I am getting sick of seeing this, where are our players?

 

Gawn said it was one of the toughest nights of his career due to the humid and sweaty conditions and the physical buffeting he copped from the Swans’ players at the SCG.

“The Sydney boys did well targeting me around the ground and credit to them.

Yep we have all the physical presence of a french pastry.

We seem to play as if the bump has already been banned.

Mind you we need a few bigger bodies in the packs.

Is the question why does no one stand up for Gawn? It’s why I hope Fullerton is AFL standard. We need a big body to canon into the opposition’s ruck at every opportunity. Bang, bang, bang. Grundy needed to be hit and hit hard. Schache’s not that guy and needs to stop getting games. 

Will get worse until we address the physicality on Gawn. Clubs know there is no ready made backup.

Mid season draft got the strongest most clumsy physical specimen to relieve ( not fo5 mins per quarter but 15 to hurt the opposition ruck ie Grundy and Co. URGENT or Max will be “cooked “ with BBB and Tmac and we will have a triple retirement package that makes the current Kiwi dribble look like a youngsters first birthday party. 

Granted the humidity WAS a factor ( not necessarily be admitted in public though). Sometimes Max is too truthful in public speeches and gives the opportunity for the future opposition to note little facts that are best not revealed no matter what. Time to fasten the lips Maxie and have Vines confuse the press with his half mouth  half accent ( not known old SA brogue perhaps?). Let’s keep some secrets in house. 

Over to you TL and  JT get scouting and keep a large Demon jumper to fit the lucky tapper and thumper. 

16 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Is the question why does no one stand up for Gawn? It’s why I hope Fullerton is AFL standard. We need a big body to canon into the opposition’s ruck at every opportunity. Bang, bang, bang. Grundy needed to be hit and hit hard. Schache’s not that guy and needs to stop getting games. 

If you're relying on Fullarton to be the physical presence you may be disappointed. He seems more in the tall, athletic mould than the bullocking Mumford mould.

Clubs have been targeting gawn for years. Remember years ago when Port did it r1? 

Unfortunately gawn needs to work his way through it & yes some mates need to protect him but it's probably hard because they're focusing on the ball. 

15 minutes ago, Waltham33 said:

Will get worse until we address the physicality on Gawn. Clubs know there is no ready made backup.

Yes that’s right but others could be a bit stronger around the ball and our tackling was ok at best and embarrassing at worst. Sparrow looked as though he had handled too many financial documents during the week even allowing for the soapy ball! 

I was totally wrapped in humidity following the game walk around the ground to the light rail then being swished inside a carriage that seemed like a misfit from Singapore with more people in than legally allowed. Then the 15 min walk from Mascot station was the final watering of T shirt and face plus head before the sanctity of the Aircon at my hotel. Phew Sydney made home city Brisbane feel comfortable after 31 years. Dont underestimate it in thinking about the G next Sunday. We also have to be thankful we aren’t scheduled to play Lions ( like Blues tonight and us in Round2  last season) till the humidity disappears in April. To September. Some one from the Blues turn the lights out again to get a breather in the last half or quarter!!!! 

14 minutes ago, 58er said:

Mid season draft got the strongest most clumsy physical specimen to relieve ( not fo5 mins per quarter but 15 to hurt the opposition ruck ie Grundy and Co. URGENT or Max will be “cooked “ with BBB and Tmac and we will have a triple retirement package that makes the current Kiwi dribble look like a youngsters first birthday party. 

Granted the humidity WAS a factor ( not necessarily be admitted in public though). Sometimes Max is too truthful in public speeches and gives the opportunity for the future opposition to note little facts that are best not revealed no matter what. Time to fasten the lips Maxie and have Vines confuse the press with his half mouth  half accent ( not known old SA brogue perhaps?). Let’s keep some secrets in house. 

Over to you TL and  JT get scouting and keep a large Demon jumper to fit the lucky tapper and thumper. 

Don’t worry about Max revealing secrets, every other team knows.

