Maldonboy38

Getting beaten at stoppages. Fritsch unsighted. GC running players through centre square often outnumbering us meaning easy inside 50 kicks. Defence mindset not strong from our midfield.

Woewodin looking sharp, along with Adams and Howes. Melksham and Spargo busy.

Witts is a class ruckman so will probably come close to evening out the ruck contests with Gawn/Grundy. We have to take full advantage when he is resting on the bench. Their midfield is on a massive learning increase and are no easy beats. Their forward line looks underclass but has multiple paths to goal. It is their defence where we will get them. Fritsch, JVR and Kozzie to go nuts today, and Chandler to continue his good form. Dees by 25.

This sums it up. Their bottom 6 don't run both ways, but I last night the defensive run by the experienced Blues midfield was sub standard. I thought Kennedy showed them up in this regard when he came on. So many times the Lions streamed into their forward 50 with a gathering of Blues players jogging in behind them. The biggest hole for the blues is their defence. Weitering aside (I love watching this bloke play) the other 5 seems to lack presence and impact.

Before round 1, I picked Carlton for 9th. Apart from Weitering, their defence is full of NQR's. If they can't stop Hipwood (who I once rated but now consider him less than average) they won't stop many good scoring teams.

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".