Sydee

Interesting idea I have been giving some thought to this as well but less so with Tomlinson as I dont think he has the pace or the overhead marking ability to be really successful in that forward role When our list is fit the depth in the back half is better than forwards which means that we could potentially look either Petty or Smith as possible alternatives to Weid or TMac if neither are performing Smith in particular has some weapons that could make him a difficult match up inside F50. Quick, can take marks overhead and not a terrible kick. He has been tried there briefly before with some success. Given our backline depth I was a little surprised he was training exclusively in a defensive role preseason. Hard to see either of them having less impact on the game than say Weid's last game

I’m pleased a few others can see upside in Laurie because personally Based on what I’ve seen to date I’m struggling to understand why we drafted him Hopefully he proves me wrong and I finish up with a carton of eggs on my face

From the little bit I’ve seen of JVR he is a potential replacement for any of the taller forward options other than Fritta of those it’s most likely he would replace either Weed or TMac - however he needs to consistently perform at Casey and build his knowledge of the game plan before he would be considered an option imo I do think he has a bright future though

Right there is your problem - nobody knows what he can consistently deliver because even when he has given consecutive games he failed to lock down a position - so we really have no clear idea what his "known form" is I'm not saying he doesn't deserve another crack next week just that we should not be reconfiguring our whole forward structure around him - he needs to find a way to work with any structure , any week My personal view is that he looks a significantly better player when allowed to run onto the ball (leading with space in front) - he is very easily pushed aside by key defenders and is never going to succeed relying on contested marking. If there is away to free up that space without compromising the ability of other forwards to contribute then great. Fritta seems to be able to make this work with astute timing for his leads and clever positioning around the drop of the ball. One of the big challenges for Sam is to ensure that each time he takes the field he walks off having made a meaningful contribution as is the case with the whole squad. This doesn't always have to be measured on goals kicked but the gap between Sam's better games and poorer performances remains significant

Was that another one of the games we didn't get out of first gear ? 🙂

Really? I'd say he would be extremely foolish to make statements like this unless he was very confident he was on the money I am particularly encouraged by the comment that recent signings have taken slightly less to keep the team together - that is exactly what we need to see happen across the board

Here's my 2 cents May - much better performance Harmes - reward for effort Petracca - hard tag again Jackson - solid game again Viney - hard as nails Lever - welcome back Rick Spargo - not his best Brayshaw - Mr reliable again Gawn - destroyed his opposition Oliver - well below best Langdon - absolute running machine Bowey - still hasn't lost Tomlinson - not yet convinced Jordon - really good game Rivers - question on fitness TMac - second best forward Weid - never got going Hunt - clubs best golfer ANB - second efforts great Fritta - some good cameos Sparrow - clone of Viney Kozzie - love his pressure

Angus epitomises the team first attitude that has turned this club into a premiership outfit There is nothing I'm seeing that suggests he has the slightest interest in seeking other opportunities particularly if they are motivated by self interest - that would seem to be very out of character He has a great rapport with his captain and his team mates - he will get paid well because he deserves to. Despite the media dribble that he would prefer to be playing midfield minutes the playing group, coaches and supporters all value his contribution just the same as if he was racking up 30 possessions in the middle. The penny has dropped for this group - it isn't about personal glory - "team first" is the mantra, if you are part of the team (including those on the list not able to crack into the 1's) your are an integral part of whatever success comes This "team first" mantra will be tested in the next year or two when rivals will try to poach players. This group should want to keep the band together - there is great chemistry and culture which is not easily replicated - Yes players need to be paid well and I'm sure they will but team success and the chance of creating a period of sustained success is worth so much more than a few extra dollars or personal glory imho

Interesting observations Last nights match was the first time (possibly ever) that I never for one second thought we could lose the game such was the dominance of our defensive structure behind the ball I agree that our forward connection was NQR and at times it did seem players were just bombing the ball into the F50 without much thought. It certainly made life difficult for our forwards who when they did get separation from their defenders were regularly let down by kicks that were not to their advantage. Several times we had forwards running back to an open goal only to have passes fall short allowing Port players to intercept mark - a well weighted kick would have led to a very different outcome.

