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He was picked by the team’s coaches as Vic Metro’s best player in the National Championships.

Well the “Goodwin is too conservative at selection” club haven’t had much to bond over lately.

Things change very quickly when you have Clubs passionately selling their story, however, due to a changing family situation for Brodie, the City of Adelaide is very attractive. Right now, I'd have Port Adelaide just in front of Sydney because as I stated, Sydney are working very hard at it. Watch this space on Luke Beveridge.

Tbh... i just want us to go out and do a 'matter of fact, workmanlike' job on Squibney. Just an unfussed professional hit job on them. Walk off the ground with 4pts..and probable 4th and take a breath...refocus. All back to the garage and we changeover the gearbox and put our racing gear on. Time to take it up ... Just get the job done , unscathed and let the others start worrying ( if not already ) . September is different... not all the protagonists have an A+ game for the coming month

His role allows Lever to be Lever and May to be May. The problem though is he is only ok in his direct role. He gives what he has but plays in straight lines and is reactionary so is led to the ball by his player. Turner can play the same role on more players unless they have serious bulk advantage (like Casboult did and like McKay would have). Turner same height, has speed and better natural read but is lighter. Turner has dominated at VFL level pre and post injury not just in stats but impact. In my view for the teams we are likely to play in September I would think Disco gives us more options. Granted it is a risk to bring someone new into the system this late in the year.

Can someone with far better footy knowledge than I explain why Tomlinson keeps getting dropped. We haven't lost a game with the May/Lever/Tomlinson combo since since September 2020 and further to that, we have a 21-4 record since round 17 2020 when Tomlinson plays in the side. Are the above stats an anomaly and he's therefore a complete liability in the side, or is he getting harshly treated at selection? Do I need to get over it and accept that he's a BOG ordinary footballer, not withstanding that he allows Lever to be an intercept king. I note that his replacement for this side got towelled up by Levi Casboult of all people in his one and only appearance this year. Hopefully he makes a better fist of it this weekend.

If he identifies as a Victorian and is accepted by us as a Victorian, then that's good enough, right?

He is slow and has no speed off the mark or any lateral movement left. FD doesn’t like it as it makes him a liability when he can’t outmark his opponent, and is easily exposed by the opposition. I personally really like Tommo and I think he has a role to play and more than likely will still play finals if we meet the likes of Port or Brisbane who have a plethora of tall forwards. I feel really bad for him because he works so hard and tries his guts out when he plays, and we generally look good defensively when he is in the side (as your stats prove). But I guess we have to back the FD in their judgement. And good luck to Turner. He has had a serious baptism of fire in his first 3 games. I think the note on Casboult is unfair. That was a shocking match up in terms of weight/strength. Turner will be better suited to the leaner Sydney talls than Casboult who is just a massive crash and bash forward.

Only one problem with that is that he is West Australian.

Yep, agree. And i think that's what we'll get. At the risk of patting myself on the back too hard the post bye phase of the season has followed the pattern i thought it would: Struggle immediately post bye (the cats) Incrementally look better and start running out games better (GWS, Saints) Very much running out games better and get back to our early season fast flowing, high scoring football (Lions, Crows, tigers, roos) Start reintroducing tempo footy and a greater emphasis on deefence, taking the sped out of the game and limiting oppo scoring (blues, hawks and i think also swans) I thought that would be the pattern, but hoped is probably more accurate as it is dependent on fitness and ability to run out games. And that is an unknown at the post bye stage - having a group of 40 odd players peak in September is a science, but a very inexact one, with a million variables that can mean it never quite comes together. For example, all season, up til the last few weeks, the Pies were lauded by Sanderson as 'the fittest side in the AFL, by some margin'. And maybe they were - pre bye. But it is increasingly evident that, just like us last year, the Pies are really starting to paddle. And the Pies' game plan is more reliant on a super running power and fitness than any other team. We at least had an elite defensive system to fall back on last year. The most pleasing thing for me, and the thing that fills me with most confidence, is, in stark contrast to last year, we are clearly the fittest team of the contenders atm. We are the only team increasing our pressure rating in the last quarter and the only contender regularly winning our final quarters (i think we have lost three last quarters since the bye). The other contenders are all starting to paddle late in games, like we did last year. And this year the contenders will have played an extra home and away game, which makes things that much more taxing. I can see us going into full on deefence mode on Sunday and completely shutting the game down. Come into the game with the goal of keeping them to 50 points. Create density and don't allow the Swans any space to run into - partic players like Goulden and the lizard man (the size of the SCG will help this). Control the tempo and don't allow it the game to become a fast, ball in motion transition game. Make it look like the sort of game plan (the anti pies method) that everyone hated in the first half of 2022 - suffocate the oppo. And using that method i think we will not only win, it provides the opportunity to use the bench to manage players loads and try and engineer a game that isn't the brutal tackle fest the Swans will want to turn it into (for example by doing what we did late in the 3rd and 4th quarter against the hawks - chip it around and have lots of kick marks). Of our key rivals only Port is likely to have bruise free, low intensity game. The tigers have put the cue in the rack so we can expect bugger all defensive intensity. Or any intensity. No tiger player wants to cop an injury that might ruin their prep for next season. But surely the bombers will want to show something after last weeks embarrassment. It is the very definition of their grand final. At the very least i hope they physically smash the Pies. The saints will go super hard against the Lions, and i actually give them some sort of chance of winning with their strong defensive system. And no matter what happens in the Dogs v cats game, the Giants will look to physically smash the Blues (a team they may well face in week one of the finals).

