Pates

It sounds like it’s a consistency thing, being able to have routine with going to the same location and same facilities for 85% of the time allows the team to be more settled in their environment. I’ve never liked the split shift thing they’ve done in the past, but I think it’s been a necessary evil to ensure our roots are still firmly at the MCG.

Good leadership, well done. I’m sure Chandler took it in his stride but you shouldn’t do that to a teammate.

I get the feeling it's like the highschool hazing in the states, the teens coming through get the power to do the hazing and say "well it happened to me so it should continue". I'd love for the Dees to be the first to come out and say they're doing away with the gatorade shower, maybe use the water bottles instead, but really I'd just be happy with the first time winners just being in the middle and nothing else. It just looks like their back to being 15 year olds again, and that white stuff poured on Chandler....I just don't understand it.

Interesting, well done to the medicos and Jack and Luke. I know this is perhaps an arrogant attitude but I still see this as a natural opportunity to give some others a crack. I want to Weid given a proper chance to show his worth, it doesn’t seem fair to him to bring him in for one game in a role that isn’t what he’s been doing at Casey.

I think our entire set up needs to be examined with all those tall players in the team. There needs to be clear positions and zones, unfortunately I think they were bees to a honeypot too many times making it nearly impossible to mark. Perhaps it was a tactic to allow our small players opportunities to get the ground ball. If it’s a dry game in Adelaide I would really like to see us try to hit more leads and go for 2v2 contests, and yes Max should definitely defer to being a decoy. Let the goal kickers kick the goals!

In some ways the way that he brought himself back after his disappointing 1st year with us raises my opinion of him. He was absolutely smashed in the media, he took his lumps and came back the best version of himself. I have a sinking feeling he might miss the AA team but he’ll surely be in the squad. As a side note I don’t know what hierarchy they have going at the club but I really hope he would be next picked as captain should Max and Jack be unavailable.

Spot on. Take on every team expecting them to play their best. This is our first proper away game with hostile fans at the teams actual home ground, Tex has been in good form (though faded recently), and they have the youthful enthusiasm that if they get going can get the fans up and about.

I think to be absolutely fair no MCG team should be playing at Marvel unless it's for a reason that has been approved by the club. Nice to see them having a whinge about it though.

I actually think McKay slows the final part of the tackle down to prevent the dangerous sling part. It's perhaps an example that it's slowly creating change. I just find it incredible that Rampe's flip from last week, which WAS dangerous, gets totally ignored while TMac gets a fine for that.

Holy cow, how does that constitute $3k ($2k with an early plea)? Barely any force behind it at all, I'd even question if at actually made a forceful contact! FMD

Rivers is just quietly going about his business and flying under the radar. LJ and Pickett are getting all the plaudits but he just does everything that's asked of him and more every week.

Honestly if there are boxes to be ticked I would much prefer they just take things really slow with him. I get where you're coming from but Viney has shown time and time again that he doesn't need to have the VFL "match-fitness" week before he comes back. I'd rather he do his duties in training and be totally ready against the dogs.

Very different generations you're throwing in there (and personally a lot more names that you could've chosen from). But for the FACT that he has kicked the most goals of any footballer ever, he goes top of the pops.

Anybody who reckons they've said that I'll call them a liar! For me the significance of being 9-0 is that we are finding ways to win, which has been outside of our DNA for as long as I have supported the club (in the past it's been finding ways to lose!). I still feel like we have only seen us in top gear for a handful of quarters, the second and third quarter against Richmond (because they brought everything at us and we just responded), and perhaps the 4th quarter against the Hawks. All the others we are winning because our players have a system that they're working to, our defense is holding up to pressure when it counts, and our forward pressure is elite. I'm looking forward to the game where we are at our best the entire game because I think that will really put the competition on notice. We will have to bring our best against the dogs, despite us being top I still personally see them as slightly above us, only because when they get going they are absolutely LEATHAL.

Good to hear he's made really good progress, but personally I'd be holding him back another week to make sure he's cherry ripe for the Dogs. Otherwise if we bring him in give him limited minutes playing mainly as a pressure half forward.

Any player that finds themselves being shopped around and disheartened by it only needs to look at Tom for inspiration. We shopped him to just about everybody and got very little interest, it hurt him but he used it as motivation and now I reckon he's playing career best footy.

Plugger never won a flag, but legend and greatest forward the game will ever see.

Brayshaw's stats on the AFL website: 26 Disposals at 58% efficiency - agreed can be better but it was also wet conditions 12 Contested possessions - equal 5th on the ground 12 Intercept possessions - best on ground, this meant he stopped a lot of Carlton's moves forward 10 Clangers - your knock on him, Oliver had 11 to top the list with 2 more disposals, are we dropping him as well? Gus stays, there is nothing more certain.

Brayshaw will not be dropped, simple. He is playing an important role in the team and is covering stupid amounts of territory. I agree his disposal is something that I’d like to see Mark Williams show particular interest in but Gus did so many important acts yesterday. Chandler is the only one I’d have on the block but not every young player can make an impact immediately. I’d be comfortable with him having another week, otherwise being in Sparrow.

There weren’t a lot of forwards one grabbing today. The most disappointing moment was the mark he dropped in the last quarter in the pocket. Uncontested and it just slipped straight through. I think give LJ another week to get his finger right but Weid needs a big game next week to have any chance afterwards. My gut feeling is that if we put in our first demolition performance next week it will be with either one of those two kicking a bag.

Agreed, part of me says you’re going to get some bad calls go against you so take the lucky ones when they come but good on him. Would’ve been very interesting to see if he hadn’t of owned up to it whether the ump would pay the goal.

I missed the first quarter but I think this should still be about right: 6 TMac - immense, yet again 5 Lever - on a difficult marking day he yet again shon 4 Langdon - he just keeps on keeping on 3 Oliver - he’s so important to our team, I just wish he could improve his finishing on goal 2 Hunt - his run and tackling was massive 1 Chandler - for copping the Gatorade and milk in the song (WTF guys?!)

I’m not sure how others read his game but I thought Harmes backed up last weeks good performance with another solid game. Still did a couple of “Harmes things” but he tackled and was solid at the contest. For a bloke that is maligned by some of the fans I feel like he’s proving a point that he can play a role. I gotta also say, Spargo is the guy that just gives us a goal when we need it. It was really good play from Chandler but yet again Spargo bobs up at the right time. When he kicked that first goal of the last I breathed easy.

Wouldn’t disagree with you, particularly in the way the boys were doing it. I think it can be a little fun but pouring milk on the kids head? C’mon pull your heads out of your a**es. Glad they got him signing it arm in arm in the end.

Yep the years of the red button novelty. Somewhere along the lines they clearly decided it wasn’t worth the effort. I would absolutely love an option of commentary from radio stations but I assume that sponsorship deals would be the biggest issue with that. Westpac could sponsor some things on 3AW while conflicting with NAB for the AFL. Even switching commentary off and having crowd would be better than listening to BT and his dribble.