BW511

Following on from @dazzledavey36, I can easily see a situation where the current version of Clarry is the best version, from a mental/personal wellbeing perspective, and that takes priority over his former manic preparation and ball winning ability. If Clayton the person had to devote a lot of time/energy to being the best version of himself, footy could easily fall down the pecking order. After all, it still comes pretty easy to him so all the extra 1% things he used to do don’t happen anymore. This situation would really test the clubs strength due to the conflict of enormous salary versus club led mantra that people/family come first. Regardless of the emotion attached, it’s still business and very cut throat at that

You can bet the club is looking into the Oliver situation closely, no one in their right mind would be keeping a bloke on that much money for the output he’s giving. Yes, his stats are ok compared to others but he’s not getting paid ‘ok’ money. After 18 months of no return on investment, something has to give. It may even be from Olivers side to test the waters

I recall last week he copped one and really winced, yesterday he had plenty of times where he protected his hand

No doubt he can/could do it but who does he replace? Has to be the Sparrow role and whatever that is, it is obviously considered quite important because he is definitely not doing anything with the footy. Will not be ANB or Chin, their running appears to be the cornerstone for our defensive structure. If not those he’s in a fight with quite a few blokes with more modern skill sets

Someone has to go out of the midfield mix to get the required skills or speed in there. For that to happen, Clarry, Viney or Trac have to be shifted out. Trac has to be there because he can win games on his own. Viney has to be there because it would rip the fabric of the club apart and also, he probably can’t play anywhere else. Clarry has to play because of his insane contract so where to from there?

Hypothetically speaking, if Clarry returns to his best, does he help or hinder our future team? I think if we front up next year with Trac, Clarry and Viney as our starting mids, we will see results more like 2024 than 2021. The midfield mix that Freo had today was streets ahead of ours in terms of speed, skill and two way running. Including Andy Brayshaw, who isn’t known for his disposal by foot

I had a laugh at Whately saying the hawks were the 4th best team, he might not be wrong

Proper nosedive from the pies, wonder how long they stay down low following this finals exit

And the other name thrown around at #1, Smillie, isn’t in the side

Calling Rayner depth is bold. He hasn’t quite lived up to the hype but he’s definitely more than depth

If BigFooty is to believed, his off season made Clayton’s issues seem tame. It’s been a very abrupt drop off

I am in agreement, I think his media persona is quite stiff and rehearsed. The more personal, humans side is obviously very highly regarded internally and it’s good to see that in this light. Kozzie could not possibly sell himself any better at the moment, he’s a very grounded and mature kid for his age and fame

He’s already had a couple of career renaissances, think this one is a farewell tour at best. Shame because he was very valuable last year when he got injured

I would be excited to watch Melbourne every week if he continued his early 2024 form (if he came over)

One thing to keep in mind is that the 2023 gameplan would have different requirements, from a fitness and conditioning perspective, when compared to the early part of this year. Whilst it can be trained over a summer, Selwyn is working to different parameters now so it would need a longer period of time to properly adjust for it. I’m neither here nor there on Selwyn, just offering a perspective

I tell you what, Lever helped our structure immensely but he was really testing my patience with the umpires and his standing the mark. I would have paid multiple 50’s against him for being an [censored]. Strange cat

Very tough one to swallow, the effort and endeavour was the best it’s been for multiple years. We had the game all but sewn up and then the nerves came. The thing that stood out for me was in the last 5 minutes when the game was there to be won, the lions kicking beat us. Zorko ([censored] him) had a couple of really good, long and precise kicks that just killed us. McLuggage, who had done bugger all, suddenly slots a match winner from the pocket. The game is so contested and fast now, handing it back to the opposition through poor kicking is soul destroying. On the plus side, Clarry was really invested and determined. JVR was looking like he would tear the game apart in the first half. He’s so strong for a kid. AMW did very well for a debutant after a few fumbles early, he didn’t retreat into his shell and just kept attacking.

He’s not renowned for his kicking, so I don’t think he’s a need

The subject of Max and leadership will be an interesting watch over the remainder of this year and into next. Since our flag, I have held the belief our leaders and senior players can be targeted and the shoulders slump quite quickly. There would be a lot of frustration in the dees camp right now and Max would be feeling it. The vision of May & Gawn from the weekend shows tensions are at an all time high https://www.theroar.com.au/afl/video/watch-f-k-me-steven-may-absolutely-gives-it-to-gawn-for-even-thinking-about-taking-advantage-1361253/

In the right system, Oliver is a steal for 9 or 10. If he strings a full preseason together, he’s double the player next year. He’s still where he needs to be to get the ball and he can not run at his usual level

If any coach could appreciate Clarrie’s ball winning, it’s Sam Mitchell.

I love Butters as much as anyone, he’d be in the top 3 or 4 players I enjoy watching. Don’t think he’s driving us forward on his own though, would need another seriously good mid for company

I am 100% in agreement with the first part. We are not building anything around Max, May and probably Viney. They have been integral to our side and may still have a role in our future success however, they are not the nucleus of it. Our midfield needs a proper rethink, in strategy and bodies.

Not a single club that says ‘no, doesn’t fit our profile’

I can’t help but feel North’s midfield torch ours. They are better on paper, better on form and have a lot of confidence after significant improvement of late. How we cope over the rest of the ground will be the key I think North get this done in a tight one and they cement their upwards trajectory from here. All I can hope for is JVR having a big game