Well I've got some positives (I Think!)

[sharp9]

We have the best team in the league by a mile.....ON PAPER

Why? We played appallingly for almost an entire game, with shocking kicking (field and goal) waaaaay below average even for us, plus there were many poor player decisions/stupid frees/fifties that actually cost goals. meanwhile the opposition were brilliant, clinical and playing AS WELL AS THEY COULD POSSIBLY PLAY...yet in the end we lost by a point. Two games in a row. very clearly we are either EASILY the premier team in the comp.....OR....we are now playing at our REAL level and will no longer beat the fast/clinical/skilful sides.

I'm going to remain optimistic....Goodes, Hall, Everitt will play to their skills sooner rather than later. The players will play the flood much better having worked it out somewhat in the second half. Against teams with normal midfielders our midfielders will not be nearly so scared and reactive. It might take some personel changes but we will kick straighter.

Some other positives

1) Vogels looked like a real player a couple of times....if he can do it ten times in a match that makes him a key forward.

2) Kennelly possibly best game ever...played with so much intesity it lead to him bombing a few poor ones into the fifty, but apart from that...

3) We will not have the ill-disciplined brain fades that cost us the match (reversed frees, fifties and soft frees in front of goal) actually we will never get rid of the soft frees in front of goal...I know my boys

4) Richards looked like a real player....though still not a key defender. Boy, do we need one of those!

Tigers are in big, big trouble next week. They will go the super flood and get massacred.

[NMWBloods]

Why? We played appallingly for almost an entire game, with shocking kicking (field and goal) waaaaay below average even for us, plus there were many poor player decisions/stupid frees/fifties that actually cost goals. meanwhile the opposition were brilliant, clinical and playing AS WELL AS THEY COULD POSSIBLY PLAY...yet in the end we lost by a point. Two games in a row. very clearly we are either EASILY the premier team in the comp.....OR....we are now playing at our REAL level and will no longer beat the fast/clinical/skilful sides.

Let's not forget that they were missing six players from their GF side. I think the GF makes a better case for your point.

I'm going to remain optimistic....Goodes, Hall, Everitt will play to their skills sooner rather than later. The players will play the flood much better having worked it out somewhat in the second half. Against teams with normal midfielders our midfielders will not be nearly so scared and reactive. It might take some personel changes but we will kick straighter.

We certainly seemed a bit overawed by the Eagles, as was Roos. We were outplayed and outcoached for the second game in a row.

I think we are at an interesting stage. As I noted in another thread, I believe a number of players (Barry, J Bolton, Mathews) will drop off this year. We need younger players to step up. There is a risk that some of them may stall in development (eg: McVeigh). We need to be careful we don't hang onto our premiership players too long and miss the opportunity to develop the youngsters and hence go backward rather than forward. It's a fine balancing act, but loyalty should not be a factor.

I expect we should do really well this year, but it could actually be a fine line between a really good year and a so-so year.

We really do need to kick more goals too!

[hammo]

I don't agree.

West Coast were missing Cox, Embley and Fletcher and a certain druggie who is a very good player. They are capable of much better, but then again so are we. I am looking for a clinical display against the Tigers to at least settle into the season with some confidence however.

[melbloods78]

After watching other games this weekend we are at least better than most sides out there and will enjoy another good season. Suprised Grundy didnt get a game last night to have a tall to swing down back.

Worrying that leo got lead to the ball by Lynch many times

[nat]

Suprised Grundy didnt get a game last night to have a tall to swing down back.

Grundy has been injured, something to do with his back.

[melbloods78]

ahh thanks for info, have started season a bit outta touch due to work !!

[daniel]

looking on the bright side alot of positives last night:

teddy richards. was very very good. definatly a confidence player and i would think at this time his confidence would be sky high. really really like him

malceski. solid game, his delivery is just getting better and better, the guys definatly look out for him.

running game. looked really good when we got the run out the backline, and shows that we are still a class act.

we played very poorly and lost by a solitary behind had alot more scoring shots and will only get better, however so will the eagles, my lock is pretty safe at present i think syd/wce grannie quinella.

[Lucky Knickers]

I didn't mind Abletts game either. Thought he did some good things.
Missed LRT more than I expected

[ScottH]

We are top of the bottom 8.

[barry]

I didn't mind Abletts game either. Thought he did some good things.
Missed LRT more than I expected

Yep. Abletts first game back was pretty good.
LRT may have been missed slightly, but our ruck-midfield combination is most worrying. Perhaps it will gell in the next few rounds. To get taken appart by bloody Seaby of all players when rucking is supposted to be our strength was demoralising.

[revolsnaws]

This time last year we got smacked by essendon,a team expected to fill a spot in the last 3.This time we got snubbed by the bookies faves,by a bloody point(agin).Okay,we missed 4 points.SO WHAT!Our fellas proved to us one thing,we still wont say die till the end.Its gotten us to 2 granny's so far and as much as it gives us the irrates that we are always a come from behind team its our way.We have got another 21 weeks to consolidate our place in the AFL and if we can blitz a few teams in the early stages of a game i reckon all the other sides will dread coming up against us.At the minute most will still think that no matter how far in front of us they are,if there is still some time on the clock they aint safe.My only gripe is that instead of the ol" 3rd quarter malaise we now have a 2nd quarter fade out.This added to great opposition "pin-point kicking"is our achilles heel.Get these things sorted we are the best team on paper and the park!

[giant]

I don't recall us giving away any frees for the new PITB interpretation - so that was a big improvement on R1, 2006!

We got picked up on every other technical breach of the contested mark tho! That first qr was one of the most frustratingly over-umpired 30 mins of footy it's ever been my misfortune to sit thru. Let's hope the umps have got it out of their system now.

[ScottH]

I don't recall us giving away any frees for the new PITB interpretation - so that was a big improvement on R1, 2006!

We got picked up on every other technical breach of the contested mark tho! That first qr was one of the most frustratingly over-umpired 30 mins of footy it's ever been my misfortune to sit thru. Let's hope the umps have got it out of their system now.

No, I don't recall any HITB for us, Seaby gave away a few. But we gave away plenty of ITB's. Too many.

There was an ITB to Spida(??) late in the game that wasn't paid.

[liz]

I'm pretty sure Malceski got pinged once for HITB. Not sure there were any hands there, but that's another thing altogether.

And Micky O gave away a free in a pack situation in the goal square, which could have been hands in the back, or could have been any other random interpretation the umps chose to pluck at that particular moment.

[Lucky Knickers]

Leo was so far behind Lynch on a lead - he would need to be Inspector Gadget to get a HITB ruling.