28 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Is the question why does no one stand up for Gawn? It’s why I hope Fullerton is AFL standard. We need a big body to canon into the opposition’s ruck at every opportunity. Bang, bang, bang. Grundy needed to be hit and hit hard. Schache’s not that guy and needs to stop getting games. 

You don’t have to be of AFL standard just be clumsy and brutal like Mumford or Nankervis of the Tiger variety. Sure you get a holiday once a year but imagine how heavy you can be upon your return. 

8 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Clubs have been targeting gawn for years. Remember years ago when Port did it r1? 

Unfortunately gawn needs to work his way through it & yes some mates need to protect him but it's probably hard because they're focusing on the ball. 

Well they don’t do that particularly well either.

Tigers took Naismith even though they have Nankervis and others and he is throwing his weight around I have noticed.

 

1 minute ago, Redleg said:

Don’t worry about Max revealing secrets, every other team knows.

Sorry does matter.  TMI no matter what  and it’s presented in such a polite and easy manner!!’ 

Stop  being the nice guy and bare a claw or two Maxy. Let your actions speak and not your words for a while! 

38 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

Is the question why does no one stand up for Gawn? It’s why I hope Fullerton is AFL standard. We need a big body to canon into the opposition’s ruck at every opportunity. Bang, bang, bang. Grundy needed to be hit and hit hard. Schache’s not that guy and needs to stop getting games. 

Why doesn't Gawn stick up for himself. Needs to be more aware and see it happening before it does and give some back. He lets it happens and looks to be more interested in flopping for the free than he is to push back the other way.

Sydney has had the most humid [censored] summer I've ever experienced here. I doubt there's been five total days of the other 'brutal dry sun' type in the whole period from November to now. I've got one of those evaporative-fan cooler units sitting in a cupboard somewhere but there's just no point to it because the humidity is already so high all the 'cooler' can do is blow some additional moist air around.

As for Max, it was really noticeable that he dropped off after McLean had been put on him for a solid spell in the 3rd while Grundy rested. McLean would have been the dream acquisition in the Grundy/Jordon trades to accompany Max and they used him with precise effect. He had just 4 kicks but every one of them was a shot on goal which tells you how little he was expected to get around the ground when stationed as a forward. Then fresh as daisies in the third, he goes onto Gawn and delivers maximum effort. Whether or not Gawn can keep up with the fresh opponent is irrelevant; that level of effort for a sustained period defeats the bodies natural short-term recovery and by the time it was done Grundy has two steps ahead of Gawn in every situation.

By the stats McLean had a pretty basic fwd/ruck game; 5 disposals, 5 clangers (mostly from 4 frees against), 2 goals 2 behinds, ten hitouts. But it was one of the most important contributions on the field that night.

As for why our players aren't stepping in about the roughing up of Gawn - we all know that it is the retaliator who gets pinged most of the time. Even moreso in this case where a strategy of niggling a target all game with constant minor incidents is acceptable under the rules, while any attempt to respond to a particular instance will be seen as an overreaction and likely penalised.

It's the successful workplace harassment approach we all know so well.

We had someone to help alleviate the physicality focused on Gawn. His name was Brodie Grundy.

Every player gets targeted in some way to nullify their potency.

We have built our gameplan around the dominance of our ruck. This has now been figured out by the opposition. The only way to counter it is to ease the pressure to free him up. It worked in 2021 with Brown in the second half of the year, and a fitter McDonald.

Schache is a feather, and JVR lacks ruck craft.

The media made us believe that *getting* Grundy was the mistake. It's going to quickly become evident that getting *rid* of him was.

I sure do hope Fullerton can stay on the park. Otherwise it is going to be a long season.

Petty is a physical player at CHF (or CHB) who helps, although his head was elsewhere for a lot of last year after whatever happened in Brisbane.

JVR will get there.

Pickett is vital to fire them up.

But we never replaced Vanders on the list with someone with genuine mongrel. And Viney can’t do it all.

