Macca

Hungry Heart is a true stayer with a terrific finishing burst ... over the odds in my view The others either may not get the distance or are unproven in Australia Scroll up to the replay of the Vinery Stud Stakes and let me know what you think Gorg I will be most surprised if it doesn't get into the finish although the horse does like good conditions and there is a bit of rain forecast I've taken the early odds with some bonus bets

Best Bet Saturday Randwick R5 No.3 Hungry Heart 5.50/1.80

Replays of the Group 1 races from the last 2 weekends

True I reckon Goodwin gave Oliver 4 with Scott giving Langdon 3 But I could be totally wrong H!

If I was the opposition coach Langdon would have been a real annoyance He kept driving the team forward all day (26 possessions) as well as standing out with the run & carry I'm most surprised that Langdon didn't get votes from both coaches. Not sure the umpires would have missed him though Langdon stood out all day

The Port/Tigers game was the benchmark game in terms of finals-type pressure, speed of the game & ball movement and intensity The other teams we can beat if we bring our best (Eagles had an off day but the Swans & Bulldogs are teams that we can beat) As we've seen, most, if not all the teams can have an off day. But we need to bring our best even against the lesser-lights

Not having a go at you adonski but what is the team average with regards to DE My guess is that it hovers around 70% but I stand corrected ... and an efficient disposal can be a 1 metre handpass to a player about to be tackled. Great So a 15 metre kick backwards to a player standing on his own (in the meantime the other mob floods back) is deemed as efficient yet a long kick from a centre break to a 1 on 1 deep in the forward line is deemed as inefficient if a team doesn't retain possession of the ball (yet the ball may end up remaining deep forward with the defence under siege) By the way if a player does kick long to a 1 on 1 in the forward line resulting in 50/50 results, that ends up being a shot on goal half the time. I'll take that result The DE stat is a crock of ****t and people here need to stop using this stat as their go-to evaluation of a players worth. It's nonsense Clangers are different of course ... it's no good handing the ball back to the opposition. But 1 clanger can turn into an exaggeration and often does for those with an agenda Your eyes will tell you the true story and Hunt is now using the ball quite well Langdon is also using the ball very well and he may well have attracted Brownlow votes (there's often a bolter and he's the sort of player that umpires will notice)

Like a number of others, Fritsch is putting his body on the line constantly. Occasionally playing on from a mark seems to suit his style too (no time to over-think a shot for goal) He's been our best forward for quite a while now and his kicking for goal has been good in the past 2 games (7 goals 2 behinds) And as someone mentioned, he could be even more dangerous with a fit & firing Ben Brown in the team. His marking skills makes him the ideal 3rd forward in a good team Brown, T-Mac with Fritsch as the 3rd tall will trouble a number of defences ... cameo's from LJ & Gawn up forward and suddenly our forward line can function well ongoing (not forgetting Kozzie, Spargo & ANB nipping about)

They're out on their feet now Take the win!!!

T-Mac has been good again (that's 3 out of 4 weeks now) Our experienced players have stood up and led the way Gawn outstanding

Kozzie gives Selwood a gobful!! Ha ha ha ha ha!

I'm floating between exactas & win bets at the moment ... I do like the idea of having 2 or 3 runners as options for winning but just got to pick the right races Anyway, the Pies, Eagles & Tigers all losing softens the blow ... with punting it's always about the overall!! Because of the above, if we win today, we create a buffer that we can maintain (at least in the first half of the season) Must win! 1-39 Demons is my pick, Freo the same?

Similar story Gorg Got Missile Mantra & Duais up early then went cold. Got a couple of collects out of Ascot late but overall down a fraction Will watch the replays soon enough but Anamoe must have been impressive in the Sires Produce Nature Strip did his thing, Explosive Jack might be a cups horse & Jamie Kah got the best out of Cascadian in the Doncaster by the sounds of it

I reckon everyone saw the errors P-man but the cause & effect on why the errors happened is where we might differ with regards to our point of view (we, as in the numerous sets of eyes and how we view it all) Frantic footy played at that pace between 2 evenly matched teams on a night where the ball was slippery (dew?) is often going to produce errors either forced or unforced ... but mainly forced errors But you'd have to agree that tonight's game was played at a frantic pace and was end to end for most of the night. The pressure was enormous and it was next level The above is what appealed to me the most ... it could also be that we watch footy in different ways and for a variety of different reasons Conversely, we did see immense skills from the Eagles last week in a game played at high speed ... but Port were left flat-footed last week where as tonight they were up for the contest from the get-go (as were the Tigers)

Agree with your summation AF but we can finish as high as 4th if the cards fall our way ... the inequities of the draw with regards to the double-ups etc etc 15 wins might snag 4th spot but can we win 15 games? We'll need to not drop games we should win but more importantly, we'll need to split 50/50 or 40/60 against the better teams For instance, we're good enough to beat the Cats & Hawks so we need to get it done. 5 & 0 after 5 rounds and then the playing group can gain real confidence (yeah I know, one week at a time etc etc but we're just onlookers!) But tonight's game was on another level ... I totally understand those who highlighted the errors made (and there were many) but the pressure and pace was through the roof.

