Neil Crompton

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)

Yes it does have many meanings. And you are definitely one of them.

Deranged is not a word I’d use for you WCW. I think “special” is way more appropriate.

And best of all, $2 pies from 4.15 until the start of the main game. When was the last time you could buy a pie at the footy for $2? Another very good reason to attend. It almost convinced me to book a flight to the G.

Perhaps he just meant exactly what he said Nev, and that he wasn’t referencing any other poster. He was simply stating his opinion that he’s convinced that the experts know what they are doing. We’ll have to ask Binny, but is there just a possibility that is what he meant?

Surely it’s Chandler that is knocking down the door to get in. Laurie has not

Kev, I understand security have been alerted owing to the presence of one fanatical, but rather deranged supporter. As a word of warning, do not at any time stand between this supporter and Langers - you are likely to get mauled.

So Leigh Matthews was right after all - nothing in that at all.

Suffering only results from love (as in MFC), not from hate.

Which just proves my point - DLanders certainly made noise about those misses.

While you make a good point about the money side Luci, but it’s taking on a 5 year contract thats the real turn off for me. Having him for 2 or 3 years would not be so bad, but 5? when he is already 29 and under an injury cloud? I think we’d be better off with a young up and coming ruck, who we can develop, rather than having 2 ageing ruckmen who may not compliment each other as well as we might currently think.

Yeah but you sure would have heard about it if he had missed it - as they don’t get much easier than that.

Wasn’t the long term contract Eddy got Grundy to sign supposed to keep him a magpie for life? Imagine what Grundy must now be thinking when, with 5 years left, he’s told to look elsewhere! Particularly when it’s essentially a f- wit like de Goey that the pies seem to want to keep in preference to him.

Goldstein?

I don’t think anyone is questioning his gut running and defensive skills - they are excellent. But it’s his offensive skills that are really letting him, and the team down over the last 6 or so games. It’s all very well to run and tackle, but all that good work gets negated when he turns the ball over so regularly. He’s regressed to the ANB of 2 seasons ago, and no one wants to see that player re-emerge. Hopefully a couple of games in the 2’s will get his decision making, confidence and skill set working again - back to where they generally have been for the last season and a half.

Or possibly because Demonstone was just being “layzie”

Yep, they are doing an awful lot right - they are great, even generational players - and that’s why their abysmal goal kicking is so incongruous with their abilities. My payment comment was tongue in cheek, but a bit over the top I agree. I’m sure each one of them is embarrassed by their goal kicking record, and they should be.

If I was being paid the amount of money these guys are (Trac, Oliver, Gawn), and I was kicking as badly as these guys are, I would be extremely embarrassed putting my hand out each week for my pay packet. And I’d be moving heaven and earth to fix the problem.

Well I’ll believe that when I see us: - not kicking out to the left every single f’ing time - when we have the ball on the defensive wing, not waiting till a giant pack forms in our forward line before we kick directly to that pack - our forwards actually spreading and leading to space, and we actually look for this option. - we have a method of controlling the ball/ game even if we have run out of legs. Until these and possibly other issues are addressed, I believe any other tweaks are simply cosmetic. My original conjecture, that we may be a stagnant clone of ‘21 - instead of trailblazing team in ‘22 - still stands. And I guess this final series will tell.

Could it alternatively be that we are exactly the same side as we were last year, ie same game plan - and that’s the problem. Other sides have learnt and grown from our experience last year, and we simply haven’t, to our detriment. We stand still , we lose. Whether that’s a likely alternative case or not I don’t know, but I feel that a number of posters on here have the attitude, in simple terms, that if we do what we did last year, everything will be alright - ie as soon as loading stops we will be flying. And it’s pretty evident after Friday night that we are not flying. Perhaps we need to have a closer look at our game plan with 2022 eyes and not 2021eyes.