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I'm pretty certain he wants to stay, but I'm also certain that our salary cap will be getting tight. I'll quote a Dees poster from BF (billyboutsis): ''His current contract is approx 625k a season which was renewed when he was having a breakout season in 2018… Was great for us when it counted last season but its a lot of cap space for a player playing out of his natural position. Langdon is on a bit less than 500k for context. Happy for him to stay if they can resign him in the mid 500’s, otherwise emotions aside he is the one player who would be of value to another club, “replaceable” and frees up space to hold onto the younger regular first teamers who would be due a considerable bump up in their 1st or 2nd contract renewals.'' Billy's views perfectly sum up mine. I don't know how accurate his comments are, but they sound about right. I like Angus and understand the ''fabric of the club'' argument, but he's definitely a player I don't want to be paying too much to retain.

Gus doesn't seem the type to be motivated by money and doubt he would be looking for a FA type windfall. He would know he won't get what he is worth at the Dees but will most likely have a minimum $/term/incentives he would sign for. On the other hand, as much loved and as courageous as he is, the club may feel he is the easiest on-baller to replace with the range of players waiting in the wings. His 15 minutes in the 3rd quarter helped turn the tide in the GF. A cameo? Maybe. But the spoil then mark and goal were inspirational. He gave us the lead and team belief went up. His defensive wing role limits him showcasing and using his talent. Is it satisfying enough for hm? Does he want to be a role player for another 5-7 years... A different (midfield and perhaps a leadership team) role might be enough to entice him away. Would understand if he left. Hope he stays.

How valuable was Salem in that first quarter?

Angus has another quality 6+ years in him. I honestly think his best footy is ahead of him. He is so smart and brave. Can play in multiple positions. I don’t think he is irreplaceable but we should everything we can to keep him. He is a core team member and so important to our culture

There's always been talk about a move West, but after what he said post GF (It's your club, it's our club), I'd got the feeling he was MFC for life. And despite some (perceived) initial disgruntlement with being moved out of the guts, he's really seemed to relish the wing role and his place in the Winger's Club. Not sure why else he's deferred contract talks, but I'd be surprised if he's on the move.

2021 Grand Final Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs Final Quarter 19.35 Sparrow → Brown (Front Position - Left FP) ... Mark → Goal! 13.11 18.46 Spargo → Fritsch (In the clear - Left HFF) ... Mark → Goal! 14.11 17.55 Petracca → Running shot from CHF, outside 50 ... Point 14.12 17.38 Salem → Jackson (Front Position - Left HFF) ... ball spilled free Bulldogs clear 15.14 Langdon → ANB (Front Position, in the clear CHF) ... Mark → Goal! 15.12 14.26 Oliver → (CHF Scramble) ... Bulldogs clear 13.04 Fritsch → Langdon (Front Position - Left HFF) ... Mark → Goal 16.12 11.13 ANB → Fritsch (Front Position - Left HFF) ... Mark → Point 16.13 08.40 Oliver → Into Space (FF Area) ... Bulldogs clear 08.11 Petracca → TMac (Front Position CHF) ... Mark → Goal 07.05 Petracca → Brayshaw (Left HFF) ... Runs inside 50 → OOF 06.16 Bowey → Jackson (Front Position - CHF) ... Scramble → ANB → Jackson → Salem → Goal! 18.13 05.43 Sparrow → Jackson (Front Position - CHF) ... Mark → Goal! 19.13 04.48 Gawn → Runs inside 50 → Rushed behind 19.14 03.05 Brayshaw → Fritsch (Front Position - Left HFF) ... Mark → Goal! 20.13 02.12 Gawn → Handpass inside 50 ... Bulldogs clear 00.47 Gawn → Bulldogs Mark (HFF) then cleared 00.26 Oliver → Handpass → ANB → TMac (Front Position - CHF) ... Mark → Goal! 21.14 (Bulldogs 10.6) Premiers!

