Player Rater

31st July 2011 Category: Hit and Run

Image: Slattery Media Group

Hit and Run is a weekly post of short statements - this week foussing on Melbourne's dark day against Geelong.

• Melbourne’s number one possession getter Brent Moloney didn’t have a touch in the first half, supporting the theory that he’s the most inconsistent player in the league.

• It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter - with the threat of a record breaking margin on the line - that Melbourne applied the pressure required to compete.

• A couple of years ago Steve Johnson and Cam Mooney had a competition to see who could get the most goal assists in a season. Johnson had 9 assists against Melbourne including a 15 metre handball assist to Mooney in the 2nd quarter.

• Should team goals be considered for the Goal of the Year award? If so, Geelong put up a contender late in the 3rd quarter. Starting with Bartel and Enright, the Cats moved the ball, untouched, from the back pocket - through 9 different players - into their own fifty, where Steve Johnson finished off the move with a check-side shot from twenty metres out.

• Melbourne captain Brad Green spoke in the post match press conference about the pain that the club would feel as result of the loss. Perhaps more painful for the supporters, was Melbourne’s clear lack of support for teammates. Lynden Dunn was shoved to the ground and man-handled by Paul Chapman on two separate occasions without a response from a Melbourne player.

• Beyond the clear lack of endeavor shown by his players, there were a number of tactical errors made by Dean Bailey in the first half of the game. Among the worst; starting Liam Jurrah on the wing against Jimmy Bartel. 

• The culture of the Melbourne Football Club has been questioned for years, by the media and by players, past and present. It's a shocking indictment on of a clubs culture when second and third year players (McKenzie, Tapscott, Howe and Strauss) look like the ones most likely to make a stand.

• Melbourne legend Garry Lyon commentated the Bulldogs v West Coast game from Etihad stadium yesterday for Triple M, but watched part of Melbourne's performance from the box. Lyon expressed his anger and disappointment during the broadcast, saying:

"That's not a loss... that's a destruction of a club."

"The laughing stock of the AFL right now is the Melbourne Football Club, and that is a situation no one should accept!"

• In terms of easing the pain of Round 19. One image would warm the hearts of Melbourne supporters. An emotional Todd Viney leading the Melbourne Football Club into battle next week.

26th July 2011 Category: Hit and Run

Image: Slattery Media Group

Hit and Run is a weekly post that includes a number of short statements about the week in footy. This week focusing on Saturday Night's game between Essendon and Carlton.

• The Essendon board has created an almost unmanageable situation with the appointment of James Hird. At what point does Hird’s job come into question? Brisbane (and Carlton to a lesser extent) are in the same predicament. Installing a club hero as coach is fantastic when things are rolling your way, but it’s essentially an emotionally motivated decision that likely does long term harm. As they say, there are two types of coaches – those who have been sacked, and those who will be sacked. 

• Come draft time if clubs are unsure of who to draft, they should apply "The Mitch Robinson Rule: Draft the player that has the least regard for his own safety and the safety of players around him." At very least you get a player that electrifies fans and motivates teammates. 

• In the absence of Michael Jamison, Lachie Henderson has held up better than most expected. Henderson had been criticized for his lax attitude as a forward. The move to the backline has him refocused. Tom Hawkins and Chris Scott should take note. 

• Chris Yarran might be the smoothest operator in the league. His effortless running style and silky skills are reminiscent of Andrew McLeod. 

• Eddie Betts kicked 8, but he shouldn’t get the votes. Chris Judd’s performance was near perfection. It almost would have been worth him missing the birth of his child. Almost. 

• No four game player will ever have a poster that's in as wide a circulation as Jake Carlisle. 

• Does using a player as a swingman harm development? Throughout the nineties, David Neitz and Chris Grant played as swingmen - switching from week to week between centre half back and centre half forward - for the Demons and Bulldogs respectively. Both were great one club players, but did the insistency of their role harm progress? Ultimately a great forward has a greater impact on a team. Hird should stick with Michael Hurley at centre half forward, until there's a viable alternative.