spirit of norm smith

It’s a joke right. Salem takes short steps and Gray goes hard. By the way, the video - Melbournes goals - is Only 1 minute 15 seconds. That’s how poor it was.

Win every game and finish 12-5. We’ve played all the top teams now (5 of the top 6) so we can win the rest. All the remaining games are winnable (spoken like Matt Burgan). But given last nights game, we could lose every game and be 3-14. It was that pathetic.

I’d drop Tom mcd again and bring in Brown or Tomlinson for CHF. Tom mcd is glacier slow and turns like the titanic. Sad to see him deteriorate.

I’ve backed Brayshaw for a long time. But over the last fortnight I’ve watched him now slide into “just average”. He’s not quick. He jogs. He’s not overly skilled. He tackles ok. He deserves more midfield time and respect but us behind so many. He’s loved by the club and by his mates. Trac and Gus are brothers. It would break our hearts to trade him but it’s looking the most likely option. Freo would bite. Sam Sturt and Freo 2nd round 2021 draft for Brayshaw and our 2021 3rd rounder.

Jaded you star. I thought this last night. He’s a great bloke. Brilliant loyal Demon. But he’s now not in our best 22 on a flank and not required for his key inside midfielder role. He’s heart carried him last night but only just. He did 4-5 shocking turnovers which were costly. I think he may be dropped. Now how do we handle the end for a Demon champion. A farewell match is appropriate and is not a gift. It’s respect. We have bulldozed out James McDonald and Brad Green. Don’t let our great man Jonesy down.

We have somehow got so many inside mids that we are completely deficient in outside skilled runners. Inside mids - Viney, Trac, Oliver, Harmes, Brayshaw, Jones, Sparrow. These blokes need to play on the ball and cannot move to a flank outside role (except Trac and he’s brilliant in the midfield). Outside mids - Langdon (a good runner but not skilled) then ... We lack skilled runners. Memo to Mahoney and Jason Taylor for three (minimum) in the 2020 draft or trade. Refer to my 2020 draft posts. We recruited Tomlinson for a “wing” - who was thinking that a slow 6”4’ endurance runner was being transformed to the wing. Mahoney was joking. He’s too slow and not agile for such a role. 4 year deal !! FFS. We need to salvage this. Move him to CHF for 6 weeks. He’d be better than Tmcd !! We have too many mid sized half forwards- Anb, Hunt, Bennell, Melksham, Vdberg, Hannan, Fritsch. Add Baker and Dunkley and our recruiting becomes unstructured and haphazard. Only 2-3 such players should be in the team any week so a need to cull here. For a wing role starting this week Option 1 I’d like to see Jayden Hunt back in as a midfielder. We don’t need him as a midsized forward. Put on the wing for 3-4 weeks and say “Go your hardest”. Run run run. He’d confuse the commentators with Hunt and Langdon. If it doesn’t work, Hunts put up as a trade option. Option 2 James Jordon. He’s only 19 but ready to play. I’d back the kid for a few games this year on the wing. He’s got skills and composure. Option 3 Trent Rivers. He showed us he can run and deliver. Get him in and see if the wingman role suits. Give him 3-4 weeks in this role.

Agreed. Salem has disappointed me again. He should be our quarterback. They even talk about him potentially rotating through the middle. He may have done kicking efficiency but it’s mainly 15metre kicks sideways. There is no precision in forward delivery or intensity.

I was at the game too. M34. Weid was like Hannan and Fritsch and Jackson and McDonald. They all played behind their man. Waved an arm. Led to the pocket. Went up one handed. Weid doesn’t demand the footy. He does not dart up and back. Weid was poor like many others. He saved himself with the mark and goal with 90 seconds to play. That was good but only brief. He should stay in and we need to persist. But I’ve love 5 minutes with these forwards. They need more intensity and to demand it.

AFL website report says Dees best were May, Salem, Gawn and Hibberd. Salem ??? They must have watched a different game. He put other teammates under pressure , missed tackles and went half stepped at the footy. Got caught too often. Metres gained 150.

Exactly right. The balance is nowhere. Fritsch and Hannan are playing the same role but competing in marking against our tall forwards. Need only 2 of Vdberg, Bennell, Melksham, Hannan and Fritsch. Fritsch was behind his man, too soft and flew erratically at the footy. Hold that pen ...

Dawes. Holland. Tmcd. Slow and static. Tommy mcd is a great bloke but he was found to be too slow as a defender and now too slow and static as a key forward

Tmcd. He was found out as a key defender. Now again too slow and static as a key forward. Struggling to see how he fits in.

Yes. I agree. outs. Harmes Salem Brayshaw Jones Tmcd Hannan ins. Rivers Jordon Vdberg Brown Tomlinson cwagner it’s that desperate. I want blokes that will show some commitment. Not short steps and half tackles.

“He tried hard” - Lockhart, Sparrow , May, Lever, Hibberd, Gawn, Petracca Viney Langdon “Need some coaching” - Jackson, Pickett “Absolutely pathetic effort” - Oliver, Harmes, Melksham, Weid, Brayshaw, Jones, tmcd, Omcd, Salem, Fritsch, Hannan ,

Agreed. Slow and lacking any marking presence. Not a defender. Not a key forward. Trade to Suns and get a 2nd round pick.

Agree - it wasn’t the defence. It’s the ridiculous skill errors by our midfield. All of them. 6 Hibberd 5 May 4 Lockhart 3 Lever 2 Gawn 1 Petracca then no one. 16 passengers.

Omcd was poor tonight. Slow. Georgiades was simply too good and pushed Oscar aside. Oscars best is just at AFL standard. He’s average is poor. I don’t see him being a reliable defender. Need to get Petty fit and developed to take a key defender role.

One handed efforts. Behind his opponent. As timid as a young calf for the slaughter. “Built like Tarzan, plays like Jane” !!!!

Agreed. No structure or strategy. Goody needs to wake up

Absolutely. Skills are fuc@&)n pathetic

0.2 from 14 inside 50s marks inside forward 50 - zero !!! With 3 tall forwards!! kick it to the pocket!! Forwards behind !!! No crumbers. Pickett playing too far out !! missing targets !!! Everywhere

Yes. That’s why they’re on top. Tough assignment tonight

Scored tickets to M34. One of the lucky ballot

Agree. That’s another good idea

Yes 2 year deal for $250-300k sounds about right. I think his stocks will rise so sign up now. Could demand more $$ elsewhere by season end but he’s young and should appreciate the opportunity to sign for 2021-22