And Melbourne thinks it’s the world’s best at lockdowns! Somewhere, probably outside a golf course, there’d be an angry Dan Andrews. Time to Restump Podcast the dismantling of the Dees.

Eighties kids will remember John ‘Hannibal’ Smith saying “I love it when a plan comes together” at the end of the A-Team episodes. It is easy to have visions of Justin Longmuir doing the same at the conclusion of Sunday’s game in Alice Springs.

While you’re not being absolutely honest with yourself if you’re not acknowledging Melbourne’s physical or mental inadequacies on the day or the fact they’ve got some real weaknesses at times, 90-point beltings still have to be earned. However, it was the manner in how we achieved it which was so encouraging and it was the adherence to the system which was confidence boosting.

It was simply a joy to see the back six get unconditional trust. It set the tone for the day, kickstarting the system we want to play, which we got to see in all its glory.

We found the ideal tempo balance, we took the first option and we ran in waves to support. Whether there was a lack of in-your-face pressure from the Dees or not, the forward line showed great functionality and we created efficient mid forward connectivity.

More than anything else on the day though, most importantly, we found our accuracy and that makes life easier for everyone.

Sammy Switkowski just played his career best games. Relentless across the four quarters, he’s now put two superb performances together on the bounce. Is Sammy Switta about to deliver in spades what he has consistently given us in patches? We’re in good shape if he brings that every week from here in.

Welcome Back Nev! Jye Amiss got amongst it early, slotted his first goal, got a shot of confidence in the arm and went on to kick three more, seeing off the accuracy monkey from his back. He teamed up with his tall timber mates, Josh Treacy and Luke Jackson, and together, working cohesively, they easily kicked more than Melbourne’s entire score.

Hayden Young’s signature to the end of 2027 proves to be a  great move because his stock continues to sky rocket. We can’t sing Heath Chapman’s praises enough, Jordy Clark is a lock for All Australian and should probably be coated up alongside his captain Alex Pearce.

Was the performance of the Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy combination, otherwise known as team JackArce, the first step to showing the naysayers how it may operate? Let’s not forget Sean Darcy is still way underdone and the bye probably comes at the wrong time for him.

The reality is you can’t leave anyone out for praise. There were simply 23 serious contributors on the day that were all on the same page, all performed their roles and all had an influence on the result.

They can go into the bye now enjoying the well-earned rest knowing they’re in 6th position, knowing JL’s system works and knowing if they bring the endeavour, the intent and the smarts they did Sunday to every remaining game, they’ll be playing finals. 

We've got a jackpot in the Mi Casa Property Boutique metres gained competition after Hayden Young was overlooked so when it returns in two weeks’ time there will be a $100 spend on offer from 2 Brothers Foods.

Freo’s form has been a difficult read over the last five or six weeks but Sunday’s performance just saw us take a step in the right direction. We’re going to get much tougher and more engaged opponents in the run home but that has to be the base performance. 

There are now two weeks off so lets gets this nonsense out of the way.

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