Earl Hood

Selection will be interesting this week. With Simon moving on will there be any changes in philosophy as to player changes and who plays where?

I have done a bit of personal hiring in my career and for management positions I always choose the candidate who won’t be available for 6 months!

Umpires determining this one. Free kicks in front of goal to Gunston, one wasn’t there, the second one was but the Hawks played on and missed but the umps call it back, ridiculous!

Will Day is looking like the best midfielder in the comp at the moment.

Hawks applying amazing pressure all over the ground. Something we used to do but can only dream about these days.

What’s happened to Hogan, his form has fallen off a cliff.

Given the selections can we push Petty back to work with TMac and Howes and bring Turner forward to work with Fritsch and JVR? Turner seems to know how to lead, has good hands and can kick straight, mostly. Watching JVR last week at the ground, he is really struggling up forward. Doesn’t look like taking a contested mark. And I noted even in space he doesn’t use his body to keep the defender’s fist from the incoming ball as Fritsch would do instinctively. I just don’t think he has been well tutored in the intricacies of the forward craft. But at the moment he is our designated back up ruck and that’s getting him a game.

Norm Smith?

Three for me, 186, 96 and today’s 46! In heartbreakers I would include the 2023 first final loss to Collingwood as well. Managed to lose that one by 7 points despite an Inside 50 differential of +32! Someone on Demonland later posted the statistic that a team had only lost 3 times with such a plus I50 differential since they started measuring that stat back in 2000. And we did it twice out of the 3! That’s 2200 odd games of AFL and we managed the almost impossible to lose and with it a very good shot at the flag that year.

And are we to believe that if the last bounce of the ball had gone forward and May took possession 0.10 second before impact and Evans still gets concussed because May is 7 cm taller, there would have been no case to answer?

We must appeal

The Hamilton Burger of legal advocates!

How TF did Pearce get off? He could see the guy coming at him. May had no time.

Doubt that very much as May would have taken possession but still cleaned up Evans on the way through so would have been charged I suspect. Now if May was 12 cm shorter the collision’s impact would have been different and Evans would be on trial.

Not confident at all despite the actual facts. We have Adrian “Hamilton Burger” Anderson advocating to Jeff “Maynard could not have reasonably foreseen the violent impact on Brayshaw” Gleeson!

That’s a small sample size I think. We spotted up Pickett twice, thrice this match, prior to that Kossie was turning loose, ground ball entries into gold but that’s him. Why aren’t our key forwards leading, running zig zag patterns, working to spread the defence? I don’t know but I suspect we don’t coach it. And our small forwards are rarely front and centre for the crumb from a contested pack. Why?

My thoughts too. It’s as much about the delivery into I50 and our forward line strategies or lack thereof, as the calibre of our forward cattle! Yes it would be great to have a 200 cm plus, pack crashing, high marking focal point up forward but they are hard to find. Not sure Joe would be the answer but if he was keen well maybe at a reasonable price. I still believe with much better delivery and much better forward craft and teamwork that we could construct a very serviceable forward line from the following - Fritsch, Kossie, Turner, Melksham, Petty, Chandler, Spargo, JVR, Jefferson, Tracc, Langford and I would throw in May as an option to extend his career and Viney as a defensive small forward. And hopefully a full preseason for Kentfield would add to the mix. P.S. If we don’t sharpen up our set shot goal kicking accuracy it’s all a waste of time.

Woewodin seems to have plateaued. What role is he being asked to play in the side?

Yes but it is Darcknee Moore!

The real offence is accidental, high contact, severe impact. If both players were of equal size then it’s about 0.2 of a second difference as to who takes the ball first and takes the big hit. But we all know that if someone has been collected high there must be a guilty perpetrator, but of course only if it involves bumps etc. No issues, no “duty of care” if you take someone out from behind with a flying knee to the spleen or back of the head spoiling or taking a mark.

Any idea what that free was for? I was expecting a free and 50m for the late unnecessary shove into the fence.

I counted 3 throws in that last Collingwood surge toward goal ending with a Darcknee Moore special play to give away 50m. and loose the game.

6 Pickett 5 Gawn 4 Fritsch 3 Bowey 2 Rivers 1 Oliver - because he played his 200th.

The rule is 5 metres, the Demon player was 8 to 10 wide of the zone. And it’s 50m really? Absolute rubbish decision.

Let’s hope so. Arguing that you were aiming for the chest but the relative player positions changed due to Salem and as such you got Sparrow in the head by accident should not carry any weight surely, after the ruling on Kossie last year. The tribunal ruled that Kossie should have foreseen that Moore would/could drop at the knees so his plea of unforeseeable accidental high contact was thrown out. Let’s see what happens, it is the tribunal after all and if Jeff Gleeson is involved anything could happen.