Macca

And another thriller today ... the hawks get one back in another high scoring affair It's my bet that at least one of these series goes to 7 games. Maybe both.

I've virtually written the last 2 years off in terms of development for many of our players. I see Toumpas as a first year player in many ways and I thought he was poorly handled last season. I also see him going down to Casey as a development thing rather than being dropped for poor form. It's way too early to rule a line through him yet (in my opinion) but it's ok to agree to disagree. I definitely don't see him as timid at all.

A little surprised with Toumpas going out but I guess the "last in, first out" rule of thumb was applied. Jetta was in good form before he was replaced at the last minute so if he was always going to come back in, someone had to make way. Previously those players who have been dropped have normally had shockers. In a way it's pleasing that we've dropped a player who's form wasn't that bad. I thought Jimmy showed a bit 2 weeks ago but it looks like players are really going to have to earn their spot to get in the side. More games at Casey won't do Toumpas any harm regardless. He's still very young and has lots of time.

If Trengove's foot injury was troubling him from the start of 2012 then this alarmist view that he's too slow can only be based on an injury. Therefore it's a no-brainer and has nothing to do with evaluating him as a footballer. If he then recovers from this debilitating injury and finds his pace again - all good. If he doesn't recover properly then his career may be over. Let's all hope it's the former rather than the latter argument. IMO the only way a sportsperson can lose 2 yards of pace from the age of 20 to the age of 21 is if extenuating circumstances are present (such as a debilitating foot injury or other such factors) As an aside, but it is related ... In track and field, it's a rare thing for a sprinter to win any sort of major sprint track medal who is under the age of 22. Humans get quicker from the age of 19 or 20 and the pace drop off generally happens in their late 20's or early 30's. Trengove turned 20 on the 2nd of September 2011. We all started to notice his pace had dropped in early 2012. IMO, either his foot injury has restricted him to a large degree or he's a freak of nature who lost his pace 10 years before he was meant to.

... and, you're back in it. Excellent win today, Westbrook was immense and Ibaka makes a big difference. Tim Legler of ESPN reckons OKC should now win the series You'll have to snag a win in San Antonio but the games are now being played every 2 days (which may suit the younger team) Game 5 may decide the series. Hard to see Miami slipping up from here but I can see that series going to 6 games. King James just needs his offsiders to keep stepping up when they can.

Absolutely insane conditions tonight. I've never anything like this ... snow country, almost blizzard like weather. These blokes are crazy ... live coverage

At the moment we've got Dunn, McDonald, Howe, Garland, Pedersen, Terlich and Grimes all playing back (predominantly) Pedersen, Grimes, Garland and Terlich all float into the midfield occasionally whilst Cameron bobs up in the forward line periodically. I'm not sure there's any room for Frawley in the backline in the foreseeable future (unless we change things up) There's a distinct possibility that Frawley playing forward will be persevered with at least for this season. He's not strong overhead but who is? Dawes is ok but not great and Watts is better in a one-on-one situation. Gawn is still learning and is not a guaranteed selection anyway. Hogan is still under a cloud. Roos looks like he wants a few of our talls to be more adaptable and to be able to play in multiple positions. Frawley, Howe, Pedersen and Watts are all playing utility type roles and Garland is another player who can play that sort of role. Roos himself played a lot of his footy as a utility so it should come as no surprise that he's trying to shape a few players to play similar roles. He was an absolute gun footballer himself and that part shouldn't be underestimated when appraising his coaching attributes.

The unknown is what if Frawley ends up becoming more of a formidable forward? I can see a forward line containing Hogan, Dawes and Frawley. 3 talls to give the opposition team lots of headaches. Dawes as the lead up forward, Hogan to play deep with Frawley playing as a floating forward or as a decoy. Frawley is quick for a big man and that can't be underestimated - especially if we end up playing tempo footy or if we want to catch teams out on the break. Comparisons could be made to Neitz in this instance but for different reasons. Besides all that, Dawes, Frawley and Hogan have all had their injury issues and we might only have 2 of the 3 available on any given weekend. Watts is finding his feet as a high half forward where he can also use his pace. What will be interesting is what talls we go after in the off season.

