Earl Hood

I watched our round 1 game recently and interesting comments from Gerard Healey and Pav as we continually bombed the ball long to McGovern and Barass was the real problem was the mid field bombing long while the forwards were leading out leaving West Coast to mark unopposed! This went on all game, so the forward line strategy hasn’t been communicated to the mid? Or if the mids are under pressure don’t you alter the forward tactics and leave a tall in the goal square to compete? Today will be interesting to see if the disconnect has been rectified.

Yes I have noticed that. It may not last but so far he has taken a clutch mark and run thru the lines and passed off to nearby player which is what he was doing with us but we don’t need that. But is that partly because we spent so many first round tickets on May and Lever? And then we have issues with turning Smith into a back and let’s face it Weideman should be developed into a kPB if we want to keep him.

I hope not. Kossie is just a kid. He will learn from it and is probably devastated to not only miss the game but also Nev’s 150! Don’t like the ANB in, would have preferred Bedford or Lockhart. I thought Locky played well in round 1 and Bedford showed glimpses especially in the last quarter as he came to grips with the tempo.

Re the forward line I don’t think they will line up that way but it was interesting to watch round 1 replay today of our loss to West Coast. Gee we were rusty in the first half but what kept being repeated by the commentators was our forward line/midfield disconnect which I found interesting as I missed this at the time. I remember us repeatedly bombing the ball in long to just see McGovern or Barass line up to take turns for intercept marks. Very frustrating but what I didn’t realise at the time was, as the commentators said, the problem is not the bombing long, it is the fact the forwards are all leading out toward the ball carrier only to see it go overhead. if the plan is to bomb long that is not a real problem as long as your big forwards stay long then bring the ball to ground for our small forwards to crumb but this didn’t happen. we had forwards leading with entries flying over their heads to the opposition! This is really dumb stuff but it has been there for some time but why? The commentators kept asking is the midfield game plan on the same page as the forward plan? The main culprits were Oliver, Langdon and Hibberd but sometimes they booted forward under pressure but our forwards weren’t in the obvious place. That is another issue. Let’s hope all is sorted now after a 10 week break but I am not confident we won’t burn another kid in Jackson.

Well a number were/are not duds, Frawley, Scully, Hogan, Howe, Watts, Gawn then Petterd, Trengove were cruelled by injury. Still I agree not the greatest return.

H Petty indefinite! A groin, are we talking osteopubis? And I note AVB still working toward full fitness! After what 10 months to get fit we still have 5 on the injury list plus AVB still working toward selection. Oh well to be expected as our usual year on year injury list average always seems to be around 10 to 12.

And Harmes down back who is a goal kicking mid and a great tagger.

Did Petracca play?

OMac shut Darling down if I remember so gets a game. Any info on Sparrow, I liked the look of him in preseason but who knows now? Think Harmes is wasted down back, he is a tagger/run with player and midfield goal kicker. Maybe Smith comes in down back and any intel on AVB?

No I read this on MFC media site where Troy Chaplin was talking about the backline options for round 2. Was surprised to hear his summation of Joel, superior leg speed and endurance. Sounds to me like he might be in round 2 based on that. I wasn’t aware of his endurance capability. I have always liked him as a footballer, he looks like a natural, he just can’t get a run at it and maybe never will.

And he was a big wrap for Joel Smith, talking about his unparalleled athletic endurance! I was not aware of this, watching him only at training. It is obvious he has natural footy ability and is a natural forward but understand their thinking of throwing him back. But it is interesting if he has always had endurance and he does have some leg speed why hasn’t he been tried on the wing? Ok that maybe just because he is always injured.

Been wondering for a while if they should trial Weideman down back to get his hands on the ball and build some form. He appears to have the basics to be a good footballer, perhaps a bit more aggression would help but it’s not easy to be a consistent KPF.

