I am probably most confident with the right side, we can compete very well against the Demons. More than in the past few seasons. Still not 100% sure we can walk away with the chocolates, but could give Melbourne a decent scare. If that should happen sides will be nervous and there will be perceived pressure set it their minds playing against us. Allowing for more turnovers and skill errors even when not under high pressure. We just need to be certain to keep bringing the pressure to the field to keep sides second guessing an trying to get rid of the ball with panic and not composure. I am glad we had the fixture playing the last 6 or 7 sides to complete the home and away season. This is playing quality opposition and as close to finals type football to come ahead in the following month. Definitely character building.
Dow played a good quality game and gave a great effort. I agree with others, that when Cerra and Walsh return it will be difficult to find a place for Dow in the starting 22. However with efforts like today in future games, Dow will raise his value which will definitely give him opportunities at another club. His value could return our side some rewards with trade.
One thing caught my eye and I was wondering if anyone else saw the same thing. While Ed was being close to be entered as a sub he was talking on the phone a couple of times. It looked like he was being given instructions on how to execute his role in the last quarter. All while sitting right next to Voss. Was this because Voss as senior coach had too much focus on the game and what other players were doing? Was this because individual coaches give specific game instructions which is part of their role? Allowing the head coach to focus on rotating the bench. I would have thought that traditionally the head coach next to his player on the bench would give specific instructions. Have we moved from traditional ways instructions are communicated? I am not painting a negative aspect of what I was watching but found it different to what I would usually see. Maybe I haven’t noticed this in the past. I caught this buy timing of where the cameras were pointing at a particular moment. Thumbs up if this is the way to go.
Missed a couple of potential opportunities just not being composed to get another score on the board. Not confident we will get over the line in the last quarter. Close but need to get in front.
Making this game look like hard work. Not sure enough hard work is taking place yet. Half a game to turn things around if we are prepared to do the work that is needed. These mongrels find a way of getting the better of us. Something has to change soon.
I just don’t want to hear we were complacent and caught napping from the first bounce. We are still going to be missing some key players. This is the game that could set us up for a proper finals assault. You don’t beat the top 2 sides and the lose to St Kilda.
What an embarrassing game to watch. Like a pack of scared chickens waiting for a fox to pounce. I can’t wait for this test to be over. Absolutely no idea what to do. How are we rated as one of the top test nations in test cricket? We have been worked out by the poms. They know what to do and when to do it. Not even the rain could save us. Elite cricket players have come to AFL clubs to speak an give the team a motivational speech. Australia is playing like the Carlton football club played football 6 weeks ago. Maybe Cripps and Voss could go to the Australian cricket side and teach them a thing or two. How aggressive approach and backing a positive attitude helps winning a game. I have enjoyed more of what England have done than what Australia have done. A piss weak performance. After such a great start. Hand back the ashes. You don’t deserve them. I don’t see one player I wouldn’t swap with the English squad. One is 41 years of age and I would take him. Broad has retired and I would take him too. Our squad crumbles under pressure way too easy. The way the Carlton football side did a few games back. Need to make 4 changes to side selection at minimum. Otherwise change the captain and get some mental training. Change the attitude and game plan approach. Such a weak result in the end. We lost 2 wickets while I was typing. That tells the story. Definitely in my opinion, Australia is not a top 3 rated test side. No f@#ken way. The worst thing is to lose games to is England in the way we have after such a great start to this series. Like losing matches to Collingwood or Essendon in AFL football. We suck. Sorry for my comments. I am just being honest. Australia not Carlton. Carlton still has a good chance to see us playing finals with injury issues. More than what Australia is experiencing.
For some reason, they've generally had the wood over us for a long time....even when they were worse than us, they always seemed to beat us. If they're missing King and Membrey again, then we should have their measure.....and one more good haul for Charlie should seal the Coleman.
Dow in for Cerra is probably the only change I can see with maybe Binns or Carroll as the sub? They might also go for a smaller defender and replace Marchbank with Cowan given the Saints relatively smallish forward line.
Teams have had it over us in the past even when being bellow us on the ladder and with less form. We always found ways to be over confident and lazy with intensity when we needed this to be a priority. Trying to beat teams with a lack of work rate won’t work. We have improved in this area. Have we turned the corner? If we beat the Saints, we will have successfully beaten at least 3 teams in a row above us on the ladder. This could be the game that locks us away in the top 8. Maybe not. Maybe we need at least another win or 2 after that. This is the game that will determine if we are desperate to stay in the top 8. A win here might awaken the other sides. They might believe we are a threat and make too many changes to compensate for our current form and game style. At a guess 2 to 3 goals as a win for us. I hope we don’t drop the ball now and lose by 30 points, sleeping and going back to old habits.
I have to join the list of those that didn’t see this result coming. Not getting a chance to watch the game, doesn’t allow me to judge where we are at the moment. Based on the end result are we capable of beating any team going forward. 2 big scalps. Port and Collingwood. Is there a mathematical chance to finish top 4?
