deanox

Agree with this 100%. I'm not saying we've got it right but I don't think it's as outrageous as people make out. The versatility of mid size positions in AFL vs say soccer or cricket makes this difficult. The value gained or lost by changing Harmes' role needs to be considered with respect to the other roles that the change would affect. If Rivers was available as a game day emergency then that would have allowed the reshuffle, but given at selection it appears Jones/HFF and Harmes/HBF was preferred to Harmes/HFF and Rivers/HBF it probably wasn't on the cards. FWIW I would have prefered Harmes/HFF and Rivers/HBF.

I don't understand smaahing Goodwin over this. Is Harmes in the best 22 players on our list? Probably. Is Harmes in the starting 3 mids? No, he isn't even the first rotation in. Is Harmes the best half forward option? Probably not. Fritsch is ahead of him, Brayshaw and Truck are resting there, Jones, Hannan and VDB are playing there, but can't play anywhere else. Can Harmes play wing? No. As the 5th best midfielder and 3rd best (and more versatile) HFF, but still in the 22, he finds himself at HBF because he is capable of playing there, in a way that others who he is competing with can't. So Goodwin is "stubbornly persisting" because he is trying to play the best players. The only real option is to drop Harmes for a specialist like Rivers, but then he would be leaving talent in the shed. It's pretty clear what he's trying to do and why. It isn't working so he needs to reassess: but when you can't play talent into form in the reserves, persisting may be the best option.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/how-melbourne-stumbled-on-a-gun-tagger-in-james-harmes/news-story/d09d859f1cc5c6c9c507473a5fc0e49b Harmes went into the midfield with Viney out and Petracca forward. He is behind Clarry, Truck, Viney and Brayshaw for a spot in there.

I'll be surprised if Jones comes back, quads aren't 6 day injuries, and his punch suggested more than just cautionary tightness. Harmes has been very poor down back, although I'm unsure if they'll drop a senior player. Id like to see Rivers take his spot. Bennell will come in for Sparrow if Jones isnt right. His disposal at least adds a point of difference. Also, any other change options will result in reshuffling (ie Omac in, Tomlinson to the wing). Gawn back if fit. I think Preuss has given us more than TMac has the last two weeks, so i'd drop TMac and try to use Gawn or Preuss forward of the ball. Melksham has been terrible but does keep generating scoring opportunities, so will probably hold his spot. Out: Sparrow (inj.), Harmes, Preuss/Tmac In: Bennell, Rivers, Gawn,

Leave him there!

That rule changed this year, and it is no longer considered prior opportunity.

Oliver burst out in the first few minutes but then got blanketed. Throw him forward?

He has looked a likely type an be I think he has the capacity to rotate through the flanks as well as inside mid. Am I right in saying we got him with the pick we got back from Hogan? So we got May, KK and Sparrow for Hogan? Pity KK hasn't made it back.

We got Preuss for Dom Tyson. To think Preuss has played 8 games to Tysons 3 since that trade. I also think he's worth more to us that other clubs right now, without sufficient exposed AFL form, so the trade probably wouldn't happen. He is there because we need mature cover for Gawn while we think there is a genuine chance of finals/premiership. But then with Jackson coming on, maybe he isn't that critical and we would consider taking overs for him.

We've got a tight fixture between 14-17 with 4 games in 15 days, but it looks like our opponents are the same. - GWS (r17) play on the same day as us in both r14-16, so neither side disadvantaged. - Freo (r16) have 1 day extra break from r15 but they need to travel to Cairns, and their r14 game is the same day as ours, so we both play 3 in 9 days (rr14-r16) -Swans (r15) have the same break as us from r14 Pretty happy with this, because the uneven breaks have caused one sided contests.

In 2018 Spargo averaged 5.2 score involvements from 12.2 disposals per game. Let's call that 4.2 from 9.8 in 2020 due to shorter games. This year he is ave 4.0 from 9.0 from 3 games, so very close. This year 84 players average 4.2 or score involvements per game and at 4.0, Spargo is top 90 in the comp. That's only 4-5 players per club who are that much involved in their teams scoring as much as Spargo. Let's say elite in this category is 5 (only 22 players average more than 5 score involvements per game this year). Spargo only needs an extra 2 disposals per game and he'll hit that. I rate score involvements as a concept stat because they show how well you create attacking opportunities through your disposal, either by hitting the score board or by combining with your team mates during scoring passages. In Spargo's case he creates opportunities to score by adding value. He disposes to the advantage of his team mates in a way that frees them up. Even when he isn't scoring, those around him score.

Didn't Koz have a week off recently?

He has been OK and will struggle to get back in while we are playing like this. But even if just in glimpses he has shown qualities that we don't have in any other player. He has time and space with the ball, and finesse in his disposal. He adds a bit of silk that we otherwise don't have. Hopefully his body holds up, and he learns to trust it, such that he can impact games with those qualities in the future.

