I wonder how much the Tigers being flowers actually helped our performance. Our typically sedate, introverted team seemed to be fired up by their antagonism.
Our team need to learn to harness the energy that comes from peak arousal and not approach each game as a "business as usual, off to work" mindset.

What do you think?

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Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight, don't blame it on the good times, blame it on the WIGGINS!

They certainly have more than their fair share of flowers in the team. Hreivwoldt is a juvenile, and I'm not sure they can ever win a flag with him in the team. Lots of ability, no brains.

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end of message

..who are the 'giant rucks'..??.. ..cos really, there's only 1 giant ruck and that's Sandi, he's just about cooked, and he doesn't have high hitout to adv percentages even with the extra taps he gets [just like knockers].. ... ..and Knockers is far too reedy thin/light and lacks physicality to do any better vs the 'giant rucks'..

..i'll say it again, Knockers as a tap ruckman is average.. ..very average ruck skill.. ..his extra height enables him to get more taps, but he does not consistently have high percentage hitout to adv games.. ..vs maric,he had 39 taps for 23% adv.. ..average.. ..and actually, on the low side of average.. ..maric had 33 taps for about 38% to adv [may be a touch off, but significantly higher than knockers].. ..for Knockers, who is extremely 1 dimensional ruck, his actual ruckwork is nowhere near as good as it needs to be to justify his lack of anything else.. ..if you watch his actual tapwork, his hands have very few tricks.. and he's far too weak to play as a prime ruckman..

..if our mids are off, you get nada from Knockers.. ..he's as close to impossible as you can get, for Knockers to have a good game if everyone else is down.. ..sometimes a team can get smashed but a few players stand tall.. ..but not him.. ..no presence, no intensity.. ..offers little when he's not rucking, and when rucking after the tap has no 'game'..

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

Great win.

Thought Waite was very important across half-back.

Murphy was great around the stoppages.

Good to win with Bell, McInnes, Menzel, Casboult Bootsma and Graham in the team. There's barely 50 games between that group. Would absolutely love it if at least two of McCarthy, O'Keefe, Watson and Buckley made the grade.

Expected to win,and we did.Well done fellas..............but ya gotta follow it up.Aint gonna be a footy match,its gonna be a war.Brace yourselves boys.DO NOT GIVE ONE INCH.No backward steps.Ferocity must be the theme this week.

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All my dangerous friends

Not sure Duke. Changes from the Hawks game:

Out: Newman, Edwards, White and Stephenson
In: Grimes, Pettard, Vickey and McDonough.

Not sure it's that glaring....

...And if is, it's an indictment on their depth if they cant cover those outs.

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"They're [REDACTED]'

The boys lifted the intensity and desperation after 1/4 time.

The Tigers still had a a dip but it was those desperate acts and smothers and tackles and dives at the opponent which made the difference.

Bring that intensity every week and we can go places.

Warnock lacks intensity after the ruck work. Watches players run past him or he just doesn't read the game.

Kreuzer does get smashed by taller ruckmen but I dont think it actually hurts us like it use to when McLaren, Cloke or Ackland were rucking. Hampson is more value than Warnock imo.

Menzel is a seriously good hard at it footballer...like Braithy I worry about his knees..its an inherent Menzel problem.

I really liked Casboult Waite and Hendo up forward, but with Menzel there too it didnt seem like we needed Waite there too.

Felt so secure when Waite was in defense, but love him up forward. Great if we van mix it up with swingmen rather than a swingman.

Bootsma also watched players run past him and could have shown more effort to put pressure on opponents. He isn't strong enough to play against the bigger forwards and if I read it correctly didnt seem to have the pace for the wing. He needs to put in a big preseason if he's going to step up. I do have faith in him because he does have some good skills with the spoil and the kicking...although yesterdays kicking from him was avearge.

McInnes needs to improve his pace too...I know he's only come back from knee reconstruction.

Graham looks like he belongs. I like him a lot.

Plenty of room for improvement with skills, especially kicking....Casboult can improve his kicking and needs to improve his stamina over the preseason...then he'll be hot property.

Brock is not a favourite of mine, but the guy just puts in week after week...that 3rd qtr was amazing for him. Much Brocky love in that 2nd Qtr.

Great to get a win. Lets finish the H&A with 3 consecutive wins and a win in the first final against Tigers or Bumbers...that'll top off a disappointing season.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

What happened last week then?

Thanks Wallsy.

will counter it by attacking the bombers this week

Someone had better gag him.

Cant wait to listen to KB on SEN tomorrow morning.

Pros:

Great game from Robbo. Love his niggle as well. Takes a fair bit of attention away from Murphy, when opposition players want to line Robbo up.
Bell. Would have liked to see us put more games into him this year. He'll butcher the ball on occasions. He'll get run down on others. But is physical and aggressive and intimidating when running through a stoppage.
Like many others, really enjoyed seeing Gibbs in a more attacking role. He's great as the loose man in defence, but the opposition rarely allows this anymore. We need to recondition him for the second half of his career.
Most encouraging performance I've seen from Yarran for a while. Think he enjoyed being able to get some ball in defence and run it out.
Casboult has some obvious weaknesses, and may not make it. But surely he's a far better chance of doing so than Rowe. He's basically our only real kpf hope, outside of Hendo and Waite.
McLean, Tuohy, Curnow, Simmo.

Cons:

Still concerned by how easily opposition sides score against us when it goes into our forward 50. Especially since we moved Hendo forward. Waite made a real difference when he went back.
Loved the MC giving responsibility to Bootsma. And am convinced he's the future. But was poor. Don't know if it's confidence or not. But seems to struggle changing direction. Hope it's not an agility problem.

I agree.

Someone has to ring him, in the HUN on Friday, he tipped the Tigers by 99 points...........to top it off Michael Warner tipped the Tigers by 101 points.

Thats the first time I've ever heard anyone say that!

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

Agree Stef`, the bigger bodies of Robbo, Bell and Levi made a big difference yesterday. Can they/we (coaches) improve their disposal?

Absolutely...

Compared to no Judd, Carrazzo, Garlett, Watson, Kruezer

Why can't we just enjoy a win ffs

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“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.” ― Richard Feynman

Agree that one game never changes anything

Having said that, what will be your anti MM 'get out clause' should we achieve the impossible and win the next two?

And..had we lost, what would your angle have been?

Sounds like you've go the two concrete legs in both camps (just in case the antichrist MM coaches us to a win)

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

Warnock, Kruezer are B grade tap ruckmen
Hampson is a C grade tap ruckmen
Warnock is a D grade follower
Kruezer is a B grade follower
Hampson is a C grade follower

Our ruck dept is flowering sh1t no matter which way we look at it. Not one of them is close to A grade as either a ruckman or follower
Would prefer Hampson/Kruezer more than Warnock/Kruezer

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!