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Deespicable

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  1. Thought Melky and BBB both did well, but that doesn't mean JVR shouldn't play. Our premiership side had three talls (Jackson, T-Mac and BBB) plus Fritter. Playing JVR as a mobile CHF with BBB and Trac nearer the goalsquare will stretch most sides in the air and may even give us confidence to attack a little more down the spine. And the advantage that Trac has over our three (and for much of the year four) mega smalls is that he can rove packs and also be dangerous in the air. So it would be nice if Goody gave it a go and made Spargo the sub to bring in JVR. But he won't. He's too conservative when we win. Lions have a tall forward line, so if Petty is out injured, then Tomlinson should get the nod.
  2. Loved the new feel about our side. 6 May - phenomenal game, inadvertently involved in two of their injuries. 5 Trac - when's the last time someone other than Fritta kicked four goals. Adjusted to new role well. May cost him the Brownlow but our forward line looked so much more dangerous and way better balanced. 4 JJ - Great to see him finally plonked in the guts and the number of times he weaved his way out of trouble was impressive. His dominance as a matchwinner at VFL level gave him the confidence to be way more than the handbrake (Clint Bizkit's definition) he has been in his wing and high half-forward previously. Amazing what can happen when you try something different, hey Goody. 3 - Viney - usual courage and run. Our little Everready. 2 - Salem - Great run dow tackle at ket moment. Just wondered why Lever was allowed to take his free kick. 1 - Angus - Enjoyed more minutes in middle as well and seems to like variety, although he's best-suited for us as a reliable defender.
  3. I think all of us are hoping that the indoor stadium means we are cleaner in our ball movement and able to spot up targets when going forward. But against that we have lost our best leading forward in Fritter and that in itself should force a restructure of sorts from the match committee. The issue as I see it is that we don't have any explosive leading players, apart from Kossie, and as we tend to go into forward 50s via the wings on most occasions, so it's easier for defences to pick us off and push our forwards under the ball, hence why Stewart and then Haynes have had field days the past two weeks. The other issue is that we tend to use only one player as a cut back option through the middle before launching forward and that player is Nibbler. He played that role perfectly in 2021 and early in 2022, but after being hammered by Maynard in the QB game last year, he has since struggled for consistency in the role. Nibbler is still the hardest-running player in the side, it's just that he's been unable to make the key plays when we go inboard to him. Part of that is because he lacks penetration with his kicking and other sides are often smothering his short, low offerings. And as we've seen in recent weeks, his confidence in making the crucial play has been a tad low, he's even fumbled the odd handball etc. Axing Nibbler is tricky because he is still our hardest worker, but ultimately Goody has to have the courage to replace him in his role as the mid-forward conduit. We can't keep serving up the same squad. And he has to decide who is our best option to play that crucial role. To me there are only two players on our list who can do that presently - Petracca and Bowey. The choice of Trac would be similar to the Pies choice of De Goey in the role but it would rob us of some of our clearance dominance. The choice of Bowey would enable us all to gauge how quick and clever he is (and he certainly is swift with the hands) and also he is a thumping kick so capable of scoring goals as well. Nibbler's goalscoring has dried up almost completely this year. The downside of Bowey is that he is smaller in the air, so passes inboard to him have to be on the money, but there's absolutely no doubt he has the courage and fitness for the role. The only other player on our list who has the physique, skill and pace to do this role is Oliver Sestan, but he is still a long way off based on his VFL efforts to date. If we go Trac, it frees up a midfield spot for Jordan, who is absolutely dominating at VFL level, but failing to measure up at AFL level where he jumps from half-forward to occasional midfield bursts. But if we are to fix our forward structure, then we have to give him a sustained run as the main man in the middle with Viney and Sparrow with Rivers/Angus/Trac and Harmes all going through in bursts. Two other quick suggestions: 1) How about we actually start Grundy on the ground - he's a physical player and games are almost always at their most physical in the first 10 minutes. Why we start him on the bench and not as a forward waiting to replace Max on the ball is beyond belief, given that all of us rate him highly and in our best 10 players. 2) The four incredibly small forwards option worked well early this season when it was dry and games were fast, but more recently we have gone back to three smalls and that still hasn't worked. Nibbler and Chandler have combined for two goals in our past six games. Maybe we have to look at just two small, small forwards as other sides do - Kozzie plus one other - Bowey is my preference (sight unseen). It's also time we went back to the three big forward structure that won us the flag in 2022. Yes it makes us less mobile but hopefully with better ball movement we can isolate the right tall with the wrong match up. Finally one other thing, and it's just an observation, not fact. but we may need more of a "taking a hit for the team' attitude. There's a reason why Harmes and Nibbler and Ed and Salem and others all played so well in our flag year and that's because they were role players first. Maybe a few have starting thinking there's an 'i' in team.
  4. 6 Jack Viney - in everything. 5 Angus Brayshaw - thought he was clean throughout and strong in tackles. 4 Steven May - our best tall defender. 3 Jake Bowey - our best small defender who has to have a bigger role going forward. And just remind me why he didn't play in seniors last week. 2 Christian Petracca - as with Geelong game, he was horrific early with red mist, but settled into game after half time. Is his pre-game prep right because he takes a long while to settle? 1 Lachie Hunter - as with Langdon and Harmes, he worked his butt off, but just couldn't find a way through.
