spirit of norm smith

Lions v Magpies 1. Lions very very hard to beat at home 2. Magpies lack of a ruckman is a weakness to exploit 3. Magpies goalkicking accuracy in 2022 was amazing. In round 3 & 4 it’s been woeful. 4. Nick Daicos seriously must be favourite for the Brownlow 5. Charlie Cameron loves it when the Lions are front runners

Looking now at the depleted Eagles squad. Likely danger if any is Darling and Allen up forward. Both have showed proven goalkicking ability. Though May and Petty should be more than capable to cover them. Yeo, Kelly and Gaff are stars but seem to have lost their edge over last 12 months. Dees should control the midfield and win by 5+ goals.

I like JJ and disappointing to see him dropped again this week. He might get the sub spot and they should have Melksham play at Casey this week. It’s simply that JJ is unlucky given others have cemented a spot ahead of him. With Hunter coming in, it means he’s squeezed out of the midfield role. It would be a shame if JJ saw better opportunities elsewhere , and like Bedford, others may see him as gettable.

BBB TBA Gawn 3-4 weeks Harmes TBA Salem TBA 6-7 weeks Joel Smith 3 weeks Kye Turner TBA Verrell 8-9 weeks Taj Woewodin 4-5 weeks

Definitely have Darcy Wilson in top 20 - probably around 15 on this list. His pace and evasive skills as a mid would be a nice addition to the red and blue.

In. Tmcd Pickett outs. Mcvee Bbb (inj) Melksham Mcvee as sub.

Satisfactory effort this week

In. Pickett out Mcvee (team balance) likely team Hibbo May Lever Bowey Petty Rivers Langdon Viney Hunter ANB JVR Sparrow Pickett BBB* Fritsch Grundy Trac Oliver int Spargo JJ Brayshaw Chandler sub Howes / Melksham *Probably Tmcd in if BBB injured or *maybe Tomlinson in if BBB injured (Petty goes forward)

6 - Oliver 5- Grundy 4- Langdon 3- Petracca 2- Rivers 1- JVR Apologies to Hunter, Chandler, Lever, JJ and about 9 others.

Really pleased to see good mix of Dees AFL listed group and Casey players. With an 11/11 combo this week , lots of good signs from youngsters at Casey. Sheridan looked like he’s going to be a good addition.

Need to make a statement today. 2022 finals loss needs some revenge. Big test today to see how we have learned against a team that plays on the rebound with pace. Goodwin cannot allow Mills to be a quarterback and rack up possessions and set up attacks. Clearances will be vital. We lost out to them as Parker and Rowbottom smashed us last year. Go Dees !

UNAVAILABLE : Round 3 Josh Schache - Concussion | 1 - 2 Weeks Max Gawn - Knee | 4 - 6 Weeks Taj Woewodin - Finger | 5 Weeks Christian Salem - Knee | 6 - 8 weeks Will Verrall - Pelvis | 8 - 10 Weeks Kysaiah Pickett - Suspended | 1 Week - available round 4 James Harmes - personal reasons - TBA Joel Smith - TBA

That’s frustrating. He could be a good player. But it could be his last year. So much potential but so so many injuries.

Swans have a good combo of pace through their lines - Florent and Blakey across half back, then Mcinerney, Gulden and Stephen’s on the wings and then Warner and Papley forward of the footy. Whilst their inside Mids of Heeney, Mills, Parker and Rowbottom are tough competitors and we will be pressed again to win clearances. It’s a hard one but watching the GF shows they are vulnerable if you can get supply into the forward line really quickly. It will start with Centre clearances where we need guns like JV, Clarry and TRAC to be af their best.

He’s at least 8 weeks away with no/little pre season fitness base. He is unlikely to be considered imv until round 14 at least if all goes to plan.

Match report on Eagles v Giants. Jayden Hunt was recruited for his speed, and on Sunday he showed his value with 23 disposals, two goals, and 566m gained.

Hawks clearly tanking but getting rid of older players like Gunston, Omeara and Mitchell. I’d back them to be 17th/18th at year end!!!

Key stats round 2 1. CLEARANCES LOST 30-60 Centre clearance 10-20 Stoppages 20-40 this was probably the worst mauling our midfield has had in the last 7-8 years 2. HANDBALLS 150 Kicks 200 Clearly overhandballing issue again, seen not as overlap running handballs but by players in close deciding to do a 30cm handball to another teammate under more pressure or in fact when free choosing to handball to someone under pressure !! When we move the ball quickly often by kicking and running and playing on, we look dangerous. Slow overuse of handball is a weakness evident in many of our recent losses through 2nd half of 2022

Freo can pickup their season but I still think they’ll be 7th/8th at best - hopefully more like 12/13th!!! If we should hold any pick inside top 10, it’s a nice bonus from the LJ departure.

It was obvious that we will need someone to support Grundy. Tmcd is not a relief ruckman any more. He’s physically not in great shape (imv) and was pushed aside too easily by the Lions both in the ruck and as a key forward. Thought it might be Schache for a few weeks but given he’s out for next week, fully support the JVR call up.

@joeboy Hunter - had little influence I have to disagree. Hunter played very well in my opinion. I was at the game. He was creative and smart with very few errors. Probably one of our best 3-4 players. 22 possessions. 15 kicks. 480 metres gained. Kicked a good goal. Hit targets. He was prominent and had influence.

It’s Brodie Grundy time. He’s here for a reason. Let’s get behind Brodie as big Max recovers.

I am liking this kid already. Knows how to score goals 👍🏻

ANW - I think he could be a player. Andy has that pace over 5-10 metres. Needs to sharpen his skills and decisions. Loves a tackle.

Steele is a player. Like to see him really b we given the chance to develop this year. Smokey chance for a rookie list selection at year end.