Gawndy the Great

That is hardly a collapse. That happens to me every time I get up off the couch after a few beers.

Enjoyed it thoroughly. The tribute to Neale was fantastic and fitting. Would have loved to see the players get a bit more involved in the day though. Could have had them and the coaching staff comment on key moments throughout the replay, a few fun competitions etc. Cant wait for 2021.

Improvements i would like to see is putting to bed the games we should win by a 6+ goal margin and not just stumbling across the line. We could probably improve our stoppage game including structures, clearances and improving the cohesion with Gawny's tap work and LJ's alternative influences. We still had a few games where we were missing for large chunks of a quarter (Lions, Cats R23, Doggies 2nd encounter + GF, Hawks, Crows etc) - now it is inevitable that this will happen, but to respond quicker and not to let 2-3 goals consecutively turn into a 1-1.5 quarters of MIA. These are really grasping at straws when it comes to improvements, but a pillar of successful, high performing teams is continuous improvement. Oh, and the last area is Goodies pressers. Need to change the narrative a little there i think :)

it is just an example - a real life experiment performed live on social media. independent from all the govt sanctioned studies, where the same result was achieved. How is that surprising?

100% there was a lab technician (works in covid testing labs) that did a social media video and was posted across various platforms, where he tested his antibody levels from immediately after to 6 months after the Pfizer double shot. it was legit as far as i could tell - which isn't saying much. When compared against somebody (else) which had Covid (without being vaccinated) , his mRNA induced immunity at month 6 was still double what the natural immune response of said person. There are plenty of studies that will back this up and im still surprised that people are shocked when i tell them this, thinking that natural immunity = mRNA induced immunity.

I like Adelaide too. They have a hard working midfield. They are similar to the Doggies in that they can attack and score but equally can be scored against heavily. They put a lot of speed on the ball, which makes for a great spectacle when it works. However the Taylor Walker situation is a big mess and it may impact them coming into next year as he was a focal point in the f50. Not sure whether he plays in the first quarter/half of the season either.

This is sooo wrong. I reckon Cats and Tigers are on the edge of a massive cliff - Geelong moreso. Will it finally giveway this year, who knows but the Giants are sneaky top 4 in my book. All they need is a good run with injuries and they will be a force to contend with.

I think a large chunk of players in the AFL are largely inseparable in talent. Put in a good system with well defined roles and limit individualism and you have the makings of a successful team. You just have to look at the difference in us from the past 2 seasons. We couldn’t kick, score or defend. Now we are the masters of all 3. I think Dunstable will thrive in our environment and he has a point to prove so effort and commitment will not be in question.

Even with the push in the back there is a line. And I think the JJ one was a definite one. But having a rule such as this open to interpretation is why we will have these issues forever and a day.

Finally picked up a blue-ray edition of the 2021 Grand Final. After at least 4 weeks of not watching the grand final, it was so refreshing to watch it again. My better half was amazed that after so long that a yelp (or two) and the odd fist pump were on display. I haven't bothered to trawl through the pages of discussion since i last visited this topic and I'm sure it has been discussed to death, but wanted to share a few things that were apparent to me this time around. 1. Alex Neal-Bullen had such an impressive game. The big-time players have all been well documented (Trac, Oliver, Brayshaw, Fritsch, Salem and LJ) But ANB had 25+ disposals and just seemed to be everywhere, with his gut running, score involvements and defensive pressure. I for one commend him as i would have been leading the pack to have him dispelled a few years back. Happy to swallow my pride on that one and am so glad he is playing for us. Most happy with his decision making inside 50. 2. Umpiring. Whilst i will caveat this with the fact that we had the upper hand in umpiring decisions, and that in general the umpiring was good, there were several decisions (or non-decisions) that, in the moment could have had a major impact on the game. The four that were most apparent and during the most critical points in the game that I noticed were: a. Gawns point (looked a goal) b. Hunters ducking free (resulted in a Doggies Goal) c. Harmes & Kozzy high contact inside 20m in front of our goal - non decision d. Johannison push in the back on Doggies goal line (resulted in Doggies goal) 3. First time i watched the post game celebrations with attention to detail and can confirm Basil is an absolute a-grade [censored].

Why would we do that? Best case is saints finish last and that pick would only give us 55 without any fs or nga bids. Doesn’t make sense

Seems a good mark and a decent kick. Assume he will stack on a few more kegs and hopefully grow another cm or 5.

Welcome young man. Worth the gamble in my opinion as we are well stocked on the backline and midfield.

So why does he get through us? We are stacked in almost every other area on the ground.

What’s the latest with Van Rooyen? Will he be available at our pick? Have a hunch in this kid and is exactly the type of player we should be having a crack at. He is probably the the #2 or #3 forward of this years draft and could also play down back if he lacks forward craft. Will either take Mays or TMac spot in 2-3 years time.

