rjay

Let me add something to the "ball Up"... I believe if they re introduced the bounce around the ground it would be a big help in addition to the points you have raised. No calling it back if it doesn't go straight up. The random nature of the the bounce makes it harder to set up plays & would open the game out a lot more. Currently the predictability encourages the stoppage plays we now get. We play with an oval ball not a round ball, it's by it's nature unpredictable.

Still too many players around the ball 'titan'...sorting out some of the dysfunctional rules will help fix this. Dropping interchange numbers may also help. Close finishes add excitement but the look of the game still needs to be addressed.

In the replay I was watching (real time from the initial TV shot) without slow mo or different angles it was clear to me the spin on the ball totally changed when it hit the post. ..but agree they need to invest more to make the right decisions. A bit too Mickey Mouse at the moment.

Anyone see the Jenkins point given a goal and cleared by score review. The AFL have also cleared it. Joke... Hinkley is rightfully fuming over this one. You can clearly see the ball spin change and direction change as soon as it hits the post...

Richmond played too cute when they got on top in the 2nd, they let Geelong back into the game. If they didn't flirt with their form they would have smashed the Cats. I reckon Dimma would have been most p....off with this. ...but they won and we didn't in a similar type game. Result on the board says Hardwick's tactic was on the money.

Sorry to Bob... ...the answer old Dill is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind. Trouble is it depends on the direction and that changes from moment to moment, day to day... Good old Dill lets see which way the the wind blows and change our minds again. I've never seen a bigger waste of space running a major organisation in all my life (maybe I need to get out more). Stand for something Dill before it's too late. Thoughts @old dee? I know you're not a fan.

He's shown a bit but to keep getting a game he needs to stick his tackles. At the moment he doesn't have the physical strength and/or leg speed of the others you've mentioned above. Being short he does need other attributes and for mine as a first year player he doesn't have them yet... That's ok. It maybe time to go back to Casey and build up over the preseason.

I thought you would say that but my observation is on how he plays. That I can see and pass judgement on...of course others including yourself and the coach view it differently. I find him a frustrating player to watch at times as he tries to take on too much when there are better options available.

May be...he's got a lot of growing up to do yet. Hopefully the time out will help him mature but I don't think he's ready yet and believe he was given the role too early. Jack needs to learn to take the team with him, currently he tries to do it on his own. There were some good signs in his last game but I would like to see a larger sample of his work before I'm convinced he has turned the corner. His total uncompromising focus is his strength but also his weakness.

I have no source or particular understanding but always thought Hibberd wouldn't be right until around the last home & away game. Well I do have some understanding on that one. Having done a similar injury a couple of times it's a good 4+ weeker... No understanding on this one but Viney I had written off for the season, l see it as a bonus if he plays.

I've been one of Jack's biggest critics in the past, I reckon he would be so focussed and try to win the game on his own. This focus had him getting in a teammates way, unrealistically trying to break tackles and not giving the ball off to others in much better positions. However, it's a pity the injury flared up when it did as I believe he was just starting to work a more team oriented game with the other boys. They were just stating to gel...when Jack works with the others we will be a much better team and he a much better player.

If we make finals and he's available then it will be a bonus...

Jane is a handy small forward 'Nash' and there lies the problem...

He's best 22 until Hibberd and/or Hunt come back. He does some really good things but brings them unstuck by doing some really bad things.

He's got a lot going for him 'Dee' but at the moment they're almost picking him out and running over the top of him. ...and lets face it, they're all bigger guys. I'm sure the FD are doing their cost benefit and so far he stays but for how much longer? Vanders is being talked up and he certainly brings some toughness but many might be forgetting his disposal & decision making can be a bit suspect. Spargo is generally good in this area of the game. Cost/Benefit...

I get all you points 'sue' but he handballed it directly over. That's deliberate every day of the week.

Just absurd decision by that umpire.... Stevic is one of the good ones. It's illegal 'Dee'... It was deliberate 'Stormy', I thought the same as you until I saw the slow mo and the little handball to help the ball over the line. He would have been ok if he had of taken the tackle and not released the ball... They just haven't got that blocking thing right 'brendon'...think back to the one against Melk a few week ago. We seem to be on the wrong end. The worst umpire in the game 'Red'...must have photo's, can't see any other reason why he still gets a game.

Not sticking tackles though, so very limited to no real pressure. He's the only out I see (probably no change though) and agree with 'chook' that Smith's likely to stay in until Hibberd is ready.

I don't think Jimmy was that naive 'Earl'...he made some poor decisions and let his ego get the better of him. Jobs for the boys nearly killed this club. Bailey was an outsider. Probably enough of this looking back but it's hard not to get engaged. I still get very angry (and I'm not an angry person) when I think of the damage that was done by the people in control of the club at that time. In the words of the coach, it was a good learning experience (I hope) and we move on to the next game.

I would prefer we got a bit more experience and not another novice like Mitchell. I had my eye on Richardson if the Saints went down in a heap...a great assistant coach but likely to stay on now. Highly regarded in SA...

The people that went after Bailey...no names (you can work it out) were convinced the players were being molly coddled (probably some truth) and needed a bit of old fashioned discipline (overkill). Neeld in his haste and desire to pick up a senior gig was only too willing to sell the message they wanted then tried to carry it through. It was a rotten period in the clubs history and the blame should not be Neeld's alone. He was a symptom of what was wrong and very much the wrong choice by a club clutching at straws and wanting to hear what they wanted to hear. They had no idea. Thank goodness PJ came on board then Roos otherwise I don't know if we would have made it through...

Footy isn't expanding at the moment, it's in decline. The numbers are down & that's why the AFL are looking at radical rule changes. They have got to be kidding themselves if they think they can set up a pathway like the US college system here.

Frost couldn't mind.... Lynch would blow Frost up in the first Q...'Rusty'. If we stick with the same defence then Frost will take Tex and O-Mac will take Jane. If Pedders comes in for Tex then I don't know where Frost goes but I think O-Mac still takes Jane...

If I was WC I would be throwing a truckload of cash at Patrick Cripps....a WA boy. ...that means letting Gaff go and we are in the box seat.

In principle this argument as run by the likes of Roos seems sensible. Unfortunately as much as the AFL likes to think of itself as the major code and that it will be forever and a day, it won't be. The AFL is not run in a vacuum (the only vacuum is in Dill's big head). It just opens up the young talent to other sports. Cricket is now a real threat with more money and opportunity in the short form game, basketball is growing again and kids have big opportunities o/s, not to mention the huge cash in soccer for talented kids worldwide. 6 months is a long time for a kid (it basically means a year in football terms). Will I go to cricket and get my couple of hundred k starting now (opportunity of millions in near future) or should I be running around playing park footy for another year with no guarantee's??? I believe we will look back on the McLaughlin era as the big error of football that started the rot & pushed it back to being a regional amateur sport like Gaelic football is now. I just hope we get a Melbourne premiership whilst it's still a premier sport and means something. By the way, anyone who thinks they can build a solid pathway around the country has rocks in their heads. They don't have the money and won't use what will be better spent lining their pockets.