Macca

Yep ... Garlett & Watts are quite good but both players still miss shots that they should get. It's a confidence thing and whenever I see any of our players turn their backs on the goal (and not try and improve the angle at the same time) I see a player who perhaps doesn't relish the opportunity to have a shot. I'm treating last week as more of an aberration but the issue remains. And it's an issue with a number of our players ... there's no one player who is the chief culprit although Kent, Hogan & Harmes don't fill me with a lot of confidence. A positive is that our midfielders are starting to score more goals (as a collective) The other positive is that we're no longer talking about endless 10 goal thrashings. We're right in the games now and the expectation is to win. The players looked gutted at the final siren yesterday.

Some of our players are ignoring some absolute basics when in the process of having a set shot for goal. I see the same errors time and time again and it's as if they can't believe their good fortune in having that set shot ... Walking back with their backs to the goals (a no-no) ... every single moment counts when lining up for goal plus there's always a chance to dish the ball off to a player in a better position. Not trying to improve the angle of a shot ... walking backwards towards the opposition's far behind post should be the default move and we should be doing that 100% of the time. The umpire may well be awake to the tactic but not always. Also, a number of our forwards also get caught playing from behind far too much - but that's been an issue for years. A good forward relishes the front position - all the great forwards have that instinct. Of course, a forward doesn't have to be in front every time but must do when the ball comes in quickly or in a haphazard way. Basics.

Yeah, we've come a long way but if our senior players were all playing their part along with the youngsters putting their hands up, we'd be 4 & 0. I prefer to focus in on the better and more senior players because they set the standards. The fact is that of the 10 players (I'll include Lewis as well) who we could confidently say we can rely on, only 1 of them did well yesterday. Of course it's just 1 game but I'm not sure how we can win games with so many players either down on form (Jones, Jetta & T-Mac) out of form (Viney, Tyson & Vince) injured (Gawn) or suspended (Hogan & Lewis) We can either wonder how we got so close against Freo or imagine how much we would have won yesterday's game if most of those 10 players were major contributors. Of course we've got a much better list but we've still got to actually perform on the day. We've still got to get it done. Most of our best players yesterday were the kids and whilst that's a nice blueprint for the future, it's not a great blueprint for right now.

Our best players are collectively well below par and that's one of the reasons we're dropping games ... and we don't have an abundance of top/good players on our list (right now) Last year we had Jones, Vince, Hogan, Viney, Gawn, T-Mac, Tyson and probably Jetta & Watts. A top/good player should be expected to play well and/or beat his opponent 4 out of 5 weeks (or at least 3 out of 4) So ... fast forward to yesterday's game. Here's that same list of 9 players ... Jones (a quiet day) Vince (not at his best) Hogan (unavailable) Viney (out of form) Gawn (unavailable) T-Mac (average day) Tyson (prolific but still wasteful) Jetta (not at his best) Watts (was quite good) Of course, we've got others now who are now stepping up to the plate including Oliver, Hunt, Salem, Petracca & ANB but we aren't getting anywhere near the same output from the senior players (and that list now includes Lewis) It's been an issue for years with regards to our senior players ... we need to get a lot more output (aside from an injured Gawn) and it needs to start next week.

In the end it came down to 2 evenly matched sides and 1 had to lose We got smashed in the ruck though (22 - 58) and that was the difference. With Gawn playing we could have been expected to have at least broken even but given the form he is in, we probably would have had an edge in the ruck. Spencer toiled manfully but was clearly outpointed. In turn, we forfeited any advantage we could have had with regards to clearances and more importantly, clean clearances. Take away that advantage and that brings them (Freo) closer to us. Same goes for our upcoming games. Added to that we were without 2 more of our most important players (Hogan & Lewis) We at least get Hogan back next week but the rucking could remain an issue. That's not to say we can't win without Gawn - of course we can. It's just more difficult without him. Clean clearances often result in scoring opportunities and we need to figure out how to create clean clearances without Gawn.

My understanding is that the players are on an agreed contract amount and that amount is guaranteed. There might be some added incentives like a decent B & F finish but if a player is on 600k or 700k, they get all that money in full (a good amount of that contract might be paid up front with the residual probably paid monthly or possibly fortnightly) I highly doubt that a player would get docked money for being suspended. Perhaps they should do but the maximum fine for most indiscretions is 5k ... that agreed amount is part of the collective bargaining agreement that is still in operation by default. In a nutshell, none of Lewis, Hogan or Vince would be out of pocket for being suspended.

The Leafs made it ... tough series first up vs Washington though GTG. I've picked the Capitals but you may surprise. Still, it's playoff hockey where anything can happen and often does ... here are the 8 matchups with (for what it's worth) my picks in dark italics. East Montreal vs NY Rangers Ottawa vs Boston Pittsburgh vs Columbus Washington vs Toronto West Minnesota vs St Louis Edmonton vs San Jose Chicago vs Nashville Anaheim vs Calgary

Every time me missed one of those very gettable shots at goal Geelong got the ball back with sole possession ... on a number of occasions they eventually scored from those numerous possessions but quite often we ended up getting the ball back off them and worked our way into a position to have another very gettable shot at goal. Only to miss again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again. It happened at least 7 times in the first half and about as many times again in the 2nd half. I was keeping tabs and posted as much at half time on the game day thread - here's the post The game should have been over at half time and definitely over at 3/4 time. And we could/would have won the game in even more convincing fashion if Lewis & Hogan had been available. Take the worst 2 players out and replace them with those 2. What could go wrong did go wrong. Losing Max just added salt into the wound.

