titan_uranus

He isn't the most skillful player, but what he brings to the table is what we are often crying out for: 100%, unwavering commitment. Even when we're playing like a rabble, MacDonald will be able to hold his head high. Moreover, he is a bit of a stopgap player. He can play as a rebounding defensive flanker, or he can take a KPF taller than him. I still remember his awesome shut down job on Travis Cloke in Round 2 last year.

The best forward structure we use is where we have targets deep, with overlapping run towards goal. Our problem is losing those forward targets, which destroys our forward movement. When we have players like Green, Gawn, Martin, Sylvia, Jurrah and Watts rotating through as a deep forward and giving our mids something to aim at, we then look a lot better when the remaining forwards can turn their defenders inside out and run towards goal. But that doesn't work when we leave defenders zoning off across half back without our players near them. When the pressure's on, our forwards get sucked up the ground to provide numbers at stoppages. That destroys our ability to get the ball inside 50 meaningfully. The key is to maintain our structures when we're in trouble.

Yep. That means he is automatically going to do well this year. Just ignore the fact that he is in no form to speak of. Good post [face palm]

That's nice. He also had about as much influence on the game as I did until three quarter time.

1) Being higher on the list than Bate, Wonna or Maric does not mean you are a good player. 2) Dunn has shown, repeatedly, that he is incapable of transforming VFL form into AFL form. He can't do it. 3) Dunn as a key forward is a bad, bad idea. 4) Tapscott could well come in for Strauss, but I would not be dropping Strauss and then bringing Dunn in for someone else.

It will be big. They haven't played in Melbourne in a month. It's a Saturday afternoon at the G, the first one in about 10 weeks or something. Hopefully the weather is good. And the two clubs are 9th and 10th, on the same points, with a spot in the 8 up for grabs. Richmond on their own would pull 40,000. With us in there, it could be 60,000+.

The Hawthorn, Geelong and Carlton games are all certain losses. That, to me, is the only certainty of the lot. I can see us losing every other game, as well as winning every other game. Trying to predict what will happen is far too hard. I also can't see us winning more games than West Coast. They're far better than us, probably the fifth best side in the league. They're likely to win every game they have left at home (I think they have Geelong though, which is loseable). If we make the finals, we'll be finishing 8th. We'll most likely be travelling to Perth if that happens.

He's not playing as well as he can. That is obvious. The reason is unknown, whether it be injury or simply poor form. If it's injury, he should definitely not be playing. Given this potential groin/thigh/leg injury has been floating around for a few weeks now, yet he has continued to play, I question whether it is true, as I reckon the club would be better than to ignore it and let him keep playing. So I reckon it's simply a form rut. I would not answer it by dropping him. He can win us a game, single-handedly, with 5 possessions. He turned the Brisbane game around. He isn't a seasoned veteran, he's played, what, 25 games? He's still learning. That's not to excuse his poor form, he has work to do and he isn't playing good football, but I don't see the benefit in dropping him at all. Especially given the lack of forward options on our list. I mean, dropping Jurrah, out of form or not, for Dunn is just insane.

Not in your wildest dreams. Dunn is useless. And Petterd played higher up the ground than Dunn is capable of. If Petterd is suspended, we could look to Tapscott as a replacement. Play him through the middle, with Nicholson and Strauss playing the defensive role he was playing before he got injured.

Maybe because, North Melbourne and that ridiculous hoodoo aside, they're all good? Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn and Carlton are the current top 4. St Kilda and the Dogs have been top 4 for the last 4 years. We've beaten Richmond and Essendon, multiple times.

Good Watts Martin Howe Bad Jurrah Jones Ugly Bartram Fremantle

Great game. He has great hands. Makes Bate and Dunn look like amateurs.

I like him. Can kick both feet (Bartram can't kick on either foot). Has pace, likes to take the game on, and doesn't go to water by hand when under pressure. Good signs.

