mo64

For starters, the Pies aren't going to pay half of Grundy's contract for 5 years ($500k pa). Secondly, giving up a 1st rd pick on a player who struggled in 2021 and basically missed all of 2022 through injury is insanity. He is not a current AA player, so his deeds in the past are irrelevant. The Pies need a majority of Grundy's contract off their books in order to get the players they have targeted. The fact that they see Grundy as being surplus to their needs is telling. He's a salary dump, and we are reportedly his only suitor. A token pick is all we should be giving up.

Simon, you are stating the bleeding obvious. You talk about our inefficiency going forward, and yet the coaching dept failed to change the game plan or personnel required to address things. That's on you and the rest of the coaching dept. And I'd like to know how pursuing Grundy addresses our "vulnerabilities". Lack of sustained forward pressure was an obvious vulnerability, so how does the plan of having Gawn or Grundy resting forward address that?

McStay is a far better fit than Grundy, but he'll probably want a 4 year deal on $600k-$700. So it's a no for McStay, and a no for Grundy.

No you can't. Weid is not a 3rd tall forward at AFL level. And your pregame spiel on JVR was off the mark. We played 3 banged up talls in BBB, Gawn and Jackson, and none of them could give 100% effort across the whole game. Regardless of the level of play, JVR gives effort every time you see him. And I don't see how JVR is any different to Jye Amiss, who made an impact for Freo in a final.

The ruckwork of T Mac and JVR when up forward has me thinking that Max plays 85% game time as a pure ruckman, and T Mac and JVR could share the other 15%. Ditch the idea of playing Max up forward. I've liked how Weid has developed as a ruckman, but he's not good enough as an AFL forward.

Hunt earnt his spot. Rivers and Salem were poor in both finals.

I'd had Turner ahead of Tomlinson. Most of the damaging AFL key forwards are either mobile (Curnow, Cameron, Naughton, Hipwood, Daniher, Riewoldt, McKay) or beasts {Lynch, Hawkins). Tomlinson is a straight ahead player with poor agility. I don't see him as an AFL defender any more.

Leave Spargo out. We can do better than him. If Bowey can't break into our backline, I'd rather have him playing whatever role Spargo plays. Bowey is better in every facet of the game.

Mitch White is so important in conditions like this.

Baker, lol. JVR goal after all that.

Adelaide have Rachelle and now Rankine. Fail to see how or why the Crows could get him this year. I'm sure Port are putting out the feelers, but I'd refuse to trade him.

So in 2 finals we've lost to a team with a journeyman ruckman in Hickey, and a team missing their regular ruck combination of McInerney and Daniher. If we give up cap space for 5 years, and a decent pick for Grundy, we have seriously lost the plot.

Two of the more laughable things happened in the 1st quarter when we were well on top. ANB marks 35m out directly in front, and passes it to Langdon on a worse angle. Langdon kicked the goal, but the thinking was idiotic. Then Jackson has a free on half forward and passes it to a leading Gawn in the forward pocket, and the ball spills out of bounds. This is symptomatic of our method and thought process.

I have a theory, and I don't think that fitness levels has anything to do with it. Our game plan revolves around winning contests and locking the ball into our forward 50. It requires an enormous amount of effort on the part of the mids and the forwards. With the talent we have, we build up a sizeable lead and yet invariably concede late goals before half time. The scoreboard at half time rarely reflects our dominance. At half time Goody addresses the players and tells them that we have the game on our terms. The opposition coaches of better sides will tell their players that it's impossible for Melbourne to continue at that intensity, and a 3-4 goal deficit is not insurmountable. Once the opposition get within a goal or two in the second half, it's almost game over. But I think it's more psychological than physical. I honestly believe that our players are not fully invested in our negative game plan, because they are not getting scoreboard reward for effort. Once that opposition have neutralised the game around the contests and the scoreboard, it all becomes too hard for our players to go again. The players have an ego/arrogance after winning last years flag. But they're coached to defend rather than show their talents. I think the players have lost the motivation to grind a game for 120 minutes on the back of the 2021 flag. Coaches like Paul Roos and Ross Lyon have limited shelf life at one club. Their game plans are too mentally gruelling on the players. If Goodwin wants a long tenure at the Dees, he needs to look at John Longmire, who's evolved from a negative coach to a positive coach. He's weeded out the "try hards" from the team, and replaced them with skilful players who also give effort. And after listening to all of the Burgess/Brukner podcasts in that last off-season, Burgo's role in the mental side of the game cannot be understated.

ANB played on Rich last time.

I'm not talking about the past 2 weeks. We failed to address T Mac's absence. We had the chance to either experiment with Petty up forward or play JVR. Consistent performers at VFL level like Dunstan and Chandler weren't rewarded. We persisted with ANB and Spargo, when they were giving us little. The whole team seemed to lack energy in the 2nd half of the season. Some players were banged up. Maybe some fresh faces could have lit the spark. But the match committee and coaches stuck with the same players and game plan which continually failed against the better sides.

I agree with Jackson, but BBB is being asked to do more than he's physically capable of. He's basically playing his role from last year and TMac's role. At one stage in the 1st half he was at half back. He tends to start the game well but tires in the 2nd half.

Does that make him a "unicorn"?

You complain about the umpires after every loss. How about analysing the performance of the players and coaches for a change? You might find the real reasons for our losses.

Where are all the posters who slagged off anyone who dared criticise the match committee or coaches? Blind Freddy could see that our 2 finals losses were on the cards, based on our form during the 2nd half of the season. I'm not upset. I'm angry.

Rubbish. It's the game plan. Do you think the key forwards like leading into the pocket, or having the ball kicked on their head? But we need mid sized forwards who do more than ANB, Spargo and Sparrow.

I thought Spargo was even worse, but then again that was his stock standard performance.

Not if we waste a pick on Grundy.

You clearly haven't been watching the last 14 games because we've been overrun in most of them. Your BS loading theory is thankfully dead.

Lucky we loaded. We'll be at our optimal on Grand Final day according to binman.