Deespicable

Our problem this year is that we have very little draft capital for trades and our position on the ladder makes us well down the pecking order when it comes to a player's club of choice. Having said that, our best hope at luring a player is still Luke Jackson, assuming he is insistent that he wants to head back to Victoria and be traded to us and he would largely solve our bigs issues and give us a Gawny understudy again. But against that Freo would have to be willing to accept our 2026 1st rounder, our 2025 second rounder (currently pick 22) and presumably a decent player - we have four WA options on this and all are potentially very good players for us - McVee, JVR, Rivers and Tholstrup. All would be missed, but if you are talking securing Jackson then almost anything should be on the table. But it seems highly unlikely Jacko will move. So our next hope for a big will come down to whether we get Kalani White to choose us ahead of the Suns. The fact that they have four very good Academy picks ahead of him helps our chances and being under the tutelage of Gawny and TC also helps the allure, but he may still choose his mates ahead of us. Hopefully not and also hopefully a rival bid comes after our pick 22, which will end up being about pick 35 on current academy/father son expectations. But regardless, Kalani is unlikely to impact any improvement we make in 2026 (he's just a kid after all) - that improvement will come from Langford and Lindsay and Windsor growing into their roles. Trac and Oliver will again be talked up as potential trades, but I doubt either will leave - they are on too big a salary for most teams and their disposal this year has meant clubs will have misgivings about them anyway. Of our current list, there are a heap of players still up for contract renewal and to be honest McVee is the only one we need to sign up now - the rest can wait until the last couple of weeks of the year or post season even. This is what I'd do with them. Billings - he was a bit stiff not to play Rd 1 and he has worked hard all year in the VFL, but he's 30 and his papers have been marked and to be honest now's his chance to enter the corporate world. TC - He's 33, but I'd defintely ask him to go another year. He's great for our VFL side, works hard at training and from all reports is a super bloke. Fullarton - as with Billings his papers are now stamped. Been surprised he wasn't tried as a key defender at VFL level and his body is quite ripped now, but as he showed against Richmond in Rd 7, he's just not physical enough for AFL. T-Mac - he's soon to turn 33 and now one of our greats when it comes to games played. Goody prefers other talls to him, so as much as he adds to our gp dynamic, it's time to retire. If Lever bows to his chronic knee injury at season end or Petty heads back to SA, then I'd review that decision, but only then. McVee - as stated above he's a must-sign. The only way he's expendable is if he's a necessity in a Jackson trade. Melksham - he turns 34 in a couple of months, so age is against him. He is still in incredible shape and looks like a Marvel Superhero so I'd be inclined to ask him to go on for one more season. Unlike his teammates, he usually produces kicking smarts and he's a certain coach-in-waiting. Spargo - after three injury-reduced years it's hard to feel confident about re-signing him. But he's only 25 and he's one of the few players that can hit a target, so if he agrees i'd sign him on for just one more, with his body determining whether he gets two more. Woewodin - Taj is still only 22, but it just feels that he hasn't really come on this season. He's got nice skills but he's not mega-quick which makes it really hard to make it. He'd have to finish the year on a high for us to keep him. Kynan Brown - Really like his attitude and his effort. Very happy if we added him to our list on a two-year deal. Even happier if the coach gave him a go in the big time. Jai Culley - Looked good pre-season and he's done well in VFL. Probably needs one more year as a rookie before making a firm decision. Jack Henderson - I feel sorry that Goody rushed him in for Rd 1 because I don't think it gave him a chance to settle into his role. But after five games, it was clear that he's got class but not quite enough pace or body strength to be a factor. Marty Hore - a great bloke and lovely left-footer but it's time to let him go. Luka Kentfield - He's made some progress this year and is now massive upper body. I'm not sure that he has enough footy smarts, but I'd certainly give him another year to be definitive. Ollie Sestan - He needs a game or two in the AFL before season's end, otherwise it's a really hard call for any list manager. Given I already have six list departures, I'd try and sign him up for one more. Will Verrall - He's improved this year and his intensity is now AFL standard I reckon, but he's probably never going to be quite tall enough to make it. If we get Jackson, then he's a delist. But most likely he gets another year and works with Kalani. AMW - Clearly Andy showed enough last year and pre-season before injury to warrant an upgrade and most likely a two-year deal. Mentha Jnr - he's shown enough to get another year as a category B rookie. Others already contracted: Jed Adams - as with Jeffo, he's starting to become a very good VFL player. But please Mr List manager, there is absolutely no need to sign him or Jeffo up beyond 2026 just yet. Wait until early next year to panic. Bailey Laurie - he's a star at VFL level, but barely gets a run from Goody. Ultimately he may be just a tad slow to make it, but it would be nice for him to get a decent chance - in the midfield and not as a sub. Otherwise I'd see if anyone wants him for a third-round pick. Shane McAdam - Injury cruelled his year, but he's 31 next year and appears a bust for us. If we like a player pre-season or need a list spot, then I'd pay him out.

