Macca

I agree as well We're 10 & 1 so there's a bit of a buffer there anyway but, are we even concerned about losing games any more? The team is playing top level footy and after that Friday night success against the Doggies, I'm convinced that we can beat any team anywhere ... even on their own dung heap Do the deal for the financials if we have to play elsewhere and then ... Bring 'em on!

The 7 days is up midnight Thursday but what if we get 6-8 positive cases on Thursday? The lockdown would continue on if that were to occur, probably for another 5-7 days. My realistic view is 2-4 weeks of lockdown ... but we've been lucky so far in terms of avoiding big numbers contracting this damn disease. Bloody lucky in fact People should not be underestimating this particular strain of the virus. It's the Indian varient and highly contageous We will do very well to reel it back in ... but if the government doesn't get its act together with the quarantine hotels, it could easily rear its ugly head again. More than twice over If it was me I'd be stopping all international flights (that aren't essential) until at least the whole country is vaccinated The cost becomes much greater every time we have a lockdown Major Cost vs Major Cost ... take the lesser cost Re the footy ... whilst we're in lockdown in Victoria play the games where the crowds can attend but the AFL then has to make sure all the clubs are compensated adequately and fairly (that compensation might have to extend into 2022) We won't be the only Victorian team losing revenue but a big part of that revenue can be recompensed down the track Just like last season, the TV ratings could go through the roof but the broadcasters will want crowd involvement. Keep them happy and the dollars will roll in

There's possessions and there are 'Dynamic Possessions' ... this measurement is used in soccer but the eyes have it, rather than some sort of list with numbers all over the place For instance, Salem, May & T-Mac stand out to me with regards to using the ball well but other players such as Pickett, Oliver & Petracca (but not all the time with those 2) use it well. As well as any forward who kicks 3 or more goals (in todays footy) ... Fritsch against North stands out And Melksham. I'm wondering if many here simply look at the numbers rather than what he does with the ball when he gets it. Usually uses it very well as he did against the Bulldogs He certainly has faults in his game but so do quite a few others. And there isn't an embarrassment of riches in the 2's

From an overall point of view the games need to go ahead (anywhere, elsewhere) to satisfy the broadcast partners (for the time being) Without that broadcast money the whole AFL will break down. So crowds elsewhere for any of the teams needs to be seen as a bonus (by the fans and clubs) And the broadcast partners would obviously prefer to see the games played in front of good crowds. That won't necessarily be happening in Victoria for the time being (certainly not next weekend at least) In the meantime, the clubs need to once again, tighten their belts From our club's point of view, we simply need to get on with it and not complain. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Doing it tough can galvanise and strengthen

Swans have turned on the jets ... up to 7 wins, 6th spot and a bit of separation if they go on and win this

Because nothing is necessarily obvious ... day by day the evaluation can change with the spread of this disease (particularly this particular strain) So they apply a week and that could be for starters, added on to or just the 1 week

It should also be remembered that not all that should be getting tested (that were present at the exposure sites) will get tested. Not all checked in with the QR code and therefore can't necessarily be traced. We are relying on 100% goodwill And often the symptoms don't show up for 5 days or more (even though this particular strain can be transmitted in 24 hours) So the 4 or 5 positive tests per day that we've had since the lockdown started might not be an accurate number ... it could be 10 or 12 per day with the disease being passed on unawares. And they may have a target figure (zero?) that needs to be met for a certain amount of days Bunker down (again) is my reckoning but hopefully no longer than a month or at best, a total of 2 weeks Obviously, I really hope I'm wrong The AFL have got on the front foot with regards to where the games are to be held so there's that (as well) On a brighter note the games will go ahead with crowds at all the games (just not in Victoria for the time being) And if we're good enough we can win anywhere, anytime anyway

Ran a good race and nearly hung on to win ... our other hopes weren't in it though! There was some value up at Eagle Farm but I only got Apache Chase up. Got out with a reasonable percentage of the trifecta in the last at Morphettville But at E/Farm I left out a good horse in Exhilarates and didn't follow up on Vega One. You live & learn! Kukeracha & Tiger of Malay were great value as well but the punters didn't go after either of them

Best Bet (Saturday) Randwick R4 No.2 More Prophets 4.60/1.70

The quarantine set up is farcical Why would you place someone who hasn't got the disease right next door to someone who has got the disease For 2 weeks no less Accident waiting to happen Did they not learn anything from the cruise ships? (airborne particles moving around in enclosed air conditioned situations) And did this person who brought the disease into Victoria know he was next door to an infected person or persons (for 2 weeks?) Would anyone here happily stay in that sort of environment? With perfect strangers Do they not understand what isolation actually means? What a bunch of incompetant imbeciles We're heading for lockdown in my view but hopefully that lockdown won't go past 2 weeks or so. Last time it was 5 days but the circumstances are way different ... this strain is far more contageous Footy crowds in Victoria? Highly doubt it and even staging the games in Victoria could be problematic. Hubs again? Hope I'm wrong with the above evaluation but there's a number of hotspots where mobs of people have congregated ... and this disease with this particular strain spreads like wildfire

