PROS
Outplayed the unbeaten champion team
Duigan and Laidler - these guys are too short and Laidler's slow and Duigan lacks polish but they've probably made the biggest difference between this year and last. 90% of Duigan's game is at AA level, and he's clearly a leader. Just the odd rough edge and a lack of agility.
Walker - Gave Scarlett a torrid time. Triple threat-on the lead, in the air, on the ground. Plays tall and small, can do the odd freakish touch, but hits the ball hard. Exactly the mid-size forward we needed.
Waite - Frustrated me early, but just kept taking contested marks on the lead, and when the long ball came, kept on contesting.
Murphy - seemed to drop off a bit at the end, but was great for most of the game. Untackleable.
Scotland - What a season he's having. Just wins the ball, creates space for himself with great footwork, assesses opportunities better than most, and nails the execution.
General ball control - Some of our players have become exceptional at trapping the ball, making it somehow end up in their hands from unpromising situations, tapping it to advantage and using handball creatively and comfortably in the maelstrom. Massive improvement in those skills.
Collingwood can't go top this week
We're a only couple of class players short of true contender status. Put Paul Chapman and Nathan Fyfe (semi-serious reference to past trading disappointments) in our team and we win the flag easy
Never turned it up - Fantastic perseverance and belief, verging on Bomber-esque
CONS
Outplayed the unbeaten champion team- and lost
Again, like our recent wins, the scoreboard doesn't quite reflect our control of the game for longer than the opposition.
Warnock's miss
Armfield - Varcoe is a gun, but he hurt us. Army seems to have gone backwards - struggles to stop an opponent. Still provides a little on the way out - but the balance is currently not in his favour.
The Duigan verbal free - How many times does the umpire decide to give a free kick for verbal BS at a ball up at point blank range to the attacking team? It's VERY rare. It was a square up for the Scarlett 50 but
Selwood - Yeah I know he IS a great footballer, but this high tackle crap has gone waaay too long. I slo-mo-ed the high decision against Ellard. He grabbed Joel on the upper arm, and Selwood simply raised his arm. Physics did the rest and the tackle BECAME high. Don't like it. Heard the umpire late in the game call a Cats player out for the same move - so they're onto it (after 5 years). But it is tough to see live. It is a valuable skill, but it's gaming the system. Get rid of it. Spirit of the game Giesch- sort it out!
Yarran's role early - Maybe he doesn't run hard enough often enough. Maybe he's still learning the half back role. Maybe the coaches left him to rot for too long. Got into the game late with some great defensive efforts.
Going down the guts - Probably turned the scoreboard against us in the middle two quarters. High risk long kicks through the corridor like Carrazzo to Betts at CHF - tough ball to mark spills, Cats clean up and waltz off to goal. Avoiding these tempting pitfalls are critical the way the game is played in 2011. Play the odds - corridor only when it favours us.
Mclean - He might be better for the run. We might be better with someone else. Dumb 50m goal. Precious little to square that ledger. Robinson, for all his sloppiness and chaos (did you see Ratts go off at him as Robbo came off for a spell? Any lip-readers?), had more positive impact in 1 quarter than Brock had in 3. Neither are really good enough at the moment.