Earl Hood

Interesting player Joel. We all agree he is an athlete first, footballer second. He seems a likely forward like his dad but he has struggled there. He has been turned into a key back playing for Casey and the odd game in the ones but with injuries has been on the fringe and many see him as a risky defender in the Frost mode. He is 190 cm, watching him at training I know he can run and cover territory, he has good hands at ground level and can take an high mark. Then Alan Richardson last year, talks about Joel having absolute elite endurance ability, second to none in the AFL. So when I read that, my thoughts were why haven’t we tried this guy on the wing or a run with, negating mid role to maximise his athletic skills. We know his disposal isn’t great but neither was Langdon’s when he came to us and he has worked hard to become competent in that area. And haven’t Geelong turned a guy like Blicavs, a former steeplechaser, a pure athlete, into an asset on the wing? Anyway just some thoughts on how to use this guy to maximise his talents now that he has been resigned for another year.

He has been playing backline when fit since before last season, why would they pick him as a forward now? if he does play forward this week that would indicate to me that the Weid’s cards are stamped and he is halfway out of the club. I can’t see it myself.

6 ANB 5 Jackson 4 Petracca 3 Harmes 2 Oliver 1 Gawn

If this goes for 20 minutes they are saying on 7 that we get awarded the match.

Max, Oliver and Tracc have to turn it on in the second half.

Some one tell the umpires it’s wet weather footy. An arm in the wrong place that does not impede a WC player should not be a free.

Odd looking at the video that the Suns player has hold of Viney’s jumper and pulling him down, rather than what you expect of someone in that position. You expect them to be pushing Viney off them. Not sure what was going on there.

Would have liked to see Jacko given a rest and run Weid in the same role just to see what Weid has got to give when released from the key forward role that he struggles with so far in his career. At VFL level he looks comfortable in a more mobile role, he has size, mobility and clean hands when not in a pack, just don’t believe we have fully explored this guy’s best position, which I think could be as a CHB.

Viney to defensive forward for Spargo, rest. Brayshaw into the midfield. Sparrow to the wing. Jackson rest for Weideman to play same role. JJ rest for AVB.

Could not agree more. Jackson rest, Weid in to play same role. Spargo rest, Viney goes forward and bring Sparrow into the midfield. We depend on too few in the engine room. The disposal efficiency of our key players, Gawn, Oliver, Petracca was atrocious tonight. That is partly a combination of wet conditions and pressure but the dogs engine room was much more efficient so we have a problem there.

68 hit outs to 18 yet we lost the clearances? You would think full time coaches would somehow turn that dominance to our advantage but no, for most of the season it has meant little. Max’s real value this year has been his contested marking in defence and forward, but recently and certainly tonight that wasn’t there but he did get 6 clearances but then other mids should be doing that. Our obvious strengths are being nullified by the opposition it seems. And given the Hawks got cleaned up by the Crows tonight it seems we are playing no better than a bottom 8 team since round 13.

And can I just add if BB kicks 2 straight forward set shots and Kossie just balances we would be one point down!

Same up the other end earlier, Bont drops it in a tackle but play on for an English goal! No justice. That’s footy but in the second half we need to shut down Daniel big time and then take charge of the midfield if we are to win this.

But our mids have to run with the ball deeper and deliver to give our forwards a chance. Just bombing and hoping from forward of wing at the moment.

Pies first gamer, Irish recruit Anton Tohill is son of Anthony Tohill who played a game for us in the 90’s. He is listed as 200 cm! Interesting to see how he goes.

Won’t happen but I would give LJ a rest and trial Weideman in the same role, ruck/ forward/wing which he has been playing at Casey at times I think. And Melksham in for AVB or Viney.

We won nearly every stat, disposals, inside 50’s, contested, hit outs, clearances, time in possession, shots on goal but they had more tackles, free kicks and were more accurate on goal. We were likely out coached, their game style and delivery forward negated May and Lever strengths and they were able to play around Gawn in the second half. Our finals opponents will be noting all this surely. Adelaide and the Pies have both found us out delivering the ball fast and low to close targets inside 50 for some reason the best sides have been happy to take our strengths head on but without success.

Wasn’t Choco doing a lot of goal kicking work early in the season? It’s not working and is costing us games. Set shots from inside 35m and on slight angles should be 80/20 accuracy for professionals yet it is more like 30/70 in some games. Brown was a very accurate set shot pre Melbourne, now he is 50/50 at best.

Although it would be good if Spargo could kick further than 35m.

Where is the fricking midfield? MIA again.

WTF is going on? Can anyone take a clean possession and if they do could someone give off cleanly to one of our guys in a position to do something positive? What a fricking mess that quarter was, no system, just a slog. Where are our A graders, Oliver and Tracc to get some system going?

Umpires turned feral now.

Great defensive, backs to the wall stuff by us in that last 20 minutes, I thought there, except we are on top, we aren’t playing the Bulldogs, we are playing the likely wooden spooners FFS! WTF was that about?

Is this two top teams putting so much pressure on each other that they can’t get their systems functioning and keep missing targets or is just 2 teams playing some very sloppy football?

Should have told the AFL where to go. They booted us out of Darwin, we lost the $ and handed over the development zone to the Suns and now demand we play there as well! We don’t need an energy sapping game up there at this stage with some big games to come.