BW511

I’m sure you would have been at the game today, Binny, but on Ch 7 Luke Hodge was not at all happy with multiple decisions against us. BT kept trying to bait him but he resisted blowing his lid

Collingwood are given a leg up by some very good football IQ amongst their veterans but continuing to lose games n the same fashion for 3 years has to eventually burst the bubble. I said in the postgame thread, one of Pendles or Sidebottom in our side and we win that. Collingwood always looked comfortable, even when we threw everything at them they could manufacture a goal, almost instantly. Our team is so hot and cold with confidence and composure, it was the deciding factor today. I’m not sure this falls directly on Goody, but he certainly hasn’t been able to instill complete confidence for the past 3 years.

That was bizarre. He’s made for these games

The last kick aside, are people really thinking Gawn was our best? Edit: for context, I thought May was streets ahead of anyone else. Clarry second

If we had one of Sidebottom or Pendles in our side, we win that. Just an unbelievably frustrating affair. We do so much right but we have to work twice as hard as any other team to win.

We’ll agree to disagree. The reason that loading causes fatigue is exactly the reason you have stated that it can’t be done. You add extra load to create new adaptations for future benefit.

Not that I want to get into the loading debate here but this is missing the key part, the loading part prior to the rest/taper

No doubt he’s well down on confidence but I think he’s carrying too much muscle weight. It means while he is a little down on belief, he’s not quick enough to get separation and he’s lost some spring for jumping

You’ll never convince a country boy to come to Melbourne when Geelong is an option. Would like to hear about what’s happening behind the scenes, I think West Coast would be quietly keen to get rid of the circus and focus on rebuilding

And they are supposedly re-signing their retired ruckman, Andrew Phillips, in the midseason draft to help Goldy.

If we end up carrying this list of players for as long as you suggest, we are in a bad way.

From what I’ve read, Bergman is a poor man’s Houston. Run and gun and bomb it

If he can drag out Hayden Young with him, that would be very helpful. Come on Luke, may as well blow that place up!

Agree completely We need more capable foot soldiers so that we can afford to carry Koz

Fascinating story brewing. I was never a huge fan of Jackson because his impacts were so fleeting, not often he influenced games for longer than a wild cameo. Over the journey, I have felt Kozzie has been similar. Just wished he would get more involved for longer - despite only needing 3-4 touches to be a match winner. The Fremantle game was something else, Kozzie made everyone on the ground look like they were in slow motion. I changed my view during that game and think Kozzie has every right to be considered in the top 5-10 players in the comp at his best. I’d take Jackson back and possibly in a straight swap because he’s a known quantity and should have even greater impact with our changing game style. Heart says Kozzie is worth significantly more but it’s potentially a decent outcome on the back of losing a generational talent like Koz - if it eventuates, of course

At the very least, he is dominating VFL games. How many of our talls are doing that?

Makes sense for us to still be after him. Turner, Derksen & Petty would be a very versatile group of talls to have

That left foot and the Sherrin are a match made in heaven, that was as pure as it gets.

Gus was very good aerially, for a HBF or winger. That is not something we have with our current mix of Salem/McVee/Howes/Lindsay/Rivers. That part of his game was quite underrated and complemented Lever and May incredibly well.

I think Chandler would be leading, he’s been our most consistent.

Melk out - Morris In, makes a lot of sense

I feel like he’s carrying a lot more upper body muscle than years gone. He doesn’t look fat, just top heavy. I think JVR is carrying too much upper body weight as well.

I agree with this, Sestan is about as natural a footballer as you’ll see. Even at lower levels, you don’t kick huge bags of goals without serious talent. He’s a great option to replace Melk into the future. In an AFL system, if allowed to play on instinct, he could do anything.

I don’t want to see that at all, in fact I applaud it. As you said, the smart players are acutely aware of what’s going on around them and can make decisions that set them up for the next contest and the one after that. Some players need body contact to remain engaged (Viney) others just need to get the ball (Langford) What I do have issue with is Langford being called out for taking ‘short steps’ when our next captain (allegedly) is not even hiding the fact he is short-arming contests. Our current captain often does it as well - again, no issue if it gets him to the next contest or keeps him playing the next week

Are we allowed to mention Trac’s one? Didn’t even go one handed. That’s far more of an issue than Langford finding his way in season 1 and being cautious. Luke Hodge commented and then backed off saying it is allowed after his injuries. Trac is absolutely avoiding body contact - very different mindset to Viney who got polaxed by a short hospital kick