Straight Sets Simon

Great post, those stats are damning. Brown was always going to kill us yet we seemingly had no strategy to stop him.

It's time to finally beat North.

It would be handy if he could actually execute this skill in games and under pressure for Melbourne.

The biggest concern is his kicking skills and decision making, they were supposed to be a strength of his but they have been poor so far.

He's a Tom Hawkins clone.

Lots of dinky handpasses and his ability to put his head over the ball is coming into question.

His first half was the worst he's ever played, his second half was the best.

On Oliver's left hand too.

We're St Kilda supporters jeering McCartin yesterday?

We wouldn't prefer Mills, I misread the post.

No.

Jason Taylor.

He looked to kick it more and looked even better (if possible) as a result.

This thread should be called "Creedence Clearwater Revival".

Seven goals in the VFL is a great effort and you can't ask much more from any player. I just question whether or not McCartin can translate this to AFL level. It's a bit like Trengove getting 30 possessions in the VFL, he's clearly very good at that level but the way football is played in the AFL it doesn't necessarily mean he will do well at AFL level.

There's some rubbish in there. Hopefully nothing from me.

He makes our team 10% better instantly, not only because he is a good player but because he takes pressure off other players around him which allows them to play better. I love that Essendon fans were booing him, yet they will lay down the red carpet for Jame Hird to return to their club.

Cripps started really slowly from memory, only hit his straps in his second year.

If we did, we wouldn't have Oliver.

He's a lot like Trengove who is a slow mover and slow decision maker. His skills and decision making have been poor also. He's a shadow of the young Pendlebury he looked like being a few years ago, fingers crossed it's just a lack of a pre-season that is holding him back.

We would be 4-1 at a minimum if he played the last three weeks. He takes so much pressure off the likes of Jones, Viney and Vince through his leadership. With Hibberd in the team now this should release Vince back into the middle of the ground, preferably as a tagger who can get his own ball.

It's a bit spooky that the number 1 and number 3 picks from that draft both have had concussion issues. Brayshaw is coming from a long way back.

Rubbish.

What I have noticed this year more than ever is that he is always on the move, rarely do you see him flat-footed. I think this is one of the reasons that he is able to get so many quick handpasses off because he is always creating space for himself in tight situations. A lot of our players could learn from this.

Again, we still don't get back behind the mark quick enough when in situations where we don't or can't play on from a mark. It is such a simple thing that can easily be fixed with a bit of coaching.