BW511

Watching GWS highlights our need for better ball users between HBF & HFF.If I can be real greedy, I’d like them to be 185cm+ and with some pace. Sounds like McAdam might be a start, and then at least one more from there.

I am really struggling to see how people think Maynard’s thought process was anything other than ‘if I don’t get the smother, I’ll take a body’. His intent may not have been to absolutely hurt Brayshaw, but he definitely made the decision to jump knowing body contact would happen. This is where it begins and ends, he went ahead with his chosen action knowing contact would happen. NBA players can run full steam at players to try and block passes/shots in the exact same fashion and this outcome doesn’t occur.

Such a great way of putting it. Stupidly, I read your post at 3am after my 3yo had just woken me up. Spent the next 90 minutes thinking about the Brayshaw and Frawley families and what they are going through. I’ve also had a similar train of thought but related to the smother attempt. If the smother actually worked and the ball was live in the area, I guarantee he lands with his hands ready to push off Brayshaw and win the ball back. The whole thing stinks, if Maynard cared for Brayshaw in the manner he said, it would have been the first thing he mentioned when they interviewed him. Instead he was already pleading his case. I liken it to someone being upset for being caught, rather than for the act itself.

The giants play bloody good football, good to watch and their top end is absolutely elite

How do the Tigers let Lynch go? They won’t have a single forward

I think this is important too. It’s a big risk that high up the draft board. We already get easily beaten in the air across half forward Chandler is very strong overhead and has played well at times, although he’s hardly having a huge impact each week. Caleb Daniel plays for a team that’s gameplan is glorified circle work. He’s not being asked to play up forward and be a key scoring target. More relevant to the role is Weightman, I’m not sure many dogs fans value his output highly. I firmly believe good players can be good regardless but I don’t think our game plan suits a Watson and I don’t know that we do Kozzie any favours either

100% agree with all of this. I was not at all concerned for the result for the night, I just felt sick about what Brayshaw and his family would be going through. Goody openly said Gus was very shattered and upset, I bet it was emotionally charged in the rooms. To interview Maynard after the game was probably the most disrespectful thing I can remember. Gus is downstairs in a really bad way and Ch 7 think this is appropriate? I’m not typically an overly empathetic person and I’m not a huge Gus fan but his health and well-being is significantly more important than anything else right now. The way the AFL is stage managed and the fact that it’s gone to the social media/clickbait model makes me want to permanently walk away.

Genuine question @dazzledavey36, how do you think he performs in our current setup? I am 100% on board for his pace, skills and goal sense, just fear for the bloke when he’s working in a jam tin with 36 other bigger blokes on top of him.

This is by design though, I doubt Stafford says to Goody, what we really want is 26 blokes in here to limit our space and opportunity. Our forward structure and method is the way it is because we don’t have good/reliable field kicks and we want to lock the ball as far from the opposition goal as we can. Our forward setup is all about defence. Stafford nor anyone else will change that

I don’t think any gun forward would want to sit under high balls every week like we demand. We are relying on very low probability marks (huge pack marks) to generate scores and we are asking two undersized players (Fritta and Smith) to be the ones doing it. If you were Fritta (who was very proppy all night), this is the hardest possible way to impact a game/earn a wage. Also, the most risky being in contests with 6-8 blokes all night The most damning thing is every team mentions how they want to keep the ball away from May and Lever because of how they control the air, yet we actively kick to Moore/Murphy/Howe in this way and let them do it to us

I’m in a similar mindset. Koz can be absolutely breathtaking or completely invisible. I’d be much happier if he was somewhere in between each week, with lower highs and higher lows. We just make scoring so difficult, every half chance has to count.

I felt sick after Gus went down, incredibly tough for the players to come back from that. Could be career ending. 5 mins longer and we likely win that. Incredibly frustrating game and there’s some hard questions to be asked of a number of players. Also, Cox is the biggest piece of [censored] going round, the dive into Trac’s legs and then holding it while he twists is so incredibly dangerous

Seems like a great Melky replacement, much more mobile, physically imposing and still happy to take grabs and kick goals. I’d say he is the perfect fit for our needs up forward

If the hawks are happy to use 3 on Smith, surely that’s good for our draft hand. Would be an bold move, I think Smith is a bigger marketing asset than on field asset

We’ve been running out games superbly but a 90k crowd worries me in the final quarter. Hope we stay within 10 points for the first three quarters. With his injury and return to the side, I think Clarry is cherry ripe for a 35+ disposal masterclass. Just hope him and Trac don’t try to do too much early Huge game, can’t wait

Doesn’t Joeboy congratulate players on tagging jobs each week? We can’t afford to do it because it means another part of the system breaks down. Having said that, Jordon or Sparrow would be my pick. I’d also think Rivers could do it too now his tank is getting bigger.

I don’t admit to watching too much of Essendon but surely with the holes they have, losing him is suicide?

AA mids don’t grow on trees, I’d take him. He’s certainly got no problem finding the ball and if we can compliment that with the better kicks coming through, it’s a good result Melbourne fans love to heap praise on Trac and Clarry, plus to a lesser extent Viney. None of them are good users of the ball. Trac’s fumbles and wayward kicking sometimes have to be seen to be believed

JVR’s ruckwork is so underrated. He was exceptional today

How’s that a free kick to Fritta when Kozzie had the same amount of time?

No danger of having to play forward at North either, Larkey is a beast

You’re not alone thinking this

I would for sure. He’s next in line to be captain of his club, he’s ready made and he’s still young enough that you are looking at 7-8 years of top level service. Can also play either end and be equally as good

In theory, I love the idea of a very mobile and dangerous forward line of JVR, Fritta and Georgiades. Even better if we could get Watson in the draft to pair with Kozzie. However, I don’t think the combination carries enough size for our defensive game plan. None are big enough to sit under high ball’s for an entire year, they’d be cooked before finals

There’s zero chance North/Clarko have any dealings with us