As much as I love Gussy, if he squeezes us too hard we have to let him go, Oliver and Jackson are priority. Defensive wingman we can replace, once in a generation midfielder/ruck we cannot.

Angus loves and the club and wants to stay. However he is 26yo and this is his last big contract negotiation. I think he wants a long term deal and he may have been offer for eg 3 years at 500k. I reckon he backs himself to have his best year yet and let his football do the talking so he can bank a long term deal him leaving would be a major blow to our team and culture.

Training yesterday. He has never been fitter. Will have his best season this year.

Not be pedantic scramble should be replaced by Pickett tackle on weightman dislodges ball to Bowey apologies but neutrals slagging off on Picketts game based purely on stats haven't watched the replay 50 times like others and noticed his 3 defensive actions that led to goals. … rant over

Sometimes I read a post and forget about trolls. Anyone that has watched football and seen Flower play understands his standing in the game. You are no doubt trolling or a fool.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a mutual parting at the end of the year if Gus plays another year on the wing. (And I hope he doesn’t play inside as that would likely mean that Trac or Clarry are missing games) He’ll point out (and sell to other clubs) that he plays his best footy inside the centre square as evidenced by a 37 possession 3 goal game against Adelaide in 2018, or the clinic he and Gawn put on in a devastating third quarter against the Dogs later that year. We need to save our money for generational game changing players such as Oliver and Jackson who are out of contract soon, not spend the farm on solid role players such as the one Brayshaw has come. We can’t keep all our premiership heroes.

Full Interview

Let’s hope he is just waiting for the new CBA. Some people like to criticise his disposal but I think they are just displaying their confirmation bias… or maybe I am when I see him turn onto either foot and get the ball forward to advantage. To me he is a heart and soul, team man. Of course everyone is replaceable, but I would hate to lose him.

next cba should be negotiated shortly which will see a fair few players wait and see what their value is in market as contracts straddle the current agreement and then the next one he's a restricted free agent so it's hard to see us losing him for diddly squat if he does choose to leave

Played one heck of a grand final but let’s be honest he’s a role player with strengths and significant weaknesses. We can’t be paying the top market rate for him. Doesn’t mean he won’t stay but it makes sense for both sides to get a look at what’s on offer from other clubs before committing.

Yeah he is, and to be fair the article doesn't say he's put it off until end of season, so could very well be trying to maximize his offer and in particular his contract length given the concussion history.

What better way to start a thread like this than with the Grand Final victory! The detail is from a replay source of course as it's near impossible to do this sort of thing live Hoping to be able to do this on a semi-regular basis but time constraints will mean that others would need to help out. Or, I'll just post up a summary whenever possible. Much will depend on the need (or relevance) But be warned, this exercise takes a bit of time if you want to try your hand! Complete accuracy is difficult as well because some of the descriptions are opinions. Happy to be corrected! If anything, the detail is a bit of a companion piece when watching replays Anyway, here goes (just the 1st quarter for now, the other 3 quarters to follow) And we were certainly switched on in the 1st quarter ... should have been further in front, given our opportunities 2021 Grand Final Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs 1st Quarter 18.08 Petracca → Brown (Front Position - Left HFF) ... No mark, ball spilled free then cleared - OOF → ANB - Set Shot→ rushed behind 0.1 16.43 Oliver → Brown (Made Position - Left HFF) ... Mark - Set Shot → Point 0.2 15.22 Rivers → Brown (Front Position - Left FP) ... No Mark, ball spilled free then cleared 15.06 Salem → Petracca (Made Position - Left HFF) ... Mark, then played on → Goal! 1.2 13.41 Sparrow → Fritsch (Made Position - Goal Square) ... Mark - Set Shot → Goal! 2.2 11.51 Petracca → Fritsch (Made Position - Goal Square) ... No mark - Questionable free kick not awarded (Fritsch) - cleared (delib OOB) 11.34 Salem → Gawn (Front Position - Left HFF) ... No Mark, ball spilled free then cleared 11.13 Rivers → Petracca (Front Position - CHF) ... No Mark, ball spilled free then cleared 11.02 Salem → Gawn (Made Position - Left HFF) ... Mark - Set Shot → Point 2.3 08.21 Langdon → Fritsch (Front Position (2nd in line) - FF Area) ... No Mark, ball spilled free then cleared 07.21 Gawn → Into Space (Right FP) ... Bulldogs pressed (Kozzie) → Jackson → Spargo → Goal! 3.3 06.59 Harmes → Gawn (Front Position - CHF Half-Volley) ... Ball spilled free then cleared 05.54 Kozzie → Hand Pass smothered (CHF) ... Ball spilled free then cleared 05.41 Harmes → Fritsch (Made Position FF Area) ... Kick fell short - Bulldog dropped mark - Fritsch gains possession → Goal! 4.3 04.57 Salem → TMac (Front Position - Left FP) ... No Mark, ball spilled free then cleared 04.31 Salem → Petracca (Front Position - Left FP) ... No mark, ball spilled free cleared but - OOB → Petracca → Right FB - OOB - Ball cleared 03.59 Lever → Brown (Front Position - Left FP) ... No Mark, ball spilled free then cleared 03.19 Petracca → TMac (Front Position - FP) ... Ball spilled free → Brown → Snapped Point 4.4 01.28 Petracca → Langdon (Front Position - Right FP) ... No Mark - ball spilled free → Langdon Snapped Point 4.5

