Gawndy the Great

I dont think he would have taken Kozzy. Fritta was more likely but now they have to potentially deploy Barass onto him

Hurn is a big out. They have very little left to cover our forward line. They still have scoring power, but it is obviously aging and out-of-form. As for Gaff...meh.

Is anyone surprised at that? Saints and Blues are basically linked to every single RFA, FA, disgruntled player.

Not much has been made about this encounter. Last week we were talking about records being broken etc which would have generated a bit of pride response to limit the damage in addition to the weather. Not sure it’s going to be there this week. I get we don’t put the foot to the throat but with this squad, we can inflict some serious damage especially out of the middle.

Well yes, they were also unlucky from their own perspectives. However, do you think the career of those footy players would have unfolded any differently had they gone to a more successful club or one that had a better culture? Scully was an athlete more than he was a footballer. Just lacked footy IQ. I personally dont think he would have become much more than he was. But that is a matter of perspective. Trengroves' career was cut short by an injury that was probably more structural/genetic than it was due to mismanagement or being at MFC. The only player that may have had a different journey was Wattsy, but we saw him at Port (prior to his injury) and his hunger was never to the point where he could maximize his potential. But my point is that 2x #1 and 1x #2 that were not draft selection mistakes per se, but never came to fruition had a massive impact on our ability to rebuild earlier in the 2000's. Compare that with the Rebuild Pt 2( 2013 - 2016) where we got a hold of Salem, Trac, Oliver & Brayshaw. I wouldnt say we were 100% lucky with Pt 2, but it doesnt mean that we were not fortunate that the players turned out to be exactly what we needed.

What happens if he doesn’t sign? If WC finish last, he can’t just walk out on us to the Eagles right?

Good stuff from pg 16

Premierships are hard to win at the best of times. When you bottom out, you are at the mercy of the football gods when it comes to draft talent at that time matching your list requirements. Most teams would have also gone watts, Scully, Trengove and probably suffered a similar fate to ours - we were just unlucky. We’d be best to enshrine ‘the veil of negativity’ in a special room at Casey where all new players, coaches and non footy staff spend a whole week in every year to pay homage to our horrific past and make sacrificial gestures to prevent it ever escaping said room again 😂

Most of those players you mentioned were after the window. Ablett and Buddy went under ridiculous circumstances that no normal player would ever dream earning probably anywhere between m1.5- 2x what they would earn anywhere else. Again I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it is a rarity and most will tell you to chase more medals than $$$

Not being flippant but how many left the Lions, Cats, Hawks and Tigers during their window? Put an asterisk on Ablett Jnr and Franklin as they are clearly a unique case. Players want success more than anything - it’s what drives them.

Every past player who has won a medal will tell him to chase success - you have the rest of your life to make money and spend it with family. Hopefully he is surrounded by good people outside of the club.

I just saw this too and was not surprised at his decision but more so in how he spoke. It was a contrast to how he spoke on his podcast. Hopefully it’s just a negotiation tactic.

Neil got to see a flag, which I’m sure kept him in great spirits for the last few months. He has done so much for the cause and is an absolute legend in our club. I hope he is at peace with his family and his life because I’m saddened to think the end is near. #FightMND

Goes to show that being successful is as much as having leadership onfield in addition to the coaches box. Standards have to be driven by the playing group alone and not demanded by the coaches. If it is then you are not top 4 material and hence have a slim chance at a premiership. This is why I think the Lions are the only other real challenger this year. Freo are building and will probably get to a PF but not further. Blues, Cats and Swans will get exposed in finals footy.

