Australian-rules-football-afl-chatting-tipping-and-news

[Will27]

12 minutes ago, ozzydom said:

Correction , should read 7

Yep, my apologies.

The AFL website was slow in updating.

 

Should read: 

Ozzydom and Radar501 both picked 7 with Ozzydom

closest to the margin with 4.

[Will27]

12 minutes ago, sceadugenga said:

Hey, I got 6....

 

Pretty pleased after being 0-3 at one stage.

I was 0-3 as well and died in the clacker with 4

[sceadugenga]

We must do lunch, I'll give you a few pointers....

[Will27]

Essendon, John Worsfold headline Mark Robinson’s dislikes after Round 8


Mark Robinson, Herald Sun

TRENT Cotchin led his team to victory, Port Adelaide showed why it was considered a premiership threat during the pre-season and an unsung Carlton midfielder is playing the season of his life.

But the spotlight after Round 8 is focused on Essendon and coach John Worsfold.

Players making contact with umpires, “boring” GWS and more Collingwood injuries are also in the bad books of Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson. And did we mention Essendon?

See all Robbo’s likes and dislikes from Round 8 below.

WHAT I DON’T LIKE

1. ESSENDON
Park discussion about changes on the field this week, because rest assured there will be changes in the coaches box at season’s end — if not sooner — and that could include the coach John Worsfold. Worsfold signed a new two-year deal in March but that means nothing when the team is performing so poorly. As with most coach contracts, there’s likely severance clauses to minimise a payout to Worsfold if the club sacks him. The Bombers reappointed Worsfold in part for stability, but so far it has been a massive failure. His support staff will especially be under pressure. His assistants, Paul Corrigan and Hayden Skipworth, are new to their roles, so they can hardly be blamed. That puts Worsfold’s most influential assistants, Mark Neeld and Rob Harding, front and square in a review, which surely has already started.

2. ESSENDON.
The Bombers have gone from supposed contender to a development team inside two months and because finals are out of the question they will play more kids. Worsfold flagged personnel changes after Saturday’s loss to Carlton and that has to mean playing kids. Jake Stringer, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Darcy Parish and Mark Baguley will be assessed at selection this week because, as Worsfold said, he needs to start finding players who will be part of the club’s next premiership.



3. ESSENDON
There are questions at every club, but more at Essendon than any other. The main ones being: How can so many players be out of form, and why don’t they want to apply relentless pressure? As much as Worsfold says he is demanding forward half-pressure and better ball movement, which was supported by Brendon Goddard in his Sunday Herald Sun column, it is simply not happening. Either the players don’t listen to the coach, or they can’t implement the coach’s tactics or they are confused about it all. Something is broken at Essendon and it seems the coaching department and the players don’t know what that something is, so they don’t know how to fix it.

4. GWS
There’s trouble on the frontier. The Giants are missing a stack of injured stars but, similar to Geelong the previous week, the Eagles didn’t exactly start with their best side. Jeremy McGovern, Luke Shuey and Nic Nat were out, but missing talent doesn’t stop you applying pressure. The Giants have become a boring team. In their past 20 matches, they have averaged just 81 points per game. Only St Kilda, Fremantle, Carlton and Gold Coast have averaged fewer points. They have scored 100-plus points just three times in this period. They are out of the eight and missing the finals is a real threat.

5. WHAT’S GOING ON WITH PLAYERS AND UMPIRES?
Tom Hawkins was in the headlines all week and was suspended and the weekend comes and two players believe it’s OK to manhandle the umpire. Gold Coast’s Steven May has been referred to the tribunal and it will be interesting because it seemed he was being instructional rather than malicious. Still, he touched the umpire. Carlton’s Ed Curnow did the same, pushing an umpire, which is likely to be viewed less favourably than May’s action. He will be at the tribunal on Tuesday, one suspects, and be given a suspension.

6. ST KILDA
A record six times in the “dislikes’’ this season and it’s eerily familiar — they can’t score. They kicked two goals in three quarters and six goals in the third quarter in what was another incredibly frustrating night for the coach, the team and their fans. This season the Saints have kicked a goal from 17 per cent of their inside-50s, the lowest percentage recorded by Champion Data, and have averaged 16 points per game from stoppages, the fewest Champion Data has seen. So, if it’s not the mechanics of ball movement, it’s inaccurate kicking in front of goal. Is there a forwards coach out there who can fix the Saints? If so, he needs an offer he can’t refuse to join them next season.

