rpfc

Uhh, hi Adrian… I have to go…

Spargo averages 2.5 tackles and under 12 pressure acts. He had one tackle on the weekend. That’s Fritsch level stuff. He’s not there for his pressure. He’s nowhere without his ability to stick to structures and deliver into the forward line. Melksham should do both and provides more. I would bring in Melksham for Spargo or Fritsch but I get what Fritsch brings that we don’t have a lot of; natural forward who knows forward movement and delivery (when he wants to).

No need to throw magnets; I would bring Brown in for Sparrow and Melksham for Spargo. Harmes, Viney, and our stars to lift tho - we are going to win on their backs.

This is what I was talking about Match Committee being too smart for its own good. They go in to a game they think they can play around with, even on the back of terrible form (but rp they had 14 marks inside 50 against Ess - yeah, where and who what did they do with it?). They then watch the calamity and then smash the gear box putting it in reverse and keep Brown and Melksham from playing heavy minutes in the 2s inviting pressure onto Brown specifically for not ‘dominating’ his limited time. It really is farcical tbh. My message to the FD and MC heading into finals - Stop second guessing and being clever. You had a plan to play with two talls and the second ruck. Using Jackson as a point of difference and not relying on his marking. STICK TO YOUR GUNS. Oh, and stick it to your guns - Oliver and Petracca are getting into some old habits. Namely the ****ty hand pass and the blaze away respectively.

Contenders, pretenders, misnomers. Finish top 4 and I don’t care what you call us. Funny things happen in finals and we play a style that suits it, but we are rarely going to get the kind of platform to finish top 4 like we have in 2021. Footy clubs relish the big moments and this Thursday is huge. I’m looking forward to it, it is defining. And I get your point @Jaded about the team and the youth. But you have to capitalise on opportunities like this because they may not come around again - even with our promise.

The odds say we will be 5th by the end of next round… If we are as good as some of us think we should be - we should not let a top 4 position slip. This Thursday is huge. Win and we stay top 2 and beat another good team. Lose and we are most likely 5th and inviting pressure.

It’s perplexing. The MC seem to have done that thing where you tie yourself in knots convincing yourself something is the right thing to do. And then when you look back at it in the cold light of day - it’s just stupid and self defeating. You recruited a FF, because you wanted to have two talls plus a resting ruck, and then TMac form and the first 6 games scuppers that planning? And to play a bloke on and off for a half only invites ridicule and pressure. We have 7 weeks to fashion a forward line that has TMac, Brown, Jackson/Gawn, Fritsch, ANB, and Pickett. That is talented enough to score 80 points…

GFY

I also think we have too many kids in the team - it may not be solvable but jeez when they struggle they can all struggle.

Hunt was the engine in the last ten minutes. The real problem was, tactically, we asked Hunt to do more than his skills can allow him to do. For whatever reason - our run and share in packs went away today and to blame Hunt is to blame those that stick their head up and try as opposed to those that were stuck back, worried about what will be if they eff it up. Drop Hunt and we have no idea with selection. Drop those that are too lazy, or tired, or out of form and not getting the footy.

The problem is where are we going to be in the finals… we have been up and down for a while. And if we don’t get top 4 from 12 and 2 - that Goodwin thread will be get a workout… We had more I50s than score - that is the stuff of recent nightmares…

So let me get this straight - Hunt is to blame for his dare and run that ended with him failing to find a target?? This one is on Goodwin and co. - as good as they have been - if Hunt is your engine - work within his limitations and give him someone to kick long to. Fritsch is not a FF and yet we are trying to play this cute game on the counterattack that won’t cut it in finals and is now being found out by also rans. I thought we could keep top 2 but now we must see if we can stay in the 4 or this start will be utterly wasted. Simply wasted. 8 point game next week.

More inside 50s than score. It’s a bit of a shame - due to Covid - that we had to play a 2019/20 era repeat instead of actually playing the game. … I assume that this team that is 12 and 2 wouldn’t regress and devolve back to that… (Cough)

Jackson is pushing the best ruckman in the game out of the ruck at times. That is unprecedented for a 19 year old. He is utterly ridiculous and will be a top 10 player in the league soon on this trajectory.

