Earl Hood

I suppose we are within one more loss of experimenting with the likes of Bedford, Baker, Smith I suppose.

Yeah he is getting in the way of TMac, Melk, Hannan, Spargo who would be kicking bags every week. Add Weid who has had a few yips. At least Fritsch marks the ball to give himself a chance. Would love him to be straighter and put more pressure on but what are the others doing? Very surprised Spargo and/or Hannan both kept a place. And Lockhart, what is that about? I thought Lockhart could be swung forward to put some pressure on as we were smashed there last week but no he is out omitted! Usually if he is being rested they say managed don’t they?

I am wondering if we could use him as a defensive forward this week! The backline is working but the lack of forward line pressure was appalling last week and opened us up as the dogs streamed out of our F50 in numbers time after time especially in the 3rd.

Think we are stuck with TMac for the moment as we need a backup ruck and we don’t want Weid playing that role now that he has clicked as a KPF. Can Brown ruck? Don’t know. Interestingly seeing the Dogs use Dunkley for boundary throw-ins to some effect I wonder if we couldn’t think outside the square on the backup ruck issue. Wonder if we are going to keep playing AVB, he could play the Dunkley roll in the forward part of the ground?

Reading the article this morning and then reflecting on it there are numerous players who attacked, taunted and villified Robbie and numerous officials who looked the other way but you know who failed him most, his own Saints team mates! No lack of enforcers in those days to protect him from physical abuse, spitting, hair grabbing and plain racial abuse on the field. Yet he got no protection from the senior players on his own side. Wasn’t that the basic mantra in 70’s footy folk law, we stick up for each other against the opposition, it’s us against them? They let him down big time but I don’t think he was ever accepted into the side despite his enormous talent. He was left to fight his own battles.

For the Saints who will replicate the Dogs match play, run and switch play we need to add some pace and defensive forward pressure. Lockhart goes to a forward pocket with instructions to chase & tackle. Jetta comes in down back. Viney plays defensive forward and Harmes takes an on ball tagging role. Jones and Gawn come in for some leadership and passion. Brown in for TMac if he can pinch hit in the ruck. Need to look at Rivers, Bedford and Hunt on the bench. As to who comes out, take your pick after last week, likely Pruess, TMacc, Kossie, Spargo and/or Hannan! Sparrow injured.

I don’t think Fritsch is our first order problem. 10 marks, 3 contested, 1 goal 2 and 1 out of bounds! Should have kicked 2 to 3 but he is not our real problem. Where were the other forwards? Weid tried hard and took some strong marks for 2 goals but the rest? Melk kicking from 20m has the ball touched FFS. AVB? Spargo, Hannan? Pickett needs a rest. TMac is struggling but with no Jackson we need him for the ruck work and bringing the ball to the ground up forward. We have too many passengers each week. Not sure there is much in the reserves to bring in that makes a difference. Jones in, maybe Bennell. Maybe more so we need the engine room to fire up next week, Tracc, Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney, need to do better guys!

Certainly the holding the ball, incorrect disposal law doesn’t exist anymore after watching today’s game.

Yes he struggled today yes but guess what he gets points for struggling, getting to contests, getting gang tackled, forcing secondary ball ups, taking it up to the Bulldogs midfield for 4 quarters. It wasn’t pretty but what were the others doing in the midfield? Unfortunately Tracc, Oliver, Brayshaw also struggled and not for 4 quarters, they went missing for long periods and when they did get it, they didn’t capitalise.

Oddly what you say is correct yet you know if you watched the game we were outplayed for 3 of 4 quarters. And that is the worry, we were lucky not to be blown away, thanks to May, Lever and Tomlinson perhaps. We do have strengths and the ability to string together some great play but if we don’t totally dominate the midfield we are vulnerable to a good running side.

Is Tracca being tagged? Need a big second half from him.

Not totally conclusive but looks like him!

Now my wife has shown me a picture that shows the bad Dimma holding Green with Wallis in front before the punch that could have killed him, let’s be honest. Looks pretty damning to me. The MFC media people should pile on big time on this. However I suspect we will see the good Dimma reappear tomorrow to apologise for his comments and talk about great human beings and all the love etc....

