Diamond_Jim

from the AFL site ... states the obvious but also shows how our game plan can so easily be picked apart: St Kilda has retained possession from 73 percent of its inside 50 entries, compared to Melbourne 53 percent. The Saints have retained possession from only 42 percent of their kicks into the forward 50 this season, which is ranked second last.

needs some structural rethinking perhaps ...it's been much the same for three weeks now

Saints have their kicking boots on today. IIRC they kicked themselves out of it last time we played

Then that means they are too easily breaking the press as we should have three outriders who should not be allowing the ball out. The real problem is that the game plan requires strong forward play and when it's not working ... it's horrible

yep ..the forward press also known as the overcrowded forward line has certainly been worked out by the opposition. Now even the cellar dwellers know how to beat it.

Hogan, Petracca and T McDonald with 9 possessions in total between them....our forward structure needs a shake up

Could this be the day McCartin emerges as a full forward. We can be very obliging the way we play teams and players into form.

Good kick to handball ratio so far ... 24:16

Perhaps not a game for the ages but the break away speed France was at sometimes breathtaking. I noticed it in the early stages of the game against Australia but tonight it went for almost the whole match. France were unlucky not to score another two or three whereas Argentina's goals were against the run of play. Argentina's fans of which there were many are certainly noisy but as they left the various vuvuzele at home I rank them above the Colombians.

sensible suggestion.. sometimes we get too concerned about winning at VFL level and forget what that team is really about ie experimentation

Very warm 29 degrees here in Kazan and should still be 29 at kick off. Strangely the game is not a sell out which I think is a combination of prices too high for Russians, Argentina ending up unexpectedly in this match thus causing their fans difficulty with last minute accommodation and transport issues. England FA didn't even sell its ticket allocation for tomorrow's match

Interesting when you just select auto fill for the remaining rounds MFC end up 6th (15 wins) and Collingwood 8th with 14 wins. Geelong 9th on 12 wins

The VFL team mirroring the AFL team from last week in so many ways

The forward delivery in this quarter is almost laughable it's so bad

So right and now the 3pointer is the key shot

I do believe that unfortunately Jeff no longer fits the game plan as we are now playing a tight centre forward game. Read the excellent thread started by John Demonic for more on our current game plan. While there is no doubt we need a plan B as the article suggests it's hard to see Jeff providing it.

Briliant Article and underlines the need to develop the wide accurate kicker. Now that Jack W has gone do we have a player that you would say is an 80% chance of kicking the goal from 45 out on the boundary. We also need to learn the various plays that leave the scoring zone uncrowded.

I can recall the golden goal but I can never recall the player reduction. Funny because I have suggested for years that is the way to go. Perhaps it is too shambolic in reality. When many of the knock out games are decided on penalties the WC seems to lose just that little bit.

https://www.cuponation.com.au/insights/world-cup-2018 Fascinating article about the relative average wages in the various World Cup nations. A bit like the famous Big Mac index. Australia right up there with Switzerland and Denmark

Freo in Darwin.. yep ...in Melbourne a regulation win .... in Darwin becomes a 60/40 at best. We always knew that taking the NT dollar would probably cost us big at sometime and perhaps it's this year.

The Argentinians will be arriving in town today. I assume the French will be here in greater number than they were against Australia. I'm assuming (hoping) the Argentinians can't be noisier than the Colombians. Went to the house where Lenin grew up in yesterday. It is now a great little museum. Almost deserted... Not sure that the football fans are into museums !!

England v Belgium will be a fascinating game. The preponderance of opinion is that the loser goes through to the easier side of the draw PS: If England win tonight they will play Japan in the round of 16... On form you would say England should win which will set them up nicely for elimination in the quarter finals ?

One does not begrudge Japan their success of they progress but this is a poor group. Poland ranked 8 have not fired a shot... far worse than Germany Senegal and Colombia are ranked 27 and 16 respectively with Japan at 61 If no goals are scored the two lowest ranked teams will progress to the next round with the to team being decided on the number of yellow cards. And of course 2 minutes after I post the above Poland scores?

I did not realise that the Asian Cup is not a FIFA approved tournament and therefore the various league clubs are not obliged to release their players

Is this the first Thursday (non opening round/Easter) match played in Melbourne? Will be interested to see the crowd numbers