Maldonboy38

Port, Brisbane, Freo and Bulldogs have the form going into finals. And Port remain fragile and their form can disappear very quickly. I can't see genuine finals aspirants among any of the others striving to finish in the top 8. I continue to believe that Brisbane will not win a GF with Zorko in the team, and with Hipwood as a main forward target. Daniher is playing outstanding footy when he is away from goals, but if they expect him to be a main forward force, the finals will find him out. Looks like Freo v Bulldogs to me.

I know Tiges v Roos is a battle for the wooden spoon, but it is a very entertaining game. Lots of run and carry, high marks, great goals, and the occasional bit of argy-bargy. Some serious young talent in both teams.

Rivers has been excellent once he moved into the midfield. Viney has had some plodding games, but he has also had a heap of good ones, and is one player who has rarely lost his intensity.

Our best football has been great, but very rare this year, and rarely for more than 2.5 quarters a game. And we have played some really bad footy during most games and had runs of goals kicked against us. And we have seen little of the gut running defensive smothering of other teams that kept us in many games over the past 3 years. With the exception of Viney who has been superb for most of this year, our midfield has lacked intensity and often lost contested possession count. All of this on display tonight versus the Dogs. But I don't feel like wrist-slashing. Both the Dogs and Swans have shown they can have up years, followed by a dip, and then reset and find a way to rise again. I reckon we can do the same. Losing Gus permanently, then Trac has been a massive blow. Gawn, May and Lever have missed fair chunks. Petty, Oliver, Melksham all had a hugely interrupted pre-season. Blooded a heap of young talent, all of whom have shown glimpses of being AFL ready. Sad that we see no finals this year.

Jaded, that has just become my quote of the year. Absolute gold. And so, so true.

Apart from losing contested possession, we are leaving 1 or 2 Dogs players 2 handballs wide of the contest, and then missing most tackles when they press through. Or they go around us. Lever - you have a player, defend him every so often. May & TMac - doing a power of work. Bont is a star.

Not confident, but I am hoping we give it a good shake. Bont & Darcy worry me - the rest we cover or match. We really need a big one from Fritsch, and for Petty to convert his contested marking into scoring.

Holding the ball against Cripps again! What is this madness?

Well I'll be hornswaggled! The ump just paid a holding the ball against Cripps. I thought that was against the fabric of the game! Surely the Blues will send a "please explain" to the AFL umpiring department.

I've got an idea. Just play the game of football. Lionel Ritchie, Robbie Williams & Kiss were all fine, but I wouldn't have missed them one bit. I just want to watch the game that decides the premiers. Who cares a tinkers cuss if there is no vacuous, ponced-up pop sensation with limited talent but over hyped self exposure galumphing across a sporting arena?

I know it is much better for us for the Blues to win, but I can't barrack for them. I just can't. Their insufferable supporters are in full voice tonight, Cripps is a great player but is throwing it AGAIN, and the crowd noise is definitely influencing the umpires. Can't wait for the Olympic coverage to get into full swing ...

He looks likely to have a very good AFL career. Power, very very good basic skills, and loves the physical stuff. I'm not a huge fan of his posturing and trash talking but love his confidence so I accept them all as a single package. His game awareness and positioning has improved out of sight over this season and I see him in the midfield long term. To have him and other younger players re-signing shows how much they want to hang around. Goodwin might be a boring media performer, but the players clearly love playing for him.

The standout was the lack of intensity and effort. It was almost team-wide, but Lever, Kossie and Fritsch were on another planet. Mentally unfocused, almost vague, so much jogging, no defensive positioning, watching the play without impacting or tackling, etc... But what got under my nose was we made little response to Freo's spread from stoppages. I could not count the amount of times they handballed forward away from a stoppage, outnumbering us 5-2, with little intensity or response from the players. And yet somehow, when they went into F50, they had spare players over the back. This can only be defensive intent and today, we had little.

Every team has shown its worst at times this season. The difference is who produces good form now. Pies & Bummers being exposed, Port not really competitive against good teams. Cats, Freo, Dogs & Dees all looking similar, however the Cats looking worse than poor tonight. Giving away 28 scoring shots on a night of foul weather. Hawkins gone, and Cats with no real defensive structure once Stewart is neutralised.

I can't remember the last time I clapped Hawthorn, but I am loving Ginnivan sticking it up the Pies. Hawks small forwards tearing the Pies to pieces.

Absolutely persisting down with rain. Hard to watch, but even in these conditions Casey often second to the ball.

Wow, some super dumb football by Casey three plays in a row. So frustrating considering how hard the backline are working to get the ball up the field.

Backline doing well, everywhere else is as sloppy and disorganised as you could ever see.

2 howling umpire errors. Dragging it in then sling tackle - both a total misread of the piece of play.

Not great viewing. Verrall doing well at ruck contests, White and Brown combining well at ground level (does this make them beige?).

Absolute rotten day outside, so am hoping to rug up, put the wood fire on when I can be bothered, and watch the Casey game. Unfortunately the game today is an away game so I will have to endure some 3rd rate parochial inarticulate commentator annoying the carp out of me, but otherwise I really enjoy the VFL. Love watching our younger listed payers running around. I hope Jefferson has another blinder.

I would prefer to keep TMac for 1 more season. Tall key position swingmen are rare and TMac has shown incredible skill at both ends of the ground. His fitness and mental toughness are also great for young players to see and imitate. I can see Disco Turner being our next generation swing man but it might be one more season away. Delist - Hunter, Smith, and Schache. Retire - BBB Lose to other clubs - Laurie, Tomlinson

Some considerations as I ponder our run home: Positive - our bevy of young 2024 debutante players have picked up the gameplan and AFL standard footy really quickly, meaning we are now in the contest for every game we are in. We are rarely blown apart, and if we are behind late in a game, come home with momentum. Positive - we travel well Positive - Melksham's inclusion has given our forward structure a whole new sense of strength and variety. Question - can our bevy of young 2024 debutante players keep it up through to round 23 and into the finals? Question - how long will Max be out of action? Negative - the form of Petty, Bowey & Salem. Negative - constant reliance on Woewodin, Laurie, Billings, or Howe to come in and pinch hit for one or two scattered games, only to be sub or emergency and have to return to play at Casey. Unsustainable I would think.

Great talking point. I reckon if you look back beyond 2000, when the game was much more often one-on-one, contested play was one player beating another player in a contest in the air, or on the ground. The only real marking packs were near the goals, and there were few ground packs because it was positional game play. A loose ball get on the wing with say Robbie Flower and Keith Greig both running for it was another form of the same thing. It is the heart beat and foundation of our game and therefore has to be a key indicator. It is simple logic for me that to win games you first must win possession of the ball, and all other stats have meaning once the ball has been won. The added phrase "key indicator of success" becomes relative to individual teams based on game plan and personnel. For example, the Geelong teams 07, 09, 11 were highly skilled and so maybe they emphasised skill more than contest. Hawks 13,14,15 were system based with Clarko's cluster. Lions 01,02,03 were probably very much based on individual players beating their opponents so might rate contested ball more highly. Players like Jack Viney, Scott West, Brett Ratten, Bobby Skilton, Kevin Murray, Paul Kelly - these are the payers all footy watchers love so much because they are elite at this central component.

I have been looking into this and reckon the best thing is to..... LEAVE THE B****Y GAME ALONE FOR 5 MINUTES. Stop sitting around boardroom tables, or workshops with consultants, or discussion groups from professional systems overseas blah, blah, b****y blah, and let our game be our game.