7. ISAAC HEENEY
Hawks sharpshooter Luke Breust kicked three goals and two of them came because of the lairising from the Swans player. In the third quarter Heeney flew for a mark in the goalsquare and didn’t hold it and Breust roved and goaled. On the wing in the same quarter, Heeney flirted with a one-handed take and didn’t control the ball. The Hawks won the ball, got it forward and Breust kicked his second of the quarter. Heeney had to play percentages and not play “look at me’’ football. He can thank Ben Ronke for making sure his mistakes didn’t cost Sydney the match.

8. REALLY WANT TO WRITE ABOUT JACK MACRAE
This will make it three weeks running and it would be a “dislike’’ if we ignored him. He is second to Nat Fyfe in the Herald Sun Player of the Year award after yet another three votes for the Western Bulldogs. He had 47 disposals which follows 31, 31, 30, 34, 26, 32 and 40 in his previous seven games. He’s had 271 disposals in the first eight rounds, the most recorded by a Bulldog after eight rounds since 1999.

9. WHY THE CONFUSION ABOUT LUKE PARKER?
He ran in at speed, turned his body and tried to pick up the ball a moment before Hawthorn’s Jarman Impey knocked it inches from Parker’s grasp. It was a textbook approach from Parker which, 3AW commentator Daniel Harford stressed, should be taught by all junior coaches. On the flip side, Impey went down for the ball, arms in front and body open. What we have learned this year, though, is the head isn’t as sacrosanct as it was two years ago.

10. UNLUCKY PIES
Mighty effort on Sunday and only let down by being sloppy inside 50. When you kick 5.15 it’s going to be tough to win a game. They played without their skipper and lost two players to injury, which is nothing new to the Pies. Jamie Elliott also injured his hamstring in the VFL, which puts his 2018 season back another four or five weeks.

WHAT I LIKE

1. SAM MENEGOLA
SuperCoach owners queried Menegola when he was named the highest-priced forward in the pre-season and it’s games like this that justify his standing in the game. A classy forward-mid, he kicked three goals from 24 disposals in a game where goals were gold. Others collected more ball, but for influence it was Menegola, especially in the third quarter. That’s four wins from their past five matches for Geelong and coach Chris Scott maintains his position, as voted by the coaches, as the hardest coach to coach against.

2. TRENT COTCHIN
The most selfless, manic and team-first outfit in the AFL is led by Trent Cotchin. Bob Murphy reckons players like Cotchin are symbolic of their team and on Sunday, in a fierce contest, Cotchin was front of the pack for his team. He had 37 disposals, 22 contested and kicked a goal and seemingly was opposed to Ben Cunnington, who was inspirational himself. We talk of Nat Fyfe and Shannon Hurn as prospective All-Australian captains and Cotchin easily sits with those two.

3. PORT ADELAIDE
No more evidence is needed that the game is played largely above the shoulders than Port Adelaide. The emotional response from Ken Hinkley’s boys was for there all to see. They had lost the contested footy count for six matches in a row and their bona fides were being questioned. Last week against West Coast they were embarrassed, losing the contested ball by 40. Against Adelaide, in another stunning Showdown, Port won the contest footy by 20. That’s a 60-effort turnaround. Can Port make that the norm and not just a response?

4. TOMMY AND ROBBIE
Sounds like the name of an Enid Blyton novel, but it was no fantasy land at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. Tom Rockliff played the sort of game Port expected when they recruited him, collecting 31 disposals and being that important ground-ball winner and linkman. Robbie Gray played the sort of game very few players can in the AFL. He’s the ultimate matchwinner because he doesn’t need a lot of ball to affect the outcome. At the 20-minute mark of the second quarter, Adelaide led by 27 points. In the next 40 minutes Port kicked eight goals to two, and Gray kicked six of them. It gave Port the lead and ultimately the match.

