Gawndy the Great

This is a great, great call. 0 % chance of Goodwin doing this though. It is such an obvious move, but i bet it'll be Harmes or Dunstan to cover if Oliver goes out.

The next 2 games are very important and I fear we may drop one or both of them. Port hanging on to finals hope and Dogs will want some redemption for last years GF. Both will come out firing and are not walk overs by any stretch.

He made a mistake and does deserve a second chance. If you could get Larkey or King or any other established KPF, then we wouldn’t be looking at Taylor.

There are so many ways to transition why can’t we have 4-5 options that we practise and use to keep the defence guessing? set plays for example. Love big Maxy but you can see he’s starting to lose his impact here and BBB and LJ are not very good at it.

At what point do we want to start our run? Both Pies and and Cats look to have started there’s a little early. Freo have looked a little shakeup it but like us last year, just win ugly. Need to beat Port and Doggies for staters and then go 3-1 or better against Carlton , Freo, Filth and then the Lions. MFCSS is telling me (and I’m doing my best not to listen) that we will go 3-3 or worse. 5-1 will secure top 2 IMHO

I think he plays as the third tall. Have BBB and Gawn /LJ as 1 and 2 and use JVR as the roaming forward in place of Bedford. The smaller forward line exp has failed. Relying on Weid as depth was also a colossal overestimation. Cannot allow that to continue.

This was the case with Cerra last year. Freo can eat [censored] if they can’t deal. We are not giving away a pick 3 (who is once in a generation supposedly) for two end of first round picks. It’s one of Serong or Brayshaw + 2021 first rounder for Jackson.

Did we ever learn why he turned down Basketball in favour of AFL? Perhaps living away from home really is a factor?

I can’t stand Selwood but anyone who thinks this is deliberate is clearly delusional. It was a footy act. Stupid and careless yes, and the free was paid. If we play them again, then we will remember.

That’s only for head knocks I believe.

You see i had this belief too once. But, if you don't use it in H&A matches, how are are you expect to make it fit for purpose in the finals, where it has to be instinctive. We play a defensive game with ball in hand. Its designed that way to minimize scores from turnover. But it requires slow ball movement and basically zero risk taking. Its easy to defend against if we are moving it from the backline. At the end of the day I dont think you can play one brand in H&A and another in Finals. The only things that you can change are small things like tags and match-ups.

oh how i cannot stand that peanut. But Goody needs to hear it - maybe the other coaches have been telling him and doesnt want to hear it... who knows, but its frustrating as hell.

Not necessarily. I would goto Norf and say give us Pick #2 (priority pick) and we will knock back all offers from WCE and Freo and force LJ into the PSD. Its a dog act, yes, but it also gives us even more bargaining power to keep both WCE and Freo in check. They will know that we are using them as a bargaining chip, but we can come to some sort of arrangement / understanding for future swaps or trades, but ultimately it allows us to attach some value to the Norf option - not sure if its totally legal though.

And for this so called skill, how often has it worked?

Well im happy its under the spotlight in the media. This is the new Geelong game plan and it will now attract attention from their opposition. it was bit like our gameplan last year, it got attention but no body really took it seriously or did anything about it. This year, almost everybody knows how to play against us, so it boils down to who can execute better. Goody has some accountability for this loss as well. The coaching group didn't take their style serious enough and were prepared to back our system against theirs. I think in the weeks to come, there will be some teams that are a little more bold and will show how to beat the Cats. I cannot see them winning finals with that style of game, but who knows. Right now, anyone in the top 6 can win it.

We have lost 4 games to top 8 teams that are good in bringing immense pressure to the contest and stoppage. Equally we have beaten 2 top 8 (as it stands) that on reflection were probably off their game. I don't care that we are loading, or at the same point as last year. The games we have lost are finals like, so anyone wanting an 'audit' of our game and how it will stand up in finals can use this a crystal ball. We are not winning it with performances or planning like that. The facts of our losses are not co-incidental either. They tell us that we are not up to it against sides who bring pressure - we cannot cope with it. Equally , we have seen our pressure rating all year is much much lower than last year, so this cannot be overlooked.

I agree largely with your assessment bar a few: 1. I think Bedford is promising - he needs a bit more opportunity and learning how to read the packs. Also needs to learn a little about defensive pressure. He has great goal awareness and breathtaking pace. I'd give him a few more years to be fair. 2. Langdon. We all know there are no wings at GMHBA so i knew Lingers was not going to be as effective as usual. Just accept this and move on. The game plan doesnt need an overhaul, but it definitely needs some fine tuning. I remember saying this years ago - for it to work, you need to bring 100% effort, no exceptions. Lions just 2 weeks ago is a perfect example. If it is off, just one bit, then it will fall apart. I know coaches will say we will back our own system, blah blah. I largely agree with this, however you do need something a little different at GMHBA. We need some corridor ball movement.

If LJ goes 1. secure Gus immediately. 2. Work out the compensation with Freo / WC. 3A. Use the draft picks to recruit a Melbourne based KPF and separately a ruck prospect. 3B Depending on who we are dealing with get a return player. Brayshaw or Serong minimum. 4 Get one of Walker / Lobb to address immediate list needs for the next 2-3 years as the KPF will take at least 4 years to develop. Not the end of the world, but at what point does this start to affect team members?

McStay is overrated and will just add to the list of forward woes. Walker can play the roaming CHF role very effectively.

If what is being said is true. I don’t think it’s going to be what’s being reported. Freo will be silly giving him anything more than 4 years.

Look, this got me through the 3 consecutive losses, but we ain’t the only team doing it so need to look at the actual reasons.

The other indictment to the team was the midfield getting pants by a bunch of 2nd rate geriatrics and a caveman.

The league needs a rule that draftees need to sign a minimum 5 years. It’s pathetic that we get this kid and he’s gone after 3 years. Not sure how he gets to Freo though. I’d play hardball and deal exclusively with WCE for their Pick 2/3 and a top 10 player

McStay is going to the Pies for overs. He will upset our salary cap. I think the play has to be for Taylor Walker whilst JVR is blooded. Walker will come on the cheap and will be dead dog hungry for some silverware.

But Salem is a shadow of his 2021 form. I think Salem looks good only when we look good as a team tbh. Whereas Brayshaw out in another solid performance tonight in a loosing side. One of the few who can hold his head high. I think maybe we chase Amon for the JJ wing and leave Gus at HB. He is probably taking one of the HB AA positions, which is quite an achievement in his first crack at it. He is wasted on the defensive wing.