no player frustrates me more than gus, particularly when it appears he is is in 'jog' mode

still, would rather have him in the side than not

and definitely didn't want to lose him as a free agent - he's far more valuable to us than against us

ex DeeSpencer

"But boy was he inefficient with the ball in the midfield. 

Overall he had a good year but I just don’t agree with the value of such a long contract and surely plenty of $$$ to a player who’s greatest attribute is versatility. 

There’s a downside to every position Gus moves as it throws out team balance given he doesn’t blend in as a role player nor does he have the standout attributes to be locked in any given role. "

Ithink you have forgotten how well he got the hard ball when under pressure i.e. Grand Final 2021. Rather than hindering team balance he provides the versatility that enable team balance to happen. His capacity to take on vatious roles and succeed in those roles just makes him nearly indispensible.

During the finals I think we missed his intercept marking and the way he was able to take goal square saving marks on the last line.

Gus played some insane games as a defender this year:

34 possessions - 20 marks- 3 votes V's Essendon

31 possessions - 13 marks 1 vote Vs St Kilda (when they were good)

29 possessions - 11 marks in a loss to Collingwood on QBDAY.

Conversely in finals, he only averaged 19 touches as a full time midfielder (I think) which suggests we could've been better served by Gus playing in a different position.

Overall, an excellent home and away season but a disappointing finals series.

Be very interesting to see where he plays in round 1 next year.

4 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

Conversely in finals, he only averaged 19 touches as a full time midfielder (I think) which suggests we could've been better served by Gus playing in a different position.

Yeah, in finals - 19 disposals and 8 turnovers per game...

'Take the game on.',

'Be aggressive.',

'Speed on the ball.',

'Swarm',

...Lethal...

all terms you hear about MFC game style, whereas the WCE and Geelong game plans (pre '22) are dead, Geelong adapted, WCE did not, so that beautiful kick/mark football game of keepings off (yawn) that prioritised efficiency was found to be less useful than what Richmond, then us have been doing. This means more booboos from players who are ball winners like Gus, but high risk brings high reward. This playing style also leans on our superior fitness and run (relatively speaking) and team ethic. Gus consistently gets to where he is needed and puts it on the line and is a brilliant exponent of team first mentality. I can live with the booboos as they don't kill us on the scoreboard. I feel like people who criticise Gus are the same who yell 'kick it long' at the footy...

17 hours ago, dimmy said:

ex DeeSpencer

"But boy was he inefficient with the ball in the midfield. 

Overall he had a good year but I just don’t agree with the value of such a long contract and surely plenty of $$$ to a player who’s greatest attribute is versatility. 

There’s a downside to every position Gus moves as it throws out team balance given he doesn’t blend in as a role player nor does he have the standout attributes to be locked in any given role. "

Ithink you have forgotten how well he got the hard ball when under pressure i.e. Grand Final 2021. Rather than hindering team balance he provides the versatility that enable team balance to happen. His capacity to take on vatious roles and succeed in those roles just makes him nearly indispensible.

Yes, reading all the criticism, I also thought back to his role in the 2021GF.

Thought he played great at HB and would prefer he stays in backline. Provides flexibility for stints in midfield or on wing as the team requires.