Gawndy the Great

Cue in rack? Surely not

If Viney gets two, then that has to get the same. But like always it’ll get glossed over.

Phenomenal start. We look like finals Melbourne. But still 3 quarters to go - game is far far from over.

So we have two playing from the slog last week on a 5 day break. Not the biggest of issues as Salem hasn’t been great.

and this is what i thought the security for the banner would look like. Clearly live in a different world 😃

Butterflies have already started. I don't know where you all get your confidence from. Either way we are in for a cracker of a game. If we can bring the intensity of the past couple of weeks, we will have a good chance. Go Dees!

I just think If he was any chance to leave, Blues would want to get something done this year, so this could play into our hands. Its a long-shot, i know, but come end of next season, i can definitely see him walking to Norf on a heft pay packet to play with his brother.

Curnow has just signed a 6 year deal with the Blues. McKay will enter free agency end of next season. If there is any chance of him leaving, our recruiters have to be talking to the Blues this year and giving them something to seriously consider in terms of trade at the risk of him just walking out the door. Make it eye watering - something they cannot refuse. We will have plenty of competition to get him next year. Off McKay a 5 year contract circa 800-900K/yr. It will push us right to the edge of cap space, we may even need to let another 1-2 players go to accommodate. But it will be worth it IMO.

They have the most potent forward 6 in the comp. Weapons in the air and on the ground. We cannot let this become a shootout otherwise we stand very little chance. Keep overall pressure up at the source and we will get the game on our terms. This will be a harder game to win than most people think.

Ok so maybe he just isn’t good enough to stay in the best 22. Gave him the benefit of being under an injury cloud.

Been a liability since the knee injury. Will be better for it. Most oppositions attack this side of the ground to expose his questionable fitness.

4 votes for Salem is a big standout here. And before everyone reminds me of his injury and missing games, 4 votes is still a massively understanding for a man of his capability. Hoping he can find some late form.

You and me both.

So does that mean he has stayed behind?

I find this a little hard to believe because you actually need game practise to develop the skill of execution. If we have a plan B under wraps for finals, I very much doubt it’s the silver bullet everyone thinks it is. Without real game application, it won’t stand up in the pressure of finals. The ‘pressure’ rating and the elusive switch we all expect to flick to rediscover our manic 2021 form is just as much about positioning, trusting your team mate to do their role and being on the same page as it is about effort and fitness. I think this has been off all year bar a few games when it magically appears. The only part of our game that is in check is the contested game and that bodes well in finals. But as we saw with the Pies, it only gets you so far, when a team brings dare and elite running. It’s no surprise that all the genuine contenders have a similar game plan, it is our game plans kryptonite. I hope the coaching dept aren’t continuing with the sole reliance on our game plan execution and that we look to deploy some tactics to disarm them - this is what we would potentially have under wraps.

I mean this is leading patterns 101. Have the tall decoy into the forward pocket and then have your best kick and lead in mark run at the ball carrier. The only thing that makes this unlikely is our forward 50 entry angle. We are usually coming in from the flank, which leaves the fat side completely exposed if we can’t hit the target. What Geelong do is switch it to the corridor. Before pulling off that kick inside to Hawkins.

He’d be close to ready by the GF I reckon. I wouldn’t normally question his fitness, given he is always in the top couple , but with the finals intensity not sure he’d last 4 quarters.

I actually thought it was the wrong appointment at the time as there was a mega walkout looming at the same time. It appears as though the group never really had the respect and belief from day 1 given how fragile the whole club after making the top 8 last year. I think the AFL should throw an extra -20% to ensure Clarkson ends up at Norf. Essendon need to suffer for much much longer.

Where is he at the moment? We need someone who has the balls and experience to stand up to Goody (not in a bully way), but have courage to challenge him. I'd also like someone that has a strong focus on ball movement. We need to move on from this crappy 'playing the %'s', defend with ball in hand game style. Can still play defense - no issue with that - but we need to be more lethal in scoring from turnover, that has completely disappeared from our game this year. Oh and defn a forward coach.

What has that got to do with COVID protocols breach?

You’d think but who knows. I get the feeling Brayshaw is much more liked and has a better connection with the players. I’ve always been a Jack Viney man myself so take my view with that in mind.

It’s better than the system we have now where the top seed plays 17 and 18 twice. But point taken - I’m sure there are ways around it like teams 7-12 can’t jump into the next bracket so the best they can hope for is the finals spot 7 and 8. We just have to bold enough to break away from the status quo.

I’m with you on that but it would be awkward for Goody as he was his assistant wasn’t he?

There are plenty of inequalities that remain in our game, but the most unequal of them is all is the fixturing. Whilst i'd love a 36 round spectacle, we know its a pipe dream with the current length of games. The AFL wouldn't want to make the length of the season any shorter either, so i also think the 'play each other once' is also a pipe dream unless they change the finals format, which the purists would have a conniption over. So if we were to stick to the 23 round fixture, each team should play each other once in rounds 1-17. The final 6 rounds are then determined by ladder position on the eve of Round 18. This will rule out any team that is in the Top 6, playing a bottom 6 team twice. But given the commercial influence on our game, this is also a pipe dream as we all want two showdowns, two Derbys, two what-ever-its-called in Qld and NSW. We make too many decisions to improve the size of EBA. It has to stop.

I loved how Kozzy got himself to the front of the pack for the crumb. This is where he should be every single time. The risk that Lever took was inspiring - the execution was poor, but he 100% identified the corridor prior to the stoppage as an outnumber. And finally a bounce that favored our boys. It is one week earlier than last year where we snuck a victory from the jaws of defeat against the Cats... would love for this to reignite the fire of belief.