I think Rivers is competing with Hibberd, Salem and even Harmes in the medium back defender role. Given Hibberd is 31 before the start of next season, I think there will be a transition period over the next 12-24 months.

I'm assuming talking points get released sometimes. Journos and media can then write their pieces during working hours, and publish immediately after the press conference, instead of waiting til 4pm to start writing articles. I also wonder of early release of info to journalists is part of a the "media deal". Jounos pay money to be accredited. In return they get leaked bits to get clicks, views, followers etc.

That's just not true. In 2020, he is averaging 4.0 marks (1.8 contested, 3.0 inside 50), 2 goals, 1.2 behinds, 5 score involvements, 8 disposals. Factor that for only 80% game time and is the equivalent of 5 marks (2.25 contested, 3.75 inside 50), 2.5 goals, 1.5 behinds, 6.25 SIs and 10 disposals. 2019 was 4.2 marks (1.5 contested, 1.5 i50), 1 goal, 0.7 behinds, 4 SIs, 10.2 disposals. 2018 was 4 marks (1.8 contested, 1.2 i50), 1 goal, 0.5 behinds, 4.2 score s and 11.5 disposals. He hasn't gone backwards at all, he is taking more marks and kicking more goals per minute of game than previous. There is nothing to support your "stuffed up" comments, except for your feel. My comment about learning from the ruck is pure conjector. I have no idea if it's true, but it has more basis in reality than your unsupported claim.

They listened to you Syd. Egan’s standouts from Round 11 practice match

What if the stint training/playing in the ruck taught him to be more physically competitive, and taught him how to use his body while attacking the ball in the area? It could be the reason he has started taking those marks instead of dropping them when nudged.

Have been saying he is a lovely kick just let down by execution, and this supports that somewhat. I suspect he was under instruction to kick more, which he did but rushed and ineffective. He then retreated into his shell because it wasn't working. Looks like he has had further coaching to drive or burst out of congestion before attempting the kick, which has given him the space and confidence he needs to execute. Good coaching. Let's hope he can continue this improvement and doesn't drop back to old ways.

They seemed very determined to get to pick 3. Given the Dogs and Eagles did a little trade that swapped pick 2 for pick 3, I wonder if this top couple of talents overall are very strong, but drop of afterwards?

I'll cop that. In dying seconds it is definitley game on despite being 2 out 3 kicks behind. But I do miss the tactical battle of position in the early quarters.

I think the 666 rule stiffled innovation that was only just beginning. It may not have affected us (according to public comments by the coach) but it took away one of the few things the coach can control on game day - positions - limiting opportunities to implement tactics based on positions. RE the GPS positioning: I think it helps with match ups and a bit with zones. It is good to as ego is where, who is in space, how the switches are working in real time and what is unfolding forward of the ball. Give it a try! I'm not satisfied its perfect and it does go haywire occasionally but it's much better than just the tv.

I think Oliver improving his drive out of contests will help this because he has the ability to become a power player not just a ball winner. https://www.facebook.com/AFL/videos/2824933957729828/ Also that clip is all about Petracca, but I'd like to highlight Olivers understanding of where the kanga were in space around him. By changing direction he put an effective sheppard on both Dummont (14) and Hall (43) and gave Petracca the clear run into space. It's subtle but it's the reason the got the ball out like that.

When you watch the game live on the AFL App you can watch it either as the tv video or as a top down plan of the ground with the little player numbers moving around (their GPS locations). It's a few seconds delay from live but if you delay your Kayo stream you can see the full ground at all times.The ball is shown as well, probably hand drawn in thus the delay. I use it a lot late last year, and some may recall posts I made about Tomlinson playing the defensive wing position which you don't see on tv. It's really frustrating that they don't publish the data or the heat maps after the game. Honestly, I think most of the published AFL stats are rubbish, or at the least they don't infer what the media claims they do. Contested possessions (picking up a loose back under no pressure or running a physical contest in the backline) and DE% (hit a player on the chest or bomb it long to disadvantage in a 4 v 4 pack) are the classic ones. For example, to gauge pressure I'd be interested to see effective corrals and total tackles, not just tackles that cause possession spills. I've been looking for a good stats and tactics analysis website for a while but am struggling to find much. I've recently read posts here but I struggle to find much more detailed. https://www.statsinsider.com.au/afl/stats-that-matter-the-tactical-evolution-of-afl I'm particularly interested in positioning and zone movement vs ball movement because I think that's key in 2020. The post above by @Axis of Bob lays out the few available strategies so simply, everything after that is tactical execution but it just never gets described that way. At the ground I usually sit level 2 behind the goals, so @binman your post resonated with me. The last few years we have been more exciting to watch than most teams because of Goodwins experimental set ups and positioning (diamond defence anyone) and I was very frustrated when 666 came in and stiffled that innovation.

My other observation was the ground covered by Pickett. I'd like to watch the replay, but on a number of occasions he made the first lead out of the 50 which opened space, but then had double backed and was back flying past the contest 30-50 m away seconds later.