Earl Hood

Yes can’t replace ANB defensively and didn’t do enough offensively. We missed Kosi and ANB’s forward pressure I thought. Hawks moved the ball out of their backline too easily.

6 Oliver 5 Gawn 4 Langdon 3 May 2 Brayshaw 1 Bowie

6 Gawn 5 Petracca 4 May 3 Oliver 2 Viney 1 Spargo

I thought he must have Covid issues, close contact or something?

I was sure the push in the back rule was adopted to protect the man in front from just being pushed forward out of a marking contest so the man behind can just take a chest mark. Had that one wrong on tonight’s interpretation anyway. No it seems it’s more for when some guy has already fallen forward to the ground with the ball and the tackler falls into his back.

6 Gawn 5 May 4 Harmes 3 Jordan 2 Brayshaw 1 Langdon

Yes I was there. I remember commenting to my friend at I think it was the 12 minute mark of the first quarter that “ gee have you noticed we haven’t had a possession yet?” And I think by then Wines ( who we didn’t draft against everybody’s thinking) had already kicked 2 goals! Have I got the right game?

6 Oliver 5 Brayshaw 4 Langdon 3 Weideman 2 Bowie 1 Harmes

The few times I have seen Brown he has always looked like a natural forward. Tall agile, knows where to run and good hands. He has been inaccurate at times and hasn’t been given a second chance unlike others.

Get him down back and tell him he is accountable for an opposition forward! Let’s see how he goes. if he refuses to be accountable in the backline then it’s time to end the relationship. At least we might learn something not just repeating the same thing over and over.

I am saying to trial him at CHB at Casey, if it works then you have a selection option. At the moment he is not a selection option at all. And I just don’t see him making it as a forward but he definitely has size, mobility and clean hands (if there isn’t a fist coming through of course). At this stage he won’t be at the club next year.

Been saying for 2 years throw him to CHB and let’s see what he has. If it worked Petty could return forward. Weid appears to have the tools to play off half back, and it’s easier to play there and build some confidence than be a key forward with limited opportunities and someone sitting off your left shoulder all day.

6 Tracc 5 Oliver 4 Bowey 3 Jackson 2 May 1 ANB

Been saying for 2 years Weideman should be trialled as a CHB for periods at Casey to see whether he is a natural defender and build his confidence, he would appear to have the attributes. Petty forward, Weideman back might be a good combo. Now with injuries we need the option of another tall back.

Who was the comedian who tossed the coin? Quite funny I thought.

Looks like it’s mandatory to smile when you get a decision against you! Ludicrous that’s about four 50’s for head shaking.

That’s a big part of the poor play. The midfield dominance that underpinned our big wins last year just isn’t there tonight. Viney is MIA, Max, Oliver, Harmes and Tracc getting possessions but not working together and not getting back defensively and an undermanned backline is being exposed. LJ, Kossie, Spargo, Hunt really struggling. Hope this is the shocker we needed.

The team must have missed all the AFL memos this week about the focus on time wasting, umpire abuse etc!

Except on the score board but that doesn’t really count in the wash up.

Yes thought it must be my eyes.

Doesn’t look like they had to remove any mature trees that I can see although I haven’t had a look at the Punt Rd side.

Gosch’s Paddock update. I guess the drainage & irrigation piping has been laid since my last inspection, now they have laid down a heap of sand and the surveyors were out this morning checking the levels. Seems like a heap of sand, so what’s next, a layer of soil or do we go straight to laying instant turf? Anyway things are certainly moving toward the May completion target date. Hanging out for training to return home. Casey is too far away for me and with the ground gates closed why would you bother to make the pilgrimage?

Good point I hadn’t taken that issue into account. However I remember they stripped back the other playing surfaces outside AAMI, about 3 years ago, did some levelling and then recovered with new turf. This is the training ground for Melbourne Storm and the Rebels. From vague memory they were back training on it within a month or so?

Rode past Gosch’s this morning as part of my new year’s resolution to get back in the saddle and lose some kilos. The good news is the works are due to be completed in May this year. Hopefully training gets relocated there from its current interstate location out at Casey! I rode over to the tennis centre and heard someone hitting balls on the practice courts on Swan Street so stopped to have a peek through the fence. A young Chinese woman was hitting up with a not so young male coach and she had very powerful ground stokes. But my eye was drawn to the male coach and the way he was so effortlessly hitting the ball, just a joy to watch and strong on both sides, hardly mis hitting a ball. The more I looked the more familiar he became, it was Pat Cash. He is 56 but from a distance he looks just as fit as when he was at his peak. His student’s name escapes me but she is ranked number 34 in the world.

That effort put an end to Leigh Matthews’ old maxim about goals behind > minutes remaining equals sure defeat. That is if your 3 goals down with less than 3 min to go you are stuffed. Not anymore it seems.