The last 2 months of '87 were incredible ... I too was at the the Western Oval for that last H&A game of 1987 and the day was memorable, joyous and unforgettable. In the same round, we needed the Hawks to defeat the Cats at Geelong for us to have a chance to play finals. From memory, Hawthorn were 3 goals down against Geelong entering the time on period. They got up and won and in doing so, they made sure we were going to be playing finals again for the first time since 1964. I'll bet Hawthorn weren't thinking they'd be playing the Demons 3 weeks later in a PF. We were underdogs against North and Sydney in the EF and SF but obliterated both teams playing a fantastic brand of footy. Also went to all the finals but I remember the PF most for all the missed shots and that we had a strong wind behind our backs for the first 3 quarters. We had our chances that day but didn't take them. The other lasting memory was how much support we had in the finals - both from our own supporters and also from those who supported other teams. Suddenly, we were the team to watch. It was a great 2 months. At some stage in the next few years, I'm confident we'll get on a roll just like we did in '87.

Colombian Rigoberto Uran holds a 37 second lead over 2nd placed Cadel ... Uran gained the lead after picking up 1'34" over Evans in the time trial on Thursday. However, Evans was hampered by heavy rain early in his time trial - he's now going from the hunted to the hunter but he might prefer it that way. Nairo Quintana is 3'29" behind the leader but he's likely to make a move at any time. We'll soon find out as tonight and tomorrow night we hit the Alps ... with the Dolomites to come next Tuesday, Thursday. Friday and Saturday. 6 days of grueling climbs in 8 days will sort out the field. Apart from 5 of the 8 stages involving about a dozen climbs, next Friday's individual time trial is 26.8 kilometres long but it involves a climb of 1589 metres to the summit in the town of "Crespano del grappa" ... the business end of proceedings has arrived. Once again, a reminder that SBS and SBSOne HD are covering every day of the Giro d'Italia live from about 11pm nightly. The coverage has been superb (as usual) Sunday's stage features a 20 kilometre long category 1 climb to the finish (Plan di Montecampione) Stage 14 (Saturday night) ... preview, map and profile Stage 15 (Sunday night) ... preview, map and profile .

Watched Montreal get up in OT today ... Tokarski had an excellent game standing in for Price but can he keep it going? At this stage of the playoffs I'm just tossing a coin but your call on the likely finalists is probably on the money. Hoping both these series go to 7 games. The Kings have the next 2 games at home and if those games are split, we could have a classic series. Rangers are at home in a couple of days and if they can win and attain a 3-1 series lead, it'll be hard for Montreal from there. But you never know in this sport.

Cross has played very well and has done an excellent job for the team nearly every week. He's very courageous and that part alone sets a great example. We could do a lot worse than recruit 1 or 2 Cross or Vince types on a yearly basis. As these veterans reach the end, we can recruit some ready made replacements. Having 5-7 players* of this ilk on our list can only help build a strong culture. Obviously, identifying these type of players is the tricky bit but if last year's off season is anything to go by, it's so far, so good. Good lists have a mix of wily veterans, young talent on the way up and a strong core group of players aged 21-28. We're slowly but surely getting the right mix. Not sure about the accuracy of the bake that Cross gave Watts (during the game against Sydney?) but it's no coincidence that Jack has lifted his game a lot in recent weeks. I read somewhere that he's mentoring Jack but getting young players into line would be all part of the mentoring process. Daniel is valuable in more ways than one and he's been a terrific addition. *At the moment, we have 4 players who could be classed as veterans ... Jamar, Byrnes, Cross and Vince. 3 are performing very well with Byrnes being the only one who needs to find good form. All the same, it's not a bad strike rate.

