1) Remember the good old days when the number one topic was the crowd number? They were good days...

2) Coming out of the re-build thread and stats files, are we (be design or is it out of our control) still in a "pre-season" mode? With so many team changes week to week, and during the game, are we still looking for the right combination? Especially in the middle of the ground, I would be interested to know (I don't know if this is buried in the stats) how many different centre / midfield combinations we tried. If there is hesitancy in the play, maybe this is in part due to not know who is around you (as a player) and what they're likely to do.

Please feel free to respond with "yes, it's obviously part of the greater plan. In a couple of weeks we'll have settled on the side that will take us deep into September, by which time we can complain about the ground being packed with Band-wagon supporters."

Can we please have an update on young Windsor.

Will he be playing this weekend?

And will Kozzie?

I feel that these two players are the main reason for me to watch now, going forward.

Their silky smooth skills and grace under pressure are the only redeeming features for us patient supporters.

I feel like it won't be long until Im bouncing my little grandson on my knee regaling him of stories when we used to dominate.

In fact , of a long forgotten time when we looked forward to game days.

Seems a distance memory now. Such a cruel mistress is the old game of footy.

Thanks guys.

12 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

Can we please have an update on young Windsor.

Will he be playing this weekend?

And will Kozzie?

I feel that these two players are the main reason for me to watch now, going forward.

Their silky smooth skills and grace under pressure are the only redeeming features for us patient supporters.

I feel like it won't be long until Im bouncing my little grandson on my knee regaling him of stories when we used to dominate.

In fact , of a long forgotten time when we looked forward to game days.

Seems a distance memory now. Such a cruel mistress is the old game of footy.

Thanks guys.

Very odd the Windsor situation. Foot infection and it's the second time this year, isn't it?

The Chat Room will make it's return this week.

Hi guys, love the pod.

Could the panel explain for me why did we need a new game plan? Seems like the old one worked ok when we restricted teams to around 60 points, but since we introduced the new one they are scoring against us with ridiculous ease. What is the benefit of the new system?

My (perhaps naive) observations:

• our ‘pressure’ across the ground has been abysmal across the last two weeks;

• likewise, our ‘skills’, often under no pressure at all;

• similarly, there seems to be a lack of ‘awareness’ and ‘communication’ and (perhaps) confusion between our players;

• and, (dare I say it) sometimes a lack of ‘endeavour’.

I’d appreciate your thoughts on these observations.

Is it a question of youth and inexperience of many in our playing group?, the new game plan?, lack of confidence?, players being played out of position?, lack of trust in teammates?, or some other obvious reasons? Perhaps all of the above?

Sorry guys, but this is doing my head in!

PS. I’m not asking you to speculate on anything controversial outside the field of play.

2 hours ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Very odd the Windsor situation. Foot infection and it's the second time this year, isn't it?

Windsor is expected to be back this week - was back in boots on Friday. Also Kosi, Lever and Spargo - hard to imagine all of them not coming in together with Turner. You can probably guess the omissions and Lindsay, of course, will not play.

Please regard the following as facts - not excuses (having watched a lot of training):

1. The "new game plan" (seemingly in deep demand by 99% of Demonlanders) was developed over the summer on the basis of having McVee and Windsor running off half-back (both excellent users). Imagine them in the first three rounds with May, Lever, Bowey and Petty down back. We have never had that full formation this year (but will have it, minus only McVee, on Friday night).

2. Rivers has trained all off-season as a mid, with Sparrow playing a high half-forward role. Both have had to revert to their old roles - on two occasions the role changes were required in the first quarter due to injury (lost Jefferson, then Lindsay).

3. Re the mid-field, we have not been able to have the rotations through there that have been trained - mainly due to the number of injuries, and the absence of Kosi (oh how we have missed him!).

4. Re the forward line - do they get a mulligan because of the above (Goody gave them one on Saturday - just 40 inside 50's).

5. Fritsch playing high has not worked due to all of the above and the lack of form JVR deep. But our oppo defences have had an easy time of it. It makes a lot of difference if the other elements: defence, transition and mid-field are functioning.

