Can we not call Fritsch a ‘tall’, @adonski?

An angel dies everytime someone says that aloud.

He may play ‘taller’ defensively because he is lazy, doesn’t chase, et al. But you cannot kick it to him like a tall so he ain’t.

I think Gawn should begin to play with an understudy, especially with other forwards injured making JVR someone we should be keeping in the forward line as much as we can.

Heath should play.

6 minutes ago, rpfc said:

Can we not call Fritsch a ‘tall’, @adonski?

An angel dies everytime someone says that aloud.

He may play ‘taller’ defensively because he is lazy, doesn’t chase, et al. But you cannot kick it to him like a tall so he ain’t.

I think Gawn should begin to play with an understudy, especially with other forwards injured making JVR someone we should be keeping in the forward line as much as we can.

Heath should play.

Fritsch is more a USA size medium

The Saints will be very bullish on winning this because they beat us twice last year, but the fact is we had our foot on their throat at their home ground late last year before we completely took our foot off the gas.

I'm not sure TDK will make them that much better, no Max King still and they don't play the MCG very well. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pies knock them off in OR even with a depleted team.

Saints have already broken their membership record due to all the NWM 3 game auto-renewals which is crazy but credit to their club for taking advantage of it and something we should do too.

Fritch, JVR, Mihocek is plenty tall enough. Langford can pinch hit. Culley and Steele offer good options as well. We will likely have one key position player for depth on the bench out of 5.

Definately no two rucks. We had a season trying it and it failed with TWO ALL AUSTRALIANS.

Jackson was a different player.

25 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

I'm not sure TDK will make them that much better ...

Sure - but Flanders, Ryan and Silvagni will. In the practice matches Ryan in particular looked handy, especially in partnership with NWM.

Against that they've lost Steele, though for them he was surplus to requirements.

On 28/02/2026 at 22:00, picket fence said:

WHAT ???? JVR hit his straps yesterday as a key forward, the LAST thing you want to do is sacrifice him in the ruck🤯 NAR, MOOSE TIME! Must be selected in the team. DO IT !

Culley will be used as a second Ruck around the ground, should he play.

11 minutes ago, Trident22 said:

Culley will be used as a second Ruck around the ground, should he play.

Culley will not be used as a second ruck. Heath shouldn't play if McDonald is playing as well too tall. I think Culley will have to play a VFL match before he is considered. The second ruck will be McDonald.

B: Lever, Petty, Salem

HB: Jiath, Turner, Lindsay

C: Langford, Steele, Langdon

HF: Chandler, van Rooyen, K.Pickett

F: Fritsch, Miocek, L.Pickett

FOLL: Gawn, Rivers, Windsor

IC: Sparrow, Howes, Tholstrup, Laurie, McDonald

EMERG: Culley, Sharp, Heath

Edited Wednesday at 11:282 days by WERRIDEE

43 minutes ago, WERRIDEE said:

Culley will not be used as a second ruck. Heath shouldn't play if McDonald is playing as well too tall. I think Culley will have to play a VFL match before he is considered. The second ruck will be McDonald.

B: Lever, Petty, Salem

HB: Jiath, Turner, Lindsay

C: Langford, Steele, Langdon

HF: Chandler, van Rooyen, K.Pickett

F: Fritsch, Miocek, L.Pickett

FOLL: Gawn, Rivers, Windsor

IC: Sparrow, Howes, Tholstrup, Laurie, McDonald

EMERG: Culley, Sharp, Heath

Having spoken to King in the pre-season, Culley is certainly a live ruck option. They are still figuring out how the new ruck rules will impact the game, and it will be a week by week proposition, depending on the opposition setups

2 hours ago, CHF said:

This is a tough one to feel comfortable about any prediction. Saints will have a game under their belt and I feel that is a distinct advantage. Plus, it is difficult to know how we will perform after a 'different' pre-season, a lot of changes and only a game and a half of warmup games.

At this time this is how I would have them line up for the first throw-up (That really just sounds wrong). Kossie, Steele and Windsor at Max's tap. Possibly swap out Windsor for Rivers depending on how offensive you want to be. Beside Rivers we would have Langford, Lindsay, Sparrow, Laurie, Langdon and L Pickett to rotate through the middle TMac covers Key positions back, forwards and in Ruck. Tactically we might go with Heath to counter Saints going with two rucks. The warmup games across the league did show faster ball movement from the center throwups compared to previous seasons.

FB: Howes Petty Lever

HB: Rivers Turner Salem

C: Langdon Steele Lindsay

HF: Chandler Mihocek Langford

FF: L. Pickett JVR Fritsch

Foll: Gawn K Pickett Windsor

Int: CJ, Sparrow, Tmac, Laurie, L Pickett

We have a lot of flexibility in the team with players able to cover two or three positions.

