Ollie fan

Because he is much quicker-thinking and creative. I think Hunter has been fantastic. Currently the Mongrel Punt has him no 5 on the wingmen list, ahead of Langers who is no 10.

To me, the starting point is that we are the second highest scoring team in the league – by four points, to Geelong, who have such advantages. Our attack is doing pretty well!! I have said all season that the problem with BBB is that when the ball goes to ground, he is lost. He is too slow, he cannot defend, and his opponent is often a very powerful attacking force against us. Witness Harris Andrews when we played Brisbane, even though BBB kicked four goals. Witness Harris Andrews when we played Brisbane, even though BBB kicked four goals. Is Petty not being down back the reason that we are not defending as well? Maybe. Or perhaps teams have learned that the only way to score against us is to move the ball in hard, low and fast, and they are doing that to some effect. I think JVR has to be given a rest because he is young , but I think TMac gives us more just with his preparedness to run all day. But I think the current tactic of shifting our team every week has real benefits in creating unpredictability. Let’s face it, Max as a key forward has quite a lot to offer. Finally, I agree that Turner should have stayed on - after being completely thrashed early, he was really starting to show a little bit.

Of course this thread will get stuck into Goodwin. I thought his decision to put Vinny on Royal was critical. Rachel is absolutely killing us. AllI thought his decision to put Viney on Rowell was critical. Rowell was absolutely killing us. Also, a lot of criticism of Oliver in this thread. I thought he was by miles our best player with his effort and reliability under pressure.

Never in doubt…

I read on another thread about New Balance logos coming off the guernseys. This has passed me by. Can someone fill me in?

I’ve heard those top three a bit recently. Funny, I remember in a particular game at the end of 2021 when halfway through the third quarter, the commentators were raving about Bontempelli. Oliver went on to him, Bontempelli was hardly seen again, and Melbourne dominated. Doesn’t that say something about the respective quality of the two players? It was, after all, a reasonably important game.

Because it is a modern medical miracle!! Seriously, how do you “accidentally” break someone’s jaw with your motionless hand when handballing?

It was obvious from the last 20 minutes, but Adelaide would lose – they were trying to hang on – which is the last thing you should do. They needed to kick an extra goal or preferably two in the last 15 minutes, and most of the time they didn’t even really try.

I’m perfectly happy with underground handballs, but what I hate are look away handballs. So often, they miss the target, or even worse, get to a target who is completely under pressure because the person making the hand pass has not been able to see the pressure happening.

It is so pleasing to see so many of our players commit long-term. It shows with enormous clarity what a great spirit and ethos we have. Which I largely attribute to Goody.

… but Scully and JHF were

Neither Tracc nor Oliver were No 1 picks. ……

It seems to me that in the last quarter, we finally started to remember how we can play – far better pressure, tackles that stuck, gang tackling, making Richmond fumble. Now we have to remember that and repeat.

Doesn’t the AFL understand how much supporters value loyalty in their players, and continuity?

Yes, those were the great days for our defence. Saint Kilda are doing what we did for all of 2021 and half of 2022 – absolutely strangling the opposition until they just bomb it long in despair. I don’t know why it’s not working for us now.

Precisely - and an absolutely clear HTB to Sydney not paid

Freo are SOOOO boring to watch!

Wash your mouth out with soap!! Remeber how Bont was BOG in the Granny until Clarry went to him. Bont was unsighted thereafter, just had to watch Clarry and co tear them apart.

I doubt if he thinks Chandler will play HBF.

I do wish they wouldn’t name the team in such ridiculous positions - it is very annoying and totally pointless IMV. I suspect TMac is in to give flexibility with Petty - I think TMac might go back and Petty forward. And if May was injured last week - he looks and played as if he was - that’s another reason to keep TMac in.

I still think May was injured through the whole game last week. He looked stiff and proppy. And played that way too. He looked to me like he had a crook back, and if so we can only hope that it was a minor strain and not something serious. But more generally, I think Goodwin was right in saying that it just wasn’t us playing last week. I have no doubt we will be much much much better this week, and hopefully for the rest of the season.

Totally disagree. Their job is to kick goals when they get the chance. Every pass to another player is an opportunity for a turnover. This is the sort of thinking that caused Fritsch to lose his confidence in the middle of last year.

I thought May looked proppy from the start - walking quite stiff-legged. Perhaps the old trap if playing injured players?

Swap Petty and TMac.

I can’t believe that any team is thinking of tanking these days. Forget the moral arguments, powerful though they are. It is completely discredited as a strategy for success. First, it is terrible for team ethos and morale to ever contemplate deliberately losing a game. Second, as Scully and many others have shown, eg Jack Watts, Horne-Francis, getting the No 1 pick is often a disappointment. It is instructive to look at the AA team each year, as it shows how little the draft really means. As you point out, Gawn was pick 34. One of the greatest players of the last twenty years, James Hird, was about pick 52 IIRC. There are many others like that. High draft picks are good; no 1 is not essential. So why tank?