BDA

Our much vaunted midfield unit have flattered to deceive for long enough. If the dysfunction continues then I’m all for giving one of them a spell and letting Sparrow have a crack. Just seen that snippet of interview he did yesterday and he comes across as intelligent and well-spoken which suggests he’s coachable like you say. I reckon he’s a team first player as well. I haven’t seen enough of him but is he disciplined and defensive minded to run both ways? Take his defensive duties seriously? If he is then straight away it’s a point of difference to most of our current midfield brigade.

Yep. Just need a couple of tenacious small forward types to compliment our tall brigade.

Does anyone know what the training schedule is over the next few weeks? I might head out to see a session and see how everyone is moving and what kind of shape they’re in particularly TMac.

I think this group is good enough to make finals in spite of Goodwin. That being the case making finals is not a pass. Top 4 and a clear demonstration we can mix it with the best teams. No honorable defeats or close calls. We have to beat the likes of Geelong and West Coast this year.

Could say the same thing about TMac.

Draft permutations and possibilities are not my forte whereas you seem to have a pretty good aptitude for it. Can you conceive of any scenarios where we could trade with the pies for their first round pick? The pies are a good chance to go backwards next year so there’s a reasonable chance it will be a high pick. Morale will be low post trade period, De Goey court case and the Lumumba investigation could really derail their season. Plus the pies seem to have an inflated sense of where they are at so may well under-value it when negotiating. And apart from the inherent value of the pick I think it would be great fun death riding that pick during season 2021.

What kind of player development coaching did Robbie Flower receive as opposed to Cale Morton? Perhaps poor development was a factor with Morton but the club weren't much chop when Robbie was playing either and it didn't stop him from becoming a fabulous player.

Possibly in a parallel universe somewhere but not planet Earth ?

Nothing wrong with experimenting but there has to be a fall back. Agree re Baker. He has shown flashes but little of substance thus far.

@Half forward flank never said that he should go back to where he came from. In the interests of fairness I think you should both clarify your comments because it appears to me that you have deliberately misrepresented what he said to paint a certain picture which is dishonest and downright bad faith commenting. But I could be wrong so feel free to set the record straight.

Not sure how psychology works collectively but I reckon coaching, game plan, buy-in and having a decent list of players were just as important factors in Tiges success. I’d be interested to know whether the doggies used a psychologist in 2016? I understand from an individual perspective how it has a big role in helping better execution. Fritsch should have a psychologist working with him this off-season for instance. Plus it was interesting to hear BB talk about the visualisation techniques he employs as part of this goal kicking routine. But collectively I don’t know. If you take the doggies game this year where we dropped off badly in the 3rd quarter, was it due to lack of pressure from our forwards allowing the doggies to rebound unimpeded, was it lack of response from Goodwin to Beveridge’s switches allowing their midfield to get on top, was it poor effort and intensity to man-up and chase down (maybe this is where the psychologist can play a role). An interesting topic and one I can’t profess to be any kind of an expert in but I would be interested to know what techniques a psychologist would employ for our group.

Does anyone have any footage of the kid in action? Can he play?

The most impressive specimen I’ve seen for a long time. The mullet I mean. The rig not bad either.

And the hairstyle.

Crickets. What’s going on with this deal? You’d think someone needs to cut a monthly pay cheque for Treloar pretty soon which will be hard to do if you don’t know his salary??

Burgess improved our fitness out of sight this year. We were running over the top of teams in the 4th quarter which is a huge tick and validation of his methods and impact. You're right though, the lapses in concentration and in-game drop-offs have killed us and its been a recurring theme. I don’t know if its structural, game plan, game-day coaching or what but with characters like Maxy, Viney, Clarry, May it shouldn’t be on-field leadership. Those blokes are mentally tough and should have the wherewithal to rally the troops and reverse momentum. In individual sports like golf I know psychology coaching is well established. You would think goal kicking would be an obvious area to apply in an AFL context. I haven’t heard of an example in the AFL where psychology has been mentioned as being successful or helped improve the overall team performance. Do you know of any?

Brilliant player. Ripping bloke. So sad that he left us way too early.

I think the main pieces are in place, winger and another small forward notwithstanding, but all eyes will be on Goodwin from Round 1. Time for our coach to deliver consistency and results.

Collingwood are my second team.

No SONS. That mullet is awesome. I don’t ever want him to cut it.

Try me. I’m an understanding and open-minded individual.

Can you elaborate a little on this remark and explain what white supremacist thinking has been displayed in this thread?

Nathan and Eddie’s judgment has been shown to be very suspect and they got the Lumumba response wrong as well. They nick named the bloke chimp for God’s sake. There’s no defending that. The right course of action would be a mea culpa and a genuine attempt to atone and try to be better in the future. Lumumba is right to call them out. I think he's over reaching just a tad when he says things like ”My name is a symbol of black power and revolution, and ties me to the spirit of great men such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Patrice Lumumba”. He aint any of those. And I’m glad he found solace in his identify and re-connected with his Congolese roots. So much so that he’s decided to move to……..Los Angeles?

I wouldn’t be using a pick on a half back on the assumption Salem will be a success on the wing. I wouldn’t be moving Hunt back there either. He has found his role in support up forward. I would definitely use a pick to find a winger. If its an itch we have to scratch play him there after Baker has had a run (quite likely he’ll be dropped but you never know). If it doesn’t work then revert back quickly. But don’t be wasting picks on a position where we have a perfectly good player in situ.

Who replaces him at half back? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Our record converting players isn’t too flash. We’ve tried players on the wing with more suitable attributes that have been a bust and Salem will be no different. Leave him where he is and where he’s been learning his trade for the last 100 odd games.