Cold Hard Facts

[Killa]

Petracca gets forward and kicks goals

Steele?

Don’t get me wrong, Steele is a very valuable footballer at St Kilda but given the position he plays he is compared to (list the elite mids)

2021 was 2021 but it is now 2024

I just do not rank Steele as competition leading - unlike Marshall, Sinclair, Hill and Wilkie (playing out of his division)

So there you go!!

[Scollop]

Why is the last quarter or the last 15 mins any less important than any other stage of a match?

They call them 'junk time' goals for a reason. It's usually because the other team has all but sown up the victory.

Our opposition in both the Port match (Powell-Pepper, Rozee and Aliir) and GWS match (Taylor and Coniglio) had suffered multiple injuries on the night that allowed us to bridge the deficit.

The main battles and contests and style of play had already been determined...and we were found wanting.

Sure... every team gets injuries during a game, but the most important thing is how you play for the majority of that game regardless of the final margin.

Against Richmond we were brave and we played some exciting footy. Same against Collingwood, but that's only 2 games for the year. The North game should have given us confidence, but look what we dished up against Hawthorn? That's our regular form this year

[Devilhead]

Are they junk time goals when you have a chance to win the game with 2 mins remaining?

Were Melbourne's last 4 goals against the Blues last Thursday just junk time goals?

[Scollop]

Petracca gets forward and kicks goals

Steele?

Don’t get me wrong, Steele is a very valuable footballer at St Kilda but given the position he plays he is compared to (list the elite mids)

2021 was 2021 but it is now 2024

I just do not rank Steele as competition leading - unlike Marshall, Sinclair, Hill and Wilkie (playing out of his division)

So there you go!!

You've got to be fkn kidding right?

How many times do you see Petracca starting the 6-6-6 in the forward line? Plenty.

How many times does Jack Steele line up in the forward pocket prior to a centre bounce?

Have a look at Petracca's heat map against Carlton. Have a look st his heat map against Geelong.

Guess what it shows? Identical split for both games. 80% forward half vs. only 20% in the defensive side of the field.

For Steele, his heat map against North was 46% defending and 54% for attack and with the Hawks game Jack was 52% defense and 48% attack...BUT...have a look closer

Steele only went inside the 50m arc 4 times against North and they're very shallow entries.
Jack only got 3 touches (virtually right on the 50 m arc against Hawks)

Compare that to Petracca who is targeted deeper and closer to goals
It's simple. They play different roles

Steele does what the coach wants him to do!

[Brunswicksainter]

Petracca gets forward and kicks goals

Steele?

Don’t get me wrong, Steele is a very valuable footballer at St Kilda but given the position he plays he is compared to (list the elite mids)

2021 was 2021 but it is now 2024

I just do not rank Steele as competition leading - unlike Marshall, Sinclair, Hill and Wilkie (playing out of his division)

So there you go!!

Steele is having a far better season than Petracca though. Petracca has had several games this year were he was barely sighted. Dont buy into the weekly media hype cycle, who this week have championed petracca after one good game. 3 weeks ago they were saying he was struggling and needed to lift.

[Killa]

Darren Jarman

The criteria is that they can win games for you including because they can be deployed

Simply, our mids do not hit the scoreboard anywhere near enough

Why is this?

My opinion anyway

Then on the one hand we are critical of our midfield but on the other hand defend players who have been the cornerstone of that midfield across years

So which is it?

[Scollop]

Steele, Clark, Ross, and Jones

Versus

Bontempelli, Liberatore, Mcrae, and Dunkley

We won a final against them.

Remember that?

Oh... sorry...I forgot. Ryder was the difference and our mids are all hopeless

Jones, obviously has been tried this year and is now out of favour. I think Seb is also passed his best. We're missing Clark ( I think we agree on that) and we need Owens to help out in the middle and we need Crouch to support the inside mids, with Henry getting back to some form to support the outside run

[repta]

Pettracca v Steele

You cannot compare the two on ability to go forward and kick goals. There is one very simple reason. Pettracca is not always required in the centre. Melbourne have the luxury of pushing Pettracca forward and still being competitive in the centre and around the contest.

Take Steele out of the centre and replace him with ...... Zac Jones, Seb Ross?
We have a very shallow pool of inside midfielders. Big bodies to get over the ball.

We are a team of outside runners and kids.

Steele may as well be sitting on the pine because if he isnt in the centre the ball is not going to the forward line.

[B.M]

Yeah

Hard to compare

One is a two way runner