PaulRB

Indicative of an average day for our forwards given all the votes have been to mids and backs. Will be brutal if we can get all three areas humming against the Blues...

We're alive!!!

So the Hawks beat Roo's by 39, so is the difference we now need to make now approximately 100 points?

A bench of Brayshaw, Oliver, Stretch and Pedersen, indicates we've almost got our best team in and will have no excuses come Saturday.

Much as I don't like to celebrate injuries, Stratton out for remainder of the home and away season adds another rod to Hawthorns back... This win keeps on giving.

They need Mr Roos. Maybe 10 million a year might swing it..?

With the Hawks win, I reckon there'll be a few players saying to their managers "Make sure you let the Demon's know I'm interested". With every win and step up our recruiter's jobs get a notch easier...

And big Maxy has done a great job of that this year. Be a big win for we can knock them off today, however, irrespective of today, the cycle is turning.

Vandenberg a "fringer"!!! I thought you'd have leant that lesson last week...?!

OMac?!

If Hogans fit, Wagner out, Watts to back flank, Weed plays stay home forward VB played last week, allowing VB to play higher and get involved more...

Hoping Hogan, Dawes and Weed play, as it would allow us to have Watts spend more time sweeping the backline and setting us up. For some reason I suspect the ball may be down back a fair bit this week...

It's interesting you see it as a negative. I see we have a unique opportunity to bolster our list with solid mature players low risk (now ASADA out of way), due to our next coaches experience with them (from his time at Dons) and the EFCs drug saga. Would we have picked up Melksham, and (possibly) Hibberd in normal circumstances? Will they make us a better team?

We've got a fresh, mature, talented player dropping into our best 22 next year, who is an aggressive rebounding half back with a good boot. redundant sarcasm aside, whats your point?

Even if true, not overly conclusive of Hibberd's intention. We're assuming that Hibberd is keeping his dad up to date on his career thoughts and decisions while overseas... he may not, I probably wouldn't until I'd made a clear decision...

There was something very "Travis" about that high risk audacious kick that made me howl in frustration. I'd prefer he has a ping at the goal, than 50 out in the corridor where an error will almost certainly cost us a goal.

Agree, we seem well stocked with talent in and around the ball. Watching us lift our intensity in the 2nd quarter around the ball against the Suns, with Petracca, Brayshaw, Vandenberg, JV etc... all burrowing in and rolling the ball forward, we shall be scary good in this area as these boys mature (plus Clarry). I reckon if Prestia had come last year we wouldn't have taken Oliver, but as he didn't we need him less.

Goodwin is a seasoned leader with experience over 20 years at footy clubs as player, captain, assistant coach, senior assistant coach to ... I suspect he's got how to lead and coach sussed... The fact he put himself through this apprenticeship with Roo's indicates to me he knows where he's at and will come to his coaching role as better prepared and more likely to succeed then any novice coach of recent times. Only Longmire has gone a similar path, the apprentice taking over from the willingly standing down head coach and it doesn't seem to have been a negative at the Swans. (I don't include Buckley's take over as Mick was never on board for it). Given Roos will measure his success in part by Goodwin's first couple of years I've no doubt he's been well set up (list, facilities, assistant coaches, etc...) to succeed.

Depending on whom the injuries were to and when (i.e. losing Maxy would have killed us), but the fact that Casey is on top of their ladder indicates we have a bit more "fat" in reserve than previously and could have absorbed more injuries without it decimating the AFL team. this buffer should grow as our kids become more seasoned in the years to come.

Maybe the Dons have bigger issues to worry about than Hibberd... http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-02/beveridge-admits-dogs-interested-in-hurley

Not one to gloat, but hey... VW a driving force against Suns

Can we actually do a deal with him at this stage? and if so, then we'd have to know the price (I.e. Zip), otherwise how could we commit? Maybe the AFL will compensate the EFC for losing him...?

I think one of the "cultural" shifts that Roo's has recruited to and instilled in his team these past years, is that it's the responsibility of the players to make it happen on the field. The coaches role is to prepare them to be their best. Maybe it's the MFCs culture of having bigger than life successful coaches in Norm Smith, we forgot it's the players that do the business. The emergence of some potential champions on our list is why Goodwin will be a success, otherwise he'd be like Dimma at the Tigers, trying (and failing) to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear...

The Hawks have been "winning ugly" for much of the year. Good teams find a way to win even when they're playing badly. It's a very misunderstood and under-rated skill.