Good call Blue Vain. Ed had 21 disposals whilst doing a lockdown job. Dow 13 disposals while doing nothing - as usual - and some people would drop Ed. Madness

I feel like this is me of our big issues at the moment - playing too many players out of position, trying to hard to manufacture ‘versatility’.

Play Setters in the middle. Play Cunow as a stopper on oppo’s most damaging midfielder from the beginning.

Also, with players like Dusty, De Goey and, this week Fyfe, keep the stopper (Ed) on them right into the forward line. Once they ‘settle’ in the forward line, then ok to switch with Plowman or whoever. But I feel like we have this transition ‘whenever they enter the forward line’ but they get off the chain in the transition.

Finally, I wonder about switching SPS and Dow for a while - Dow knows how to get his own ball if he’s in the thick of it but is not great and getting to the best spot without being led there. Maybe stick him on half back against a player who will take him to the ball and back him to win the contest and clear the ball (Kouta spent a bit of time at CHB and learned how to find more of the ball before he became a dominant mid). Just a thought although I realise the potential fast break turnovers could kill us (even more).

Anyway, these guys almost (should have) beat us last year. I look forward to us coming out and and fast, winning by not a lot and then acting like we’ve just finished the home and away season in the top 4!

How much longer do we persist with Dow ? = minus 2 years. Murphy 18 disposals Dow 13disposals SPS 19 disposals as a defender Docherty 24 disposals as a defender and some people want to keep Dow in ahead of the other three. Go figure - I can't. Dow can't kick, can't tackle, can't mark and can't get the ball. Great resume.

As much as Plowman probably deserves a week off, I suspect there's really no one else that gets the match up on Fyfe when he goes forward.

If Cripps isn’t right, I hope he doesn’t play. Bring in SOJ (from memory, he did well on Fyfe a couple of years ago) or Kennedy.

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It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.

Another way of looking at this.

Would you prefer we had a quality player, with class, who warranted being tagged, or Ed, the tagger?

Ed is irreplaceable for now, but we do need to add more class and grunt to our team.

Should always look at the situation for what it is: a need. Ed is no superstar.

We have these discussions about players all the time. Our bias blurs the issues, and because we "need" to play some players because of a lack of choice, it doesn't make them untouchable, and it doesn't make them superstars, let alone being players who would get a game in any other team other than ours. We have a few in our team like that.

Its not just one player with deficiencies we need to improve on: imo I think Ed is one of many, we need to improve on. Doesn't mean I don't value him this year and next year, so please don't say I don't see his value to the current team sitting 2 zip.

Big difference between needing them to play a role and needing to improve on them to win us a Premiership are 2 different things.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

We seem to have the same discussion on Curnow every week though: "Goes onto X player that's otherwise dominating at QT/HT, and they don't get a kick afterwards".

As much as that is a valid "Curnow is still our most important mid" statement, its just as much a case of "Why do we constantly get his match up wrong every week?" - if it was a case of "well Curnow was playing on this player instead in the first quarter who also did nothing", great, fair enough, but it seems to be more that we play him on a wing to run around aimlessly until the problem emerges.

He's just not that good enough offensively to not be given a set task from the first minute.

Good call. Collingwood have 3 players that Ed could have gone to close down from the first bounce, being Adams, Pendelbury, and Sidebottom. Every team has at least one gun midfielder. Put Ed on him from the first bounce, not after he has cut us to shreds. We do not have another quality shut down player and some misguided people would drop Ed. Crazy !

The whole usage of Ed has been weird since the beginning of 2019.

Like we don’t want to use him as a tagger half the time, Bolts used him as a pressure forward, Teague now trying him on a wing.

If someone can find examples otherwise happy to be corrected, but seems we always play our best footy when Ed is in a lockdown role on one of the oppositions best midfielders.

Case in point was game 1 of Teagues reign, Lachie Neale runs amok for a half and we put Ed on him 2nd half and we have a great comeback win.

I'm not saying drop Ed, I'm in the "we must improve on Ed" camp. Right now, there is no alternative, so I love him to be part of our best 22 going out to battle.

Ed can tag players of the same side and not much faster than him. Adams and Sidebottom. Sidebottom is quick but Ed could curtail his influence.

Like Ive said before he would struggle to tag bigger faster players like Dusty, hence he didn't and Pendlebury is too big and too quick for him too.

I think the posters / people who want to drop Ed don't see us making the Finals, like I do, and therefore see this year as an opportunity to develop someone who we have invested in. Those types of Posters/ people are not nisguided, they are just scarred by our last decades and hype which has consistently has failed to come to fruition. Following 2 defeats, and no victories in 2021, is it any wonder why they are demoralised and unconfident for us to make the 8

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Jack Martin copped a big hit just before the final siren, hope he pulls up ok?

Pity our reserves aren't having a hit out this weekend.

We play catch up football .. thats what we need to address.

We spend all our tickets getting back into the contest, for them to only run away with it again.

It was what happened against St kilda
It was what happened against the tigers
It was what happened against the pies

Its like we give ourselves an excuse to lose ... but we played okay etc ...

Three sides we should be competing against for a top 8 side and qe failed under the same circumstances every time

Anyone who thinks we can make finals while qe let that happen has rocks in their heads.

We need to be leading, not chasing ..

Fyfe concussion.
We need everything we can get

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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

Super looking forward to getting hosed, in melbourne, by a freo side without their captain and another half dozen first 18 selections

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The only way for some people to understand is for them to be on the receiving end

Left wing moralists
In self serving denial
They shit me no end

Hard to see us beating them. Fyfe or no Fyfe.

Can't kick straight 21 points.
Anyone want to bet they can't miss next week.


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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

One reason to keep Ed in the team, aside from the fact he is easily our best shutdown mid, is that he always gives maximum effort and goes hard. If you want to use games to prepare for the future, by all means drop a conditional softarse - no need to name names - but by God, do not sideline one of the few seniors setting the right example to the kids.

Dude, if they drop Ed I'm done.

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The only way for some people to understand is for them to be on the receiving end

Left wing moralists
In self serving denial
They shit me no end

especially if MM survives

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"I had to eat"

I can never tell if you're joking

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world