Pates

Big goal from Spargo, well done!

Hunt needs lower his eyes.

Our forwards lead to lead better. They’re statues tonight.

At least twice TMac was very clearly blocked from the contest.

Here’s the thing, Giants are beating us by pure efficiency. We have the territory, we have been controlling much of the play but when it gets out they are using the ball so much better. Clarry should’ve kicked one of his goals and we’ve had a number of forward entries that have gone to no one, while a couple of kicks that did go to someone get dropped or be a little short. Our poor kicking is catching up with us today. Fritta completely unsighted.

**** Clarry.

Brayshaw needed to handball that off.

That Max miss couldn’t been a killer, thank god Petracca kicked that goal.

Max!!!!!

Back to bombing it long into forward 50.

Is that 4 GWS inside 50s for 3 goals?

Need to start making the most of our territory.

Poor from Jetta for that first goal, could’ve rushed it. And poor from Salem for the second, they seem to be rushing things.

I was feeling ok about this match a day ago but as it gets closer I’m getting nervous again. This is a really big test for our maturity, a chance to go 3-0 and set ourselves up for the year, it’s a situation that has my MFCSS going nuts. I really want to see if our pressure from last week continues into this week, GWS will be feeling their season slip away if they go 0-3 so it’s huge for them. Would love to see a statement similar to last weeks opening bounce from us. Oh and accurate kicking for goal please!!!

I wonder, I’m glad they’ve sent Baker back to Casey. No need to keep him with the sun with no match practice (though I think there’s no matches this weekend!). Either way it’s good to get someone else in the sub role, I reckon Hibberd or Melksham should go in there. No change is the best thing for the team.

They had a successful 90’s (though could argue not as successful as it should’ve been with the team they had). Since then they’ve been a team that’s always sat middle table trying to push for finals but never doing much more, too afraid to bottom out. Now they have and reaped what they’ve sowed for the last decade. Even that run of wins they had a few years back were clearly flukes against lowly opposition, we were awful and only just lost to them (BBB got some of the softest free kicks ever that day).

Looked good with his two shots last week, very fluid and much more the like the Tommy of old. But you’re right, without him kicking a footy once for us BBB would be the only one I’d want having a shot after the siren.

I will say that towards us North fans had a ridiculous amount of arrogance for a team that has achieved exactly nothing in the last 20 years.

Did Kozzie win? I can’t see any announcement.

What’s the reason for later squad announcements? I know last year it was a lot to do with the craziness of COVID but surely now we can return to squad announcements on Thursday.

Ouch, I just opened the AFL app to see what happened. This could be the beginning of the end for North if they aren’t careful. They’ve almost certainly lost the Good Friday game for next year, they will be a terrible team for at least the next couple of years and after pushing so hard for it you can’t put up such an insipid performance. We’ve been there, it really sucks.

The conversations around Gus are interesting, on the one hand he’s one of my favourite players and it actually frustrates me seeing him played in a position I know isn’t natural to him. But here’s the thing, if we need him playing that role and for the team it’s creating the right balance to allow us to win matches then so be it. If it means every week he’s getting around 18-22 touch’s and playing in a supporting role then so be it. Whatever gets us into the best position to be in contention.

“The Club would like to take the unusual step to clarify his current circumstances, in the hope Darren will be afforded the appropriate level of privacy by the industry.” I love this dig at the media, basically saying the conversations are ongoing and respectful on both sides, allow them to be carried out with respect for privacy. Sounds like Darren is just trying to do right by his family while continuing to have the career he would like.

I think to say “Kozzie turned the game” is a very simplistic way for putting it. But fact is we were DESPERATE for a goal and he managed to create it almost out of nothing. Those are team-lifting moments (which we have sourly lacked for a while).

Big loss, no doubt. I really hope he's grooming a successor that's going to be able to use all his tricks.