Neil Crompton

I don't think that's quite right Binny. We definitely need a healed and fully match fit TMac - the consensus seems to be that we don't think he'll achieve that status in time - but more than happy if he does!

I understand he’s gone away!

How about you respect that HP and MFC want to keep this as private as they can for obvious reasons. It’s really none of your business, nor is it your right to know. And I could really care less about boosting your respect for me.

You are preaching (again and again and again) to the converted.

Yes she can when it’s not an opinion.

I can see the headlines now: Demon Army wipes out entire team with Covid. D’s forced to play their Casey side in qualifying final. DA leader places the blame on one “fanatical, but seriously deranged member”.

Firstly, as his last game was about 13 weeks ago, you may be correct about my memory. But I do remember he certainly wasn’t having a repeat of his early ‘21 season, which was sensational. (Was he dropped because of form this year?). Secondly, I wasn’t questioning his ability, only his ability in such a short space of time to achieve the form required to break back into this team. I’d luv a fit and firing TMac back in the side, but I just think it is a long shot this year.

I’m confused about Friday night EO. Your first explanation was that from your observation they took their foot off the gas - didn’t want to risk injury. Now you are saying it was because of loading? I don’t know what the answer is, and I don’t expect any of us really do.

Although EO, as good as we played on Friday, we were still out scored in the second half - the same issue Nev was alluding to. Why? Are we not fit enough yet? Or did we take the foot off the gas? Or are we not quite the side this year relative to this years competition? While I know no one on here knows the answer to that, I’m confident the coaching staff do, so I’m not overly concerned - unless we fail to win the premiership of course.

I’m intrigued by the level of expectation for a TMac return to the ones. I think if he achieved match fitness to make the team again this year will be a miracle, although I wouldn’t put it past him. But to also acquire the form required to break back into the current side, no matter how much we’d like that, would also be a miracle. I cannot remember the last good game TMac played. As such, I have no expectations for him this year.

Gotta be BBO. From what SWYL has said, he is also famous in Thailand now.

So what’s new?

Clarko plus Rutten at North?

A reputation as a pedandocrat perhaps D?

It’s so good in fact that if we get a home final, I’ve heard the Club are considering, early in the week leading up to the final, having an interstate training camp, and flying in for the game!

You sure you and BBO aren’t related?

I think it’s likely that whichever team Clarko chooses, he will probably agree to a limited term with a succession plan, just like Roos did. I think his main eye might be on the Tasmanian gig.

It’s been 62 years since we did b2b premierships. Time to break that embarrassing record.

It’s interesting you say that because while that is technically true, Collingwood is the only game I believe where we have won the clearances but lost the game. Other than that, every time we’ve won the clearances we’ve won the game. So on that basis, I’d much prefer to win the clearances than not. However I don’t disagree that he would also be an improvement on JJ on the wing. He’s also a better backman than one or two down there. He is just a great all rounder ( whose disposal could be better). The coaching staff obviously need to work out where he is of most benefit to the team. At the moment they believe that is as a mid. I did notice that he started one of the quarters last week on the wing, but he returned to the middle after the next goal. As an aside, I was interested to look at average turnovers against average disposals per game for a number of our main players this year, and was surprised by the results. Gawn and Sparrow have the worst averages, with 22% of their disposals being classified as turnovers. The lowest, surprisingly to me, was Oliver with 16% turnovers, and Trac next with 17%. Gus 19% and Viney and ANB at 20%. Not sure how this compares with other teams, but if a fifth of our disposals result in turnovers, that seems like something to work on to me.

For a post that virtually all are saying shouldn’t be a separate topic, why is it getting enough oxygen to expand onto a 3rd page? (I apologise for adding to the topic)

Gus is obviously under more pressure when delivering as a mid than in his other roles. This is clearly shown when you compare this figure (7.7 av) with his season average per game for turnovers of 4.9. (Oliver’s is 5.5, Viney 5.32 and Trac 4.71 for comparison). (Footywire stats) Hopefully his disposal under pressure will improve with the more mid time he plays, because, although he has only played 3 games as a mid, his average clearance rate is 7.0 per game. To put that into perspective, the leading clearance king in the AFL this year is Oliver with a game average of 8.55. (Trac has an average of 4.71and Viney’s average is 4.95 per game). While Gus has been in the middle, Oliver’s clearance average has marginally dropped to 8.25 (from 8.55), viney’s has increased from 4.95 to 6.67 while Trac has dropped from 4.71 to 4.0. We have also won the clearances in our last 3 games - 138 to 120 in total. Therefore to take Gus away from his mid role - with suggestions being made that he should go back to the wing - would be doing us and our clearance rate a great disservice based on these stats.

….nor questioned

I actually think that statement is wrong.It was from last weeks close loss that we learnt how to win tonight! And I think tonight’s game will kick start our season. My once dwindling premiership hopes have just started to soar.

Haha No need for a confession picket, over the years you’ve done all you possibly could to confirm that.

Ah, you just get the shielas involved and it could go on ad infinitum. (sorry about that, I don’t know what came over me, I just had a BBO moment) (actually, Shiela is an Irish word meaning heaven - which is really apt for all our shielas on DL)