5. ED CURNOW
Little brother Charlie gets all the hype and rightly so, but it is big brother Ed who is high on Carlton’s hype metre. He is probably second to Patrick Cripps in the best-and-fairest and has career-highs in disposals (27), contested possessions (10), clearances (five), pressure points (55) and tackles (nine). As coach Brendon Bolton noted, it is Cripps and Curnow in the middle with a bunch of kids rotating through. Curnow arguably was the most valuable player against Essendon as he tagged Zach Merrett for almost 70 minutes and kept him to just 14 disposals. Curnow is also the No. 1 tackler in the AFL in 2018. Pity he’s likely to be rubbed out for touching an umpire (see dislikes above).

6. HAVE THE DEMONS FOUND ANOTHER MIDFIELDER?
Complete domination from Melbourne at the Gabba against Gold Coast. While Suns coach Stuart Dew confronts the reality of the formidable job in front of him, the rest of us must confront the reality that the Demons are strong contenders in 2018. They are 5-3 and seemingly have worked out their issues from four weeks ago. Against the Suns they had 41 scoring shots to 22 from 83 inside-50s, which is the equal most Champion Data has ever recorded. James Harmes’ move into the middle three weeks ago has been a raging success. On Saturday night he had career-highs in ranking points (139), disposals (33), contested possessions (18) and sore involvements (12).

7. SANDILANDS AND FYFE
The most dangerous ruck/rover combo in the game by a mile. They have combined 43 times this season and the next highest is Ben McEvoy/Tom Mitchell (29 times). Aaron Sandilands’ career looked cooked because of injury, but he has been outstanding this season. Has won a hitout-to-advantage from 24 per cent of ruck contests, which is ranked No. 1 in the AFL. And Nat Fyfe is arguably the best player in the AFL as we speak.

8. MARK HUTCHINGS
West Coast’s pressure was amazing against a lacklustre GWS, recording a pressure factor of 196 when the AFL average is 180. Midfielder Hutchings led the way with 75 pressure points, as well as doing the job on Dylan Shiel. Hutchings is the hard-nosed midfielder every club would like to have because he sacrifices his own game for the good of the team. He had Shiel for a half a game on Saturday and kept him to 11 disposals. The Eagles have the game to play deep September.

9. BEN RONKE
A hero to a nation on Friday night football and didn’t we love him. Seven goals, 10 tackles and an enthusiasm which was contagious. Rival clubs must look at the Swans with envy, specifically their talent identification and their development program. Ronke is yet another player to come from the rookie list and on Friday there was Ronke, Tom Papley, Jake Lloyd, Dane Rampe, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith, Harry Cunningham, Kieren Jack, Dan Robinson and Callum Sinclair, who was a rookie at West Coast. What are terrific club.

10. BEN CUNNINGTON
The best handballer in the game continues to win plaudits, as does his team despite Sunday’s loss. He is a beauty with ball in hands, all skill and poise and he complements it with smartness and courage at the contest. He had 38 disposals and an extraordinary 32 of them were contested, which broke the previous record for most contested possessions in a match. Patrick Dangerfield and Sydney’s Josh Kennedy had 29, ahead of Chris Judd and Jude Bolton on 28.

 

[AlexRRR]

Well below me down with a matchstick......Old Fj pulled off a Houdini, the old under the water in a box trick....sneaked over the line by 40 points in the end....I can tell you i was super surprised when i checked the scores during the last game of the round and actually seen him in front....Your a sneaky pete....

 

Rip wiped them good and highest score of the round that means you would have beaten anyone today....

 

As predicted the underachieving Mitchell cost the officer big time, Delightful waltzed over the line by a cool 133 points.

 

The ladder sees.....Grant stays top Fj gets a good hold on second he and grant on 5-1, im where i wanna be in 3rd at 4-2, Rip has has displaced Chooks to take 4th 2-4 the Officer falls to 5th also on 2-4 with the Numbnuts at zip and 6....can JoBoss save numbnuts?

 

Next weeks rounds are...

 

Fj vs D Dee's....ahhh the grudge match in return, better spend some money this week is all i can say...

 

Grant gets the week off he will need it after this weeks shock...we all thought he had it in the bag...

 

Chooks up against the big scoring Rip...this is your chance to put some space between 4th and 5th there Rip...so rip into him....spend some money...

 

Im off to Vietnam tomorrow for 3 weeks...they do have internet there im told i will be quite but hopefully i will get my tips and team organised......I will be looking over the stock there for rovers for the Dee's women team..i love it when they send me on these types of trips...

