6 hours ago, beelzebub said:

For many a year Salem was a more than competent and clever Marshall in the backline. Something has changed. Has he simply mellowed or has his role been redefined. Either way the zest and verve of his game has gone. Very meat and 3 veg now.

Salem is now one of the most overated players on our list! Try a tin of Tom Piper Irish Stew!

2 minutes ago, nextskipclaz said:

I don’t know him personally.

But when I first called out the issue with Chandler as this ‘commander’ while being a player of average ability and panic tendency in big games, no one listened to me. My frustration comes from zero people listening to me. Because I look at football as energetics. For example if max setting a bad example or playing for free kicks that kind of attitude gets imitated by other players and brings the standard down. Thats why if Chandler is in this team I am adamant that he needs to shut up and focus on his game rather than communicate excessively or make melodramatic facial expressions (which is a sign of a volatile player anyway). We need an honest and solid player in that position. I don’t know where melbourne gets these average Carlton like players with melodrama in their expression but it is way more detrimental to a game than people like to think. Energy is everything.

Fair enough. I apologise for calling you a troll. And I’m listening to you. Your opinion is as worthy as everyone else’s. I don’t see Chin as any more melodramatic than other players but clearly you do. But maybe with Chin it’s not contrived, maybe his gesticulation and facial expressions are inherent. FWIW, he’s generally a serious person and his resting face is intense concentration.

There’s a captain’s run at AO on Saturday beginning at 2:15pm. Entry is via the South Gate.

On gameday (Sunday) gates open at 11am because there’s a curtain raiser: a SANFL game between Woodville West Torrens & Adelaide beginning at 11:15am

33 minutes ago, nextskipclaz said:

Thats why if Chandler is in this team I am adamant that he needs to shut up and focus on his game rather than communicate excessively or make melodramatic facial expressions (which is a sign of a volatile player anyway).

Think the only player not making melodramatic facial expressions last week was clarry, and that's cos his face was wrapped up

31 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Salem is now one of the most overated players on our list! Try a tin of Tom Piper Irish Stew!

A smart coach might try to rejuvenate him by playing him forwards or as a tagger or at centre bounces - won't hold my breath.

18 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

A smart coach might try to rejuvenate him by playing him forwards or as a tagger or at centre bounces - won't hold my breath.

Salem's aversion to contact and lack of leg speed rules him out of either option. Playing behind the ball is the only place for him to hide. If he is in our best 23 at round 1 next year, I guarantee we'll finish bottom 6 again.

As with Lever, Salem is yesterday's hero and the game has passed him by.

We are coming against the player who has the second most frees for of any non ruckman in the competition. Our players have to be specifically drilled to aim their tackles super low or aim their tackles high across the chest and as hard as possible.

3 hours ago, poita said:

Salem's aversion to contact and lack of leg speed rules him out of either option. Playing behind the ball is the only place for him to hide. If he is in our best 23 at round 1 next year, I guarantee we'll finish bottom 6 again.

As with Lever, Salem is yesterday's hero and the game has passed him by.

Don’t remember what deal he is on but doubt he is tradeable so keep as depth but next year we need something else off halfback, we need players who can break lines and set up forward entries. The stats tell us Salem is cooked.

3 hours ago, poita said:

Salem's aversion to contact and lack of leg speed rules him out of either option. Playing behind the ball is the only place for him to hide. If he is in our best 23 at round 1 next year, I guarantee we'll finish bottom 6 again.

As with Lever, Salem is yesterday's hero and the game has passed him by.

Claptrap! Salem was having his best season for several years up to the half-way mark. "Aversion to contact", different Universe, I'm afraid! you're talking a lot like a click-baiter... hold on a minute!

Salem is currently 4th on the AFL Marks table! He is 5th on MFC's Disposal list and 3rd for Rebound 50's, only a bee's appendage behind Bowey.

6 hours ago, picket fence said:

BLOODY HELL NO! the last thing we need is a slow, plodding 35 m max distance kick with no goal sense!

Not saying I’m an advocate. Just saying it’ll happen.

2 hours ago, waynewussell said:

Claptrap! Salem was having his best season for several years up to the half-way mark. "Aversion to contact", different Universe, I'm afraid! you're talking a lot like a click-baiter... hold on a minute!

