rpfc

Yeah, I reckon 10k Melbourne supporters didn’t come coz they thought we’d lose, and the mean old Pies supporters will yell at them. Boo hoo. Its our ground isn’t it?

I don’t disagree but let’s just keep in mind how fickle sport can be. If Smith is preferred to petty up forward - that is it for Tomlinson.

I am a Fritsch defender now as he has lifted his defensive intensity enough to help the press. But he is frustrating me with when and how he engages in marking contests. There was one down the city end that he just had to engage the opponent and let JVR run at it and take an easy mark. Instead he had his own fly and it led to a rushed behind from memory. He did that a few times. We don’t have the luxury of him not knowing his very niche role anymore. He is our best forward, but not our gorilla. He could be our number one target, but only depending on march ups, he could be played out of the square but he also could be a decoy - that is the life of a medium sized forward with elite nous and skills around goal. Offensively, he needs to take charge down there and that includes giving up his own opportunities to get others their opportunities. What he did at times on Moore was fantastic and a tactical win for Goodwin, but we will need to be ruthless in the future.

I don’t think we had one passenger. Spargo found it tough but then he was in that first or second line of The Demon Press of Death (I am big on ‘death’ this year… huh…) Chandler I feel is just so explosive and a powerful kick, Kozzie is just a terroriser and part of why the perception of pressure was playing on minds in the last. ANB is as ANB does. You take the fumble or 3 because of what he brings to that team defence. All the back 6 was great. Rivers gets us going and yeah he makes mistakes but he gets us going. Salem back in touch. Sparrow showing more with Clarry not there. Viney immense. I would keep Tomlinson there and continue the Petty experiment when it can be resumed - but Smith brings a new dynamic that might be preferential - why play a second NQR tall and just lean into the smalls?? Smith was competitive on the ground and did enough in the air. Flexibility there for sure. I was there and loved every minute of it - the real hero was the team connection on defence to make that Demon Press of Death.

@Lucifers Hero

That press was a thing of beauty.

Didn’t you promise me ‘Nick’ Daicos?? What are you trying to hustle me here?

Honestly thought your ‘good omen’ was going to be that you lit 6 magpies on fire yesterday… Might take a break from the internet for a bit

Before 7am in the morning… Is this… Do you need a family member or friend to stop by? R U OK? I am so bad in these situations, someone call ‘00’ and when I say so press the final ‘0’…

I was at that game in Sydney. My son’s first game. Fitting really. The table of expectation now turns and we can just play some tough footy.

No. That witch that disappeared suddenly said top 6. If not, I wasted a perfectly good goat

What do you use to see up there and judge things? Might be an eye test.

Didn’t you post today that you like to be up on the Ponsford to get a better view of what you’re looking at??

Too many words and it freaks me out. Just say… …Collingwood infected cloud. Yeah, that’s better. 3 words. Better.

Next month is big for us here; GWS and WB away, and ESS and Carl at home. Would love to be 7 and 9 and ready for the season to be ended by Coll away. C’mon lads! You can’t do it! I don’t believe in you! We are not Marshall! This is ATHENS! (You get that if you know Greek history and the movie 300 - it’s gold I assure you)

They are 11 and 1… Also, the Lions loss to the Hawks doesn’t change their outlook ‘one iota’?? The don’t make iotas like they used to. They need to win games like that against the worst teams at that venue. Simple as that. Collingwood aren’t unbeatable but they just win at the minute, and that’s all that matters. If we are to beat them we have to be near perfect defensively and effective going forward. Bounce that pill.

My god you are setting yourself up for an awful Monday. I am all for semantical bloviating but they are good, we are also good, but we are working through bigger issues than they are with our general connection and forward delivery. Blow the siren.

Not sure what you mean?? Jack Darling never became much of a player and then turned up in South America running a drug fueled junta. Now he is doing 15-20 in a Florida super max. I am so glad we went with LUCAS COOK WITH THAT PICK INSTEAD. Very glad.

It’s fine to do crowd noise at training. But that point from the Pies fan is immediately where my head went - they do that chant in junk time - when they have already seen it up. If the game is on, they are too busy yelling abuse at the umpires or at Darcy Moore for being too woke. Just do crowd noise. And it may backfire, but if it has any impact - firstly, we won’t know, and, secondly, that is an indictment on the mentality of our players.

You’ve heard the rumours too? JEEZ. Not good.

The rumours are so bad. My stars, those rumours, wowee.

Jeez, I dunno. I don’t think he is that good. And the rumours around him are pretty out there. I wouldn’t touch him, no sir. Not in this universe. Nup.

The Pies rely on a swarm mentality on turnover especially if their back flank is set up and near the opportunity to turn it over. They leave their direct opponent and just trust each other to do the same and beat you at the contest 6 on 2 or whatever it is. It is so exciting and as a coach I love it because it shows absolute trust and connection. If I was to poke through it I would need the cattle to do it - ball winners on every line that back themselves and any teammate with in close play and then just get really predictable when the swarm comes; when it descends on me and my mate, we get it out to the lines through hands or we hit it to the corner of the square with kick whenever we can - make the outnumber work for you. If you cough it up easy its curtains. That is not to say we shouldn’t have dare - quite the opposite - but in the contest, holding the footy is a better result than a blaze away with hands or short kick. I think we have the cattle to win, but we will have to show better connection in the contest than I have seen the last few weeks and we will have to make better decisions in the front half - too panicky and weird self-invented pressure from what I have seen.

Would say it is a slowness to get going again and you can be jumped by a team more locked in who played last week.

Sometimes you have to sit it on heads but I get your point. His freedom may be his undoing though if he doesn’t get some help soon. If he is our only good tall option - other teams will know that too.