titan_uranus

6 - May 5 - Rivers 4 - Oliver 3 - Petracca 2 - Hibberd 1 - Hunter

I get people are emotional after a loss but for [censored]’s sake there is some absolutely ridiculous stuff in here. We lost by 4 points on the road to a top 4 side in extreme pressure in the wet. Only Melbourne supporters with wildly misguided expectations interpret that to mean we’re done for the year, or that Goodwin can’t coach, or that our side has lost its hunger, or worst of the lot, the classic “we fluked the 2021 flag” rot. I’m gutted that we didn’t hold on but we got the wrong end of the umpiring stick when the game was on the line and we couldn’t shake the fumbles when we needed to. Our unbalanced side (Salem for Sparrow didn’t work) couldn’t stay with Port when the crowd and momentum lifted. The third quarter showed how good we can be but we started too far behind and needed to kick the first of the last to steady the ship. JVR’s free kicks late capped off a really ordinary night. I thought TMac was terrible too and I’d prefer not to play them as our two talls next week.

If we lose we’ll be 1-2 against the top 8. I get the sentiment but with limited opportunities to test our game against the top 8, I don’t know if a loss will mean our gameplan has to come under question. If we lose, Port will have beaten us, Brisbane and the Dogs. They may well deserve to be in the same conversation as Brisbane (no one currently is in the same conversation as Collingwood IMO).

To be fair, their midfield is full strength. Butters, Rozee, Horne-Francis, Boak, Wines. With Lycett back they’re now also playing a proper ruckman so that’s our big challenge, although when Lycett’s off they have to run Finlayson against Gawn/Grundy. I’m also worried about Aliir doing as he pleases against TMac/JVR and setting up their scoring chains from the backline.

No Dixon, Marshall, Georgiades, Rioli or Fantasia. They’re good, but this is an opportunity.

Pretty predictable fixturing in the end. We deserve more prime time games but I honestly reckon the club will be happy with the Sunday/day games. I just feel our crowds are poor at night and better at day. Sunday 3.20pm is becoming a marquee slot. It gets clean air (Saturday 1.45pm and 2.10pm overlap), it's on FTA, it's often the last game people think about of the weekend (the Sunday twilight game is often ignored). Look at the Sunday 3.20pm games that don't feature us in that same period - Essendon v Adelaide, St Kilda v Carlton, St Kilda v Richmond. Games involving big and/or finals contending sides. It's not a timeslot reserved for random games or smaller clubs. Collingwood has 5 Sunday games out of 6 in the Round 6-11 period.

It's pretty quick to be going with this but he's right. It's why I, and many others, were so against the simplistic "we sucked at drafting" argument that pervaded on here in 2007-14. How were Cale Morton, Jack Watts, Jack Trengove, Jack Grimes, even Jimmy Toumpas, supposed to reach their best in the mess that was 2007-14 Melbourne? It's precisely why someone like Sheezel or Larkey or LDU would look around and think "what would my career/life be like if I was playing for [insert probably any other club except Hawthorn or West Coast]".

So we're replacing Sparrow's midfield minutes with Rivers/Brayshaw (either split between them or just one of them moves into the middle), and then Salem replacing the Rivers/Brayshaw minutes. Given Sparrow's been a mainstay of the side for a while now, once his suspension is over and assuming no other injuries, there is a lot of pressure on for selection now. As for TMac getting Petty's spot - I'm very "meh" on this. I personally think Brown's Round 1-2 form was strong enough to have him back but the FD clearly want him to work on something (you'd imagine it's something to do with his defence/pressure) and don't seem to be interested in picking him until that's sorted out. TMac gets a chance, I hope he takes it. Getting something like 2021 TMac would be such a win. 2022/23 TMac though...

I think "selection integrity" is a bit OTT. Gawn didn't play VFL after a month out, and no one complained (there was a query about him being fit enough to play at any level by Round 6, not "he should play VFL" queries though). Hibberd and May missed the first few games this year and came straight back into the AFL. So we know that some players don't come back through the VFL. Salem's best is elite. We know he's been back at fitness for a few weeks, so he's at least been training at full tilt. I think we can be OK with bringing him back into the AFL rather than the VFL.