Salem is ranked 11th for taking the easiest option by foot. He lost what ever he had about him in 2021 by the end of 2023 and IMO we should have traded him then.

The 2 things id like to see this week and the rest of the season.

The bloke in the 2s who is averaging 24 touches, 6 tackles and 1 goal (in a winning record side) getting a chance to play in the seniors for real. This notion is he isnt this or that is absolute bollocks. He deserves a chance to pick up some game time (played 2 full games in 2 and a half years?!?) and get some confidence.

Turner or May forward. I may be one of the few (maybe only supporter) that actually think our mids are not the biggest problem this year. Yes they hack it but they always have. Yes its a bit worse than 'normal', but reversion to a more efficient mean will happen.

Our kicking for goal has cost us 1-2 wins, but really we have the league worst kpf fowards have cost us another 2-3 wins. They have absolutely zero idea how and when to lead. IMelksham was given the fwd 50 and he had 11 shots at goal. Fritsch has had 18 in 5 weeks. Pickets had games of 9 and 6.

Petty and JVr as old school contest down the line forwards are our problem. Neither one of them has had more than 2 shots at goals in the last 7 games. Its not all delivery, they are just not the answer. Its time to confirm or reject this hypothesis by trying SOMETHING NEW.

Edited July 2Jul 2 by Jjrogan

9 hours ago, waynewussell said:

Salem is currently 4th on the AFL Marks table! He is 5th on MFC's Disposal list and 3rd for Rebound 50's, only a bee's appendage behind Bowey.

Yes, but the problem with salo now is there's zero hurt factor.

Half back has become a critical position in terms of driving quality transition from the back half and initiating scoring chains.

Key to that is hittiing high risk kicks (eg into the corridor, kicks on the 45, kicks over or thru zones etc) and salo isn't even trying them, let alone hitting them.

If he isn't playing that role, he then needs to be our Quaynor and lock down dangerous small forwards, but that's not his go either.

It's amazing actually that we are transitioning the ball so well given salo is just going, Mcvee has struggled to get back to his best form and Windsor is still finding his feet down back (and is not as good a kick as I hoped he would be).

Edited July 2Jul 2 by binman

14 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

A smart coach might try to rejuvenate him by playing him forwards or as a tagger or at centre bounces - won't hold my breath.

Salems best game of the year in my opinion he played in the middle.

Chandlers best game of the year in my opinion he rotated midfield and wing.

Neither of them have been seen in the pivot since we attempted to resurrect 2021 with Petracca Oliver and Viney time and time again.

Agree @binman Salem had been good in some games and I’m backing him in but too often he kicks it short and sideways (often easy option with zero impact). Thats why his DE% is high.

Salo’s metres gained is low in comparison with his number of possessions. V Suns. 22 possessions, 15 kicks, 222 metres gained. Compared with Chandler for example who had 11 possessions, 6 kicks, 234 metres gained. Salo had low impact. He still cracks in at times and we can’t fault his effort.

Salem also is getting exposed with his pace now being an issue. Ainsworth got away from him just by pace alone. His prior injuries and time is slowing him down.

1 hour ago, binman said:

Yes, but the problem with salo now is there's zero hurt factor.

Half back has become a critical position in terms of driving quality transition from the back half and initiating scoring chains.

Key to that is hittiing high risk kicks (eg into the corridor, kicks on the 45, kicks over or thru zones eyc) and salo is even trying them, let alone hitting them.

If he isn't playing that role he then needs to be our quaynor and lock down dangerous small forwards, but that's not his go either.

It's amazing actually that we are transitioning the ball so well given salo is just going, mcvee has struggled to get back to his best form and Windsor is still finding his feet down back (and is not as good a kick as I hoped he would be).

Be really nice to see McVee doing Salem's role and not have to worry about the small dangerous forwards.i reckon we'll see him playing that role but unfortunately it won't be in the blue and red

10 hours ago, Earl Hood said:

Don’t remember what deal he is on but doubt he is tradeable so keep as depth but next year we need something else off halfback, we need players who can break lines and set up forward entries. The stats tell us Salem is cooked.

He should be playing more VFL next year, similar to JB. Just a "depth" player.

Bowey and McVee are the future in our HB.

