Macca

Bills smash the Titans and the Eagles dominate the Vikings (Where's Dappa?) Packers win but we've got holes to fill. Jones was good but he needs to shine against a team like Tampa (good luck!) Dillon ok as well so the running game looks better a year on Run defence still wobbly (allowed 180 yards) Pass defence better but we're at the Bucs next Sunday (late game) Brady vs Rodgers Don't know what to make of the Bears. Their D just allowed too many yards but the passing game wasn't there. Still, Fields can get better with more games under his belt

The medal has very rarely been awarded to a key forward or a key back Templeton, Quinlan, Collis, Howell, Glendinning & Lockett the only ones in the last 60+ years. And not one representative from those ranks in the last 35 years But key forwards and key backs are often the most important players. Steven May is arguably our most important player but zero votes in the Brownlow this year It's time they changed the voting system & criteria. Backmen & forwards need to have a chance of winning the award. Not zero chance B & F's often go the same way. In a poor team the best finish for Gary Hardeman was 3rd. Not just a top player, Hardeman was pure A grade in my view With the coaches votes, backmen & forwards are often overlooked too. So it's not an umpire issue. They manage to sort out who the best midfielder is much like most of the awards do We had forwards regularly kick over 100 goals (57 times) a season for a good amount of time (40 years or so) but Lockett is the only FF to win a Brownlow (Templeton & Quinlan won their Brownlow's playing at CHF) How did Bob Pratt not win the Brownlow when he kicked 150 goals in an 18 game season back in 1934? 138 goals in the H & A games (that's close on 8 goals a game - on muddy grounds) He received 13 votes Did he back-chat too much?

Hindsight is 20/20 We can now see where we went wrong but at 10 & 0 there weren't many (if any) detractors Even when we lost a few (after that unbeaten run) the inbetween wins saw the hope & faith return. One minute we're back on track and next minute ... It was only at the very end when the penny dropped As for our issues, they've all been pointed out but that is only happening after the revision. i.e. Once all the details are exposed So looking ahead, our issues aren't too hard to overcome (or are they?) A less taxing game plan (working for stoppages around the boundary line is energy sapping) Bombing the ball to the left forward pocket only as a last choice (not first choice) We need better forwards and a few ruckman (Jackson leaving leaves us with Gawn only) An injection of pace through the middle and half back is needed too Our disposal skills needs a real do-over. Is that Williams area? Midfielders kicking into the forward line need to kick with precision (that's all of the midfielders) Need a new forward line coach but if Stafford stays, he needs to do a hell of a lot better We need to get our fitness right but a more direct approach to goal actually saves the legs (not the opposite) More science required from our kick ins (after a behind is scored) All over the ground pressure? Did we not go from 1st to 17th ... that might be our biggest issue right there Forward line pressure ... back to the bad old days (virtually non existent as it was prior to 2021)

Got a Pie mate who reckons that Darcy Moore moved himself forward in the last 90 seconds of the game against the Swans And left Franklin all on his own Game on the line and if you lose, there's no tomorrow

I don't quite see it the same way, dazzle So not so much going against the coach more so just trying to win a game with an executive decision It doesn't mean that May is even disrespecting Goodwin either. He just made a decision and Petty could have said no (as well) I've spoken to about a dozen people about the May move ... those who were shocked didn't play much footy but those who played a bit weren't shocked at all I'm glad JG put it out there first though. I wasn't going solo on this one haha

I had a mate who was at ground level who also said that May sent Petty forward. An executive decision is sometimes needed in crisis time Seen it happen at local level hundreds of times. Often blokes just moving themselves forward or back (usually back) I did it myself once or twice We are 2 or 3 scores down with a few minutes to go. It wouldn't have surprised me to see May move himself forward however, the words to Petty included 'I've got them covered' (as in, I'll cover for you) Or words to that effect

@Dappa Dan @DemonDave @DeeSpencer Don't forget your tips, fellas

Colts, Bengals, Pats

The game was well umpired last night (all things considered) Remembering that the sport itself is impossible to umpire correctly anyway so an error rate has to be factored in A Demon mate of mine was with a group of Pie supporters (watching in a pub) and he was saying that the Pie fans were screaming that they were being crucified by the umpires. All game Yet many here and elsewhere tthought that the Swans were crucified by the umpires So which opinion is right? In my view, neither The answer is somewhere in the middle so we could come to the conclusion that neither team was hard done by

I was sent some photos of the VAFA Premier B, GF between Uni Blacks & Old Haileybury (2.5 to 2.9) and the ground was completely covered in water with not a blade of grass to be seen! Elsternwick Park I believe

