Earl Hood

Dropped by training this morning, got there late but the whole squad was doing ball work drills then they split out the Casey squad for the firsts to do 3/4 ground contested ball movement drill. I noted that both Hannan and J Smith did not participate. Tyson and JKH were with the firsts. 

If there are no injuries and Tyson gets up I am predicting one change Viney for Kent. 

Sorry replying to tiers here, sorry got that wrong. 

No argument, look at all the statistics we should be second but we are not and that is due to the reasons you state, although forget Max’s miskick, that can happen. Look more at how we got behind dispite a huge advantage in inside 50’s etc. 

On 8/27/2018 at 11:19 PM, Earl Hood said:

Interesting discussion with my neighbour this morning. I asked him if he was missing the cut and thrust of life in Canberra as he was a minister in both the Hawke and Keating Governments from 1983 to 1996. He put forward the proposition that in his opinion ScoMo may have encouraged Dutton to take on Turnbull so he could come in as the compromise “Jim Hacker” candidate with no blood on his hands, leaving Dutton as the fall guy holding the bloody knife.

Who knows he could be right. 

Seems the Saturday Paper agrees with this hypothesise. Morrison set the whole thing up! 

1 hour ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Don’t forget Cam Guthrie after the Round 1 post match sledge towards Max.

Max’s line in reply to a journo still makes me laugh.

I don’t need the little paddle-pop lion look-a-like trying to be my friend after the Un-Australian bulltish he pulled,”

Just finished having a coffee down at Jan Juc with Cam Guthrie sitting opposite and boy was he carbohydrate loading, pancakes, maple syrup, ice cream, and then attacked his girlfriends fry up lunch as well. My wife kept whispering to me kick the chair out from under him! Very unsporting of her. 

That Smith guy from the All Stars could be worth a look for a late mature aged recruit. He hasn’t done much tonight but they showed his highlights reel at the half time break, great aerial skills and he is obviously just having a bad night. 

14 minutes ago, 000 said:

Oops, forgot Dom broke ulna had operation, so he is being managed. VandenBerg possibly being managed as well. I remember him light duties/tested at thursday training before last game. 

I thought it odd that Viney trained on his own the day before and didn’t at least do some limited drills with the squad on Thursday just to reacquaint himself with Max and the mids and ball movement etc. makes me wonder if he will be ready for Friday Night? 

2 hours ago, Deespicable said:

Am I missing something here?

Nobody has mentioned the non-selection of JKH, who based on just about everybody's AFL selection comments including my own, is first in line to be omitted should we regain Viney, Hannan and Joel Smith.

Yes I know he played well last week v GWS, but to suggest he is a likely first 22 next week is baffling?

To keep him back as a hold over player is not a bad idea, but Hannan hardly needs a hitout either I would have thought.

In JKH's case, he has had a couple of breaks already this season as 23rd player, so there is absolutely no need to rest him - unless you are one of the few that think he is a gimme next week - Goody may well be one of the few, but i doubt it.

And what's worse, he is exactly the type of player the VFL side needs this week with a few of our fringe mids already out - Stretch, Baker and Kent etc.

Has JKH got an injury? Did the club ask him to take it easy because he may play? Is he so big-headed that he knocked back a chance to play because he feels he's a gimme next week? I doubt the latter.

Anyone got some inside info on why he is not playing?

 

I am assuming we are hoping to go into next week with one change, Viney for Kent, hoping Tyson gets up. JKH was training on Thursday morning with the players who played against GWS. There were 19 players doing drills, missing were Kent, Tyson and VDB. Vince doing laps, Baker doing rehab. No Viney, no JSmith or Hannan. So after seeing the VFL selection I am surmising that they are going with one change

We have won most game stats this year, contested possessions, inside 50’s, quarters won, hit outs, hit outs to advantage, clearances? etc. we should be on top but we aren’t and that is due to the one quarter in a game we have lost often outstripping the 3 we won, losing 5 close ones because could have won with some intelligent play and more accurate goal kicking, some poor selections at times and deficient game plans, e.g.  the back press too high, bombing the ball forward to a depleted forward setup because we have an extra one or two down back and on and on...

The good news is we seem to have improved our one dimensional, often mindless attack at all costs game plan incredibly in the last 2 to 3 weeks. Now maybe we are in a position to reap the full rewards of our statistical domination in games. If we dominate hitouts and clearances and inside 50’s we will start to see that reflected on the score board. But we do need to convert in front of goal, that has cost us in several games this year. We must kick those set shot opportunities from 30 to 40 metres that we set up so regularly. 

1 hour ago, Chook said:

What chance Bernie comes in for the grannie should we make it? Almost none, I know…but I want to see that photo of Lewis holding up the 5 fingers, with Jones, Viney, Gawn, Clarry, and Bernie in the foreground holding up the 1.

