rpfc

If @tilly18’s mail is correct and an illness ran through the team - I wonder whether we will see some continued impacts from that this week. Langdon, TMac and Harmes to come back and Salem a chance, we may see them replace those that are ill, and less those that will be replaced in the best team. Anyway, food for thought.

Clarkson pushing the Green Bay model of community ownership of a club. It is better than private ownership, I don’t understand why private is better. Private means desire for profits or being held for ransom if a person is bankrolling a team. It is awful. So this model would provide enormous up front finances and basically a ‘Tassie or dead’ model for the club - the ‘owners’ will never vote to leave. One of the reasons the NFL don’t like the Green Bay packers model - coz the owners over there (that the NFL work for) want to be able to vote teams out of markets and into new ones to maximise $$$.

I actually think he would be fine as a back up ruck to Gawn. He was groomed for that before a unicorn of generational talent came along. Nothing is black and white, OD. We will see what happens.

I guess we do get booed at the cricket when not engaging in that exotic wave…

He is the only back up ruck contracted for next year tho. Just saying…

Brayshaw leaving Freo would be like us letting Oliver go 3 years ago. And the only way we get him through trade and afford him in the cap is after Jackson leaves…

2 very bad teams plus Essendon being just normally bad allow this.

Only a Melbourne supporter could be so self-indulgent with their self loathing. In this blokes mind - we never won the flag.

So I don’t think we are going to get access to a talent like Jackson for 6 or 7 years at least. What happened in 2019 was an aberration to our trajectory and now we are so good that mid table mediocrity is all that will happen with injuries to good players for the better part of the next decade. Thats just a long way of saying - we have a 20 year old jet who can be anything - we need to keep that. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world if he does leave - far from it - but he is a jet. Don’t try to convince yourself otherwise.

Now that we are out of that fantasyland some of you were living in - we can be beaten - we are a good team that can be great but we can’t replace our best players and when they are down or missing our role players need to be exceptional. Our fortunes rise and fall on the following being fit and in form; May, Lever, Salem, Oliver, Petracca, Gawn, Langdon, and Fritsch. When more than half are injured, missing or out of form - we are a massive chance to get beaten.

So the ignore feature doesn’t extend to threads… Huh.

85 good games and will never forget that arrogant left footer from 55 that buried the Hawks in 2018. We all know Hawks supporters (and Melbourne supporters) who thought we were going to be overrun. Melksham stopped that dead and in turn the Hawks for 5 years now.

Do Better.

Some think I am bagging him - I feel for him - our lofty expectations are nowhere near where he needs to aim. Chase Tom Hawkins? What? No. You just compete and get to the right spots and make good decisions - let the more talented finish and be a part of the team. I still go back his disappointment after the Dogs game at Marvel last year, we won, he competed, he did well but he trudged off the ground because he flubbed a few marks and didn’t get his three goals. It’s not about that anymore, mate. Stop looking for actualisation in ‘kicking your three goals’ find it in being a part of a team that wins and wins well and you do your bit. EVERYONE will be happier for it.

He may have been bagged but he did more than Sam. And you wish they had similar trajectories; Tom kicked 62 goals in his 6th year, which would be Sam’s 2021. https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/T/Tom_Hawkins1.html

That may be, that’s yet to be seen, and no he doesn’t - that’s one of his problems. He ball watches, is constantly in the wrong spots, and needs to provide a contest as baseline. Good luck to him.

It’s both. That’s why we are so good.

I… don’t want this.

I watch it. Often. But we have a salary cap to deal with and 10 players I would keep before Angus. And I think he is a great player.

So he’s OOC, in the top 5 players, but not getting a banner contract? Then it will be difficult to keep him.

Which one of Gawn, Oliver, Petracca, May, or Lever is out?

I love Gus and he was amazing in the GF but he is not in our top 5 most important players. I think this is the key issue - he is on coin reserved for the top 8-10 players and he is struggling to stay in that group. Firstly with being a defensive forward and now a HBF - sorry to all those who play those roles but they are two of the easiest roles to execute, and secondly, we have to pay 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 35, and keep them in the cap and all these players are stars or play more important positions. You don’t have to like it, but it does explain why this is so protracted - he is not getting a banner contract at the Dees.

Again, GC is growing the game. These markets take decades to bear fruit but kids are playing in record numbers up there.

TMac’s perspective is brilliant. He likes seeing his friends smile.

Ah yes, I remember soooo many fans saying this about our perils in 2013…