titan_uranus

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.

This is the Guidelines on dangerous tackle offences: This appears like it can only be the last one - slung into the ground with excessive force. The AFL is hot on these this year. This one doesn’t leap out at me like others do. I assume he’d fail at the Tribunal but I really, really struggle to accept that this deserves a week whilst Meek was charged with kneeing for the second time and gets a fine, or Caldwell gets a fine for an intentional gut punch to Daicos on ANZAC Day. But here we are.

Can’t see him pin an arm, Day gets them both up. Presumably done for the slinging motion but that’s not what the dangerous tackle suspensions have focused on so far this year IIRC, they’ve all been dump/drives or pinned arms.

Vision too poor to see if he pins an arm. If he does, we’re probably toast. But if not then this seems over the top.

On centre bounces, yesterday there were 24 of them (Grundy 14 and Gawn 10, ruck-wise). For our mids, Oliver was at 18 of them but Trac and Viney only 14. The rest were Sparrow 10, Pickett 7, Brayshaw 6 and Jordon 3. For a random comparison, in Round 10 last year (the last of our 10-game winning streak), there were 26 centre bounces - Trac did 22, Oliver 21, Dunstan (playing for Viney) 19. Only two other mids went in there - Sparrow 15 and ANB 1.

Agreed. We have used the first 9 weeks of this year to integrate new players all over the ground, including at stoppage (more Grundy, Rivers, Pickett and ANB and less of the same Gawn, Trac, Oliver, Viney combo). That means it's OK in my book to be down in clearances given we're continuing to score.

Adelaide's currently leading St Kilda 31-7 so let's assume Adelaide wins and passes Carlton into 8th. The top 8's record to Round 9 vs the top 8: Collingwood - 4-1 Port Adelaide - 3-2 Adelaide - 2-2 Brisbane - 2-2 Geelong - 1-1 Melbourne - 1-1 St Kilda - 1-3 Bulldogs - 1-3 So only Collingwood and Port have winning records against the top 8. Like Geelong, we've only had 2 opportunities and have split them 1-1. But interstate travel-wise, we've had 4 road trips to date, compared to St Kilda's 2, Geelong's 2, Collingwood's 2, the Dogs' 3, Adelaide's 3 and Port's 4. That's right, only Brisbane in the top 8 has had more games out of their home state than us. And we have a 5th next week, whilst Brisbane are at home, meaning that through 10 rounds we'll have done the equal-most travel of all top 8 sides, inclusive of three interstate sides. None of this means we're certainties to romp it home after next week but it's important context.

This is a hugely underrated point on here IMO. Yesterday May and Lever played 100% TOG and Hibberd 93%. But no one else did more than 88%, including Langdon, who in 2021-22 was a regular 95% TOG player. Oliver was 87%, Gawn 86%, Viney 80% and Petracca was BOG despite just 77%. This, IMO, is one of the many ways we are approaching 2023 in a tweaked fashion that gives us good reason to believe our platform is stronger going into the winter than it was last year.

Agree with the spirit of your post entirely. Just on your last line though, I would qualify it by saying the hardest part of the H&A season in terms of travel/venues/breaks is behind us after this week. But in terms of opposition, it begins this week. Ou next 8 games are Port Adelaide (away off a six day break), Fremantle (we lost to them last year and they may have turned a corner in the last few weeks), Carlton (off a six day break), Collingwood, Geelong (in Geelong), GWS, St Kilda and Adelaide. GWS is the only one of those sides who isn't currently considered a challenger for at least 8th (assuming they don't beat Collingwood today that is).

I doubt we add another tall forward. If Petty isn’t fit, I’m not sure who gets his spot. Goodwin mid-week didn’t sound too positive re Brown. TMac was an emergency tonight but isn’t in form. Schache was most recently in the side but struggled. Smith’s unpredictable and unreliable.

These sorts of wins are what should set our H&A season up. If you’re expecting flawless football and 100-point wins you’re not thinking right. We are winning games by comfortable margins while actively experimenting - we are trying new things forward of the ball with personnel and structure and we are learning how to score from sources other than stoppage. Imagine what happens when we settle. Yes, we need to show that we can produce good football against Port (and Collingwood, and Brisbane, and Geelong), but to be banking wins whilst developing in front of our eyes is precisely what we should all be demanding from this part of our fixture. Not 100-point wins.

Great news; this was, IMO undoubtedly, the right result.

The GWS game in Alice Springs is going to be on the Sunday, I'm pretty sure. Week after is St Kilda, the week after that is Brisbane. You'd expect the AFL will want our Brisbane game on the Friday night which means the St Kilda game should be on the Saturday, for back-to-back six-day breaks. I reckon the Adelaide game will be a Sunday, Richmond and North Melbourne Saturdays, then Carlton a Friday night or Saturday night.