When you don't win you change things up ... it's a case of have to. You don't get a choice Within the club the ambition would be quite prevalent. And the motivation But I can't say I blame the FD for trying to repeat what had previously worked. Other teams repeated (like Richmond) and it did work Big difference this year is that teams are attacking through the corridor ... clubs aren't worried about turning the ball over and even if that happens, they back themselves to defend against the counter/turnover Cats & Pies especially but the Swans as well when it suits. And as we witnessed, that style took the Pies a long way Down the line, working for a stoppage and then winning the stoppage is energy sapping. Shelf life isn't forever We could have done the same (corridor footy) but preferred chaos footy with a heavy accent on relying on forward line pressure once we entered the forward line (often with the long bomb) Didn't work so you make it work by tweaking a few areas, or change things up I'm looking forward to what we come up with next year. We've got the base talent but we need to add some talent (especially in the forward line) and the game plan needs to be addressed

Well the Pies first half was fairly ordinary Swans went off the boil after half time. Cats slight favourites next week but there's not much between the 2 sides Best 2 sides in the GF though For us, a case of what could have been but we went with the same team and same game plan and it didn't work However, it was worth a shot. Just didn't work Next year, I'm reckoning we'll see a number of new players, a new system and new approach

Suburban Melbourne premiers today (all games played in atrocious conditions) Heidelberg def Bundoora NFNL Noble Park def Rowville EFNL Strathmore def Aberfeldie EDFL Cranbourne def Cheltenham SFNL Altona def Werribee Dist. WRFL Heidelberg & Noble Park have won a lot of flags. Not sure on the Essendon & Western leagues but Cranbourne haven't always been in the Southern league

That was a thing of beauty! 1 point Perfect

Anamoe, Nature Strip & Aft Cabin all duly salute ... got the NS tri (paid well) and had Aft Cabin with Smokin (pl) in a 2-race double Decent day so far! (lean winter though!)

I've had a wide exacta as I'm not at all confident of landing the trifecta!! F4 could pay anything! Just got Pride of Jenni up so a decent start, DZ Anamoe & Nature Strip should both win I've gone for some value with trifecta's with both those feature races Anything that you like today? (mozz factor de-activated)

Time honoured Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes tomorrow Boom horse 'I Wish I Win' is the favourite but needs 2 from the field to scratch to get a run!! With the rain about that might happen Very open race, all the same. One for the exotics

Cats will be fresh next week Been a training run/soft kill

You're in fine form tonight, IRW Entertaining commentary!

Eels through to a prelim after demolishing Canberra ... Cowboys next!

Lions ball movement is treacle slow ... setting up the Cats defence to a nicety Amateur performance yet they beat us Our players will be kicking themselves watching this What's worse is that Geelong aren't playing that well. They've got no opposition. 14 shots to 4

Yes, way different circumstances for Gysberts, Martin & Morton (all in the same year too) but one year left on a contract can work the other way. Not sure we necessarily hold a strong hand but we certainly do not need another year of speculation. Will he, won't he In an ideal world Kossie re-signs asap but if not, do we make the best of the situation and cut out a year of speculation? I tend to think that if Kossie is on the move then it will happen in this trade period. If not, he'll re-sign before the start of next season in my view. But who knows? Opinion was divided on LJ for the most part but by the end of the season there were very few here who believed he was staying Money is a big factor that many want to put aside (or ignore) ... but often it is about the money. Opportunist clubs making tempting offers for players who might want out Look at how so many Victorian clubs have swooped on players wanting out at clubs like GWS & Gold Coast? And we are amongst those clubs (Lever, Langdon (?) May, Hibberd, Melksham etc)

If Port offer Kossie a big enough deal then he and his manager would have to at least consider what's on offer From there, who knows? We might have to come to the party with a decent contract offer and/or entertain the thought of trading him We could do nothing and make him play out his final year of his contract but eventually, we're going to have to pay him a decent amount to keep him It might come down to Kossie accepting unders with us (in relation to being paid overs at Port) Or go for the overs Way different circumstances but Gysberts, Martin & Morton were all traded despite all 3 players having a year left on their contracts So contracts are binding to a point If a player wants out (like LJ) what does a club do? Kossie or his manager haven't made any demands or asked for a trade but you'd imagine that we would have tried to extend his contract. And there's one year left on the existing contract

SNF this week is Chicago @ Green Bay Oldest rivalry in the sport with 203 meetings. Packers hold a slight advantage with 103 wins vs Bears 96 wins (along with 6 ties) MNF has 2 games this week and both could be keenly contested ... Titans @ Bills along with Vikings @ Eagles The two 7Mate games on Monday morning are decent too 3.00am Bucs @ Saints 6.25am Arizona @ Las Vegas Raiders

@Gorgoroth@layzie@Dee Zephyr@Go the Biff@Clintosaurus @JV7@DeeSpencer@Dappa Dan@titan_uranus@DemonDave Week 2 games (and a tough week for finding road winners) 1 Point on offer (plus a bonus point if you are on the money, flying solo)