He always had a reliable technique so it was probably more of an effort to change what was going on between the ears.

So it looks like the Bluey is on Dec 17th, however according to the website, it is unlikely further tickets will be made available. Was there an initial ticket sale that I wasn't aware of, or did it sell out via corporate / private channels before it was made available to the public? I probably wouldn't have gone either way, but just curious. It is at the Crown Palladium, which is a pretty big venue that could probably host all sponsors plus a table for each player and his extended family (joke).

I think we have all seen this movie before, have we not? *coughs* Geelong *coughs*. They are all within their right to take another tilt at the flag, but the cost will be a bigger and longer list rebuild.

From the end of Sept until Round 1, the honorary favorite is the GF winner. Based on our superior finals series, no man with half a brain would bet against us at this point in time. As others have said, Derm has a grudge against us for some undocumented reason so cant see beyond his own bias. He is hanging onto his media career by a thread i reckon - should retire with what little dignity he has left.

Had so much talent did TJ. Not all wasted but could have been so much more.

Talk he is going top 5. Sour grapes - absolutely. the Doggies have played finals two years running and had a tilt at the flag, and get not one but arguably two top 3 picks in the same time. I know I’m a broken record but I just cannot move past how royally screwed we are getting over this. The one year we stand to benefit from a decent NGA player… And Two years back it was the GCS priority pick ( we got lucky and got LJ. sure it worked out but at the time we all wanted Anderson and probably could have gotten both of ‘‘em if it wasn’t for the priority pick).

100% - i have seen so many videos of families having to say goodbye to their loves ones via VC, people who have recovered from COVID but cannot get out of bed because of reduced lung function.. i think the next iteration of this will be those that died needlessly - not from covid itself - but due to insufficient medical care as a result of a capacity constrained medical sector.

I’m not in public office but it doesn’t take much effort to see how misinformed the public is and how they make really silly decisions based off youtube videos and ‘unqualified professionals’. If their actions only affected themselves then I couldn’t give a rats [censored] what they did. However when their actions have implications to the rest of society then yes, I welcome the vaccine mandates that many corporations, governments etc have made to protect the broader community. Information on global deaths to date in countries that didn’t take as much as a hardline approach as Ausyralia are there for all to see. Modelled deaths in Aus is not an exact science so agree it’s a bit harder to get precise but it’s all in the public domain as worst cast outcomes. My point is not on the number of deaths - the point is that vaccines have undeniably proved that they can prevent unnecessary deaths due to covid. So even if you have a strong immune system, or are young and in good health and COVID will most likely not effect you in any significant way, the young single mother who you brush shoulders with in the supermarket recovering from breast cancer or the teenager working at the Maccas counter who has chronic asthma is not as fortunate and relies on everybody getting vaccinated to ensure their livelihood.

Foolish by Liam. Those who applaud him for having the guts to stand by his principles should also realise that the reason why we have these mandates is that people don't always know what is good for them and important decisions like these are best taken out of their hands. It is the reason why there are laws that require you to be 18+ to drink, gamble, vote and drive. There are no alternatives to the vaccine. We could have either endured upto somewhere between 500K-1M deaths (In Aus alone) or locked down until a vaccine has been developed. Im glad Dan did what he did and despite the massive mental toll i and others have taken, understand the decision. The other unspoken, slighty tangential topic here, is that mRNA technology (used in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines) is a modern medical breakthrough. People do not realise what this technology is going to do for incurable diseases (think cancer, autoimmune conditions and chronic illnesses) in the next 10-20 years. The fact that COVID-19 bought this to the forefront is one of the very few positive benefits of COVID (WFH is the only other one i can think of).

Expect a solid pre-season from everyone. They have proof now of what is required to win a GF. The can now build on that, which is a scary proposition for everyone else in the AFL. Those that want to break into the 22, know they have to put in extra effort in a variety of areas. it is not just about mileage and endurance. The key players not in the top 22 that need to go above and beyond are: 1. Weed. Needs to work on leading patterns, contested marking craft and repeated efforts. He is naturally fit and strong, just doesn't know how to use it to the best of his ability. His kicking technique is excellent, but needs to improve his mental toughness so that his conversion rate is potent - maybe some extra work on mindfulness and training with Fritsch on what he has done differently. On a dry deck having TMac, BBB, Weid and Fritsch working in harmony would be a difficult match up. 2. Tomlinson. Needs to get confidence and strength in his legs. He is much more about rehab. 3. Hunt. Love the grit and effort of this guy. He was having his best year yet before he got struck out with injury. Will have to fight tooth and nail to get his spot back with Bowey being very successful by foot. Hunt has raw talent and speed that you cannot acquire or learn. HIs weakness has always been his disposal and decision making. Hopefully some extra sessions with Choco and Yze can work on this area.