nutbean

Agree - Tmac is a good reader of the footy coming in. (elite is bandied about a little too much for my liking - Alex Rance is an elite reader of the play ) He can be diabolic by foot but can also make poor decisions when he overthinks things. However his pluses very much outweigh his negatives. I think Jack Fitzpatrick went ruck , forward and back ( and then out !) but that's an argument for another day.... It is purely a subjective argument but I would not list being a smart footballer as one of TMac's key attributes. That doesn't mean that he isn't one of the first picked every week.

I didn't say Tmac was a dumb footballer so you are correct - you misquoted me. I said he is not the smartest footballer. Do I think he is was the general in the backline when he playing there ? Didn't look like it to me. And that's ok - not everyone is a general. I like Tmac - I just think I am aware of his limitations.

I will digress - our recruitment has been magnificent but part of the reason for this is we are bringing players into a culture and environment where they can succeed as opposed to the cesspit that was our club.

He had a poor game against the Pies. But he was worst performing player for us yesterday ? Really ?

Read the context in which i wrote it ( well I did clarify it) . It doesn't matter what past experience you have unless you can do something positive with that experience going forward. Lumumba (All Australian, high finisher in B&F's, premiership player) and Dawes did not provide what we required. Lewis has been good on field and ( by all reports) is providing exactly what we expected in terms of leadership.

I have listened and read interviews/stories from the players about what Lewis brings to the table as you are right - we can't rightly judge from over the fence. It is one thing to be experienced and it is another to be able to impart this experience and knowledge to others. But I do think I can judge a smart footballers. I judge each footballer on their worth to the team. I am a fan of Tyson but am not blind to his less than perfect disposal skills. I am fan of Frost but his penchant for running off irrespective of the circumstances can be both brave and effective but also costly. I am a fan of TMac but his decision making at times is questionable. Let me compare him to Hibberd ( albeit I am working on limited exposure) - Hibberd knows when to punch and when to try and mark. Hibberd knows when to tighten up and when to peel off. Hibberd knows when to kick long and can also pick out the short kick. Hibberd knows when to play on and when to go back and take a kick. Hibberd is a smart footballer - can you give all these attributes to TMac ?

I shouldn't have really separated them - the comment was borne of being burned by our club with past recruits who offered similar to Lewis. We have brought in players in the past who were meant to "bring experience" and that just hasn't happened - premiership players (Lumumba, Dawes to name but two) who haven't offered enough in terms of experience. In fairness to Dawes he was apparently offering plenty at training and working with our younger KPP but couldn't do it on the field. Cross was an absolute gem - not only leading by example but also by his direction. To me Lewis is the same. He is playing good football ( without being spectacular) and his is providing experience and leadership.

The reality is that the players have made comment themselves on Lewis's on-field and off-field leadership where I can't recall any of the others save Jones getting a mention. Viney is new at the game ( he leads by example not necessarily by positioning or direction) , McDonald (IMO) can point and direct all he likes - he is not the smartest footballer going around. Watts is an incredibly smart footballer but he has only graduated in the last year to someone who can concentrate on anything bar his own game. Jones is a true leader and to a less extent so are Jetta and Bernie. The reality is this year Lewis has played solid football with one poor game but offers a lot more than purely ball in hand.

It doesn't matter that he WAS a 4 times premiership player or a B&F winner. That was in the past. It's what he was going to bring to the club now and in the future that matters. I loved that we did the deal. I could see that he was aging and slowing but I believed that he had some miles in the legs. What I was hoping for is the leadership that we have long been crying out for. He did let us down with his suspension and last week he did play poorly. He knows where to run and how to fill holes. What he has done week in and week out is offer coaching/structure/leadership on the field. He is close to giving himself whiplash because he is moving his head around so much on the field to make sure everyone is where they should be. He is constantly barking direction. This sort of stuff is invaluable.

I just re-watched the last 5 minutes against the pies and you could not get a more valuable coaching and teaching lesson than Lewis's actions in the Tom Phillips goal. 5:18 to go. When the ball is turned over , Lewis gut runs and chases from our half forward line - not quick enough to tackle. As the ball moves wider to our half back flank Lewis has run ahead of the play to where he thinks the ball may go filling the hole 40 metres ahead of the Collingwood kicker. The ball does come in and Lewis looks back and sees that Moore will mark unopposed, backs into Darcy Moore at full back to at least create body pressure and a contest (not sure where the tall backs were). The ball spilled loose due to Lewis's body pressure ( albeit Moore should have marked over Lewis) - Phillips gathers and goals. Whilst they still kicked a goal from beating our press, Lewis, whilst not earning a stat and the team getting a negative result, showed what 250 games plus of experience brings to the table. He is past his best but is valuable none the less.

