Macca

Kozzie could be dropped but my point is that dropping him does not fix the defiencies elsewhere So the 2nd half of my post is totally related to the first part It's about the team overall, not potting certain individuals. It's a team game, not tennis or golf. So the issue is the team's overall output Does that make sense to you now? Or do you prefer the sacrificial lamb? Actually, after the GWS loss, you wanted to dump 7 players. Haha!! Words get recorded on the net, DS

We really should have put the Saints away early For fleeting moments we look terrific and then we lapse back to being just average It's like we put our foot down for a bit and then ease off But to win big the pedal has to be flat to the floor

Maybe, but Kozzie isn't the problem alone Even if he had have played very well, we've still got deficiencies elsewhere We are not going to win the flag with that sort of overall output. It's enough to defeat average to good teams but the best? So, as always, it's all about the team, DS It's not about any individual For instance, Brayshaw was good early and finished off well but made a few non-costly errors early in the game. But he can play better, no doubt And he is not on his own because it's ditto for at least a dozen others including our 2 ruckmen

Did they? If they all had have played to their best along with the rest of our players, we would have won by 10+ goals Average output from too many. 5 or 6 played very well but we are not playing at our best I'm projecting through to September and the 3 teams we will need to beat to win the flag. Tonight's performance won't measure up in my view

To be fair, ANB, Spargo, McVee, Melksham were quiet as well. A few others got the ball a bit but didn't impact The rucking combo and the lack of impact around the ground by both is still an issue. Good conditions for the big-boys too And the turnovers! Far too many given the conditions We are playing like a team 6th - 8th, not a supposed premiership contender Big test next Friday and only a win will suffice. We've now got a buffer sitting in 4th spot and need to defend that position like a top 4 team should Any sort of loss will be unacceptable

It's a mystery Gus is playing well now though hey? ... getting that DE rating up after 2 errant handpasses in the first half

Overall ... We've got at least 5-7 players who don't impact games or get enough possessions And about 8-10 players who turn the ball over too easily (and that includes ANB & Brayshaw) And any number who are down on their best Pressure accounts for a number of errors but unforced errors? And not getting enough of it? So that's nearly the 2/3rds of the team with some sort of deficiency At least we don't have the yips in front of goal this week This team can play so much better

Saints are an average side ... we are supposed to be top-notch We'll probably win but we'll need to play a lot better to win next week Btw, great kick Gus (under extreme pressure)

Yes, that's the real issue Gorg The team's overall performance and how we are approaching our games We may well win this game but there's something that's not quite right We certainly don't have that edge and it's not about any particular player. We're not hunting the opposition as a top 4 team should

He's had 1 touch tonight and had had a poor season to date But for whatever reason, we'd rather express our ire towards players who are in the thick of things and who are constantly under pressure with their disposals At least they are getting the damn ball and not hanging out the back ... spectating

I'm simply saying that his good work never gets recognised nor are other players who make the same errors (under pressure) being pointed out It's just always Brayshaw and never anyone else. Except for maybe ANB and that's often unfair as well Both players are in the thick of things and both are often under the hammer when disposing of the ball Neither player is A grade so they are going to make a few errors. From my point of view, it's easy to deal with The bigger issue are the players who aren't getting the ball enough. Now that is a problem. Or those who can't kick straight for goal Brayshaw has had 12 disposals and none of his few errors have led to opposition scores anyway ... anyone would think that he's turned the ball over 12 times given the levels of exaggeration on these threads

So @Gorgoroth Make sure you praise Brayshaw's good work because that will happen

So why just Brayshaw? Why not point out all the other errors all our players make (in the same way) Your argument lacks consistency and is typical of many on this site A crushing need for the scapegoat/whipping boy and it's a pathetic way of looking at the overall team performance

Case in point ... our player (not sure who it was) who handpassed the ball to May will be 'somehow' registered with an inefficient disposal But May made the error!

BS ... Not from what I've seen. Handpassing to a player who then gets tackled is somehow labelled as inefficient The evaluation is garbage as many times the player is under pressure disposing of the ball

Brayshaw has hit 6 targets ... you watching properly? 1 errant handpass that went out of bounds (BFD) Meanwhile, Bowey kicked it to a Saints player 30 metres out. No mention?

Will we ever kick another behind? (apart from kicking the Doggies butts in the GF)

We can't miss!

The covers are on and the rain is on its way (by all reports)

I won't be at all happy with just a 230 lead but we'll need that as a bare minimum to have any chance of winning "At least 230 (or more) is needed" is not saying that 230 is enough. Far from it But the match is still evenly poised with the Poms holding a slender advantage But that advantage could disappear in 30 minutes if we put on 30 without losing a wicket in that time frame. Bat for an hour without losing a wicket and the odds sway in our favour So 230 might be enough, there again that sort of lead could prove to be well short of what we need Reality is that it's all just spitballing and speculation. None of us know what's actually going to happen I'll have a good laugh if the lead is exactly 230

Haven't seen it yet but will later, d4 (work) Interested in how you and others might have scored the sessions ... it's fascinating how the numbers can come together as the game comes to a head Also, doing that (scoring the sessions) adds a bit of traffic to the thread Don't want to lose but if England do win this test, the added spice will heighten things even more so To win this match we're going to need to set them at least 230 (or more) Right now the lead is 142 which is nowhere near enough

Last session belonged to England as well 10-8 (haven't watched yet but we're 4 down for not that many So going into day 3 I've scored the overall at 53-53 but if I'm being honest I've got England slightly ahead (Stokes factor) If Marsh unleashes again (or Head/Carey) we'll be favouries you'd reckon

We haven't got Collingwood's measure so in my case, I'm not hanging my hat on that win. We didn't see their best in the QB clash (I'm still calling it that) We also defeated Hawthorn during the 1988 season so even though they smashed us in the GF, there was a reasonable amount of optimism from Demon supporters going into that GF We also ran Essendon close in 2000 (2 goal loss) so they made sure of things with their thuggery in the GF. Sheedy with his paranoia was almost certainly worried about us stealing their chance to win the cup So to challenge the Pies again we need to play against them again (in the finals) So beat St Kilda is the first assignment but then it's the Lions next week (without Fritsch & probably Oliver)

We haven't played as well as we played that day in any other game this season Played some good games, some ok games and a number of mediocre efforts At least we know that we have a high ceiling but can we play that way on a consistent basis? Hope so And unless we get our season back on track we may not get to play the Pies again anyway

Yes, a slight edge to England in that session 10-9 ... maybe 10-8 at a stretch (Aust 45/46 Eng 43) Stokes got England's total up near ours and Warner went cheap again Australia effectively 1-55 so we're in the box seat. If we can get through to stumps no more than 3 down, that's a decent result 42 overs remaining for the day so we should be able to add about 120 to our total. I say 'should be able' but who knows? Every day of this entire series has seen twists and turns in nearly every session We've got 2 openers in the squad (Harris & Renshaw) so if they rule a line through Warner, you'd reckon the selectors will go with one of the reserve openers Not sure on Green/Marsh. Might depend on whether we win this match or not on who plays. Both? It's a possibility but not likely