Disastrous for North. As for Clarkson, what he's going through is incredibly tough, either way (i.e. whether the accusations against him are fully true, partly true or fully false). AFL coaching is hard at the best of times. Craig McRae is probably the only current AFL coach who hasn't had the heat of the media, fans and/or industry turned on him at some point, and for some coaches it's been far worse than others (e.g. Goodwin, Fagan, Hinkley, Hardwick, Dew, Longmuir, before them Cameron, Buckley, Ratten, the list goes on).

For those wondering this article says that Lycett trained in their captain's run today but Teakle didn't, therefore suggesting Lycett is going to be brought back to replace Teakle as their ruck. It also says Dixon trained but wasn't moving freely.

Channel 7 want better games in the Sunday 3.20pm slot, which is I think why Sat arvo is no longer premium.

No Georgiades either - I feel like he plays well against us every time we play them. They have Finlayson and a 21-year old called Ollie Lord (197cm). But they are currently using both of them to chop out their inexperienced ruck, Teakle (last week Teakle took 26 centre bounces, Finlayson 5 and Lord 2). I don't know if they can play Lycett and Teakle in the same side but Essendon had success with two rucks against us (albeit we didn't have Gawn) so I wonder whether they will bring Lycett back, which will allow Finlayson to be a permanent forward. Assumes of course that Dixon isn't fit; if he's fit, he comes back and they will have Dixon, Lord and Finlayson up forward (with Finlayson in the ruck half the game). I think with Gawn floating back if needed, May/Lever/Hibberd is enough to cover their forward line, but if they do bring Dixon back we might be a bit short. Personally though, I'd rather back our system and defence in and pick the best forward than pick TMac just for his flexibility if he otherwise wouldn't be first choice.

I agree, our backline in particular has seen rotation weekly. This week might be the first time we aren’t making a change to personnel down there. The forward line rotation is more of our own experimentation though.

Whilst this isn’t an unreasonable analysis, it’s worth remembering IMO that: 1. We had no Hibberd or May against Brisbane and lost Gawn 15 minutes in 2. We had no Hibberd, Lever or Gawn against Essendon on a six day break after a warm game in Perth. Not excuses, just some thoughts. IMO our inability to intercept in both games crippled our scoring ability. This week v Port we should have all of Gawn, May, Hibberd and Lever.

Yes, twice. Our first ever game against them was a Friday night. We lost at Football Park by 51. More recently we had a Friday night in 2018, in Adelaide. We lost by 10 despite leading at three quarter time.

I don’t see the need to compare us to Collingwood right now but we’ve played an easier slate of opponents than them, but have done it with tougher travel and more short breaks. They’re yet to play any of North, West Coast and Hawthorn. We’ve played all three.

They can’t and likely won’t get Thursday nights every week. It’s only possible with multiple 5-day breaks per side, which I believe AFLPA will resist. Perhaps avoiding rounds with three games at one venue will avoid this situation.

I heard that, but Sam Edmund also said that in Round 19 Port v Coll would be Friday night. That can’t be right as that round has three Marvel games (and no Thursday night that week). So his mail can’t be 100% right I don’t think.

Well this aged poorly…

His head hits the ground so we will lose but I don’t think that sort of tackle should be banned. It’s one action, not two, no arms pinned, and doesn’t involved a demonstrative dump or drive head first.

Well that sucks. No idea whether we turn to Brown, TMac, Schache, Smith or Melksham.

Reserve judgment on Fremantle until they beat a good side - Sydney with no backline doesn’t count. Geelong this week will count but they may also still be missing 5-8 best 22 players.

This article says: - Trac has said he’s fine and a scan showed no issues - The club expects Petty to be fit https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/afl-round-9-all-the-latest-injury-and-mro-news/news-story/d5eecc499069922511717aa6b34fd59d

Yeah, we know, you don't like Sparrow. Just on stats, in 2023 compared to 2022 he's averaging more kicks and disposals, double the goals, more tackles, a higher DE%, fewer clangers, more score involvements and more metres gained.