rpfc

Poor Joel. Hope they don’t single him out in team meetings… ‘oh look who it is - Mr Omitted!’ ‘He won’t be in the 26 that plays come finals…’

Can people get dropped anymore?

This isn’t my idea - Stafford, Goodwin, and Gawn himself have talked about the heavier kid forward that Max will/should take. They wanted to bring someone in that can actually keep Max out of the ruck - which Grundy is good enough to at his best. They are not leaning into their strategy in year one but they do have another 4 years so maybe they will get it going one day…

Maybe.

This FD needs an honest review of itself at the end of the year if the above means what I think it means. I, and others, said before we picked him up that it’s a lot to invest in the ruck position. But now it’s done we have to lean into it, and they sound like we are readdressing the concept… Max needs to realise he is a fwd first, and the sooner he does, the better he will be and the team. We are not losing because of the ruck situation.

Spelling and language is a lose concept.

Can we just ease up on the Grundy disrespect? Kind of falling into the self-hating MFC supporter trope.

We can win anywhere. Especially with the pressure on the other team. But we just need to make sure we have a home semi final to get into a prelim. That’s the benefit of top 4 is.

BBB leads to the right areas that will push and pull Andrews and make him commit to go or allow easy spot ups. But we have to use the right option. And we have to move it quickly. The longer we take and the more we dump it in, the more we play into the strengths of the opposition and not BBB. It has been an overemphasis on helping our defence in the past - but now I can see us trying to get it going but it sputters unless you constantly reinforce it and not dwell on the errors and the clangers. Take Angus for example - some on here want him traded for his misuse but he is one of the few that will take on the corridor and when he doesn’t hit it - it stands out - because the rest are just kicking it sideways and abdicating the responsibility. I think Friday night is a great opportunity to test our quick movement forward and marrying that with our press to see how we balance the two best.

As Buckley says - fast forward two weeks and we could really be either scrapping for the 8 with the other battlers with 4th wide open or be two games and percentage clear in 4th. We are a good team with an amazing press that should kick enough goals at home to beat interstate teams - Lions included. These two games against Lions and Crows set up the rest of the year. And also after two rounds, the swans could be a game out of 7th, Geelong on their own in 5th, and Freo 2 and a half games out with the worst percentage outside the bottom 3 teams.

Sydney are a proud club with a lot of underperforming stars - they should win on Thursday and then in Perth to keep their season alive. If we are relying on Rd 24 for top 4 then jeez…

So now I’m getting ‘editors notes?’ Jeez, is Rhino back or something?… wow.

Love how someone getting a LACERATED KIDNEY is getting ‘his body is falling him’ critiques… Like the nuffies are sitting saying “I knew it, the kidneys are always the first to go” Hibberd is done when I say he’s done. Ed Note: rpfc still plays at 38 and is sensitive to the subject.

How can one ‘dissect the game’ while only watching the proclivities of the coach with the interchange? Conundrum.

His kicking is elite and needed but he can be found out in 1-1s. I don’t envy MC towards the back end of the season and finals.

Some hard truths for fans to accept to live more comfortably: The Demons are a defence first team in the Ross Lyon mould. Demonland: Gawn’s days of AA footy are over. Deeland: Pickett’s games are earned on his defensive work. Dland: BBB is our best tall forward. Andy’s house of pain:

They should just fold Freo and WCE together…

Re: Melksham - with Sparrow’s sealer, Melksham engaged his defender leading at the ball at exactly the right time to protect his teammate and not give away a free. I think it was Howard?? Anyway, this is the more nuanced forward craft and selflessness that I have been banging on about - do we work for each other? Do we lead out of space to allow others? Do we protect our teammates and help them excel? Jake is in his last season in football and he is still contributing and we should applaud it and be thankful. We are in between forward line eras atm and he may help to bridge it and keep us competitive this year. Just ride with it.

Freo was always going to Freo this up, but to do it with Carlton as the antagonist?? With the writers on strike right now it’s as good a plot to a movie as any… If AI wrote that not only did Freo lose at home to put themselves in the bottom 5, but they did it to Carlton AND by ten goals… if AI wrote that you would be like ‘what is this stilted, tired, fantastical nonsense…’

With Eeyore Longmuir in charge I would think they will give up and find other hobbies in their life; woodworking or paint-by-numbers…

You have seen the best of Max. Deal with it. The FD have decided the 4 more years of Max as back up/fwd is better than 2 as the primary. I would have made a similar gamble if it was me - but I would also have a stern talking to Max about how to be a fwd and keep him in the theatrette at AAMI Park watching video every week for 3 hours… We all need to realise that for us to be great the next few years; Grundy is our number one and Gawn’s first duty is as a forward.

Well that’s not nice.

So… lots of upside?

Yes, I do sometimes stop and think about that. No team relishes playing us, and as I said in another thread last week - we should always be in games and a chance to win, even with our known forward issues.