  5. Our five most improved for 2023 1 Trent Rivers: A massive pre-season saw him look stronger and more confident after a dismal 2022. He really looks the part now intercept marking and his thumping kicks have meant that the coach now occasionally deploys him on the ball in the hope he can kick over the lines. We may have lost to Freo again, but he did overcome his Michael Frederick demons winning or squaring most contests with him this time around. To me, he’s one of the few players who can be deployed to help solve our forward problems, being quick enough to apply tackles and capable and tall enough in the air to provide a third-man up contest when needed. But under Mr “conservative” Goody that won’t happen this year. 2 Tom Sparrow: With Olly out, we’ve had a really good look at whether he’s up to the midfield level required in the AFL now and there’s no doubt he is. He’s a battering ram and he tags as well as almost anyone in our side – from Ben Cunnington to Max Holmes – he’s a real nuisance for opponents. His games against the Blues and Pies showed he can also provide run and drive from clearances – I reckon it’s just a matter of time now before he has a really breakout game by the numbers – ie: 30-plus disposals etc. 3 Jake Bowey: It’s hard to believe this guy spent a week in the VFL as a result of backing into Jake Lever’s knee against Carlton. Like Rivers, he’s shrugged off the flag lethargy and shown he’s even more committed and clean with his hands. His size means he’s going to be beaten occasionally in the air, but once the ball hits the dirt, it’s advantage Bowey – he’s reminiscent of Richmond’s Liam Baker with his quick vision. I also reckon he deserves a shot at Nibbler’s high half-forward/midfield conduit role because he’s a better kick than ANB, but as with Rivers, don’t worry, it won’t happen under our ‘devoid of risk’ coaches. 4 Judd McVee: Chris from Camberwell was a big wrap for this bloke on SEN even if he couldn’t figure out how to pronounce his name after his game against Carlton and he’s not alone. He was handy at best in the VFL last season and most of us were shocked when he got a gig pre-season against Richmond. But a super game on Bolton that day stamped his round 1 papers and since then he’s shown he’s AFL level. Given that Goody gave away Jayden Hunt, his extra pace is crucial to our defensive line-up and he’s also an elite, quick kick. He’s also why we can now send Bowey or Rivers forward if we want to. 5 Jacob van Rooyen: The Roo’s received a lot of publicity which is understandable given his role up front. As with any kid, he’s a bit up and down but as we saw with his last quarter cameo against Richmond he keeps buttering up for a contest and he can be a matchwinner. His game against the Blues showed he had enough vision in traffic to play a little higher and his goal that day from 50m out on the members flank confirmed to me, and others, that he can kick the ball almost as far as Neiter when required.
  6. Agree with most comments here, although the Smith comments or non-selection are amazing - he was clearly our best player to half time with Salem and then had the honour of Stewart moved on to him and then he really struggled. The big question for me is whether the selection panel will have any interest in altering our unique four midget small policy or whether someone might query whether that is the right balance given no-one else does it and so far it is yet to provide any decent returns on both a goalscoring count or on a tackle count. Bowey has to come back in (god knows why he fell out of favour), Harmes went close to a rare quadruple double in the VFL so will be stiff to miss again, Brown will come in if we go back to the three bigs structure, Melky is our only sub who has done anything this year, Tomlinson is perfect for Hoges if he comes back from injury - but only if selectors apologise to him first for rating Petty so highly first game back and finally Olly has now missed four weeks which means the club can stop playing Fleetwood's Mac 1977 album at training. And on top of that Goody is keen to give Woey a go to keep his dad happy. All of which probably adds up to No Change!
  7. It's hard not to be fearful of what might happen in this game. Clearly, based on the Blues recent tales of self-destruction, we win easily. Cripps seems injured (slower than normal), Harry has the yips and Charlie is finding the burden of being the No.1 player in the game (Robbo's view) hard to live up to. Add in the injuries and it's hard not to back us and just about every tipster in the country is. But those who remember Joe Daniher destroying us on a couple of occasions (and losing the plot in a couple of others) know that this could be the night when Harry converts his first on Tomlinson and gets on a roll. Given we aren't playing hard tags (Harmes is out of favour) it could also be the night that Cripps gets rolling (unless Sparrow has a blinder on him). And it's not as if their injuries are key omissions - their six out are all depth players replaced by in-form VFL depth players. Their midfield core of Walsh, Cerra and Cripps are all playing so Charlie may have enough supply, while Saad and Docherty are still in to provide run and Weitering, McGovern and Young good enough to quell our key forwards. What worries me most is that, under Goody, we continue to play four small forwards and with no major height through the middle aside from Trac, we get picked off whenever we try switchbacks from our left-side defensive forays. I don't understand how we can continue to play four small forwards - we are the only side doing it and aside from a few magic forays from Kozzie and the early form of Chandler, the benefits of the structure are non-existent. And the goals have dried up recently. Chandler has kicked one goal in his past three, ANB one in the past four and Spargo nine for the year. It's not as if they are smalls that take the odd surprise mark or are that we get benefits from their tackles. Yes they all work their butt off but who would you rather tackle you - Beau McCreery, Sam Powell-Pepper, Zac Bailey or Chandler, Spargo and ANB. Which is not to say that our trio don't work their butts off - it just that at 175c, 172cm, 182cm plus Kozzie at 171cm our small forwards aren't intimidating. And that is one of the major reasons why we have absolutely no chance against Collingwood, although Carlton's current propensity to self-destruct should enable us to get through tonight.
