Earl Hood

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.

What number was Trump taken in that draft?

The cats blown away early but fought their way back to take control of the midfield shutdown Bont and Hunter and just lift their work rate across the ground. Gave the dogs no time or space to run and link up. Great coaching by Scott and effort by Danger and co! Wouldn’t hurt our boys and coaches to review how to shutdown a fast running team. Hard to tell on TV but was it as simple as Geelong going man on man after the first quarter to get the game into an arm wrestle?

You are probably correct I will need to review the tape again, didn’t notice it first time. But on review I did notice a total lack of defensive effort out of our forward 50 and thru the middle that left our backline exposed repeatedly. I thought our backline held up and wouldn’t have been looking there for scapegoats.

Second half will be interesting Dogs blew them away early like they did to us but noticed the cats are clawing it back by hard work rate, just trying to shut down their run, something we failed to do.

Do we know the detail?

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.