11 hours ago, waynewussell said:

Salem is currently 4th on the AFL Marks table! He is 5th on MFC's Disposal list and 3rd for Rebound 50's, only a bee's appendage behind Bowey.

And isn't this a good example imo of why stats are essentially rubbish. Yes , he's all of those things.. and yet effectively a non impact player !!

A bit of an enigma as he doesn't put a lot of feet wrong but the speed, dynamism and creativity he once brought to the table is now replaced by beige.

On 02/07/2025 at 01:50, Wrecker45 said:

I was at the practise match where AMW did his knee. It was sickening and happened right in front of me. It wasn't a turn of direction ACL his leg was twisted and it popped. Before that he was probably best on ground. Absolute walk up start for round 1 and Windsor could have perhaps played on a wing where he belongs

I would have been terrible being there and witnessing that in front of you especially seeing him in full flight.

AMW was one i was looking forward to seeing play this year on the back of a fantastic pre season and glowing reports about his form.

😭

Edited July 2Jul 2 by YesitwasaWin4theAges

On 02/07/2025 at 09:02, titan_uranus said:

Last night on SEN Hoyne commented on a few of our players, including Salem. Mentioned that Salem is rated 257th in the league on Champion Data’s rankings (take your grain of salt if you want) and is outside the top 300 over the last six weeks. Then added that he takes the 11th easiest kicks of anyone in the comp. No idea how that’s measured but it’s data which confirms a view I’ve had for a while. He’s just going and we need way more from our half backs than what he actually produces. We get seduced by the concept of him being a good kick but he doesn’t actually impact games with his kicking to the standard we should expect.

I think he should be seriously considered for a spell at Casey.

I’ve never been a big fan but hats off to him in GF.

Mentioned this recently, but it saddens me that some winning streaks over teams were broken this year. North, Hawthorn St Kilda. These were ironically long term losing streaks that we needed to break to develop as a team that was genuinely going forward back around 2017/18.

The last streak that I'm proud of isn't really a long one, but that Rd 10 game at Adelaide oval against the Crows was up there with one of the best I've watched. This game will forever be Clayton Oliver's finest hour for me. I am still absolutely awe shocked every time I think about the game he played that day. His acceleration out of the contest, the ball would always bounce directly up to him he literally had it on a string.

And I just remember being so, so angry about losing this game. I like to think that this one point loss was the catalyst for our side binding together and going on to win the flag but I hated this loss so much that I personally swore that we wouldn't lose to Adelaide again ala Paul Chapman against the Hawks. Ok, in modern day AFL I'd take a 5-7 year stretch of beating them.

Sadly this does not look to be. It would be nice to get a surprise but it's a tall order that would need to be a birthday and Christmas present. I'd rather get the new runners I've been putting off...

3 hours ago, beelzebub said:

And isn't this a good example imo of why stats are essentially rubbish. Yes , he's all of those things.. and yet effectively a non impact player !!

A bit of an enigma as he doesn't put a lot of feet wrong but the speed, dynamism and creativity he once brought to the table is now replaced by beige.

God the 'stats is rubbish' palalver is so boring, not to mention 100% wrong.

Can't be bothered explaining why, or getting into a debate about it as i suspect your mind is made up - suffice to say that AFL clubs employ full time people to provide in game, real time and post-game analysis of the stats and data and have done for probably 20 odd years, and even before that had part time people doing the same.

(i met a fella at the Roos preseason practice match who did that role when Barassi coached the Dees in 1981! He told me Barrass said to him that he was shocked how unprofessional the dees were compared to the Roos, and one example of that lack of professionalism was the absence of real time stats in the box on match day)

15 hours ago, waynewussell said:

Salem is currently 4th on the AFL Marks table! He is 5th on MFC's Disposal list and 3rd for Rebound 50's, only a bee's appendage behind Bowey.

If you are seriously comparing Bowey's current game to Salem's I think that is delusional.

Salem is done and provides nothing for this team

JVR should come in for the rest of the season but not until Goody calls Roos (or someone external with a good eye) and says "ok what would you do with him?".

I think I have said it before no ruck and possibly play him as a mobile CHF but heck what about as a tall midfielder.

We cant continue to yoyo him in and out of the side.

Time to experiment a bit. We can let the players have some fun for the balance of the season.