Red But Mostly Blue

I love the chat about trade targets, but the truth is you can't talk about targets, unless you simultaneously discuss and resolve the bigger issue - WHY WOULD ANYONE GOOD COME TO US? We need to fill holes now/upcoming, but with talent. We don't have draft picks that will alone fix our issues. Don't get me wrong, I love my club. But that love does not and cannot cloud realities. I am not on board with cultural issues and all that, but there are things we still have not resolved. Goalkicking/forward connection is a forever item for some reason, but I guess in theory we could fix that. One day. My biggest issue is brand/reputation. We won the flag in 2021, with a potential dynasty ruined by the issues noted above, some bad luck (fight me, we would have won in 2023 if we kept one of Gus/Fritsch (fit) or Melk), poorly managed off-field/club drama and diabolical, frustrating inconsistency. For a while now, the team seems to pick when to turn up. And worse yet, that often happens in games. Why would anyone looking for success come to us? Our decline is evident. Flag, top 4, top 4, 15th, and a real prospect of bottom 4 (or worse). Unlike the Pies/Cats, we can no longer point to a bad year (2024) as an isolated event. The Cats and Pies returned to form and the top of the table after their blip. Today they sit at (clear) 1st and 4th. The difference with them, as it has always been, is brand. They come out and you know what you'll get. It's (partly/mostly) why the Cats have been at the top for sooooooo long! They don't accept the sorts of things we have accepted. Why can't we be like that? Until we sort that out, we will continue to get some of the NQRs we have traded for in recent years, and instead attract guys who likely look the other way right now. We have to acknowledge and rectify the above before we can seriously consider (top end) trade targets.

Just doubled our score just then…

Just checked the score now. Think I might go back to what I was doing. Yikes

Just checked, still dead. But our carcass on the side of the road should be an interesting watch; sometimes stops traffic etc and gets moved into positions such that people pass by and wonder if we're still alive. But nah :-(

With a suspension or two looming here (Judd and maybe Max) and finals almost well and truly out of the frame, this week should mark the start of 2026 planning. Not round 21. Now. Get some time into Adams (break for Lever to get fully fit), Verrall, Culley, hell even Laurie - for a good block of games. I'm no fan of Laurie as I don't think he has any standout skills we need right now, but who knows. We need to play some kids and go hell for leather. Use the corridor. Play fast. Make mistakes. Who cares what happens? It's not like we are in any contention for finals. Expectations are low. Most games are not 'winnable' on current form. At least we can say we tried something other than what we have been doing. You never know, if we start winning games playing devil may care type footy, it might catch on and we steam into the finals, in which case we will have earnt it and ne a nightmare to play against. Unlikely INV, but not impossible. Most important thing is we start planning what we want to look like in 2026 now.

I'm not necessarily pro 'get rid of Goody' now. I have seen glimpses this year that have been pleasing. However, I don't think he's a great game day coach and is often outwitted/stubborn to change during games. Some of our failures really are down to the players (they are the ones who are kicking for goal, and executing the gameplan (or not). Others are due to bad luck (2023 - any one of Gus/Melk/Fritter etc still, for me, cost us a flag). But all of the above is moot I think. If we finish bottom 4, I don't think he survives a 14th, then 15th (or worse!!) place with this list. The downward trend would be concerning. We have an opportunity to arrest that. We CAN have a good crack at 2026. Got to keep Maxy on ice, get May and Lever fit (the latter has been horrible, the former v slow), and while we will never get the 2021 versions, we need to invest as much time in them to get the best we can for next year and/or make sure for the rest of this year we get some youth out there - see if Adams will cut it etc. Anyhoo - that's a 2026 thing. For now, I don't think there is any chance Goody goes this year. But he has the rest of the year to convince the powers that he is the best person to lead the group next year. A bottom 4 finish (again) will likely spell the end.

Oh please god, no more 🥺

Oh yeah we can’t lose next week. That’s a sweet relief Take your wins

14.9 to 9.14, couldn’t put a better visual to our ongoing, excruciating woes going forward. Wasn’t just that though, our lazy defence and brain fades all over the place combined to relegate us to 4th last. RIP 2025, we hardly knew ye. Let’s be honest righ though and ruthless in the offseason because we have some pieces for a run in 2026.

…. And now we’re dead. Sorry, fam. Doneski. Kaput.

Of course we take a grab inside 50 (off a bad kick) in the last 2 minutes.

8.14 to 14.8 Tells most of our stories from the last few years aye?

Maybe, but he takes marks and kicks goals. I’d take that right now!!

RIP 2025.

So easy. We are just so easy to play against. And predictable. We don’t convert, can’t sustain and on turnover, we are too slow.

Far out. So frustrating

The planet where we are playing. Absolute farce. We won’t but we should demand an explanation from the AFL on that one. Cost us a goal.

WHY IS THIS THE SCRIPT EVERY SINGLE TIME? I’ll summarise Dominant quarter wasted by silly mistakes and poor kicking. Petty’s was an absolute howler. Terrible umpiring against us, what was that holding against us? And cost us a goal!!!!!! THAT’S CHEATING Can’t seem to shake a 2-3 goal deficit. Junk time goals against us Inside 50 dominance for nothing. In the end we made up ONE GOAL for all the dominance. What a waste

Inexplicable dropped marks. I really like the guy and think he will come good... and think he is being wasted rucking without a good enough block of time up forward but geez stuff like that is hard to defend!

Then people complain that he is not living up to potential. YEAH because he is being wasted rucking. Just put him in the square for a few games and let him find his form and confidence. We can't do much worse!

Why was that a free AGAINST Max??? Otherwise, that was a crapfest. The only people who will ever stop us being a great team is us. We are our own worst enemy. Port left unchecked all game, grabbing mark i50 at will, and gifted a few goals through silly errors and dumb turnovers. And can we please for the love of god find someone who can clunk marks??? Everytime the ball heads to us, it's a dropped mark, or just outworked, but kicks to everyone else, they always just seem to be so much cleaner. Outmarked everywhere.

How was that Fritter's only option!!???? Can we not just pass it to someone who is, I dunno, free??? You know, like all the freedom we give others. 11-2 marks i50 is diabolical.

Disco, please teach Roo.

Oh, Roo...

Average kick from Trac. Way too much time to get to Melk. ........... and it cost us a goal.