Maldonboy38

Kicking practice for Brayshaw, and Jordon. Stop diving practice for Kozzie. Flopping for free kicks is a blight on his naturally brilliant game. Tackling practice for Fritsch. I reckon Petracca will miss with a corked hip/thigh. Hopefully Viney is fit and can come in for him. We wear a red and blue prison bar jumper just to make Eddie's head explode!

As the game progressed, I was looking at the centre bounce set up by Dees and Swans on the TV, and predicting how the Swans would waltz out of the centre. I was right about 75% of the time. On occasion, Max would make a mistake, but more often it was Kennedy and Parker moving and our boys moving much more slowly, or waiting to react to the Swans having the ball. There seemed to be a lack of intent and hunger. At stoppages around the ground, Oliver, Harmes and Jordon were crashing in, and the intent was very much there. Difficult to understand.

I started on demonology years ago but got sick of the endless rants and arguments by posters who enjoyed the ranting and arguing more than actually discussing all things MFC. For a while I was on both but eventually just gave up and made the switch permanent.

Wow, how ordinary are the saints looking?

I am just loving the fact that I can switch on TV or Kayo each week, and know that the Dees are in the game, and their footy is watchable. Love it, love it, love it. My Dad was born in South Melbourne so I have a soft spot for them. Sydney are a very good young side, whose kicking, marking and tackling skills are possibly the best in the game. Their best footy is brilliant to watch - so clean. They are no easy beats, but because of their youth are struggling to run out quarters and games. They will match us in the midfield, and Buddy is Buddy. Close game - Dees by 20.

The template for beating the Tiges is now laid out bare for all to see. Pressure around the contest Run it through their defensive zones, with a mix of pace, short kicks and handballs. Opposition tall forwards spread to make their backmen have lots of one-on-one contests. Their defensive team play is very very good, but they have only one backman who can play one-on-one, and that's Mackintosh. And Hibbo showed how to beat Dusty. Stay close, and tackle from behind so he can't fend off. Tiges did this as well. But don't write them off, no way. Their team system holds up well and they have a proud and mean streak.

What's with all the "drop Baker"? I thought he was ok, ran really hard in the 2nd half, and won some individual contests. OUT: Tomlinson, Melksham IN: Petty, one of Chandler/Bedford/Sparrow (whichever 0ne is the most natural forward)

Thrilled to be 7-0, and we worked hard in the 2nd half for the 4 points. But stuff me that was horrible to watch. Flat and lifeless, error riddled, and what appeared to be a lack of energy. Luke Jackson is amazing, along with Kozzie and Fritta, and Oliver in the last quarter was immense. Get on the plane, forget all about it until the review, and move on to the Swans. And Melksham was atrocious.

Loving the Suns run and carry. And how poor the Pies are. They are as bad as North, with less medium/long term hope in their list.

Same for me, WYL. Rance was a very good backman and is better than Lever, but I don't have him in my best 10 full backs or centre-half backs. Scarlett, Hardeman, Southby, Langford, Mew, Dench etc... - there are a lot of people way ahead of Rance. And strangely enough, Rance really struggled on Jesse Hogan. Lever is a very good reader of the play, a great team backman, very courageous, and a natural leader (our next captain?) but can get found out one-on-one. With each at their best, probably have to take Rance at this stage, although Lever is still relatively young.

Loved the 2018 goal. I was there that night and could hardly talk for 2 days after that goal. The crowd went nuts. Hannan is one of those poor buggers who is too good for VFL but not strong enough to last in a top 8 best 22. Needs to go to North, Essendon, Carlton or the Pies where he could likely play 120 - 150 games.

Great player, loved him at the Dees, reads the play very well, and kicks really well on both feet. Loved his speccies - wish there was more of them. But no, wouldn't take him back. Lever is a better intercept mark, May and Salem are better kicks, and we have a heap of basically untried talent playing at Casey, and he is now very injury prone. I met him once on the golf course, he was playing with Jared rivers - didn't come across as a DH to me, just a really good bloke.