Adam Scott would have to be a realistic chance as he does finish well and is only 3 behind. However, Justin Rose might just be too good in the end. 31 on the back 9 today from Rose might be pointer. Spieth, Garcia, Moore, Fowler, Hoffman & Schwartzel are all within striking distance as well. As always, high drama will almost certainly ensue. Especially on the back 9.

What has now happened to Gawn has a lot to do with the original discussion about his workloads and what might happen if those workloads were to stay the same or if they were to be reduced. Whilst he was on the ball for 90% or more, then having a 2nd ruck like Watts or Pedersen isn't really an issue ... however, that amount of workload for Max can increase his chances of getting injured. And look what has just happened. So, my original argument still stands. I wanted to lessen the workloads on Gawn which meant that our 2nd ruck position became one where a 'fill-in' probably wasn't going to cut it. It will be interesting to see what Gawn's workloads are when he returns - I'm thinking that the MC might take the conservative route Anyway, it's probably best that we agree to disagree on this one AF but I can see your point.

Some of us are (and were) looking at more than just one game AF ... we're having a separate debate where both arguments can be right. You're right, our kicking for goal yesterday cost us a victory but against a better opponent where we do kick well for goal, the rucking can then become an issue. And we might find that out as early as next week. My issue with Jack is that if Max rucks for say 75%* of the time, then Watts can then get exposed (if he has to ruck for 25% of the time) By the way, Watts did very well as a follower/midfielder yesterday but his actual rucking was below par. The Cats had 56 tap-outs to Gawns 20 and Watts got 9 (and I'm not sure that any of his 9 taps were to advantage) With Spencer now taking on the main duties the coaching staff are now going to have to come up with a decent plan. And Spencer isn't in the class of Max Gawn so the plan has to be at least somewhat different. *75% or perhaps 80% should be the maximum amount of time that Gawn plays on the ball.

The coaching staff can only try and control the areas that can be controlled so the numerous missed shots can't be planned for ... as frustrated & annoyed I'm sure all of us were yesterday, we know that the kicking for goal isn't going to be an issue (unless it is and then we really are in allsortsa) But the 2nd ruck issue can be addressed and controlled - I'm by no means advocating that Spencer should ever be a permanent fixture either. It's horses for courses and because Hogan was out, he probably should have been brought in (and then out as soon as Hogan returns) Of course, we'll never know now but the workload that we ask of the beast that is Gawn was always pushing the envelope. He doesn't ruck like Jamar did - Max is another midfielder so 75% - 80% game time on the ball is more than enough. That means that our 2nd ruck needs to be more than just a fill-in. In a nutshell, Max being as good as he is means he needs to spend less time on the ball (not more time) Any gun midfielder needs his time on the ball monitored and Max is no different.

We did choke but It's not something that the team and coaching staff would expect to become an ongoing issue. It was just a bad day at the office although Kent needs to get better. The advice to give is don't over-think it and keep it simple. We've got bigger fish to fry with Gawn now being out ... as good as Spencer might be he's got big shoes to fill. And we need a big body down forward as well as a 2nd ruck who can do more than just compete.

We're not in any sort of position to have good players unavailable for any reason ... injuries happen but unforced errors of judgement can be critical. Our list just isn't that strong (yet) Perhaps the coaching staff should have made a greater example of Vince's brain-fade in round 1. Of course, we didn't see any such indiscretions yesterday - but as these things go, we got the bad outcome in another area (the injury to Gawn) In sport, you make your own luck but poor outcomes should never be self inflicted. We now go into the next bank of 3 games with 3 of our best 6 or 7 players unavailable for a good chunk of those games. Add in an out-of-form Viney, an unavailable Hibberd and a wasteful Tyson and we're up against it. We'll now need some luck on our side for a favourable outcome in the next month.

We're still going to have a glaring weakness at 2nd ruck despite Spencer being available ... Geelong yesterday weren't able to take full advantage (their clearance work was messy) They won 56 hit-outs and many of them were to advantage. A good team will kill us with those sort of numbers. Gawn going down was an accident waiting to happen and a number here were saying as much ... and Watts is not a ruckman - he tried hard and competed adequately but was mostly outpointed & outclassed (in the ruck only) Goodwin even had to throw Smith in the ruck at one stage. It's often been said that you only know the value of a ruckman when you haven't got one and yesterday was a case in point. With Hogan out we were left without a big-bodied forward who could do all the things a big-bodied forward can do (Weideman, Hannan, Smith & Harmes were collectively useless in that area yesterday) Gawn & Spencer could have played that role yesterday (in tandem) With Hogan back in, Spencer then often becomes surplus to needs (but not always) Each situation & circumstance is different to the other. We could cop being at a disadvantage for 20% of the game (in the ruck) as we'd be strong in other areas ... we'd have our big bodied forward (Hogan) with a few tall 3rd forwards to help out. As well as that we'd be able to play another midfielder instead of Spencer. And ... we'd often have a dominant ruckman for 80% of the games (Gawn shouldn't be rucking for more than 80% of the games) I made the same (above) argument before the start of the season so it's not a hindsight observation. It's a horses-for-courses argument with regards to the ruck position. The other area where we lost the game was our utterly putrid kicking for goal. We choked big time.