Hopefully this helps if Binman wants to provide Andy with some "light" at the end of this dark tunnel. 🙂

4 minutes ago, Harvey Wallbanger said:

Hopefully this helps if Binman wants to provide Andy with some "light" at the end of this dark tunnel. 🙂

You're going to have to buy a bigger fog light.

21 minutes ago, Demonland said:

You're going to have to buy a bigger fog light.

Would love to hear from the three of you on how bad does it need to get for the board to sack Goodwin? Would 0-10 do it? Would a bottom 2 finish do it?

For transparency, I'm in the "Sack Goodwin" camp, but those calling for his head now is fanciful this early on, but surely there would get to a point where enough is enough.

54 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Shouldn't that be the silhouette of a Bin? 😁

28 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Would love to hear from the three of you on how bad does it need to get for the board to sack Goodwin? Would 0-10 do it? Would a bottom 2 finish do it?

For transparency, I'm in the "Sack Goodwin" camp, but those calling for his head now is fanciful this early on, but surely there would get to a point where enough is enough.

IMHO it needs to be when he's lost the backing/faith of the players. Sacking a coach is a drastic measure that cannot just be a kneejerk reactions. Do it badly and can create a rift between players divided on the sacking or between the players and / or the rest of the coaching staff and the administration. Either way morale might take years to restore. I wasn't alive in1965 but it sounds like the sacking of Norm Smith set us back for many, many years. It's easy to forget how many coaches never win a flag. Even the ones that do usually take more than a couple of years. Goodwin won his in his fifth year. If a new coach is 'flag-ready' in 2030 it could be that Gawn, Petracca etc are no longer topliners and we look back and wonder if there was still a flag in them somewhere round 2027 that we blew with a coach change. Honestly I can imagine worst case scenarios that have Goody fired after the next game even. Really there's no obvious breaking point. But I really feel like either the large majority of the players or Goody are best placed to make the decision.

Edited March 30Mar 30 by Go Ds

22 minutes ago, Go Ds said:

Shouldn't that be the silhouette of a Bin? 😁

We’re going to need the whole Justice League

Two parter:

Is there Chanpion data stats on broken tackles? Sides are either smashing through our tackles or getting arms clear for an effective possession like I’ve never seen.

Is there Champion data stats for number of throws? Why are we getting caught throwing it so much? Quick ball movement I understand but we’re not the first side to try and move it at pace from contest.

My fear, and I want to be wrong about it, is that Goody has lost the players. When I see a series of dropped chest marks, the first two goals given up by 50 metre penalties, simple skill errors on repeat and a general lack of energy it points to something intangible . To be honest It jogged some dark memories of the Neeld era. You could just feel the team wasn’t switched on from early on in the 1st.

Goody is our only living premiership coach, I mean him no disrespect, but something feels very wrong. Do you have an opinion?

8 hours ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Would love to hear from the three of you on how bad does it need to get for the board to sack Goodwin? Would 0-10 do it? Would a bottom 2 finish do it?

For transparency, I'm in the "Sack Goodwin" camp, but those calling for his head now is fanciful this early on, but surely there would get to a point where enough is enough.

What would be yours?

Edited March 30Mar 30 by leave it to deever

9 hours ago, Harvey Wallbanger said:

1. The "new game plan" (seemingly in deep demand by 99% of Demonlanders) was developed over the summer on the basis of having McVee and Windsor running off half-back (both excellent users). Imagine them in the first three rounds with May, Lever, Bowey and Petty down back. We have never had that full formation this year (but will have it, minus only McVee, on Friday night).

2. Rivers has trained all off-season as a mid, with Sparrow playing a high half-forward role. Both have had to revert to their old roles - on two occasions the role changes were required in the first quarter due to injury (lost Jefferson, then Lindsay).

3. Re the mid-field, we have not been able to have the rotations through there that have been trained - mainly due to the number of injuries, and the absence of Kosi (oh how we have missed him!).