Sounds like a very good line for our run-through banner. Or alternatively all DLers could produce flags with those words as emblems to hold up after each stupid long kick! That would get the point across to every player!

The biggest change has to come from the players via Goody and that is instituting some sort of fun internal penalty for dump kicks/bombs into the forward line - maybe a prize for the worst one each game. They also need to have a prize for the best conversion and the worst shot at goal each week - it has to be a fun sort of prize, but one the whole group enjoys and helps take the pressure off. To see wave after wave of wasted scoring chances must frustrate Goody way more than us Demonlanders and I can now see why he is so keen on playing Spargo at the drop of a hat because even though he barely gets it, the four or five times he does are big chances for teammates if they have the mindset to keep leading. In terms of changes for Gold Coast, I would expect McVee to come out via suspension and I think we already saw that Goody has lost patience with Trent Rivers when he was subbed out. Sadly he has become more and more like Brent Grgic with every game, rather than like a Corey Enright. I still have faith in him, but it now must be via an extended VFL break and he either plays back or on a wing - he does not have the disposal in-and-under smarts to make it as an inside midfielder. I'd also query Lever's fitness, although a week off may help - but when you have T-Mac as a slightly taller, yet similar back-up I'd rather we play him, especially given King and Walter and Read (if he plays) are genuinely tall. I also suspect one of Petty, Melky and JVR to make way for Jefferson, whom I have major reservations about, but accept that he is starting to show signs of being AFL ready for Casey. AJ is also in the mix. The two likely ins are Tholstrup and Jeffo with a tricky decision on whether Sharp replaces Rivers or Laurie gets genuine game time. I'd go with the latter as we need to know whether to sign him up for next season or not. Out: McVee (susp), Rivers, one of Petty, Melky or JVR, Lever (if not running well enough) In: Tholstrup (sub), Laurie, Jefferson and T-Mac (if Lever out)

6 Gawn - a clear winner again, although his kicking for goal is frustrating.I don'tget why he doesn't aim right and allow for his pull. 5 Turner -beaten a couple of times on the lead by Georgiades early, he looked dangerous and mobile as a forward. 4 Pickett - brilliant first half but glute injury made life trickier for him after the break. Teammates blocking his run didn't help as well. 3 Bowey - once again clever and quick with his clearances, although he did have one howler from a kick-in. 2 Fritsch - should have kicked five but fumbled a few times when a goal awaited, but kept presenting. Based on that form maybe he's ready to go back to being our third tall up forward. 1 Howes - did a pretty good job on Rioli for much of the game. Signs that he may almost be AFL standard now. Just needs confidence.

Is anyone with me that now is the time to switch Petty and Turner around.

