Scipio

I think you'd be in the minority there.

I thought Harmes played the best game he's played down back, particularly in the first half. Can't agree with your assessment of Tomlinson though, he was terrible. He's been an extremely disappointing pick up so far.

Concur with Patches that Oliver, Brayshaw and Petracca is the best combination in the centre. I'd love to see more of Harmes but I also feel that Viney adds tenacity that none of the others can replicate. It's just unfortunate that he's extremely one-dimensional. Agree that there's a good chance we'll see one of our inside mids traded at the end of the year and it'll probably be one of Harmes or Brayshaw IMO.

The silver lining could be that it galvanises the midfield and they find a little more dynamism, like the forward line in 2018 when Hogan was out.

Max missing this week would be an interesting test for the midfield.

Outstanding quarter from Lockhart. Otherwise rubbish.

Yeah... not sure if I've just missed the Hawks match reports entirely but I haven't heard a peep from him all season.

Not sure how it works. I agree, it's interesting that Petracca is actually third in the betting odds though.

The AFL Brownlow predictor currently has our skipper in second place, behind Lachie Neale. Do we think he could win it this year? He hasn't polled as well as expected in previous years, partly due to the intense focus on midfielders over any other position IMO. Maybe this will be the year though... Brownlow predictor as it currently stands: 13 - Lachie Neale (Brisbane) 10 - Max Gawn (Melbourne) 9 - Matt Rowell (Gold Coast) 8 - Toby Greene (GWS Giants) 8 - Travis Boak (Port Adelaide) 8 - Jack Steele (St Kilda) 7 - Dylan Shiel (Essendon) 7 - Chad Wingard (Hawthorn) 7 - Mitch Duncan (Geelong) https://www.afl.com.au/news/476685/brownlow-predictor-the-shock-contender-challenging-lions-star

Such a frustrating game to lose and I've got a strong feeling it'll come back to bite us at the business end of the season. However, I'm feeling fairly positive this morning. We should have well and truly beaten a top 2 side, despite being smashed in the middle. There's a lot to like about that game and it's crazy to think how far this team has come in just a few weeks. Positives: Jack Viney was immense. He just loves it when there's a challenge like the second half last night and no one stands as tall as him in the clinches (except maybe Max or Trac). Weideman and Jackson both presenting and pack crashing, not sure if either of them were beaten in the air last night. Melksham was excellent, great to see him find some form. He's such an important player for us when he's up and about. Our backline is getting better each week and it's fantastic to see them continue to jell. The missing piece may well be who comes in for Nev though, sadly. Simon Goodwin's coaching has improved a lot in the last few weeks and his tactical nous is becoming more evident on the field. Really happy to see this improvement from him. Negatives: Goal kicking - special mention to Weid, Langdon, Harmes and Harley. Continually missed shots they should be icing and in the end it cost us the game. Nev Jetta, I worry for him when he keeps entering contests head first. He looked okay at times but unfortunately he's a shadow of his former self at the moment. We were absolutely smashed by a better midfield in the first half, despite receiving as good service as you can from a ruckman. We need to learn from it. Fritsch's poor game awareness that handed them a 50m penalty was terrible, as was that score review from the umpires.

Their midfield is unreal, we've got a shot but Trac, Oliver and Viney need to be so sharp from here on.

Jackson is literally the opposite of a dinosaur, he's extremely agile for his size. He's an infinitely better option in the wet than TMac.

He was actually involved in a lot of the handball chains coming out of defence as well. He's the kind of player that most of what he does goes well under the radar.

I've watched the game twice. Yes he provided pressure but multiple turnovers when we're trying to build a brand that requires precise delivery isn't good enough at the moment. That's been his problem since coming back into the side, so I'd be telling him to work on it intensively.

Stoked to have Jonesy back and I think he's a great addition in place of VandenBerg. Expecting much better disposal and decision making, and to be honest I'd have dropped AVB if he wasn't injured.

I don't think his ego has ever been in check judging by social media, but it's a good laugh! Good to see more of that on the field as he takes on more responsibility. One of those rare players who can back up the ego as Deelusions said.

Time to put some money on Trac for the brownlow.

23 years old today... amazing. Clarrie has a very bright future at the MFC.

I feel that at the moment he could offer a bit on the wing as well. He's such an exciting prospect ?

Lockhart certainly made some mistakes yesterday but when I watched highlights he was involved in more handball chains than I realised, and there are some things he's doing right. Next week will be a big challenge.

I think Viney has well and truly found his mojo over the last couple of weeks. May end up being a matter of trading one of Gus or Harmes at the end of the year.

Pathetic effort from Scully really. Didn't even try and catch him.

The way he moves reminds me a lot of Bontempelli, though maybe that's the hair!

I was thinking exactly the same thing after watching last nights game. It's becoming a joke.

Sometimes we all do I reckon.