Bottom line is that I'm more annoyed about how we played on Saturday but I totally get the angst towards the deliberate OOB. Concurrent arguments where neither argument is wrong If our form against the Crows is an aberration then well & good but we've been a bit off since the Tigers match As previously stated, we need to win 1 of our next 2. And hopefully we don't get burnt by another umpiring decision in the meantime

Well the Hammers got found out in the end but if we can eke out a point or 3 tonight we'll end up with 63-65 points and a Europa league spot. Can't ask for too much more than that in a tough league competing against 6 money-rich clubs (with deep squads) Looks like Chelsea & Liverpool will secure CL spots if both win tonight but if either team slips up Leicester could dart through and secure a spot ... up against Spurs who are also playing for a possible Europa league spot I'd like to see Leicester get a CL spot but Chelsea are playing Villa with Liverpool up against Palace. Both should win

If we play like we did yesterday but against a good team, we'll lose by 60+ points Why are we behind on the scoreboard against a cellar dweller? That's the worst we've played since the Freo & Swans debacles last year. We were criminally bad and we had better get our act together quick smart Said the same sort of thing on a similar thread to this one after round 9 of 2019 ... as it turned out we lost 11 of our next 13 games that season Anyway, there's a tough road ahead if we're going to feature

Playing from behind also means that you'll receive less free kicks ... conversely, it is awfully difficult to win a free kick playing from behind Definitely a mindset and a sure sign that we're not playing in a disciplined fashion or ... we are taking the opposition too lightly. Largely explains yesterday I noticed it in the first half against North too ... they got to the front position with ease until we finally got our act together Do it against a good side and we'll get smashed. It was a major fault (playing from behind) from 2008 right through to 2015 You'd think at this level the players would automatically know how important the front position is but at this level, everything needs to be worked for. Nothing comes easy Again on the free kick count ... the good sides and the best players take the front position and therefore get more free kicks as a matter of course. Footy Basics 101

That is what I'm concerned about with the 5th team currently sitting on 7 wins with 6th & 7th on 6 wins To be top 4 you can't really drop much more than 1 game against a bottom 6 team or a bottom 8 team. Lose 2 or 3 against this type of opposition and then you can't lose any more than 2 or 3 against a top 8 or top 4 team So we've used up our quota of losses against mediocre opposition (in my view) Maybe 1 more but not a total of 3 And as previously stated we've got 7 games coming up against top 8 teams I know it's only 1 loss but it was against the wrong opposition You take your foot off the pedal in this league and there's trouble ahead That was the old Melbourne yesterday but hopefully we won't see it again. An immediate bounce back win gets us back on track ... but it's the Doggies

9 & 1 sounds great but it gets a lot tougher from here on in. We are indeed becoming the hunted We need to win at least 1 of the next 2 (Dogs, Lions) After that we're @Eagles, @Port, @Cats, Doggies (again) with home games against the Pies, GWS & Bombers. None are easy assignments We're also @GCS and are at home against Hawks & Crows Last night's loss could end up being quite significant. And as previously stated, if we were fair dinkum we should have banked a 6-8 goal win. But nearly 3/4 of the team were well down on their best ... that cannot happen again

Most coaches have got a bit of a short fuse when it suits. Goodwin would be no different behind closed doors (in my view) Remembering he was coached by Blight who could fly off the handle. Blight was coached by RDB I wouldn't be taking any notice of any of Goodwin's pressers. To me he looks like he is at great pains to not say anything of any substance (the Bill Belichick school) The players will have been told where they went wrong (in no uncertain terms)

I see your point with the high ground re seeing myself as a would-be coach That certainly doesn't mean that I'd be any good at it! (although I have coached) It's the only way I can view footy (or any sport for that matter) ... I feel like I see a very complicated sport more clearly when eliminating passion. There are plenty of others here who post in the same way ... rjay, rpfc, Dee Spencer and numerous others Everyone's different, ds As for the deciding of last night's game, we made those decisions throughout the game and we made poor decisions (as a collective) I could understand the angst if we'd played really well and then lost the game to a few questionable decisions But we didn't play well and the new vision posted up by Mel Bourne changes things somewhat. A Spargo hand in there? Have you viewed the new vision and if so, what is your opinion now?