I don't think we have celebrated the Cats' missing finals enough! "We are the Danger" - said their coach, only a few weeks ago. Just glorious I tell ya' @Jaded No More

It was a bit harder for Max given he wasn't playing.

I can't agree with this. Professional sport is littered with examples where up and coming contenders are worried about playing individuals and teams that are the real deal and have the record to back it up. This is true of both individual sports and team sports. There are a million examples in individual sports - every Olympic games is littered with them Tennis provides perhaps the best example. Of course Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have dominated the grand slam events world tennis for 15 years because they are just so good. But the aura they carry is widely acknowledged as a massive advantage they bring into every slam. Same is true of Tiger Woods and more recently Scottie Scheffler. There are even more examples in teams sport of teams being overawed by, or too worried, about opponents. The most famous is arguably the Laker's inability to take the Celtic's crown for nearly a decade. We definitely have an advantage coming into this finals series in that space. A massive advantage. We have the collective memory of 2018 to draw on, in addition to the 2021 flag. And last year's disappointment is fuel not an anchor (becuase we know we have what it takes to win a flag). Port have the ghosts of their previous failures in finals as do the Lions. And the Pies have to deal with last failure in finals AND the crushing expectation that has been heaped on their shoulders since last year. They come into the finals knowing that ONLY a grand final will will be considered a success. Which is ridiculous, but there it is. If the Pies face us week one, they will know they are coming up against a team that has been to the top of the mountain and has been building towards a second flag under Goody since 2017. The Pies have no collective memory of success , having lost two of three finals, with their only final win last year a low pressure fizzer against a team that had ran out of gas (i'm making a distinction between the Pies team that lost the flag in 2018 and this team becuase they are for all intents and purposes they are diff teams - diff coach, diff method and big turnover in players). Of course they will make all the right noises - anyone, anytime blah blah blah - but there is no way that sub consciously the Pies players won't be worried about facing us. Ask any Pies fan who they would least prefer to play week one of the finals. The answer will be the dees. The Pies players would never say that publicly, but that's what they will be thinking.

The Dees need Tomlinson in as he is getting quite adept in the backline and assists in the release of interceptors such as Lever and Salem - the former in the air/packs and the latter off the ground/around the packs.

I hope Essendon back Dodoro and keep him in for decades to come.

If Tippa can run thru De Goey and leave a hero, that’ll be great.

Unlike Picket to overreact.

But surprised Tmac not tried before the finals…

How [censored] would you be if you supported GWS? If the AFL had any integrity it wouldn't allow off season surgeries before the end of season. The Cats would normally always beat the Dogs at home but now the dogs look odds on So the Giants go from finals certainties to needing to beat the form team of the comp just because the Cats won't play out the last game like professionals and pick their strongest team imagine if the shoe was on the other foot. Scott would be losing it

None? Are you serious? 70% of the premiership team played in front of consecutive sold out finals at the g and in a losing preliminary (at optus oval, where they won the prelim and flag in 2021) in 2018.

This could be on the banner (with the grand final banner having the bar complety full and instead of loading - loaded):

I'm telling you right now, our system is in better place then it was last year to the point where I truly believe we'll play off in this year's grand final. Bookmark this if you have too.

