D4Life

JVR @ CHF, a fitter BBB at FF, supposedly he has gone to have knee surgery.

Only proof that miracles can happen!

I love your optimism, always better to be half full than half empty! Ruck improvement - Grundy for next 2 years maybe 3 will be better than Luke Jackson (after that yrs 3-10 or 4-10 Jackson should be great)! Wing improvement - Langdon speed and endurance is very good, but on other wing we either play Brayshaw or bring in a wingman who has elite disposal (think Isaac Smith)! Tall Forward - I'm hopeful JVR can be CHF next year, BBB is fitter and Max is used differently in Forward half than all running to the pocket! If we can find a key forward in draft, that would be fantastic, but they will still be 2-3 seasons away from being effective, not sure if anyone available on trade table. Small forward - Either a Bedford or Chandler significantly steps up or we find a future Stengle type (Credit to Cats as he has been a great pick up for nothing - note: I hate Geelong)! Small back - don't play Salem when he can't move! - Let Hunt run and play aggressively, what he did against Carlton in last 5-10 minutes was great, otherwise let him! I'd also play him on same side of ground as Langdon so they can link up and run together. - Small lockdown defender with good skills required, to counteract other teams fast entries and ball hitting the ground in our defense! We lost to Sydney by 20 points and gave away 2 easy goals through 50/100 meter frees and missed 3-4 opportunities in the last, so while there is a lot of doom and gloom on Demonland, we are not far off it. Demons also got bashed as the Premier during the season and I think as others have stated pushed the boundary on player injured players too far during the season, rather than giving some other players opportunities. While we got this aspect right in 2021 of playing slightly injured players it backfired this year.

How about Mornington Peninsula vs Geelong & Bellarine Peninsula! I'm still thinking you get a slightly larger home maybe even suburb in Moggs Creek (or 30 mins from Geelong) vs what you get in Melbourne for the same money! Cats definitely have a salary cap advantage, and I'm standing behind my convictions!!

Try Mornington

Agree. I watch Jordan get the ball a fair amount, go back look for options, ignore options, then wait and surprise surprise kick it long into forward pocket. if he kicked it to Charlie 3-4 of his possessions, then we’d end up with 3-4 much better possessions going int o our forward 50!

What is average number of possessions in the league for a small/medium HF or small FP?

Cats have huge salary cap advantage for two reasons: 1. Buy an equivalent house in Geelong vs Melb, your paying 50% less. So let’s Cats offer 10-20% less re salary, other than rookie, 1-2 year players. 14.3M cap 2.3M gets used on bottom 15 players leaving $12 million, between 10-20% on that amount gives $1.2M - $2.4M extra salary space for the Cats, allows Cats an extra Dangerfield quality player and 1-3 better than average players. 2. Beach, or country laid back lifestyle is the other draw! Cats should make finals every year, as these are huge advantages!

2 first rounders for Jackson e.g. 8 & 15, then later pick goes to Pies for Grundy & they cover $300k. would love to see analysis of the last 20 pick 15s re games played and then you would see how it aligns with Grundy! Assuming he is fit, we are getting a gun ruckman.

Not surprising, Gawn, Salem, Lever, Jackson, Petracca, Kossie, BBB all looked sore, Viney, Melksham, May proppy!

Maybe your right, but what I saw was everyone run to the forward pocket and we had a massive pack

If Gawn stood in the goalsquare with Pickett at his feet would be a nightmare to defend and Pickett can also keep defensive pressure. Max would draw two talls leaving the forward pocket with Brown, Van Rooyen having one less tall against them or Fritsch potentially one on one or free. Seems to create a lot more goal scoring options and could still set relatively good hold in pressure in forward line. Grundy is an elite ruckman, and at stage LJ is in his career, Grundy is a better player. Bigger, tougher, stronger and covers the field well, no slouch at following up in the ruck hitouts in the middle. For a few years the argument was Max or Grundy, if they can make work will be great. I think Grundy will add years 1-2 to Max career and vice versa. If one injured then a Weideman or Van Rooyen as a backup can work.

You give him another pre-season to see if his knee mobility can improve further. His first seven games 2021 were very good, he took over Hawkins from May and held him. If his mobility improves, gives us great backup and possible option with Petty to go forward.

Wash your mouth out with soap!

Geelong have huge advantages over the rest of the competition that rarely if ever seem to get mentioned in the media: - Can pay players and soft cap coaches etc. 10-20% unders, as property so much cheaper around Geelong, this equates to 1.3 - 2.6M in salary cap advantage. Equates to a Cameron, Dangerfield and Hawkins extra on your list! - Geelong, Bellarine, Colac area like a football factory, and get go home factor, beach/country lifestyle in their favour. - Govt throws cash at them. So have great facilities and cash to burn! - Massive home ground advantage and also get to play at each of MCG and Marvel 3-4 times a year. So away disadvantage is reduced!

Bowey, Spargo, Salem & Petty great kicks. Salem obviously injured throughout the season after injury in round one and carrying a groin later is season. Hopefully back to best after off season. Bowey a little bit of 2nd year blues, but hopefully bounces back, wasn’t far off it! Spargo is often in clear on his own and gets ignored, hopefully they use him as an entry target into forward Line more often next year!

Demons kick it to the forward left pocket must change for next season. If you let Brown and co lead to left pocket, and Max or Grundy stand in the goal square with Kossie at their feet, if they don’t mark in a one on one Kossie can crumb it or defend it! Fritsch could lead to the right in a one on one if he doesn’t mark is good on the ground and his tackling has improved re keeping ball in forward half. Some quick ball movement into this structure would test defences! Gives us a three pronged attack!

As premiers, we were the hunted all season. Even against two bottom teams North & West Coast both physically smashed into the Demons. Add up multiple small things: - shorter pre season - being smashed every week as reigning premier - Burgess replaced by Griffith - Injuries TMac, then Gawn, Salem, Rivers, Trac, Oliver, BBB and players who looked like they were carrying Kossie, Jackson, Viney - other teams focussed on strategies to beat Demons, spoken about every week in press - Goodwin misjudged impact of 2nd tall forward, JVR should have been given a crack - Sparrow, Jackson, Rivers, Spargo, Bowey all stagnated this year - minor drop in desperation having won the flag in 2021

Umpires in last quarter 50 against Pickett up other end goal soft holding to McStay - goal Bailey pushed Hunt square in middle of back - goal Andrews chops Brown arm 15 metres out - no free just to close out game umpire free against Lever not being tackled and 5Om to gift it Umpires pathetic influenced result

I hope your right. Last week the Buddy free and 100m penalty and then Reid 50m in the 3rd both gave Sydney goals when we were on top and changed the game. However it did feel like Swans really owned the 2nd half of the game. while May & Clarrie were great Fritsch ok and the player on Henry did a solid job, the rest of the team were below average or poor, so getting back to at least average across the board, with a few players going well and that should be enough against the Lions!

TMac isn’t 80% fit - Dusty at 80% was a liability! Understand why you want TMac to play, but JVRvor Weideman a better option as both fully fit!

The soft Franklin free and 50s impacted the momentum in the 2nd. The soft 50 to Reid gave Sydney another goal. Both of these really hurt at that point in the game. Aside from a few moments not a great night for Demons, beaten in contest major problem. Oliver, May, very good Petty, and Fritsch were good, rest not great, so significant room for improvement! Very disappointing night, but we live to fight another day!

I didn’t see Petty move at all, so not sure why Reid got 50 ?

So your saying our fat boys win! I like it!!

Remember it well a great day, Demons on fire, a repeat tonight would be DElicious!