deanox

You'd think Jackson and Petty will be big targets for other clubs next year, with Oliver and Rivers the year after. But otherwise the core of the list has been locked up lock term hasn't it?

If he doesn't give it to Oliver, surely Max is the only other option for top 2 votes on Sat?

It was a 2017 joke.

I haven't even got my "buy your finals tickets here" email, and we actually made it this time!

Sparrow was great, surprisingly strong, and I thought he did enough to hold his spot. 12 disposals (7 contested and 331 m gained), 6 marks (3 contested), 5 tackles, despite only 62% TOG, was a great return. I was in favour of Jordon playing, but if the plan was to bring Jordon back after a week off, I think Sparrow has made it difficult for Goody and co to stick to their guns.

My main concern with Smith is that I don't think he quite has the "football smarts" at times, so worried that he gets turned inside out by a Charlie Cameron. I think I'd put Petty on Daniher due to the height, so I'm wondering if Smith play on McStay? He gives away a few cm (191 v 195 as listed), but it would allow May on Cameron (I think he has played this type of role before) and Lever to take say McCarthy and do some zoning?

I haven't seen this reported anywhere, and maybe I've got my wires crossed but if Clarry averages 30.3 disposals per game in his next 19 games he will equal Greg Williams as the fastest to 4000 disposals, despite his 17 games in 2020 being played with 25% less game time. If Clarry can average 31.9 disposals per game, he'll do it in 18 games, and beat Williams by 1, making him the fastest ever. For context, in his 22 games this year, he has averaged 31.6, so it's a very real possibility. Sources: This Brisbane Lions article is about Lachie Neale being poised to be the fastest to 5000 disposals. It lists a number that are fast to 4000, but it isn't a complete list and maybe someone got to 4000 faster but not to 5000 and therefore isn't listed here? https://www.lions.com.au/news/963083/neale-poised-to-make-afl-history AFL Tables has full career stats for Oliver (3,425 disposals from 121 games, including round 22: https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/C/Clayton_Oliver.html Edit: it goes without saying that he is on track to be the fastest to 5,000 as well, needing an average of 28.75 disposals per game for the next 67 games to do it.

Well we got the minor premiership, and ironically will probably have an opportunity to know off the interstate final too! I think I read that we've play 87 finals at 9 venues, but only won at 4 of those venues. And of those 4 venues, the only one in current use is the MCG. So any finals wins this year will add to those numbers!

Prolonging Essendon's steel without winning a final is critical for the balance of the universe.

With you completely with this post, except for giving him the benefit of the doubt. He was over line when he went up for the ball, his immediate opponent had already dropped a couple of steps back because of how clearly OOtF it was (so no physical pressure and he wasn't trying to spoil anyone's mark) and he chose to double fist punch it as far as he could. I think it was pretty justified for a "time wasting" 50 m penalty, given the "professional foul" nature of the infringement.

I honestly don't know what was worse. Paying it against May as he fell over, or against Brayshaw trying to get it forward.

The umpiring was pretty average all night. I would have thought that the two top 4 battle games would have been auditions for the 6 umpires they thought were most likely for the prelim/GF?

Was screaming for this! How he managed to hit Max up like that, I'll never know.

Commentators seemed pretty happy it was there and scathing of the deliberate against Brayshaw.

Yeah good on Carey. But since when has swapping hands been called a throw in the AFL? Is it the action (ie "throwing it up"?). If so, the same thing should apply to Higgins 2018, and other instances of throwing it up then kicking it. He wasn't disposing it, and it's not like he threw it up meters in the air and recaught it to avoid another player, he did the minimum he could to transfer the ball between hands. Surely that is not the intent of the rule?

Under what rule did the umpire pay that a throw? (Around the goal post) Surely passing the ball hand to hand is not the same as throwing? Surely it's no different than Higgins 2018?

Pick 8 for Lever? What a steal. We had to pay pick 6 for May for was 5 or 6 years older. I still don't understand the fuss!

Yeah we paid 2 first round picks, but add them all in with the picks we got back (including Petty), I don't think the equivalent of a top 5 pick was overs for an exposed form, 21 year old who was almost guaranteed to play for 10 more years in your best 22.

Over the year I feel Jordon has the body of work I'd have prefered heading into finals. Perhaps they are resting him in lieu of the pre finals bye? I actually added more here (to save double up). https://demonland.com/forums/topic/50894-teams-rd-23-vs-geelong/?do=findComment&comment=2031643

For the season: Sparrow averaging 7.5 disposals @69% DE, 123m gained, 1.8 SIs and 2.6 tackles, Jordon averaging 16.9, disposal @ 72% DE, 215 m gained, 3.3 SIs and 4.5 tackles. I know that is averages not the last few weeks: Sparrow's last 3 has been his best of the season but I do think Jordan has been a pretty constant contributor. He has kept disposals pretty consistent but tackles dropped right off as you said: has his role changed?

Surprised he kept his spot ahead of Jordon, but wondering if it's to freshen Jordon up for finals?

I suspect that they have tried to manage this quite as best they can with loading contracts etc. Levers extension I think was reported as a reduction in salary, Petraccas was likely front loaded. Oliver's extension was 2 years only lining him up for his turn for monster contract when ready. The risk is if LJ has come on quicker than expected and we don't have the cap space early enough. But I'm guessing we expected him to be target of a go home raid by WCE looking to replace NicNat, so probably planned for it already.

It wasn't Oliver's best game but he was consistent. 28 disposals (14 contested), 5 clearances, 8 score involvements, 7 tackles. I'd have Fritsch and Salem clearly higher than him in ranking Melbourne players, but after that it is a bit of a raffle. The 2 goals Petracca kicked may get him the nod. Others like Langdon and Rivers are in the mix too, but you could see the justification for Oliver is he gets 1 or 2 votes from the coaches. Had he kicked the two goals he missed, he would have been up there no doubt. It's the one little knock on him, and if he sorts that, look out.

There were only 16 teams though, so you got return matches against 7 sides: more chances to win the clean sweep. No one has done it in the 18 team era.

I realised this morning that only 5 of our team on Saturday were 26 or older (Hibberd, Melk, Gawn, Brown, Salem). Yes, another 5 in our nominal best 22 are over 26 and didn't play (May, TMac, Tomlinson, Viney, Hunt) but we covered them pretty well. In the next 4 years, Gawn, Brown, TMac and May are the only "retirees" we really need to worry about replacing and with Petty and Jackson we've got a good start on two of those positions. I can see that key forward for 2023 onwards would be the thing keeping our list managers up at night.