Gawndy the Great

This can either go two ways. We lie over and this game is 6+ loss. Or we give it a crack and take on the game and we can steal it. First 2 mins will tell all. If the Cats kick the first , game over.

Nah. Not interested tonight.

I don’t think umpiring is too bad tbh. A bit inconsistent from HTB.

Our midfield is just starting to warm up. I think we may look off but Geelong are throwing everything and taking a lot of risks by taking the corridor. It could work for them but more likely to not.

The ground feels like a junior footy oval.

May real good ol stinker

Defence looks a little slowish. may very fumbly so far.

I really really pray that the umpires don’t feature in this game. I can take a loss but not another +3 goal advantage due to soft frees or 50/50 calls in the f50. Hawkins will no doubt flop for a few so let’s hope the umpires are not influenced by the feral crowd. It should be a good contest but I don’t think we can read too much into the result given the time of year and obvious disparity of the grounds dimensions and how that will effect a teams game plan and ball movement. if umpired well and fairly, Dees by 6 goals.

It’s going to be a wet ball so going shorter up forward makes sense. Our ground ball game has to be on.

Gonna be wet so probably better to stay with the current composition of smalls and talls.

Hunt has shown us in the past that he is a good lock-down defender when he needs to be. So if Hibbo does get omitted, then its probably the right choice IMO.

The more this debate continues the more I’m inclined to jump on the Tex bandwagon. Tex at CHF and BBB at home with TMac and Fritta roaming the wings. Gives us structure and elite marking higher up the ground. Give him a 1 year contract with a low baseline and higher match / performance based incentives.

Lobb was always leaving. So let’s say he decides to go. Does he tell MFC now or end of season? if MFC know, do we wrap him in cotton wool or keep playing him? or does he get a mysterious pcl strain ?

spot on. Couldnt agree more. In a time where we are potting several players for off field antics (even one of our own) it is great to see we have Trac and co who couldnt be a better definition of a role model for the younger generation. Even Harmes indicating touched is great fare play. Others should take a leaf out of his book. I still maintain that in play, you do everything you can to hurt the opposition farely - non of this dirty stuff (unless its Dangerfield or Lycett). In time, umpires will learn to acknowledge this so that in 50/50 situations they may sub consciously give Trac the benefit of doubt.

And whats even scarier is that he will probably clean up is kicking a bit more, goalkicking a bit more. And when he gets even more confidence and experience, he will exit stoppage and move to the right places even more. There is no question on his contested dominance. He is probably only 2nd to Diesel - but that was a different era arguably at the end of his career he may just be the GOAT. Trac is a bit more balanced in contested / uncontested footy, which is fine. You have to have different types of players in the middle. But even his clearance play, explosiveness and sheer power will go down in history. Add Viney and Gawn into that mix and we have a centre square line-up that is truly remarkable.

Looks like both are tests so clearly on the lower side of seriousness for LJ. I think Weid has proven himself as good enough ruck backup so happy to give LJ another week to get ice his niggle. Gawn <> Bedford.

If that is the case, we use him as a decoy and have teams guessing what we are doing. Onfield leadership need to identify this as it may change within the game. i.e. if he is getting double or triple teamed, lead to the fat-side / open of the ground and then have Fritta and/or Brown / Weid run to the ball carrier leaving the other in the goal square. This is forward craft and will always have opposition defense guessing which equals free kicks or aerial domination. We saw some improvement against Adelaide in shorter / better kicks rather than kicking it in deep without thinking. Some of this was also a result of quicker ball movement, meaning opposition had less time to flood back.

To split pick 2/3 they need another team to have 2x first round picks in 2022 . Right now, there is not a team that has the required draft hand. As we would still demand at least a top 10 pick (plus a player and another future first), WCE will need to identify a team that finishes outside of the top 8 (with a top 10 pick) and that team would need to trade for another pick in the first round in order to trade for WC's pick 2/3 - sounds quite convoluted right. The other missing factor is that team that satisfies the above, would need a really good reason to chase pick 2/3 in this years draft - there is no guarantee that will actually happen. So in short, the speculation with Freo and WCE and their draft hand required to trade with LJ, hurts my brain on Monday morning.😂

Koladshnknininiisfji is a confirmed out. So they are undersized down back. Will probably mean Blicavs plays a permanent back and Henry will be moved backwards as well giving us some ascendency to have some favourable match-ups our D50. Their midfield is dangerous and experienced but is aging so hopefully we can expose them by hard running both ways. It will be interesting to see how they recover on the short 5 day turn around. Its a genuine 50-50 game and will go a long way to securing a top 2 spot. The game will be close +/- 2 goals.

Who would you take from GWS realistically ? I’m assuming it’s not going to be a KPF as Hogan and Himmelberg are not players who would change our make up.

We have the Blues and Doggies coming up. Anyone with a heart condition should avoid the game.

I liked M Browns game. He was better playing a high HF type role. We need him to do that again and take one of Geelongs Tall defenders . I saw Kolodjashnij was out injured so they are down two of their key defensive stocks. Hopefully the weather remains dry so we can use Gawn more effectively in the F50. I wonder if they swing Henry back into D50 and bring in Ratagolea or Rohan (assuming they are fit). I think May goes to Hawk and Petty to Cameron. Hibberd is probably better suited to Tyson Stengle who is in hot form. Gawn <> Bedford LJ <> Weideman (if fit) Tommo (medi-sub)

Lobb in serious good form. Freo should refocus on keeping him in the team rather than trying to attract LJ.

Well I think that explains it a bit. Lack of experience- hopefully it gets reviewed and they get feedback and learn from it. it was a disappointing performance but I don’t but into the trying to get Adelaide to win narrative. They are human, they were overcome by the crowd. Maybe get them in Melbourne for their first 20-30 games before umpiring in their home state.

This is why the club needs to intervene, I can recall a half dozen contests where Clarey was being held without even having control of the ball. It happened to several players in fact. But it really is a blight with what they can get away with him. champion data should invent a new stat in his honour, a Clarry contested possession. 3 blokes hanging off him , without possession and then you blink and he wins and disposed of the ball.