In this new age of free agency, we have to respect a players wish to wait until his contract expires. More and more players are going to hold out so we may as well get used to it. Smart clubs and/or well run clubs will make sure their good players are continually under contract so as to not fall victim to free agency. Whilst decent compensation remains, we're not badly placed if we lose Frawley. If, for instance, we received a pick immediately after our first pick in the ND for James, we could use that pick (or the other one) in a similar way to how we used our pick 2 in the last ND. In fact, why wouldn't Todd, Roos and co go down that track again? That pick may end up as high as pick 6-8 depending on how many wins we end up with but there's any number of clubs who might jump at the chance to get a top 4-8 draft pick. We might do business with GWS again if 1 or 2 of their players are homesick. But that's just one of many options. The way I see it, we're in a win/win situation unless the compo becomes a 2nd round pick. I have no idea whether Frawley will stay or not and if I did have an opinion one way or the other, it would be a guess. However, I do reckon that Roos knows the lay of the land or is at least making contingency plans for life without Chip. Unless Hogan makes an appearance this season or a couple of our key backs get injured, I'd expect Frawley to remain in the forward line for the entire season. I reckon he'll grow into his role as the season progresses.

Gritty determination and a never say die attitude 2nd and 3rd efforts Gut running to position Shepherding and blocking for teammates First in for the ball and we're playing in front of our opponents. Our clearance work is getting better and better 2 way running with lots of defensive acts. Our general teamwork has been excellent. Our disposal skills have improved quite substantially but we were coming from a long long way back. Still a ways to go but that facet of our game will only get better as we recruit more players who are highly skilled. Another important part of our game is that our players are happy to force a stoppage and then win that stoppage. We're also starting to attack well on the break. We're 9 games into a new game plan but you wouldn't ordinarily think that considering what's been on display. More and more of our players are starting to step it up - it's like every player wants to play his part. If we can remain relatively injury free, I can see competition for spots hotting up as the season progresses. At this present moment, our depth is questionable but that will hopefully change. Great win yesterday and bring on the rest of the season!

Salem won't be rested/dropped - not yet anyway. Toumpas will stay as well and he did show a bit yesterday. We can ill afford to rest or drop players who have excellent finishing skills (Salem & Toumpas) Frawley will probably come back in as a forward (unless there's an injury to one of our backmen) Around about this time of the season, those "mystery" injuries start to occur - look for an unexpected out. Otherwise, the "last in, first out" rule of thumb might apply. It's hard to identify an obvious out to make room for Frawley. Ordinarily, there wouldn't be any changes (judging on how things have transpired this season) A tall forward line may be an advantage against Port. Of course, they cover us in a number of other areas but we have to angle at having as many advantages as is possible. The game has an early afternoon start time and that might suit the tall timber later in the match. Another area we might be able to do well in is with our clearance work and with our contested possessions ... especially our clearance work - we have to at least break even with Port in that department. As always, the match committee will be looking at coming up with a way of winning this game. For us supporters, conceding defeat should start to become a thing of the past.

... Cadel Evans takes Giro d'Italia lead from Michael Matthews, Diego Ulissi wins eighth stage In tonight's stage, the riders mainly climb for the final 60 kilometers. The final 20 kilometres involves a category 2 climb to the finish ... preview, map and profile ... stage 9 .

Finding an order was the hardest part ... 6 - Nathan Jones (17 contested possessions and 9 clearances) 5 - Tyson (could be a star) 4 - Vince (15 contested possessions and 8 clearances) 3 - Viney (no fear) 2 - Watts (fantastic in the last quarter) 1 - Pedersen (continues to impress) Could have given any number of players some votes but the top 4 set up the win. Our clearance work was excellent (14-5 out of the centre was a great result) Stone is coordinating things nicely and our midfield is starting to work well as a unit. Vince's disposal efficiency numbers are misleading - he quite often gets the ball moving our way when under pressure. Providing our forwards play in front, that untidy kick can be quite valuable. Watts' last quarter was great. Pedersen took some telling marks whilst Howe looks good down back. Cross, Garland and Dunn all had good games. Gawn and Jamar both had noteworthy games. All our players contributed and we didn't have a poor player.