Definitely no experimentation or managing of players. I agree with Titan above - we have 4 games in a row against lowly opponents. We have a horrendous record of dropping games like these. So we power on with our best 22 until injury or form demands otherwise. There might be individuals who appear to be playing without too much impact - Melksham and Jones - but the team football across the 22 shouldn't be tampered with. No change.

And he was still running into space in the last quarter. Love watching him play - so athletic and creative.

6. Salem 5. Petracca 4. Jackson 3. Oliver 2. Gawn 1. Viney

Lid off. Luke Jackson - my new favourite player.

And now comes the rough stuff? I really admire Richmond - can't stand Hardwick. Can't stand stupid rough tuff.

Stuff me, stop knocking the umpires. They make mistakes, just like players. Agreed, not the best night for the umps but really, is THAT what you are noticing? The pressure, the run, the belief. Go boys, bring it home.

Hit more targets when under no pressure, and hold a few more chest marks, we win by 6 goals. Salem. Wow. Hibbo. Wow. We MUST keep Dusty out of the game - he can change it off his own foot in a 5 min burst. Great 2nd quarter

The Suns v Swans game shows that you can't rate a team or club on the performances rounds 1-6. It is rounds 7-12 where things begin to settle, new talent emerges, and those teams building for the finals start to look strong. There is also usually a late bolter for the finals. Rankine is SO over-rated. A few good games in 1 season and all the commentators are gushing. Suns are better than everyone thinks, but still not great. Swans came out of the blocks hard. A few injuries and they come right back to the pack. They have talent, and a great coach, but it is a long season for such a young list. I hate Geelong. I like the Eagles under Simpson, but they are simply unreliable. Their stars are going missing too often. Nic Nat better than Gawn. Hahahahahahaha!!

Very little between Tiges and us, although our strengths are different. Our goal kicking is massively important . I reckon this game will be won/lost in key moments, and that is all that will separate the 2 teams at the final siren.

I have no doubts about Salem, and am so glad he is signed up. 3-4 years would suit better only because so much can happen over 5 years. He is wonderful by foot, is quicker than he looks, is much more physical than it appears, and is better one-on-one than many give him credit for. In other posts above he has been compared to Matty Whelan or Brett Lovett. He doesn't particularly remind me of either. Brett Lovett was the 2nd best Dees defender I have seen behind Hardeman, so it is very difficult to elevate someone into his very high status.

Almost impossible to beat him one-on-one. He is up there with Leigh Matthews in this regard. A hard tag won't work. Also, whoever plays on him can try to run off him offensively, but if you watch Richmond games, when teams try this, Dusty simply does not go with them. So, a quick scenario: Hibbo gets the ball at half back, sprints away through the wing area to kick inside our F50, Dusty will stay where he was between wing and the Tiges half forward. The Tiges are brilliant at causing turnovers across their half back, chain of handballs through the middle, Hibbo struggling to get back to Martin. It turns into a defensive one-on-one and Martin strolls away. We have to force him to handball, or kick shorter kicks to the side. Or, we get more of the ball and force him to defend. And I reckon this will be plan A from Goodwin.

The word 'star' gets attached to players like Josh Kelly and Brody Grundy after 1 good season, and then after huge dollars, they return to being good footballers. Overstated, overpaid. And in the background you get mostly un-heralded players like Gary Wilson from Fitzroy, John Blakey from North Melbourne, or Kade Simpson from Carlton who may not be stars but are champions. Club servants, reliable, influential, calm, who love the people of the club. Jonesy is the embodiment of the Dees as a CLUB - a community of people long-starved of success who stick by the colours, the jumper and the burning desire for success. With every reason to leave, he stayed. He endured Neeld, the "benefits of losing" emphasis, the appalling over-celebration of Watts, Scully, Trengove and Jurrah. He saw Bailey sacked, argued with Roos about leadership, had the captaincy taken away - and he stayed. All the accolades in the world could not adequately communicate the place this bloke holds in the hearts of us who love this club. Well done on your 300, Jonesy. Very well done.

It was a 50 point win, so as few changes as possible. Weid for M Brown May for Petty Fritsch for Melksham. These 3 are only out of the side because of injury so should come straight back in.