Errors left, right & centre ... 1st Quarter ... ANB misses an absolute sitter. Vince gives away a deliberate OOB - goal to the cats results 4 demons fly for the ball in the hot-spot - cats crumb a goal Jetta mismatched against Hawkins - goal to cats Gawn bowls over a cats player late - downfield free and a goal to the cats 2nd Quarter ... Watts plays from behind in a one on one - cats rebound and score a goal Smith misses an absolute sitter Garlett should have grabbed the ball on the wing - he didn't and a goal to the cats results. Harmes misses a very gettable shot a goal Garlett misses a straightforward chest mark - another missed opportunity. Stretch misses a very gettable shot at goal Weideman misses a very gettable shot at goal Gawn gives away a free with a crude tackle - a goal to the cats results. Vince pushed off the ball far too easily in the backline - a goal to the cats results Kent misses a very gettable shot at goal Petracca misses a very gettable shot at goal Despite all of the above we're only 3 points down.

A few TV series to look out for ... Better Call Saul (season 3) April 10 Fargo (season 3) April 19 Silicon Valley (season 4) April 23 Orphan Black (season 5 final) June 10 The most recent seasons of Billions, Homeland & Baskets have already been released this year ... all up to their usual standards too. Big Little Lies might be worth a look ... just released on cable (foxtel) the show was written by Australian author Liane Moriaty and stars Nicole Kidman & Reese Witherspoon. Glitch looks the goods after a decent first season - this award winning Australian paranormal drama loosely borrows from Les Revenants (The Returned) I'm delving into some more Aussie drama with Jack Irish, Janet King, The Code, Rake, Tangle, Spirited, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Serangoon Road & The Doctor Blake Mysteries all on the must-see list.

For those who are interested in watching the replay, here's the edited highlights with the various players & coaches mic'd up ... the link can't be embedded so you'll have to clink on the link & watch on youtube ... 2 months later and I'm still 40/60 on Atlanta blowing it vs the great comeback by New England. Super Bowl LI - Patriots vs Falcons ... NFL Films

It's just an interesting bit of footy trivia ... and an aberration of course.

North started 0 & 4 in '75 and won the flag.

A big media gig awaits (CBS) I was thinking he might have landed in Houston ... seemed an ideal fit. Anyway, he was a more than decent QB who, with an ounce of luck, could have had a fair bit more success - when he finally started to hit his straps, injuries intervened.

I'd never watched the show in it's entirety before (Power Without Glory) ... when it was originally aired I wasn't as interested in these type of historical dramas and whenever it was repeated I'd always miss an episode or 3. House of Cards series 5 airs in late May but the real-life goings on at the White House and elsewhere means the TV drama is going to have to be even more 'out-there' ha ha

Yep DJ, noticed that ... I binge-watched it knowing that the show might be taken down ... it was a great, great Australian series. A veritable who's who of Aussie talent were involved too - Graham Kennedy, Graeme Blundell, Helen Morse, Gerard Kennedy, Rowena Wallace, Gus Mercurio, John Hargreaves, Briony Behets, Cul Cullen, Elaine Baillie, Frank Wilson and numerous others all played minor but memorable roles. Gets a rerun on free-to-air periodically so keep an eye out - @Sir Why You Little might be able to tell us when. Another favourite of mine from that era was a show called 'Boney' ... true story - the band 'Boney M' was named that way after the producer of the band caught hold of the Aussie detective series when it aired in Germany. Anyway, you can catch hold of the show at this web address ... it will cost you $3 per episode but unless you can somehow get hold of the DVD's, it's the only way to watch the show. I've watched a few using paypal.

6 - Salem (was great when we needed him to be) 5 - Oliver (terrific again especially in the 1st & last quarters) 4 - T-Mac (solid all day and set up a lot of attacks) 3 - Jetta (was very good all day) 2 - Garlett (3 goals and was a danger to their defence throughout) 1 - Jones (lifted when required) Others who could have featured include Tyson (prolific) , Harmes (hard at it), Hunt (used his pace well), Stretch & Watts were also good at times. It's also interesting to note the players who could have ordinarily been expected to receive votes ... Gawn, Lewis, Hogan, Viney, Petracca & Brayshaw. Gawn actually played quite well but we're now expecting him to dominate.

Was going to say the same praha ... we restricted them to 9.10 and any time a team does that, you will generally win. A lot of errors were made further up the field but our backmen as a group defended well and our zone was quite effective. And we don't necessarily need the stats to tell us what our eyes see either. However, the Macs & Jetta had 4 clangers between them ... 7 players further up the field had 30 clangers in total. And many of those errors cost the team scoring opportunities.