29 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

One of Gawn or Grundy will make it taller 

I also think we need to clear the 50 for Fritta and Kosi more. It’s been too congested down there. 

Unrelenting forward pressure not seen since 2021 would be a lovely in, bring the pressure small forwards.

JVR is very lucky I reckon. He’s been pretty terrible the last few weeks.

Brown over him would have been a good swap on form but I guess the coaches want more agility at ground. 

I'm sorry but before Ben Brown hurt his back his form was pretty good. I'd like to see him back. 

Rest hibbo. He's playing sore and we need to manage him hopefully through to late September 

I can't see us winning. Our forward line looks like [censored]. Chandler looks to now be gone at this level. ANB just wastes his disposal and Pickett who apart from the occasional freakish thing does stuff all. As for Smith well I better keep it to myself.

I'm sorry but I'm not relying on that forward line to kick a big score and that'd not a finals winning forward set up.

Why hasn't goody tried Ben Brown/ Van Rooyen combo?

Happy with the Tomlinson inclusion as mentioned has been very solid down back at Casey and will help Jake play his intercept role, Hunter is an automatic inclusion and looking forward to what Joel can bring to our stagnant forward line. How good if he can clunk a few contested marks as well. Going to be a bit of a nervous watch at the G tomorrow night but aren’t they all the way we are playing. Hurry back Clayton and Hibbo.!!!! Plus a bit of forward manic pressure would help.!!

Edited June 1, 20231 yr by DeeZone
Spelling and pressure.

Has Tomlinson played in the last 12 months with May and Lever? From memory he’s only come in to cover. Am I wrong?

5 hours ago, speed demon said:

I’m a “reader” and not a “poster” as evidenced by my 144 posts in 13 years.

Thank you Sped, great reading, balanced, easy to read and uplifting. 

Please post more of these well considered, and gentle thoughts.

How lucky those kids of yours are, if your parenting approach is anything like what you have offered. 

Keep the beautiful communication and I assume the parenting work up.

1 hour ago, bing181 said:

Smith isn't that small ... still 191. 

JVR 193 Smith 191 Fritta 188.

McKay 203, Curnow 194, Silvagni 193 or so.

 

Edited June 1, 20231 yr by Redleg

6 minutes ago, The heart beats true said:

Has Tomlinson played in the last 12 months with May and Lever? From memory he’s only come in to cover. Am I wrong?

From memory played round 1 down back and had a very serviceable game against the Dogs. Then was the fall guy for our shocker against Brisbane in Round 2 where the midfield went missing and the backline crumbled under pressure with May putting in a shocker along with many others. Tommo was then banished to Casey where he has played very well. 

3 minutes ago, Redleg said:

JVR 193 Smith 191 Fritta 190 or so.

McKay 203, Curnow 194, Silvagni 193 or so.

 

Perhaps not such a bad thing to be a bit shorter up forward on a potentially slippery night.

All 3 forwards are pretty good when the ball hits the deck.

And with his leap, Smithy plays taller than 191 I reckon.

Just now, binman said:

Perhaps not such a bad thing to be a bit shorter up forward on a potentially slippery night.

All 3 forwards are pretty good when the ball hits the deck.

And with his leap, Smithy plays taller than 191 I reckon.

That’s the positive.

6 minutes ago, Redleg said:

JVR 193 Smith 191 Fritta 190 or so.

McKay 203, Curnow 194, Silvagni 193 or so.

 

Certainly smaller when you compare us to them. But not that unusual. Have a look at Collingwoods forwards size for comparison.

Plus you have to remember we're rolling two 200cm rucks through there regularly.

My bigger question is less about the forwards and more the defense.

With Hibbo out who plays on Curnow? Is May's back up for the task? I dare say Tomlinson will be a tad slow chasing him around the forward half.

The rumours - previously published here, and not denied by anyone at the club were that BBB had run over the coach's cat.  Unfortunately this scenario is appearing more and more plausible each week.

3 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

Certainly smaller when you compare us to them. But not that unusual. Have a look at Collingwoods forwards size for comparison.

Plus you have to remember we're rolling two 200cm rucks through there regularly.

And they're not playing on each other, so what does it matter if their forwards are taller?

We've brought in another tall defender, so tomo can take McKay and may curnow, with Lever third man in. 

10 minutes ago, Earl Hood said:

From memory played round 1 down back and had a very serviceable game against the Dogs. Then was the fall guy for our shocker against Brisbane in Round 2 where the midfield went missing and the backline crumbled under pressure with May putting in a shocker along with many others. Tommo was then banished to Casey where he has played very well. 

Just had a look on the AFL site. May didn’t play until Round 3, and Tommo went out for him. So I don’t think all 3 haven’t played together (May, Lever and Tomlinson), at least this season - and last year I don’t think they would have with Petty back too.

I really hope this makes it easier for Tomlinson, and frees up Lever to intercept.
 

Edited June 1, 20231 yr by The heart beats true

Fingers crossed because Tomlinson playing well (at the standard we did see from him for a good run before the injury) would make a huge difference to our options for organising our talls.

Smith we all just want to see a good effort and effective team play and let the poor [affectionately censored] get a solid block of games into him.

I don't mind these changes. It feels a little bit like 'not minding' a 10% rent increase because everyone else seems to be getting charged 30% more... but it is bearable.

3 hours ago, DeelightfulPlay said:

Probably Utopia!  Or that's just my confirmation bias working haha

Yeah very Utopia, or Full Frontal!