 

[joboss]

I am flattered to be offered a spot in the fantasy league.

I will decline as I have two more rounds of Chemo to go and it does knock me around. Plenty of confusion and fatigue big time.

Could possibly pull a rabbit from the hat but with the confusion would possibly misplace the hat and the rabbit would starve, or eat the hat.

Next year 2019, all you will see are a clean pair of heels as I blitz the field.

Also planning to star in the tipping.

[GrantSmith]

Well done FJ, ya got me in the end, that'll teach me to hold onto an injured player knowing he'll be subbed out at the last minute despite being named all week. <deleted> Magpie scum! Didn't bloody help having both Dusty and Tommy Mitchell tagged up the hills hoist either...

 

With a bit of cash in the kitty this week some changes are coming!

[Ron19]

[farmerjo]

Bit quiet on here mid week with i guess most scratching their head at the MRP and tribunal.

Well Ziebells not scratching his,he's off on a ferry to the place where the sun don't shine to take on GWS.

Hope Alex is enjoying his time across the border and is to busy to get internet,mean while i've tweaked my fantasy team for the grudge match.Enter Tom Lynch of the Crows variety and Tommy Mitchell to bounce back as captain oink.

The Delightful Dees mentor has mentioned sneaky pete a few times,so not knowing who he was i decided to look it up and much the the mrs disgust,punched out the 2 series in a couple of days.Cunning fellow who put in a lot of hard work for little gain.The good thing was it helped fill in a couple of non footy days and was entertaining.

Tipping should be pretty straight forward this week although Khun Will said that last week and did him no favours.

Have gone the Swans this week to keep my gauntlet rolling on. 

 

[Will27]

9 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Bit quiet on here mid week with i guess most scratching their head at the MRP and tribunal.

Well Ziebells not scratching his,he's off on a ferry to the place where the sun don't shine to take on GWS.

Hope Alex is enjoying his time across the border and is to busy to get internet,mean while i've tweaked my fantasy team for the grudge match.Enter Tom Lynch of the Crows variety and Tommy Mitchell to bounce back as captain oink.

The Delightful Dees mentor has mentioned sneaky pete a few times,so not knowing who he was i decided to look it up and much the the mrs disgust,punched out the 2 series in a couple of days.Cunning fellow who put in a lot of hard work for little gain.The good thing was it helped fill in a couple of non footy days and was entertaining.

Tipping should be pretty straight forward this week although Khun Will said that last week and did him no favours.

Have gone the Swans this week to keep my gauntlet rolling on. 

 

FJ, I think the WC/Richmond game is a fitty fitty one.

 

Norf should beat GWS in Tassie but we could see an upset there.

Are Freo a sneaky chance against Syd?

Syd have a bad record at home this year.

 

Will the Saints finally make a statement against the Pies?

 

The Lions are due for a win also.

 

I'll just be happy to pick a Friday night winner for once

 

 

[AlexRRR]

I set my team mr Fj Sunday night I have faith in who I selected checking this evening apart from 2 rucks almost a full house.

Arrived Hue this afternoon, im over the organised chaos of HMC, it’s changed a lot over 12 years they use to love $US, I made the mistake of getting what now seems too mush of it, they prefer there Dong though at the airport they asked for Us$ for my visa on arrival...ps im keeping my eye out for exciting women’s league players, the views are not as small as I remembered...sim Sala bin...

IMG_4383.HEICIMG_4428.HEIC


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[AlexRRR]

I set my team mr Fj Sunday night I have faith in who I selected checking this evening apart from 2 rucks almost a full house.

Arrived Hue this afternoon, im over the organised chaos of HMC, it’s changed a lot over 12 years they use to love $US, I made the mistake of getting what now seems too mush of it, they prefer there Dong though at the airport they asked for Us$ for my visa on arrival...ps im keeping my eye out for exciting women’s league players, the views are not as small as I remembered...sim Sala bin...

IMG_4383.HEICIMG_4428.HEIC


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[AlexRRR]

I set my team mr Fj Sunday night I have faith in who I selected checking this evening apart from 2 rucks almost a full house.