Where’s the love gone Dimma? Dr Jekyll turns out to be Mr Hyde!

Yes my wife has said it was Dimma holding Green when he was assaulted from something she heard on radio. She is not Melbourne. If this is true I hope our Melbourne media people go to town on this despicable act. Imagine throwing barbs about the 2000 final knowing you held a first year player so he could be punched by a fellow thug. Yes I suppose after saying that maybe that is why Dimma is upset I mean compared to the weak, sniping [censored] he and his fellow players did under Sheedy, Lynch is an alter boy!

Gee we could use him this season as an option but not to be this year, a real shame.

I think many of us just noted his height or lack thereof and then looked for compensating attributes of agility, explosive pace, uncanny goal sense? I didn’t see these attributes last year. Not fast, couldn’t stick a tackle, not a great kick but a very reliable footy player, yes, but then where does he fit in? But this week it was 10 or so minutes of exceptional, opportunistic small forward play to snag 3 goals and set one up for Brayshaw. I admit that effort has changed my view of Spargo in that he may just have the footy IQ to make it as a small forward. Let’s hope so.

Bennell is an interesting case. I watched Ross Lyon and Lloyd on Footy Classifieds on Wednesday analysing Brad Hill’s recent poor form. Footage showed him pulling out of contests, not chasing, fumbling and just not getting the ball etc. It was damning stuff but Lyon’s response to Lloyd’s question, should he be dropped was that we know his skill set is not crash and bash but speed and ball use. Ross was adamant the coaching group has to work on strategies for the team to get the ball into his hands. Ross seemed to think that is a no brainer for a good coach. I couldn’t help thinking if we have a similar situation with Bennell. He is still developing confidence in his body and no he won’t be running into packs but should we get a few more games into him and develop strategies to get the ball to him. In a similar vein I thought in our early games we were not using Langdon enough, he was always in position as an option for the ball carrier but we kept banging it up the line to contests. But in the past 4 or 5 games our mids have realised he will always be an option wide if they are in trouble and he has been great for us retaining possession and resetting our inside50’s. The coaching group knows better where Bennell is at fitness wise and if he still has the weapons that made him a great player.

I would look to get Bennell back in the side and work on ways to get the ball to him. He is an outsider with class but we aren’t making the most of his finishing skills. Would be good to have him in form towards the end of the season.

One of the many plusses for the night was Puess I thought. What I loved was not that he smashed the ruck because he didn’t but he competed and took the odd mark and kicked the ball long to advantage. He showed some footy IQ which I thought he didn’t have. In the past he has mixed good stuff with bad stuff but today after a long layoff he seriously challenged Grundy I thought. Max can take an extra week if he needs it now.

6 Langdon 5 Oliver 4 Brayshaw 3 Spargo 2 Petracca 1 Pruess

Love this guy but needs to check his stops. Slips over at crucial moments, that is his only downside. Otherwise he often attacks from back pocket to set up plays the opposition never saw coming.

Great team effort tonight albeit against a banged up Pies unit who still had some great players, Sidebottom, Adams, Grundy et al. But looking at the game we had a few passengers so there is ample room for improvement on paper of course. Do we have better options for Tomlinson, Jones, TMac, AVB? Don’t change all but there are some options to include one or more of Hannan or OMac if the matchups are there.

Can we check our footwear during the break a few of our guys are slipping over. Looking for a big second half from Petracca and Oliver to take the game away from them completely.

I love modern umpiring. Last week Max had a serial pest charging into him repeatedly off the contest but that’s OK. Tonight Harmes takes a Mark with an opposition player coming front on at him. He throws a a clenched fist at the players thigh to let him know he didn’t appreciate the attention but wait that is a free kick! A north player runs back with the flight of the ball and gets collected, not high but that again is a free? I could go on about the tackles that start correctly but the player ducks their head so an arm goes over their head and that is a high tackle, then you get Kossie running onto a loose ball only to be obviously retarded right in front of the umpire but that is play on. I no longer know what the rules of the game are.