Fair enough- did he play on Enright the whole match? I would need to look at the tape, but these days players rarely play on one player for the whole match, but presuming he did that is better than beige.


So so far he has had two better than beige games out of six where he has been in the top players for the club.


Stats can be used to weight an argument - but only one match has he got best on ground votes from The Age.


I just have different expectations I guess for a player nearing 200 games.


If you look at raw stats he got 25 possessions vs Brisbane (probably half of which were those fiddly ring a ring a rosie passes) no goals, no goal assists. and something similar vs Richmond - as above.

vs Collingwood - back to beige.


Anyway, the main thing is at least he gets selected each week as he is rarely in the bottom 3-4 players in the team. That at the end of the day is all that matters.

Thank the Holy Lord for Main Event.

tap in 79, I believe he spent the majority of the match on Enright. I can't recaqll his role in the first three rounds, may have been different to the last three.

Good discussion regardless

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

There is nothing Goddard would like more than to play on Robinson.

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T E A M

I agree buzz

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

I expect Goddard to go into the middle against Judd as per last year. Clubs have come to the realisation that Judd is going to have an impact on the game no matter what so the best way to combat him is hurt him the other way.

In relation to Houlihan when you play on a key playmaker from the opposition the first thing you need to recognise is that Houlihan needs to sacrifice his own game to minimise the impact of players like Enright, Goodwin and Shaw. If you can't grasp this concept then you really have unrealistic expectations of him.

If Gram is fit they would like to get him on Judd and expose him the other way, with Jones going to Murphy...if Gram doesn't get up then you'd think Jones will go to Judd.

Shaw had minimal impact on Sunday thanks to the efforts of Houlihan...not sure what more can be asked of him, he played his role very well.

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Guilty as charged then. I expect a player with nearly 200 games to emphatically beat his opponent more often than what he does.

eg - vs Adelaide - Houlihan 21 possessions, 6 marks, 3 goals, 3 goal assists. If he did this regularly instead of having 90% beige games I would be happy.

If you believe that he emphatically beat Heath Shaw then good and well. I guess my expectations are too high for a team (placed outside the top eight) and players who have vast experience within it.

If 200 gamers always emphatically beat their opponents then a team comprised of 200+ gamers would be nigh undefeatable. I sense a flaw in your logic.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

I never said "always" beat his opponent - I expect a two hundred gamer to be inspirational to his teammates. I expect him to have accrued more than 6 Brownlow votes in his career and I expect him to emphatically beat his opponent more than once in a blue moon.

Richard Dennis - who played 57 games for the Blues - accrued 6 Brownlow votes in his career.

But as everyone says, my expectations are too high. As long as he minimises the effectiveness of an attacking defender- quite frankly what else matters?

Our expectations are to finish 8th-12th..what more could one ask for?

Do you think Houlihan playing on Shaw may have had an impact on Setanta's game?

You guys are under estimating what Houla brings to the team. He makes those running half back flankers think about when they can take off up the ground. he is one of our best shots for goal and has kicked goals this season. Im happy with how he is playing. And he must stay in the team providing another option and making those dashing half back flankers pay when he gets a chance to score

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Matty Kruzer you star!

+1

QFT

He is also (I believe, but happy to be corrected) no. 3 in the comp for goal assists.

I have said it before and I will say it again IF houla had of been properly developed and played the majority of his games in a HFF role and not in roles which did not suit him (Thanks alot DP.... NOT) then his overall "value" to the team would be far more respected by supporters. Simple fact is that he is playing in his best role finally. The key is to give him that role consistently unlike he has experienced in the past, and maybe some supporters will actually respect and understand just how good a player Hoops really is.

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Cripps is the man

Absolutely. Goddard would eat him for breakfast. Hoops is the match up there.

bit of a mute point really. watch this years games and both sides will zone all over the ground (especially at etihad) and rotate heavily through the bench. at any stage there will be match ups varying dependent upon ball position and the ability to create and extract from stoppages.

the key will be our ability to get our hands on the ball at stoppages and then run and create by breaking the lines and being efficient with our disposal.

as we did with geelong and adelaide we need to keep the pressure up for the entire game. if we do that I believe we can beat anyone.

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#NewBlues beginning 25th August 2015

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"You are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it." - Finch

Saints average 135 against us in the past 11 games.

Does anything pre even 2 years ago have any relevance as an indicator to Mon ?

If he isn't right to go he should put his hand up.....its all bad form