Good point, Satan! (that's the first time I've ever said that ... I think?) I knew I'd miss a few bits and pieces due to not wanting to spend too much time putting it all together For instance, when a player made space for himself in the forward line, I was assuming that the player had created separation from his opponent and thus was playing in front (sort of) We know he can't have just bobbed up by accident ... he's worked hard to get to that position But I just used the GF as a trial run to see how long it would take! And it took a while! Too long if I'm being honest! My motive is/was the season proper and round 1 but I quite literally need about 4 to 6 hours to do it (per game) So, we'll see The alternative is to jot down a few notes and give a quick overview (player entry highlights and target numbers etc) ... but again, that's not the full story (as you've highlighted with the pressure that Kozzie exhibited that led to the 3 goals scored) Or, we're stuck with just the total inside 50 count and how many goals & points we scored ... which doesn't tell us a great deal

2021 Grand Final Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs 3rd Quarter 19.58 Gawn → Kozzie (Caught Behind - CHF) ... ball spilled free → Fritsch → Snapped Point (Poster) 5.10 18.00 Petracca → Kozzie (Caught Behind - Right HFF) ... Bulldog mark then cleared 13.04 ANB → Scrambled Forward - Bulldogs clear ball out Not long after Bontempelli puts them 19 points in front! Concerned? ... read on 10.47 Brayshaw → Brown (Caught Behind - Left FP) ... Bulldogs Mark then cleared 09.22 Harmes → Fritsch (Front Position - Right FP) ... Mark → Goal! 6.10 08.36 Petracca → Gawn (Front Position - FF Area) ... spilled free → Fritsch (out the back) ... snapped Goal! 7.10 08.21 Petracca → Brown (Caught Behind - Right FP) ... slight legal nudge - Mark! → Goal! 8.10 05.40 Brayshaw → Into Space (Left FP) ... OOB 05.09 Brayshaw → Petracca (Loose ball get - Left HFF) ... Scramble → Bowie → Brayshaw (LEFT HFF) ... Mark → Goal! 9.10 03.28 Sparrow → Gawn (Front Position - FF Area) ... Rushed Behind 9.11 00.58 Brown → Pack (Left HFF) ... Petracca (out the back) (Kozzie Block) → GOAL!!! (of the season) 10.11 00.39 Sparrow → Goal! (From outside 50) ... shepherded through by TMac 11.11 00.24 Jackson → (Handpass) Oliver (CHF) ... kicks from 45 → Goal! 12.11 (Bulldogs 9.5) Bang Bang Bang!

