Pennant St Dee

Ive been a JKH critic but think he's looking a little more comfortable. Melksham for Smith is my only change and if Melks not right Wagner comes in. Get Hibberd right for the following week

6. Clarrie 5. Brayshaw 4. Salem 3. Hoges 2.Harmes 1. Trac

Richmond and Brissy sitting fairly low but both have won 4 flags between them as opposed to Saints, Freo, North & Crows

10 months is the time frame if everything goes right Brodie Smith went down in the first final last year and is back playing in the SANFL

Well done to JKH tonight I've been one doubting his ability at AFL level. Was good tonight with decision making and pressure

Some smart football throughout tonight and after weathering the early storm a getting over a lot of fumbling the boys were very good in their decision making and playing the percentages. Tmac was exceptional with his body work and plenty of smart body work by all around the stoppages

In fairness he's trying a bit of theatre with Dr Turf

I rate you as a poster Dazzler but bad call he was very important tonight

6. Gawn 5. Oliver 4. Tmac 3. Trac 2. Melksham 1. Nibbler

So many on here can't see how close we are. They are judging improvement with wins and losses alone. Yep we are in a wins and losses business but you need to look beyond that and see the changing of the guard and forget about searching for excuses such as curses, the scars of the last 53 years and whatever else occured post Jackson, Roos, Viney, Taylor and Goodwin. How many experts were saying the 1 and 13 Lions had improved greatly and results weren't far away, just a matter of when it happens for us now. The Cats, Hawks and Saints of the mid to late norties all went through this, I just hope we end up with silverware as opposed to the Saints near misses

Being pedantic but Cats got knocked out in the Semi in 05 when Nick Davis kicked 4 goals in 10 mins. They beat us in the elimination final the previous week when King caved Jeff Whites face in 04 they got beat by Brissy in the prelim

less rotations drop to 40 at least even 20 ball up as quickly as possible and ffs pay holding the ball and not allow players like Ablett an eternity to get rid of it

They wont get it as Dr Gonzo says unless it were against an interstate team or the other 3 finals were in Melbourne. Even with that occurring the AFL then gets control of ticketing and members of both competing clubs get access to the tickets. The home and away cauldron they are used to of 99% Cats fans wouldn't exist in a home final against a Vic side and 60/40 or 70/30 wouldn't be a surprise with it more likely to be closer to 40% opposition supporters

We have improved because the young brigade have stepped up We have improved because the gap between our best and our worst has reduced dramatically Anyone who knows footy can see we are becoming more consistent and once this core group hits 75+ games it will be consistent week in week out. The Roos years FMD it wad difficult not to improve

Yep no worries Im just making excuses. I"ll take the petulant child approach like others (not you) and it will mean I am not an apologist who accepts mediocrity. Saying we haven't beaten a top side is another cop out and just something convenient to fall back on and again say the factd are there. Last year we beat several top 8 sides but lost to many cellar dwellers. Collingwood haven't beaten anyone either but they are a good side. Sydney have beaten Meth Coast twice the Cats away and I don't see them as any better than us.

So you don't want to assess each goal and how they were scored. Just make a sweeping statement.

I disagree with this, we managed 12 goals to 8 in the first 3 quarters. We set up well and they struggled to break our press. They broke it once when Jordan Jones got out the back, which came from a risly ball out of the Cats defensive 50 through the middle of the corridor. That pass came off and they were away. It didn't happen much and we set up well on the night. 4 of those 8 goals came from Jermaine Jones (mentioned above), the Dangerfield ruck nomination, Hawkins outmuscling Max and the Harmes 50m penalty. In the last quarter the Cats kicked 5 goals in 6 minutes and it was more to do with us not being able to get our hands on the ball from the centre clearances than our defensive set up. Ablett and Kelly dominated and hit Hawkins laces out straight from stoppages. The way they broke away and delivery is almost impossible to defend. Same happened against the Dogs at Etihad but they lacked the polish with their delivery. We needed to slow the momentum which was obvious but you can't slow the game down when you can't get your hands on the ball. Yes Gawn being off had an impact but all teams go in with set rotations. We lost because of a lack of composure from Garlett, Vince and probably Brayshaw. Nibbler putting in a toe poke instead of putting his head over the ball also cost us with ball getting out to Ablett.

Ffs there are some who just love to wallow in misery. They look for reasons, excuses and curses as to why things go wrong. Funny how they are mostly the same naysayers who can't see the big steps in improvement this year. This current list are writing their own history and very few remain from the Schwab era. Our history and connecion with it is we play at the G, we wear red and blue, we are the oldest professional football club in the world , we have won 12 Premierships and we have produced many icons of the game.

FFS it's always someone else's fault

Good call on Weitering, confidence has taken a hit this year but still think he can play. Change of scenery may do him some good. Tyson would help Cripps out greatly but another sweetener also needed to get it done

Go and read about Jason Mcartney who thought missing a GF through suspension was tragic. He realised in Bali what tragedy really was

Tom Hawkins kicks 8 1 on Frost which he crumbed from a throw in 1 when he outmuscled Max in a ruck contest 1 when he managed to get a toe to the ball in the square 3 from lace out deliveries at pace on his chest from Kelly and Danger Omac stays

In over 20 years as a Policeman I've seen many tragic things, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, suicide & numerous homicides. lovely teens getting hooked on drugs whose parents I'm telling a few years later your child died from an overdose finding a helmet at a motorcycle crash only to realise the riders head is in it a father killing himself and 4 of his kids to get back at his ex wife. FFS some of you seriously need to get on the reality bus. The boys gave their all tonight and we came up short. Am I gutted with the result? Yes as I'm disappointed with a few crucial mistakes. What I am tonight though and will be tomorrow is happy with the boys effort. The junior side I coach plays tomorrow and I will ask them as I do each week to put the effort in and if they can come off the ground and say they have given it their best that is all they can do. You can't always be the best but you can always give your best.

Yep He definitely went to Danger in the second half. I might ne mistaken but Danger had around 19/20 possessions to half time and kicked at least 1 in the first half, from the ruck infringement

Disagree with you AF on Fritsch being poor all night. Thought he was a bit off early but got into the game more as it went on. Took some decent intercept marks and used the ball well. Then again I was only watching on tv