Dees2014

I think it is realist to reserve judgement on us. I am delighted about our form and find it incredibly exciting and am more confident about our successful future than any time in the last 30 years, but it is understandable for many of us to be cautious given our history. So far this side has outperformed expectations, but I prefer at this stage to “take one game at a time” and enjoy the ride. It is going to be wonderful to watch it unfold.

Really good long term thinking by the club. As we play through Max’s career peak, we will have a superiority over nearly all teams onball through Max’s silver service, but That can’t last forever. What better than to recruit a giant, very athletic individual with great sporting pedigree to be taught by the best over an extended period, and we all know how long it takes for big men to develop. I suspect given Austin’s size, his athletic pedigree and his learning under Max’s guidance, he may well come along a bit quicker than we expect. The great part about it is we have plenty of time to get it right. What a great prospect!

And he can kick...

Still a major step forward in that we now seem to be beating comprehensively teams we should beat, something we have not done since the Daniher days, and even then there was a certain inconsistency. Well done Dees, a major break threw. Oh yes, and I now formally withdraw any criticism of Goody and the coaching staff - they are clearly on the right track. Wonder how long before we have some true believers in the football media!

And Bailey days! (Roos Swans)

It is beyond me why anyone takes Robbie seriously: he is a bumbling clown with very little insight.

Half forward flank/wing for me. It is interesting when you analyse our tall forwards. They are not just mark kick forward specialists. Macdonald/Hogan are both endurance athletes, so for much of the game they play up the ground and run their opponents off their feet. They are also elite marks and kicks for goal so can be very damaging when they eventually do go forward. Weideman I think is a perfect foil for them. Although he doesn’t get a great deal of the ball at the moment (although I’m sure that will come), he is a ferocious tackler, is an improving second ruck, and has the size and strength to be in most contests to at least bring the ball to ground. When he does mark it, he is an elite kick for goal. He will be an important player in our future. Max - what can you say apart from superlatives? He constantly amazes me about his endurance: when he is on the ball he is always ready for the contest, and has an amazing ability to get back to defend, as well as being the best hit out ruckman in the league giving Jones, Oliver, Tyson silver service. And of course as a bonus Goody is increasingly using him up forward (another advantage of having Weideman in the side), where he has been a very effective high marking option. Even his kicking for goal seems to be improving! So where does that leave Petracca! I think I would at the moment play him on the wing and get him into the play more, and put it to him that he is a bullocking midfielder who can come forward to kick goals. His strength and his disposal are both real assets which we could use more, but at the moment he is simply not in the play enough. Like the Weid, I have no doubt he will be crucial to our future, but more involvement would be welcome and soon.

He’s also a pretty handy relief ruckman for Max. A lot of pluses for the Weid.

Agree. We did get the job done. 3 games in 12 days is tough, but in future we need to be more ruthless. The next two weeks will be a real test, and if we can win them and win them well it should set us up for the season, with hopefully Salem and Viney back. We did play some good play on footy today which was pleasing, and the form of Brayshaw and T Mac very encouraging. Fritsch and ABN’s form a concern so they may not make the cut when the others return. Adelaide will be a biggest challenge since the Cats. It is to be hoped that we are able to build some momentum from there into the second half of the year!

It all comes back to Hird. He managed to burn so many people at Essendon and beyond through his singleminded obsession in proving his innocence: Bomber was clearly one of them, although nothing excuses what looks like blatant breaking of the law. What goes around comes around - I reckon....

Well said Brendan. Nearly everyone rated us as the big improvers this year, some even top 4, or even smokies for the flag. No one rated Collingwood to that degree although a minority had them in the bottom half of the eight. I think the reaction after our Richmond game was about the extent of the loss and the fact that two weeks in a row we were blown away after half time - badly. One of Roos mantras was never have blowouts: he did not always achieve it (aka his last game in charge) but generally he did. Last year it was rare for us but this year we had two in a row so early in the season which to put it mildly was very disheartening. The signs were not good. Hopefully after Sunday we are now back on track, although our football is not yet setting the world on fire. We have a chance to rack up a few good wins over the next three weeks against lessor sides (although our record against beating those below us on the ladder to put it mildly hardly gives much confidence). Then we have the chance to put these arguments all to rest by crunching the Pies on Queens Birthday in early June - one of our most important games over the last fives years since the rebuild began. Either way, it will set us up for the season...

Tyson to me is almost invisible in the field. You think who has played well, and he is almost never in your mind, then you look at the stats and you find he has 20-30 touches. I guess it is because he truly is an inside mid and does a lot of his work in close. However, I think his weaknesses are so severe that I don’t think he makes our best 22 when everyone is fit. The most obvious is his disposal, where the accuracy in his kicking in particular is weak. It is most obvious in set shots for goal where he misses more often than not. He and Max should have special training sessions practicing kicking for goal 30-40 meters out, then Max can teach him the banana from the pocket!

Max is in Brownlow/all Australian form and has now re-established himself as the best in the business. His running and work rate is unbelievable. Even now kicking goals, although still wouldn’t bet on him slotting one 30 meters out straight in front. That will be progress if and when that eventuates! Weid’s game also very encouraging. Gradually establishing himself in the side. Will be very important in our future. Tyson is a very annoying footballer. Really good at getting possessions, seems to rack them up without anyone noticing, but his disposal is appalling, not only in front of goal. For that reason doubt if he will make our best 22 when everyone is available. Spargo’s first game very encouraging, but still think Jeffy is at this time a better player when he is in form. Time for Jeffy to have a couple of weeks in the twos to get it back. Spargo im sure will be a star of the future.... Oh yeah, isn’t it nice to have someone who can kick straight for goal. Fritsch will be another Brad Green, and that is high praise - both excellent kicks although I suspect Fritsch is a better overhead mark, which is a great advantage up forward. We have found one here I think.

