deanox

We had 5 traded in players in our prelim final team, 8 players who were traded in played 10+ games this year, plus Pedersen on the who didn't play many this year but had previously.

He finished 6th on votes per game (not including Viney who only played 10). It is also worth noting that it appears the coaches have given higher average votes towards the end part of the season (presumably the two finals and the WC and GWS games) compared to the early rounds. Ie many of the top 10 finishers had higher vpg for the last 10 rounds compared to the first 8 rounds. So had he played those last games he may have polled higher. He was on track for 3rd up until round 15ish.

He finished 6th in votes per game out of players with more than 10 games.

@rpfc your list is ok, not far off mine. Imo, when we lost games it was one of two things: lack of midfield defensive running, or poor kicking (particularly into 50). Might first priority is then skilled kicks in the midfield. With 59.8 i50s per game (the most of any team) I'd like to see us hit targets more often going forward. 2nd priority is hard running and skilled mids. Our hardest running players are also some of our weaker disposals. 3rd priority is a true medium defender who can mean up the Menzels, Breusts, Stringers. That is currently done by Hibberd. Lever isn't the right guy. 4th priority is a KPD. A 2nd ruck is also a high priority but less critical. I think we are chasing Preuss because we know Hogan is gone. We then play him as a ruck forward. The small forward is a need but I think it can be ignored because we have such depth on that space, although losing Kent and perhaps VDB will test us. Getting May may improve us, and could free Frost to be the medium defender, but I'm not sure Frost is better in that role than his current role. So I think we'd still have that weakness. I'm concerned May is overpriced for 3-4 years of service. I think we are better spending that high amount of currency on priorities 1, 2 and even 3, as those priorities basically don't gauge any incumbent.

You're right I didn't add the prelim but we we were torched in the midfield not in defense. Kent Kingsley would have kicked a bag against us that day. I should correct my statement. I don't think full back is our "biggest" problem. We successfully contained key forwards on plenty of other days when the midfield fired. In creating that list, what jumped out to me was actually how often a medium forward kicked 3+ against us (not listed). We don't have true medium defenders, just rebounders. Maybe bringing May in releases Frost to play that role?

This. To me, we didn't lose many games because of our defense. WCE prelim: our mids went missing. The whole team really. Collingwood, Richmond, Hawksduring season: our mids didn't run hard enough, allowing easy ball to enter our D50 on the rebound. We didn't tackle enough, and got comprehensively beaten all over the ground. PA, Sydney, Geelong x 2, St Kilda, we comprehensively won the inside 50 count but delivery i50 was bombing it long. The second Geelong match we allowed Hawkins to go nuts, but that was lack of midfield pressure more than defense. The following key forwards, who May might play on, have kicked goals on us this year: R1: Menzel 4.2, R2: n/a R3: Brown 4.1, Waite 3.1 R4: Roughhead 3.1, O'Brien 3.0 R5: Reiwoldt 2.2 R6: Stringer 3.3 R7: n/a R8: Day 2.2 R9: McKay 2.1 R10: n/a R11: n/a R12: Cox 5.1 R13: bye R14: Westhoff 2.1 R15: McCartin 2.3, Battle 1.2 R16: Cox 2.0 R17: Schache 2.2 R18: Hawkins 7.0 R19: n/a R20: n/a R21: Franklin 2.5 R22: Vardy 1.1 R23: Cameron 1.4 Other than Franklin, Hawkins and Cox, no one got of the leash. I just don't see big key defender as our weakness.

Frost is a funny sort of player, and reminds me a bit of the former New Zealand Zealand Bob Cunis, neither one thing nor the other. He isn't big and strong enough to be the gorilla keeper. He is quick but not quite agile enough for the small forwards. His disposal and decision making aren't good enough to be the premier rebounding medium defender. With May, the back 7 will be: Lever, May, Jetta, Hibbard, Salem then one of group A OMac and Frost, and one of group B Lewis, Hunt, and Joel Smith. The only way Frost and Omac play in the same team as Lever and May is if Omac is picked and then Frost forces his way into competition with group B, as a small/medium defender. Personally I think his skill set is "amazing run, carry, closing speed etc. for a tall defender, that makes up for some of his weaknesses as a tall defender" rather than "great strength and aerial skills that make up for his weaknesses as a rebounding defender". Thus is why I'm not super enthusiastic about getting May. I know he is a good player who will improve us. But for the cost in picks too gain him, minus the value of the incumbents who he will push out of the team (rather than reposition) I think we can get better value by trying to improve other areas of the ground.

I agree he sulks a bit instead odd playing the whistle, but he has an above average shot conversion and probably deserves the frees he doesn't get. But he isn't over rated. He is one of the top key position forwards in the competition and is only 23. His perceived "weakness" is mostly associated with being double/triple teamed and also games where delivery is worse. One out he is close to the best mark we have. He covers heaps of ground, gets a lot of the ball and has beautiful field kicking. The injuries are a bigger concern than the rest, given he is a heavy set running. That being said, two first rounders is the going price for any player of that age and quality. The only question is how early should the first rounders be? Personally, I'd want to finish with a top 6 pick as one of them.

I could never be truly annoyed if he left after what he has been through this last 18 months. He is a young bloke making hard decisions with a million people buzzing in his ears. It helps to know that we'll be handsomely compensated if he does leave. I hope he stays with us, because I love the sentiment in footy. But I also felt for Bernie when he missed games and the VFL premiership, was happy to cheer and celebrate Hibberd and Melksham, and I consider both Jeff White and Jeff Farmer MFC players despite their time at other clubs. Some players move because they have poor character. Others move despite their loyalty. I hope he gets success with us.

