Macca

We are not playing well but nor did we play very well in a 9 game stretch last season where we lost 4 games, drew another and barely got past Essendon in a close one in that 9 game time period. I suppose a lot of us are hoping we are into the 'loading' phase Yet we took all before us in the lead up to the finals last season and then played fabulous football during the finals (where our forward line clicked into gear) Much has been discussed about the make-up of our forward line looking ahead but the main thing is the forward line just has to play better as a unit and in terms of individual output T-Mac not being available means that we are playing 2 KPF's who are either not good enough or out of form ... and that's 1 player of that standard too many (especially in a team that is on top of the ladder) The 3 players in question of course are Ben Brown, Mitch Brown & Weideman Thought could be given to going with only 1 of the 3 plus Gawn or Jackson as permanent forwards (along with Fritsch) and maybe play another mid-sized player like Harmes as a forward. Or could Jordon play forward? He's close on 6'2" in the old language For team purposes Brayshaw is better placed on a wing so Rivers could slot back in on the HBF Ben Brown (if preferred out of the 3 aforementioned) could be moved up to CHF to get him into the play (for a time) ... after that, rotate them around where the 4 marking forwards all get their chance deep forward (or out into the play) C Brayshaw Petracca Langdon HF Kozzie Ben Brown Jordon FF Fritsch Gawn/Jackson Spargo Int Neal-Bullen (rotating into the forward line) Bedford is a chance for a similar role

Reckon we will persevere with Ben Brown for the time being in the hope that he comes good May will be back which adds a lot and Rivers could get an early recall. If so, Brayshaw goes back to the wing Maybe swap Weideman for Mitch Brown in the hope that Weideman finds some form in the seniors. Nearly all of the others have points in the bank but our glaring weakness is our forward line and to a lesser extent, the delivery into the forward line But the forwards can't expect lace-out delivery unless they present properly. And that isn't happening. Also, our small forwards (collectively) need to step up and start hitting the scoreboard As for the tall forwards, we need Ben Brown, Weideman/M Brown and a resting ruck (Gawn or Jackson) all competing hard, fighting for the front position and/or creating separation The options aren't really there with our tall forwards so what is needed is a greater output from what we've got. Van Rooyen looks like he needs plenty of time in the reserves. Project player Fritsch as the floating 3rd forward is playing his role but he could be a much bigger weapon if the tall forwards play their roles well At times last night we looked like a one-man team (Max Gawn) The big bloke needs help and lots of it n.b. T-Mac may or may not be available so the above is based on his unavailability

The game starting at 12.30pm AEDT would be 8.30pm on the East Coast of the USA ... 5.30pm on the West Coast (once daylight saving time is operating here in Oz) So Saturday Night Football beamed in from Australia ... or Sunday Night Football if they held the game on the Monday of the NSW Labour Day weekend (early October) Maybe late December could fit ... they traditionally play a few NFL Saturday night games post the College Saturday schedule in late December Whichever way they do it tickets to the game will be hard to get hold of!

Rams/Cowboys set for a regular season game in Sydney in 2024 If they held the match on the same weekend as the Everest (mid October) that would be a decent weekend away!

Jail Hindley is on the verge of winning the Giro d'Italia after a magnificent performance on the final climb yesterday 1'25" ahead of Richard Carapaz going into tonight's final stage (17.4 Kilometres)

Just had a bad day ... most of our players were well down on their best And you always learn something from a loss. But in advance we would have known that unless we bring our best (or close to our best) we're in danger of losing So we didn't bring anywhere near our best and paid a price Injuries played a part (especially with balance across the ground) but we had too many players who didn't play to expectations Harmes, Langdon, May, T-Mac & Salem may all miss next week so we may not see many changes ... so roughly the same team will have a chance to make amends against Sydney next week. And it's good that we're playing a decent team straight up after this loss - we need to bounce back against good opposition who will keep coming at us Right now, I'd take any sort of win next Saturday night The Swans will be up for the contest so we certainly will need to be up for the contest as well

What we do know is that a 50 metre penalty can be awarded for infringements after the final siren ... usually with regards to the man on the mark infringing in some way But with the new dissent & abuse rulings, a 50m penalty can be applied in that area (after the siren) As for last night, it seems the benefit of the doubt seemed to go with the Swans player but is another umpire in a similar position going to rule in the same way? Who would know? Technically, the Swans player could have been pinged if the umpire did believe that the player was deliberately transgressing Just another grey area with an accent on interpretation