When are they going to teach Max how to kick straight. Exactly the same error as against the Cats. Surely it is not that difficult to adjust. Our decline third quarter directly stemmed from that....

Err, I think there is a distinct case to be made that the balance of the team is not quite right yet. Max is being run into the ground, and we all know what happened last time we did that - he missed 10 weeks and the decision was directly responsible for our missing the finals. Our forward line is also undersized. It is ok against mediocre sides like Brisbane and Norf, but it will be cruelly exposed when we come up against the top 4. Also, I don’t think either Harmes or Neal-Bullen are up to the required standard to play finals, particularly when Viney and McDonald come back. Brayshaw is, but he needs game time. Hence for me this week we need Weideman to strengthen our forward set up and relief ruck. I saw him on Sunday for Casey and he not only kicked five goal, he also looked like a natural in the ruck. The club also announced Brayshaw to be best on ground. For me, we would be a very much better side if we included the Weid and Brayshaw for Harmes and Neal-Bullen. In the longer term, it will be interesting when McDonald and Viney return. My prediction we will put McDonald back to the back line and have Hogan and Weid upforward at the expense of Frost. Viney at the expense of either Bugg or Fritsch. Obviously, everything will depend on form, but these changes make us look very much like a top two side. Exciting!!

I agree. We need another tail forward. If weid plays ok at Casey I’d put him in, particularly as he appears to have put on weight and is starting to do some ruck work. Max needs some support. We will run him into the ground if we are not careful.

OD, the thing I worry about more than anything else about Lewis is his ill-discipline: arguably he cost us directly the Geelong game through a brain fade, and could easily have done the same on Saturday night. This is not new. Even his first year with us he was rubbed out for I think three games early in the season through trying to be a tough guy when it was more like thuggish behaviour, which could have cost us a place in the eight. Given his fading pace, I think he is rapidly falling out of our best 22. Time to give the better disciplined young guns a go. We would lose very little...

INS: Frost, Weideman, Kent, Brayshaw OUTS: Harmes, Pederson, Neal-Bullen, Bugg Frost to free up Lever. Oscar takes Ben Brown weideman apparently played well forward and relief rucking in the twos. More class than pedo Kent has more hardness around the ball than any of bugg, neal-bullen or Harmes. brayshaw too much class to leave out when fit. Much more run in this team. All four replacements likely to be to be in our best 22. Current worries: current form of Hunt & Jetta, Jordon Lewis makes too many mistakes at crucial times in a game. Also seems to have lost some pace from last year.

Yes, Lewis has made potentially game losing clangers at crucial times two weeks in a row now. He won’t make our best 22 come finals time...

Isn’t the silly season wonderful! As soon as the action starts, this will be quickly forgotten - unless we get thumped of course in which case it will be self fulfilling!

Mystifying is how Melbourne teams (men and women) can have such a big disparity between best and worst. Our women’s team is largely a class act around the ground but has real difficulty converting inside fifty. That was the case last night and their road trip to Perth. The less said about the brain fade in the NT against the pies the better. This should have been our flag. We had the team to do it. Yet another lost demon opportunity.

This same article could and was written about the tigers and lessor extent the dogs until the last couple of years. We should not take it personally and these themes will not stop until we win the flag- or at least deep into the finals. At least we are being taken seriously, and now the theme is more about low aim rather than lack of talent. It is entirely up to us, as it should be.

What stood out for me is big Max. Never seen him look as fit, back to All Australian form I would say. Also the team looked a lot more confident in their moving the ball at all cost which in the second half of last year they seemed to have lost by being too tentative. Fritsch a revelation, and a perfect replacement for Watts. Some on the park who I think will struggle to make our best 22 for round 1, particularly Brayshaw and Peterson. Saddens me to say so because at their best they are in our best 18.

I agree Cards. I think they could make the triangle there work. There could always be a footbridge over punt road of course, or even a tunnel. These things are not impossible. I also agree about parking. Whenever I go to training I have no problem parking over the Anderson Street bridge opposite the Gardens. We also should get the railways to leave the gate opposite Gosch’s paddock from Richmond Station permanently opened. There are more than adequate public transport links by train and tram. As a matter of public policy, we are getting close to banning private cars in the city anyway - or at least a congestion charge (or we should be). Part of this policy should be further encouragement for people to use public transport over cars anyway now that we are at last upgrading our rail system, not before time and admittedly in concept a job half done. City fringe centrally located headquarters there fits this perfectly, and as Jackson says “fits our traditions and future perfectly”. The thought of moving completely out to Waverley leaves me cold I’m afraid. The Casey compromise makes more sense to me.

Kate Sheahan and Gerard Whateley were discussing today if you had to choose who would you choose between Daisy Pearse and Karen Paxman. Interestingly, both went for Paxman but only by a whisker. I sometimes think us supporters forget how good Daisy really is, both for her football brain and her outstanding leadership. In my book we need to retain both into the future, but I fear with the new franchises coming in both will be on the top of their shopping lists I was watching on Saturday what Paxman does off the ball. She is an elite runner and is almost Dangerfield like in the way she is constantly on the move, often from seemingly hopeless positions but more times than not she either tackles, or forces a turnover. Or more importantly I guess, gains a possession herself. Pearce to me has more of a marking dimension to her game, and is certainly an elite tackler, particularly given her 12 tackles from Saturday. She also provides the critical leadership particularly in tight situations. Isn’t it great to talk of an elite team wearing red and blue and singing “The Grand Old Flag” after every game! Long may it continue. I think not all the red and blue supporters have cottoned on to this yet....!!