The heart beats true

Goodwins not going to die wondering. You got to hand it to the guy. He doesn't lack for courage.

Gus, Weed, Hannan, Stretch, Wagner added to squad. Frost and Salem omitted.

Salem and Frost dropped! Gus in Squad

So I can't see this tackling situation playing out any other way than the rules are changed in the offseason so that players are penalised for bringing a player to ground. Hold a player up in the tackle but pin their arms. Then the umpires can/should play more illegal disposals. I also think the ball will spill free more often which will be better for the spectacle anyway. We can't keep the current system where a player gets a holding the ball free kick on Sunday and 2 weeks on Monday. That's too difficult to understand. Am I missing something in my over simplification of this?

We are on track to finish with as many wins as I thought we'd get, but have had no Gawn and no Hogan for most of the season. Oliver has been huge. Garlett has taken a step forward. Hunt, Petracca, Oscar, Frost and ANB are all understanding what it takes. Tom Mac is a revelation up forward. Hibberd is the recruit of the year. Most of our most dynamic players are 23 or under. Every week we are in the youngest 4 teams in this comp. We look tired because of age, and because we've had to travel to every corner of the country in the passed 6 weeks. For me the only failure for the year has been the inability of our senior players to impact more. I expected more from Lewis, and Vince and Jones will never be what they were. Had they stepped up and got us 2 more wins (Freo and a North) most would agree the season was a success.

Can we instigate a rule where at the start of the season everyone has to give an honest appraisal of where they think the club will finish, and how many games we'll win? Then that stat can sit at the bottom of every post - like a signature. This year at the start of the season I'd predict us to finish 7-10th and win 12 games. I reckon 80% of genuine supporters would probably be in that range. That way every week when a third of the site has an absolute dummy spit because we lost a game we can all be reminded that they actually predicted where we'd be. It might stop this constant barrage of 'my life has been impossibly difficult because Micheal Hibberd missed a shot against North Melbourne and it's been happening since 1964, and we are cursed, and Cameron Schwab, and Scully, and....' I call it my 'Put your money where your mouth is, and leave there' plan.

Is anyone watching this Adelaide v Port game? Port should be 80 points down. They have been beyond pathetic.

Just a side note about the team that beat us yesterday. I've watched a lot of their games this year and that was the best they've played. Mark Ricciuito said in the commentary that they didn't just kick 8 goals, they strung together the best looking 8 goals you're ever going to see. Everything went their way and our boys just looked completely demoralised. They have more talent in their top 30 players than any other team in the history of the AFL, and not having tall forwards actually made them play to their strengths - skill and speed. All this talk of an even competition is AFL spin to distract from the reality of what's about to happen. GWS have been playing at about 60% capacity. Yesterday Healy said they are under pressure for 'underperforming' - and they are 2nd on the ladder. We are clearly a mile off it, but make no mistake - GWS are a dream list of 22-24 year olds all about to have an incredibly fruitful 5 year period, and the fact it's taking slightly longer than most predicted for them to take the final step is the only thing helping the competition 'feel' balanced.

Well at least you admit that you support a cheating, drug taking club. You finished last and as a result got the softest draw this year. And why did you finish last again? No, nothing to do with the suspensions because of the drugs.

Oh well, point well made then. Only the 6th game in a row in Melbourne! And it's such a just reward for taking drugs and disgracing the entire competition. You've been so harshly dealt with. In the same 6 week period we've played in WA, Melbourne, Darwin, Tasmania and Canberra. And what did we do to deserve that? Not create a 'pharmacologically experimental environment' that injected young men with god knows what. Enjoy the hollow victory of getting something you don't deserve. Shall I call you Jobe? ?

We look exhausted, and we have since we beat the Eagles. Playing on emotion since then and it got us over the line in games, but the well is now dry. We need an outside runner with some skill desperately. Too many contested midfielders and not enough class to deliver the ball and break line. Our dynamic players - Hunt, Track and Garlett all look very flat. Track has had 30 hand passes and 5 kicks the last 2 weeks and has seen very little midfield minutes. I'd say he's carrying something.

Essendon have won this game purely on the fact they are fresher because they have played 7 weeks straight in Melbourne. Nice one AFL. Makes me wish we took drugs in 2013.

He's battled away. Sadly for him he's symptomatic of our midfield problems. Contested inside players everywhere, but not enough skill and speed. Nobody wants to admit it but we needed one of either Kelly or Scully.

Gees we are getting exposed for pace. Why Hunt and Garlett haven't spent more time around the stoppages is confusing.

Cameron Ling suffers from Oprah Winfrey syndrome. Say something obvious, but over emphasise certain words to make them seem important. At least Oprah gave away cars. Lingy gives nothing.

My understating of AFL rules is that omitted players can play and be listed as emergencies, but rested players technically have an injury and so under the AFLPA agreement have to be left out. Thats how I've heard Chris Scott explain it anyways.

Hannan and Hogan are both genuine forwards. My only concern is that we haven't replaced them with genuine forwards, so I expect Tommy Mac and Watts to play all day forward and for Pedo to swap with Maxy. I do love that we've added 3 genuine street fighters in Vince, Jones and Maynard. Goodwin likes a scrapper.

Simple. Because we are in charge of our own destiny. No surprises, nothing up the sleeve. Just hard work, week in, week out.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/patrick-dangerfields-selfless-act-will-set-the-stand-for-geelong-teammates-says-cameron-ling-20170801-gxn9uy.html Makes me want to throw up. He's either an undisciplined player because he should have known better, or he's innocent because the rule is wrong. To be hailed as a hero for doing something that gets you rubbed out and then not having the conviction to challenge it when you are on the record as saying 'there was nothing in it' is the opposite of heroic. It's spineless. In case you are wondering - Ling has just anointed himself the biggest [censored] in the AFL.

Seriously, this season is a joke. We've played the last 4 games in entirely different circumstances each week (most not at all conducive to quality, football). Then you watch teams like Essendon play at Etihad in literally the exact same conditions week in, week out. In their last 9 weeks they play Etihad 6 times, the G twice, and have one trip to the Gold Coast (on a 7 day break either side).

Has anyone seen Picket and Donald Trump in the same room at the same time? Their use of exclamation points at the end of one word 'sentences' is eerily reminiscent.

Season defining. Smashed by a B grade midfield. No forward system all day. 10 players who did almost nothing all day. That was very reminiscent of a 2015 game.

I like Zac Jones a lot. I overheard him on the umpires mic dropping C Bombs at all the blokes at Hawthorn who I reckon deserve it. He can come play with us whenever he wants.

Unless you're Trent Cotchin, which is my point.

Your JetSki is in my garage when you're ready to pick it up.