Make no mistake that Collingwood is ready for this challenge. They are not stupid to be complacent and expecting an easy victory. They have speed, class, and know how to win games. They know how to turn on the heat when it is needed and close all your scoring opportunities down. Then waiting for the turn over, to go coast to coast, and punish you on the scoreboard the other way. They run hard both ways in numbers. They know all of our weaknesses. They will target that with intensity and pressure. I seriously can’t see us winning. If we get within a goal of them, then I will be extremely happy. I think at this point in time we will probably fall short be 15 to 25 points. I really hope it isn’t worse than that. I hope this game isn’t a reality check for our squad. It could be a confidence killer. Let’s just hope for a great result. Charlie won’t kick 10 for sure. We need to find many other scoring options.
Just signs of instability in a side, when talks go about a captain standing down after a series which started well and will end on a poor note. Smith might be the only option on a temporary basis. No more options which select bowlers or wicket keepers. It has to be a batsman that has the ability to lead by example. Sure they may be a bowler on a temporary basis. This series started really well and the swing in momentum must be credit to the poms. They have done a huge turn around. Rain saves the day. They should have belted us. They are the goods.
I thought I heard Jack injuring his knee. Didn’t think it was his hamstring. That would be Walsh. I wouldn’t suggest we bring any players back that are not 100%. We are likely to lose against the Pies. It might pay to rest a few. Giving us a better chance to have a shot against the remaining games which are all potential wins. Three of them if we come out with an aggressive attitude. Might be enough for a top 8 finish. I hope we are competitive against the Pies, but I won’t be devastated if we lose. Only if we get smashed.
Adam Gilchrist would be handy in the upper order with ability to score and score quickly. I don’t have much confidence in this current squad at all. They lack the belief in their abilities. By their current form the abilities are minimal to begin with. They are screwed trying to keep Woakes, Wood, and Broad quiet alone with Ali. The line and length of deliveries is spot on more often than not. They just need to work on their fielding. Get that right and this squad is almost unbeatable. I love their aggressive approach to everything they do. It is sad to give credit to the enemy, but I would trade their entire squad for ours without a second thought. Someone from the Aussie batting line up needs to take charge. Needs to back the ability to score. Especially rotating the strike with singles. You can’t be ultra defensive. Keep the scoreboard ticking over. Rotating the strike when you have a left and right hand batter at the crease. Unlike Warner with no idea against Woakes. Do I leave the delivery or do I play it, and get caught out chopping it onto his stumps. No confidence at all.
This match is not falling into place as our top order batting line up just doesn’t deliver enough. Not helping the bowlers apply pressure when we field. England have worked us out. They look like they know what to do and when to do it. Not afraid to play an innings with the bat like it is a one day format. I have to respect that. They do not fear what the bowlers will deliver. Which isn’t great in this innings at all.
I've spoken about this before, but Dan cops a lot of flak for this....usually from Liberals or lib voters.
Looking at the timeline/history of it paints a very different picture. Libs did the budget for it and said it would cost 4bn and pushed it through quickly right before Dan got in power. Dan and co looked at it and said the whole project would actually cost 20bn. So he had a choice. Go ahead with someone pushed through from the opposition and deal with the expected 16bn cost overrun he had no control over or spend 1bn to void the contract and spend the rest of the money doing things deemed more important....eg rail crossing removal. Now i hazard a guess that everyone on here has seen the benefit of that on our roads.
What would you have done in the same situation?
Are you sure of these figures? Where did you find 20bn? Many suggested figures show 1.78bn initially and a recent calculation of 4.8bn. It didn’t blow out that bad. It couldn’t blow out by 16bn unless he planned to by another country to use as a venue to host some of the events. 20 billion dollars, or cents. Sorry for the sarcasm but I can’t see this as a possible realistic estimate. 3 to 4 times more than any Olympic event ever held in history and some countries needed major infrastructure spending in the past (Olympic event, not Commonwealth Games). Major to say the least. Considering we have many venues available as we speak. Swimming, diving, track and field, velodrome etc. All used in international competitions and credited by international standards. So where was all this money going to be spent? What needs 20 billion dollars invested into? You stated 20 billion not me. I thought it was shy of 5. Maybe you found more than I am aware of. Not having a go, but 20 billion is simply ridiculous. 20 thousand million is more money than any country could spend. I might do more internet research on this.
When you earn almost half a million dollars per year including benefits, you have the right to do what you want. The people elected you into power. I am sure many country leaders are not this well looked after. Just curious why you would commit to a temporary velodrome in Ballarat or Bendigo that would be destroyed after or dismantled completely after the games and spend 60 million plus in the process. We have already equipped velodrome facility at international credited grade available for use closer to the city capital. Has some of the budget to facilities and infrastructure been wasted budget spending? There is far more to this story and we won’t be holding another Commonwealth Games for many years to come. This is cancelling of a contract. Which always has costs you never recuperate. That never sits well with future bids for games if you execute the action the government has taken up. It will be interesting to see further news on this story. It will be a talking point in the media for quite some time. Strangely I heard in the media and it might not be complete fact, that if the federal government was approached by state governments, they would assist with around 50% of the total costs. This conversation never took place between our state and federal government. Just something I heard. It might not be fact.