Just thought everyone had a real dip in defeat yesterday and it's very hard to make changes. Against that is the fact that we will be coming off a six-day break so a few boys will be a little sore I reckon. The one compulsory change is that Viney comes in if deemed fit and I suspect that means one of Lindsay or Tholstrup should get a rest with a view that they come straight back in after the bye. Then we have to have a really close look at our ageing group to make sure that they are all fully recovered and the one player who seems to be struggling the most as he regains fitness is Lever. With T-Mac coming off an 8-day break, it should be a straight swap if Jake's remotely sore. That way Jake can get a couple of solid weeks preparing his knee for the run home. The Power are still playing fairly small by their usual standards - Visentini in the ruck with Georgiades and Finlayson (he'll probably be dropped), Aliir, Ratugolea and Zerk-Thatcher their talls. They may add Sweet to try and combat Gawny or Lord to extend our defence. But our hardest job will be deciding who to use on negating Butters - I imagine Jack will get the job if fit, if not it will be tempting to go Ed again. Trac will be tagged again by Drew, but just has to stick at it. If we play like we did on Monday we will win, but it's hard backing up from your grand final. As to JVR, he deserved his spot on Monday after a couple of solid weeks in VFL and like Petty he found the going tough against Moore and Howe, who are elite. But if you seriously think Jefferson is ready for that kind of mauling-style defence, then you have not been at training.

Having been away for six weeks, I am really keen to head to the 'G and see first-hand where the boys are at. My one fear is that we bring back Jeffo for AJ - it's been really pleasing reading that Jeffo's starting to become a factor at VFL level but until he is laying tackles then he's not worth promoting again as he will be easy fodder for Moore and co. I am comfortable with returning Roo as his body will cope with the buffeting and he's had two solid weeks marking and leading up and getting his confidence back. But my left field choice is selecting Tom Campbell, especially if the Pies go with Mason Cox, which they may well do to make life hard for big Maxy. If Campbell doesn't play this week, he certainly should be in the side to play Port because you can guarantee they will target our skipper and it will be a short break that week. I also hope we have a long hard look at the wings this week. Sidey and Josh Daicos (if they both play there) are hugely influential and it worries me thinking that we will go with Langford and Lindsay on them, given their youth and the big occasion. It would be nice to think that we would come up with a bit of a shock move to counter them - maybe a hard tag from Bowey or Salem on Sidey, leaving the youngsters to tag team on Josh Daicos, but I know Goody doesn't usually do shock stuff - although he did put ANB on Nick Daicos last year. If Viney's fit, then Laurie is the unfortunate omission, although it sounds like Jack's hand will take at least another week to mend.

Given what happened last time we played them, we have to make sure we don't underestimate what they can do. Thankfully Yeo is still likely to be out so stopping Harley and Elijah Hewett will be key along with nullifying Liam Baker's infuence. I thought Goody made some clever moves late against the Tigers, resting Gawn and May to preserve them along with making sure Lindsay, Langford and Kolt weren't in danger of burnout. In so doing, it should have highlighted the need to have at least one more tall in our line up - sure we got away with against Fremantle when we lost Turner and we got away with it against Richmond because we had such a healthy lead and we might get away with it against the Eagles, but it's certainly not the right way of doing things when we come up against the good sides in the next few weeks. And it's not fair on Gawny to expect him to have to be everywhere and keep presenting. The Eagles have two rucks and Flynn will definitely try and maul him and Jack Williams has a huge leap and looks promising. They also have a dangerous forward in Waterman and Gov is still a gun, albeit an old one. And Harry Edwards adds to their wealth of height, even if they lack a bit of talent. So it's time Goodwin looked after Gawny and if the big fella tells him that playing two rucks doesn't work, then he just has to ask himself what's his midfield going to look like without an injured Gawny. And what's mega frustrating is that Tom Campbell was so impressive all pre-season and it counted for nothing because we keep fearing another another Gawndy scenario. But the problem with Gawndy was that Gawn came first and played ruck when Grundy can only play one position and it ain't forward. What we need to do is start TC and then sub him out at three quarter time. Thankfully now we have all seen Fullarton and Jefferson (first two weeks) in action so that we don't have to ever play them again until they have muscled up. It's not a crime if they can't - some guys just don't have the bodies and physicality to make the AFL. I think we all have now seen enough of Harry Sharp that we can say that his light frame also doesn't allow him to break tackles or stick them well enough. He's a great runner and maybe there will be a game or two in weeks to come where he can tag someone, but as a small forward/wingman he's limited. It's time for Goody to move on this one. In: Turner if fit (JVR if not), TC, Melksham Out: Fullarton, Sharp and one of the teenagers (rested and told they will play against Hawthorn a week later). B: Bowey May T.Mac HB: Rivers Turner Salem C: Windsor Viney Lindsay/Langford HF: Chandler Langdon Fritsch F: Spargo Petty Gawn Ru: Campbell Petracca Pickett Int: McVee, Sparrow, Tholstrup, Oliver, Melksham (sub)