Technically should 'probably' have been a 50 metre penalty but again, the rules are grey, the rules are not clear cut (so everyone understands what is going on) and because of that, the decisions are inconsistent It's now got to farcical levels where most people are totally confused with the officiating And soft free kicks aplenty. High contact being one of those soft areas. Just one example (1 of 10-15 similar) was the high contact free kick paid to the Swans player in the last 2 minutes of the game There was nothing in it and the decision should have been play on ... and if the players know that in advance then that particular 'play' could have been played out in an entirely different manner (without the soft free kick being an option) There are far too many free kicks being awarded anyway ... they could halve the number and it would still be too many

Yes

Soft5 now and improving ... very little rain predicted and Eagle Farms drains well Could be a Good4 at best so it doesn't look like we'll get a heavy track Had a small wager on Polly Grey but Polly likes it wet ... how far Zaaki?!

I noticed that 9GemHD are showing the Champions League Final live from 4.30am Good news for those who haven't got cable or one of the myriad of streaming services needed these days Should be more of it too ... if the FTA stations are serious they need to get hold of more big time sport. All of the golf majors instead of just the Masters for starters! Channel 10 are showing the A League Final live from 6.30pm tomorrow night (7.45pm kickoff) ... Melb City vs Western United Straight after our game vs Freo

@Dee Zephyr@Gorgoroth @Mr Steve Big day at Eagle Farm tomorrow - Super Saturday!! 3 Group races from the washed out Doomben races added to this Saturday's Eagle Farm card so we end up with 3 x G1, 2 x G2 & 4 x G3 and a listed race. 10 races in all Excellent fields and some very good betting races - value aplenty A perfect lead in to our game vs Freo Good luck if you're having a wager

An excellent system/game plan with loads of talent is a sure-fire way to success But our all-over defence cannot be understated ... without that all over the ground method, there would be gaps for the opposition to exploit So we've got all the key elements for September football. The other good teams don't have all the attributes And Salem will add a lot when he returns ... but without him we're 10-0!! Should have been All-Australian last year as he ticked every box and had an A+ year (in a Premiership team)

I spent a lot of my early years in Kew & Ruchmond so most I knew back then were Tiger fans Everyone I knew back then were on the Demon bandwagon ... the tears flowed after that Prelim but I knew we'd get more chances as we had a very good team ... trouble was that there were a few teams in that era (Hawthorn included) that were a shade better But Coach Northey had us up and running and it was a terrific 5 years where we won more games than we lost ... and after all those years of misery, it was great to be a contender at last But our current team is a complete outfit so the expectations are to win big. This year especially! I was involved in a lot of success at local level so that probably explains why I can be a little matter of fact and philosophical about sport (when it's all out of my control) Que sera sera ... and being a West Ham fan, expectations can never be too high. All the same, all things considered, we had a very good year As for the Champians League Final, there will be a lot of sentiment for Liverpool ... they play a style that is very watchable and Klopp is very well liked. Really like listening to his musings!

I was at all the games but my view of the prelim is a little different. Disappointed of course but still proud that we had progressed so far, so quickly after at least 2 decades of mostly miserable times In the prelim we had a gale force wind behind us for the first 3 quarters back when having a strong wind behind a team was a big advantage. People used to talk about having a 5 goal advantage (in a quarter) ... the sport has changed so much So we had every chance in the prelim. If we'd won, the wind advantage would have been a big factor. And the wind died in the last quarter. The wind switched at quarter time and then at half time ... at Waverley, you were out in the open so you could really feel the breeze. It was uncanny, we thought the gods were with us Anyway, we went out on to the ground after the final quarter and I'd pinpointed where Buckenara would have been if he didn't receive that infamous 15 metre penalty ... I reckon I might have kicked it!! Buckenara surely would have Better team won

We had a version of the EPL's last day in the VFL when all the games were on at the same time (Sat 2.10 approx) The most memorable for Demon supporters being 1987 & 1976 but even in 1988 we needed to defeat 2nd placed Carlton in the last round just to make the finals ... ended up in the GF after winning 3 finals to get there! But I recall there being a number of finals teams shuffled about in the last round ... and back in the day, the wooden spoon was to be avoided at all costs!

