rpfc

You know we haven't 'stuffed' up yet, right? So you're astonishment is somewhat misplaced... I helped coined the term 'MFC Supporter Syndrome' and knew that different forms of it would follow as we got better but this is ridiculous. 10 rounds to go, champ. Hope your nerves can handle it.

I saw that as an oversight - I watched a bit of that game on 7 Plus and Tyson was getting it at will and hitting targets. If it isn't an oversight then I have an even bigger issue with the FD. It would be petty to leave him out of the bests because he wasn't the best version of himself even when being the best player on the field.

The thrust of my criticism of him being 'exited' was to do with the false narrative that with him leaving means the vanishing of what he represented - that certainly isn't the case just yet... And my other objection was the minor aside that we would be losing what we lack - outside delivery, with that said Fritsch is providing as much of that that Jack ever provided. I never thought he would excel anywhere else, so this doesn't surprise me. I am sure they will give him another chance - they won't cut the cord just yet.

I know the argument and I am as adamant as you are about the type of player we have to target in the summer but right now Tyson looks like providing something more than a Harmes/ANB/Hannan on the fringes of that midfield and they need to be held accountable when they play poorly. Personally, I would throw Tyson in there and turn the game into a 'little' bit of a one-on-one sh!tfight until we get our mojo back with Gawn. No trying to be too pretty with our clearances out the back and to the side and just get it forward to our outstanding tall forwards to scare the hell out of that Port backline.

The closest thing we have had to a 'Big Game' that we have won in the last few years was the StK game last year that snuffed out them and kept us going but that was snuffed out of existence as a big game when we were exposed against Coll a few weeks later, and when the players were revealed to be asking the Saints players where they were going for their September holidays - talk about drinking your own bath water... A 'Big Game' I want to see us win is a game that will show us to be more than just a team making up the numbers in this league. This next game is the first opportunity to arrive, I know they can do it, but I no reason to faith they will. And I won't until they do it and then do it again, and then do it again...

Your optimism starts and ends with the Geelong win. We should beat Freo in Darwin and WB at the G. We should smash GC at the G and StK at the G. We should not fear the Swans on our home deck.

@stevethemanjordan - I know you are not a Tyson fan and I don't have issue with that in and of itself - but our midfield just got pantsed for the second time in two weeks with the games best ruckman. If the bloke who got 35 touches and 7 clearances and looked polished and better than everyone else in the twos doesn't come in - I have a real problem with how and why we select players at match committee...

If any club could do it...

If we are who we thought we were on Monday morning - we will play finals. I am more interested in when we will have a win that show we have become a flag chance and I haven’t had that moment yet. It may happen this year but it might not... I think we are out of excuses/reasons pretty soon.

Smith stays. He did some good things. Tyson should be right in the frame and JKH, Garlett, Stretch and Frost chances too. If we want to move past Pedersen then Weid is a really promising ruck now which makes that an easier decision. As a 3rd tall, Weideman is fine right now. Harmes, ANB, Vince, and Hannan should be worried IMO. Spargo had a ripper 2nd term but faded. He looks lively though. Hannan, Harmes, and Pedersen for Tyson, Garlett, and Weid is what I would do.

I thought Lewis was great yesterday. When I was watching off the footy he was invariably the designated loose in the absence of Lever and the fact we couldn’t afford to move Hibberd off Sidebottom. Buckley really took Goodwin to school yesterday... but that is another thread. In an interesting aside - Lewis has to do more than we would want him to do when Viney went down last year and now history may repeat with Lever. I am very comfortable having someone like him back there. Really think the OP doesn’t like him and is waiting for any and every to blast him. Sad.

Vanders has always played a little 'shorter' than he is when the ball is in dispute and a little 'taller' than he is when it's in the air. Those effing ankles... I would try to keep both in some form as there is more value to both than we can get during trade week. Depends on what the club wants to do with the Kings, JKHs, and Johnstones of the list...

Groan. So, we are first in Contested Possession, and second in clearances and we 'need' Wines? We are 5th in uncontested possession and up until the last three weeks have not got reward for our Inside 50s rate - which tells me that we have had issues entering our forward line with the ball, not getting the ball. I love great players too, and would have loved if a different decision was made in 2012 to get Wines, but I know what kind of player I would chase. Let's see who the club chases...

WYL, let's have a tiresome back and forth over the definition of 'needs' in inverted commas... Or you can accept that Viney and Oliver and Jones have more in common with Wines than they do with Gaff or other outside players?

He’s great but not what our midfield ‘needs’... Gaff is definitely a skill set that would compliment Viney/Oliver/Jones/Harmes/Brayshaw et al. Also Petracca over the next few years will progressively spend more time in the midfield and he is something no team has enough of; power mid with good hands and explosive speed culminating in very good skills out of a contest. So keep some room for that to happen...

Really excellent interview and Goodwin comes across as a Roos acolyte with the concentration on the 'care' the club has for those at the club. I know he isn't just a Roos acolyte and he brings his own style and experience but that culture Roos started is why people want to be involved in the club and why it is so hard to leave.

Some players have to be comfortable playing roles to let others shine. CP5 is playing a role and I think to call him Sylvia Redux is pretty rude tbh.

North of the wall... (GoT reference)

His sloppiness with the footy is what hurts him. I will stand by the fact that he is bloody good player - you don't find it as easily as he does without a great deal of talent. What a great place to be that ANB, Harmes, Fritsch and co. are keeping him out. I trust him to come in and contribute and keep us going and that is great. You can't replace your best players of course, but Tyson could easily be in the 22 that runs out deep in September.

It would be utterly remarkable, and lend credence to the 'sleeping giant' fever dream we all have about the supporters that have been subdued by years of mediocrity emerging from the cold.

@monoccular - it’s not so crazy, they do similar gate sharing in the US sports. Land of the free, home of the comrades...

I think that is direction from the coaches box. We also haven’t laid a sheppard in 3 years so that is direction as well. Usually, you get yelled at for handballing backwards over your head to someone you can’t see... Maybe I am just getting old...

He and Hogan are so damaging and complimentary - it is underpinning our flag hopes really. We can get smashed in the middle and still kick a winning score because these two attract a confident transition from our players behind the footy. They know they will get rewarded when they turn the footy over and move it quick.

The closest thing we have to replace Lever is Hibberd doing what he did last year. Whether we go tall or small will depend on match ups but Hibberd will be the intercept player and we will try to allow him to do that.

Do you end up telling him? It has been almost 5 years...