6 Gawn - marked cleanly all night and as soon as he sat down late, we conceded four goals. Good to see Fullarton play in the ruck and clearly that's not going to work because he doesn't have the body strength to play there. 5 Trac - stupidly bombed it long a few times, but our most dangerous player all night. 4 Bowey - another clever game from the little master. Definitely a SC special and aside from Gawn, our only player in AA contention at this point. 3 Sparrow - sure Viney laid more tackles than him, but I thought his were more important and he had 16 touches and a goal. Viney had 19 touches and his 10 kicks were all long and intercepted. 2 Rivers - with 28 touches and 12 marks, he provided lots of run from down back. But you have to wonder if he and Salem realise that the high-risk play through the middle also comes with the highest reward. Because I can't remember them once taking the game on in that regard. 1 Salem - a couple of late howlers, but he clocked up the stats down back with what I suspect was a career-high 34 disposals and 13 marks. As with Rivers made sure that 95 per cent of the time we went down the wings.

I actually felt we had six phenomenal contributors today and a lot of very good role players outside the big six. The order of the big six can vary a bit, depending on your view of what factors win matches, but here goes from me. 6 Bowey - I don't think i have seen a better defensive first half from any Demon in a long time. He tackled with intent, he kicked with outstanding vision and compiled 21 touches to halftime. He's been in our best two players all year and i'd now say he is in the All-Australian mix (yes laugh if you like, but his past month has been at a new level. The challenge now for him is to back it up. 5 Kozzie - Our matchwinner with five goals and plenty of clearances. Elusive and dangerous and more effective than Bolton. I reckon he'd get the 3 Brownlow votes from this game, but I'd be really disappointed if Goody didn't give his five coaches award votes to Bowey. 4 Viney - yes I was one who wanted him moved out of the middle to play ANB's role this week because his kicking has been bog ordinary. Part of that was because Ed was the only player I could see keeping up with Serong. But it was Ed who was moved into ANB's spot and Viney went head to head with Serong and returned to his 2018 finals form. 3 Gawn - yes he missed two shots at goal and his opponent Darcy kicked a couple, but big Max won the hitouts and dished off a few very clever over the top handballs that allowed Trac and Kozzie to break free from the middle. He also marked beautifully all game and I'd be surprised if his disposal efficiency isn't mega high. Great game from the big fells and a huge presence in the last term. 2 Petty - Wow, we haven't had a genuine forward since his game against Geelong at the MCG last year and this was better than that because most of his work was from the goalsquarre. He beat Pearce and Draper all game, whether it be leading up or just pushing them out in a marking contest. Will play at FF for the rest of the season now, but here's the thing Goody, there will be a game or three when someone has his measure and it is OK to switch him. That's the role of the coach. 1 T-Mac - apologies that he only got one vote because you couldn't help but admire the work he did all day on Treacy, who apart from Hogan, is the league's most in-form forward. In fact the only time T-Mac got beaten was by his brother Oscar on a lead. T-mac was clever with his disposal and just so aerially dominant. Normally his game would have been a 6-voter.

