Maldonboy38

Got to hand it to the Hawks. I hate them with a passion but the club, the players, the whole outfit is professional and clinical from the President to the cleaners. I can't believe Rioli got the Norm Smith medal. Mitchell or Frawley surely. Frawley, Gibson and Lake were amazing, but atrocious kicking cost WCE dearly. Three boring grand finals in a row. I watched it right through but ther were few contested highlights. Freo, Sydney and now WCE unable to match the Hawks at all come the big game. With free agency totally stuffing up equalisation (watch more 8 year players at bottom clubs go to top 4 teams) what the **** is everyone going to do to try and catch Hawthorn?

As soon as WCE start running and spreading the North tackle game crumbles. Good to see. The amount of North players staging for free kicks is killing me.

The North V WCE game is a clear advertisement of how poor the modern game can be. If I want to watch a tackle-fest I can turn over to channel 9 and watch Melbourne Storm. Ball-up followed by 8 players tackling each other, followed by pressu re d possesions and on it goes. I hate Hawthorn, but boy their football is really good to watch: contested ball followed by incredible kicking and team footy. WCE are an excellent team and have played brilliantly this year so North bring that boring, slow, defensive footy that is simply carp to watch, bring the game down to a crappy game of who can win the tackle count. Moments of good footy in this final series, but in the main it has been a snooze.

Someone above mentioned that the free kicks were even, hinting that all is ok. Not at all. Hawthorn were very cool, calm and efficient under pressure while the dockers were horrible even when under no pressure. The result was right - Hawks were simply outstanding and as much as I hate them I admore theor ability to simply keep on winning. But the umpiring was atrocious and some sort of official complaint has to be made. My son umpires so I am not an umpire basher. I just get really irate when (supposedly) AFL standard umpires absolutely stuff up a game.

Umpires absolutely overawed by the occasion and crowd. Appalling decisions. Freo are getting the ball but butchering it, dropping marks, kicking over leading players heads, no giving first option, handballing 7 times in close to stationary targets...every mistake that would help even Melbourne beat them. Fixable and Hawthorn are ahead because oof Freo errors. Please, let someone run through Hodge, Mitchell and Lewis.... pppllleeeaaassseee. Can't stand their cockiness and smirking.

Under the leadership of PJ, Roos and Bartlett the emphasis seems to be to build the club with the best people, who in turn will recruit and deveop the best list. I wonder if there is a place in the MFC football department for Dasiy Pearce? Our football department is quickly filling with quality people who understand the game, their own role, and can communicate with players. I don't know the ins and outs of the club well enough, nor do I know Daisy's skills well enough, but could she slot into the coaching staff, the player development staff, or something similar? Thoughts?

Our backline probably remains our strength, and we have Frost, O McDonald, Stretch and others to possibly slot in at any time. So, there is really only room for Plowman if one of Garland or Howe is traded out, and even then he would not be assured a start. He wouldn't fit into our midfeild structure as it needs only one more like Petracca or Trengove, plus a genuine A grade outside skillful player, to start looking good so Plowman won't fit in there. Probably best to overlook Plowman and look elsewhere.

Absolute gun who started a bit soft but worked really hard to develop his game. Ended up one of the best and for a period of maybe 8 years did not have an obvious weakness in his game. Ruckman, midfielder, forward, defensive, tackled, contested marking, big body, super-quick, great reader of the play... he had it all. I rate him as not the best, but probably the most complete footballer I have seen. I was invited by my brother-in-law to a Sydney v Collingwood game at the MCG. Goodes absolutely tore up the MCG - the best game of football by an individual player I have ever seen live. The game is less for him leaving. And I believe he was the heart and soul of the decade of achievement and success at the Swans. With him leaving they will decline slowly but surely now.

With Fitz going it appears as if Frost and Oscar Mc are the preferred spare talls. Haven't heard any news about King, so he might be another tall preferred over Fitz. It also hints at the recruiting of another 'depth' tall in trade or draft.

Absolutely yes. We need outside pace and he has it in spades.

