The heart beats true

I think Bedford is clearly doing a lot of things right in the eyes of the coaches. His intensity seems to have really lifted, which is a credit to him. Im not sure I agree with the idea that you need to dominate at VFL level. Bowey looked handy and clean at that level, but certainly never dominated. Brown looked out of form last year in the VFL and then came into the seniors and looked clean and assured. The system at VFL level is quite different because of the experience of the players, and that a 3rd of them aren’t able to be full time footballers. Forward of the ball you don’t get the pressure you would at AFL level, but also not the clean delivery and consistency of team structure. I think that works against all the boys mentioned here and the role they play. Ultimately Laurie was rated highly in his draft year with skill and poise. On bigger grounds and with better system he’s got the most upside for mine.

Bulldogs have no defenders. They really might struggle to make the 8 if they don’t get better behind the ball.

Mitch White is a fantastic servant of our footy club. He’s only 25 but it feels like he’s been around for 15 years.

Collingwood are still Collingwood.

I really can’t get excited for a Geelong win. I just find them to be 4 good players and 18 who drift in and out - all propped up by a considerable home ground advantage. Although Brisbane is starting to look the same.

Right into the danger zone.

Well that’s good! It needs to be used for a lot more given the significant (and overtly political) investment in it.

It’s a disgrace the amount of funding that’s gone into building a stadium that is only used by one team in one sport for 8 games a year. I wonder if the 20th license should go down the road? Regional Victoria could most definitely sustain another team if they also played 3-4 games in Ballarat. The pandemic has driven massive growth outside of the city.

Am I right in thinking this is the first game of footy played at Geelong since the greatest 4th quarter in the history of the game?

I think Max was inferring more about the way Steven May sees his role, and the intensity with which he gives ‘direction’. I love the way Max speaks. It’s real, it suggests he has fun, and it gives you an insight into the dynamics of the group. Whenever I see Tracc speak on AFL360 he’s at pains to not say anything that could be interpreted as suggesting someone’s effort isn’t perfect - and in doing so he says almost nothing with any insight.

Surely the club is calling Clarko after that display!

Had we not been coming off 2 6 day breaks that would have been an 80 point win. The game was over at half time. Best team defence in the game by a country mile.

Max was terrific that quarter with his marking and positioning

I assume you mean on Thursday nights Q+A? What's the topic? Growing up with a Dutch surname?

Does BT sign off on Ling’s contract? At least 12 times today he’s said ‘Great call BT’ when literally all he’s done is call the play (his job). It’s excruciating.

Tassie?

The commentary team on Fox handing out the March Premiership to the Lions after dismantling last years wooden spooners. Call me old fashion but I’m still preferring the one we won in September last year.

At the ground last night I thought it was interesting to see how Koz is being used. It was really obvious he was playing a more traditional forward pocket/crumbing role. Several times when he could have run up to the ball carrier he instead sprinted back towards the deepest tall forward - which creates space for the likes of Nibbler and Spargo to lead to the ball and link up. It’s a tough gig for him as the opportunities are so scarce, but it really highlighted how disciplined the team is. Some weeks he’s going to look like he’s not done much, but he’s so important to us forward of centre. I think as a reward for all his off the ball work he’s allowed to have a shot whenever he gets it. Seems fair.

I just watched the last 2 minutes on the AFL site. What a bizarre ending! What the actual …. was that Power player doing when he hit the Crows guy to give the free away, and then the kick was way off line and then swung against its trajectory to go through. You can see a Power fan go up when he kicks it and then slump down in his chair - that’s how off line it was as it was initially kicked. Such an odd end to a game.

Just got home from the ground. The last time I watched a live game vs Essendon at the G we got beaten by 100+ points. So the win was nice. I think we looked flat at times and really sapped our own momentum with poor kicking for goal, but our commitment to team defence and the hard work it takes to execute it is elite. We really work hard for each other. It’s good to support a team that has a definitive game plan and executes it regardless of the cattle. The other thing that’s fascinating is going to games where we win and opposition supporters aren’t annoyed by our victory. It was oddly calm walking out of the stadium - as if it all went to script.

I never get that frustrated about injury timelines. I prefer to focus my frustration onto the real issues of the game - umpiring and Dwayne Russell.

It’s embarrassing how under reported it is in the media. It’s almost as if they aren’t allowed to highlight what is statistically impossible.

We are the most studied team in the AFL this year. Everyone knows where Max is going and what he’s trying to do next. He still gets to where he needs to be, but he’s being guarded closely. I also think he’s being used forward of the ball more, which makes it tougher in terms of marking. He’s being deployed that way because we have less certainty behind the ball with Lever out - so Max forward means opponents need to have a very big guy in defence to man him (and not in their forward 50 trying to mark it). And the other thing to note is that the effort and work that goes into hindering Max is what allows Jackson to have a clearer run at it. So essentially he’s doing everything for the team, and making us a better side.

Ugh, my least favourite thing about the start of a season is that Dwayne Russell has had 6 month to come up with terrible puns.

I’m genuinely enjoying watching the Eagles play with so many top up players. It’s fascinating to watch how the individuals play, and how they need to be coached to be competitive.