There's probably an awareness that Jackson and Oliver are priorities Perhaps it's a question of what remains after that? I'd be staggered if there was no collateral from our success. And how long are players like Laurie and Rosman going to wait in the wings for?

Flower just seems so over rated. Yes he was a great player but time and then his death has people over rating him. He was good but he played in a [censored] team so stood out . He’d have no chance today

I'm a bit more optimistic. I can envisage that if Gus is looking for X of $/term/role the club says ok, shows us this, this and this. TMac and ANB were in a similar 'show us this, this and this' situation last year and the club extend their contracts by several years.

Maybe he is waiting to get another flag under his belt and he will then have a stronger bargaining position. Plus the TPP may be increased and there will be more to spread round. The only player I could see him displacing in the midfield is Harmes, if he wants more midfield time.

And yet…..still just ice.

I'm with you 100% Nearly choked up again myself watching Sparrow kick his today thinking how I felt at the time. The boys were goin' for it in the Premiership qtr before my very eyes. Totally lost my mind when Oliver slammed his 20seconds later.

Thanks Phenomenal work ….. still trying to think what to do with the info though.

ask me at the end of year, but i'd be looking at players who've been around 3-4 or more seasons and little to no chance of a permanent place in the 22 i only propose this if after all the normal shenanigans we are short $100k - $200k and look like losing out. we don't need a full complement of 44 on the list especially when we are now batting quite deep.

Yeah, Nah, he had his chance.

Not interested in bringing heaps more youth. Our window is wide open for multiple flags, we need to recruit for the now.

I'm having a holiday down at Ocean Grove at the moment and I've been walking heaps in the morning (13.5ks today) so when I get home, completely knackered I watch one of the finals. Yesterday it was the Brisbane game the day before the Cats game and the day before that the Granny. Today, some random game during the year, maybe Essendon. Watching the Cats game I just can't understand how the Saints let Stanley go. The guy down here who owns the pie shop is a dees supporter

After all 4 quarters are covered it will be interesting to see the patterns that will have emerged For instance, it will come as no surprise that Petracca was involved in 19 Inside 50 forays ... either as the players releasing the ball into the forward 50 or as the target Fritsch was targeted about 10 times for 6 goals and should have had another in the first couple of minutes of the game Brown was another target (9 t,imes) and on 8 of those 9 occasions he worked his was to the front position ... a proper forward And there are other standouts such as what was noted by Cyclops above ... Salem 6 forward entries in the first quarter and a bit

Hope he stays. His work on the Wing is so important. he starves his opponent stops their supply Like Viney, not noticed as much as Tracc or Clarry, but just as important stick around Gus

Time for some Flower highlights I say. What a Legend.

This membership table comes from the HS on 19 Feb. West Coast had the most members last year and are probably on top at this point. We are having our best year ever and are 9th. A bit of a reality check about the relative strengths of the Clubs and where we sit. Richmond 84,948 Collingwood 70,000 Carlton 67,928 Essendon 60,678 Hawthorn 60,100 Port Adelaide 52,164 Geelong 49,055 St Kilda 43,500 Melbourne 43,000 Adelaide 40,000 + Fremantle 40,000 Western Bulldogs 38,824 North Melbourne 38,756 Sydney Swans 35,722 Brisbane Lions 29,318 GWS Giants 25,094 Gold Coast 8,721

