fr_ap

Yep. Another very questionable call at selection. Sestan and AMW far more deserving. Hope Kynan kills it and I have hope for him being a very good player - but you've got to wonder. Reminds me of when Koltyn debuted undeserved and looked very poor.

I wrote a thread about this (Culture) at the start of 2022 and got roundly smashed and laughed at. It is clear to me most here do not understand what culture is or the role it plays. That probably runs true for the footy public at large as well. The signs have been there since very early 2022 if you cared to see them, or knew what to look for. We briefly got it right in 21 (whether we won the flag or not - you could see it, feel it) but It hasn't been right for a long time. It's a reflection of the leadership. Whether it can be rebuilt under that same leadership, I'm not sure, but even if it was the list is far less in quality. I also wrote a thread before the start of this year about how the midfield was threadbare and we were a Trac injury away from missing finals. Well. I don't know how to find these old threads but it would be interesting to re-read with some hindsight

Well he wasn't cited for a mid-air shoulder to the head that ended a career. At this point he could probably go full Barry Hall and get away with it

Bowey has been a defensive problem for years. Even when we were strong he was the weak link in defensive 1v1s. Bizarre they keep him down there when we have an obvious need for his natural skills up the ground.

Yep

He's not alone....Oppo players walking through one armed tackles left right n centre

Square ups do and will always matter. They matter at all levels of sports and can literally change the outcomes of games. I've dished it out and been on the receiving end myself, so I know what I'm talking about. ESPECIALLY when coming off the worst loss in years and down on confidence - bring some aggression and get on the front foot. If the ball isn't bouncing for you, channel it into something else, as a team, getting behind a common purpose etc. You can disagree, that's fine. But you're just wrong mate.

Nailed it

Not going to happen guys. No chance in hell unless Simon himself calls it. Even if we finish bottom 4, he will get at least next year. Pert and Roffey are joined to Goodwin at the hip. While they're in charge, nothing will change. They'll continue to parrot that we are close and in 'win now' mode, and sacking the coach would be counter productive. By repeatedly defending him and protecting him, they have hitched their own outcomes to his and ergo - as long as it's their decision, nothing will change.

You've clearly never played competitive sports mate. It is about making a stand, showing you won't be [censored] with, and standing up to someone. It either distracts, imparts fear, sparks aggression, or makes them think twice next time, all of which are valuable tools in sport. It's a highly emotional game and the emotional state of players and fans can and often does influence the outcome. If you drink the Kool aid from the club that 'picking each other up off the ground ' or 'not making fun of each other's builds connection, then moments like these are 10x more powerful. It isn't mutually exclusive either - those saying it wouldnt have helped or they'd rather focus on our shortcomings don't understand that this is one of them. It's beyond obvious the spirit of this group has been broken and they're going through the motions ignoring a coach preaching the only lessons he's ever given. I was disgusted, embarrassed and downright sad that no one at least stood up for Gus or the fans. Let's hope Maynard never gets another premiership medal - I take solace in the fact that this Coll group have the same number as us - 1. And I know which one was more convincing.

Bingo. Galvanised for one year free of outside distractions and look what happened....reverted to type at the flag celebration at the G

Broadly agree with this except Petty out, Tomlinson stays back with May and Tom Mac goes forward.

Sharp? We had interest in his draft year I wouldn't go down this route mate. Impossible to defend our work at the trade table

This is a very very good call. They recognised what was possible with Heeney and added the support around him via Jordon and Adams. Between Jordon and Grundy, we have significantly enhanced their side (potentially to a premiership level) for extremely little in return.

That doesn't absolve the list management team of anything. If there is no money for the 2nd / 3rd stringers that hold the team together and allow the stars to do their thing,that's a major problem. Honestly, this isn't hard to understand. Oliver was rewarded for his very questionable off season with a Rd 1 berth. He and Viney get picked every week regardless of their output. Sparrow likewise. They get games because there is no one else. Show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome. None of these guys have anyone trying to take their spot. They've reached the zenith before and know how hard it is. They're taking home 1m a year for a long time as reward for that, whether they perform or not. They know they'll get picked every week regardless. They're rocking up to work and going through the motions. Culture and standards Culture and standards Culture and standards Roos, his coaching team and Josh Mahoney set all of this up. Goodwin managed to harness it for a time, but since that amazing day it has fallen bit by bit by bit. Natural ageing, tiredness, staleness and most importantly the recruiting of questionable types with little competitive edge & poor standards (and then the rewarding of those players regardless of form) has tipped this team over the edge. The environment and connection is a complete shadow of what it once was. This happens slowly...and then all at once.