Will give the saints a watch this week end to see how they go and then maybe adjust this team.

I can’t see Laurie getting a game. But if he does, good luck to him. He’ll need it.

4 hours ago, adonski said:

FB: CJ Lever Petty
HB: Lindsay Disco Salem
C: Langdon Steele Langford
HF: L. Pickett JVR K. Pickett
FF: Fritsch Miohcek Chandler
R: Gawn Windsor Rivers
INT: Howes Sparrow Culley Melksham Kolt

Sounds like Culley is a good chance to be fit for round one

Feels like the last two spots are very much up in the air, I'd like to see Melksham for the experience + additional marking target in the absence of Jeffo + Kentfield

Feel like Kolt gets a gig a lineball decision with any others, based off first round pick aura

Culley to play

2 hours ago, At the break of Gawn said:

The Saints will be very bullish on winning this because they beat us twice last year, but the fact is we had our foot on their throat at their home ground late last year before we completely took our foot off the gas.

I'm not sure TDK will make them that much better, no Max King still and they don't play the MCG very well. I wouldn't be surprised if the Pies knock them off in OR even with a depleted team.

Saints have already broken their membership record due to all the NWM 3 game auto-renewals which is crazy but credit to their club for taking advantage of it and something we should do too.

DId I hear 15,000 extras from NWM. Can we do that with Latrelle😁

6 hours ago, Trident22 said:

Culley will be used as a second Ruck around the ground, should he play.

Culley?? Huge mistake? Plenty of clubs will use 2 Bona Fide Ruckmen per game this year and if we dont we will get spanked, mark my words. If Max doesn't like it.. too bad! Moose time looming. Jumped all over Norf and got dropped ????? Kings first mistake!

Not sure where Culley or Melksham are at with their likely availability for round 1. But prediction mode for round 1

Round 1

Lever. Petty. Jiath.

Salem. Turner.  Howes.

Langdon.  Steele.  Windsor

Langford. JVR.  Chandler

Fritsch. Mihocek. Latrelle Pickett

Gawn. Rivers. Kozzzy Pickett

Int.  Heath Sparrow Lindsay Culley* Throlstrup

Emerg. Laurie Melksham* Tmcd

Midfield rotations of Kozzy, Steele, Riv, Langford, Lindsay, Sparrow & Culley (if fit & available)

Like to see Max Heath debut for us v Saints too

Depth.  Sharp Adams Cross Berry Xtaylor Onley Matthews Mentha

Unavailable.  #Bowey #Viney Kentfield Henderson AMW JEFFO AJ  Campbell White Mcadam (really only Bowey & JV7 would be best 23, although Luker would have been close to a debut before his injury)

Edited Wednesday at 19:172 days by spirit of norm smith
V

Is there going to be an intra club game this weekend?

5 hours ago, picket fence said:

Culley?? Huge mistake? Plenty of clubs will use 2 Bona Fide Ruckmen per game this year and if we dont we will get spanked, mark my words. If Max doesn't like it.. too bad! Moose time looming. Jumped all over Norf and got dropped ????? Kings first mistake!

I believe Heath was demoted into the two's last week was so he could have 80% on ground game time, if they had played Moose last week in Ballarat, he would have only played 30% game time, even less with the shortened game.

Who do we think plays the lockdown small role?

I’d prefer Lindsay to play a bit more freely and I don’t think CJ or Salem are particularly suited, though happy to be corrected.

6 hours ago, picket fence said:

Culley?? Huge mistake? Plenty of clubs will use 2 Bona Fide Ruckmen per game this year and if we dont we will get spanked, mark my words. If Max doesn't like it.. too bad! Moose time looming. Jumped all over Norf and got dropped ????? Kings first mistake!

Can you actually just stop, the continual bagging of Chandler is embarrassing he’s shown plenty at the top level over a sustained period. Your analysis of the ruck position in the game with the changes to the game is way off.

Especially last touch and no waiting for rucks to nominate will mean virtually no side will go with 2 rucks unless they can play a second position effectively which Max Gawn can’t , he’s an elite ruckman who along with Dean Cox is the greatest of the modern era, “Too bad if he doesn’t like it” you can’t be serious on this comment Heath will have to wait his turn and he will be fully aware of this with his omission last week, not to mention our style of play doesn’t fit in with 2 rucks.

He’s not getting a gig in the forward line ahead of Miochek, JVR, Fritsch or a fit Kentfield and Jeffo. We ain’t going taller then that.