  8. Obviously it is now clear we are a long, long way off the pace of Collingwood, who we play in two weeks time. Ultimately we are just making up numbers this season, but with two highish picks next season we hopefully can find a bit of run and a tougher mid-size quick-running forward/defender to help us out. But this week it's Carlton and hopefully they will self-destruct in front of goals like they've done for five weeks. Our two successive losses should spark Goody to feel compelled to actually make changes and also realise that he needs to restructure for the following week to save a KB Monday massacre. Clearly Ben Brown has to play instead of T-Mac, but Chandler's run is over (gees he was clever for six weeks, but his size makes it really hard to be effective in the winter) and ANB and Spargo weren't much better. We need another small forward and to me it's about time we moved outside the 'boring' and sent Jake Bowey there - I'd accept Salem going forward as well, but maybe that's one for the Pies weekend. People calling for McVee's omission are missing why he's been playing - he's our quickest defender - we got rid of Hunt remember. He is required for Motlop and then Bobbie Hill. But I accept that we need to find a third tall defender - Lever's game against Freo was appalling and we can't leave him on TDK - we can leave him on McKay because Harry is self-destructing anyway, although he probably won't play this week. Tomlinson fans have a point based on his VFL form, but those who watched his game against Essendon know why he can't play. To me, with Petty out we have to go back to Joel Smith as a defender who can be swung forward late if necessary - you are allowed to swing players Goody - they used to do that in the old days and Neale Daniher was one of the best at doing it - Ron Barassi even better. Read up your coaching manual Goody - there is no rule that says a player must stay in the position he started! Part of the reason we need Smith is that he is quick - again we lack pace and in two weeks we are up against one of the three quickest sides in the league - Essendon and Sydney are the others. The other frustrating thing was that Grundy played just 69%, T.Mac 80% - who would you rather have on the field, even if they are playing forward? I think we can add some pace by going back to just two talls up forward with Fritter the third tall. We will need the pace against the Pies. And while on the sub, Goody still hasn't figured out that it is for impact players - I'm sorry JJ is a nice mid, but he doesn't impact. Melky does. JVR would too, if left out to go small. Spargo probably would as well if left out to start big. Figure it out Goody please. And while we are at it. The next two weeks are perfect for testing out if tagging makes a difference. Both Viney and Harmes should be told to play tight - this week it's Harmes on Walsh, next week it's Viney on N.Daicos, Harmes on De Goey. So here's my team and yes we should to be too good for Carlton, but the bigger picture is the following week. In: Hunter, J.Smith, Brown Out: McDonald, Chandler, JVR B: Salem May J.Smith HB: Brayshaw Lever Hibberd C: Langdon Petracca Hunter HF: Bowey Grundy Sparrow F: Brown Fritsch Pickett Ru: Gawn Harmes Viney Int: Spargo, McVee, ANB, Rivers (JVR or Melksham sub)
  9. Wow, Woey Jnr getting a go is really pleasing if that's the case. He's definitely skilled enough to make it, he's a lovely kick and for those who remember his dad, he seems to have a similar work ethic although I worry about his pure speed. But his dad managed to work his way from a back pocket rookie longshot in 97 into our most important midfielder by 2000, so who really knows. Even more pleasing is that for the first time since round 3, our selectors are thinking outside the box again. As with Sydney, Fremantle has done well against us in recent times with last year's win at the 'G the start of our decline and if you recall it was Michael Frederick who carved up Rivers as they overran us after halftime. Rivers has been our most improved players this year so I doubt Frederick will be much of an influence, but they are in form with their tail up and Walters and Seargent Schultz will be everywhere I reckon, not to mention Fyfe, Brayshaw and Serong. Hopefully McVee gets Walters, Bowey gets Schultz and our Brayshaw takes Fyfe out of it, whether in the middle or up forward. They play three talls - Amiss, Jacko and Treacy and Banfield ain't short either, so I suspect we will need either Turner. Turner has to play - he learnt a bit from his three quarters on the Gold Coast as was shown by his huge game at Casey against NM last week. And while we are talking changes, with Hunter out, now is the time to start Salem on the left wing which will surprise Freo. I'd have him rotating with Hibbo, who ensures we have a hard tackling outside mid who is good in the air - that is one of Freo's big strengths when they are on. Either way our selectors must be way more tactical than they have been of late and must pull some changes to break up our monotonous ways which have crept back in - you are allowed to attack down the right hand wing and if Ed is over there we need to use his pace. And a hard tag on Serong would also help - Viney is the obvious man, with whoever plays out of Harmes or Jordon given a tagging job on Andrew Brayshaw when they are on the field. Chandler's confidence has dried up the past two weeks - and as clever as he was early, it's time to give him a rest - I know that's a hard call given his plethora of goals and assists in early games. One last comment that I know most won't agree with - but JVR must be dropped for this game - we all know he's a developing talent but there has to be consequences for his lack of discipline that cost us big time against Port. A week in the twos should be compulsory. And like many of you, I reckon we can get by without T.Mac this week, he's just not quite quick enough these days and probably needs another hard block of match-free training to get his mobility back. Out: Oliver, Hunter, JVR, T-Mac, Chandler In: Woey, BB, D.Turner, Sparrow, Harmes or Jordon B: Bowey (Schultz), May (Amiss - lets make it hard for the youngster) McVee (Walters) HB: Rivers (Frederick) Lever (Jackson) Hibberd (Banfield) - seventh Turner (Treacy) C: Langdon Angus Brayshaw (Fyfe) Salem HF: Sparrow Gawn ANB F: Pickett Fritsch Ben Brown Ru: Grundy Petracca Viney (Serong) Int: Woey, Harmes or Jordon, Turner, Spargo Emerg: Melky, J.Smith (the sub if fit), Lawrie, Harmes or Jordon
