rpfc

I think there is a three pronged improvement for us next year; better forward talent, better ball movement, and better forward movement and structure. The first one is trade period, the second one I hope is an FD as a collective mindset shift with hopefully mcQualter driving that, and the third is a forwards coach with a system and structure and discipline of movement and patterns. I haven’t seen anything very impressive when I have been at games the last few years. Aside from Fritsch and Brown here and there, there is not much forward craft and structure on display.

That’s good. Now what’s the go with Stafford?

So he’s not leaving to win something then…

Well, no… for two reasons; you misspelled ‘aren’t’ and you took from my post something that I didn’t imply. Supporters opinions don’t matter. My opinion, and most certainly, your opinion doesn’t matter.

I am glad to see a nuanced response from posters on here toward this decision. It’s the kind of decision a good footy club makes. There are many benefits to him staying as others have noted in a year that will be a rehab year. He won’t take list spot with the long term injury replacement mechanism, he will be cheap, most of his salary would be covered by insurance - it’s a free hit and allows us the option to insert him into a 2025 forward line that might still need him (he’s a niche role player that don’t grow on trees). And he is an excellent leader to boot.

3 words isn’t enough, no.

Max can take over games and was that in the QF that we should have won. He is not just a ruckman and nor is he any old leader. The FD tried to do him (and our window) a favour and evolve him into a backup for 3-4 more years but Max can’t do it. He’ll most likely be out of the game by 2025. And with May being one of the top 5 FBs in the game also being out around then - our window will not be letting much of a breeze in. We need to replace that elite talent - it doesn’t have to necessarily be in the same positions but a couple of a stars will soon be white dwarves and that’s a problem.

The AFL came late with a fixture and the only reason the players have a deal is because the men’s wouldn’t seperate out the deals. The AFL tried to shortsell them by saying your tv numbers are down (as we arrange for 5pm and 11am games) and your crowd numbers are down (while burying them in suburbia at awful time slots around ‘the real stuff.’ The AFLW need a strong CEO of its own willing to take own the boys club that is treating like a virtue signalling adventure; “we love women! But we don’t want to do anything to support them or what they want…” Everything good in the last 20 years has been driven out of the clubs.

If all you care about is profit and inflated and shallow numbers like membership and total crowd numbers then yes. As @Redlegintimates; if you have a brain and integrity - it’s in an awful state.

Luck. Luck isn’t the way we move the footy in a stilted and unimaginative way. Luck isn’t recruiting a premier ruck when we needed a 3rd tier fwd/ruck. Luck isn’t creating a forward line of part timers and experiments and expecting that hubris to ‘work out’ next to our Rolls Royce midfield and Red Bull Racing backline. When you leave things up to chance - that’s called gambling and then we really are relying on ‘luck’…

CLOSE THE BOARD Ok then, with the GF, about two teams we either hate or are indifferent to, over. We can now close the ‘Melbourne Demons’ board over the summer. Therefore leaving the trading and drafting board, and the ‘AFL Womens team’ (whatever that is) board. Because if we can’t talk about the only ‘Melbourne Demons’ team playing in a concurrently running league on the ‘Melbourne Demons’ board - I don’t really know what the point of the ‘Melbourne Demons’ board is.

Not to pile on you but what was the difference between regular season MFC in 2021 and last few rounds/finals MFC in 2021? Positive and confident ball movement would be right up there. It’s what Binman and a few others seem to think is a spigot we can turn on whenever we want. Its learned and trained and we have work to do.

3 seasons ago. We adapt or we find ourselves ‘choking’ our window shut

Of course we aren’t far away. But we play cagey boring footy and that is not what wins flags. Also, wrong thread for this.

For the hawks email:

‘I hope I am wrong’ The clarion call of the overtly negative and unfair.

They way he left? Burgo basically said his hamstring tightness was in his head and then he did it. So much for Burgos resilience. He’s a good player that we will get cheaply.

Shunned to a different board many don’t know exists…

Percentage came down but

The Dees just won a game in Mordor. Absolutely sheeted it in. Who cares about the GF?

Methodical. Its so commanding - you get annoyed when players aren’t perfect. The connection they have with each other on the counter is pure gold and glory. The men’s team can learn something from this group when it comes to decision making and using hands and not panicking around the 50. Decent crowd on the camera side and that Aimee Mackin move off the back flank toward centre wing was absolute dynamite.

At worst? ND20 at worst? Prepare to be disappointed

Not if it’s more than 45 mins from the CBD we won’t! Rah rah fart