Arrived Hue this afternoon, im over the organised chaos of HMC, it’s changed a lot over 12 years they use to love $US, I made the mistake of getting what now seems too mush of it, they prefer there Dong though at the airport they asked for Us$ for my visa on arrival...ps im keeping my eye out for exciting women’s league players, the views are not as small as I remembered...sim Sala bin...

IMG_4383.HEIC


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Will27]

Seeing Harry Madden on Open Mike reminded me on what a lack of characters we have in

the game these days. Most are robotic athletes who play their role and take it one game at a time.

 

Cacked myself when he gave the Western Bulldog player a huge wedgie

 

 

[Ron19]

One of the many local parks in the area where I'm staying at the moment.

 

[Ron19]

[Will27]

Well gents

 

Two big upsets this week with Brisbane beating the Hawks and Essendon beating Geelong.

 

Seven picked 7 this week with Sceadugengai getting the chocolates due to being closest to

the margin.

Well done mate.

 

Grant Smith still way out on top with 60, with ripstanley in 2nd place on 57.

 

Until next time.

Edited May 20, 2018 by Will27

[Will27]

Well boys, the lids off

 

[Will27]

The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s Round 9’s highlights and lowlights

 

What a weekend of footy it was, from the biblical rain in Adelaide to the top-of-the-table blockbuster in Perth that turned into a rout.

 

Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson looks at the highlights and lowlights of the weekend and asks which club has the best one-two punch.

Meanwhile, Essendon is back in the likes, while Geelong, Hawthorn and bum tappers are in the bad books.

WHAT I LIKE

 

1. BROWN & WAITE

The North Melbourne bandwagon grows by the weekend, as does the acknowledgment of its key forward combination, Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite. At the end of Round 9 they are the best inside 50m duo in the AFL. Against the Giants, Waite kicked four goals and Brown five, with Brown’s offering all coming in the third quarter when he had seven disposals, three marks inside 50m and 85 ranking points They have combined for 50 goals this year and lead West Coast’s Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy (46), Hawthorn’s Jack Gunston and Luke Breust (44 goals), Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt and Josh Caddy (41) and Sydney’s Lance Franklin and Will Hayward (36). All this talk about Gold Coast’s Tommy Lynch worth up to $1.5 million a season is nonsense, when you consider Brown would be earning two-thirds of that figure.

 

2 WHAT ABOUT DARLING & KENNEDY?

West Coast announced itself as genuine with a demolition of Richmond and Darling further announced himself as a genuine superstar. It had to be seen to be believed. Players have kicked more goals this season, but no forward has played a better game than Darling this season, or in fact for several seasons. He kicked six goals, took 15 marks, took eight marks inside 50m and was involved in a game-high 11 scores. He was Carey-like in his domination of the Tigers and that’s probably the highest compliment you can give. Nine goals between Darling and Kennedy was too much for the Tigers.

 

OR HOGAN & McDONALD
A withering and foreboding display from Melbourne, but its greatest challenges are still to come. Have won four in a row — Essendon, St Kilda, Gold Coast and now Carlton — and it might be coincidence, but those wins have come since Tom McDonald returned from injury. He gives the Demons a powerful one-two combo up front. He kicked four goals and Hogan one goal to give them 34 combined for the season. If the Demons want to get where they want to this year, plenty will rest on the availability of their key forwards.

 

4. HIPWOOD & McCLUGGAGE

It was game 39 for Eric Hipwood and game 27 for Hugh McCluggage and together, finally, they stood up strongly in victory for the Brisbane Lions. It is a cliche, but those two, and defenders Harris Andrews and Tommy Cutler, and the suave Charlie Cameron, are the future. They were also all important in Brisbane’s first win of the season. Hipwood kicked 4.3 and McCluggage had 27 disposals in a rollicking win which tells us the Gabba once again is a difficult venue for visitors.

 

5. MARK BAGULEY

Traumatic week after the Jed Lamb confrontation and it’s best for both of them that what was said wasn’t made public. On Saturday Baguley — and his Bombers teammates — let their football do the talking. This didn’t look like it was about game plan or strategy, it looked like pressure, intensity and tackling, of which Baguley laid seven of them, mainly as a forward pressure player. The Bombers laid 91 tackles this week and 91 tackles last week, but this week was a ‘‘mosh pit’’ of tackling. The tackled the ball carrier/winner and then the receiver if the ball got out, which meant the Cats weren’t able to breathe with the ball.