Wow, how depressing. Coming up against a Freo side that has a bunch of mega quick small forwards plus a key target in Treacy and who have a well planned defensive system where they chip and switch before going forward. They also have won their past three against us at the MCG - remember how they ended our run in 2022. Here's what Goody could try: 1) Mix up his zone defence with an actual man-on-man defence - perhaps start each quarter in a man, then switch to zone at 10min mark once players tire. 2) Take Viney out of the middle rotation, where he continually bombs it long to a contest, and play him as a hard tackling small forward - our current trio of small forwards (Henderson, Spargo and Sharp) combined for one tackle last week! And while we are at it, get your best tackler from the VFL (Kynan Brown) in the side. 3) Send JVR to defence - we've all been saying he's out of form since Rd 2, but Goody keeps persisting - maybe it's time to try something different. 4) Rejig the forward line. Unfortunately at least one of Trac and Kozzie has to start near the goal square - that worked reasonably well in Adelaide. They are our only players who look remotely dangerous up there. And Chandler needs to go back up there as well - his smarts and discipline could come in handy as Jordan Clark is likely to play on him and he provides a heap of their run. 5) Think about match-ups. Sparrow has to go to Brayshaw - he's too good not to have a hard tag. Olly has to take Young as he's not fit enough to take Serong or Brayshaw. A decision has to be made on who plays on Serong and my own view is that Ed is our only player capable of keeping up with him. That means Rivers or Bowey has to take Ed's right-side wing. T-Mac has to play on Treacy. McVee has to go to Shai Bolton and Windsor has to play on Frederick - their two quickest players with our two quickest defenders. Amiss likes to lead up all the time, so JVR's extra pace is perfect for him. Put Lindsay on Murphy Reid - he loves playing on his U18 buddies and if that means Salem has to play on that left-side wing so be it - at least we get our best low-kicking player nearer goal. 6) Actually drop a few players. It's amazing what non-selection does to fire up players. At very least Spargo, Henderson and Sharp have to go (I'm sorry but as small forwards they have not been effective) and Melky should be sent to the sub role. If JVR isn't playing back, then he also has to go and get his confidence back in the VFL. 7) Stop worrying about which group your players have trained in. Just about all of them are smart enough to get the intricacies of playing certain types of roles and you are allowed to move players around on the magnet board - even mid game. Out: Spargo, Henderson, Sharp and possibly May (injured). In: Brown, McVee, Fullarton (yes I know Goody doesn't rate him, but he has to play to give Gawny a cut out and he looks extremely fit at the moment) and Turner (if May is out). Start in a man-on-man format. Switch to zone after 10 mins. B: McVee McDonald May (or Turner) HB: Bowey JVR Windsor C: Rivers Langdon Salem HF: Petty Viney Fritsch F: Pickett Petracca Chandler Ru: Gawn Oliver Sparrow Int: Langford, Brown, Fullarton, Lindsay, Melksham (sub)

6 Langdon - our best by miles to half time and one of the few who had time and space and figured out that if your coach has picked the smallest forward line in history then you better keep your kicks low. 5 Gawn - has difficulty with Draper but kept working hard. A couple of bad howlers late though but you have to wonder why others didn’t realise the urgency. 4 Petracca - plenty of inside 50s but not quite enough polish to be a match winner. 3 Salem - as with Langdon kept the ball low all night which when you have four guys under 6ft up forward is smart. 2 Bowey - he’s really smooth this year, shame our forwards and game plan aren't. 1 Pickett - looked dangerous unlike the rest of the side.

With regards JVR, the Lever long-term injury combined with Petty's failure to play a significant role down back means that there is now a spot for him to find form down back and also provide a more mobile tall defensive player down back. Petty's problem for some time has been his inability to make quick decisions when he gets a mark or a free. Instead he kills any quick movement and invariably opts for the long bomb. We need a vibrant intercept player with a bit of pace and an attacking mindset and I think JVR can do that. But my guess is that Goody will now opt for Jed Adams to replace Petty. Adams has improved heaps but he is not a quick attacking tall, he's more a good option to replace T-Mac or May when they get injuries. As to the Rd 1 super six debutants (five plus first MFC game for Sharp), Goody defintely had options rather than rushing in all of them. Lawrie had trained well all summer and was overlooked and is a similar sort of player to Henderson, who had trained for three weeks. The same could be said of Brown, who was fit but overlooked. Then there was the option of playing our other impressive pre-season performer in Tom Campbell instead of blooding both Aidan Johnson and Jefferson in the one game. It's great that Goody liked the look of the kids, but not all of them had to play Rd 1 and in a close game the decision backfired.