If we recruit Bennell, our pre trade and draft midfield list looks like this: Vince, Jones, Viney, Kent, Brayshaw, Petracca,Trengove, Bennell, Tyson, Vandenbeg, with emergencies Newton, Michie and probably Toumpas The starting group is beginning to take shape, but probably only one of Michie, Newton or Toumpas will make it through to a steady place in the team. I am beginning to feel OK about our midfield for the first time in ages

I've said it a few times and will again. Players like Blease and Gysberts would have been long-term AFL players if they went to a club that wasn't such a basket case. Our recruiting and development strategy/model over the period relevant to these 2 players was an unforgiveable shambles. We stuffed up some bloody good careers. Yes Sam Blease had almost no defensive side to his game at all. At the start of there careers neither did Gary Ablett jnr , Job Watson, Adam Goodes or Chris Judd. It can be taught through player development. Just not at MFC during that period. I heard most of the Blease interview and I was fairly impressed with him. He had no axe to grind. He seemed to be in a good healthy psychological condition (concussion injuries are physical) and so felt free to asnwer questions exactly as he saw them, without having to worry how his answers would impact his club or career. And he was spot on about the monstrous pattern of delisting leaders at MFC. I hope life turns out well for him.

It seems that the questions around Bennell have to do with influence. Gary Ablett jnr is one of the best players ever seen and his influence on games is immense. But it looks like his lack of off-field 'presence' means he has little influence on the sub-group of Gold Coast players who have the oppositie lifestyle to him. It appears the other leaders in the leadership group have also been unable to curb the behaviour of this party lifestyle sub-group. Having said that, I reckon Rocket Eade is going to tear that culture apart over the summer and look out for Gold Coast next year - they could be anything. So, my question about Bennell would be - will the coaching leadership of Roos, Goodwin & McCartney, and the player leadership of Jones, Dunn, etc... be able to influence Harvey Bennell, or will his lifestyle badly influence players like Garlett, and young blokes like Harmes, hogan, Brayshaw etc...? And the more I answer the question, the more I think that our leadership personnel can win the influence battle. So let's recruit him.

I remember Baker very well - he was one of those players who stood out in the early days of colour television. Great story about meeting him the way you did. But Gary Hardeman... I was young-ish but I remember him as steady and reliable in a Brouce Doull kind of way, but with the ability to easily account for Hudson, Wade, Hart etc... and those kind of players. I still rate him as the best CHB I have ever seen from any team. In my best ever 22 only have 2 MFC players make it - Flower and Hardeman. He definitely came 2nd in the Brownlow to Keith Greig and it annoyed me on two fronts I hated the fact that a soft outside player (very skilfull mind you) like Keith Greig got 2 Brownlows when courageous brilliant players like Flower never got one. It was the first Brownlow count my parents me stay up for, and I went to bed crying when Hardeman got run down by Greig in the last few rounds.

Vince N Jones Tom McDonald will poll well early in the year Viney wil poll very well late in the year. Gawn's influence in games has been immense - may surprise with how well he polls.

This is spot on Demon Andrew. Perfect summation of being a MFC supporter over the past 50 years. I have had plenty of ongoing disappointments and false dawns, but this time I am way past that. I'm angry. Paul Roos is right - we have becoem negative - and we have every reason and right to be so. But I don't lay it on our club and coach this time. I lay it at the feet of our players. I reckon it is time the MFC best 22 - whoever they may be this weekend - play not for the club, the "boys", the jumper, etc... blah, blah, blah. They need to play for US - the disillusioned members and supporters. They need to pick up our rage, negativity and ice cold demeanour and run right through any and all opposition. I hate dirty football and do not want our players flinging around elbows and fists but I expect and demand that they represent us supporters with a fierce and determined brand of football that represents US.