 

6. ESSENDON PLAYED LIKE RICHMOND

It can be complicated to determine what pressure actually is and the importance of where it is applied. There’s pressure at the contest and away from the contest. On Saturday, Essendon’s pressure away from stoppages was 191 (the AFL average is 166) and that pressure away from stoppages is what kills. The Tigers, considered the best pressure team, rank 18th for pressure applied at stoppages, but second for pressure applied away from stoppages. In other words, they sweat on the receiver. Essendon’s pressure away from stoppages was the second most applied by any team this season in a dry game. The question is: Can it be repeated against the Giants this week.

 

7. WHAT ABOUT THE COACH?

John Worsfold has been accused of being prickly at his past two press conferences, but what the hell, he’s been smacked from Windy Hill to Tullamarine in the past six weeks, so what do you expect? He’s talking like he played his football: Take no prisoners. They did against Geelong, which even had the skipper Dyson Heppell asking: “Where has that been?” It was an extraordinary response after a tumultuous week and a stark reminder that, of course tactics are important, but not as important as attitude and commitment.

 

8. JORDAN DE GOEY

He’s the hottest ticket in town. The Pies are confident he will sign a new contract, probably with a five in front of it, maybe a six. What happens though if a club, say North Melbourne, offers a contract starting with seven, maybe eight, and it’s for five or six years? That’s a guaranteed $5 million. To be fair, don’t know the length of contract Collingwood has offered, but de Goey would be foolish if he doesn’t direct his manager to at least talk to other clubs. He’s 22, played 55 games and kicked 51 goals, so the money is obscene. But he’s a forward-50m talent of which we haven’t seen for sometime.

 

9. HUGH GREENWOOD

Stunning courage to talk about the loss of his mother in a recent interview on Fox Footy and if you haven’t seen it, jump on YouTube. He plays with a different courage on the field and his fearless attack on the contest was a highlight as the Crows battle injury woes. The 26-year-old played his 24th game in the wet on Friday night and he was Adelaide’s No.1 ranked player. Five teammates had more disposals, but no one was harder at the ball He had 20 possessions, 19 of them contested, an equal team-high 10 clearances and 85 pressure points. The former basketballer-turned-footballer has been a success since he joined the club in 2015.

 

10. REX HUNT

He’s had his trials and tribulations, Rex, but there’s no denying his place in Australian rules history. The premiership player and premier caller and entertainer called his final match on 3AW on Saturday night. He loved the station and the station and the fans loved him for a zillion reasons. He could be cutting with his criticisms, but he mainly adored and celebrated the players. Famous for one-liners, nicknames and his infamous race call, he might’ve saved one of his best line for his final match. As the game dwindled, Rexy said: “You’d rather play scrabble at Pentridge.’’

 

WHAT I DISLIKE

 

1. GEELONG

“Their mental approach was really poor,’’ said former captain Cameron Ling on 3AW. His reasoning was the Cats knew Essendon would be earnest with their physical approach, but didn’t match it, which allowed Essendon’s confidence to grow. The Cats are guilty of dropping games they are expected to win against lowly placed teams in recent years. Forty per cent of Geelong’s losses since 2016 have come against bottom-10 sides, which is the worst percentage of any side that has played finals during this time. The table is Essendon 54 per cent, but you can eliminate them because of 2016. Then comes Geelong 40 per cent, Sydney and North Melbourne 37 per cent, Richmond 36 per cent, West Coast 35 per cent, Adelaide 33 per cent, Hawthorn 31 per cent, GWS 31 per cent, Bulldogs 30 per cent and Port Adelaide 26 per cent, the latter earning the title of flat-track bullies. The Cats certainly ain’t that, but they can be mentally flat in games they are expected to win.

 

2. WHAT ABOUT GAZZA?

It looked like it was too hot in the kitchen for Ablett on Saturday and it looked like he was feeling every bit of his 34 years of age. He’s going to have average games, because that’s what happens. But when it’s hot like it was, you have to fight fire with fire. He’s not a deep defensive thinker, but just one tackle and a lack of ball, meant it was one of his worst games in his past 40 games. Ablett admitted it was a poor performance and if they continue, how long will it be before people start debating the positives and negatives of Gazza going back to Geelong.