Spargo has been one of our best at blocking and working for team mates. Melksham too. Guys like Chandler and ANB need to make that part of their games too.

Unfortunately we are getting younger, smaller and slighter with guys like Windsor, Howes and McVee replacing Harmes, Gus and Hibberd from our flag team.

And carrying the likes of Tomlinson, Billings, Laurie who are classic upper or middle class gents who belong in the MCC watching more than on the field.

Unfortunately when you start the year of -5 in list spots to Gus, J Smith, Melksham (until mid year) BBB and T Mc  you lose the flexibility to add fringe players who bring size, speed and mongrel.

Plus Max, you’re 7 foot tall, 110+ kg. Stick up for yourself man. Or ditch the captaincy. 

1 hour ago, Jontee said:

Yep we have all the physical presence of a french pastry.

We seem to play as if the bump has already been banned.

Mind you we need a few bigger bodies in the packs.

I'm still annoyed at the lack of response against Maynard.

 

41 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

I'm still annoyed at the lack of response against Maynard.

 

Same

including by the club

penned a long letter to Roffey about it

Pert or someone should have beelined to the media at quarter time and set the frame for the debate “that was not a football action, Maynard has form, we expect nothing less than 6 weeks for that if the AFL is serious about protecting the head, it was reckless, unecessary and you can bet if that was daicos under him he would have wrapped him up in a hug or something “ etc etc etc

then spent the week bombarding the media with short concise messages on those lines

it was a total failure 

There is a lack of mongrel in Gawn. I dont think he is soft, but he isn't hard at like most. The Sydney team looked like a pack of wolves in their attack all over the ground. They were clearly fired up for the occasion.

There were a handful of incidents with Gawn that just makes me shirk - its been there for years and nobody seems bothered other than a select few on here (me included). 

Other than Viney, and Bowey, nobody else seemed to be as courageous. Perhaps the conditions - we did seem to fall off a cliff in Q4. Still in cold light of day we left a lot on the table and given the spotlight on the team coming into the season, didn't do much to put the doubters (including me) at bay. 

Indeed why.

Edited March 8, 20241 yr by Gawndy the Great

A couple of bumps off the ball, they aren't big hits just annoying jack Russell's at you all night.  Doesn't excuse him for the garbage he put out there in the last half.  Grundy tore him a new one in the last half and Max couldn't or wouldn't keep up.

I thought we should have kept JVR in the ruck for longer.

3 hours ago, Jontee said:

Yep we have all the physical presence of a french pastry.

We seem to play as if the bump has already been banned.

Mind you we need a few bigger bodies in the packs.

Bigger than Jack, Clayton, Sparrow and Trac? 

43 minutes ago, drdrake said:

A couple of bumps off the ball, they aren't big hits just annoying jack Russell's at you all night.  Doesn't excuse him for the garbage he put out there in the last half.  Grundy tore him a new one in the last half and Max couldn't or wouldn't keep up.

I thought we should have kept JVR in the ruck for longer.

JVR did get into the game more when shifted up the ground. Seemed to spend a lot of time in the goal square not getting the footy until it was too late.  

2 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Tomlinson

Was one of our better last night .

 

Edited March 8, 20241 yr by leave it to deever

1 hour ago, Gawndy the Great said:

There is a lack of mongrel in Gawn. I dont think he is soft, but he isn't hard at like most. The Sydney team looked like a pack of wolves in their attack all over the ground. They were clearly fired up for the occasion.

There were a handful of incidents with Gawn that just makes me shirk - its been there for years and nobody seems bothered other than a select few on here (me included). 

Other than Viney, and Bowey, nobody else seemed to be as courageous. Perhaps the conditions - we did seem to fall off a cliff in Q4. Still in cold light of day we left a lot on the table and given the spotlight on the team coming into the season, didn't do much to put the doubters (including me) at bay. 

Indeed why.

I'm starting to think.....No Max firing.

No win.