Lucifers Hero

Thank you for that post. I saw it after I posted and it made me feel a lot better. As is very obvious, I have a deep hatred for Ess and a short fuse when it comes to the favours they get.

Fair point. But my rant is about fairness. And the forthcoming fixture just isn't fair. We have the absolute worst package of breaks, travel, no-bye! One would think we would get some prime times as 'compensation'. But no, of the 4 games 2 are at crap times to go with the crap times we have had all year. End of my rants

Well, well! Just saw this: kangaroos-are-shopping-ben-brown-to-other-clubs Sounds like North will test the water and if Brown gets a package that lands them a 1st round pick they will let him go. I believe Barrett is a North supporter so he would have good mail. Edit: Thanks to @markcfor info to say Brown is out of contract, not an FA so the quoted post above doesn't apply.

I want Ess to suffer as much as possible!!! Make them go from Darwin/Alice to Tassie!!!! If we play Ess in NT you can bet we will be travelling to Darwin!! Sorry 'Pates', I don't mean to vent, but I'm angry!!

You mean the 3 that are left after those!!!

? Look at Ess: Round 9 - Friday, Gabba Round 10 - Friday, Metricon Round 11 - Wednesday, Metricon Round 12 - Sunday, Gabba Nice spread of dates and don't leave Qld where they have been based for about a month (and travelled once in round 8 to SA). How on earth do they get special treatment like that!!!! This is where the postponed game will hurt us. Freo, WCE, Hawthorn and Carlton have a bye after round 10. GWS and Sydney get a bye in Round 11. Other teams will get byes between Rounds 13 - 16. We don't get a bye nor do Essendon but look at the advantage they have in well spaced games and no travel. I'm not usually someone to complain about the fixture but we have been dealt a poor hand especially if we end up playing in Alice and have a catch up game without a bye. With the amount of travel we have basing in Maroochydore may not be such a good idea for total travel time to/from airports etc. Lets hope there are flights from there directly to Adelaide and Hobart otherwise it will be quite painful, especially if we have to adopt FIFO travel. Can only hope the AFL even it up in rounds 13 - 16!

Given the challenges he has endured with injuries and family life he is one tough cookie. Really admire his grit and determination. Hope he is ok to play this week. He is great at causing turnovers, just by charging straight at the ball carrier. Takes no prisoners!

I don't recall Sicily impacting the game so purely a guess that Clarkson 1 to Sicily and Goodwin 1 to Weideman to reflect they played to instructions and more than fulfilled the role assigned. I'm wondering who didn't give Viney any votes...

: Fab to see Christian 3rd. Great reward for his work in pre-season and in the last 6 rounds. Some commentators are questioning why it has taken 6 years for him to start fulfilling his potential. I reckon that is harsh as he spent his first year out with an ACL. Last year he had a good season, not great but good and as we were a poor team we didn't make the most of it. And to have Max at 8th bodes well for him and the mighty dees! Also remember they have played one less game than everyone else. Great individual efforts but backed up by very good players around them.

Coaches votes are in: 10 Christian Petracca (MELB) 8 Max Gawn (MELB) 5 Clayton Oliver (MELB) 3 Jack Viney (MELB) 2 Steven May (MELB) 1 James Sicily (HAW) 1 Sam Weideman (MELB) What great encouragement for Sam to have caught the eye of at least one coach. To detail the votes: 5/5 Petracca 4/4 Gawn 3/2 Oliver 3/0 Viney 2/0 May 1 Sicily 1 Weideman. First 3 similarly rated by coaches. One coach rated Viney and one coach rated May.

Adelaide and North are poised to shake up the top end of the draft. They are 18th and 17th respectively and that is unlikely to change. So they get pick #1 and #2. If they let Brad Couch and Ben Brown go as FA's, each will command good $ contracts and clubs will get a 1st round comp pick. At the moment this would be pick 2 (Adelaide) and 4 (North). Also, Adelaide have GWS's first round pick and North have ours. Both likely to be around pick 10-12. It must be tempting to give up on 2020 take a bounty to the draft and with so many high picks they can cherry pick the non-affiliated players.

