Earl Hood

Also good to see Gary Hardeman down at training today, chatting with Todd and Jack Viney, Peter Jackson and some of the players. 

Let’s tinker with the high press as well as we keep leaking goals over the back against the better sides

29 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Ahh serious?? Have you seen the 88 Grand Final?? Hnmmm !

Cheap shot Pickett! 

11 minutes ago, Rusty Nails said:

Looking like....

Ins:  Weids, Pedders (*if T-Mac doesn't pass), Spargo, Petty

Outs:  T. Smith, T-Mac*, Harmes, Vince

At training today when they split into the VFL group and the AFL group, Spargo was with the former so I don’t believe he is in the mix. Weids for Smith, Pedo if TMac doesn’t get up and Stretch in Vince out. 

1 hour ago, deebug said:

Sounds like Tommy Mac may need to be rested. 

Thanks for the report?

I asked Tom at training how his chest was going and he replied that he wasn’t doing any contact work today but he felt really good and reckoned he would be OK to play. 

Petty, Weid and Pedo training with the AFL squad may indicate one or more are options this week. Petty looked impressive in the drills I saw. 

Jetta trained well I think he copped a few hits last week. 

Great to see Vanders and McKenna finally getting to train and Kent was moving well. 

5 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

A Port supporter on BF said it best, were not sift we just lack composure. Once we settle a bit and start to think our way through things instead of bashing the ball forward and making life hard for our forwards we will be very difficult to beat.

Exactly what Jimmy Bartel was saying after the match, the crash and bash contested possession ethos was great but further success will require a bit more composure and strategy to set up scores and absorb opposition attacks. 

I see Greg has been promoting nude golf recently. I have always been keen to get the gear off and enjoy playing the fairways of our nation’s best golf courses in total freedom. 

Does anyone know what clubs are offering the nude option? Although I will have to wait till the weather picks up a bit locally before I get out on the first tee while starkers. 

I just have to work out where to put my ball marker! 

2 minutes ago, Deemania since 56 said:

I don't know so I would hope someone could find out...and reasons for or against seeking clarification. It sounds ridiculous in some areas but none of these are as ridiculous as the levels of mysterious umpiring decisions and behaviours that we have seen so far this year.

It is interesting that we don’t hear more about some of these decisions, not to smash umpires but to understand the interpretation and at times to admit mistakes. There were at least 2 mystifying ruck frees against Max vs Grundy last week, but we still don’t know why; then we have the Melk blocking decision this week. I would have thought all forwards need to know they now can’t hold their ground in a marking contest, before there are more poor unfortunates who ignore a whistle, thinking they have the free and give away a 50.

Anyone know if the club or anybody of substance has asked for clarification from the AFL umpiring officiondos on the Melksham one on one blocking free and resultant 50 meter penalty for a goal down the other end? Hmmm 12 point decision! 

55 minutes ago, Macca said:

Ah ... but nowhere near the levels of what happens in footy.  It is not even close. 

I formed an opinion in the late 1970's that Aussie rules was impossible to umpire correctly ... and it is infinitely harder to umpire now. 

It is an extremely difficult thing to do but I have trained my mind to simply ignore all contentious decisions and just accept all those decisions as a matter of course. 

Most people I have encountered are the exact opposite - they complain incessantly about questionable umpiring decisions without any let up.  They are wasting their own time and energy.  It's a totally futile exercise with zero satisfaction or closure or without any sort of likelihood of an ideal outcome. 

The sport is totally unumpirable and always has been.  There are grey areas left, right and centre and then there are interpretations of those grey areas.  And right now the sport has so much congestion that it is a wonder that any correct decisions can ever be made. 

I reckon that at least 30% of all decisions are either incorrect or highly questionable but I accept that strike rate of poor decisions because of the nature of the sport.  

Peoples - come to terms with it all and come to terms with it now.  Do not waste another minute on a totally futile exercise.  Do that and you'll save yourself from a lifetime of angst.  It is just not worth it.

You are right Macca it is impossible to umpire perfectly. But some areas for improvement in my eyes would be to review the push in the back rule. Going back to the original intent, the rule was created to stop a player pushing out the man in front in a marking contest. Fair enough. I don’t believe it was intended to punish someone who falls onto someone on the ground or who tackles someone and they both go forward. Play on unless it is Malicious. 

As for the high tackle, if the tackle starts correctly it is legit, irrespective of whether the hands go high or low due to the player ducking or throwing their arm up. Base your decision on severity, was the tackle potentially dangerous to the players head. 