Plenty of clubs - who exactly will play 2 rucks, St Kilda have Marshall and TDK who can play multiple roles effectively with Marshall a capable fwd and TDK able to play key back or forward. They will share the duties and let’s not forget how Adelaide, Essendon, Port, Dogs, Sydney, GWS, North, Brisbane, Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond and Hawthorn will all only play 1 ruck with another pinch hitting tall. West Coast and Geelong barely have a proper ruck and with the speed into the game Matt Flynn is going to be found very much out this year. Then there’s Freo who will go with Cox as the main ruck option and use Jackson in the midfield as they have done all pre season

And wasn’t King getting rid of Clarrie his first mistake, or did you forget your tantrum over that.

Heath like Gawn behind the Russian, Cox behind Gardiner, Cameron behind Grundy, Nankervis behind Maric, O”BRIEN behind Jacobs will just have to wait

Edited Thursday at 02:242 days by Pennant St Dee

13 hours ago, Trident22 said:

Having spoken to King in the pre-season, Culley is certainly a live ruck option. They are still figuring out how the new ruck rules will impact the game, and it will be a week by week proposition, depending on the opposition setups

I’m not sure we’ll see it week to week, and just coming back from a broken arm against a team with 2 genuine rucks is probably not the week to do it too much.

But Culley as second ruck is entirely in line with the Geelong/Bulldogs use of the likes of Blicavs and Dunkley. It’s totally logical.

Gaining an extra midfielder around the ground is a huge benefit in transition, and the key talls at either end can take the inside 50 stoppages.

1 hour ago, Mako4 said:

Who do we think plays the lockdown small role?

I’d prefer Lindsay to play a bit more freely and I don’t think CJ or Salem are particularly suited, though happy to be corrected.

80% Howes.

20% they go with the line up they tried in the first half vs North/second half against Richmond where Howes moves to the wing, Kolt moves to half back.

Either way expect us to be zone heavy and fairly open at the back. The idea is that any/all of Howes/Kolt, CJ, Petty, Lever, Turner can latch on to a small/medium and intercept or beat them.

3 hours ago, Pennant St Dee said:

virtually no side will go with 2 rucks

Wrong.

Round 0 confirmed rucks (so far):
Carlton - Pittonet, Reidy
Brisbane - Fort, Zakostelsky
Swans - Grundy only at this stage (Ladhams and McLean are the first 2 emergencies)

A 2nd mobile ruck could be the way to go. Gawn has to suck it up and stop sooking

15 minutes ago, dice said:

Wrong.

Round 0 confirmed rucks (so far):
Carlton - Pittonet, Reidy
Brisbane - Fort, Zakostelsky
Swans - Grundy only at this stage (Ladhams and McLean are the first 2 emergencies)

A 2nd mobile ruck could be the way to go. Gawn has to suck it up and stop sooking

Yes correct I iterated this in a previous post. We imploded with Grundy coz Max couldn't or wouldn't make it work! We would have won in 2023 if Grundy played rather than dud Josh Schache. If we get this two Ruck setup right we will have an astonishingly good year. MAX and Moose or Max and T.Mac is a possible setup that will make other teams think hard at selection.This is Kings first (of many) litmus tests

Edited Thursday at 05:132 days by picket fence

46 minutes ago, picket fence said:

... or Max and T.Mac is a possible setup that will make other teams think hard at selection.This is Kings first (of many) litmus tests

IMO the new centre 'bounce' ruck rule will rule TMac out of this contest. He can't jump.

Conversely, Jai has a great leap.

1 hour ago, dice said:

Wrong.

Round 0 confirmed rucks (so far):
Carlton - Pittonet, Reidy
Brisbane - Fort, Zakostelsky
Swans - Grundy only at this stage (Ladhams and McLean are the first 2 emergencies)

A 2nd mobile ruck could be the way to go. Gawn has to suck it up and stop sooking

Zakostelsky is not a ruck, played there at WAFL Colts level but not big enough to play the role permanently at AFL Level, well known amongst recruiters he will pinch it to give Fort a rest,

Brisbane are using him as a pinch hitter and have been converting him to a key defender long term, great athlete same as Cody Curtin

Maclean again a pinch hitter who is a forward

With Gawn as #1 we will use a second mobile tall to pinch hit

Edited Thursday at 06:382 days by Pennant St Dee

1 hour ago, picket fence said:

Yes correct I iterated this in a previous post. We imploded with Grundy coz Max couldn't or wouldn't make it work! We would have won in 2023 if Grundy played rather than dud Josh Schache. If we get this two Ruck setup right we will have an astonishingly good year. MAX and Moose or Max and T.Mac is a possible setup that will make other teams think hard at selection.This is Kings first (of many) litmus tests

Picket, have you ever considered coaching at an AFL club? I think you’ve got one of the best minds for modern footy I’ve seen on this site

59 minutes ago, M_9 said:

IMO the new centre 'bounce' ruck rule will rule TMac out of this contest. He can't jump.

Conversely, Jai has a great leap.

No...! Jai Culley in the ruck is a "Highway to Hell"