Earl Hood

Any Dee’s supporters in the crowd? We will be battling the umpires all night I suspect.

My memory is that Corey McKiernan took an extraordinary mark that year, running with the flight of the ball into an oncoming pack. For me in terms of courage and degree of difficulty it outscored Moorecroft’s effort which is spectacular but if you get a step ladder in front of you with a high ball coming in, you can see how mere mortals might be able to do it. Where as those few spectacular marks you see where players run with the flight are something else, e.g. Jack Reiwolt’s effort this year. Jeremy Howe also took a screamer at the G some years back, running with the flight and somehow launched himself to take the ball on the shoulders of a stunned WC’s Embley.

Yes Gleeson asks what’s changed in the midfield from the first 12 rounds to the last 3? The personnel are the same but I think both Tracc and Oliver have dropped off about 20% and Gawn slightly. Is it just workrate? Perhaps we don’t bat deep enough in the midfield to match it with the better teams. We lack a centre clearance specialist it seems. I thought Yze would really give us a boost in that area this year but we have gone backwards.

Interesting stat caught my eye having a coffee this morning and looking at match review in The Hun. We had 23 shots at goal for an actual accuracy of 30% (7 goals, 13 behinds and 3 out of bounds) while the expected accuracy was 70%! The expected accuracy it seems, is based on the AFL average accuracy for where each shot at goal is taken. So average accuracy would have us kick more like 13 goals 7. That is a long way off the mark for a top team. GWS were a bit better at 40%, expected 65% I think. It’s those set shots from inside 40m and very little angle that we miss seemingly every week that do my head in. Fix that accuracy just to AFL average and we win most games.

Last week on TV I thought Weid looked good but he is playing a role similar to TMacc who is excelling in that fed roaming role up to the wing. We need a deep target for him to kick too.

From what I saw last Sunday, Weid looked good playing the high half forward/wing role. Problem is that is where TMac is killing them, especially today he was brilliant but he is commanding the ball between wing and half forward and then kicking into a forward void of Spargo, ANB and Fritsch.

Holding over for Thursday game?

I thought having Yze in this year as midfield coach would finally allow us to take full advantage of our obvious strengths, that is best ruck, Gawn delivering to AA players like Oliver and Petracca, with Viney, Harmes, and add cameos from Kozzie, Sparrow and Melksham. That in centre bounces we would learn to read Gawns taps and flick the ball around to find a mid free and running toward goal like we used to see with the Cats and Hawks great midfield groups so often. And like we managed in 2018. Instead we have got to the point where we are getting smashed most weeks at centre clearances and battling to compensate elsewhere against good sides. interested in thoughts about how to reset the midfield, especially at centre bounces. Viney is struggling, he goes out or maybe goes forward as a defensive forward, in place of Kozzie, who needs a rest or Spargo, ditto. Do we bring Brayshaw back into the midfield and LJ goes to the wing and Max does more time as ruck, less forward, assuming BB comes in as a forward target? So many ways to reshuffle but if we continued to get smashed in the centre we won’t win against good sides.

6 Salem 5 TMac 4 Gawn 3 May 2 Fritsch 1 Langdon

Had our chances in the last 5 minutes but stuffed up the forward entries. Hunt had three brain fades in a row!

Difficult to see on TV but The expert comments are saying we are playing a 7 man defence giving GWS an extra around the ball when it’s being contested. We are getting belted around stoppages and thru the middle. Time to get numbers back in the middle I think. Is it Jordan playing back to make up the 7?

6 Lever 5 May 4 Oliver 3 Salem 2 Brayshaw 1 Langdon

I thought Choco had fixed our set shot yips?

Yes Mitch Brown would be handy.

Poor on field leadership by the Dogs. They had done all the hard work and then take an intercept mark on the wing with 1.05 minutes on the clock and….kick up the line to a contest??? Could not believe it. Don’t you find someone sideways or backwards and work it slowly forward to soak up time?

That is an interesting observation, not presenting ahead of the ball carrier. I witnessed it , at MCG, in our bad years when we would be in contention in the very odd game and see players forward of our ball carrier run to pick up an opposition player rather than run into space for the pass. Players unwilling to take a risk for whatever reason, it happens but as a team you can’t function successfully with that mindset. Time to move on with our forward line set up. As for Weid as I have said elsewhere, he has all the attributes to be a good intercept marking backman but we never tried him there. Darcy Moore was going to be a key forward but where is he now?

Good point OD I was yelling at the TV, why were we kicking wide to the pockets consistently? In contrast to our usual game plan. By the fourth quarter I was assuming we were going wide because we had zero confidence in our key forwards to even make a contest. All we needed was Weid and TMac for that matter to punch the ball! I cut TMac some slack as he has runs on the board and should have kicked 2 goals. So the real issue as you say a trust problem with our midfield delivering or not delivering to a key forward. It used to do my head in years ago when Watts would be leading out on his own and the mids would ignore or not see and bomb it to a contest, always wondered if it was myopic or intentional.

Interesting that Worpel for the Hawks got a week for what looked a fairly insipid so called sling tackle. Looking at yesterday’s match there were 2 or 3 sling tackles that could be deemed similar or worse! Crickets from the MRP.

Lucky it was only one, it was graded as careless but it looks intentional to me. He had no interest in the ball.

And think the coaches will have a heart to heart with Kozzie in the game review. A bit too much flying for spekies, giving away frees and then that dribble goal attempt in the last when he had an option on the outside. He will learn from it.

Yes we looked tired after a 10 day break, let’s hope that after this 14 day break we are less tired and come out firing! Not sure about the fatigue factor, it’s all above the shoulders. Gee we need to have a forensic examination of our centre bounce setups and our lack of clearances at stoppages.

Too late now I suppose but I would have thrown Weid back pre season and Petty forward. I think Weid could be a good half back, intercepting mark. And Petty can take a grab forward.

I think they mean the Mornington Peninsula Football League is circling!

6 Jackson 5 Gawn 4 Salem 3 Jordon 2 May 1 Hunt I am not giving votes to our midfield running brigade as it was smashed around the stoppages and didn’t apply pressure, didnt run and didn’t man up. Max and LJ did a lot of good work but with little support. Oliver threatened at one stage to turn it around but kept getting caught, trying to do too much probably because he lacked support and Tracc spent the day turning the ball over, kicking to the pockets or out of bounds or having his handballs intercepted! I know we mark our midfield harshly but when it gets beaten the team gets beaten.

Survey done and good questions, not sure about the relevance of my answers. Racism is common I think but must admit I haven’t heard it for years at a game but then I have a reserved seat in our MFC area. Most of our fans are too busy abusing the umpires to worry about some swarthy types playing for the opposition.