Bernie was running laps at training this morning so he might still think he is a chance! 

Dropped by Gosches this morning, the boys were doing some light training, ball movement drills, then goal kicking practice from all angles. Max is very good from the boundary lines both sides. I didn’t see Frost kick a goal from any angle, better stay down back. 

Counted 19 players training, no Kent, Tyson or VDB? No Hannan, no JSmith, no Viney today, he trained yesterday. 

TMac moving well, not sure why VDB was missing. Thought a couple of fully fit next in line backup players might have been training with the 19. 

Melbourne Victory training next door, good to see Honda cruising around the pitch, looks very good with a ball at his feet. 

Oh and Vince was running laps even though he announced his retirement? 

Interesting discussion with my neighbour this morning. I asked him if he was missing the cut and thrust of life in Canberra as he was a minister in both the Hawke and Keating Governments from 1983 to 1996. He put forward the proposition that in his opinion ScoMo may have encouraged Dutton to take on Turnbull so he could come in as the compromise “Jim Hacker” candidate with no blood on his hands, leaving Dutton as the fall guy holding the bloody knife.

Who knows he could be right. 

On 8/25/2018 at 10:21 AM, Wrecker45 said:

Turnbull's NEG was a disaster. Trying to legislate unelected UN bureaucratic plant food restrictions was the height of left wing idiocy.

 

Que? Please explain! 

32 minutes ago, deebug said:

Frosty has done an amazing job down back. Well done Frosty?

Used to love Slamming Sammy Kekovich in the 70’s now I have another Slamming Sam. 

Did a great job today but has to be supported in the finals so he can play to his strengths. 

6 Harmes

5 Gawn

4 Brayshaw

3 Petracca

2 Jones

1 Salem 

apolgies to so many, TMac, Frost, Oliver et al. 

21 minutes ago, Rusty Nails said:

Couldn't have said it better LH.  Great summary.

I feel Goody & Co  (and hence the team) have finally taken a leap forward, especially in regards to the high zone and re-jigging the running of 1 or 2 players into the middle off the back of the square in favour of the 6 x 6 x 6 structure as mentioned.

We have finally said to the opp we are playing this to our strengths, if you can beat us in our key asset areas, especially winning the middle clearances (first use) and the stoppages, you have a chance and well done.  But given those strengths, on balance we will win most arm wrestles and the match, in some cases by substantial margins (a la today) just through weight of numbers.

Composure and momentum at times was a hell of a lot better then i've seen (in terms of more players doing it more often and across most of the match) all year.  Still some fine tuning but it's a massive step forward i feel.

Some fabulous "wins" today also in terms of stepping it up in Vanders (not just today more in terms of putting more quality game time in and rebuilding the AFL tank), Weids, Spargo and Tracc (IMHO).

We now have a genuine bunch of footballers playing AFL finals brand football as a unified team who are slowly learning to make smarter decisions (in general) as each match progresses.

We also have 10 players in the 50 to 100 mark who have plenty of learning & upside to go as they move into top end  experienced / veteran categories in the coming decade!

Exciting times ahead.

Go the Mighty Demons!

The improvement in footy IQ in the last 4 weeks or so has been amazing. We are now playing some tempo footy, moving forward but lowering the eyes and looking for options, thinking our way forward with possessions rather than just bang it forward at any cost, and at times just chipping the ball around to retain possession. 

Although we could get much better at this, retaining possession and soaking up time. 

24 minutes ago, Chook said:

Nup. Not a fan. Has talent, adds value. Nowhere near what he could be giving us.

He's a rich man's Colin Sylvia for me at this point.

Give him time it is all building, he has all the required tools for an explosive half forward. The coaches need to instruct him to kick for goal when he gets the ball inside 50m in traffic and not look to pass off. I know he is trying to do the right thing but his little dinky passes trying to thread a needle fail most times. Just back yourself and kick it mate. I have faith that he could explode in the finals run. 

16 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Wattsy looks like he is trying but not in any sort of form.  Sad. 

Actually I think everything he has done tonight has been OK. All his disposals have been clean and have gone to a player in a better position. Not a game changing performance by any means but not woeful. 

1 hour ago, Wrecker45 said:

As someone who might actually vote liberal and I challenge any of the above posters to declare which way they are inclined to vote.

Turnbull is a left wing enemy.

Wrecker can you please enlighten us poor lefties how Turnbull was a left wing enemy to the LNP, to the extent that the hard right has been willing to tear the party apart and cost them power.

 In the end all that has been achieved with Morrison in charge is the demise of  an individual. Turnbull tried to get corporate tax cuts through, and put forward a very compromised NEG to reduce power prices that incorporated Tony Abbott’s agreed emissions targets. What’s so leftwing about that? 

