Earl Hood

Many more candidates ahead of Petty for a delist. We are very short on tall key position players at the moment.

I think the only MFC KPF star of yesteryear that would struggle today would be Jakovich. More than enough talent but he had attitude issues, didn’t like training all that much, wasn’t overly fit and was a free spirit who would not have liked being put in a straight jacket with all of today’s team rules and coaching.

We could be too fresh after one game in how many months? I hope tomorrow’s Intra Club at the MCG is full on. I don’t want manic tackling but it should go the full time to test their fitness and make it clear performances will count.

Well come on Saty you can make that argument but if we insist on bombing it in long we may as well train for it even though many say, as I do we used to train differently. From my PreCovid training observations we move the ball around but in a game we bomb long? Que.

This was always likely, anyone watching Frost over his journey could see he was progressively limiting his clangers and increasing his zingers, if that is a word to describe his extraordinary athletic and often audacious dashes out of defence. He was always a defensive weapon just had to work to his strengths, size and speed and limit his kicking errors. In a well organised defence it seems it is working.

Tigers totally outplayed yet had one less scoring shot and kicked I think 2 goals 6 from set shots and those set shots weren’t difficult. Now we regularly kicked the same from set shots last year and reckon it cost us about 4 games. Can’t work out why they don’t put more store into goal kicking accuracy. It wins games.

Christ can Hawthorn just go away, ever? They look like premiership stuff this half again!

Looks like it is going to be a bizarre year. The Tiges are making every error you can think up.

That last free for holding the ball in front of goal was rubbish. Yes the tiger grabbed the loose ball was immediately tackled, no prior but actually got a stifled handball in to release the ball, but gets pinged. Hawks look to be on fire but the Tigers have been insipid.

What’s going on with the Tigers? They look like us, missing targets by foot, handballs to your feet, missing a set shot from dead in front, leaving key forwards unguarded. Bizarre.

Would love Sparrow to get a guernsey to see what he has got. But gee as an inside/outside mid he is going to struggle to get a run with Oliver, Viney, Tracc, Brayshaw and Harmes and newbies Langdon and Tomlinson ahead of him. Only so many midfield/wing spots available I suppose.

6 Petracca 5 Oliver 4 Gawn 3 Hunt 2 Rivers 1 Langdon

Kid can play

Jeremy Howe walking out has cost us a lot in retrospect. We would not have needed to chase Lever as an intercept back and instead would have taken our first rounders. So far Lever is just a player, hope this changes.

Trouble is work rate is mental stuff not fitness. We got arrogant in the second quarter, thinking it was just going to be a stroll in the park and what worries me the over confident, lairising culprits were our on field leaders, Max and Steven May in the second quarter giving away 2 goals and letting the Blues back into the game. After that the team lost its nerve and confidence. That said it is Smith out, OMac in I think. Kossie in and Lockhart possibilities. And the Weid in and need to seriously look at TMac

Andrew you are making sense, don’t worry you will learn! Welcome aboard.

Ummh 2 goals what though? If they kicked their set shots?

Sorry I am a Smith fan but he was shizen today, no idea when to go or when to stay back on your man, total liability. Yes his first game down back but I worry now about his footy IQ. He has ability but how do you use it. I wonder if he is best used on the wing, looks like a limited future. I thought Tomlinson was okay today myself. He wasn’t recruited to take big marks.

Definitely watch the first quarter but not after.

Logic says it can’t be the coach or the players because it has been going on for so long. I don’t have an answer but it seems to be part of our culture, a tendency to be arrogant and to coast along when we have a half decent side. Oh for the days of Norm Smith and Ronald Dale! Tough and hard, never give an inch stuff!

Exactly you could sense trouble with about 5 minutes to go in second quarter, we started to lairise and Captain Max was number 1 culprit, then we had May trying for a specy off the back of the pack that led to their first goal. Added to that we stopped running and dropped tacking pressure. In short we dropped back a gear then found ourselves besieged and had no idea how to regain control. Worrying signs for me. Their is a lot of potential talent there but big questions on player selection, game plan and leadership.

Ummh not good. Smith had a shocker, May made a couple of poor decisions he would regret and as for his kick outs, could you once look for an option to your right? You know just to keep them guessing. Why was Jetta on Mackay and Smith on Betts? Lever just not sure, you need to be at the ground to see the full value he is adding, it was not obvious on TV. And do we cut Salem some slack for his first game as his disposal at times was atrocious. Rivers was superb I thought.

The better side lost Uncle! I have serious concerns for the mental fragility of this squad, well at least the leadership group.

Yes but what was that arrogant flip out the back from the boundary throw in that went straight to Carlton while all our mids are in front of him? That set up their first goal after May instead of punching tried to take a screamer from behind. I hope a Goody has a word to both. God after last year how could you get over confident in 2 quarters of good football?

Struggling with the pace of ball movement so fumbled a couple but he is getting into the right positions and hopefully the nerves settle.