JimmyGadson

Happy for him and happy for us. I think I'd love Stafford to either be shuffled around so we get a new forwards coach as well as an Yze replacement. Lord knows we need it. Get some fresh ideas, faces and energy.

Sorry haha, meant to put his name in my post.. Harley Reid.

delete*

Most definitely not if we address some fundemental flaws in our game plan and list. If we don't, I can't see us winning another flag by backing in our system and list. Sure we'll be there abouts with the top 6 but it won't be good enough.

Have heard a rumour, probably not breaking given where our list is at compared to that of the other clubs that could take him. But he's keen to get to us if we can make it happen. Which worries me slightly as I've changed my mind on nabbing him. I just can't see how we don't sell the farm to land him and shoot our future-self in the foot whilst doing so.

Which is why I said he needs to apply himself. Everyone knows when a player is doing everything they can to get in the best shape possible. You only have to look at Oliver and Petracca's body transformation to see this. They're both the ultimate professionals when it comes to training and diet and both have extremely low body fat percentage. Brayshaw and Salem both need to take a leaf. Salem will never have the running capacity of Langdon, but neither did Brayshaw and he has played a significant amount of footy on the wing. So I disagree with the idea that Salem can't. It's up to him, he needs to get his body right and we need to see a physical change. Similar to Lewis and Hodge in their later careers. Drop some kg's, improve your diet and you'll cover the ground better. Salem played a lot of his underage footy at half forward and wing and I think he's just being wasted at half back right now and a new positional change could get him going. Look across the competition and not every winger can run like Langdon and not every one needs to depending on how they're utelised.

True. Well, I'd be willing to give up a player to get some more draft capital. I think we're at that point. It'll be interesting to see how far we can move up the order given our hand but also what we'll receive from Harmes, Jordan, Grundy. I get the sense we'll be hitting the top 10 hard but also trying to lure a mature key forward out. Its not out of the realm to offer next year's first and say pick 10 and a swap of later picks for Naughton is it?

My positive thinking and hopes for season 2024: (clearly not all possible but what I'd love to see) Experienced assistant midfield and forwards coach. As good as Stafford and Yze have been, I think it's time for evolution/change. Everyone can see it. I think Goodwin needs to be seriously challenged about aspects of our game and if we got some stronger personalities around the club I think it would also lift the playing group and breathe new life into the group. I think Ratten and Dew could be targets. I'm not sure on the status of Don Pyke, but he transformed the swans attacking game and I think we need someone of that ilk to come in and add some layers to Goodwin's defence and contest based borefest. I think the players would benefit from that as much as our game-plan would. Can you imagine going into another gruelling pre-season hearing Goodwin drive home the same message he has for three years? It would be so uninspiring and it just can't happen. Our players were bored enough in season during games, switching off for periods only to 'get going' when the game was on the line. Our method and game-plan message and implementation is so much more than what people think. God, even our supporters switch off at games because of the robotic and boring nature we play. It's time for change. It has a flow-on effect. I know the 'pro-Goodwin borefest' posters on here will think I don't take enough of a 'nuanced view' to really understand how 'rock solid' out game plan is. But when you have past players like Jordan Lewis come out and criticise our forward-half game, you know it's not only supporters that believe change is needed. Now I agree that a lot of our game is in great working order. But the area that is broken has lost us so many games that we 'should have won' of the last few years it's genuinely nauseating. Over the off-season, I'd like to see one Salem trialled at half-forward or wing. I want Salem to have a pre-season like Petracca and Oliver and lose some kg's so that he at least has the same running capacity as Trac. I want us to do everything in our power to draft McKertcher and give him a Nick Daicos quarter back role in his first year. He has already has a better tank than Salem and has better vision, ball use and speed than both of them. Our second pick should be on Nick Watson who plays a specialist forward pocket role in his first year with Kosi getting more midfield time. Simply put, with the sheer amount of inside 50's we get a game, we need more opportunistic, classy and great finishing forwards. Watson ticks every box. His height is irrelevant. He brings crazy energy, is a finisher and uses the ball unbelievably well. A mature forward who can take tuck contests is a must in my view and we have the money to throw at a player. I like the Tom Lynch call although I'd do anything to get Naughton. Regardless of his kicking. The amount of contests he hits tht result in spill ball is of value enough. There's no one like him in that regard and given our inside 50 effeciency will never be perfect, we need forwards who will consistently bring ball to ground and/or mark the ball when they have no right to. Naughton is that to a T. I'd also bring in a mature ruck and start managing Max throughout the year. Take your pick of Fullarton or Flynn. And I'd trial both over pre-season with Max playing behind the ball rather than going forward at times his on the ground. Watson Naughton Fritsch ANB Petty McAdam Salem Oliver Langdon McKertcher Lever Rivers Turner May McVee Gawn Petracca Kosi Interchange: Fullarton Viney Bowey Sparrow *Brayshaw in the wings when ready to return. That side to me already looks more balanced. I think JVR still needs time to develop. He wasn't playing anywhere near the level required for the last quarter of the season. It breathes new life all over the ground. I think the Kosi, McKertcher and Salem positions will be a boost as far as ball movement goes and that's without the instructional change that will come over pre-season. Someone like Naughton in our forwardline would be game changing and with Watson we only gain another kosi but with more consistency imv. He has runs on the board.

