Simon Goodwin has always made a clear distinction between the roles of big and smalls.

Bigs fly for marks and are responsible for bringing the ball to ground.

Smalls  are there to crumb and tackle and link and never fly for marks (yes, Kossie does break the rules) unless they are the only option.

Even down back the distinction is clear - May, Lever and Tomlinson (when playing) are to deny opponents in the air, while Bowey, Salem, McVee are to protect the ground and provide the smarts when coming out of the backline. Rivers, being a swingman height, is allowed to fly on occasions. 

In 2021 when everything fell into place. the Dees played three bigs down back (May, Lever and Petty) and went with three bigs up forward (Brown, T-Mac and Jackson).

In 2021, Fritsch was the dangerous swingman and Sparrow’s tackling ability pipped Melky for the last spot in the 22, and it was balanced with three small forwards - ANB, Spargo and Kossie.

Since 2021, Goody has altered his preferred forward model, partly because both Ben Brown and T-Mac have often been injured and are now the wrong side of 30.

The result was that last year we often toyed with four genuine smalls. For example in our Rd 11 first loss of 2022 to Fremantle, Goody decided to try Toby Bedford with our three premiership smalls.

His desire to reward Bedford, one of the fittest blokes at the club, with game time meant that Toby often played as the medical sub and occasionally played from the outset. 

But this year Goody took his 'small world’ to another level. Kade Chandler, after four years of VFL learnings, was finally given a go and there’s no doubt that he’s a clever finisher and hard worker. Bailey Lawrie, another who had done his time in VFL, was given a go and he definitely has AFL level smarts.

Injuries to Petty, our most clever small tall Melksham, and suspension to our most mobile tall JVR has caused him to rejig even more.

The result? Tonight Melbourne is fielding the smallest finals side possibly since pre-war days.

But what about the Tigers of 2017 I hear you say when Riewoldt played as a lone hand and Grigg had to ruck when Nankervis had a rest.

The difference is that most of the Tigers small forwards had a degree of height.

Rioli is 179cm, Castagna 181cm, Lambert 178cm, Butler 182cm, Martin 187cm, Townsend 187cm, Caddy 186cm with Edwards 182cm sometimes up forward.

Compare that to:

Chandler 175cm, Pickett 171cm, Spargo 172cm, ANB 182cm, Petracca 187cm, Fritsch 188cm and Smith 191cm with Lawrie 179cm still a chance to be sub.

Or what about the Pies of 2010.

Blair 174cm, Davis 177cm, Didak 184cm, Beams 187cm backed by bigs Dawes, Cloke and Brown - hardly small by our standards.

Let’s go back further - Carlton's mosquito fleet of 1981 is generally regarded as the smallest of the modern era and yet was still slightly taller than our combination and that is 42 years ago? They had Marcou 178cm, Sheldon 178cm  and Wayne Johnston 180cm but they also had David McKay (191cm), Maclure (188cm), McConville (185cm) and Bosustow (185cm).  Rover Buckley 175cm had the occasional rest forward as well.

What we are seeing by Goodwin is revolutionary by any standards.

All our smalls are hard workers who don’t mind tackling even though their size makes it harder to stick them and individually they are all players who any side would want on their list, yet the question that every Demon fan should be asking is whether this is the right balance.

Some will try and argue that what option does Goodwin have given who’s out. But that view is tempered by the fact that a two-time All- Australian is sitting watching in the stands and is wanted by a host of clubs with Sydney apparently winning the battle. 

And it leads to two bigger questions:

If Melbourne wins tonight, is Goodwin tactically more savvy with the game trends than any other coach, placing a higher priority on ground-level wins than aerial strength?

Or if Melbourne loses tonight, is Goody in danger of becoming the new Bevo - the coach with the best list, yet the worst return.

Genius or insane? What’s your view?

 

Will let you know tonight after two hours of learnings 

neither. forced into going small tonight. hopefully this means we go quickly too.

  On 15/09/2023 at 01:22, Deespicable said:

 

Or if Melbourne loses tonight, is Goody in danger of becoming the new Bevo - the coach with the best list, yet the worst return.

Genius or insane? What’s your view?

 

Come on now, we weren't great last year whether that be to fitness and lingering injuries, but this year we have been shafted with injuries in the position we are most thin, losing Melk, Petty, Frisch for time, and still finished in 4th, took the Pies to the end after losing a Grade A player. Goody has continued to provide results and given us a chance to win. Is it perfect? No but lets not act like he has had access to the full arsenal.

Let you know after the game.

Going out straight sets in finals two years in a row would be down right embarrassing. 

As long is Grundy is sub  all good.  Getting tired of honorable loses where we we won on stats but not score board   I think we win tonight.  Good record against Carltank     Should be equal number of fans both sides unlike last week were all carltank fans      Please win !!!