The Bulldogs are on fire at the moment, especially with their manic, lightening-fast forward spread and a small-ish forward line that is quick and skillful. Therefore, we need players who can run both ways and especially are prepared to spread defensively when there is a turnover (and we are still one of the worst turnover teams in the AFL). Players like Grimes, Slaem, Dunn, N Jones, Viney, M Jones, Cross, and Brayshaw do this naturally so they must stay in. We will miss VandenBurg who excels in defensive spread, as does Kent. Harmes and Neal-Bullen look OK but I am not too sure about their defensive spread. Players like Lamumba, Garlett, Michie, and Howe are really suspect in this area, although Howe will sprint back if the ball is in the air. I reckon Salem will come in for Vanders. And although I am fairly sure that Bail's AFL career is finished they may bring him in because his defensive running is outstanding. So Michie our for Bail.

The stats suggest we have the ball in out F50 but they have Goddard, Gwilt and others behind the ball, playing that horrible kick to kick defensive footy.

Minimal changes. We have rarely gone into a game this year with our best spine available - in round 14 we can. Hogan, Dawes, N Jones, MacDonald and Dunn is a very powerful spine and gives us strong competitiveness in all areas of the ground. I am convinv=ced we play our best footy with our best spine in place. Also, dropping Spencer sounds easy but Roos wants a 50/50 in every aerial contest inside forward 50. Spencer, Howe and Dawes may not grab big stats but they should compete in the air allowing mids and smalls to crumb. The Eagles are playing a zone game to defend all spaces - what they do not do well is consistent, one-on-one contested footy all over the park for 120 minutes, where each of their players has an opponent standing next to them. IN: Hogan OUT: Bail

Pipefitter - you will look great with a tattooed forehead. Photos please.

I haven't had the guts to visit Demonland until this morning. I am livid at this loss. Don't get me wrong, I have become used to round 11 disappointments as another season drains away down the proverbial plug hole but I have rarely been angrier than I was last night. We are actually starting to play some decent footy and players like Watts and Toumpas are finally demonstrating their talents, even if their flaws remain worrying. Hogan, Viney and Brayshaw are long-termers and hope is emerging. And then those last 40 seconds.... Gutted, livid, p***ed off, enraged, disgusted, perplexed, astonished, gob-smacked, and absolutely @#$%ing deflated.

If I remember correctly this same thing happened to Richmond twice in a season and thjey lost 2 close games. They were upfront and said it was their onfield leaders who did not initiate the required on field instructuions and motivation. Sorry to say it, but our on field leadership group failed a big test today. No runner is needed when only 1 goal is scored in a quarter and it is late in a game. Ultimately, Jonesy has to wear it but I also place a fair bit of responsibililty on the shoulders of Cross and Lamumba who have demionstrated outstanding onfield leadership ability in the past but were part of the failure yesterday.

I reckon Newton needs some more scrutiny. I was stoked we got him from Port and really rated his natural footy ability - especially ball winning. When he has the ball in space and uses his left foot he is very effective but currently this is about once a game. Apart from this he really has offered nothing. I agree with posters above that he is so easily bumped off the ball and if people think Toumpas' defensive positioning is bad at times, Newton is in another league altogether. I wonder if he is struggling with Roos' demands for two-way running or is a natural attacking player who finds team defence difficult. Thoughts?

But his run and carry has not worked for most of this season and it definitely did not today. Opposition know his trick inside out now - pause, sprint away and either kick long, or a dinky tiny little foot or hand pass. He got caught or caught out too often today and did not have a plan B. Poor game.

GOOD At last an AFL standard midfield. Needs improvement but we matched some good players today Gawn - super effort though exhausted in last quarter Brayshaw - a midfielder who can kick, tackle, mark and gut run. Watts, Toumpas, played good contributing games We matched vital stats like contested possessions, tackles, uncontested possessions, forward 50's (at least for 3.5 quarters) Goal kicking BAD SO many "lack of poise efforts" - Fitzy, Gawn, Dunn, Toumpas .... and many others Watts' dropped mark (chest mark it for &%$#@s sake) The no. of Collingwood contested marks inside our forward 50. The no. of Collingwood contested marks inside their forward 50 Jesse was beaten well by Frost today. Tommy Mac had a shocker The last quarter UGLY Lamumba's crazy game: take-anyone-on, run in circles, handball to no-one when tackled, and kick the ball 10.1 metres to an outnumbered contest. ALL day. Leaving Oxley to run amok