I'd take 5 and 6, and we return our 2019 first round pick.

ANB has kicked 26 goals 18 behinds. Set shot I'd tend to agree but stats aren't available. Petracca has kicked 18.19, so ANB is a level above for accuracy.

In this scenario we will have beaten all teams except Sydney and PA in the season too.

He's contracted till next year so we're only let him go if we are happy too and the price is right. The best part about his last three weeks is that anyone who wants him is going to have to pay because he is a pick 9 showing he will make it: his value is therefore at least pick 9, and personally i think higher. A month ago that value was harder to argue on exposed form. I think we'll reflect and decide on what we want to do with the three talls next year and beyond. If we think it can and will work we will hold on to him. If we think it won't work, we'll decide who we're will get the best value from keeping/trading and go from there. Weid will be super important to give Gawn a chop out or a week off and help him look after his body, and I think that's how we'll fit them all in: a ruck, 2 KPFs and a ruck/forward on the bench. The real advantage is that both Hogan and TMac are mobile enough to push up the ground meaning we won't lose too much run. Gawn is 27, TMac 26, Hogan 23.5, Weid 21. That age spread is perfect for us if we can keep them together, enabling is to replenish slowly. So we'd be silly not to try and hold them together.

At 21 he possibly has 5 years more than Max. His ability around the ground may come in handy when we reach that transition in the future.

The ball was swinging around at that end all day, drifting towards the south goal post. Weed took the mark and immediately put his hands up: he was taking the shot. He then proceeded to slot it from nearly 50 m out, almost on the boundary. He knew exactly how he was kicking it and nailed it.

I noticed that and was annoyed on Sunday but then I realized he was doing it to try and gain separation a moment later. It might not work every time but he seemed to engage in a scrag, causing his opponent to stop watching the ball, then use that moment to push off his opponent or nudge his opponent under the back and turn back himself. It didn't work even the back dropped in front of him because then he wasn't able to push off. So might be atactic. Might also just be poor behavior.

You mean most supporters full stop right?

Yep, watching the way Alir carved us up demonstrated how much we missed Lever. Add Joel Smith and Hibberd, and we have been really hurt in such a critical department.

But I'd argue the same concept applies to AFL. The center square and the 50 arc is largely the same!

I think it's a bit of learn to walk before you can run. We've seen it with Oliver - he is starting to make decisions to run and carry and kick, instead of taking the first option, but Ibet if he tried that last year he would have been caught out. The playing group will start to make these decisions better with a bit more experience. Hopefully starting this week!

Yeah I agree with this too. I think that change in mentality will be when this team clicks. It makes sense it is taking some time though. You have to be very good, and very well styled to follow a game plan perfectly. But you have to be particularly experienced/ elite to know when to break a game plan/team rules, and be successful. Our team is 2 years in into learning the plan, into trusting each other. This week we have an average of 89 games, which is median for the AFL. GWS and Collingwood are anomalies but they also have long injury lists of experienced players (Greene, Delidio, Scully, Shaw, Patton etc.) (Dunn, Elliot, Howe, Treloar) whose inclusions would comfortably bump them close to 100. Geelong (122) Port (119) Adel (116) North (114) WC (108) Sydney (107) Hawks (107) Richmond (104*) Essendon (102) Brisbane (89) Melbourne (89) Carlton (86) Collingwood (87) Freo (83) Dogs (81) GWS (80) GC (76) Saints (69)

Cricket.

@Lord TravisThis is 100% game plan. The @spirit of norm smith has nailed it. There are really good statistics for shot accuracy showing the zones which are high percentage. We know Goodwin is fascinated by this because he started the "diamind defense" last year, which was a structure that conceded low percentage shots (45m+ from goal and shots from the flanks), in order to defend the "high accuracy zone" immediately in front of opposition goal. In addition, we have identified that if we score a goal it resets to neutral contest in our strongest formation (centre bounce) but if we miss the shot, we hand them the ball in our weakest formation (defending opposition transition from defense to attack). Although we've abandoned the diamond defense this year, our new implementation of this strategy has focused on our attack instead. We have looked to gain possession of the ball in the "high accuracy" zone in our forward line. This worked very successfully in the first half of the season, where we're had very high goal conversion ratios. It came to a screaching halt against Port, who countered this tactic by ignoring the bank carrier at our HF, and stacked the "high accuracy" zone in their D50 and picked off all our forward entries when we're tried to pass it. We didnt adapt that night and take better options. We have improved/adapted in this area since, by taking more lower percentage shots, but this has resulted in a decrease in our goal kicking accuracy. The other flow on from this is we are exposing ourselves to more counter attacks from our defense, which were don't defend well. This is a balance our players need to find: when to follow team rules, and when to have a shot. They will find that balance better with experience; we are still relatively young. We saw against Sydney we got the worst of both worlds. Our attempts to kick to the high accuracy zone were cut off by Alir and our low percentage shots went out of bounds on the full or didn't make the distance. Hopefully we can execute better this week.

Goodwin said Weideman had worked “really hard” to handle the demands of playing in the AFL. “We’ve seen a huge change in his physical capabilities,” he said. “He’s launching at the ball incredibly well at VFL level, so it’s an opportunity for him – a really strong opportunity – at an important time for us.” From his media conference today

I agree with this. I fell his efforts in contests are quite good and he actually gets his hands to the ball alot. They haven't quite stuck for him yet, but I really think they will soon. He has the natural technique to be the best mark in our team, when he has the strength of the nearly 27 year old, 109kg Gawn or the 26 yo 100kg TMac, then they'll clunk for him.