More to do with the fact that we have to find 400% across the team to be on the bench. Jordan plays in a group that wishes to play above 85% so something and someone has to give. I would prefer Oliver and Petracca hit their minutes than giving them more bench time so Jordan can get out there more.

Too good to go out like that. Would be a shame.

And we can get them good deals…

They are still experimenting with the smaller line up. I would make it work with Brown from now but I get it. Nathan is unlucky. We should take care of this mob. Our home deck too. Time to be ruthless.

Yes, he is leader in the team and his pressure is usually in the top 5. He’s also in career best form. Needs to lower his eyes tho…

Ok, so Spargo is sticking to structures well and has had some good games delivering into the forward line but he doesn’t apply much pressure at all. I applied the eye test and it is backed up in the stats. He is great at guarding and defending space but not players and that’s not a bad thing - that may even be his role, but this talk of locks is so strange to me. Do we have selection integrity? If the answer is yes, then we don’t have locks outside of stars, leaders and important structural players.

It’s not though. We are literally where we are because we ask our forwards, and specifically our small or ‘speed’ forwards as Stafford puts it (FWDS coach), to pressure and chase and tackle and our tall forwards to cause a contest and link up play. Fritsch is a point of difference but he is as defensively minded and impactful as TMac which is not the trade off we want for someone who can’t contest 1-1 on a regular basis and is outmatched against the 2nd tall defender of most teams. I can also see Spargo making way for Brown if they want to keep Sparrow as he isn’t setting the world alight with his pressure, but as a forward and a former forwards coach and head coach - Fritschs’ 2 goals a game doesn’t impress me enough to consider him a core member of this forward line. I think we are not tall enough with TMac and Jackson/Gawn but I also think our pressure will suffer if we go with TMac, Jackson/Gawn, Brown and Fritsch. I would put the acid on Bayley to step up and play smaller and get out of the 50 on slow play and work hard forward on quick play and he can get his dinky goals over the top.

Yes, it was, apparently, quite a gulf between our expectations and that of GC. Bit more surprising with NM but maybe that makes sense.

Well I was being somewhat facetious to skewer those that suffer from the most negative of thoughts based on one bad loss to Collingwood… might be familiar… However, we have been a badly run club for so long that there is a rich history of failure to draw on. And it did all fall apart spectacularly 10 years ago. Has little bearing on how we go now tho, and I think that is one of the main points I was trying to make when I coined the term MFCSS; history doesn’t have to repeat or rhyme. We don’t have to be prisoners of our own worst thoughts. The other point that comes to mind is what President Roffey brings up - we are so worried about what could go wrong from our lofty heights that we don’t cheer with abandon as we are reaching those lofty heights until the last few minutes or until we are assured it can’t be taken from us (even spectacularly).

I get what you are saying about ANB, Jackson, and Pickett. Two of them are the foundation of our defensive system and the other is now rucking 44% of games now. Spargo and Fritsch do not have the level of Pressure acts and tackles that the other two have. Around the edges of the cornerstone Fritsch has seen an uptick in PAs but is still below 12 on average on the season (13.4 the last 5 weeks). Spargo is averaging 12 this year too, but only 9.2 in the last 5. Spargo has also dipped in tackles the last 5. Down to 2 a game. Fritsch is at 1.4 tackles a game. ANB and Pickett are above 20 PAs and 3.4 tackles a game. They are the cornerstone for the system. Fritsch plays tall and needs to be smaller Fritsch has TMac levels of pressure which is not the trade off we want from a medium forward like Fritsch. His 2 goals a game is welcome but will it stand up in a pressure final? I worry that he relies on excellent delivery when he is the 2nd tall and he won’t have that in September. Spargo must deliver Spargo is handy for his delivery into the forward line but only gets 2.4 I50s a game. Spargo needs to get more of the football or he needs to ramp up his pressure. He sticks to the system and his place in the press but anyone can do that; what is he going to bring to the team in September? Selection integrity and ‘selection locks’ don’t jive So I hope the last two months see us find our best balance in that forward line. And that is not going to mean that there are too many ‘locks’ - selection integrity is important to ensuring teams are harmonious and that effort and actions are rewarded. We are based around that defence and pressure in the forward half and Fritsch and Spargo don’t bring enough of it to feel comfort.

Ummm, so… Were the people ok? It was CGI, yeah, that makes feel better, I’m good now. It was CGI.