BW511

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

Big game in the coaches box, this one. Yze should have answers for our game so it’s about how we respond if things aren’t on our terms. Looking forward to it

Will be an interesting story to follow. Bumps during play are influenced by split second changes in movement and with devastating results. This was completely pre-meditated and violent in its intent. I would hope it’s 5-6 to send a proper message but it’s probably going to be brushed aside as a 3 week suspension

Big swinging round arm, flush to the jaw. Miers was out instantly

I’m sure he could have been on the end of some more free flowing ball movement this week but I think he needs at least two, if not 3, weeks to work on his effort. We can let the team settle into a style of play and then erase any confusion when he’s back.

I’m sure it’s been said throughout the thread but Bowser was unbelievable today, what a game form the little fella. Also, we looked like a team for the first time in a bloody long time. Sharing the ball, getting others involved. I could happily watch this all year.

Clarry had a few howlers today but he did a lot of grunt work, was pretty happy with him.

Thought he did well as the back up ruck, although O-Mac isn’t exactly Sean Darcy. I’d keep him in

This is last chance saloon for our mids, Serong and Brayshaw have torched us with their two way running for a number of encounters now. I expect we’ll be chasing tail all day (again)

Kolt provides a manic level of energy around the ball that we don’t currently have. I envisage him taking Sparrow’s spot, I’d love it to happen quite quickly. Lindsay reminds me a little of Luke Hodge, just go wherever he’s needed at the time - not quite as good aerially but more agile at ground level. Could have a lot of impact through the middle and at Half Back. He’s also a very keen tackler which is a huge bonus. Windsor could potentially play a very attacking, old school, centreman role. Be the linking man between the arcs with lots of burst. Langford will end up with a Cripps type role I think, just burst forward with a deadly left foot. He’ll get sharper over time and we will absolutely love him

I get excited at the thought of a breakout game from JVR, a proper commanding performance with 8-10 marks and 4+ goals. Admittedly, he’s being disadvantaged by the gameplan and those further up the field but it’s still an exciting thought. My instruction to him would be do not stand still all day, ever

That’s one player though? From a football sense, they are stacked with high IQ players who can effectively coach on field, allowing them to make changes in game that no other team can.

Agree, wholeheartedly. That contract is not Clayton’s fault though, that’s firmly on the club.

I would guess he’s been very professional for the last 6-7 months, but being professional and being the best are different things. If his current player rating is 140 odd as suggested, there’s still 600 AFL players who wish they could be at his current level. We’ve been treated to a version that was absolutely phenomenal, so we judge him differently

There’s something in the character of the players they have at the club as well, that’s the real key. Geelong have 3-4 assistant coaches on field at any given time, they can adjust in real time without even being told. We have a leadership void behind Max

As @gator said, it’s all the other stuff. Weighing food, eating healthy full time, no booze, extra recovery sessions, yoga etc. I’m torn with Clarry - at his best he was clearly dedicated to an extreme/unhealthy level. Seems like this may have been at the expense of his mental health. So the current version could well be a much better person but a slightly lesser athlete. In elite sport, small percentages make enormous differences. The photos floating round the past week suggest he’s probably 3-5 kilos over his best playing weight and that hurts you. For what it’s worth, it feels like this is club wide and the small, extra things seem to have dropped right off.

Would be nice to be on the right end of some corruption, Andy D will give us that

This would be an interesting development if true, he doesn’t seem anything like a leader from the outside.