Feel like I'm in la la land. I wrote a long thread about this in preseason and was widely shot down. It was really really really obvious this was coming. And I wrote that before Gus retired. It's been obvious for weeks or months now, certainly for anyone who went to the Brisbane game in the flesh.

If you actually understand footy and know what to look for this isn't surprising. List has been monumentally mismanaged since the flag and standards have been poor for a while now. Club is arrogant, stubborn and to boot, dumb. We play players through injury, we don't reward form, we do reward mediocrity and the list management team have made a number of very soft calls. All these little things add up. 21 is all we're seeing folks. I hate it and it makes me sad.

Anyone in here who genuinely thinks we are a flag chance has rocks in their head. Been clear for quite some time.

Tim Lamb. Not JT.

Agree. They're quite far from peaking tbh, their last month has been up and down. Sydney are genuinely peaking and couldn't play any better - too early. Blues were my flag tip before it all began and remain so - have all key items covered and their 2nd/3rd string layer are all contributing solidly and knowing their role. They've as a group also discovered the knack of winning - you can see it. They give me huge '21 Dees vibes and have done for about 18 months

Firstly - you've got it backwards. The nebulous concept is the game plan - because what unfolds on the field is not within the coach or players' control. This isn't basketball, where plays can be scripted with a high degree of control. Or even soccer. With 18 players per team, our number of variables makes much of what unfolds explicitly and mathematically out of our control. That doesn't mean the game plan has zero impact - teams of course try to execute their principles certain ways - but very rarely does it actually play out the way it was intended. What is not nebulous - and is within the teams control - are the principles of how we want to play. This is why Goodwin talks about contest and defence, and why when we are flat - the first piece of feedback is invariably to return to our principles. Gamestyle and personnel / positions are all downstream of this. All MFC supporters have seen this play out - Roos didn't come in and bring some cutting edge game plan. He brought principles, culture and standards. He spoke about it. Goodwin has reinforced that foundation and it is always what's most important. Secondly, you've made my point on Lamb. McVee, JVR and Howes were drafted. By JT. Not acquired at the trade table. The culture and standards have indeed fallen. I've elaborated on this previously and won't revisit this here. It was evident well before any of our most recent off season from hell came to light. You underrate those that left and worse, missed the point. I didn't say they were A graders. I said they had key strengths that aligned to our principles. Even then, objectively Harmes has played 2 or 3 games this year at far higher level than billings or hunter have. Jordon is holding down a midfield spot in the clear best team in the league and quelled Walsh, who coincidentally, destroyed us. Bedford is the worst of this cohort, but his pressure and contest is league leading for his position. We'd be a better team with him in the side. Quality in market - easy in hindsight and impossible to know who we actually had a crack at - but McStay, Chol , BZT, Ratugolea, Hollands, Ginnivan, Henry, Gresham, McKay, Doedee, Amon, Hill, Taranto, Acres, Berry, Bruhn, Bowes, Francis, Meek are all players who could have added something to our team. Obviously this is a stupid exercise as for various reasons a lot of these were probably not possible - but the bottom line is our acquisitions have been mediocre whilst our rivals have added some key pieces, sometimes for a lot of capital, sometimes for not much at all. We were at the peak and didn't need much. 1 or 2 or 3 players adding to the team significantly was probably all we needed. We couldn't do it. In any case, if you genuinely think our work at the trade table has been great or even good, there's no point discussing. To me it's been inarguably poor.

My most important point is the one you agree with. Every other "rubbish" point pretty much supported that. So what is it you disagree with? That we've added quality? Who? That our flag was primarily the work of Jackson (who acquired Roos), Roos (who set the culture and made the call on Oliver), JT (who drafted almost the entire team), Mahoney (who acquired Lever, May and Langdon), or McCartney (who made our young mids the best contest players in the game), or Goodwin (who executed the flag year as a coach)? That before setting a game-style, teams identify the principles of their culture? Might be news to you but it actually is how it's done.

I'm not talking about the team we were. I'm talking about the team we are now.

Sure. But they won't. Kidding yourself

Sure, I rambled a little. I'll sum it up. Gamestyle matters very little and our problem is that the team itself isn't much chop, and that culture and standards have fallen. Plenty on here saw it coming. You lot are wasting your time throwing theoretical "gamestyle, score source" arguments into the void to avoid coming to terms with the more jarring reality that this list is no longer capable of success. It's easier to blame tactics. I get it. Most EPL club owners do the same thing.