Gawn makes way for Jamar. Not exactly fair on Gawn but Jamar picks himself and we can't take all three. Doesn't matter, Gawn is a future star and he's had his state of AFL football. There is room for Gysberts and Tapscott too. Bartram was woeful with the ball in hand, Strauss too. Neither of them would be certain picks next week, though the FD seems to love Bartram. And of course Garland may be injured. Bennell can go too as far as I'm concerned; didn't work hard enough in his quarter.

6 - Watts 5 - Martin 4 - McKenzie 3 - Scully 2 - Nicholson 1 - Howe

I don't see why Garland would be named if he's not fit. Doesn't make sense to me. If he needs another run at Casey he shouldn't have been picked. If Dunn plays we may as well give up. I want to see Bennell, Bartram, Garland and Gysberts.

Terrible post on a terrible topic. Recruitment is not to blame.

Win/loss ratio is irrelevant to me (that's not to say I don't want us to win games, I just don't measure this year's success solely on who we beat). We need to learn how to move the ball through the press. Either that's going to come via discipline and working very hard at the current method, or a change of style. Either way, Bailey has to do it, and do it soon, or he won't be here next year. We have only beaten sides this year who don't apply enough defensive pressure (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Essendon). We have been embarrassed by sides who do (Hawthorn, West Coast, Carlton, Collingwood). Our gameplan works when under no pressure, and doesn't when under pressure. Whether that can be remedied by waiting for our players to get stronger/more experienced/more used to playing with each other, or whether we need to change it, remains to be seen.

As if we needed any more proof...

I see no point in bringing back Bate or Dunn. Gawn would only make way if Jamar is ready to come back. Other than that, given I haven't seen the game I have no clue, but I would suspect Petterd would get a game, Garland is probably fit too, and Jurrah might not be fit.

For the first time in 9 years I wasn't able to go to Queen's Birthday (might have picked the right one to miss it seems...). So I haven't seen a single second of the game. However, I reckon I can accurately pick what happened. Can anyone tell me if this is true? 1) We were outbodied. 2) We could not move the ball through Collingwood's press (a decent press, unlike Essendon's was last week). 3) We defended from too far back. This incorporates too many players pushing too far up the ground, including our forwards. In other words, our structure fell apart. 4) We were smashed in contested ball (links into the first point). 5) We dropped our heads late. 6) We received no leadership from our 'leaders'. How close am I?

I haven't seen a single second of the game today. But I can tell you already that Green as a wingman doesn't work, no matter how bad he's going as a forward. His best football has been, and always will be, as a forward.

I don't believe he has signed. That's not to say he won't. But it's bad management, bordering on negligent, to sign a contract, or a memorandum of understanding, or anything, this early. Unless it's with Melbourne. No need to sign with GWS now. Hold out, make them get nervous, make us get nervous, up go the offers. He has no benefit to signing now with GWS. If he wants to go there, he will wait till the end of the year to do it. If he wants to stay with us, he will sign when the offers are right, or when his management think the timing is best, or when he actually makes his mind up, which he probably hasn't done yet. All in all, I don't believe for a second he has signed anything.

Who in their right mind would give up a first round draft pick for Dunn and Bate? I wouldn't give up a second round pick for them. Warnock as depth isn't as silly as you seem to think. If we let him go, then an injury to one of Garland, Rivers or Frawley (especially Frawley) puts us in a quandary. I know he's not fantastic, but having a solid bodied player as back up isn't a bad thing. Agree though that Bate, Dunn, Maric and Strauss are vulnerable. Strauss is doing his bit atm to keep himself on the list. Maric needs to work his way back into the side, it would be worrying for him if he can't get back in before the year's out (you would think he'd get a game at some point). Surely Wonaeamirri is in a bit of danger too? Or is he contracted? Doubt Fitzpatrick will come under too much scrutiny given he's a KPP who hasn't played yet (although I guess the fact he hasn't played yet may say something...).

What I love about stats like the above is that they are win-win. If we win, then we're brilliant for winning with a younger team. If we lose, well then it's simply because of how young and inexperienced we are.