So if you haven't got the personnel, why persist with the "new game plan" then?

It looks like we have a confused playing group not quite sure or believing in what they are doing. I have a view that with game plans coaches either

1. Copy the dominant teams game plan.

2. Develop a new method to counter the dominant game plan.

Nearly every team are trying to move the ball more quickly from defensive half. That’s because the zone that the Tigers and Melbourne perfected was so dominant, and it is the way to break the zone.

Any ideas on what a game plan looks like to defeat the teams that rely on fast ball movement from defensive 50? This year (small sample size), there are 3 teams scoring more heavily from forward half (Crows, Suns, Saints). They rank 1, 2, and 4 at score from turnover. What are they doing differently. Will any of them make finals?

Last year Brisbane was 0-3 at this point of the season. Have the wheels fallen off, is this a slow start or are we just not that good any more?

The AFL is now going to defense, and to use a basketball term "creating a stop", Then sling shot off turnover with speed, real speed. Unfortunately we don't have the personnel for this yet.

Kossie, Windsor and Lindsey will help with that.

But this year is clearly about moving to a new game plan, and it unfortunately is going to leave Viney, behind and it will take away from Trac and Oliver's 1 wood. They are Good enough to adapt and work in with the new game plan, i hope Viney can too.

The big question is, with a rebuild on the run and a change of game plan this will take a bit of time, do you guys see Goody surviving? i have always been a defender of him but history says coaches don't survive this period.

35 minutes ago, dice said:

So if you haven't got the personnel, why persist with the "new game plan" then?

It's a classic rock and a hard place situation for us.

Been playing a certain style for so long with a list built from the ground up to dominate that style. We snatched a flag but the game has moved quicker than we would have liked from that style.

Adapting a game-plan whilst trying to manage a list can't be fun. And again, I don't buy that McVee and Windsor will suddenly be the magic fix for us.

As we've seen the last two rounds, our issues run deeper than only our inability to move the ball with strong decision making and execution of skills. (Contest and clearance being the main one).

One thing I cannot understand is Godwin's approach to 'fix' some of our ball movement issues through the midfield and half forward line.

As examples, Langdon's move to the middle, Sharp's inclusion and Viney to half forward.

Disregarding Trac, Oliver, Sparrow and River's poor ball use, the positional moves of the above and the ANB replacement for a like-for-like player do absolutely nothing to fix our connection issues and ball use either. And I don't think this has been spoken about enough.

Frankly, as tough as it may have been, I believe that Goody hasn't made dlhard enough calls and I think this is down to the fact that he's so close to a core group of players. Double edged sword for a coach.

Having Viney, Langdon, Sharp, Trac, Oliver, Sparrow and Rivers all playing through the middle to forward half of the ground is our biggest issue, period.

You simply cannot rely on that group of players to consistently execute with ball in hand, it's been our single biggest issue for years and now that the game is moving so quickly into transition, efficiency of ball movement, being clean and an ability to finish, we are being completely left behind.

OBVIOUSLY, Pickett, Windsor and McVee will improve us. But it's not enough, especially given the fact that two of those players will be playing in defence.

You look across the competition at the best teams atm and they have a variety of players throughout the middle and forward half of the ground with a fantastic blend of attributes and skill-sets that compliment each other. We simply don't. And we have a core group of players who are all poor in the same area.

The end of this season will be the most interesting and difficult off-season in my view because I can't see us doing anything other than letting go some champions of the club in order to stay ahead and competitive before Tassie come in.

One of Trac or Oliver. Fritch and possibly Pickett (which will be an enormous loss).

I think a new Coach will be necessary too to breath life into the club going forward because it is as clear as day right now that our players are simply not playing for him.

I'm going to cut the questions off here lest I get anymore depressed and cancel the show.

We are LIVE at 8:00pm

Sorry Andy, the two minute voicemail cut off got the better of me

13 minutes ago, RedLegs23 said:

Sorry Andy, the two minute voicemail cut off got the better of me

It's funny because the first one never came through.