TMac probably won't play: key-dee-available-but-no-guarantees "When asked whether McDonald was an 'automatic' selection, Goodwin response was not definitive. "I think we're still finding our best mix is and we'll continue to look at how we function," Goodwin said. "He's (McDonald) no different to any other player, we'll pick the team that's in form." If he doesn't play it sends a strong message to all players to stay in form and fit because once out it will be hard to get back in. Applaud Goodwin for making the tough calls and resist selecting players who may be thought as walk up starts: Tomlinson, Jones, and now TMac, maybe. Very happy to see no change.

The video in this 'Highlights' article looks more like All The Goals. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/745914/rd-7-highlights?videoId=745914&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1595111709001 If anyone can tell me how to directly post a video from an article it would be appreciated.

Anyone else notice some of our midfielders (Oliver, Petracca, Bennell, AvB) prowling in our d50? Hawks didn't follow them; not sure GCS did either. Big help to defenders and I reckon that is a key to our recent effectiveness of our attacking from the back 50 and getting our running game going. Need to watch the replay again but it looked as if defenders didn't have to defend so high up the ground. Our mids are two-way running, at last! Edit: Anyone know on which website player 'heat maps' are located and how to gain access? Cheers.

Someone who has access to the 'heat maps' might post them.

I checked the emojis for a green envy! The best I could find was: ? a 'nauseated face'. Well done @DemonOX. Enjoy the game. Barrack like crazy!

AFL give Tigers and WCE an extra draft pick at the end of the first round https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-west-coast-get-special-aflw-assistance-20200720-p55dof.html They have attached strings: "The pick must be on-traded to bring in an established player". "This pick can be combined with other selections and/or player/s, however, cannot be used in a scenario that brings another selection back to the club," I don't mind that too much as it is good to have a more even comp. Having said that I reckon the Tigers problems were of their own making rather than a terrible list, hence why they sacked their coach.

In an earlier post I said 'no change' in the interests of settling the team and and consistency. But Melksham should count himself lucky if he is in this week. In 6 games has had no impact in any features of the game. Hardly sighted and seems to stand still on the outside of the pack rather than assist or move and create options. Has forgotten how to tackle or chase. Can't see him being dropped but TMac has offered more this year.

AvB (and Kozzie) may not get a lot of the ball but their mere presence running full bore towards the opp creates so much 'inferred pressure' that he rushes the disposal; he knows a bone-crunching tackle is coming his way or will be caught HTB. The presence of 'inferred pressure' shouldn't be underestimated in causing turnovers and creating contests which is when we do our best work. Avb (and Kozzie) are very good with their second efforts, again more pressure. AvB stays.

I would not be surprised if Pert read the riot act to Goodwin after the Rich game. The blowtorch had been brutal that week (and imv unfair). Also, they get feedback on the public persona of coach and players. Goodwin's deadpan style had turned people off. In his press conf since the Rich game he has sounded and looked more energised. Also, I think it is no coincidence that our team selection and game plan changed after that game. This has a very similar vibe to when PJ read the riot act and declared 'the players trashed our brand' post Hawks game 2018.. No public comment about the coach but we all knew where the problem was. Something happened behind the scenes: game plan changed, Goodwin stopped the silly experiments of 1) playing without wingman and 2) playing a lot of players out of position 3) best midfielder used as a tagger when we were being thrashed in the middle etc. Now similar outcomes post Rich game: dropped the one tall forward experiment, dropped the experiment where we abandoned our f50 when Geelong had the ball. Moved to a more conventional team set up. The change could be the Hub environment but I would bet a penny to a pound 'things were said'. In 2018 we went on to play in a Prelim. Lets hope this leads to the same or better result ?

Score: · Coach - 10/10 · Player Execution – 9.5/10 Bring on Lions!

Ok, all those that fell in love with Weightman's game would you really take him over Kozzie, given how he played today: tackles, chase, team play, goal etc etc. ...and no ducking for frees. Didn't get enough adulation from commentators.

Clarkson's MO is to let the 1st qtr unfold see what the op set ups are. Move chess pieces around at qtr time. Let 2nd qtr unfold. Make more moves at half time. Beware the coach that is not paying attention or is slow to react to Clarkson's moves. All on our coaching box today.

What have you laced the coffee with

Signed a mega million $ contract. With his and all the talent around him he should be starring. But like many of his teammates, they know they are good and think it will just happen without the hard work... ...recipe for a lot of unfulfilled careers. Roos' original preference for Billings over Kelly may turn out to be the right call.