TGR

At half-time I would have dropped Kent…..and Salem….and Jamar…….and probably Roos too.

About Vince, Gerard Healy was spot on about him OTC last Monday. I'm more of a Cross man myself.

Jordie on Boomer-Diver Cross on Dal-Santo Howe on Thomas Jetta on Nahas Jamar more comfortable against a Goldstein. We just hope the worst of North shows up. Even if the best show up, Roos will drag em down to lower levels.

B&F was obvious round 2. Kicking is better this year, but he must not kick to low-percentage options that kill you. Worst kicking game this year actually. He has never relied on speed. Hence he has 2 years left in him no doubt.

I love Watts. I want him to succeed. But he does not know how to use his body to protect space; even when he is in a position of advantage. I'm not a Watts knocker pal. In fact I'm 97 positive; 3 negative for Watts. I'm objective and have an opinion; and if you don't like it, it aint my problem.

Don't forget his smother that gave Watts the goal. He has cream and steel, as proved by the goal; but he has guts and a work-ethic which the smother out of nowhere came from.

That last goal was footy utopia. It had everything. Dare, decision-making, execution. So many split-second decisions; so many perfect choices. It was a tsunami of perfection.

Watts - Can't protect space Watts - Can't use body Watts - Glad we won Cross - Stick to percentage (kicks) Kent - I sold him (at half time) Kent - I regretted it (at full time) Grimes - Had a go Jamar - Shocking first half Jamar - Redeemed himself after Roos - Worth every penny M.Jones - Ran bloody hard Jetta - puts body last (finally) Dunn - All Australian Backman? (Gaspar got one)

I used to go to games in the post-Northey era appalled at not recalling one smother. Today we had 7, 8, 9? Young Salem smother = Watts goal; and then the composure with 34,000 ferals shouting at you.

Cross did an unbelievable job (again) on Beams. Vince did OK v. Pendles. And I didn't notice the tattooed matress with arms and legs either. You might get your wish regarding Tyson getting more ball next time, but I'd bet that their 3 will have better output as well. The midfield wasn't our real issue, as they have as much pace as Collingwoods. It was their dashing rebounding line-breaking half-backs that we couldn't match nor counter.

So, you would prefer us playing aesthetically pleasing footy where the scoreboard reads MFC 63; Opposition 146? We had that for most of the Bailey, Neeld and Daniher-odd-years. I'm glad we are now playing September footy that is hard and tough and exposes your work-ethic and fortitude. As Goldsack said OTC last night, there actually weren't many stoppages (in the first half), so I'm perplexed about your rugby analogy. Soccer might have been better, as it was low scoring and played between the arcs.

The cattle forward wasn't the problem yesterday at all. Like Roos said, when we should have gone fast, we didn't; and sometimes when we should have gone slow, we didn't. As for going fast, it helps if you have line-breakers as well. FCS, we have come from being a pile of carp to competitive; and some morons want much more now.

Not many experts and non-experts were bullish about Collingwood after Fremantle pumped them round 1....bar one or two. Penny has finally dropped...even around here. They are super young and super talented; which makes our effort on QB2014 a fair one.

Line breakers. The fact that we need a Blease type, and the fact that he has played as many games as Sylvia in 2014, means that Blease must have more flaws than the Empire State.

Cross - Best & Fairest

"We lack a dashing HBF with foot skills, that has to be our priority post-season." That was the line. Full stop. Their half-backs took us on with dash, and made it easier for their forwards, while our defenders defended well. Our rebound was too safe; but if you don't have the dash and run'n'carry of Harry-O/Seedsman, well it is best to play safe. I would have got JKH on at half-time in fact…and taken Gawn off before Jamar; but Roos said Gawn had more in the tank. Simpletons will look at the scoreboard and tutt-tutt the 3 goals, but they have to look deeper, and one day, they might. I'm not slitting my wrists over today.

Viney - team first player (really does so much of the hard stuff that goes unrewarded or unrecognised) So true. But hey, we're MFC supporters and a tad slow to cotton on. I remember these forums severely looking down on the Swans tough contested congested September footy of the Roos era; while players like White and Yze were lauded as A-graders.

Neville Jetta and Pedo were 2 players I shook my head at...in addition to Bennell, Spencer and especially Byrnes. Both (Jetta & Pedo) have put their body on the line and have had a massive impact. If they keep up this sort of form, the egg will be forever stuck.

No, he pats us on the back when we deserve it; and suggested we were a joke when we were. What the hell is wrong with that? What do you want? A bed-time story from Bev O'Connor?

He did look docile on the coaches box on Saturday night against Port….in retrospect. I feel sorry for the nurse who aint up to scratch. Hope they pick the best for him. I think Graeme Wright (former Collingwood player) had this condition for memory. I think Danners would swap with Clarko in a heartbeat.

Surely what is inevitable is an obligation on the ball getter (Hurley or Ablett), to turn their body, especially in Ablett's case where he looked up and clearly knew of impending contest. I think Cooney dropping his feet shows how confused the playing fraternity are. He thought he had less chance of collecting Ablett if he collapsed to the ground.

The thing I find amusing is posters like RobbieF and other right-winged shock-jock-cheering simpletons promised us so much more. Costello's charter of budget honesty allowed the opposition to know exactly what the books were in August 2013. Yet they still promised "as far as the eye could see". The shock-jocks and no doubt the tweed-wearing monarchist supporters excuse this. Yet Gillard, who opted for the "TEMPORARY" carbon tax as a minority government compromise, was condemned daily. Don't forget Tony says a temporary tax isn't really a tax...or a broken promise. Read Wally's piece in The Age this morning...interesting reading. Abbott is a joke. Imagine if Keating's kid, or Gillard's step-child snuck in a $60000 scholarship from a connection? While making savage cuts to students and the lower-class with the ideological budget. What possessed Abbott to let this scholarship go through? How dumb is he? Then you have Brandis giving the nations lower-IQ the licence to be bigots for the simple reason of backing up a right-winged columnist. At the same time, we have crocodile tears for Goodes in the AFL by these same right-wingers. What about the knighthood thing FFS. Sir Peter Vomit. The $7 GP levy surcharge, it has been reported, won't make $1 difference to the so-called emergency deficit. Yes, the Libs will send Australia to their halcyon days of 1950's White Australia. Yes we will pay the price of climate inaction, and a shift to tea-party politics. But Christ I'm enjoying this; and how silent are those Julia critics without a microphone. The Libs are nothing more than unimaginative accountants. These mummy-boy private school-boy, scholarship seeking softies have never had to think and scrounge their way out of tough situations.

At what point? Maybe after round 2 last year when Essendon beat us by 20 goals, and Neeld is making an example of Watts by subbing him off in front of a laughing crowd.

Get ready for it.

Yours is the typical view of most MFC supporters. I will restate what I said earlier. "Cross is on target for our B&F. Junior didn't get top 10 GWS playing with 18 year olds for memory. From an on-field-viewpoint, we "missed" Junior because we were so deplorable; and the past looked better than present and future. From a pure playing point of view, it was time for Junior to go when we told him father time was up."