  10. Our last easy game before a tougher run of matches, including a huge Friday night in Adelaide against a fired up Power who will be going for a seventh straight win by then. There's been a lot of talk about our poor clearance work last week, but I think people underestimate how good Rowell is around the stoppages - it took our Carey boy Viney to nullify his hard grunt work after half time and even then Anderson proved damaging and part of that is that Witts is a great tapman - although not a patch on Gawny when it comes to marking. I reckon this is the last week for a while that we have to experiment with to our set up. Like many here, I was keen to see how Petty would go up forward given he looked promising in that role in 2019 before injury cut him down. But what has become clear is that he doesn't have the quick-thinking peripheral vision assessment ability to quickly link up and send the ball downfield to the next option - he is not alone here, plenty of bigs struggle in this department. But I am happy for us to ditch that experiment now and send him back to the VFL to get his confidence back as a defender. He may need a week or two back there as he seems to have lost that gung-ho style and we need him for Finlayson (PA) and potentially Frampton (Coll), Cameron (Geel) and Hipwood (Bris) in the big games. The obvious new experiment is Joel Smith as a forward - yes I know he'll probably be out injured before I finish this - but Smith and his pace and tackling ability is going to be key, if fit, against the Power (Bergman), Pies (Maynard or Murphy) and possibly Stewart (Geel). Ultimately I am still not sure if Smith, like Petty, is quick-thinking savvy, so his linkwork may not be good enough, but he has to be tried and the Hawks game is the best soft-kill game to get him going, although CJ will make him work hard. Smith is bigger and stronger now, so hopefully he can provide enough of a marking option. And the loss of a genuine third tall is no big deal because our best talls are Gawn and Grundy when they rest and we need them both on the field a little more than their current 75-80% game time. We should still have enough marking prowess anyway with JVR (BBB will replace him if he loses his appeal), Fritter and the Gawn/Grundy combo. As to other changes, our backline is really coming along and McVee's pace is pivotal as that is our weakness, as Essendon showed us a few weeks ago. The penny seems to be dropping for Rivers, who after his late-game howler against the Suns was super committed from then on - although he still needs to up his awareness to the level of Angus and Bowser. Hibberd returns if fit to replace Turner, if not I'd give Disco another go - he started poorly against the Suns but I thought he was starting to find his way after halftime before being pulled. The other obvious change is that Jordan comes out after a couple of solid but not sensational games. His spot probably goes back to Harmes with Spargo getting the subs vest. In: J.Smith, Harmes (Spargo as sub), Hibberd (if fit), Ben Brown (if JVR banned) Out: Petty, Jordan, Turner (if Hibberd fit), JVR (susp)
  11. Hope for once we plan around this game and the one against North just five days later. To me the short break between games is ample reason why we shouldn't rush Gawn back in for the Tigers clash. And given how well Schache has been going in VFL, it's time we gave him a shot as the back-up ruckman/forward. Harmes also has to come back along with Lever, Brown and Hibberd if fit. The obvious outs are Tomlinson, T-Mac and Spargo and I'd also make Sparrow the sub on Monday night with a view to recalling him to the starting line up against the Roos. JVR, Melky and Chandler all could miss after average games against Essendon.
  12. Obviously we may have a few injuries by then, but assuming we are fit I reckon we are heading down this direction for Rd 1 v the Doggies at the MCG at night. Have ruled out Joel Smith, as he is yet to get back on park, but he may make a late run on Rivers/Hibberd spot. B: Salem May Petty HB: Brayshaw Lever Bowey (close call over Hibberd and Rivers with McVee closing) C: Langdon Pickett Hunter HF: ANB T-Mac Trac F: Spargo Fritter Gawn Ru: Grundy Oliver Viney Int: Van Rooyen, Sparrow, Hibberd or Rivers, Harmes or Jordon Emerg: Harmes or Jordon or Chandler
  13. Got there a little late, but saw all the match sim and the running drills at end of session. My thoughts (although much of this has been covered by others). T-Mac: If I had to pick a BOG from the match sim, then T-Mac got the 3 votes easily. He is moving freely and the less-tight defence during the match sim just suits him to a tee as his smarts and positioning are always better than others. Trac: As someone who has been critical of his turnovers in recent times, I have got to say he was 100% with his disposal today and looked a clear team leader. The downside was that he appeared to jar his knee in a tackle late in match sim and spent a bit of time with treatment. The outcome must have been OK, because he did all the running drills at end of the session. Angus: After missing most of pre-Christmas on light duties, he was back doing everything today, except that he was a little out of touch. Got caught with it a couple of times. But he'll be better for the run. Rivers: This is a crucial year for Trent as he lost his way a little last season. And I liked what I saw from Riv and he has bulked up a bit so isn't as easily brushed aside. He also looks mega fit. JVR: It's now almost obligatory for everyone to comment on our new FF. And yes he did look pretty good matched against Steven May. But he did also make a couple of turnover howlers. But it's his ability to keep at it, that make him so watchable. Kossie: T-Mac got my votes, but who did I enjoy watching. It looks like he's going to play in the middle at times and he will provide a spark and break open the lines. It's just like watching Cyril or Aaron Davey. He's the most dangerous player on our side. Mr Electric. Ollie Sestan: He didn't touch it much, but when he did, he made a few lovely link-up plays. I have said before that I reckon JVR is the only newcomer likely to play this season, but who knows, this guy may be a chance late in the season. He has big Brian Wilson style hips, so he's hard to push off it. Harmesy: Had to play up forward in the match sim and I do feel for him. He was willing to go to Essendon in the off-season so he could get some midfield minutes and let's hope his natural happy-go-lucky nature can overcome his obvious frustrations. He's a Melbourne man through and through so I hope he can find his way through what shapes as a tricky season. OLD DEE'S TRAINING REPORT
  14. Very powerful video and words from Maysie. He may have done some things in his past that he's not proud of, but he shows admirable maturity here.