That's the best game so far this year in terms of finals like pressure Not sure we're quite up to that level just yet ... pace was furious and even the best players had no time to release the ball End to end, frantic ball movement and about the right amount of goals Neither team deserved to lose and if Costagna had have been able to get a foot to the ball then the Tiges probably win Great match!

I agree ... the pace of the game is furious & exhilarating. And they are playing in slippery conditions I'm wondering if our team could keep up! Thoroughly enjoying the spectacle (with just the right amount of goals)

Best Bet Randwick R9 No.1 Mugatoo 4.60/1.80

But miles better than not being on FTA DJ Having our matches shunted away on cable in a time slot often only suited for those who have cable is not a good result for all sorts of reasons And the Saturday evening FTA games would attract huge advertising dollars for Ch7 so it's a marquee event that we need to be part of I reckon it's a fantastic result ... bring it on In rounds 9-12 we're matched up against the Lions, Bulldogs, Blues & Crows so if we keep performing well we'll get more FTA slots

Well, we're every chance GV ... was having a look at our remaining fixtures last night Run home is vs Leicester, @ Newcastle, vs Chelsea, @ Burnley, vs Everton, @ Brighton, @ West Brom and then vs Southampton There is not a game amongst that lot which we can't win or gain points from If we can beat Leicester we're right in it as 2 CL spots would then be up for grabs Of course Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea, Everton & Leicester are all eyeing off a spot as well. But Man Utd could drop points in the run home thus opening up a 3rd slot Dare to dream!!!

The Masters is on free to air this week ... 9GemHD (Ch95) Coverage starts from 5am Friday through to Monday when the live broadcast will be from 4am

Scapegoating kicks in with the losses ... head coach, umpires, 1 or 2 players etc etc. I have always viewed the multiple losses as being the whole clubs fault ... true leadership would see the best performed person at the club putting their hand up as being part of the problem (in those circumstances) So us supporters blaming one thing or another is not only a futile exercise, it doesn't solve the real issues. Not even close. The argument ends up going around in circles. Besides which, we supporters effect very little ... we are mere onlookers. We're just yapping away pub-talk style Recruiting from an overall perspective is the biggie (when was the last time we had a 'genuine' premiership type list?) ... but with excellent recruiting comes a well run club and top level coaching So fast forward to now ... hate to say it but we're still a work in progress. We can play finals of course but to win a premiership we'll need at least 4-6 more top level footballers. Last year the number was 6-8 (in my view) so we're getting there How's this for a forward line ... Hall Brereton Buckenara Loveridge Dunstall P Dear The 6th best forward won a Norm Smith medal That's how good you have to be to be a true (ongoing) contender ... go close and you'll be a contender still. Fall short and you'll fall away I've never read Smith's book but from what I can gather, we were the kings of recruiting during those glory days

Fair enough dl but there aren't many who aren't playing their part ... even those with low possessions seem to be doing the team things that aren't always noticeable I highlighted Sparrow for that reason ... we supporters don't really know what his role is but he is (by and large) being given the benefit of the doubt by many here. I reckon many here recognise that he has been given a task by the MC and is carrying that task out And I've never understood the whipping boy mentality ... is that some sort of primeval instinct left over from the cave man days? ? I try not to play favourites nor have anyone in the gun. To me, it's nearly always about the team (and Kozzie!)

Watched the replay ... looks a ripper and ran good time too

The 3 teams we have beaten aren't contenders but we still won all 3 And that's a big positive because previously we could have been expected to drop 1 or maybe 2 of the games We're definitely a better team in terms of how many players are being questioned on whether they should stay in the side... many here are saying no change (again) Sparrow is a good example ... from all accounts he's doing a lot of the team aspects (1%ers) but is not racking up the possessions. Previously, many would be calling for his absolute omission And we kicked 15 goals against GWS despite not having a meaningful contribution from T-Mac (who, to be fair was up against 2 or 3 defenders in a crowded forward line for most of the game) GWS shot themselves in the foot with those tactics as our backline ended up have an easy time of it (despite the Toby Greene cameos)