Earl Hood

Most MFC improved for 2016?

Getting talent in would be great but I think we currently have some talented kids and experienced types but really how we work together as a football team is absolute rubbish. I really struggle with why that is the case given we have Roos and a million dollar list of assistant coaches to educate our players.

I liked what I saw today and the best part of his play was the typical uncomplicated, play the percentages backman's game. Punch the ball, grab the loose ball and run and kick wide to the defensive flank if there is no other option. Well played Frosty, now can you grab TMac aside and read him the riot act because Tom cancels out his pluses with his risk taking endeavours that just don't need to be taken, by him at least. Yes we need rebound off the half back line but it needs to come thru Hunt and in the future I hope Salem, the Prince and others. Obviously the backline game plan needs further work, as does the rest of our game plan.

Yes I totally agree Uncle if Jesse doesn't have clear line of sight between his designated role and the team's mission statement and goals then there will enevitably be engagement and alignment issues and confusion about the strategic direction the team is pursuing. No wonder he struggled today and the fact he slid into the point post hurting his knee didn't help either.

It is the game plan that worries me! It ensures no matter how many extra disposals we get, how many extra inside 50's we have, the scores will still be close, if we are lucky. This obsession with the corridor is killing us, it is too predictable and too difficult to execute and is high consequence if it fails. A number of times we switched play across half back then we had options loose up the line on the southern wing but the ball carrier is only looking inboard then kicks to a 50/50 contest in the centre so if it is turned over our goals are wide open. Why switch play if you are not wanting to create loose players to then use them?

Are we tanking?

Nut just the same this time, some 9 years later, a 3 hour 35 song tour de force by The Cure on Thursday night. A. Great show and Robert Smith somehow does all the vocals and utilises 5 or 6 guitars as he works his way through 30 plus of his own songs, the man is a genius. No other band has the same sound and in a 40 year career he has never had to contemplate a need to accommodate the latest music fad because the Cure is the Cure I suppose. Anyway I was again blown away by their music just as I was when they last toured here in 2007. What has changed in those 9 years is their audience, the Gothics have gone since 2007 and have been replaced by a large number of younger people with iPhones etc. great nights entertainment.

I think Malcolm got over the line by about 98,000 odd votes, that's not a great mandate but he has claimed a majority of seats to govern but alas today he has stumbled at the first hurdle with his Captains decision to not back Rudd for the UN Secreatery General office. The decision has nothing to do with Rudd the candidate but it was totally a power struggle within the LNP cabinet and Turnbull's influence. A hundred years of precedent of backing Australians of whatever political persuasion for international posts has been trashed because some conservative inner party hacks decided so because they hold the numbers. Malcolm as leader looks less than convincing by the day!

OK I have little knowledge in this area but some interest so firstly where do people rate Carlos Santana in the pantheon on guitarists? And after attending another extraordinary 3 hour performance by The Cure last night I wonder where Robert Smith lines up? He describes himself as a guitarist with limited technique "but at least I don't sound like anyone else"! Which begs the question how do you judge great musicians, on technical ability or their unique sound?

PDee can you vouch for the canapés at the local Mont Albert Ladies tennis club? I have it on good authority that they are second to none!

Hoping for 1,5,7,10 and 29 to be big fish in 2 years.

I am personally hoping we have a big fish already on our list, Oliver, Hogan, Brayshaw, weideman.... I would rather develop our own stars, trying to land a high priced one from somewhere else will be very difficult for us. However if there is a Shaun Burgoyne equivalent available this year, let's go for it.

Probably the Pies have first dibs there!

Let's get Hugh McCluggage please, will be a cult figure surely! Got no idea if he can play. Reminds me of Clutch Cargo for some reason.

Barney I checked Demonwiki, Eddie played 8 games in 66 for 13 goals. He must have had something more going for him that his stats don't indicate.

Prenders had about the same hit rate in the draft as if MFC had picked me off the street as I was walking past during the draft period and asked me to make the calls. However I would back myself on the early picks to have got a better outcome, go for the player with some aggro, with some size and demonstrated leadership. On those criteria you would pick Darling over Cook, DMartin over say Trengove, Wines over the Toump etc to name a few.

I made my first bet several weeks ago, my first bet for about 20 years and for a sizeable sum for me anyway; this one is on the Dorks to win the flag. I am expecting a big pay out so I will be happy and if by some extraordinary upset I won't be all that sad. This is about therapy. I can't believe Sportsbet was offering 6 to 1 several weeks ago, the odds have since moved into 3.75. Two games clear on top, the Dorks won't have to play away from home in the finals, who is going to beat them from here? Should be money for jam!

DC business never stops as you know. i must drop in to the Mont Albert tennis club to check out the afternoon tea! I am thinking about rebooting my tennis career. Do you think they could use a right hander with a lethal backhand and a big kicking serve?

I nominate skills, on field leadership, umpiring and game plan. The spirit was there today, skills were wanting at times, our game plan is a negative under pressure, the umps didn't help and we don't have top shelf leadership.

Our game plan doesn't help us win close ones. Too much handball which means we overuse the ball and increase the odds of intercepts, turnovers, plain mistakes etc. we also move the ball into the corridor in our back half and using too much handball means if there is a turnover we get screwed. We are not fast nor overly skilled, so we need to use the ball by foot a lot more.

Move him forward and bring back Dunn.

It has been a sad week with the passing of Lady Susan Renouf, the doyen of Melbourne Society. Of course I attended the farewell with the rest of the who is who of Melbourne society. It was great to catch up with my old University chums Andy Peacock, Bluey Walker, Bobby Doyle and Micky Kroger. And the cream of Melbourne's matrons were there of course to pay their respects It was a marvellous farewell at Saint Andrews Church in Brighton and later on at the reception, well at least until the congenial atmosphere was somewhat sullied by the appearance of an unlikely character who I observed scoffing the canapés, sculling the bubbly and touching up some of the matrons, one of whom shrieked "what are you doing here DC?"

Salem in the Development League???

Got down to training this morning just in time to see the seniors walking off and those that remained I assume will be playing at Casey; the group included Grimes and White. Poor Grimsey pays the price for a poor game. Oliver was there and Spencer. The group did not include Stretch, Bugg, Dawes and I think ANB. Two changes and two emergencies?

Yes Wise you have covered most of it. I would also add that in the years we looked dangerous we would inevitably drop a succession of winnable games to ensure we did not finish top 2. This ensured we were playing cut throat finals games and later on that we would be travelling interstate like 94, 2002, 2006. In the late 80's I remember we could not win a game if Danny Hughes was missing, then in 94 we dropped successive games when the Ox was out, later on there was the Neitz effect. Too much reliance on too few perhaps, not so much in talent but in terms of on field leadership. Had we been able to keep our best players fit and durable like can be achieved with today's fitness regimes we would have snaffled a cup during the 90's I am sure. I still think 1990, 91 and 1993 were missed opportunities; these were years when relatively ordinary sides got the chocolates.