  15. Note, there is one more session on Friday at GP before the players break for X-mas. Firstly, there are a handful of players who now have been on limited duties for the past two weeks and it's fair to say that round 1 is starting to look unlikely for them, unless they emerge fit and fired up from the X-mas break and nail a heap of sessions. The five are: Hibberd, BB Brown, Angus, Joel Smith and Deakin Smith. On top of that two of our newbies - Will Ferrell and Jed Adams - have been on extra, light duities - it's possible they won't return after X-mas simply because they would have been bored out of their brains just doing endless run throughs and watching everyone else get stuck into it. Three other players copped knocks today but all seemed fine after them - May (ribs), Gawn (knee) and Sparrow (head knock from Spargo tackle). All kept going at match sim. Kozzie wasn't there today either, but he was the pick of the bunch the week before, so hopefully nothing untoward about his absence today. As to the highlights of the match sim (note I left about 11.15am, so those that stayed till the end can update anything extra as required). T-Mac: I can say that he is looking as good as new and I am not sure why some here said he may have long-term injury worries. Sure he is no longer capable of winning our 200m rep sessions and yes he's a tad porky around the hips from his all-meat diet, but the big fella is just a clever lead-up, lead-back player with strong hands and we all know he's a deadeye d*ck and has a huge tank. If he returns from the break with a passion for the sprints then he's a monte to line up forward with Fritter and JVR and his best mate Melky will miss out. It's as simple as that. JVR: Ok, I am sold. He is ready and only an injury will stop him playing rd 1 now. In fact it's a shame we have to wait until round 15 for his battle with De Koning. While his nice hanger over Lever today was the highlight, he was so much more than one grab. He dished, he tackled and he wore my pre-Robbie idol Greg Parke's No.26. I reckon he said I don't want Jonesy's No.2, I want 26 for Parkey because maybe his grandfather knows him or used to be a copper or something. Either way he is starting to take on that junior Schwarter look and along with T-Mac and Gawny, he is the frontrunner to play as our talls rd 1, subject to injury of course. A quick note here that Schache has also been looking mega impressive as well at training playing as a mobile forward swinging onto his left, but I suspect he will have to wait until injury to get his chance. And with so many TFs on the park, I can see why the club ain't moving Petty there just yet. CP5: Ok, I am not sold. Yes I know his 2020 was a breakout extravaganza and I know his 2021 was brilliance personified with his ability to lift in big games making him Martinesque. But right now he's like Danger or Fyfe - a turnover machine that looks like he's going to break the game open but lets you down big time by foot. Yes I know he was injured late last season, but everything you don't want to see was on display today and last week when I attended. He just coughs the ball up time and time again as he looks to split the game open through the middle. Yes it was windy so he was not alone in miskicks (even Bowey had a howler or two). I remember Goody eventually had to pull Clayton aside three years ago and explain to him that he had to take more responsibility for going forward than just giving it off by hand, but I reckon when Goody comes back from hols he will need to pull Trac aside and just tell him to back off the media, back off the nice guy stuff and just get down and dirty. Or find a new psych. Ultimately our year will be determined by whether Trac gets back to being one of the best five mids in the game. Hunter: As withT-Mac, he made sure the club knows his quality. He lined up on Ed 'Sheerin' Langdon and he was clever, composed and ducked on to his left with the ease of Karl Amon. He will play round 1 barring injury or returning from his break in the bad books and he will play the left wing which means us MCC members will get to see Langdon close up for the first time. Lever: After an injury-riddled '22, he's running strongly again and looking like the All-Aussie of 2021 again - although JVR postered him on one occasion. As with Trac and Salem, he's one of three stars who if they get back to their form of '21, then finals are looking likely. Grundy and Gawn: The quick take off from down back after goals (or likely goals) in match sim meant there was little centre bounce work done, but both these guys still look superb. Gawn's marking is just so clean, while Grundy is mega quick with a dish off. They bring so much to the table and are very different. The kids: Sorry but so far all our youngsters other than JVR are still a fair way off. I did like the work and run of Judd McVee though - he's really improving and looks likely to get a go at some stage this year. It's interesting that a decade ago, a new recruit just had to fart to get noticed, but now they have to train the house down over and over to even look like getting a game in the ones. And unlike in Jones's early years, there are so many well-ensconced senior players that it's hard to see changes anyway.
  16. The coaches hadn't stopped it except for a couple of frees paid so in that sense it was like an intraclub, but there were still cones down the side of ground, so it was corridor stuff, so I think I'd call it match sim to be honest.
  17. Well it was nice to ride the bike down to Gosch's Paddock rather than battle the freeway traffic to Casey and there's always a touch of excitement arriving at the start of the new season with all the new numbers and faces. I had to dash off to a meeting in town at 10.20am, so others may have a fuller report, but by then a fair bit of the gp action had taken place and they were into their match sim, so I think I had the gist of it. Firstly I'll knock off the injuries quickly - Angus and Petty were on light running duties - too early in season for me to assess if they are recovering from fun activities in Europe, but clearly both have minor niggles to deal with. Let's wait and see if they are training with the main gp on Monday before we write them off for the season eh. May wasn't there at all. Also absent from the track was Goody, he seemed to leave it to his lieutenants - Reece Conca among them. Chocco was also taking very much a backseat approach as well, preferring to talk to spectators in his floppy hat. Yze, Staff and Matty Whelan were prominent. The only new injury occurred early when Jed Adams seemed to jar his ankle in one of his first run throughs and after hobbling off for a physio check up he returned and was restricted to just run throughs. Adams is listed as 196cm but he looked almost as tall as Will Verrell and the pair were left to do pretty rudimentary running drills when I was there - must have been the most boring session they have ever encountered I suspect. They did have Angus with them for a fair bit, so at least he would have brought a bit of humour to lighten their mood. A quick word on Adams, he is a big boy in the Jake Spencer clumsy mould at the moment - I'd be gobsmacked if he played seniors this year - but he is a big, strong looking boy so who knows down the track. At the other end of the extreme is Jefferson forward who is a light-bodied tall. He seems to be more coordinated than Jed, but it was noticeable that he missed just about every set shot at goal during early goalkicking practice. He was wearing JVR's No.21 as well, presumably he is waiting for his kit to be made with his number. There are always some players who standout at training and ANB again was everywhere when match sim got going. During the drills it was hard not to notice the skill level of Spargs and Bowey and I also thought it worth mentioning that the kicking of Woey's kid was sensational as well - low, flat, hard and direct. Kicking will not stop Taj from making it this year. His ability to win the ball might. Once match sim got going, it was a dreadful mistake to make Olly the chameleon (the player allowed to play for both teams). That meant he not only got the ball 20 times for the reds, but he also got it 20 more for the blue tops as well. But there were a few standouts and the main one was Kozzie who in the highlight play picked the ball up down back, weaved out of trouble, then brushed off a would-be tackler (I think Harmsey) with a don't argue and then proceeded to run for about 30m before sending the ball another 50m deep into JVR territory. Yes if we want a new midfield weapon, then Kozzie is available and I suspect like Trac three years ago, he now has been told that if you are mega fit, then you can join the mids. Trac and Fritter were also prominent and I also liked the work of Melky, who I know we've all written off, up forwar. But I'm sorry it's hard not to also watch JVR move - he will be playing first round barring injury and while he is still a bit of a project tall, he now has ripping Schwarter style arms that means he won't look like a kid when we all get to see him against the Dogs at the MCG on Saturday night. Surprisingly T-Mac was out there training - yes he's a bit overweight but I'm sure his latest diet will sort him out by round 1. Ben Brown also did some light drills, kick/mark stuff, so rumours of his debilitating knee seem to be way off the mark. And Jake Lever did a lot of work, not just with his mouth. He may well be back to his AA form this year.