2021 Grand Final Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs 2nd Quarter 19.10 Salem → Jackson (Front Position - Right HFF) ... Mark → Pack (FF Area, GS) → scramble → Oliver → Snapped Point 4.6 17.56 Viney → Space (Left FP) ... ball cleared 15.51 Jackson → Brown (Front Position FF Area) → Mark → Goal! 5.6 15.02 Petracca → Brown (Front Position - FF Area) ... ball spilled free then cleared 14.38 Petracca → TMac (Pack - FF Area) ...ball spilled free then cleared 14.00 Brayshaw → TMac (Caught Behind - Right HFF) ... Bulldogs mark then cleared 13.37 Harmes → Gawn ( Front Position - Right HFF) ... Mark - Set Shot → Point (Goal?) 5.7 11.14 Langdon → Brown (Front Position - Left FP) ... Scramble - Bulldogs free kick (?) ... ball cleared 08.30 Viney → Petracca (Front Position - Left HFF) ... Scramble - ball cleared 07.52 Gawn → Jackson (Caught Behind - FF Area) ... Stoppage - ball cleared 07.28 Bowey → Petracca (Front Position - Left HFF) ... Stoppage - ball cleared 06.15 Brayshaw → Jackson (Caught Behind - Right HFF) ... ball cleared → OOB ... Jackson tap → Spargo → Snapped Point 5.8 05.45 ANB (loose ball get - 50m arc) → Run on Point 5.9 04.31 Kozzie → Fritsch (Front Position - Half-Volley - Left HFF) ... Turnover - ball cleared

A few days before Trac was wearing this in an Instagram story. I’m told it’s a muscle stimulating device - meant to be beneficial for muscle recovery and injury prevention and that pain and swelling will inhibit the action of muscles required to stabilise a joint. With his history of knee issues he is just using a recovery strategy to ensure when he trains / plays his musculoskeletal system is functoning optimally to reduce his chances of reinjury

I have watched the Granny from that critical moment when Daniel’s dumped Max through to our 21st goal possibly 100 times and quite often just before going to sleep at night it gives me such a satisfying feeling of euphoria, that is the Best football that I have ever witnessed.❤️💙✅

I was very drunk with someone who works in the tennis precinct who talked about the plans to me but I can’t remember what he told me. Hope this helps.

Agree with the calls for the Ox and Robbie. im going to add Stephen Tingay. I had a massive man crush on him.

David Shwartz (circa last half of 1994 season, before the knee injuries)

There'd be 'better' players, but geez, imagine a forward line mix featuring Brown, TMac, Kozzy, Fritsch and Jurrah.. Ooft.

I’m concerned that Goody was part of the group, and is only missing from the photo because he just stepped out to purchase a group lotto ticket.

Thanks for explaining @Demonland, was about to google hyperice. We’ve come a long way since the days of frozen pea bags resting on joints.

There can be no doubt that the umpires looked at the first final last year when Free Weightman conned the umps 5 times, and decided to pay no coulda-been-paid frees. The Dogs got a few cheat frees in the GF, but mostly the umps pointedly ignored the Scray's shenanigans. In short: the Dogs had no one to blame but themselves. They overplayed their hand, and got hit by the karma bus. Chuck in the 2016 GF for retrospective caution by the umps.

Should we be worried about this?

Agree with you Clintosaurus. We won the free kick count 19-13. I don't know what the count was at 3/4 time but my feeling was that that margin was achieved in the last quarter when the game was basically over. BBB in particulat got a few chopping the arms frees which were definitely there but not sure whether they would have been paid in goal-scoring positions earlier in the game. The only blatant free the Bulldogs missed out on was the free Schache should have received when Brayshaw took him out. It seems to me that the umpires have their views on certain players. For instance, Kossie doesn't get the frees he should probably get because he throws himself around, and JV gets soft frees paid against him because he plays the game hard. In the GF it seemed to me the Bulldogs got a number of marginal around-the-neck decisions, especially if Viney was involved. I'm not sure what Petty did to upset the umpires. Just because you duck to try not to get decapitated doesn't mean you're staging (still it was the Bont making the tackle which might have something to do with the non-decision)...

Flower. Easily.

Gerard Healy, Scully and Scott Thompson then play them at Casey. (Turns out the flag didn't do as much for forgiveness as I thought...)

Robbie Flower would dominate on a wing in today's game. He is literally built for today's style of footy. Imagine him and Langers on each wing, then Gus slotting inside the guts. Mouth watering.