Axis of Bob

I'm looking forward to the predictable reprint of this article at the end of the year when the media is drooling over Pickett and North is chastised by the media for 'giving him away'. The football media is just terrible.

Agreed, binman. I think it's very difficult to see how you have benefitted from that when you, like everyone else, go through hard times, good times, challenges to overcome, setbacks in your journey and all sorts of things. You can see your own barriers that you overcome (or didn't) and therefore assume an understanding of what those challenges are for others. It makes it so difficult because the temptation is to say "Well just get over it .... my life has also been hard and I have overcome it." It doesn't invalidate your experience, it just doesn't make it directly applicable to this problem. Everyone's life is hard, which is why it is so hard to understand the impacts of racism on a person if you aren't part of that group. We just need to keep working to stop racism, wherever we get the chance.

And I'm happy that our club keeps calling out racism. Aside from being the right thing to do, it also shows our players (and opposition players/player managers) that we care about our players and are willing to fight on their side. It certainly doesn't hurt when we want to retain/attract players.

Simplifying a country like this is not helpful nor is it in any way an adequate explanation of what has happened. They have issues but it's unfair to label a 300m+ population so broadly, in the same way that you wouldn't say that Australians are, for the most part, as dumb as the day is long because Pauline Hanson is in the senate. It's far more complex.

He's an even better kick than Ty Vickery .....

Reasons why this is a terrible story. 1: Kossie Pickett. 2: Heavily compromised 2020 draft. 3: Free second and third round picks. 4: Kossie Pickett.

Bennell likely didn't have a direct opponent because that isn't how modern defence works. The problem being that, if Bennell can't do the same volume of two way running his team mates can, when he is out there.... errr ..... the defence rests.

Having an opposition drop numbers away from the half forward contest and filling space behind inside the 50 would be an absolute godsend for our ability to score! It makes the first, critical contest much easier to win and then the half forward have a lot more time and space to be able to use the ball going forward or use one of the trailing midfield runners to run through the 50m arc to score. The idea about this plan is that, if played well, it's extremely hard to counter. It's like all the good teams; you know the plan but it doesn't mean you can stop it. As for the second part, it's much more difficult to switch tactics mid game than it was previously because the tactics are so much more complex. Team defence and zones need to be coached for extended periods of time to work and you can't just change that on the fly. Remember that the tactics also have to be carried out by humans on the field, and they have a limited amount of capacity to make decisions and the decisions need to be made and acted upon instantly. It's far more difficult than going from man on man to 'throw an extra behind the ball' of yesteryear. It isn't just us, it all teams including the best and worst.

So Geelong's slow ball movement was specifically a tactic to stop our forwards attacking when we got the ball? I think you're conflating two issues. Geelong tried something different to deal with our strong defensive press. I think our personnel showed how we were going to play, with one key forward and a whole bunch of (generally quick) mediums. It's no surprise. We just didn't use the ball well enough when we created that space. I think Spargo will come in to help us with this problem. Also, as an aside, the much vaunted chip kick possession style of attack resulted in the minor premiers scoring 7 goals for the game. Yes, we should have defended more aggressively to win the ball back sooner, but it was hardly an abject failure of defence. We just didn't take our opportunities well enough.

Traded, Drafted, Traded, Traded. None were free agents, although I missed Daniel Wells, who was offered a 3 year contract at age 31.

How so?

No, they're pretty similar players. Small, clever, fall of the ball forwards. It's just that Pickett is much, much better. But that style of player is very important for us, which is why they went so hard for Kozzie last year and have taken a risk on Bennell. We have a lack in that area and, when Spargo plays well, we are a high scoring team. It's the role, more than the player.

It's comments like that from Ed that make it hard to land the best free agents. Richmond are open about caring for their players first and they get players like Tom Lynch to choose them whilst Collingwood gets .... Chris Mayne?

I am so looking forward to watching this place burn to the ground when the final team is Spargo in for Rivers. The team is too slow up forward with McDonald plus Vandenberg and another tall. If we're going for the second tall it'll probably be at the expense of Vandenberg. Spargo is a much more likely in, since he's someone who makes good decisions going inside 50, which is a skill we've really lacked. With Hibberd coming back in and playing well, plus Lockhart, it's likely the choice will be between Lockhart and Rivers. Rivers has been promising so far but he's been beaten in some big contests over the past few weeks which have been costly in a team that has been otherwise very good defensively. Goodwin has flagged the style he wants to play through the media and press conferences. We want to attack quickly with a tall to bring it to ground and then a fleet of smalls and mediums to take advantage of the space created behind the contest at half forward. Kossie was very important to those contests last week and Spargo is a similar, if much less dynamic, player. But I'm going to log in later tonight for the melts.