 

3. HAWKS

Two losses in a row and this one was a shot of reality. Boy, it was a disappointing performance. Not only were they beaten, the Lions careered away, kicking 11 goals to four after half-time. Can’t work out if the Hawks are a finals team or not. Against the Lions the kids failed to have impact, the ball handling was poor and defensively they allowed 20 goals to be scored. At the end of Round 9 they are out of the eight and their confidence took a huge hit about them getting back in.

 

4. RICHMOND

Maybe they were ripe for the picking, and West Coast may have built it up internally as a final in May, but it was the dismantling of Richmond which was of major concern. The Tigers conceded 130 points, were murdered on the turnover and were unable stop West Coast’s ball movement from the back half to the front. They actually had more inside 50s, 56-44. Richmond was the benchmark, that’s how powerful the Eagles were.

 

5. CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE

Carlton beats Essendon, Geelong beats Collingwood, Essendon beats Geelong, Carlton demolished by Melbourne. The goodwill garnished from the win over the Bombers in Round 8 was lost by Carlton in the slush at the MCG, proving it’s one step forward and two steps back for the Blues at the moment. Kicked just 2.5 after half-time compared to Melbourne’s 15.5. It was a diabolical 60 minutes of football for Carlton. How can Essendon turn it around and Carlton turn to that rubbish? The mental side of coaching has never been so important.

 

6. BAD KICKING IS BAD FOOTBALL

Tim Membrey is having a Freddie Krueger-style nightmare in front of goal — which is inescapable fear — and it continued with another three behinds against Collingwood, making it 6.15 this season. In 2017, he kicked 38.14, so it is clearly down to mental demons. If it continues coach Alan Richardson might take him down the race for talking to, as he did with Rowan Marshall on Saturday night when Marshall bungled a kick to the middle which was cut off and led to a Collingwood goal. It was interesting coaching from Richardson. He said it was to reinforce the confidence he has had in the kid. While Marshall’s missed kick was crucial, Membrey’s behinds in the first quarter were more so. Does Richo talk to Membrey about his goalkicking or avoid the subject for fear of adding more pressure? Can remember Nathan Buckley not wanting to talk about Travis Cloke’s goal kicking to avoid making even more headlines. Tough position

 

7. CARELESS BUDDY

Already the commentariate is hoping Lance Franklin escapes punishment for his elbow to the head of Joel Hambling. That’s nice of them. But they’re missing the point. Franklin gathered the ball, was tackled, and when Hambling came into apply a second tackle, Franklin’s upper body shrug saw his elbow concuss the Docker defender. It was careless, if not dangerous, and that Hambling missed the remainder of the game suggests Franklin will and should face suspension. Franklin’s great mate Josh Gibson interviewed him after the match and didn’t ask about the elbow. That also was careless, Josh.

 

8. GOLD COAST

All for the China experiment and Port Adelaide should be applauded for a) thinking outside the box and b) finding another source of financial support. The interest in the game, however, is minimal because the Gold Coast Suns are an unattractive opponent. They also are rewarded because Chinese people love the Gold Coast, but that’s where the interest lies. The Travelling Wilburys have won one game from their past seven matches and I can’t think of another time when interest in the expansion team is so low. What hope have they got keeping Tom Lynch?

 

9 BUM TAPPERS

What possesses a fan to lean over the fence and slap a player’s bum and then think it’s the funniest and proudest moment of his life. Very weird. Also weird, but a touch quaint, was Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge stopping for a selfie after he walked from the coaches box on Friday night. Former coaches might think it crazy, but it’s a brave new world and Bevo is up with the trends.

 

10. SLIDING RULE DEBATE

It’s a good rule, a smart rule, and reckon the umpire got the Daniel Talia-Lukas Webb decision right. Talia went to ground to win the ball and Webb kept his feet and contact was made below the knee. It’s always thought the ruling was front-on contact below the knee, but the rule surely is for all contact below the knees. The debate raged, but would it have been raised if Webb snapped an ACL on contact? Agree, there’s 50-50 situations and Talia-Webb might have been one of them, but the rule has been good for the game. Not everyone would agree. Said Mick McGuane on twitter: “That s**t ‘sliding rule’ raises its ugly head again tonight. Please get back to rewarding the player that gets first to the ball and not the ‘sweater.’ It’s fast becoming a major indictment on our great game.’’