  18. Yes when the stats from his sprint at combine came out I was on board and agree he'll keep climbing up the charts - maybe well past 13, although his elevation could mean someone like Phillipou slips to 13. Ben Allan was a very good hard-working player, so there's no doubt Ed has huge upside. And his pace would compensate the loss of our fastest player over 50m in Jayden Hunt and our fastest player over 400m in Luke Jackson.
  19. I am not a draft guru, but I got the impression that Alwyn Davey Jr was a good chance to be drafted in the 15-20 range, which is before Essendon's pick 22, so they may well lose that pick anyway, so maybe a three-way trade as follows: Essendon receives Weideman, picks 40, 50 and 51 (via Pies) plus if necessary 54 from us to give them plenty of points to cover Davey. Collingwood receives pick 22 (from Ess, which they want for Grundy) plus our future 2nd rounder (either ours or Freo) to compensate giving up all those third rd picks to Bombers. Melbourne receives Grundy and keeps pick 27. That gives us two solid picks in 2022 draft (picks 13 and 27) to go with Grundy and at the same time keeps our future first from Freo. While on pick 13, I like the sound of Ben Allan's son - Ed Allan. He has pace which we need given we have just lost Hunt and Bedford.
  20. I am a little surprised we haven't signed Jayden already and imagine that our initial offer was lowball. He certainly deserves a semi-decent two year deal and given his late start from a footy perspective, there's definitely still upside. What I like about him most now is his close-down speed and also his ability to take the game on with his run - he's the complete opposite to most of our players and game plan in this regard and as such is even more important. Obviously it would be nice if he accumulated more disposals, but he's never been an accumulator and the argument could be that he doesn't make himself available enough for the short kicks down the line. The other argument to that is that maybe our defensive distributors - May, Salem and Brayshaw (up until rd 18) don't look for him enough. He still lacks a little strength in the one-on-ones but his game on Shai Bolton was huge and he takes a lot of pressure off our slower defenders because it means they don't cop the mega-fast match up. I get that one or two here resent the fact that Bowey wasn't getting a game, but there are other spots available down back and I think Bowey's all round game means he probably could play pretty much anywhere - i'd like to see Bowser get arun in the middle for example, and he'd be more attacking on a wing than JJ.
  21. Like most DLers I can only see one change with Salem returning for Bowey. But the sub selection is pretty interesting. To me it's a toss up between Bowey (the unlucky omission) and Smith (the versatile one). Given the height of the Swans and the fact that we are playing one tall short up forward, I'd probably go Smith. Imagine the structural issues if one of our bigs goes down early and has to be subbed. Smith can cover big and short and if we lost a midfielder early, we have plenty of options of adding players into the rotation. As to our back seven match-ups, here my stab at them. May on Franklin, Petty on Reid, Lever on McDonald - I am confident we have the edge with those three. Then it's Hibberd on Heaney when he plays near goalsquare and Hunt on Papley, but if Papley plays more from the goalsquare then the switch needs to be made so that Hunt isn't isolated like last time. Rivers gets Hayward, who has been great for them in recent weeks. Salem will be tagged/closely marked by Clarke, who is a negater forward. Up the other end the Swans have to decide who to play Fox and Blakey on with one having to take Kozzie. McCartin on Brown, McCartin 2 on Jackson/Gawn, Rampe on Fritsch, Fox on Melksham, Blakey on Kozzie??, Lloyd on Spargo and Florent on ANB.
  22. Point of clarification also. Apologies also to list manager Tim Lamb. I had him up higher in my spiel, but then when I re-edited it I forgot to reinstate him with Richo and Taylor as the three men of infuence in these dealings. Lamb is very much the man who will decide the strategy, Richo would rubber stamp and guide and Taylor would explain the draft ramifications of any dealings that Lamb may do. My main concern is that I hope we are ready to go with trying to obtain something a little extra than just Freo's first rounder and next year's first rounder for Jackson. Apart from the depth and quality of their current defenders they have fringe players such as Darcy Tucker who if we felt added something could be part of the deal. If Grundy opted for Geelong (which I reckon he won't), we also could request that they throw in Josh Treacy or Lloyd Meek with the deal to give us some ruck/forward back-up.
  23. Nah, actually we had Jackson at 3 and then divided our second first round pick from the Roos, which was going to be about 8-9 (depending on bids for Tom Green and Liam Henry) and a pick which would have got us Young if we hadn't wanted for a downgrade to pick 12 (Kossie) and pick 32 (Rivers). I am not complaining about this downgrade at all, we needed Kossie's pace and X-factor more than another defender, and Rivers has been good and still may become very good - just need the club to sort out if they want him to be a running defender or a defensive fourth tall lockdown defender.
