Sydee

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.

Interesting observations Dee fence Re Hunt I also felt he had a game he'd like to forget. Having said that his first attempt to create a springboard attack from half back was stopped by a clear trip from a GC player that was ignored by the umpires - this lead to a GC goal which was not really Hunt's fault. He also seemed to get caught in one on ones vs Casbolt on a couple of occasions which I thought was more of a breakdown in communication in the back six as clearly he was not his direct opponent and had a huge height and weight disadvantage. What he does have is speed which can gain metres quickly and if used well is very dangerous. He also has a good vertical leap which if used properly is very effective in spoiling marks inside 50. Without doubt he needs to try and polish up on his disposal but overall he has some unique weapons which is why he gets selected - at least for now Spargo - well even Charlie would acknowledge that he has a couple of limitations (speed and long kicking two obvious ones). However he is the classic "natural footballer" - he rarely wastes a disposal and generally when he gets it he is extremely creative and a team mate is the recipient in a better position. Sounds easy but its actually rare to see players that have this ability. He doesn't need to get high possessions to have an impact and while he keeps playing to the coaches instructions and applies forward 50 pressure he stays. Smith - I've said this before but I feel he has the potential to be a very very good player if he stays fit and gets some consistent game time. Height, leap, speed, strength all in the one package is a pretty compelling offer. He is still a baby in terms of senior games (fewer games than say Petty or Pickett for example) so huge upside still. Dunstan - I'm still not sure what he really offers to our midfield - one things for sure he's going to have to really earn a senior game as there is no way he replaces CP5, Clarry or Viney. Sparrow/Harmes are perhaps a bit vulnerable but if I was a selector they have done enough to keep their spots at this stage. Making changes if players are NQR is fine but take the opposition lightly and start experimenting at team selection is very dangerous and likely to backfire if you ask me

This, and the inability to hold onto marks which I'm sure he takes at training with ease are Sam's biggest problems It is difficult for everyone to see him struggling particularly now when seemingly he has no injury concerns - the coaches have maintained the faith but I do think this year is his last hurrah at MFC particularly with JVR showing early promise

Not saying Mitch Brown didn’t have a good game but I think it’s important for those who have watched none of the Casey game to realise the following - not all his goals were hard earned I’d say the majority were from free kicks or delivered on a plate from a team mate - at least one arguably two from the much maligned Weed - the quality of the opposition was pretty average so this doesn’t automatically translate to AFL level I’m not opposed to him getting a chance at some point and 7 goals, coupled with some good positioning and handy marks warrants attention from the selectors. However, dropping players who demonstrate an ability to do their job is not the way this coaching team goes about selection - it may not be obvious to us but I’d say no change unless somebody has not followed instructions TMac is safe for now imo

Agree Each to their own I guess but good commentators can actually add to the atmosphere - The "Bang, Bang Bang" after Oliver's goal in the GF will stay with all of us as a cherished memory for ever I suspect - sound off at that moment I think we lose something Just my opinion of course

Not sure its responsible but I'm on

Very good footballer - abysmal commentator - should just stay home on the couch from now on

LJ's best game for the Dees so far imho A complete performance from start to finish - our #5 and #6 are both very special players Be great to see them dominating together for a very long time

That was Gerard Healy - seriously hopeless commentator

He did and was one of the best in his era - second only to Robbie if you ask me Pretty sure he and Robbie shared the wings in some Big V teams

Spent a little bit too much time in the Sun perhaps this expert

Joel Smith looks like he has a very sore hand based on the footage from training - not sure he will be a starter Wow he sure can find an injury - hopefully he's ok as it would be great to get some consecutive games under his belt to see what he can deliver

I didn't see the Casey vs Footscray game and have relied solely on Werridee's match report - this was the comment on Dunstan Dunstan - Went ok but I expected more from him Not a particularly glowing endorsement - if you have a different view or greater insight that suggests he was much better then that's a positive In addition I haven't heard too many glowing reports about his overall preseason - again maybe he has been training the house down - if so great

That is a very big IF right there I've watched both games this round and have been completely mystified by some decisions and non-decisions by the umpires. Your point is valid if they are getting it right the majority of the time - atm I'm not convinced they are

Dunstan or anyone else for that matter deserve nothing unless they are playing very well at Casey My understanding is that he was underwhelming and obviously hasn't shown anything so far to deserve a senior game as he wasn't even given a run in the practice games Both Harmes and Sparrow have a few credits banked - they would need to put in a couple of shockers for Dunstan to even enter the discussion

I think we should also be keeping track on goals from 50 metre penalties CFC seem to be the big beneficiaries of this latest trend - umpires should not be heavily influencing momentum within games and even outcomes of games - there is a risk that they are doing both atm I've been playing/watching football for a very long time - if I was asked to explain some of the rules now to someone who'd never watched a game before I honestly think I'd struggle Seems like a step in the wrong direction to me

I'm quite the fan of Toby - he said he's managed 9 games in the last two years due to Covid and not playing senior football He is another good prospect that imo can only get better with more game time at the highest level (see Joel Smith) His challenge will be to hold his spot once some of the GF team that were missing last night are back and available for selection