We could have been sucked in like Port Adelaide in giving another contract before the finals.  I am seriously concerned about what the 'learnings' will be if we lose tonight. Does Goody learn anything?

  On 15/09/2023 at 01:40, gregdemon said:

Getting tired of honorable loses where we we won on stats but not score board   

That has to be on the head coach surely. And if it happens in 2 finals in a row, he's going to have to alter and evolve his coaching philosophy over summer, as the club isn't getting it done enough against the big dogs.

 

  On 15/09/2023 at 01:54, inanunda said:

We could have been sucked in like Port Adelaide in giving another contract before the finals.  I am seriously concerned about what the 'learnings' will be if we lose tonight. Does Goody learn anything?

Having a healthy list is key to winning big finals...

Don't kid yourself, we are really up against it tonight and if we pull through it will be a mighty effort.

Is this the 'Is Goodwin the right guy 2.0' thread?

If he throws Spargo in the ruck I’m going with insane. 

Don't mind it

No point doing the same thing if it ain't workin'!

Yeah, ah, I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that if Aaron Naughton was available we'd play him, y'know?

On our list we have 13  players at least 194cm...

May, Lever, McDonald, Schache, Grundy and Gawn.

Brown (test?), Petty (inj), Van Rooyen (susp), Turner (kid, but has been given a recent run), Jefferson (kid), Adams (kid), Verral (ruck kid).

Except for Grundy, every tall we've got who can realistically be expected to put in an AFL-level performance is on the field for us tonight.

Van Rooyen, Howes (191cm), Jefferson, Adams, Verral, and Turner have all been grabbed in the last two drafts. Before that we invested pick 3 in a 200cm utility.

We just picked up both Grundy and Schache in the last trade period, grabbed Ben Brown just a few years ago, and the two biggest traded in names on our list are May and Lever, both of whom we allegedly paid overs for at the time!

 

We have a hole in our ship and if Goodwin is able to plug it and pump the water out enough to get us to the premiership, he's a freak'n genius. Which he might indeed be.

  On 15/09/2023 at 02:07, Stiff Arm said:

Is this the 'Is Goodwin the right guy 2.0' thread?

I'm expecting the original thread to return at about 10:30pm tonight after a long hiatus, if things go south.

  On 15/09/2023 at 02:01, rjay said:

Having a healthy list is key to winning big finals...

Don't kid yourself, we are really up against it tonight and if we pull through it will be a mighty effort.

A key for sure.

Not just your assets though,   but how you use them. 

Different recipes,  same ingredients,  different result.

Have a sneaking suspicion we might have zigged, not zagged.  As most will concur...and going still with food analogy...proof of pudding in tonights eating.

Go Dees

( even have my lucky socks on 😉 )

  On 15/09/2023 at 02:30, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I'm expecting the original thread to return at about 10:30pm tonight after a long hiatus, if things go south.

I suspect this will usurp that other lol

  On 15/09/2023 at 01:54, Bring-Back-Powell said:

That has to be on the head coach surely. And if it happens in 2 finals in a row, he's going to have to alter and evolve his coaching philosophy over summer, as the club isn't getting it done enough against the big dogs.

 

This is it. We joke/despair about the lack of a Plan B but....

Also the existing gameplan even if successful is so automated and conservative it's draining on players and supporters.

At the very least I'd like to see more freedom at VFL level even if it is only for alternate matches or halves. Can Tommo or Laurie play forward. Does TMac still have it down back if needed? We'll probably never know

Insanity and Genius go hand in hand

that’s why people always say i’m nuts

  On 15/09/2023 at 02:30, Bring-Back-Powell said:

I'm expecting the original thread to return at about 10:30pm tonight after a long hiatus, if things go south.

7.45pm methinks

I saw this thread and thought this will explode tonight one way or another.

Genius 🤞

Simples

Injuries- Petty Melksham & VanRooyen would all be playing tonight, Tmac, Tomlinson & Spargo wouldn’t 

Unfortunately forced by necessity of injury.  Hopefully gone in with a clear plan on how to beat the blues. 

Overall his coaching has evolved since he took over.  First from the 6-6-6 rule which took awhile to adjust to, then learning from 2018/19 before getting the players and team he wanted/needed for success in 2021.   After the problems of 2022, they have learnt and adjust how we play and manage the team over the year to be ready for finals.  Plans had have to be adjusted due to injury in the are we least wanted them.  Last week, we lost by 7 agains the "best" side of the comp.  We should've won, but we could hit the side of a barn.  

Good luck to us all tonight!

To answer your question Goody - Genius or insane?

YES - POSSIBLY BOTH. 

Strangely I feel that if we lose tonight it will only reinforce what an extraordinary feat it was to lead this club to a flag in 2021.

I mean, if we lose 4 finals in a row (on our home ground) then I guess it's enough evidence to say our players just aren't that good. And yet he managed to organise pretty much the same guys in a way that enabled us to grab one when the stars aligned.