  24. It is always a tricky time of year for any club to determine whether to stick with players on the fringe or bring in fresh blood, or in our case (and many other clubs case) freeing up some room in the salary cap for potential trades by delisting mid-tier players. Given that we are in the window, and have just signed up our key midfielders to long-term deals, finding salary room for possible acquisitions becomes problematic. It could be argued that the only way you can keep your core 25-30 players happy with somewhat comparable wages and stay under the cap is to pay close to the bare minimum on the additional 10-15 players on your list - thereby creating a bit of a divide. In the past two years we have minimised our delistings, because let's face it we have a very good list and our performance of fringe players at Casey is clearly the stuff of envy. Hopefully Casey finally gets the rewards of almost seven years of being highly competitive and wins the flag but I am sure the club is also hoping that some of our fringe players play so well in the VFL finals that other clubs come offering late-order picks for their services, along with taking their salary off our books. At present there are 10 unsigned players on our list for next year and below is my assessment on what we should do with them, but before I get there, it is also appropriate to factor in the impending departure of Luke Jackson to Freo which colours much of my thinking and doubtless yours. To me there’s two scenarios likely to be at play with Jacko’s move, which I think we all get is going to happen. Firstly we have to get something productive back for him from Freo that lessens the loss. The Dockers doubtless will offer their first rounder (currently pick 14) and will try and throw in next year’s one as well (which based on this year’s form will also be in the 12-18 ballpark). But to me that’s not quite enough. If we took that offer, we would then have to offload pick 14 to Collingwood for Grundy and most likely try and include a sweetener - Tomlinson, Bedford and Weid have been mentioned as options -although after this year the Pies may just want another pick. But under this scenario we end up the losers because Jacko is 21 and our list needs that age group more than a 28yo who will be contracted for another five seasons and who uses up at least 750K of salary cap space and that assumes the Pies offer to pay $250K of it for at least a couple of years. In fact given that the Pies are desperate to get Taranto and keep deGoey, they will be even more inclined to say yes to our dealings if we reduce or even completely drop their financial contribution. To me, there is a second option for us though and I just hope we are trying it. What we have to do is get Freo to combine their first rounder (or their future first rounder) with one of their young talented defenders for Jackson. I have always been a huge fan of Dandenong’s Hayden Young and was shocked when we didn’t get him that draft - preferring the Pickett/Rivers option, which certainly has been mega rewarding as well. But a Jacko for Young and a high pick would seem to be fairly equitable and keeps both clubs exchanging the same age demo and also returns both picks home. In our case Young, who is contracted, would be ideal as a replacement for Hibbo. Young’s form this year was superb, so the Dockers won’t give him up without a fight, but the Dockers have a plethora of good defenders - Ryan, Cox, Pearce, Chapman is a star, Walker a huge talent and Clark to name a few, so they may ultimately be persuaded into letting him go if that is the key to getting the deal done. Obviously after three years of great weather and shark-infested beaches, Young's desire to return may rule him out, but that’s where we may have to upgrade his five-year deal, which will add even more pressure on our salary cap. But he definitely would be worth it and his kicking is sublime. But alas we could all go on for hours about potential trades and really only our Richo and Taylor have an inkling on what can and can’t be achieved. But gees it would be nice to get both Grundy and Young for next year. My final point on all this is that we need to hold off on re-signing some players at this stage, because we need to keep enough room in the salary cap available for Grundy and potentially a Hayden Young. Hunt, Smith, Hibberd and Melksham are all in the $250K-$400K a year bracket and in my view only Hunt is mega essential for next year and beyond. By not signing the other trio, at least until we get confirmation on Grundy and a young Freo defender, then we keep around $750K up our sleeve in case. As to what I started out to do, here’s my prognosis on our out-of-contract set. Jayden Hunt - age 27 - MUST SIGN Heaps of Demonlanders have been critical of Hunt over the past few years but for two years now he's really made sure that he's looking at short and long kicking options and he has hit as many targets as any of our defenders. In the past two games he's been a major offensive factor with his run and the variety he provides in what has become quite a stagnant and stable defence. Hunt is the only one who regularly tries to break lines so his value can't and shouldn't be understated. Yes his one-on-one aerial skills sometimes are found lacking but his pace allows him to close down on opponents. His game on Shai Bolton was huge and it wasn't his fault that the club opted to play him on the last line of defence against Sydney (in Rd 12) and he was beaten on crucial plays by Papley and Heaney. Hunt did five weeks VFL penance for that game, I just hope the defensive coach who assigned him for the last line goalsquare role also had to do time of sorts. Since he's been back and further up the field off half-back he's been a point of difference that all sides need. Joel Smith - age 26 - should sign, but wait for a bit Ok, it's been another injury-decimated season for Joel, but I just hope the club hasn't forgotten the value down back he provided in our first seven games before injury hit and he was back running his usual red-vest laps at training. When fit, he now has a body that allows him to play on bigs and smalls and with his athleticism he also gives our backline pace and pressure which at times since his injury we have shown we don't have. He's been trialled as a forward at VFL level now because T-Mac got injured, but it's probably time to just send him down back again. I'd also argue that even with his penchant for accumulating injuries, that he's the ideal sub in the AFL this series because of his versatility. If Hibberd retires, then Joel is probably our only viable lock-down last line defender option (outside of May of course), so he’s worth holding on to, unless of course another club offered a second rounder for him. Michael Hibberd - age 32- let him retire after the final series Great bloke and just so adept at putting a timely bump on opponents, but I reckon it's time. I still love recalling his first few games for us and the run off half-back he provided - his dash and goal against Richmond on debut for us in 2017 was just huge and he deservedly got an AA gig that year, despite missing the first four or five games. But he's now unable to provide that dash off half-back and significantly now his best role is as a lockdown defender - how good was he on Charlie Cameron the other week. I reckon the club will probably sign him up again, because let's face he's still in our best 22, but like Melky, freeing up the salary cap space is a smarter move if we are to