I'm not defending Weed as I think you could tell by his body language after the game that he feels he has let another opportunity slip. With BB available he will unfortunately find it difficult to retain his spot However, the way the game was played it was never going to be easy for him to have much influence. Port flooded back and did everything possible to suffocate forward 50 entries, but unlike us they did this by shear weight of numbers (rather than very well executed zone defence). When they did win possession it was followed by a series dinky sideways kicks that achieved nothing and they invariably found they had nothing forward of centre to kick to. It was actually quite comical to watch them fail over and over again. Even the commentators (either Watson or Burgoyne) said that it was a complete waste of time and could never threaten to win the game with approach. TMac undoubtedly had more influence and impact in the game than Weed so it would be difficult to find a reason to omit him before Sam. I'm staggered people are suggesting Pickett should be dropped - you can forget about that happening whilst he continues to deliver the sort of "team first" pressure acts we are seeing from him. I was impressed last night to hear from every player interviewed that its a total team first attitude that is the focus. If anyone doesn't want to play that way I suspect they would be out pretty quickly.

I'd argue Smith is not a "smaller" option - yes he is 3 cm shorter but far more capable of high marking and spoiling overhead marks than Tomlinson. He is also considerably faster and more agile than Tomlinson. The benefit with Smith is that he has the capacity to play on a range of opponents from small to tall effectively. Is he perfect - clearly no but he will continue to improve imo if given more game time

Next AFL player pay deal must consider revenue drop: McLachlan (msn.com) I wonder how this commentary influences (if at all) the ongoing negotiations on Luke's and other contract extensions Also includes a suggestion that the length of contracts may shorten

So let me get this straight - if you are selected as a defender in the team and drop a mark that results in a goal that is a big issue however if you are a ruck/utility and make the same error that's different. I honestly can't work that logic out On May if you could ask him directly I'm confident he would say his game was poor - the look on his face after the game said it all for me - he was clearly disappointed. He sets high standards for himself and the rest of the team. I suspect if Joel Smith's direct opponent had of scored 4 goals we wouldn't be discussing excuses for him. May's possession count is irrelevant he is primarily there to stop his opponent kicking goals

I appreciate you have a different view which is fine but I don't need to watch the replay again thanks I saw what happened the first time. We must have differing performance standards for different players Smith did make a poor attempt at a mark I think in the first quarter which ultimately resulted in a goal on the opposite side of the ground. A worse howler came from Jackson who dropped an absolute sitter uncontested 15 metres out which led to an easy goal - I'm not hearing anyone suggesting he gets dropped or suggesting he made a costly error Smiths one other "mistake" was when he was pushed under the ball by Wanganeen who ran in for a goal - that is a legitimate concern which I hope he will learn from - it was clever by Wanganeen and something that good forwards get away with every week if they know how to disguise it The only player in our back six that put in a complete stinker was May - again there is zero commentary on him be dropped but if it was purely a question of missing spoils or giving your opponent 10 metres head start on the lead he'd be GONE this week. I love Steven May and think he is our best full back in a very long time but his most recent performance is one he himself would admit was well below the standard required Again I'm not wanting to be seen to be jumping to Joel's defence - if he plays poorly he doesn't deserve to retain his spot in the 22. I just think some of us are a little quick to overlook his positive contribution sometimes

I'm not seeing a problem with Max Lets take the last game as it's the most recent example Up against Draper (who I think is a dud but touted as the next big thing in the media) and Phillips (honest battler) Both Max and Jacko lost (not by much) in the overall HO stat - question is always how effective these are Max had 22 disposals almost twice the number as Draper and Phillips combined Max had 4 contested marks while Draper had a donut Max had 4 inside 50's while Draper enjoyed another donut Max had 3 centre clearances - the donut guy had another donut Draper did beat Max on disposal efficiency - you have to give credit where its due. It does however help when you only have 2 disposals for the game. Max does a hell of lot around the ground not only on the stat sheet but supporting and encouraging his team mates In short, I'm not seeing a big problem with our Captain. Do you think every other team in the comp would love to have Max running out this week - you betcha they would I think I'll start worrying when Max isn't playing at all

