Earl Hood

Interesting Kane Cornes said on SEN whoever the new coach will be needs to deal with the senior players Oliver, Viney, Tracc and Gawn. He is very critical saying they have been mollycoddled by coach and club to the detriment of the team. Interestingly he agreed that any new coach prospect putting that to the board of course won’t get the job. I think he has a valid point although it’s a bit too extreme. Gawn is going nowhere but if there was any trade value, we should look at Oliver or Tracc.

Agree. I was at the game and drawn into the contest of course, so I need to look at the replay but my overall impression is we were mostly outrun by the Dogs and should have been overwhelmed but we stayed in the contest with numerous intercepts inside D50 with quick movement forward. And it was the unpredictability of our forward entries that allowed us to score when we needed to. For once Melk and Fritsch could use their mobility and smarts to greater effect. And we didn’t have opposition KPDs intercepting and marking at will in the drop zone from our normal and repeated, predictable long hack kicks forward.

6 Gawn 5 Pickett 4 TMac 3 Oliver 2 Petty 1 Langford

At what point should a core midfield group be beyond the need for detailed instruction? Gawn, Oliver, Viney and Tracc should, after 10 seasons together be able to read each other’s minds at CBAs.

What are these free kicks for?

Yep the more times I look at it, it was a side on charge at full speed at the player gathering the ball. If it was a tackle, it was a highly dangerous one, admittedly putting both players at risk. One would be tempted to call it unwarranted and rough conduct that a “reasonable player” would avoid.

Jeff Gleeson’s “reasonable player” would have predicted that he wouldn’t get to the ball first and had a duty of care to pull out! Standby for a new definition of what a “reasonable player” can predict.

I note the Channel 7 panel all saying it’s a genuine accident, nothing to see here. Saying Newcomb was not intending to bump but to tackle? apparently. Not sure that counts if the May ruling is a precedent, that is the reasonable player should have pulled out.

This is going to be interesting to see what Jeff Gleesons’ “reasonable player” should have done in that clash, especially if the reasonable player is playing for a club in contention and with the finals coming up. Oh sorry I am assuming Newcomb gets cited.

Don’t call us, we will call you!

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!