I find it depressing thinking about this game, so imagine how flat the players and coaching staff must be. It's hard to know whether Goody's gameplan is at fault, but clearly our mids just don't seem to lower their eyes and make the right decisions with their forward entries and just as clearly, our forwards don't lead up to the ball like they should - JVR is the biggest offender on that score, given he is actually quite quick yet was constantly playing from behind against Geelong. I was quite excited pre-season with our plan to run the ball quickly out of defence and through the centre in transition, but our poor kicking and failure to quicly get back has meant that plan looks ridiculous. But I hope we give it one last shot against the weaker Essendon line-up before putting it to the scrapheap if it again doesn't work. But there will need to be a few tweaks. Firstly Ed Langdon looked brilliant pre-season in the middle, yet as soon as the season started was banished to the outer wing. We need his run through the middle for our plan to work. And with Kossie now there as well, we will have pace to trouble sides. Of course it still needs Olly and Trac to win clearances and play hard defence, but it's time to move Viney out of our midfield set up because he is just spraying his kicks, even when he has time. Given his grunt work, he's the perfect fit to play high half-forward like Nibbler. And he has to be down the spine, where the chance of him laying a hard game-changing tackle are highest. The plan to use Windsor out of the backline is a winner, but it will be even better when McVee returns because Judd can take the quickest and most dangerous small forward. Hopefully he's back for Bolton against Freo. Clearly Goody's initial plan of blooding six players has backfired and it's time to send two of them to the VFL to gain confidence like they should have done in Rd 1. Jack Henderson had only been at the club three weeks when he was rushed in for Rd 1 and after four games and two goals and 11.5 disposals a game, it's time to let him get his confidence back - embarrassing as it must be for Taylor and Goody who pushed him up like he was Phil Carman. Harry Sharp has kicked three goals but is averaging just nine disposals and has struggled to find targets - he also needs to now go and regroup in the VFL. I'd also say the same for Charlie Spargo who desperately needed a few games in the VFL after nearly two years out with injury. The trio are also there to provide forward pressure - did anyone notice any such thing on Friday night. Aside from those three, I'd certainly be sending Harry Petty back to the VFL with clear instructions that he has to make quicker, smarter decisions when he gets it. And he has to start reading the play better. And if you want to make a statement then leave out JVR who is averaging 8 disposals and has just four goals, although to be honest I'd send him down back to try and get some easy early grabs and regain confidence before swinging him forward late in the game. But they don't do that nowadays so I'd send him back to the VFl to learn his craft and regain confidence. And before someone says it, please please please don't rush Jefferson straight back in. He's had a taste of AFL now, but he now needs to really dominate a VFL game before being thrown again to the wolves again and he should be told that if he lays more than two tackles, he is a monte for another game. That's five out and hopefully both Lever and Lindsay are back. Laurie also deserves his spot after a big pre-season. So does Fullarton, who we all know is not a Goody favourite, but he should be given a crack at it - he doesn't have to produce big numbers to match JVR's return at the moment. And I also think it's time to give Kynan Brown a real go and not starting on the bench. You have to reward the high-tacklers in the VFL, otherwise you lose intensity and interest. And if Lindsay isn't fit, then it's time to give serious consideration to Sestan. Out: Sharp, Henderson, Spargo, Petty, JVR In: Lever, Fullarton, Laurie, Brown, Lindsay B: Bowey May Lever HB: Windsor McDonald Salem C: Lindsay Sparrow (hard tag on Merrett) Chandler HF: Turner Viney Fritsch F: Fullarton Petracca (mid/fwd) Brown Ru: Gawn Langdon Pickett Int: Oliver (mid), Melky (fwd), Langford (mid/fwd), Rivers (def) Sub: Laurie

6 May - aside from that shocking smothered kick howler early, he was prominent all game. Marked well and generally kicked well. Getting older though - no longer sprightly with ground balls. 5 T.Mac - as with May, our only chance of someone taking a clean mark and I can't remember any errant disposals. And anyone who thinks Lever should come in for him next week has rocks in their head. By contrast our third wheel down back Petty clearly should spend a long stint in the magoos. 4 Chandler - gees this guy has improved. Played left half back and is just so smart and puts his body on the line. 3 Bowey - got better as the game went on and continues his great start to the season. 2 Fritsch - has copped the blowtorch the past three weeks and clearly was our best forward all night. If it wasn't for the fact that he currently has the yips, then no-one would be knocking him. 1 Gawn - embarrassing early with a couple of huge howlers, but you have to give him credit for sticking at it and hopefully he played himself back into form, especially now that TC is injured and not an option to help him out.