As for the incorrect disposal rule I don’t know where to go. I want to reward the ball getter, not the lurker waiting to strip someone of the ball running past. So I would be lenient on the ball getter myself.

But let us be brutal on any player on the ground in a pack that does not try to release the ball, if they grab the ball with no hope of moving it on they are gone. That is a player on the ground should be out of the contest, like rugby union. 

Forget nominating ruckmen and third man up just throw the ball up ASAP and same with boundary throw ins, don’t wait for the ruckman to line up. 

And finally only pay the frees that actually disadvantage a playmaker. So no twiggy touchwoods, or technicals. 

Everytime you play in SA or WA you concede 3 to 4 goals before the first bounce. Similar to the old days playing the Pies at Victoria Park I think. Not sure how you change that bias. Just even up the FIXture somehow. 

2 hours ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Andrews knocked out by crude hit - AFL.com.au http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-06-23/andrews-knocked-out-by-crude-hit

Should be 6 weeks minimim. Will be classified as accidental, no case to answer. 

Gil in frantic phone calls to MRP, looks like accidental, high contact, low impact, fine only! It was the hard ground surface that knocked him out, not the elbow?. 

Out Vince in Petty depending on the Saints forward line setup.  Not sure how tall they will go.

in Stretch and Garlett

out Tyson, Harmes or ANB

in Weids if TMac doesn’t get up.

I just think we have to try and play Garlett into form as he provides speed and can make something out of nothing up forward and didn’t we need that last night! 

Stretch has done everything asked of him and we have to reward effort in the magoos to keep pressure on the firsts. 

The coaching panel’s obsession with hard, contested footy types is commendable but the last 2 games show we also need some X factor, silky skills as well. Jimmy Bartel spoke about this last night on CH7, he loved our contested endeavour but said there  are more layers to success than see ball get ball stuff. 

OMac needs help with the bigger guys so looking longer term maybe Petty is the answer to losing Lever and allows J Smith and Hibberd to rebound more until Hunt is fit and shows something. 

The obvious choice down back is Frost but I, like many others worry about his decision making, he is not a natural footy player, but a great athlete. He needs more time to work on his game at VFL level.

Weids and Stretch putting their hands up for consideration but that doesn’t resolve the backline issues. 

2 minutes ago, PJ_12345 said:

What was temhe response?

He put it back to the journos what did they think, then trotted out the diplomatic line about it being a tough job etc and it wasn’t the difference....

Powell pepper was good though, 17 tackles and 29 kidney punches is a club record apparently. 

2 minutes ago, Lord Travis said:

Doesn’t deserve to be in the team on form, but he’ll keep his place purely for what he could potentially produce. Very frustrating player and it doesn’t look like he’ll become the player we thought he could be. He’s definitely not capable of becoming a full time midfielder, and now he’s not scoring or getting involved as a forward either. He just lacks clean hands collecting ball quickly and has lost his vision to hit up short kicks for goal assist that he was so good with up forward last year. 

Maybe try him off half back to spark him?

Yet clean hands was the thing that stood out when I first saw him at training and later in his first games. Clean in the air and clean with ground balls, what has happened? Confidence issue? 

18 minutes ago, Macca said:

Thank goodness for VAR hey!  ha ha

First break go our way in 4 World Cups. I will take it. 

Can we check the online betting records, something smells. 

3 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

Just visiting some so called tourist attraction 

Roti Island or some such. Bah! Poor coffee. Worse food! And if that’s not bad enough the place is infested with giant rodents trying to purloin one’s shitty lunch

Gave the ringleaders a jolly good whacking   That taught the beggars some respect 

Ratsnest Island as the Dutch called it, I suspect Uncle.  Forget the quokkas I am very perturbed about the poor coffee, that is a disgrace and in my new role as national Australian Coffee Standards ambassador I can assure you there will be ramifications! 

FoxFooty saying Hawthorn in the box seat if Rory decides to move on. Is there some way to kill off these zombie sides, Hawthorn and Geelong? 

25 minutes ago, DV8 said:

It's all in they're heads, something is very wrong at that club. something like an off fish.

They may have put the cue in the rack for the season, chasing some early picks in a draft with some good local talent. 

Its the World Cup after all when have we not been dudded against the top teams? They bought in the VAR but we still get dudded! 

Shyte!

It’s one all!