Extraordinary bad luck with injuries is the only reason we didn’t snaffle a flag in the 90’s. I mean the talent on our list was amazing. The Ox, Gazza, Jimmy, both Lovetts, Tingay, Charles, Neitz, the Febeys, Healy, Pike and in 94 Jakovich was still on our list for heavens sake. As I remember it in 93 Balme as coach tried to develop a new game plan and we dropped the first 4 games of the year and played well thereafter but missed the finals. In 94 we played well but dropped games to just sneak into the finals and lost to the eventual winners. Then from 95 it was just a procession of injuries, Ox, Charles, Jackovich, Tingay, Glenn Lovett and Pike sent packing. Oh what could have been with a little bit of injury luck.

At the time I thought we should have had a good look at Dusty for sole reason that we needed some mongrel in the squad. Trenners and Scully were maybe the obvious talents but to me we had a list of nice players. In 2008 I preferred Hurley at No1 but we went for Watts, that is OK but then you have to mix it up to get a great squad. Consistently picking skilled but non physical players throughout that period cost us. Add Morton, Gysberts, Grimes, Bennell, Blease, Maric and you keep selecting supposedly skilled outsiders but no insiders and no enforcers you get an inconsistent team. That is because you lack leadership, aggression in a physical, competitive sport. Remembering around that time we offloaded Junior and Bruce. So your drafting and trading should take that into account.

Won’t need hubs by the time the AFL gets going in June/July surely. If there is no secondary surge in infections, state borders will be open and there will be limited social interactions and there will have to be if teams are allowed to train together and play. If interstate travel is available this hub idea is defunct. If there is a secondary outbreak, there won’t be any footy this year.

Not a good look at all. I have no idea about Howcroft’s football related ability but he was around and in a position of influence when we were totally dysfunctional as a club so why would you bring him back? Are there no consequences for failure for board members? As a club we have suffered since 1965 with second rate administration and board oversight and leadership. I suspect because we continue to appoint Admin and board positions on the grounds of who you know, what school and University you went to rather than what you have achieved or your leadership abilities and knowledge.

Can be a bit expensive though!

My vague memory of the game also says Eishold took a Lunging chest mark in the goal square but he slide outside the square and was directed by the umpire to kick from an acute angle, which he missed. I thought at the time he took the mark within the square so should have kicked from dead in front. A goal would have won the game. I remember Ex umpire Harry Beitzel saying you take the kick from where the marker ends up, not where he took the mark! So if I take a lunging mark running into the goal line and slide through I then take my kick backwards from the fence? Never made sense but then there was all the confusion about Jim crossing the line but after the siren so does the rule still apply..... fact is we had numerous chances to sow it up but it also summed up our unique ability to fail and Hawthorn’s tin [censored] ability to scramble through for a win they never deserved but to their credit they just kept plugging away hoping and we’re rewarded.

Interesting White only one all Australian in 2004. I thought his rucking in 1998 was absolutely superb and his work with Todd Viney got us into the finals. He was great again in 2000 and 2002 so unlucky to get just the one.

Anyone watching Expanse? Great SciFi series, incredible special effects and very intricate story line. Think it is on Netflix, I am watching on DVD courtesy of my nephew.

Re the point on rules and congestion, is it still a problem? My main observation of this year’s round 1 games was that there was little congestion, few contests, just constant ball movement. Reminded me of a scaled up version of AFLX! Was this a one off because of no crowds and uncertainty of playing more games?

Sean White turned it around in the third up forward, helped by Johnson big time.

Wet conditions, skills are [censored], just pick up and kick or just kick out of bounds. The rules have changed so much. I was there but didn’t remember it being so wet but back then that was the norm more so than these days.

Which pub was that?

Entertaining match, especially the second half. Coming into that round 7 match we haven’t had a win but you look at the side it is not that bad. Rivers, Garland, Frawley, Warnock and Bartram down back( Whelan injured), Robbo, Miller, Green, Flash and Wonna up forward. White and Jamar rucking with Brock McClean, Jones, Junior Mac, Maloney with support from Bruce, Wheatley etc. Not a great side but not horrible either. Of course other agendas may have been in play of course.