Bet you if you asked which Trac preferred Norm Smith or Brownlow he’d take Norm Smith every time (and then hide it behind his premiership medal!).

Nibbler had a dirty night when he had the ball, but did his usual defensive acts and in no way will be in line for being dropped. Really only see Viney for Dunstan and Smith for Lever. Weid kicked three, can’t really ask much more. Took his chances when they came. Hopefully next game he starts clunking them, there does seem to be a disconnect with where and how the balls coming in. Saw Sam do more than a few leads and few were honoured (frustratingly went to Brown in 3 on 1 instead).

I feel Freo are a genuine contender this season. They’re playing with confidence that reminds me of us last season, but there’s a passion and desire to do team acts that stands out for me. Lobb is a dangerous tall forward that would seriously challenge May, while they’ve got the smalls at ground level putting pressure on. Will be interesting to see where they sit come round 11 when we face them at the G. If they’re right up there it might well be the biggest game between the two clubs since we lost to them in the finals in (I think) ‘05. But seeing Sydney pile those goals on at the end was very reminiscent of us powering home in the Granny, definitely expecting them to be there at the pointy end of the finals series. Early days it’s looking like our strongest opponents are interstate.

You’re correct, I think I may have got tripped up with flicking back and forward between seasons but you’re spot on that the 2013 reigning premiers Hawks lost to Geelong in round 5. Makes our record even more impressive!

So because I was curious and because I feel us going 6-0 after our first premiership should be recognised even more this is how the last 5 premiers have gone in their first 6 rounds: Dogs: 4-2 Rich: 5-1 West Coast: 3-3 Rich: 3-2 & 1 draw Rich: 3-3 There were plenty of question marks on whether we might have a premiership hangover, but honestly it looks like a continuation of last season. The fact it was only 22 points in the end will mean the domination we had for practically the entire game will get lost. The last team to go 6-0 to start their season after a premiership was the Hawks premiers of 2013. They ended up losing in round 8.

I feel like there’s going to be this narrative that Richmond hung in there and did well, truthfully around the ground and in all the important parts of the game we destroyed them. The score line is insanely flattering and they should be counting their lucky stars that our forwards were having a poor night, and our mid/forward connectivity was off. This was us at 65% kicking at awful efficiency in front of goal. Clarry easily BOG, though Brayshaw put in another excellent, calming performance. Mark it down, let’s get the kicking tips out at training, and move on to the Hawks.

It’s significant, but those guys aren’t our goal kickers. We’ve won pretty much the entire ground except for kicking through the big sticks.

Spargo, Kozzie, ANB, Sparrow nail their relatively easy shots and it’s game over. We’ve kept them in the game simple as that.

Mark Williams will be absolutely fuming. We’ve done everything right except kicking goals. Goodwin can put the greatest gameplan in place but if your forwards are failing at the fundamentals what can you do.