The first thing North need to work on is Defence. Relentless, boring defence. They may not score more than 40 pts a game but they should be aiming to minimise teams to 60-70pts. All great, effective systems are based on defence and atm Noble hasn’t got this right. Number of wins shouldn’t be the measure this year or next but margins and points conceded are definitely on the table. Hard to critique his coaching style or demeanour but he looks like one of those blokes with anger issues and capable of talking without thinking, which nowadays can be over the top for some players as the feedback isn’t always sugar coated. However the biggest factor I see is the onfield leadership (or lack of). As many have stated,the huge player turnover would have had a significant impact on this. They need to identify the right leaders, the right standards and make sure the playing group are upholding these standards and not David Noble. Until then, it will be hit and miss. Thai is as much a foundational component as player experience, gameplan and list quality.

At first it’s seems the obvious choice but I don’t think we need 3 HB flankers in the backline. Rivers is a general shut down defender whilst the other 3 are playing a HB role. Not saying it won’t work but it’ll mean another changed role which isn’t necessary as we have Rivers playing his role. But the big positive is just how versatile Gus is. I’m now 100% convinced we cannot afford to let him go anywhere , not even when we have passed our window. His footy IQ is just awesome.

A quick snippet on fox footy with Gawn in front of the Olympic Park Imaging. Played it down saying he didn’t want to be there but the club made him… sounds positive but could just be misdirection.

I think we have to use Salem at HF - The Lionel Messi of MFC. He can push up to the wings and be the link between our defence and forward line. Using ANB and Salem could allow us to attack from multiple positions and provide an alternative route to goal if Lingers is getting. Tagged. Not suggesting we do this now as I’m not sure you can just change a role midway through a season but should be looked at in preseason. For this year, hard call but we shouldn’t just drop Rivers - he needs to learn and develop. Maybe Gus moves into the midfield rotation ?

I have no tolerance for racists, bigots, sexists etc. Everyone is entitled to be treated equally and fairly. I also don’t condone how the Pies have handled this and working in the corporate world would expect some spin and dishonesty in the whole process, but at least there has been acknowledgement and progress on the issue. Even Eddie was forced to resign, which is a considerable outcome as many would think he was untouchable. I hear lots of apologies have been offered, discussions have been had between those involved so not sure why reconciliation cannot be achieved. ultimately Lumumba needs to come forward and outline what he expects publically because soon the tables will turn on him as the footy community are compassionate and understanding but are losing patience (rightly or wrongly). I think he would benefit greatly with some support and guidance behind the scenes on how he manages the whole affair as those with PR experience will take advantage of his inexperience and perceived irrational behaviour and we will miss a huge opportunity to learn as a society.

I reckon there has to be something in our approach to our loads and how we play in the H and A. It seems we have no interest in burying teams because it’s not worth the potential injury / exhaustion for a couple of %. If we get the Ws with 4-6 goal margins the overall % takes care of itself. It allows us to switch on the nitrous oxide in the finals without cracking the head gasket.

Great observation! I think his greatest issue of the past was trying to do much, but that’s Jack. Champion player. His playing within his means and does more with less.

We have a huge decision to make when Salem comes back. Brayshaw Is terrific off HB. Plays the defensive role and provides plenty of attack.

6 Gus 5 Lingers 4 Oliver 3 Trac 2 Kozzy 1 BBB (Almost gave it to TMac had he kicked the one in the 1st quarter)

Great first quarter ! Our core mids Trac Oliver and Viney not really in the game yet. Hopefully they get involved more in the link up an assert full ground dominance. Defensive setup is stifling the Saints ball movement, expect a change up.

If we do land him , some dominoes in the 22 reqd as he is too talented as ‘depth’. IMV he either takes Gus’s role on the wing and Gus either moves down to HB or the midfield rotation. Puts the heat on JJ, Harmes and Sparrow. Option 2, he moves to HF to mix it with Spargs, Kozzy and ANB. For me it’s a direct upgrade on ANB’s current role. ANB can then moved into the midfield rotation at the expense of players above or stay in the forward rotation as a pressure forward. Ultimately gives us lots of options to reshuffle and improve the 22. Biggest and obvious issue is salary cap space. Just cannot see it getting done with the current cap . Possibly a move to to keep ahead on the LJ front and/or tactics to keep Brayshaw’s mgt honest.