trying to lure a young Freo defender and keep our window open longer. Further to this, how many have noted that Geelong kept both Higgins and Dahlhaus on for another year after 2021 - do you reckon the club looks back and goes yeh, we should have made the hard call on them back then. Finishing up is not easy for player and club alike. Hibberd has been a great servant and his efforts on JJ in our GF win should not be forgotten. God, he was good in that first quarter when we were under seige. Jake Melksham - age 31- let him retire after the final series How good has it been to have Melky back in the side for a late-season cameo playing T-Mac's role, despite being four inches shorter than him. As with Hibberd, he uses his body just so well and that's why I hope the club finds a way to make both he and Hibbo assistants - sounds like we may need a few new ones with Yze and Chocco in demand anyway. Melky's best year was 2018 when he showed our squad that if you kick long and quickly, you create chaos for opponents. He's too slow to play half-forward or midfield now, but he's been so good as a tall forward the past few weeks. Does that mean we sign him up again? My view is no as we really need to play Van Rooyen next season, alongside Fritter and big Ben. The salary cap room his departure creates should allow us to nail a quality Freo defender in our trade for Jackson. But if we are less assertive at the trade table, Melky may agree to play on at a reduced rate. Oskar Baker - age 24 - delist, or if interest, trade He'll probably win our VFL best-and-fairest this year and has always been an everyready goer at VFL level with precious few chances at AFL level - 15 games in four seasons. This year he's played quite a bit in defence and there's no doubt in any other era, outside of our current successful one, he'd get games in the seniors, but alas it's probably time for the 24yo to move on. Gold Coast or Brisbane might rookie him, otherwise he'll be a great recruit for Southport. Toby Bedford - age 22 - trade He's been our medical sub on several occasions and technically he's listed as having played 16 games this season, although he's probably only started in about four. He's shown a bit of toe in several games and kicked nine goals as well and a couple of rippers on the run. There's been talk of clubs such as the Giants, Bombers and Pies being interested in him and given our plethora of small forwards, he deserves another shot at making the big time. Hopefully we can do a deal for an exchange of late-order picks. Fraser Rosman - age 20 - delist and re-rookie Tubby Taylor took a bit of a punt on the Wesley boy with great athleticsm and a lovely left foot after missing out on another athlete - Max Holmes - who went way earlier than expected. The club was hoping Rosman would be our left-side wingman but he's been unable to really impact at VFL level and was even sent to defence to find more footy. So far it hasn't happened, although he did show a few promising signs for Casey against Sydney. Maybe the club might decide to delsit him and then re-rookie him. Rookies Kade Chandler - age 22 - trade As with Toby, he's in the queue behind Kossie, Spargs and ANB and it's hard to realistically see that altering in 2023. Kade has quite a bit of poise with a lovely left foot so it would be interesting to see how he would go at a club that can give him a genuine shot. Given Adelaide will have Rankine along with Rachele, it might be wise for him to see if Port would be willing to swap a late pick for him. Mitch Brown - age 32 - delist What a talent. He’s just so smooth and reliable with his movements and has been a delightful back up for us, but unfortunately at 32 and after two seasons in the role, it’s time to move on and I suspect he’s probably got plenty of life after footy plans in place from being on the edge for about seven seasons. If he’d been a tad quicker he’d have been a star at AFL level because he’s such a reliable kick and presents so well, albeit without a great leap. Deakin Smith - age 20 - delist or re-rookie He’s a very clean Nev Jetta-style defender who as yet hasn’t been able to justify his rise to the seniors. He probably needs to take the game on more to warrant the next step and I’d reckon the club will be watching closely how he copes with VFL finals pressure as they would be with Fraser Rosman before making a decision for next year. Majak Daw - age 31- retired mid-season A very handy VFL-level ruckman/forward and as with Mitch Brown, the chances just didn't eventuate at top level. Finally it’s important to note that VFL stars Luke Dunstan, Sam Weideman and Adam Tomlinson all have another year to run on their contracts and can again serve as valuable back-ups. That’s in addition to Van Rooyen who must be given plenty of AFL chances next season and Laurie who we need to see what he possesses at the next level, while Turner is another who is ready to challenge and would allow us to send Petty or May forward on occasions. And we should get a better idea on Howes and Woewodin’s capabilities next year.
  25. So where do you think Bailey is going to play Demon3 or do you have inside knowledge that he's injured? And your choice of Hunt on Cameron is logical based on pace, but against that is the fact that Cameron plays largely from the goalsquare and the last time we thrust Hunt into that position (against Sydney's Papley and Heeney if you have forgotten) he spent the next six weeks in the VFL because he was blamed for losing pivotal contests. The person who lost the pivotal contest was the fella who nominated to play him in that role and there has been no suggestion anywhere of that nuff-nuff losing some of his coaching salary. Hunt showed on Saturday his value as a running defender - he was the only one who didn't go down the left side like Goody's zombies and the result was that our forwards got a decent chance to score when he got it. Hunt will most likely play on Bailey who is mega quick as well, but plays more half-forward than goalsquare like Charlie. Daniher and Hipwood are the two major dangers so May and Petty will get them, Lever will get McStay or when he's off Rayner. That leaves Salem on McCarthy and Rivers on Rayner. Poor old Hibbo will have to get Cameron which ain't ideal but Hibbo is such a great user of his body in one-on-one contests around the goalsquare that it has to be him. What should happen is that Rivers should be dropped and that Brayshaw goes back to defence and is told to try and switch the ball on occasions rather than just going down the line to a contest like zombies that we do. Harmes would then come into the midfield rotation. What should also happen is that Joel Smith should be the sub, so that he can cover almost any injury scenario for us, including playing on Charlie if Hibbo does his hammy. But that won't happen because Goody doesn't like changing a side and will stick with a small forward as sub (or Harmes if he doesn't get a recall). When you are premiers your coach can do nothing and have an immediate justification - we are premiers after all, what do you know. The fact that we've lost six of our past 11 games and everyone has figured us out as one-trick ponies is irrelevant - because we are premiers and it is almost heresy to suggest change. Our only hope is that our middle quartet get enough decent centre bounce clearances to provide a winning score, because we sure as hell ain't going to win by simply playing the left side ... again and again and again.
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