Straight Sets Simon

I really liked the photo of the Leadership Group on the old site. It's a shame they didn't make another one for the new site.

No, apparently he bet on Melbourne to win.

The proof is in the pudding. Miller has been hopeless down back. The only time he has played well has been on Hall at the SCG.

The sad thing is that Miller is better as a forward than a back...

As meaningless as the pre-season competition is, after the game last night I now have Dunn ahead of Miller in my starting 22. If you asked me yesterday morning I would have said Miller, but not anymore. Who knows, that could change again before Round One, but I doubt it.

I wasn't concerned about the "run and carry" so much as the lack of forward line and the lack of direct play. There were times when there was a throw-in on the wing and Melbourne had no forward line. If Melbourne won the clearance what were their options? You can't kick goals without forwards. Also, there were two occasions when Green had the ball on the half forward flank. The first time he chipped it sideways and then other players chipped around the forward 50 line before it was turned over and in that time the ball was kicked four or five times for no positional gain. Moreover, the Hawthorn players had time to get back, man-up and fill in any gaps with very little pressure. The second time Green had the ball in a similar position, however this time he kicked it straight into the forward line (putting the Hawk's defenders under much greater pressure than before) from memory the ball game to ground (and that's all it has to do in that situation for something to happen) and Melbourne then kicked a goal soon after as a result. I'm not totally against the "run and carry" option and it can be very effective. But the impression I got was that Melbourne players were looking to run and carry all the time when a simple long kick was clearly the best option. Use “run and carry” when it is the best option at that particular moment. Use (for example) the “kick the f***ing thing” when that is the best option at that particular moment. Wasn't that our problem last year? Yes, the proper season doesn't start for another few weeks but why hasn't this "we ran out of legs" problem been fixed?

Why not practice what they will use rather than what they won't? For example, practice choosing the best option. It defies common sense is all... Who was Bizzell playing on? I can't remember. I don't remember him being beaten by anyone, but I don't remember him doing anything special either.

I just don't understand why they have to come out with such a set tactic. Shouldn't they just choose the best option at the time? For example, if the best option is to kick it long, then kick it long. If the best option is to "run and carry" then do that. There is no need to encourage one particular tactic because various options are needed throughout a game.

Some quick standout observations. - Very impressed with Buckley - Jones was dominant in patches. - Neitz looked extremely lively and fit - Miller and Yze were useless - Kicking skills were poor - Hardly saw Bizzell - Too much fiddling around with little hand-passes that went no where and more often than not led to trouble - Why were there occasions when the ball was on the wing but Melbourne had no one in their forward line?

It's still early but why do they even bother with Tim Watson?

Godfrey sure does look shifty...

Good to see that they scrapped the advertising behind the player photos.

I'm not Miller's number one fan, but let it go.

Name one year this hasn't been the case? I'm getting right on the Bizzell bandwagon this year. He is too classy and talented to write-off IMO.

Bruce is going to absolutely wet himself once he gets Davey in his sights. I can't wait.

If you combined Miller's body and toughness with Yze's skill and class then you'd have the perfect player and everyone would be happy!

Exactly.

Neale Daniher. That's who we need to stand up in 2007.

I'd prefer to see Miller learn to kick properly before he learns another language.

I must admit that I have a bit of a soft spot for Chisholm.

All I'm saying is that at the moment, no matter how strong or weak Carlton and the Kangaroos are off the field, on the field they will both struggle. For whatever reason they have weak lists etc.

The only problem is that both clubs have fairly average playing lists... If Sydney or West Coast started having off-field problems then we could draw some conclusions, but not when both sides are already predicted to finish in the bottom half of the ladder.

Ultimately, I find it frustrating that off-field matters do affect teams on match day. As someone mentioned earlier, these are paid professionals who all know how to play good football and that shouldn't change.

Melbourne should aim to win 100% of their interstate games. It's a first for Daniher because everything else he has tried so far hasn't worked. He should always take a positive approach.

Ezra Poyas Mark Bresciano