rpfc

But we have always had an extra behind the ball and allow teams to have an extra at the stoppage. To me, that always amazed me that we didn’t lean into the slingshot even more with that extra player with our Rolls Royce defence. We still invariably have our extra behind the ball to release Lever by now we are unlocking what that means offensively.

You’d prefer to pay one of the best young players in the game a long term deal at less than the average salary? [F M D], sons. You need to look at the CBA. In 2025, cap is nearing $19m (TPP + ASA). https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2024/01/2023-2027-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement-FINAL.pdf

@Axis of Bob Yes! We have a Rolls Royce of a backline we have spent the last 3 years protecting… doesn’t make sense to me. Let’s take it for a test drive…

We are seeing the confluence of events that is demanding a change in how we play that I hope lasts for the rest of the decade; a change that leads to attractive football as well as winning football. Transition x2 With McQualter coming in there seems to be a real emphasis on something that we have never had a real emphasis on; transitioning the ball from the backline with speed and purpose. (I wrote about this mid last season - that you can read about below - bumped post) Where the ‘confluence’ comes in is the emergence of McVee, Howes, Bowey, and Rivers as the engine of the team. This is where we need to ‘transition’ to this engine, which I will dub - The Transition, and away from the May and Lever driven Defence Only mindset. Now this is already happening and that is great, but it doesn’t mean we are not a contest driven or Defence First team - we will be until further notice, but with this strong in the bow we can now win games in more ways, and avoid being out of games. For the neophytes - last two seasons we have been ‘forward half’ or ‘contest/stoppage driven’ to avoid as much exposure to our backline as possible. This means we kicked long to the boundary (May’s infamous kick out from FB) and progressive movement down the field through stoppage and rushed kick. This means that our forward pressure could kick in and we ‘won territory’ and we ‘won the I50 count’ and we ‘won the expected score’ but we didn’t win the games that matter… Having a transition game and a comfortability with our defence getting footy kicked their way has opened up the ground and has allowed McVee and Rivers in particular to show their value and for our forwards to have space to exploit. Suddenly Fritsch has 1-1s and Brown is leading at the footy in dangerous spots. As an aside, this will aide in JVRs development… So I for one thank Goodwin for his ability to adapt and I welcome… … The Transition. (Demon emoji)

We have been boring the last two years. Fans of other teams don’t see things until the ‘narratives’ have got through or their team has played the teams in question. So we will come up against a bunch of fan groups that think we are just a dump it down the line, win territory team, that prefers repeat entries until we slingshot their team into Oblivion through the excellent law firm of McVee, Howes, and Rivers. They are The Transition.

I believe it is Selwyn Griffith’s…

@Lucifers Hero - what a nasty, cheeky thread hitting a group of people when they are down. ….

Le Double Post.

What are you talking about? Caroline thinks we have handled CO13 expertly and have been unfairly brought into the drugs policy furore. Her article today simply states facts about how we are trying to handle a situation. Burying our heads up our [censored] doesn’t work.

Fisher? They barely even knew her?! is that on the nose?

When we didn’t get anything after 2014 then no club ‘deserves’ to get any assistance ever again. But NM gets assistance so WCE should as they are just as [censored].

Bump. This is what I wrote about where we needed to go in 2024. After a closer than expected game against the crows. So partially bump because there are a few counting their chickens… …but predominantly bump because I am prescient footy lord. As ever You’re welcome.

Ostensibly no, but pervasive sentiment is just that. How pervasive? Depends. How impactful? Unknowable.

Flat wrong about Salem but also, ANB isn’t a midfielder. He finds space in the midfield and gets footy because of his role interchanging with Petracca and the fact that he isn’t respected by the other midfield group. He is very effective in the role he plays and allows our most damaging player to get footy forward of the ball. No need to move away from it

I think it’s over, the football gods will teach us a lesson to tomorrow night.

It will be tempting to replace Hore with May but ribs are not to be trifled with… Tomlinson?

Are you looking for perfection? You will go crazy doing that… We are pushing a game style we just haven’t done under Goodwin. Even in 21 or 18 we were a contest, clearance and/or front half turnover team. Here we are 4 games in and without our prime ‘interceptor’ - the engine for any team that wants to drive score out of the backline - and we have beaten a team on their home deck that has had far more it nearer to their goals. This is one promising for what we can achieve in 2024 and while progress isn’t linear and we will make missteps along the way - if we get 15 wins - god help the rest of the comp with us in the finals with this midfield, and with us being able to move it from back half turnover…

Great bloke, genuine person. If it wasn’t for one Christian Petracca you could see him as a skipper in the mould of Junior Mac. We touched on this in ‘21 - but the work he does to help CP5 in particular to be damaging is his real asset and then when he gets lost in the shuffle and hurts the opposition - that’s just gravy. To be the best, you need players like ANB that are happy to execute a role and do it excellently. You can put up with the odd fumble and clanger ;)

This is a nothing reply

What is a ‘steal’ then? A lot of internet wasted on an ephemeral question so it doesn’t really matter but the way Port lost was very similar to how we lost some crucial games last year. What was the general critique of those losses on here? Thankfully, we can thank our growing capacity to move the footy from HB, our focus on keeping forwards ahead of the footy, and incredible execution near goals for the win.

Is rpfc about to have a semantical argument? We have the way we want to play and we executed it really well. There were two periods totalling 33 mins where we kicked 11 goals to 1 (over the qtr time and 3qtr time breaks). We were beaten in CP, UP, Clearances, and the useless stat of I50s. Which is indicative of the pressure that the backline was under for the other 90 mins… I think we can say we ‘stole’ this one.

Doesn’t surprise me. Happy to be on the other side of the coin this year instead of trying to bash through a crowd to kick goals.

Yes, and we did it in a way that is MFC in 2024. Absorb and let them flounder with no space in their F50, and then get a turnover and slingshot with kicking to forwards leading at the ball. (Ironically this is how teams beat us the last few years - when you are all about forward half turnover and can’t move the footy from the other arc - you have no space.) Thats why we have 22+ scoring shots from 45 I50s. This is actual footy, it’s been missing entirely the last couple of years. So glad it’s back.

He is such an important role player, but is limited so when he plays with other ‘role players’ like Spargo his value is diminished because he needs special players around ensure his grunt work has its biggest impact. He is a link in a chain, and not a weak one.

An amazing player first and foremost. Then a leader, he and Gawn are yin and yang I feel. Great story. And those Ch7 intros are all they are good at with the footy. The night is downhill from then on.