mo64

You are correct, but historically neither had shown that they were capable forwards. The club and some supporters got giddy by Max' 2021 Prelim 5 goal haul, but that has proven to be an outlier. The 2nd reason why it didn't work is that both Max and Grundy need to spend a majority of the game as 1st ruck to be effective. The club should have learnt from the Preuss experiment.

Keays' kick curled in late. It clearly missed the post.

Grundy will turn 30 just after the 2024 season starts, and has spent of majority of the 2nd half of 2023 in the VFL. And he still has 4 years to run on his contract, which is another negative. His value definitely hasn't appreciated. I can only see 2 potential suitors being Port Adelaide and Geelong. We'll do well to get a pick in the late 20's. A future 2nd is more likely. .

We need to make a pitch to someone who still sees themselves as still developing as ruckman, so that counts out Preuss. Flynn would be the one I'd target from GWS. The Hawks also have 4 ruckmen on their list who are all under 25. They also have Koschitzke and Brandon Ryan who could be developed into forward/rucks.

Which is why we should have pursued Hayden McLean instead of Grundy.

Grundy delivered what I expected of him, which was nothing. Can the Demonland Grundy sychophants finally concede that he's a liability unless he plays as the number 1 ruck? But we're stuck with him for another 4 years if the sycophnats have their way. Blues deserved to win, end of story.

He was a great mark but Choco would have to be a miracle worker to improve his kicking.

What options do you suggest who haven't recently failed? BBB and T Mac are cooked. Grundy has never been a capable forward, and Smith is unproven. Petty and JVR are the only 2 key forwards who have looked like taking a contested mark, in addition to being mobile. Petty is not replaceable.

You left out the player who I'd like to see replace Petty, and that is Schache.

Grundy playing at VFL level for the rest of the year isn't going to dissuade clubs from pursuing him. Other clubs know that his value is as a no.1 ruckman, so if he returned to the team alongside Max, his value won't increase.

The club is doing what's best for us by keeping Grundy in the VFL. You don't flirt with form regardless of the opposition. And I'm sure Max wouldn't accept being rested when he's fully fit and in incredible form. His competitiveness is what makes him great.

And how has our forward line looked without Grundy in the past 3 weeks? And as if we're going to keep chopping and changing our structure leading up to the finals just to keep Grundy happy. Grundy is only a direct replacement for an injured Max, and god forbid if that happens.

You don't have a bloke on a 5 year contract to fulfill that role.

The scores we've conceded lately is not all due to Petty moving from the bakline. Goody has said that we've changed our game plan and personnel to improve our forward efficiency. I couldn't imagine us coming back from 20+ point deficits (Lions and Tigers), with the way we were playing 4 weeks ago. Even against the Crows, we were able to stop their charge in the last qtr by kicking 3 quick goals, only to let them back into the game again. So for me it's give and take. Personally, I gave us no hope of winning the flag 4 weeks ago, but I'm semi confident with the way our team is now structured. If Tomlinson needs to be replaced, it's with Smith or Hibbo.

You might be thinking of Peter Giles.

Our ball movement is made more fluent because we don't have a resting ruckman with no forward craft plonked deep in our forward line.

Our forward structure has been addressed over the past 3 weeks (105, 97, 130). Petty has replaced BBB, and certainly looked like a huge upgrade. Fritta for Woey, and our forwardline should be locked in. No Grundy or Spargo for the rest of the year.

If a player retires, their salary still falls under the cap. It prevents rorting by clubs. So people suggesting that BBB and Tmac should retire have no idea. That's the equivalent of approx. $1.3 mill of dead money in our cap. Grundy has currency. Trade him.

Max has been the premier ruckman in the comp for the past 6 years as the primary ruckman. All of a sudden Grundy lessening Max's load is the reason he has returned to being the premier ruckman. Give me a spell.

Some of the commentary on here is laughable. Max still has 3 years in him, so saying Grundy will be his successor at age 32 is ridiculous. The media are just stating the obvious. Getting Grundy didn't make sense, and it's been proven correct. Max has been BOG in consecutive weeks without Grundy in the side. Max is the superior ruckman, and neither is a forward. The Gawndy experiment is over. Grundy with 4 years on his contract needs to be traded.

Apart from the odd qtr, what has Joel Smith done at AFL level as a key forward? And it helps when you come on fresh as a sub. To say that Joel Smith replaces BBB based on form is bizarre.

Joel Smith is a perfect sub option because he can play forward or back, but he hasn't proven himself as a forward. BBB is still the best option as our KPF, despite looking a shadow of himself. He gets to the right places to make a contest. At his best, he'd be taking more marks. The positive from the last couple of games has been our scoring ability. Fritta in for Woey, and our forward line should be settled. No more experimenting with Grundy. And Chandler is locked in for Spargo. The Crows are a good team, and we are still a long way from our best. I'll take the win.

Like you Big Col, I grew up a Burgers supporter and have fond memories. Fortunate to have been to 3 winning G/Fs 1979, 1988, 1989. Also went to the game against Brunswick when Jacko played, and drew a huge crowd. Totally agree with your sentiments. The AFL have killed, and continue to kill the old VFA clubs. Hope the Burgers survive.

Prior to being concussed, he had 1 possession in a half of football against the Bombers. He got dropped once he was available for selection.

Spargo dropped for the 3rd time this year. Obviously no longer overrated by the Match Committee, but still overrated on Demonland.