deejammin'

No change for me. With the notable exception of last years finals series some of our best footy last year, especially in the first 8 rounds was with a two talls - four smalls forward setup. It’s easy to forget that while Weid and Brown were both injured we played TMac/Jackson-Gawn as our talls with Bailey playing third tall and Pickett, ANB and Spargo as our smalls. It was only when BBB’s form demanded it following a period where our scoring dropped and TMac had earned his place that we moved to three talls for the last four games and finals and obviously that worked a treat. Our pressure looks so much better with just the two tall forwards and there is more space for Ben and Bailey to lead to. I would be interested to see whoever is in form out of Weid and BBB stay in for Geelong with the other coming out for Gawn and keeping Bedford in the team. Bailey Fritsch also seems to play better (GF the exception) as third forward and our pressure and danger on the ground in the forwardline goes to a whole new level with Pickett, ANB, Bedford, Spargo, Trac and Harmes all rolling through there. Mitch Brown was great at VFL level but with him in at AFL level our forwardline looked slow as he, BBB and Gawn all offer very little pressure on oppo running defenders inside 50. I’d like to see the smaller forwardline for the next few games at least, until either TMac or whoever is dropped of BBB and Weid when Gawn returns or JVR truly force their way back in. Gawny should take Adelaide off regardless and get absolutely cherry ripe, not just for Geelong but for the whole end of season run.

I had hoped we might even mid-season him but thankfully/sadly no long term injuries gave us a spot.

If this is a test it’s multiple choice 😈😈😈

Would 186 get Bevo sacked? (I think the dogs will come back but they’re putrid so far)

The dogs, a team who are famous for being quick and moving the ball quickly, are looking slow and unclean while the cats, a team many were concerned about being too slow, look quick and slick.

In: Langdon (hugely important! Spargo and Bedford did their best but he’s irreplaceable), Salem, Harmes, TMac, Tomlinson. Out: May (inj), Melksham, Weideman, Dunstan, Bedford (sub) The question mark is Petty’s ankle/knee. We really can’t afford him to go down. If he does Disco Turner may get his shot?

Disappointing as I was hoping to see Freo fall out of the 8. Oh well. Win the next two go into the bye 12-1, reset for an all out assault on the flag. No team in the modern AFL has ever gone undefeated, sadly neither were we. I hope it puts a rocket up the boys to beat Sydney next week, No May, No Buddy, nil all draw there. Injuries took their toll, May and Langdon are irreplaceable, Dunstan + Melksham + Bedford is one too many NQR (though Bedford’s first half was excellent). Bring back Langdon, Harmes, McDonald and eventually May and Salem. Let’s go Dees.

I think Bedford plays Ed’s wing and Melksham plays Harmes HF/mid role. Excited to see Bedford have a crack at it, he’s shown a lot this year.

He’s been playing as a back man and looking pretty good. He’s taller and bigger than I remember and looks very capable of playing 2nd or 3rd key back. He hasn’t been playing wing this year though.

The ladder when you posted was: 1. Melbourne 2. Freo 3. Brisbane 4. Carlton 5. Geelong 6. Sydney 7. St Kilda 8. Richmond History might be in trouble this year. The loser of Swans vs Richmond will drop out of the 8 to be replaced by the dogs when they annihilate WC (say what you will about the dogs but they flat track bully very well). If it’s Sydney they then play us and Port so could drop as far as 10th with their upcoming games over the bye. Meanwhile if it’s Richmond they could be dropping under Port when they play in round 13. Port’s destiny is in its own hands with Dixon coming back for their games against Essendon, Richmond and Sydney, win 2/3 and they’re well and truly back in the race. Sadly it looks like Geelong are safe but if Adelaide and the Dogs do us all a favour and beat them they’re back in the thick of the fight (with games against us, Carlton, St Kilda, Richmond, Port, GC and the Bulldogs again in the run home). From what I can see at least one change, possibly two are still likely, bizarrely, given where they sat only a few weeks ago Freo could drop out with games against us x2, Brisbane, Carlton, Sydney, Richmond, St Kilda, Dogs and Port in the run home. GC and the Pies are real wildcards here, if they continue their recent form of upsets they will shape the 6-8 positions. I hope we smash Freo and Sydney these next two weeks, not just because I always love us winning, but if both teams lose they are thrust into a HUGE fight to even make finals.

