Earl Hood

Agree with most of what you say Rjay. I still think Lockhart has talent, Melk and Hannan have the skills but can’t be consistent, is that something good coaching should be fixing? but basically it is about too much left to too few but against the Swans why did the too few suddenly revert to the same dumb play we were seeing earlier in the season, the bombing it high to that spot just in front of the goal square repeatedly and from front on so it is just so easy to defend? I noted the Swans do the same but from wide in the pocket which opened the angles for their crumbers. When we play our style, it’s so predictable, no variation on the angles of attack, there was little switching from the back half to open them up just attempts to attack down the middle. I just think we are a poorly drilled and coached team with a suboptimal game plan based on midfield dominance of contested ball and repeated I50’s. Problem is our midfield gets towelled up too often by units that work very well together to extract the ball and move it forward.

I am not sure about the silver service. I don’t know what Max was doing last night, he was not obviously tapping the ball to our advantage and I was scratching my head at times at where our guys were positioning themselves at some of the throw ins, is there a detectable system at stoppages? If there is I am not sure they are using the same playbook. Max wins the hit outs but Nic Nat really stands out for me where he is able to palm the ball straight to his mids advantage, that is silver service.

Harry Beitzel and Tommy Lahiff!! Silver!

Yes there is a good argument that making finals and being bundled out would be counter productive with this playing group who seem too content with the odd win and good performce only to trash the good work and praise a few games later with a cruising, lacklustre performance when the heat is on. Too easily satisfied with their efforts, where is the leadership demanding a higher level of performance?

That is this season, I am afraid. Teams are playing games at a disadvantage from time to time, short turn arounds, too much travel on game day, inequities in training and residential facilities etc. We had a chance to get back into that game despite our poor start but our execution was VFL standard at best.

I was born in 55 so I have lived through 6 flags and 9 GFs but I don’t feel any better as I was too young.

Yes been there in under age. You know your are centre half forward you lead wide all day to get separation and watch your mids kick it to the lumbering backman behind you repeatedly. If you are big enough you just sit in the hole I suppose. That is footy. But not at AFL level but you wouldn’t have seen that up in Cairns today, that was not AFL, that was under age suburban footy level by MFC.

Love the guy but I think that is it. He has lost pace but last year I liked that he was always made position to be an option for someone under pressure, he was always outside option, albeit without pace but he could move the ball by foot. It seems this year his decision making is right off the mark, he is struggling fitness wise and he has lost any pace he had and we try to play on the wing? Time to move on I hate to say.

There is no way you could lay blame on the key forwards today. The entry was when it wasn’t putrid, it was stupid, either inaccurate or inappropriate! Can’t believe our midfield dished that rubbish up today. Under pressure our midfield failed and the heat was put on our backline big time who battled hard but failed when it counted also. A bad day that makes everyone look bad I suspect.

For the first time this season I am passing because I have no idea. In most games no matter the outcome there will be players who stand up in adversity but today? There were contenders of course but really I just think the errors blotted out their good efforts. Max tried all day but could he once tap to our advantage? I will need to watch the replay to understand what he was doing with his dominance. Langdon was the obvious BOG for us but then misses two pot shots and coughs up a kick out that just cancels out all his good work, overall he played well but I can’t give votes for basic errors that cost us 2 missed goals and handed them one. That is almost the difference. Oliver, Tracc and Viney had their moments but were totally outplayed by the Swans unit. Sorry on today’s important must win game I can’t give anybody a vote! First time this season or any season I remember. oh and as an edited addition I should mention our coaching. What was the game plan? The bombing into the forward line destroyed our forwards so I am not blaming Brown who looked good early and Weid but I can’t give them votes or the smalls who can’t function as crumbers as the ball is just lobbed up for the opposition backs to mark. Why the dumb football?

As usual if don’t dominate the midfield everything else falls apart!

Where are the leaders to stand up? Max trying hard but could you please try tapping the ball to one of our guys, you never know, we might get a clearance! Tracc running around but not impacting the game, Oliver and Brayshaw trying I suppose, Jones is having a mare and if we do get possessions we just bomb it in and it comes straight back out. We were doing this early in the season so I thought we had learnt something but no it’s back to dumb play

How can we play smart footy for several weeks and then suddenly revert to the dumbest team in the comp? It’s not just playing soft unaccountable footy and poor execution but it’s one dumb decision after another by multiple players! Totally outsmarted by the Swans that quarter. Defence pfft who needs to pick up a man?

Alarm bells ringing for me we don’t look switched on at all soft tackling, back to just bombing it in and mids hesitating with ball in hand and getting caught or smothered. This quarter against the wind will be a test of how much we want this.

Hawks tanking? They have form once they are out of contention. I might put a call into Adrian Anderson and give Caro a heads up.

6 May 5 Petracca 4 Langdon 3 Salem 2 Oliver 1 Gawn

Umpires please. Holding the ball, don’t pay marks but we still prevail thanks to May, Lever, Tracc, Max and Oliver in the last and Viney on Steele I guess.

I think it is called coaching. No tactical smarts, you know there is a time and place to attack and a time late in a quarter to be defensive but we don’t have a clue.

Just asking what Tomlinson was supposed to do, he unfortunately was there, that same thing happens 20 times a game and gets pinged once or twice, if at all.

Is that the softest free in front you will ever see?

Who is picking up Butler, can’t tell on TV? Must shut him down.

Which team is coming out for the second quarter? That is always the worry. We are obviously prone to the Saints leg speed and quick ball movement so we have to maintain the intensity. Here is hoping!

Whoops Oliver stuff up there for a Saints goal. Petracca is being held in a lot of contests.

Could be a late start!

Harmes played his best as a run with tagger, letting good players take him to the ball and beating them to it and drifting forward to score early in his career. Unfortunately he is like about 3 of our other contested mids who aren’t versatile enough to fill other roles competently and that is costing us.