When you say 'we' pick on Melksham it's more the loud minority here Certainly not me ... I hate scapegoating with a passion (although I did critique ANB on another thread .. without including others who make the same sorts of errors) So it's not just about Fritsch when 2/3rds of the team have a night off For instance replacing Fritsch leaves us with a stack of others who underperformed last night To be fair, some of those who were down like T-Mac, May, Hunt, Rivers & Jordon have all played well this season (to date) Spargo, Hunt, Weideman, ANB, Hibberd, Pickett, Jetta and 1 or 2 others need to find their best form (along with Fritsch) We've been off the boil since the Richmond win, that much is true

I see our team receiving at least 6 lucky free kicks in any given game. What about that free kick to Petracca at CHF? Bit soft? We've had a good run so far this season (mainly because we've been first in for the ball and have finally decided to play in front) But not last night ... we were 2nd to the ball and paid a heavy price By the way, the player in front will receive a free kick 4 out of 5 times (if a free kick is paid) Hey, I get the passion and most hate losing so much that they feel a screaming need to blame the umpires (the collaberators? ha ha) I never have and never will blame umpires because my preferred position is did we play well enough to win? (like a coach would analyse things) Seen the new vision of the so-called deliberate OOB? If so, what is your view now?

There you go hey ... well picked up Mel Bourne If Spargo doesn't deflect the ball, the trajectory of the ball could have ended up very close to his Adelaide teammate (and not necessarily near the boundary line) Others might see it differently though as the vision is a bit obscure

What about the other dozen or so players who decided to have a night off? Right across the board we were awful I don't disagree with you about Fritsch but he's not a physical player and is more of a pure (tallish) opportunist. The question is how many of those types do you have in the same team? 1? 2? ... at the moment we've got more than 2 Spargo, ANB, Weideman, Rivers, Jordon, Jetta, Hunt, Petty, Melksham, Hibberd, T-Mac, Pickett & May were all well down on their best Along with Fritsch that's nearly 2/3rds of the team that took the field It's any wonder we lost

Game goes for 4 quarters (approximately 120 minutes) so the last minute and what happens in that last minute is connected to the other 119 minutes So we decided to loaf and bludge through the game and go away from the disciplined football required at this level ... that's what we did and that is why we lost That's the main reason so why give the players an out? Goodwin will hopefully have roasted the players after the game and I'm damned sure he wouldn't have even mentioned the questionable calls at the end (or at any part of the game for that matter) We're 16 points in front late in the last quarter and lose? Good teams don't lose from that position Focus on 1 or 2 questionable umpiring decisions and you will let the players & FD off the hook Same as the focus is often on Goodwin alone when we don't play well ... lets the other members of the FD and the players off the hook when that happens Besides all that ANB would have had the ball if the call had have been deliberate and I doubt he kicks a goal from that angle. 3 minutes earlier he clangered the ball to the opposition in typical ANB fashion. He might have missed everything in fact So would we be happy with a draw? Not me, I see a draw as a loss against a cellar dweller even though a draw creates separation in terms of premiership points. But I don't believe in giving a sucker an even break. We contributed to our own fate last night. So the only thing to do is look in the mirror You play to win and last night we were not good enough. A soft performance

A way to fix the grey area of deliberate (or not deliberate) is to pay a free kick against the team which touched the ball last before it crosses the boundary line (as it was from 1926 - 1939) But if Spargo touched the ball then they would have received the free (under that rule) And if Spargo did deflect the ball then I would like to see the vision before making any judgement. Besides all that, we lost the game in numerous other ways and if we had have won, those issues would still be being addressed today and ongoing - not sure everyone would have been in raptures Last night highlighted that we are just not that good a team ... we're in the mix with a number of other teams but if we finish top 4 we'll gain an advantage pre finals. Long way to go before that possible outcome though ... the next 2 weeks will be full on and if we play like we did last night against the Pies, we will probably lose the QB clash Last night could be viewed as the loss that taught the team how to go about it for the rest of the season. But if we don't learn from it we're in trouble

Without Oliver today we would have lost by 4-6 goals. Doesn't say much for the rest of the team So many of our players had so little impact. We didn't turn up, it's as simple as that Make no mistake, we lost that game and handed the points to the Crows Played from behind, Outpaced, Soft at the contest, 2nd to the ball, No real system, Crows owned the corridor, No will to win, Poor decision making and below-par skills, A lack of energy etc etc Hopefully that's the shocker out of the way because if we play like that against any of the good sides, we'll lose them all The wake up call but we need to learn from it and not be dismissive