So a 20 Jvr & J smith will help us kick a winning score??? Whilst BB & Sache are @ Casey? We just look like a distorted unsettled fwd line and still can’t get this right whilst every other top 8 team has  recognised fwds, very concerning 

Edited June 1, 20231 yr by Demonsone

This must be the biggest pre game thread ever!

5 hours ago, speed demon said:

 

I’m a “reader” and not a “poster” as evidenced by my 144 posts in 13 years. I’ve also never taken a fellow Demonlander to task before. Yet, your post kept me awake last night. I only post this now because of the high regard I hold for the quality of your posts and your influence on other Demonlanders. As an additional preface, I want to make clear that I share your concerns with all the issues you have raised about the present state of the game.

I have not followed the game for as long as you. However, in the 35 years I have followed the game, people have always complained about the umpiring, the rules, the tribunal and the administration. Furthermore, there have always been those who have claimed the game is at its lowest ebb. I suspect it has always been such and always will be. This discussion need not be restricted to football. People make similar comments about the state of society generally. So, I am naturally sceptical of such claims.  

What is missing from your post and similar lamentations is balance. For all the negatives you have identified – and with which I agree – there are positives. 

Most obviously is the phenomenal success of women’s football and the explosion in participation. This is great for the game, gender equality and public health more broadly.  

Football clubs and matches (AFL/VFL and local) were once places of open racism that was not only tolerated but encouraged. Racial slurs were seen as a legitimate way of putting an opponent off their game. Whatever you think of clubs taking a stance on the Voice, surely we can agree that there is less racism in football today and that is a good thing. 

What was once glorified as toughness has been better identified as thuggery and the game is cleaner. Does anyone really think we need more players running past the ball to shirt front an unsuspecting player? Toughness is better appreciated as playing the ball and never shirking a contest. Viney, along with Oliver and Petracca, are outstanding examples of tough and clean players.  

The players are bigger, stronger, faster and more skilful. The tactics and strategy are more complex. Fundamentally, when you strip away inconsistent umpiring and ambiguous rules, the game is still fascinating and spectacular.  

I look at my young boys. They love playing this athletic and skilful team game with an odd-shaped ball, just as I did at their age. They have no awareness of the concerns I have about the direction of the game. Though I’m sure they will when they are my age, when their own kids develop their love of the game and I bemoan how the game is not what is was in the 2020s when the MFC won a cabinet full of premiership trophies. 

My point is, just as the game and society change, so do we. Psychological research shows we have a tendency towards preferring to maintain the status quo as we age. We also have a cognitive bias towards negativity and we weight losses more than gains (i.e. the negative effect of losing $100 is greater than the positive effect of winning $100). Evolutionary psychology theory argues we have evolved thus because this confers a survival advantage (at the expense of our happiness and with the burden of anxiety). 

So, the negatives are easy to identify and we tend to overestimate their magnitude. We may need to look harder, but the positives are there as well. Across the course of my life, on balance, both football and society have changed for the better.  

Thanks for your great insights and humour over the years. I trust you will receive this post in the spirit with which it was intended. 

 

 

 

 

An interesting post...much to be considered. It's good the thuggery has been made accountable.  

Im affraid i cant agree with you if your sentiment is the quality of umpiring and its effects upon the game both as the user is concerned ( i.e.. players confusion etc ) as well as the visual... the spectacle ; has not become nearvto farcical as ive ever seen...  That would be 59 years of watching. It would be fair to say I'm probably more equiped to disect what I'm seeing now than i was  say at ...5... 

Once games were supervised by one...one field umpire.  Amazing to think really. Then 2...3....and now 4.   Their numbers havent added anything notable...   

The AFL has introduced intrusive 3rd party adjudication.  Goals by camera. Except it's far from absolute and arguably detrimental to the flow of the game.

The  quality of the game revolves around fairness. Nothing more encapsulates that ideal than the Charlie , but the game is mocked by none other than those entrusted to oversee and secure its uniqueness. 

One only need look at the ridiculous carrying ons of the MRO. The tribunal has lost its lustre. 

I have no doubt your posr is well meaning, reasonable and quite correctly a balanced view of life and football.

That said Redleg's lament was to football and how it is run today. I can hardly fault his dissertation.  He echos essentially what I see.

I'm not so sure the frustration expressed , indeed as i read it was to the necessity ( if any ) to maintain any status quo. I saw it as pining for times when fairness, and consistency of adjudication were not only manifest but transparent.  I think if you were to survey reasoned, observent , considered and 'balanced' followers of the game they might also lament where we find todays game.

Ill agree... football and society has changed.

If Grundy + Gawn arent close to BOG as a collective they are kidding themselves.  Pittonet out and their ruckman is a kid who's played less than 50 games in 5 years. 

Edited June 1, 20231 yr by Jjrogan

Dont mind these changes actually.

Keen for Friday night footy and hopefully a win!

21 minutes ago, Young Blood said:

My bigger question is less about the forwards and more the defense.

With Hibbo out who plays on Curnow? Is May's back up for the task? I dare say Tomlinson will be a tad slow chasing him around the forward half.

May will take Curnow. He’s been in better form recently and he has the speed and height for that matchup. 
Tomlinson will play on McKay. Again good with height there as McKay is very tall. The leaves Lever to take Silvagni which is a far better matchup. 
 

Hibbo was never going to play on Curnow. The height difference is too much and would leave us very vulnerable in the air. 
I am glad we are taking no risks with Hibbo. He is very important against the smaller Pies forwardline.