Well, it is true to say we have never been in the same room together

The karma bus hit the AFL. Stopped, and backed back over the AFL. The AFL would have had their final round drama if the Keays goal had been awarded. And the reason it wasn't awarded is they've had 14 years to get the goal review system, brought in to prevent exactly such howlers, right. And have still not got it right.

if i’m Stringer or Draper or Wright, there is no way i’m not playing in this game. how soft are they? their fans rock up but they are injured? [censored] off. show some respect.

Josh Daicos’ nickname is blister, pops up when the hard works done.

IN : The Apprenticeship... ! (Fritta & Turner)

I believe we've been told that Liam Henry would like to nominate Hawthorn as his next home.

He's not among the four emergencies, of whom one will be the sub.

Bold move at this stage of the season, but I like it.

I am not going to question the powers of the Demon Army! Maybe (definitely) I’m biased, but there’s a particular energy behind the goals these days that we haven’t seen the likes of for a long time, and I’m certain it plays heavily into exactly what you’re talking about. Keep doing what you’re doing!

Because we are the only side in the 8 that has won a flag this decade

As a coach … maybe. You certainly wouldn’t employ him as club dietitian!

GCS total 2023 draft pool is hovering around the 4500 points mark. Rumour has it that at least 2 of the 3 academy players will be top 10 and given the expected order of those, will need at least 3500 for the two expected to go early. The question will be how much contingency are they going to need or are they prepared to go into deficit next year. Agree as you put it that Pick 4 is of value but cashing it in for points is really a waste. Put in an enticing offer in front of them and i cant see why they wouldn't trade. If a F1 was part of the deal, then id hold onto Pick 15 and give them what ever else we have in the treasure trove, which would include 2nd and 3rd rounders hopefully for Tommo, Harmes. On a side note: if Grundy does goto Sydney i would try this potential trade: Grundy + Pick 15 for Sydney's Pick 9 and 28, which has a points value similar to end of first round 1, which is about right i think. So then for GCS Pick 4, you'd give them F1, 23(MFC),28 (Syd), 36(MFC) + one of Tommo/Harmes (~300). Its approx an extra 200-300 points to GCS in 2023 draft plus a F1. Its a huge huge benefit to GCS and probably unbalanced so we may ask for a F2 to come back our way. We could then have 4,5,9 in 2023.

Is the DA trolling Demonland, and every team in the comp, and going to run with a huge banner that reads… ’Loading.’

I don’t agree with the assessment that May has lost a noticeable amount of mobility in recent weeks. If anything, he looks the best he’s looked all year. I think it was Montagna the other day that mentioned Lever and May are rated 1 and 2 for defenders the last 6 weeks.

Ha! I think the only thing the players are genuinely afraid of is the score review system.

I'm not sure this is good one for him as the Tiges are heading backwards. ..but if any role comes up I guess you have to take it.

the swans fans i know are, mostly, old school 'bloods' who stuck with their team after they headed north their hardcore fans are as passionate about footy as we are

GNF that is very sad news you have passed on about your health. I wish you and I am sure the whole of DL also joins me in wishing you all the best. I hope you receive more joy from the Dees and that you are with us for much longer than you or your Doctors think. I have enjoyed your posts and rumours of course don’t always come true. I have always looked forward to reading footy rumours and taken them with a grain of salt. All the best mate, thinking of you.

Hardtack sorry to hear about your health situation and wish you all the best and as with GNF and presumably others not travelling well atm, I hope the Dees can win it for all of us and especially, give you some pleasure.

I think it has to be said that no one in the top 8 has won a flag other than Melbourne They would all be worried about meeting Melbourne in the finals. Particularly at the MCG We have an aura that others don't have (well, maybe the Pies at their best)

What's the crisis?

Hmmmm tough decision coming up maybe. Do you either: A) Be honest and tell your eldest that he made a poor decision in life and needs to learn a lesson in consequences. Or B) Do you lie and tell him if the Lions and Dees make the grand final in 2024, that you'll take him then. Very, very tough decision.

Where has this Oscar Allen fantasy come from?

Don’t mean to cause any unnecessary concern but Steven May just posted a photo on social of him currently dining at a steak restaurant with a teammate 😬

Good luck to Ooze if he does get the job. Was an important part of our 2021 premiership

Don't forget the interchange debacle against North. Sydney, Geelong and Port are AFL's love children.