Aussies 1 and 2 in the Giro! ... Cadel is in a great position and Michael Matthews has done superbly well. First of the mountain stages happens tonight ... here's a preview (which includes the "profile") ... stage 8 .

Good start for the Aussies and Cadel is only 7 seconds off the pace after his BMC team came third in the team time trial ... Orica-GreenEDGE wins opening stage of Giro d’Italia Stage 2 (Belfast - Belfast) Live coverage every day from about 10.30pm - SBS & SBS HD.

Yeah, I'm happy to for us to draft another player from the Crimson Tide - Lacy is working out really well. Ha'Sean (his real name) looks a likely type and we certainly need to strengthen our secondary. As predicted, the Packers went for a WR in the 2nd round (Devante Adams) I see the Texans might have been looking at Bridgewater and they had their next pick after your Vikes picked Teddy at 32. Houston still haven't grabbed a QB after today's picks and that's a bit of a surprise (or maybe it isn't*) Garoppolo was drafted by the Patriots so it could be assumed that they're looking at life after Tom. Bryan Fischer from NFL.com has given the Rams, *Texans, Vikings, Ravens, Raiders and the Packers some high praise after the completion of their 3rd round picks. However, like all drafts, you need to keep your fingers crossed! 2014 NFL Draft: Second day quick-snap grades for all 32 teams

I'm not entirely up with things but have heard a number of good reports re Bridgewater. What happens to Ponder and Cassell now? Is Freeman off your roster? The Packers picked up a free safety with their 1st pick. "Interesting" name ... Ha Ha Clinton-Dix ... he might be able to play well and make us Green Bay fans smile at the same time! (ha ha) Johnny Football ended up at Browns - I hope he goes well after all the hype. 5 WR's went in the 1st round but not one RB (again) I heard Bill Parcells the other day talking about how the College system can often shape the direction of the NFL (in relation to the type of player that is produced)

... now we can all get some sleep! Great result - sanity prevails.

The whole thing is a total farce - it was only a matter of time until we fell victim to this utterly stupid ruling. If a broken jaw is sustained as a result of incidental contact from a fair bump, bad luck. Incidental contact should be viewed as just being part of the game. If the head is targeted, it's a different story. A reckless action should also be punished. Viney did none of that. If the appeal fails, the precedent has been set. Or has it? It might depend on the circumstances (Prelim final?) and the club involved. What if Pendlebury, Mitchell or Bartel are involved in a similar incident in a finals game? Does the hammer come down just as hard? One thing is for sure, incidents like these are going to happen again and again - our sport is a collision sport and that can't change. Players sustain all sorts of injuries because of just normal footy stuff. The rule is ridiculous and wouldn't even be in existence if it weren't for the AFL's own paranoia. It's a classic case of taking things too far. Sadly, I can't see the AFL doing an about face on this type of incident. What I can see is an inconsistency in the findings in all these type of incidents. As if we needed another grey area to our game!

Villa would need to do the business tomorrow morning for Liverpool to capture the title as I can't see my Hammers troubling City too much in the last round - although, you never know As it is, the title is going to be decided on the last day and if we get a repeat of what happened at the end of the 2011/12, we'll be in for a treat. Man City's title to lose though and to give credit where it's due, their scoring average away from home is over 2 goals and they've averaged over 3 goals at home. City play an excellent brand and they will be deserved winners if they triumph.

Reckon Salem meant to kick it the way it turned out. One of the commentators said it was an accident or a fluke but blokes with elite kicking skills can improvise well when under pressure. It was a rushed ball drop but it didn't matter - he was able to adjust. The distance he kicked the ball was the "tell" He actually kicked through the ball and that generally doesn't happen when you miskick it. He knew what he was doing IMO. Along with Watts, he's already one of our best kicks. I'd keep him as the sub for a bit longer though. There's plenty of time for Christian and we need to develop him properly. He may be a starter with Viney out though. Edit: Viney is now playing! (and rightfully so) .