The Jackson FIX

Skills always going to be iffy in an early hit out like this but our ability to contain small/mobile forward lines remains a huge concern... based on this performance it doesn’t look like we did enough in the pre-season to address this

Win a flag. That’ll sort our marketing out.

Oliver’s contract feels like it’s going to be the most overcooked, most annoying storyline of the year.

I worked pretty closely with hq (as a sponsor) for about 5 years and had never seen an organisation with so much unnecessary fat. That changed last year though, I think they slashed about half of their workforce

Less enthusiastic about him ruck/forward but could give us flexibility to play May forward if we’re struggling in that area.

Eddie might not have bad intentions but he did not have the awareness and tone he needed to display as the influential figure he is. When Eddie felt compelled to reel off his own achievements in the presser today, I couldn’t help but feel that a smarter, more appropriate leader would’ve just said ‘I’m sorry, I haven’t been as good as I could have been’ and left it at that. Onwards/upwards for Collingwood and the rest of us.

Sadly, in an extreme right-wing Donald Trump world I’m sure he has plenty of admirers.

I’m a Spargo fan. He started to show he could be the link player we wanted ANB to be. The depth of his boot isn’t a myth though. It has been an issue. Perhaps he is improving in that area but to say it is a myth is inaccurate.

RoCo is unhinged. Unstable at best. Viney has a red switch. Those two will end up in a punch on with each other one day.

I don’t believe we have the mental strength to string together a consistent season that results in threatening for a flag but I do agree with the point that there is more depth and capability in parts of the ground than we’ve had for a while. Small back/one wing/small frwd my only real question marks at the moment - I reckon in prior years I’ve had a LOT more question marks

Surgery. Doh.

you could technically end up with a perfectly legal scenario where a player kicking for goal doesn’t even have to kick over the man on the mark because they are on their ‘natural arc’ but the man on the mark is stuck in his spot. how long before there is debate about the man on the Mark’s natural arc? What a mouthful.

On good money, over several years. He isn’t a project player.

This is not a good sign. I sure hope we got Richmond’s doctors to look over him before we signed him...

Reading about the man on the mark rule change, feels that might suit Rivers running up the ground. Possibly the reason they’ve switched Hunt back as well.

I can’t see many Victorian draftees playing early footy next year. None of them have played a game of competitive footy for 16ish months. Even if they look ‘good’ my gut says the trend will be to ease them into the grade, more so than prior years. On top of that, I think Fraser played even less footy than his peers 16 months back because he was school footy only, right? edit PLUS fewer competitive pre-season hitouts than ever before. There is no way they are throwing these guys into the fire rd1.

I know so little about this bloke. Maybe it is my innate Dees pessimism but why does it always feel every other club unearths someone like this that becomes a star but we never seem too... let’s hope JJ is the one

It was a lot of fun watching him squib tackles last year when he took on the club he once abandoned but it is just a game and he’s not a criminal (and probably not a terrible person) so perspective is really important. Hope things turn out ok for the kid.

Let’s just hope he isn’t giving Fraser goal-kicking advice.

‘On-field general’ might have cut it in the 80s but there is 150+ hours a week outside a football field which influence performance more than someone shouting/instructing people on the day. Viney lost his spot largely because Max overtook him in terms of group-influence/connection off the field.

I actually thought he looked like he had the potential to be a Sonny Walters type rather than a Cyril type. He looked pretty comfortable when he played up the ground. I’d be happy if he turned into a Cyril and proved me wrong though!

I’m not so sure why we’re desperate for change? 2020 was a bloody tough year in the bubble - literally the toughest challenge any leadership group has faced (at any club) in the history of our game. Let them go around again in that capacity, they’ll have learnt a lot and they deserve it. On the May front, I like the fact he offers loud on-field direction (as with Lever) but I just don’t see the rush to give him an official capacity. He had a GREAT season last year and our backline started to understand each other. Let him/them do that for another year. Make him bang down the fn door for an official title rather than just hand it to him after 1 good year. In the meantime, give those poor buggers who had to shoulder official leadership responsibility last year another crack at it this yr.

Don’t disagree we wanted to change his shape vs GC but it was widely and consistently reported they were unhappy with the shape he turned up in.

I wouldn’t have May in. It was only 24 months ago he showed up fat and unfit. Let him prove himself a few more seasons before you feel the urge to reward him for his demonstrated leadership.

My god I loved the Wiz. Crossing everything hoping the young fella isn’t a wiz fizz.