As I said, I was paraphrasing but it was words to that effect. Might have been 'Do that and we will go a long way towards winning the game' Fairly sure it was one of our midfielders who said it ... and it was almost a throwaway line thus I've only recalled it now

If Langdon is declared fit along with Viney, I can see a situation where the last man in is the first man out In: Viney Out: Dunstan But anyone with a niggle might be rested (or may not be) so I won't be surprised if there is a player out with some sort of ailment

Can't remember which of our players said it (sometime in the last month or so) but it was words to the effect of ... "The coaches have told us that if at least 16 players play their roles as well as they can, we can't lose the game" I found that to be a fascinating approach and I also found the statement to ring true In many of our games in the last year and a half we've had at least a dozen players who have played very well ... often reaching the magic 16 figure. And why 16? Can anyone verify what was actually said and who said it?

Further to that, Watson11 We also employ the forward press on many occasions when the opposition are trying to clear the ball out of their defence. A smother or misdirected kick often results and therefore, a turnover in our favour Carlton don't really play that style ... their method is to attack hard to try and score and that method will win a lot of games against average to mediocre opposition (they do possess good skills) But we play September type pressure footy ... the Blues look like they are at least a year away from contending in a real sense. But only if they become a more complete team

The Blues are a reasonably good team on offence but they don't play total team defence like we do. In fact, they are nowhere near our levels in that area On top of that we have a stellar defence against their quite-good forward line and our midfield shades theirs from an overall perspective Our forward line against their defence is more of a line-ball match-up but they'd do well to keep 2 of Fritsch, Brown, T-Mac and a resting Gawn or Jackson quiet. And our small forwards continue to apply forward line defensive pressure Match it all up and we win by 6 goals with the big difference being our overall defensive pressure. They just can't match us in that area

An amazing finish and when City were down 0-2 in the 75th minute I thought draw at best ... and at the same time the Reds were level with Wolves but my thinking was that Liverpool would score again and win 5 minutes later Man City were 3-2 up and Liverpool was still level with Wolves ... the rest is history!! Meanwhile Leeds & Burnley were fighting to stay alive in the Premier League. Leeds scored in the 94th minute but Burnley could have scored again and a draw would have kept them up (if the Leeds winner doesn't eventuate) When we have these scenarios it's 2 of the best hours of sport. High drama and high tension So it's 5am Sunday morning for the Champions League Final in Paris Liverpool vs Real Madrid Should be a beauty!!

Our forwards (as a collective) will need to play better against the better opposition that we are going to be up against in the next block of 4 games On Saturday there were instances of some forwards playing from behind or not creating enough separation to present as targets A good example was when Petracca was bursting forward with no Demon to kick it too ... he hesitated and then got tackled from behind. Opportunity lost Another time Brown got caught out playing from behind and then ended up giving a free kick away. But Brown usually gets to the front position. There were probably at least another 6 standout examples and each time we gave up an opportunity to score. Various forwards were involved. As previously stated, more so as a collective. 74 inside 50's resulting in 14.16 is inefficient in my view I'd like to believe that we just had a bit of an off day up forward but we probably should have slotted at least 20 goals against North. And the connection between our mids & forwards needs to be first rate against the good teams By contrast, our defence and all over team defence was excellent once again. North didn't take on the corridor which played into our hands, but that's their problem

I reckon game day and perhaps the next day it's ok to vent ... footy is an emotional game and we are heavily invested But days later? In the same way? But here's the thing ... you dare not take the opposite view or a different view here. It's like an unwritten law to tow the line in a certain way I can see why others don't bother but the other side of the argument deserves to be seen and heard Before I started posting about the umpires there was a former VFA player here who used to post up against the tirade of umpire abuse His catch-cry was always 'You don't have a game without umpires' but he got zero support. Gone now but he was a very good poster and his footy knowledge was immense He was the voice for a long period of time and he used to speak on my behalf! haha

A hobby horse of mine for over 10 years on this site ... must have mentioned the farcical high contact ruling at least 50-60 times over the years Under Neeld we at one time during a match had a 3-22 free kick count against the Eagles ... nearly every free kick was for high contact or in some cases, holding the man The Eagles players were dropping their knees and shrugging their arms up all game to accentuate the high contact So it's not a new thing And you are the first person to speak in the same way (that I've seen) In fact, I've probably mentioned it over 10 times lately on this thread and a few other recent threads about the umpires But, because of the protection of the head and the expert way that players milk high contact, only draconian measures might fix things ... retrospectively ping the stagers and rub them out for 3 or 4 weeks and that can help Can't see it happening though as if they were going to take such measures, they would have done so by now As for the other grey areas, I truly believe we need a more open game to help reduce the grey areas. And many don't want any rule changes so we end up back at square one