Maldonboy38

Great game Dunkley. Any chance of one of the two teams trying a switch or changing the angle? Up and down the same line - turnover, rinse and repeat.

Ridiculous opening quarter. Can either of these teams defend? Great spectacle but this kind of gameplay falls apart in finals.

Me too Hardley. They were always on TV, along with Carlton and Richmond, while other clubs playing better were given slow motion replays on World of Sport. They were given their high membership numbers by channel 7 pushing them onto us, which continues to this day. I would love to see us beat them on GF day. But the fact that they swooped on the Olympic pool and running track site, after the MFC passed it up, makes me furious and hate them even more.

For the 2000 GF, I despise him. As a player he was a thug, often a sniping, but he was also a very good footballer. As a coach, I respect him greatly. I have listened to him on a number of occasions as he talks more broadly about playing footy, the broader game, current issues etc..., and he is really good to listen to. He and the Tigers executive planned around this year being 1 last tilt at a flag with their ageing stars (in particular Cotchin, Reiwoldt and Dusty) and it has been a flop, mainly due to injuries. It took him 6-7 years to get the Tigers up from the eternal 9th position but when he did - wow. But no way will he be given 6 years this time, and I don't reckon he would want to. With Tassie coming in, it will be hard to rebuild any faster than 5 years. I see him moving on to another challenge at the end of this year.

Well spoken, Rab D. Both losing is always a wonderful addition to any weekend.

I rate Spargo really high, but none of Chandler, Kozzie or ANB can miss out on present form. Not a huge fan of a forward line with Grundy and JVR as main bigger targets, but while the scoring is high with such a huge spread of individual goal kickers each week, it seems to be working.

The indigenous jumper is a real hit and miss. Rarely, have they been jumpers I have really liked or been tempted to purchase. This year is a hit. Subtle and strong. And remains very much a MFC jumper with a single glance.

19 teams works if the AFL have the courage to set the fixture for every team to ply each other once, followed by an 8-team final series (as is the current situation). This reduces our current setup by 3 games per team per annum, and the AFL simply will not do this. The revenue is too addictive. I am also of the opinion that the national talent pool can cover 20 teams. The amount of players in state leagues, country leagues, and young draft hopefuls who just miss out, are of high enough potential to develop into AFL players. The development of the modern footballer on an AFL list is methodical, science based, and effective. And list managers, scouts and others are seeing more and more mature age draftees or rookies who are close to AFL ready.

And he hasn't enjoyed it one bit.

Era over for Richmond. They need to go to the draft and trade table and begin again. Very successful era, though. I am one of the few people who actually like Gold Coast. I picked them to finish 8th (not looking good at this stage!)Ballard is becoming a player. Maynard is a [censored]. Comes hurtling in to do what? Reminds me of Tommy Bugg - all front no brains. Crows kicking 3-10 is a poor return, and the Pies will not stop coming.

There was a 10 minute patch where the umpiring was killing the Pies v Crows match. But it has turned into a craacker of a game now.

6. Petracca 5. Oliver 4. Viney 3. Sparrow 2. Chandler 1. Grundy

SChache is a poor man's Jack Watts. With ball in hand he is a good kick, and good decision maker. But when it comes to him getting the ball.... so ineffective and non impacting.

Chandler building a nice little CV. I wasn't expecting him to be as clean and hard working as he is. Really impressed with him.

Shocking error. No free kick there.

This is very easy to watch, but feels a bit like an intra club sim. But nothing can excuse North from this display. This is Gold Coast and GWS 2013, 2014. It doesn't even look VFL standard. That mark Kozzie took is a brutal embarrassment to the insipid North player who let it happen.

Freo and Swans not playing finals after today. Even if they recover players, and get some wins. Not up to it in 2023. And Toby Greene used to do some horrible stuff on the ground, but he is an absolute A grader. Matchwinner.

Lions v Freo is just boring to watch. Switched over to GWS v Swans. Not much better. I know a lot of water has passed under this bridge, but Hogan with his body right, mind right, and in form is a great footballer.

Goodwin has spoken openly about exploring forward line options, so I can't see our forward line being too functional or explosive. And Clarkson will try and bring this game down with lots of stoppages, lots of short passes at half back, and lots of attempted switching off half back which rarely works against the Dees. Goldstein will match us in the ruck, but our midfield will slaughter North's, and our backline can readily manage Zurhar etc... - the only real threat is Larkey who I rate very very highly. Dees by 40 points.

4 years ago I never wanted the ball in his hands. I thought him a shanker and a momentum killer and would have been glad to trade or delist. Glad I don't make list decisions because he trained hard, developed well and is an integral piece of the Dees Goodwin-footy. He runs both ways, has a team first attitude, has improved his skills each year and is now more than reliable. Not perfect, and not an A grader but an experienced, steady, composed, team man whose defensive work is epic, and he knows how to kick a goal when the chance comes his way. Also, it was when he kicked his goal in the last quarter of the 2021 GF, that I turned to my daughter and said "I think we've got it".

It is a bit of a yawn, but anyway... Although the consultancy fees involved in the process are disgusting, it has to be a long, thorough process to find a suitable candidate for an organisation the size, wealth and influence of the AFL. I'm glad they have taken their time. Having said that, it feels a little bit like a cookie-cutter appointment. A little bit "son of the regiment" which refers to military appointments being given to children of previous in-house high-ranking officers because they represent the desires of those committed to the system. He has to be able to oversee the Tassie expansion, along with the brutal and unavoidable conversation that will emerge around the 20th license. He has to manage the AFLW expansion. I hope he is the right man.

May looks off his best and possibly carrying an injury, so Turner in for him. Spargo another week away. I will never be convinced of Dunstan or Shache as AFL footballers. Our forward set up is better with BBB in it, but he has to be fit and able enough. If he comes in, Rivers or Sparrow to the sub., Laurie back to Casey unfortunately.

Happy to go hard for elite talent, but 3 picks for one player seems too much for me. Taylor and Lamb know what they are doing, so I am very relaxed watching how they play this out. The main issue for me, is how long will our current window last? I call it the Gawn window, because when he retires, we will probably lose May, BBB & TMac won't last as long as Gawn, and Viney will possibly have a shorter career because of the way he plays. Trac, Oliver, Salem, Lever et al... will be nearing the end of their careers. So, this Gawn window is open for another 3-4 years. Our recruiting at the end of this year has to be about the post Gawn era. For that reason, I prefer NOT to go after a single player, but prefer 2 or 3 top 20 players who can be part of the next generation.

Great game of footy. If it continues at this pace, everyone will tire, and it becomes a big man's game. At this point Essendon's rucks might make the difference, like Gawn and Grundy did last night in the last quarter. If the Pies win, my tipping is 9/9. I loathe Essendon. I hope the Pies win, but I feel impure typing it.

He's always had it - he needs a long run of games to find/produce it. He never was allowed a full season in the 22 to find his game with us. If van Rooyen was the Weid, he would have been subbed and dropped next week. Scott is backing him in and encouraging him to simply go for it. I always liked him, but in the end the selectors went with other options. But I can't stand that he chose the Bombers. I hate it that I like the Weid but hate his club and jumper.