We may have. If not we should this year.

He was AA form prior to his contract signing but the team was going very well also.

For someone who has played as much footy as he has, there shouldnt be a gulf like there is between his best and worst.
If he's busting his gut but has a poor game, you at least say he's out of form.
I question his effort.
He may kick another bag like he did against the Suns but that doesnt disguise that his football is going backwards.

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T E A M

I attended the match too.
There was a mark that he dropped in the 2nd when it should have been an uncontested chest mark on a lead. He hesitated because the Collingwood player was running back with the flight, glanced at him and dropped it at hos knees. A players gets bagged if he doesnt go back with the flight. He backed off a guy going back.

In the last there was a ball near the Punt rd 50 he looked at the approaching Collingwood player 3 times before fluffing another uncontested mark.

Unacceptable given the mantra of "No Passengers" and "Uncompromising footy"

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T E A M

buzzaaah stole my thunder , i dont care if you have a bad game and you tried your best and i understand football is a hard tough game but when you shirk the issue that gets me everytime. he did it twice i saw it, all my mates saw it and when i was driving home it was a hot topic on radio, if you didnt see it and you were at the game o....k!!!

I just went through the entire second quarter and all I can see that resembles what you're talking about is Waite flying for a mark, Betts perfectly roving it and feeding it off to Garlett for a point.

Can someone please tell me where these incidents occurred?

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

I thought Buzzaaaaah's first example happened later in the game, 3rd qtr maybe? We were going to left of screen I think
He jumped up at it but pulled out and it hit him on the legs or feet or maybe it just dropped in front of him. No comment from the gurus in the box either from memory.

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It may have been the third

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T E A M

Approximately 8 minute mark of the third. Thornton receives on the wing, passes it just a little shallow from Garlett, Reid knocks it down, Garlett scoops the loose ball, handballs it to Thornton.

Thornton sells candy to Reid, then gets caught in traffic, lops it onto the right in a snap to the hotspot 25 m out while being tackled by Toovey.

Betts doesn't break stride as he runs in for the ball (the only one to), just reaches for the chest mark with his arms out-stretched and loses it while still trying to control the mark.

How does he lose it? Simple enough.

1. It was a tumbling punt, no one was reading the incoming ball right, and he barely got there while Harry O was trying to get a read on it himself.

2. As soon as he got his hands on it and tried to juggle the grab, he immediately had Sidebottom in front of him. Immediately. He reflexively stopped trying to juggle the mark and braced for contact. I had to slow it right down to even see what happened. He didn't see Sidebottom until after he had the ball in his hands. We're talking hundredths of a second here.

So to recap, Betts was the only one who knew where the ball was going, went straight at the ball, and almost took the grab. Everyone else sat back waiting for it to spill because they had NFI.

I did actually see that one, and didn't think it was a squib at all. I was just disappointed Thornton was left to weave through so much traffic. Both did very well, all things considered. Onto quarter 4 for the second 'squib'.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

4th quarter, 7 minute mark:

Collins receives on the wing, kicks in the direction of a Betts lead.

Betts is beaten to the ball by Shaw who charges off; Maxwell looks to shepherd in support but Betts narrowly side-steps and continues on in chase, while Maxwell hits the turf looking like a fool.

I think the only problem here is that Betts is visibly lacking a yard of pace, and has been for about 12 months. Is it a niggle that won't go away, or is it a result of years of being battered around in our haphazard forward line?

Regardless, going through that footage also made me aware of how many times Eddie works to be at the foot of a contest to crumb, versus Garlett. Jeff leads and pushes high and creates, but Eddie is ready for the crumb. Always. Nothing against Jeff because he's a different player, but Eddie is the more classical forward pocket player.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

I seem to remember the commentary team talking about Betts being uncertain with this one whether or not Murphy was
going to go for it. Didn't notice that myself, but it true it's a fair justification for a slight hesitation.

I like Eddie having a run in the midfield. He seems to have a knack of livening things up whenever
he goes there. I don't think he had a run there against Collingwood? Not sure why unless Ratts
was happy with the role he playing perhaps.

I don't like Eddie having set shots for goal - he seems to have a real problem there and that's a
big mark against him as a specialist forward.

I really don't like seeing Eddie going for contested overhead marks. I don't know why this is still
happening, but one of my concerns is that Eddie is leading to space that our tall forwards should
be going to and once he heads off first in that direction they don't know where to go. Of course it
could also just be crap delivery to him that's high instead of our in front - but whatever the reason
it keeps happening and it's an easy turnover nearly every time.

I certainly wouldn't give up on the guy, but I would like to see how our forward line operates without
him. Perhaps give him a try as a sub and see how that goes. He could certainly add a spark if needed.

I agree. He had a poor game, and needs to get better in big games. But he still gives good value for the team, by getting usually the best defender. He may need to be dropped at some time, to give him the rocket, but however he plays he certainly makes things easier for Garlett.

I also agree with this. Sidebottom and Beams and Blair are all good players. But having Dawes and Cloke drawing most of the attention makes a huge difference. Often we'll have an extra defender (or 2) going up to help spoil the ball, and that leaves a lot of space and freedom for their small forwards. Betts is twice as good a player as Krakouer (despite all the recent hysteria), and would dominate playing for the Pies.

Betts might do better having a game with the Ants to regain some confidence. Just hasn't started well for him this season. I love him when he is on fire, and its like looking at road kill when he is cold as ice. Do something for the better of the whole squad buddy. Lift.

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Bring the season on already. The wait is killing me.

He appears to be blowing up really bad - Last week he looked injured

Is he a smoker ?????


tough gig the small forward you can look a putz more often than not - He should be running in the midfield by now but hasn't got the tank

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

I said to my brothers and a few mates that we should have traded Eddie at the end of the last year and tried to get a second round pick or a player - may sound hard especially with him being the leading goalkicker last season but I think we have seen the best of Eddie. Try and get something for him why he still has value - I could be wrong on this, but that was my thoughts. Maybe the move of Yarran down back may help him as there is was less genuine crumber to contest spots with???

Maybe eddie would have more of an impact if his shorts werent half hanging down his ass, seriously how can he be running around in them without having an effect on him, get some shorts that fit.......

..we don't yet have two big fwds with presence.. ..sometimes waite has it, others he doesnt.. ..resting ruck sometimes, but not consistently enough either.. ..and betts does actually have presence up fwd, and at times he's playing a midget FF role.. ..since the resting ruck plays more like a giant FP.. ..he's usually a very good contested mark, and it seems Eddie's fwd game is beginning to resemble that of lecras, the short leading type fwd..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Garlett has gone so far infront of him that it isn't funny. Eddie bobs up when the game has been won already and kicks his few goals in junk time then it looks like he had a great game. I hope he turns it around but a spell in the 2's is what he needs

?????

What about using Eddie as the sub.

We all agree (I think) that he would struggle play out a game as a rotating midfielder and some have commented that his pace is not what it used to be.

I think coming on late in the third as a mid or roaming the forward line would use what pace he has to best effect.

I think he has some talant at stoppages also. It's not that different to roving a pack really. So some work in the middle in the last quarter might also be handy for us.

What ya think?

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I support the Navy Blues whatever happens!