There was another piece of play in the third quarter when the ball came long into the Pies forward line. I have no idea where Omac and Frost but it left Moore on the edge of the square poised to mark. Lewis who gave away 13cm backed his body into Moore and the ball spilled. Moore should have marked it but the physical presence made him drop the pill .( they got a goal anyways - not the point). Little things go unnoticed. His value to us reminds me of the value Daniel Cross gave to us. Is his best behind him ? Probably. Does he add value ? Absolutely.

He has been great and I love his desperation. Even when he knows he is too far behind to spoil in a marking contest he will still rush up and create pressure. (something both Mac's need to do more). The tackle count is mystifying to me as well. I shout at players to tackle instead of corralling the opposition It is my pet hate - I would prefer to be burned on the odd occasion by over-committing rather than corralling the opposition and let them waltz untouched one end of the ground to the other. If you know that a player won't put physical pressure on you already have the players measure. Having said that I can't recall Hibberd doing excessive corralling as opposed to tackling.

Young KPP take time and I do believe that he has been given games due to our lack of depth of tall backs. He played well in the second half. One part of his game I would like him to improve in - and there is no better player to watch and learn from than Hibberd. Even when beaten on the lead or second to the ball, Hibberd will put body pressure on the opposition and make his opponent earn a mark - more often than not bringing him to ground. It is a fine line between body pressure and coming in late but OMac too often slows down to the contest once he is convinced his opponent will mark the ball and go into "corral mode" too quickly. You need to make an opponent sweat a bit. He will learn.

Just to get a little more perspective on where growth will come from in Aussie Rules - on one of the fox footy shows last night - last season in the amateurs there was not one womens team - this season ? 41 teams ! The growth of females playing the game now there is a path is unprecedented. The growth in terms of teams and participants is spectacular. This can only be good for the game - Embrace the Daisy ! ( and the rest of the team !)

Horrible call.....Neanderthal call...18th century call..... The amount of interest the womens game has attracted is spectacular. My daughter has played Aussies rules for two years now and the leagues have exploded over the past 12 months with influxes of both players and new teams. This will translate into more females watching the sport at its highest level both the men and womens comps. As you mentioned, Daisy is arguably the most marketable face in womens football ( along with Erin P) and we should be embracing it.

I think they will always be slightly different - Williams was never quick of foot but was lightning quick with his hands - the congestion and numbers around the contest was not quite as great so in his day he would get the ball and it was gone in an instant. Oliver has this wonderful ability to draw players in ( the featured clip on has him drawing in 4 players) but getting his hands up high with the ball and releasing the handball with accuracy from eye level or higher. You watch - he rarely gets caught with his hands by his sides - they are free and high. Draw four opposition players to you and it will invariably mean that one of your teammates has to be free.

Oliver's hands are fantastic - but geez - "better than Diesel Williams" is over-reach

have a look at The Weed's goal. Oliver's one handed pick up at full pace and getting it off to Petracca was a thing of beauty. He is just so clean with his hands.

It just shows you that you need all moving parts of a club working. It really does defy belief how the Eagles won the premiership in 2006 with all that was apparently going on.

When you think about it ( and I am sure that other people those two brought in were also part of the revival) it is hard to imagine that all it has taken is two professional people to turn around the stinkhole that was our club.

sorry..you need to drive to "Stupid" and then go about 50 kilometres past for that decision. That decision was only second behind the decision for gross stupidity in the JLT where the ball was thrown in short from the boundary and hit one of the onballers on the back of the hea who was waiting in front of the ruckman and he was free kicked against for third man up .....

I thought that would come up - learn to throw the ball in umpire....

If I was the Saints coach I would also be giving Hickey a bake - even though Watts didn't really get much of a hand on the ball, to allow a second string ruckman ( shorter and lighter) to out body him, get front position and thereby allowing the ball to spill out the back was poor. Hickey had one job and that was to get the ball defensively to the front of the pack.

It has got to be both talent and development but I could not agree more on the first line. Putting talent into the cesspool of a club we were and it expecting it to thrive is just nonsensical. I think the club structure that Roos put in place and his emphasis on development ( and the coaches he has employed to do the developing) will be his lasting legacy.

They were talking about this stoppage on "Access all arears" - Saints outnumbered us 7 to 4 at this contest. Doesn't matter how many opponents are at the contest if you draw 4 players to you and still get away a "sublime" handball that Jones could run onto at full tilt. His hands are absolutely sublime.