rpfc

Ok so now that we have had our revelry - I have a prepared statement from the Tall Forwards Union (membership card number #2311): To whom it may concern, While we applaud the 6 goals scored by the Harry Petty of the Melbourne Football Club, we would like to remind fans that tall forwards should not be measured only by goals kicked and contested marks inside 50. Mr Petty will have a good game next week when he gets to the spots he got today, when he brings the ball to ground, when he creates space for others, and continues to do selfless running and presenting for his teammates. He will have a good game even if he doesn’t kick 6 straight, including an uncomplicated dead on set shot, and a pearler on his left over Grimes’ head! A whinge? Stay on him then?! Haha. Stay on him! (clears throat) As I was writing; it is not sustainable to expect this every week and please enjoy the little things that forwards do that make your lives easier and better. End Statement.

I am going to give Goodwin the credit here of making some brave calls on Grundy, going back to The Petty Experiment, moving CP5 forward with no Oliver Backstop, putting faith in Melksham, and managing JVR so well this year (dropping and promoting). These are a small individual things that in the aggregate look to have a huge impact. Nothing this year as stark as the ‘ball movement protection’ that we had in 2022 but still we had a funk and we are out of it with 2 of our top 7 players to return. In such an even year, we were always a show - now we are a huge chance IF we can grab 2nd. We can win from anywhere of course, but that week off and home finals remove variables (how much better is Lachie Neale at the Gabba? How do we go with the umps in SA against one of their teams?). But don’t let anyone tell you this was inevitable - this is good coaching and brave decision making and strong leadership.

Definitely in 2023… I hope longer term because they are so hard to procure and very costly to acquire. My one question would be on the craft that was shown but we were dumping it in there and he worked with what we gave him and that’s all you can ask for. The other thing to think about is in a forward line with Fritsch and Petracca - maybe a longer, ‘dumpier’ option is preferred… It was great to see.

That’s footy! Hate to be that guy but (like I suggested) they left the press at home and just let the boys play and it was fun! And actually, you know, HELPFUL FOR EMBEDDING A BATTLIN’ FORWARD LINE WITH CONFIDENCE AND PURPOSE. Keep doing that the rest of the year and we will finish wherever in the top 4 with a forward line that knows itself.

Their only home games are against teams above us so they can go for it. They definitely win against WCE. Maybe the Hawks but that’s at the G in the last round - we will see how motivated they are. I think they win 2 on the way home but still finish 15th on percentage.

Do you… do you mean losing?

Port have Geelong and Freo away and GWS at home and Tigers in the last round. Lions have Freo and Coll away and Adel at home and Saints in the last round. The first three for both are tough wins against teams that have either a reason to win or no reason to lose. We have Tigers, Carl, and Haw at the G NM in Tassie and then Syd in Syd in last round. Win today and you are ‘one more win heading home’ than these two away from 2nd…

And it has coincided with our most powerful weapon going forward in CP5. I don’t think there is a functioning forward line in Petty, JVR, Grundy, Petracca, and the three speed forwards.

Maybe. I think that we have gone smaller and liked it.

It is interesting, I never believed ‘the ruck’ was the cause of our malaise, I wouldn’t have abandoned the Grundy/Gawn combo at all really, and I don’t buy the ‘Gawn can only play as sole ruck’ argument either - but we have to work with where the facts are and they have Grundy in the VFL in Rd 20 and another opportunity for a forward tandem to continue to displace him. It’s not that I have given up, it’s the current state of affairs that has Grundy as an underdog to win his spot back…

I agree that the ‘whole point of this’ was to extend Gawn’s career but you do realise the big 208cm variable in all this. Max is an amazing player, a great captain, and a lovely person. He needs to do some reflection on the ‘whole point of it’ because he is the one that will make this work. IF we keep Grundy, Max needs to be the forward in that duo by 2024. The fact that he couldn’t make a fist of his hour forward and it affected his hour in the ruck is the crucible of 2023 for us and it has failed so far. As an aside, we were in Brodies ear this time last year so if someone wants him then they will be in his ear now - if we can’t assuage Brodie that 2024 and beyond are different then we should put all our eggs in the JVR basket and give him reps as an AFL back up ruck the year out.

Quite. The Death Ride has now entered the final act. You see, the flailing of the riders heading for the afterworld was always going to happen. And now, with Geelong wounded, the Fremantle Living Dead have Brisbane and Port in their last 4 rounds. The husked corpses of the west win those games and we rejoice, they lose and we chortle. Even if they were to win 3 of their last 4 from here - that would get them only above GC. So I guess we need a new ride; the Gold Coast Love Ride. Go Sunnies Go.

So your Geelong hatred does have a limit? Then I win.

Yeah, no worries.

I am so glad they are scheduling those Buddy Wankfests now because I happened across one once and my lord, I enjoyed parts of it but my poor Granny, she struggled with all of it. However people live their lives and all that.

Errr, thanks.

Good point. Schache ruck, Jefferson wing and Brodie can watch what BBB does (or perhaps is trying to do)…

That’s an interesting thought and it would be a bow for Petty to add; being that defensive forward on a tall like Broad (who gets slightly more intercepts these days than Grimes). The key is engaging the defender as they approach the contest ensuring that you are physically imposing on them as they wish to impose on that contest. It is not easy to do it well, the best forwards won’t have to do it because they are usually the target, and usually the target has a hard defender on them and not an intercepting player. You have to read the play so well because you are protecting a Melksham or a Fritsch or a Petracca AND you need to read the footy AND you need to engage that defender. Honestly, I reckon it’s one of the last things forwards learn because they all want to be the one getting the ball - sometimes it’s not for you…

A lot of pride on that limb not failing, or possibly failing - however the metaphor should work. Either way it’s bad

Agree with some of the sentiments about The Petty Experiment but I can see the allure. It isn’t ideal we are still chopping and changing but that’s life with NQR talls in the forward line. I look forward and I hope. The advice I gave to Grundy in his thread remains - Petty needs to make himself push the defenders around the ground and he needs to make himself important when we move the footy. That doesn’t mean to be where it is but yeah, let’s not get into that again. Buried in this is Charlie Spargo is not best 23 at the minute and I can’t say I am surprised - he’s a ball stopper and his limitations are catching up with him when he dwells on the footy. He’s smart, but sometimes the smart thing to do is give easy hands, run to position and not yell like an effing banshee to get the ball in a spot that you can’t do anything with…

Not yet, doesn’t hold enough unfinished

I believe their tagline is “you’ve given your personal details to Facebook for free! So give us a dollar and give them to us you walking gmail account!” And once again, membership numbers are a waste of time as a measurement of whatever it is you think it measures.

Don’t cry because the ride will end, be glad that we were able to ride it together.

Need I answer that?