Agree that's why I said the others are fighting for a spot on interchange

They were pretty solid in round 1 being 20 odd points in front of Brisbane just before 3/4 time (in Brisbane). Personally think Brisbane are a certainty to make top 4 They obviously put in a poor performance against an underrated (imo) Hawthorn side and then probably should have won last weeks showdown This is going to be a real test for our team early in the season - if we are off a few % they are a big show

I'm not trying to be a Joel Smith defender here but pretty much every player in our team will make some mistakes in every game - such is the nature of the sport However if you purely focus on the negatives you may lose sight of the positive contributions - and for Joel recently I think there have been quite a few. We all need to remain mindful that he has played less than 30 games of AFL and in the early days these were arguably marred by injury interruptions and not having a clear/specific role There is absolutely no doubt that he has some special qualities that others do not have - speed, leap, strength, high marking. His skills are not bad in terms of disposal and his decision making seems to be improving with more game time Will he continue to evolve into a better footballer with consistent game time - personally I believe that is very likely and I believe the coaching group feel the same way. Will he find himself out of the team if he puts in some poor performances - again highly likely as we finally have strong depth and competition for spots all over the ground If all our backline players are fit and available I'd argue the first picked would be May, Lever, Petty, Bowey, Rivers, Salem (this may depend on specific opposition and getting best match ups) That leaves no room for any of Tomlinson, Smith, Hibberd or Hunt In our strongest team these guys are probably going to be hoping to fill an interchange - and imo Smith is the most versatile in that role at least for now

If Joel Smith continues to play well he's going nowhere if you ask me

Sorry if already been mentioned elsewhere but didn't David Schwarz play in #44 in his first season or so before taking over the #5? Big , strong CHF - hoping JVR has more luck with injury but if he manages to resemble the great man it would be amazing There's no way he's getting CP5's jumper though

Or its young Jacob himself just putting it out there :) I was disappointed he didn't play on the weekend was keen to see if he could carry on from the game against Sandy in which he did show some promise Personally think he will make a good player given time - seems to understand the game well, is already physical, can mark and is looks like a pretty accurate kick Fortunately we are no longer a team that needs to rush fist year players into the team and I hope he is allowed to settle and build confidence - he will be picked when he is ready - I would be very surprised if that's anytime in the first half of this season (absent covid issues or injury restricting others availability)

Just curious to know if you watched the game against Sandringham where Brown got his 7 goals ? If you did I'm a bit surprised you are making that call. I'm not having a crack at Mitch Brown here and if he consistently plays well week after week he may get a shot,. Unfortunately this weekend he got belted early behind the pay and really played no further role after that. His 7 goals against Sandy was against sub AFL standard opposition, the kid he was playing on most of the game was a first year recruit who may make it longer term but is still very raw, a few of his goals were handed to him on a platter. In short it was a decent game but if you actually watched it I don't think you'd automatically jump to the conclusion that it translates to AFL level. I actually thought JVR showed more despite the fact he only scored the 3 goals. Disappointing that he didn't play on the weekend as I was keen to see him again. Hunt is safe for the time being as the Port forward line is not that tall so if someone comes out for Lever this week I think it has to be Tomlinson who hasn't been terrible but lacks speed, agility and as someone else pointed out seems to be struggling to defend in the air at the moment. Joel Smith on the other hand who would be the other one to possibly make way for Lever has the edge on Tomlinson atm (speed, agility, aerial spoils)

Simple answer - no they didn't and they won't this time either I watched most of the Casey game and the number of cheap shots and blatant hits by Essendon players was incredible Given Casey's complete absence of tall forward targets (I don't regard Mitch White as a true tall forward although he played well) overall they did well to grind out a win. Anyone know what happened to JVR was the main reason for me watching ? I wouldn't be very excited about what their seconds have to offer if I was a bombers supporter - come to think of it their firsts aren't much chop either

Well Sam gets another chance - hopefully he performs well I thought his game in the VFL wasn't as bad as some think - spent quite a lot of time in the ruck and M Brown seemed to be the main key forward target I hope he comes out with some fire in the belly

From the coach "We've had some really good discussions with Luke about his contract and his position at our club moving forward. One thing I know about Luke is he loves his teammates and he loves his footy club. We're really comfortable where it sits with him," Goodwin said.