Quality thread, you should do a 'Christmas special' starting line-up too and one every week from then until Round 1!

I actually would!

Who are the two?! The only pairing I'd say are potentially Mihocek and McStay. But even then, Mihocek is criminally underrated by oppo supporters. It's what they have around them that is superior to us as well.

Where's old Binman and his PA at? Haven't heard much from them about how our game-plan is shaping up for the prelim this week!

Hope he gets it. For both our sake and his. We're at a point where we need an injection of new coaches with ideas that will challenge Goody's and breathe some new life and motivation into the group. If we hit next year like we have the last two, we may as well give it away. It's clear that our 'system' will only take us so far. Our 21' finals run was pure momentum but that entire home and away season was full of the same issues that we still see in this side today.

100% It's infuriating. How strange that we seemed to gel better when Oliver was injured for part of the season... I wonder what that was about? Goodwin needs a slap in the face and we need new coaches to come in and challenge this system and way of playing that keeps us competitive but ultimately, we continue to lose games the same way. It's rinse and repeat with Melbourne. Pressure us hard all game and our players get completely caught out due to their lack of composure. Going inside 50 and kicking for goal in open play. Rinse and repeat.

Demonland - "Yeh nah but it's irrelevant because they're starrsssssssss"

Why don't you 'entirely' agree with the comparison? Because Toby plays more time forward and would have more shots under less pressure? That's the only reason I can think of. Aside from that, it's something I've continued to bring up but get the same responses back from the same nuffs. Can't point out anything negative about a Melbourne player remember. Oliver, Viney, Trac, Langdon are all big contributors to our forward entry woes.. And the FD continue to ignore.

Some comments here have nothing to do with my concerns. And some I just disagree with. We need more than a sprinkle of class in through our team. We clearly see it differently, I don't think we made enough change on the fly this season. Even someone like Salem could be utelised at half forward or on ball more and isn't. I think this draft needs to be a top one for us. Aim for three picks inside 15 and two inside 10.

That's because he's a Melbourne supporter...

I've been posting about it for the last two full seasons. Just because I don't come in here to gush over every win, doesn't mean I don't celebrate them. It's been clear since last year that we need significant personnel changes across the field and we need a more significantly altered game-plan. Goodwin is a master of staying true to what he 'believes in'. And he's been believing for too long, ignoring all warning signs and trends that we've all witnessed for so long. Struggling to score, struggling to hit targets, struggling to kill games when they should be killed. We are a bottom four side when going inside 50. Do people realise how broken that is? And don't give me this 'repeat entry' bulltish. We have more than enough opportunity for players to hit targets. We just don't take them both because of instruction and limitations across our players who all share the same weakness. This is both personnel and gameplan and Goodwin hasn't done anywhere near enough to fix it. The coaching group needs to be reshuffled, Goodwin again needs to be challenged by some outside thinking. We need to refresh this list, move on some players who are simply not cutting it for us in certain positions, bring in youth and bring in a better blend of players so that we can actually use the ball going forward.

