Balance Demon

I am bewildered that someone would ask this question. Tim Lamb and the members of the recruitment team have done an outstanding job for many years. We cannot be critical of the strategy the club has developed. It is simple, trade up the draft board to pick up the best talent available. This strategy appears to work to renew the team. The 2024 year, has not in any way been a consequence of the recruitment strategy. You simply can not forecast, that you will lose three of the best midfielders in the AFL and the club's history within six months. You cannot forecast what their behaviour will be after serious injuries, both physical and psychological. They are not machines as the media would suggest (looking at Tracc's Instagram, I may be corrected). We and more importantly the media have a two-minute cycle of dredge and a poor memory. Oxygen is free! Let Tim and the football department do their job.

I watched most of the game and turned it off once I realised that not much has changed with entries to our forward line. My one and only take from the game is, the Melbourne forwards are nearly always trying to mark the ball from behind. When are they going lead to the front of their opponemts? The result of their positioning means that the midfield have no other option but to, bomb long!

No!!!!

Well, that was interesting. My observation was that, Petty is a backman. He is the tall third back. We were nearly undone down back like the Essendon game. Confusion is supreme with holding the ball and prior opportunity. No such rule for the Sun's, Where as, all the Dee's had to do was touch it! Pretty clear that when teams play man on man football on us that the game will be a hard slog and as such it was. Blocking is another mystery, is there a rule? Delivery to the forwards was average at best. This part of our game was hindered by the man on man game style of the Sun's mids. Our mids were not as accountable.

The Alice, is a ripper place to visit, espcially when we play. The club has done so much good work with the locals. I think of the initiative to grass the Santa Maria oval was a stand out. The enjoyment of watching the kids at the game, they know their football, and we do have quite a large following, which is growing.

A true gentleman. I am very sad to see him leave. Good luck, Ben.

We want players in the forward half that can run and jump into packs and take a one grab mark. We have had too many who need to juggle the ball. This should be the very first skill that is assesses for any marking big man and forward.

The recently retired Stef Martin had basketball background.

There is no question that the team looked tired from mid season onwards. The adrenaline evaporated. The bigger problem, I feel was inclusion of two to three players that did not belong in that side. Melksham and Hunt. Whilst I love Hunt, he does not have the polish of a young Jake Bowey. His ball use is elite. No point breaking the lines if you can't deliver efficiently. Melksham, has no presence when the game is tight. Losing Tom Macdonald was most crucial. He is a player that can will mark the ball up the ground. The team missed this aspect while exiting the back line. Tom is a very an intelligent footballer and positions himself more often than not to make the space. The coaches should have brought in Van Rooyen when Tom went down. As much as I love Jack Viney, his effective disposals and decison makeing in games really do hurt. Regardless, they did the best they could. Losing to Collingwood twice in one year was heartbreaking for me.

I am a confused with the first week of the finals. If the dees finish second, do they have the first week off?

I was at the game last night, with a Port and Brisbane supporters. The standard was pretty poor and it was a matter of who could make the most errors. What killed Port was the player who ran into the 50 and could have run another 20 meters then he decided to pass the ball by foot from 35 meters directly in front to the Brisbane backman. It was soul destroying for Port. That was in effect a 12 point turn around. I was always coached, "If you can kick the goal, then do so".

Well done to the selection of Maddie Gay at CHB. Her kicking ability is first class.

How many goals from 50 meter penalties? Ugly rule, trying to take out any protest for a bad decsion does not mean the the players do not respect the umpires. If you ask me a couple of the decisions needed to be questioned.

Too many good highlights from a wizard with the ball in hand. He was a GENUINE person. It is not that easy in todays world of fairy's.

I agree with all of the comments regarding skills and game style. The other skill/strategy of the game is to move the ball forward when it is on the ground no matter what ever happens. That was one of the differences last week with Adelaide, who kept on forcing the ball forward and into the open. Brisbane did the same to the Pies. Our girls are like bee's to a honey pot.