You may not change that one person's view but as kids grow up seeing their heroes calling out this behaviour then it changes their feeling towards racism. The process is slow but look at the difference in attitudes compared with 30 years ago and the difference is stark. It's a lot like losing weight .... You don't notice the change as it happens because it happens slowly, far more slowly than you want, and there are hiccups along the way, but you just need to keep moving in the right direction day after day, year after year until you eventually end up in a better place. The post isn't for jayden238, it's for the prevention of future jayden238s.

I certainly would not be having a go .... I'm reluctant at the best of times. This is a time where everyone across the board is just going to have to do what they can. Gil obviously hasn't done it on his own, but nearly everyone involved has an interest in the games going ahead. Clubs, players, staff, broadcasters etc. That's why it takes leadership to step in and do what's right despite the incentives not to. It's a bloody tough spot to be in, I agree. There are no good outcomes to the choices. I just think that is harder to see out into society from inside the AFL bubble than vice versa, and the AFL's decision is a result of that.

I'll watch the game but, to be honest, I don't really care about it at all. I just figure we shouldn't be playing the games this all this week and the empty grounds will just remind me if that constantly. I'm very disappointed in the league officials for their lack of leadership. The whole country, indeed the world, is correctly imploring for social distancing whilst the AFL tries to wring a few dollars out of a ruined early season. The AFL has tried to craft an image where it takes the lead on social issues, but it'll be a lot harder to get credit for taking the high ground now and into the future.

I went for the toughest positions to pick first, so rucks, key backs and forwards where the bang for buck is best. Also, this exercise teaches you a few things .... especially that St Kilda has a terrible list. B: Harbrow. Rance. Laird. HB: Sicily. Andrews. Hurley. C:. Bontempelli. Fyfe. Yeo. HF: Billings. Franklin. Gray. F: De Goey. Brown. Greene. R: Gawn. Dangerfield. Cripps.

I think ANB will be there in round 1. The role of small forward needs different types of players, and he has that bulk gut running ability to make like unpleasant for the opposition. Yes, he stuffs up some opportunities, but his defensive work is really good and he makes us a better team. He’s a serviceable player in a good team, but an ordinary player in a bad team. I suppose it depends on your perspective. If you mainly look at mistakes then you’ll hate him, but if you look at what he can bring to the team then you can see the value.

I’ve used the Precision Footy at my footy club and it’s a really good training aid .... and I’m well into my 30s! It’s deliberate practice, especially at times where you are just doing a simple kicking drill (or warming up) and you can just focus on technique. Then, after repitition, this will feel more natural and will naturally transfer into time where you are not focusing on technique. I think the golf analogy is a really good one. Look at the best golfers do their warm ups. They have any number of training aids, from mirrors that they putt on, to poles to align their stance. Would you go up to Jon Rahm and tell him that it’s ridiculous to warm up with an alignment stick, since any decent golfer would already know where he’s hitting it?

I agree that Dusty is the key to it all for Richmond and that, without him, they probably don’t win 2 flags. But my rationale is different. Richmond have a very defensive game style that revolves around always having numbers behind the ball. They then pick players that can run and tackle, plus bob up for the occasional goal .... but they only need a very modest offensive contribution from them because they are usually outnumbered in attack. This game plan means that it’s difficult to score. But they were top 4 in scores against, even without their best defender in Rance. They’ve been top 4 defensively since 2016 (when they only won 8 games). What Dusty does is allow them to score with a defensive game plan. He can beat multiple opponents and turn half chances into goals. He can burst out of congestion and create a goal. And when you are so miserly in defence, with players always set up behind the ball, each goal is more valuable. To illustrate the point, I’ve listed Dusty’s goals each season for the past 5 seasons, along with Richmond’s wins below. 2019- 32 goal, 17 wins 2018- 31 goals, 19 wins 2017- 37 goals, 18 wins 2016- 9 goals, 8 wins 2015- 24 goals, 15 wins Riewoldt also allows them to score, because he can beat multiple opponents and, sometimes, Lynch can. But, whilst the defenders are admirable and do an excellent job, without Dusty and Riewoldt Richmond wouldn’t be in the premiership class.

I decided that I was old once I realised that, even if I sudddenly became Haydn Bunton, I still wasn’t going to get drafted.

This draft period has been great, with pick trading, intrigue, bidding, and being linked with unconventional players whose selection will annoy large parts of the Demonland population. But there's only one thing that I'm disappointed about, and that's Gold Coast getting pick 2 instead of us ..... .... because this place would have been like the apocalypse if we had have selected Jackson and passed on Anderson!

The tatts numbers were 3, 10, 28 and 97. I went to claim my prize, but the newsagent said that the numbers changed after trades and academy bidding. I'm not very good at future predictions ... and it turns out I'm just as bad at making predictions about what is going to happen in the past.

Because, Hogan aside (with his unique situation), the last time we had someone leave Melbourne to go 'home' to WA was Jeff Farmer and Troy Longmuir ... nearly 20 years ago (2000 and 1999). The last player to go 'home' anywhere was Scott Thompson in 2004. As a risk it's way over-played, particularly for players leaving Melbourne.