[GrantSmith]

27 minutes ago, Will27 said:

7. CARELESS BUDDY

Already the commentariate is hoping Lance Franklin escapes punishment for his elbow to the head of Joel Hambling. That’s nice of them. But they’re missing the point. Franklin gathered the ball, was tackled, and when Hambling came into apply a second tackle, Franklin’s upper body shrug saw his elbow concuss the Docker defender. It was careless, if not dangerous, and that Hambling missed the remainder of the game suggests Franklin will and should face suspension. Franklin’s great mate Josh Gibson interviewed him after the match and didn’t ask about the elbow. That also was careless, Josh.

I think Robbo's going to be frothing tonight on 360...

 

http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/2018-05-21/franklin-cleared-to-play

I think he got it wrong and the MRO got it right, Hambling a bit unlucky to cop Bud's elbow to the gob but there didn't look like any intention.

[farmerjo]

A quick wrap of the Fantasy this week.

The winners were Delightful Dees 1912 over FJ'S Flyers 1834.

Well done Alex,gets a grudge match win back in style.Hope the holiday(rover recruiting) is going well.

Grannys Apples continues to show his class with a 1967 to 938 win over NumbNUTS who is in the same form as GWS.

Last game and match of the round saw Chooks Chaingmai Saints 1813 get over Rip 1793 with it going deep into the last game.

That brings us to the Ladder

Grannys Apples

Delightful Dees

Farmerjo's Flyers

Chooks Chaigmai Saints

Rips Swans

Numb Nuts

Alex has replaced FJ in 2nd giving him the favoured 3rd position and Chooka moves back above Rip.

This week sees FJ v NN

DD's v Rip

GA's v CCS.

There is one bye this week but business as usual i guess.

[Will27]

1 hour ago, GrantSmith said:

I think Robbo's going to be frothing tonight on 360...

 

http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/2018-05-21/franklin-cleared-to-play

I think he got it wrong and the MRO got it right, Hambling a bit unlucky to cop Bud's elbow to the gob but there didn't look like any intention.

I think Buddy had no case to answer. On the other hand I thought Parker should've gone last week.

[farmerjo]

IMO the rule should be if you make contact with another players head and they have to miss a week.

The aggressor gets double.

It's very simple,accident or not.

If the player contacted is right to play then no penalty.

The rule needs sorting out.

Made black and white.

[Will27]

Last night's Open Mike.

 

Shaun Smith looks like a good fella.

 

A sad story.

 

 

[Will27]

Speaking of Shaun Smith, surely the greatest mark of all time?

 

 

Edited May 23, 2018 by Will27

[AlexRRR]

Speaking of Shaun Smith, surely the greatest mark of all time?
 

 [/quote


Actualy Russell Robinson, better known as robbo who arrived not long after Shaun was as equal if not better had the arms of an orangutan played for a lot longer too and let’s not forget became the last casualty of the Dean Bailey Jim Stynes era....this completed the complet purge of Daniher’s finals playing teams and left us with zilch experiance...


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[AlexRRR]

I would like to know why do the Eagles come into contention so quickly, they must have a secret formula hidden in the western desert somewhere, I mean hiding gifted kids is impossible these days and we won’t go there WILL we?


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[sceadugenga]

[farmerjo]

The pie man turned defender Madjak Daw is set for his 1st game at Optus stadium.

And in celebration,you guessed it,it's 2 dollar pies for the day.

Only Madjak and his mum could bring this to a game.

I had Billy Hartung and Ryan Clarke scheduled to help Mrs Daw but Brad Scott is taking some convincing.

 

 

[Will27]

Another interesting round coming up gang.

 

Can Collingwood keep the momentum up tomorrow night against the Bulldogs?

Will Essendon bring it again against GWS at Spotless?

GWS have to win their home games to make the finals.

 

Brisbane would have to be a sneaky chance at home against Sydney I think.

 

West Coast up against their bogey side Hawthorn in Melbourne.

The Hawks have lost their last 2 and WC are due to drop one.

 

Melbourne have been beating up the lower sides and this will be a test.

A good time to get Adelaide with a lot of injuries.

 

Freo are pretty hard to beat at home but Norf are in good nick.

I can see an upset brewing here.

 

All the breast guys.