1 hour ago, The Chazz said:

Didn't Western Australia abandon ship long ago?  Could've sworn it was a different country over there.

Just on that, do you guys have your own Prime Minister over there yet, or are they still trying to work out how they can make Alan Bond a posthumous PM?  Couldn't be any worse than what we are dealing with in the Eastern states...

The latest is that the Honourable Jim Hacker has thrown his hat into the ring! 

Interesting to listen to some of the conservative members and commentators when asked by Journos to explain why the party is being torn apart and likely to lose power, they state that the Libs needed to address the steady loose of their primary vote mostly to One Nation or other far right groups. Malcolm could not bring the so called broad church of the liberal party together.

I am thinking the leaching of the Libs primary vote off to the more extreme right parties is the price they are paying for close to 20 years of xenophobic fear mongering that started with Johnny Howard’s Tampa scare campaign in 2001, re “ we will decide who comes to this country....”  Since then we invaded Iraq, vilified Muslims, inferred that boat people were terrorists and somehow a threat to our borders as if they were invading and plundering pirates and on and on to recent scare campaigns on African Gangs rampaging through Melbourne. No wonder those people who believe this rubbish are now looking for extreme policies espoused by the Hansen’s and now Duttons of politics. 

I doubt the LNP can garner 50% of the vote with far right policies of fear and xenophobia, allowing Labour to occupy the middle ground and own the climate change debate. I maybe wrong.

By the way is it a coincidence that Rupert flew into Canberra last week and these recent events and the coordinated attacks by Newscorp papers, Sky and 2GB? 

3 hours ago, DV8 said:

.

Turnbull & Dutton have reached agreement. IMO.

Similar to Hawk & Keating.   A handover, when the price is right.

I worked it out this time last night.

 

Dutton has No chance outside QLD... at the moment.  Hence his resignation of his immigration portfolio. 

And going to the backbench,,, but yet is on the campaign trail, re-badging himself.

 

Turnbull will resign his leadership of the Libs and the country, just before Xmas shutdown of the Parliament.  With the intention of not running at the next Federal Election.  Turnbull's time is up.

 

He, Turnbull will handover cleanly, the leadership to Dutton at this time, in a clean changeover of power.

 

Dutton has 3 months, to realign his public image.

Gee if only these things were so clean and managable. I don’t think it will be so predictable. Turnbull will be gone sooner rather than later. The Walloper who will vote for him outside Queensland? 

3 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

The Dunn decision should remind wide eyed supporters that coaches and Clubs often make wrong and stupid decisions.

Why on earth he was dropped in 2016 to make way for Oscar McD remains one of the great mysteries along with:

Darren Jolly being dropped for the finals

Richmond trading out Graham Teasdale & St Kilda trading Ian Stewart

Barassi wanting to drop Malcolm Blight after the drawn Grand Final 

Melbourne declining to sign Doug Wade after he did pre season training with us.

 

You can add Kevin Sheedy to that list as well. According to Tom Haffey we told a young Sheeds at preseason that he wasn’t up to it and try somewhere else! 

7 hours ago, Deespicable said:

I've mentioned before how Frosty was done in by Jordy and the precise ball movement set, but the loss to the pacey Pies I think made Goody realise that you need a mix of players to be successful.

The topic was about the other three.

Hannan's first half was as good as any medium forward we have had - including Robbo and Brad Green and further back to Yze and Gerard Healy (circa 1982). Obviously it will be hard to repeat, but provided he attacks the pill like that, he will be an asset during the finals - possibly a bit like Warren Dean of 1987 finals series.

Vanders is the most dangerous player at the club - with Viney out, he's the one player you don't want to draw in team tackling drills. He a different personality to others on our team, but he's got some amazing abilities and he's been a part of all our big wins in the past four years (except last year when he was out). That includes BOG v Richmond in our first ever Anzac Eve night game and on Hodgey v Hawthorn in 2016. And people don't realise this but with Jayden injured, he's the fastest straight-line sprinter in the team over distance from 40m to 75m - Frosty can get to him by 80m.

Kent is a bit of an enigma and has lacked confidence and smarts at times, but his second half yesterday was huge. Unfortunately after what has happened to him under Goody, I had written him off playing such a key role, but there he was - back to the talented left-footer with the thumping kick that he showed us all in 2016. 

 

Re Warren Dean didn’t we loose him just prior to the 87 final series with a career ending knee injury. He tried to come back but the knee kept swelling up. My vague memory was of a very dynamic and rangy half forward who was mobile with good hands and could kick the ball a mile. I thought he was a big lose for the finals. I don’t think he played again for us. 

2 minutes ago, Skuit said:

White men can't run very fast.

Or jump!