spirit of norm smith

Weideman, Ben Brown -6-7weeks Lockhart, Mitch Brown, Joel Smith 2-3 weeks Viney, Melksham, Hibberd at Casey. # Hore # Nietschke out for 2021. (2 more players available to be added in mid season)

Great news that Kozzzzzy is ready for round 1.

Good news. Hope Dees get a win to really help him celebrate his first game.

?? I was not comparing Luke Jackson with Bowey. I was comparing Bowey and Laurie. Jackson and Rivers will be regulars in the red and blue. Very very optimistic about them. Both Bowey and Laurie should be given probably get the first 6-7 games at Casey at least given they didn’t play last season. My opinion.

Excellent read. I’m very optimistic for Jackson and Rivers. Both were impressive last year. I’d have Laurie and Bowey on a par for talent and execution. But they are young and didn’t play in 2020. Jordan could be very useful and his skills/kicking are very efficient. Might get a go in the first few rounds.

Wow. Looks like we’re set for a golden period ahead. Watts Scully Trengove Morton Maric Strauss Grimes Rivers. Frawley and Jones look like great players already. Add in experience of Sylvia, Moloney, Bruce, Davey, Green, Jmac. Jamar and Martin make a good Ruck division. Add in excitement of Jurrah. Good times ahead. Well it was a reasonable year 2010 (8 wins 10 losses 1 draw - some close losses too - smashed the Swans) and it was a feeling of hope -it was looking ok for the years ahead ... until it all fell apart with GWS + Suns intros, injuries, Scully defection, lack of development Jurrah-going and the stupidity “sacking”junior.

9 “expert” journalists on AFL website have given their 2021 crystal ball predictions only one thinks the Dees can make the 8 two think Christian Petracca will win the Brownlow (Riley beveridge and Cal Twomey) otherwise we are mainly irrelevant most predictions have us in the 9th to 13th range.

Yes the talk was cheap ... it’s actions and real hunger to win

Daw for round 1?? Might be a rough chance but unlikely

Is Mitch Brown injured or underprepared? He was best on ground v Bombers in our last game of 2020. Had a pretty good last few rounds as an agile CHF.

Before round 1. Light duties. Running and running and more running only. No contested work. No jumping. No sharp objects. No cooking. No heavy labour. ???Break out the cotton wool imv. We need everyone fit and available.

Now that’s a strategy. Don’t let that get out to anyone at MFC

Agree. Riv would have to be a lock in the team now for 2021. Had a great start to his career and good signs.

Key messages: 1. we have no respect from other clubs. Nil. Only “one” other captain would rate us to make the finals and that’s probably as their last selection 2- forward line firepower ... nil ... get Brown up and firing and we’d be dangerous imv 3- youngsters ... nil ... (I think we will see Luke Jackson really boom in year 3-4) 4- Gawn, Petracca and Oliver surely would be a chance for the Brownlow. Wines and omeara - these captains were surely having a laugh.

Agree. I’d been pushing Tom Phillips as a target for a while even before end of 2020. He was clearly gettable and we missed out. Mahoney and Goodwin’s claim of making Tomlinson a wing option is ridiculous. He is too slow and static.

He departs with a tracksuit ... fair enough.

Daw is a speculative gamble but worth the punt imv given Weid and Brown out for first 7-8 rounds of the year.

Agree. Joel Smith has spent more weeks injured than active. I thought last year that he might have been traded or delisted. Obviously the coach sees something in him despite his limited games and limited showings to date.

Gold. Absolutely. I’d rather the coach and captain say... “it’s not about words and ifs. It’s about actions and results”. Goodwin is a politician at the moment and not filling me with the confidence that we all deserve.

Agree. We didn’t exactly threaten today

Ummmm. He played a good 5 minute burst v Pies last year and kicked 3 goals ... then went missing for the rest of 2020. Surely hung on to a list spot by a whisker.

I thought we learnt last year when he destroyed us. Without Clarry and JV, our midfield is struggling v Dogs.

It’s a practice match right. Dogs seem intense compared with us. No use tagging the Bont. He’s going to be out with leather poisoning

As expected. Injuries and AFL listed players rested. Dogs have a full list right now. Somehow teams seem to go through the preseason with minimal injuries but others like the Demons have key players out even before round 1 starts.

I don’t mind the article given the modern game of two way running. Our contested footy is our go to Plan A but it has some flaws. 1- our skills let us down and turnovers kill you when your players are in attack mode only to see if killed off by a poor kick or poor decision 2- our pace and run needs another gear. We needed that extra wingman to compliment Langdon once the midfield bulls (Trac, Clarry, Viney, Harmes) win the footy. 3- what happens when the opposition wins the contested footy. The Dogs and Swans matched us last year and we were unable to adjust to defend their 1st possession from the contest. I think it’s that defensive mindset that needed the work over the summer as well. I think our mids are as good as any group in the AFL. It’s the ability to convert that into goals that is the challenge. Is it the ineffective Forward line ?? Or the Midfield delivery and decision making?? Goody needs the solution. We need to have both solved to somehow grab the cup in 2021.