Great news on Ed, I reckon he plays, tough bugger. Viney back also is important. Good to see Salem, Harmes and Hibberd all tracking to be available for Brisbane. With a little luck we may finally get our full best 22 on the park to play just in time for our biggest challenger! This week: In: Viney Bedford Out: Dunstan Melksham (one of these twowill play sub) Viney is a no brainer, career best form and if he’s over the tightness/soreness in he comes. Bedford offered more than Melksham defensively this week (3 more tackles, 4 more pressure acts) while the rest of their games were pretty similar. Bedford just feels more dangerous to me so until Harmes comes back, Bedford should get the gig. This game just got more important to me, not because we need it, we’ve earned our break and can afford to drop one, but I hope it’s not this one as if we win in three weeks time Freo could be playing off to stay in the 8! So much for these challengers. Let’s bury them!

I still remember Frosty bombing a goal from 50 in a QB game for us. His crazy kicking looks a lot better when’s he’s kicking at goal.

Brisbane backline looks a lot less sure without Marcus Adams (who’s been in ripping form!)

Frosty!!! Looking good as a forward.

Go Benny! Congrats on your 150! Kick a bag!!

That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. How can a player who runs past the ball, chooses to bump, hits a player high be less severe than a tackle that is one motion, let’s go of the arms and is ultimately pretty unlucky. I had Ryan getting two, Chandler getting one, this is getting beyond a joke. Punish legitimate football actions that result in accidents, elbow blokes in the head (Lynch), kick blokes with your studs (Cotchin), bury blokes in a tackle (Hawkins), nothing, accidentally have a player lack awareness and be driven forward in a pretty good tackle, two weeks. Maybe Chandler deserved a week, maybe, but how is this so inconsistent and wrong so often?! And why is MFC so often on the end of the harshest rulings?!

We now hold the record for best opening to a season by a reigning premier (in the modern AFL era post 1990, if anyone wants to go back further be my guest). Previous was 8-0 Geelong 2018. We’re now the champions!!

It’s the luck of the draw isn’t it? My frustration is when they’re trying to make a game fit their narrative rather than calling it as they see it. Brown, Buckley and many others tend to just call the game on its merits whereas Underwood, BT and co and many on AFL.com are determined to have it fit into a pre-constructed narrative “Melbourne’s new weakness”, “which players will they lose?”, “they are showing signs of slowing down” “they can’t score high enough” rather than actually calling what’s happening. That’s when I turn it off. Ultimately though it’s just a small annoyance, we’re the undefeated reigning premiers heading into round 10, never thought I’d see the day.

Good post. Interestingly, the comparisons with Brisbane are reasonably favourable, they beat West Coast by 75 at home, us 74 away. Their 105 point win over North will be tough to top (not that it matters), but based on the VFL this week I’d give us a shot. I also agree we bomb a bit too much inside 50 and our forwards don’t seperate enough. But it’s good to have room for improvement after 9-0 with a 74 point win. Helps stop complacency.

Round 18 I think, Geelong’s record is 23 in a row we’re currently 16 in a row. Kelly got a lot wrong today.

Damn?! Really?! He’s very unlucky then, tore that VFL game apart today. I’d have had him or Bedford coming in for Harmes. Interested that others have Laurie, I see Harmes playing more rotating Wing for JJ/mid than HF but maybe I’m wrong.

I turned the commentary off at quarter time. Gives a much more balanced perspective, bizarrely so much of the AFL media are trying to construct negative views of us rather than acknowledge how remarkable what we are doing is. We are the first reigning premiership team in the modern AFL era (1990-, and probably well before but I can’t be arsed going back any further) to go 9-0, that’s incredible!! We’re 5 games + 40 points of percentage inside the top 8, 3 + 35 inside the top four and 2 + 20 inside the top 2. That’s all that matters, we’ll need to play better to win finals, fine, that’s ages away and by then we’ll have Salem back, and a host of VFL players pushing harder than ever for selection. Bring on the haters, we are the best!!

Somehow it wasn’t pretty but we won by 74 points and go two games plus percentage clear inside the top two. Oh and 9-0 is the best start to a season by a reigning premier in the history of the modern AFL!!! Woohoo! The commentators are driving me nuts, the difference between our 74 point win away and Brisbane’s 75 point win at home is shameful. We are the best team in it by a loooong way, stop talking rubbish!

Not a great quarter but just need to restrict their scoring and put a few more on. FWIW our percentage has already surpassed Brisbane’s on the live ladder. Lower opposition scores yield better percentages, keep going boys!

Freo’s next 3: Collingwood, Us, Brisbane. They could still drop to 7th by round 13. 😈😈😈