Earl Hood

Yes I was hoping for Hore and Stretch in for OMac and Wagner. Guess poor Billy’s papers are stamped. At least JKH gets another game.

You may be right Red but Macca said to me just 2 months ago that he wanted 2 years with this group to get that elusive flag (see my earlier post). He may have changed his mind but I doubt it. If you read the corporate speak release it goes on about his attributes and his great contributions and relationships with Goodwin but gives no reason why he is going! Not even the usual ones of seeking opportunities outside MFC or wanting to spend more time with his family. In short he has jumped before he was pushed!

Yes Rjay I agree in principle of course with your approach. I believe any review should be conducted by a carefully selected sub committee of existing football department managers to look at all aspects of the football department and their initial report and recommendations to go to a club steering committee for further analysis and final recommendations to the existing football club management prior to presentation to the Board for examination and future advice on the required action. I think it is doable if we start now, to get a strategic blueprint in place for the 2021 preseason.

Cards I think you are referring to my training report of the morning before the coaching changes were announced. Macca was clear that the group needed to train harder, how you train is how you play! But he said they were young and would learn what was needed to get to the top. At the time I thought (maybe wrongly) that he was signalling a playing group that was content with last year’s achievements and he was trying give them a message that they had a long way to go. When I later heard he was being moved sideways away from direct player involvement I must say the alarm bells went off! The playershappy to Coast along and worse a coaching group happy with what Macca didn’t like. Interesting in light of today’s announcement is that he asked me if I was retired and when I said yes he responded that he wanted 2 more years to get that premiership. I can remember responding, give us 2 flags and he responded he will be happy with one. So that interchange back in June tells me he has been pushed out. If you read the weasel word corporatespeak in the media release that is obvious.

6 Gawn 5 Oliver 4 Fritsch 3 Hibberd 2 Frost 1 Harmes

Had 20 disposals at 80% efficiency so couldn’t have stuffed up too many. First game back so there is potential for improvement and I hope his team mates use him more next week.

Except we won the clearances tonight, but don’t let stats get in the way of your argument.

How did Weids get the injury, sounds like he got hit by a truck, teeth out, screws inserted? Must have been a big head high hit!

Great stuff. Interesting to hear Teague and Rodney are related and played in a country league grand final. I believe he is coaching at Saint Kevin’s these days.

That’s a worry DeeZee, that description typified the Neeld era. Players not presenting to the ball carrier when we had possession (however occasionally) and in reverse players protecting space rather than attacking the opposition ball carrier when it was coming back. Did we ever work out what that period was about? The players had zero confidence, were afraid to make mistakes and seemed totally confused by Neeld’s game plan. Have we arrived here again, albeit with a much more talented squad?

6 Gawn 5 Petracca 4 Harmes 3 Lever 2 Oliver 1 Frost

MFC ~ where from here?

Yep no leadership, it really shows. We missed May’s ability and leadership tonight done back but we need more of it up forward and in the middle. We had Lewis forward and Max in the middle as well as the 2 captains but all we saw was a rudderless shambles. Just don’t know how to explain the headless chook stuff that went on tonight!

Our game has always depended on Gawn and midfielder dominance to make up for our forward deficiencies. So when Max gets towelled up in the last and our midfield gets beaten to the ball all our deficiencies look worse. All our last half goals were opportunistic, off the ground kicks etc. none from set plays to key forwards taking a mark etc. just don’t know where we go from here. So many deficiencies up forward, down back and now the midfield group seems to have been worked out.

Umpires yet again!

Looking for positives Frost a plus so far. Except for 2 brain fades he has been dynamic in a very pedestrian team effort so far.

Where is the midfield? MIA.

Kev, interesting your comment on Lewis and a coach delivering high balls into two crowded areas and practicing intercept marking and I assume the designated forwards trying to mark or spoil or read the spill of the ball and crumb a goal or two; if that is what they were practicing? I made a comment in last week’s game thread that my observations at training this year are that we simulate quick ball movement and precise passing to a leading forward or forward who has created space often because we have more designated forwards than defenders. Those drills look good but come game day and some added pressure and our forward delivery is haphazard at best with loopy running chaos kicks to forwards who are covered or the set kick high ball to the space 20 metres out from goal. With this forward delivery we need forwards who can take contested marks or bring the ball to ground and others who can crumb the ground balls. My point was I have never seen us practice reacting to the chaos balls that we create in a match. Maybe todays drill was trying to replicate reality, I.e train as you play?

Forget NT. Hey Brisbane looks like it is putting an ominous side together must be about time we started selling our home games again to them for the next few years!

I think it is because we have become irrelevant again as someone else has said.

His problems ran much deeper than the odd drinking episode with MFC, if indeed that happened. His career was doomed when the Yuendumu community split just after he moved to Melbourne. He was the first elder to play AFL and his community was in turmoil. When he was off injured in 2011 he went back home and was drawn into all the problems back there. What could have been I don’t know, he had immense talent but I suspect injuries would have always been a problem for him.

Nothing wrong with our forward delivery on Sunday. One because we had Fritsch who could take a contested mark, all 186 cm, skinny build of him versus our usual 194 cm, 97 kg plus key forwards who can’t clunk anything. But then our forwards set shot kicking was abysmal, what 1 goal 5 in the first, that was where the game was lost. Fix the set shots at goal and we are competitive.

Umpiring was abominable

The replay showed Lever probably letting go an expletive but to the ground in frustration, it wasn’t directed at the umpire, certainly not in his face but he gives a 50 penalty saying Lever knows what words he said. What now players have watch their words, nothing vulgar or it’s a 50? The umpiring started to even up in the second and third Quarters but again deteriorated in the last, after the 9 to 0 fiasco of the first Q. All their decisions were arbitrary all day for both sides but we got the rough end of the 50/50’s that is for sure.

Lockhart needed a rest last week, let alone this week. But who would you bring in?