Remember guys. Key indicators and expected scores prove that we should have won so I don't know why we're stressing. Our game-plan experts in @binmanand @Binmans PAwill conduct a breakdown as to why we have the best gameplan and how we will win the flag this year. Collingwood don't have a plan that stands up remember and Carlton don't have the run in the legs to match us. Also, our lack of ball users and ineffective forward line is wayyyy overblown. Look at 2021 finals seriessss. Now, onto next wee---.... Oh, hang on a minute...

Well that prediction will no doubt help our cause tonight.

A habit that so many one eyed supporters miss in their gushing over him. It's the kind of habit that just kills us and just completely undoes all of that mesmerising contest work. Part of this habit is actually technique. If you watch him kick whilst on the run under little pressure, he kicks the ball across his body instead of hips facing leading player. This often results in a shallow and high trajectory kick that is almost always advantageous to defenders. It's really really bad and nobody talks about it.

Last week's loss and incident has given Goody a golden opportunity to galvanise this group, harness all of that emotion from players and supporters alike and attack the rest of this finals series as if we have a point to prove. The question is whether or not Goody and our leaders have what it takes to go there and be fuelled by it. Now if we really are club with a strong and changed culture and a team stacked with competitive beasts, then we will see that come Thursday night. I think this game is one of the most important in defining us as a club going forward. We're up against another juggernaut of a supporter base. Do we have the resolve to overcome their raucous crowd and execute? Reputations are made this time of year. If people want to play the 'woe is us' injury card, then you may as well pack up bags now. I'm sick of that rhetoric. Every side has experienced injuries and both Collingwood and Carlton were able to persevere and win games despite the fact. Injury will not define this game. Our attitude will be the only thing. If we win this, we have a shackles off free hit against Brisbane and we can carry this emotional wave through to a grand final. Clearly not the easy or desired path but gold is to be found in the places you least want to look. I just really hope Goody and co are using all of what has occurred this past week as motivation. Because if we make a Grand Final against Collingwood in a couple of weeks' time, they will be absolutely [censored] themselves.

Wow. What a surprise.

The fact that you're zoning in on a couple of missed shots as the reason we lost the game proves to me how little you actually notice outside of one issue we had on the night. You're a stat's lover. Go and watch on the couch. You can't hide or give excuse to any of what they showed. Or will you somehow manage to? When you have that many forward half turnovers in a game and that many inside 50's in a game, there is ample opportunity to find an avenue for goal and the evidence has been shown with clip after clip of players who have so many other options. Whether it's a shorter kick, a kick with a lower trajectory, a player open inside 50 who is just ignored.. The list is endless. Some of this is absolutely method. Because if it wasn't, we would not be seeing the same kicks going to the same spots consistently. How do you not understand that? Why do you and @binmanconsistently ignore these things. Petracca literally came out and said the mids need to use that ball better as well. Are you going to argue that? It's both instruction and player depending on the scenario/clip you watch. Most obviously there are countless entries that will be scrappy due to pressure on the kicker etc etc. But there are so many clips where we have players under little pressure who just refuse to do anything other than 'get it in quick'. I could also make a case that we lost the game due to turning the ball over in dangerous positions which gifted Collingwood an easy goal. And if that didn't occur, our set shot inaccuracy wouldn't have mattered.. See how silly it is to rely on one cause? Go and watch on the couch, look forward to you and @binman writing an essay on how unstoppable we are and how Collingwood's gameplan is flawed and doesn't stand up in finals.. Looking a little bit silly you two!