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Really need the Tigers to get back to winning. GWS have their pick and prefer to get country Vic kids. Right now they have ND6 and ND12. Very close to ND4 and ND15…

I think it’s great for the last 3 games to be against very competent sides that will try to play some footy against us.

Not many have defended Melkshams possible roles in this team over the year and he has been just great the last 6 weeks. But Fritsch is a match winner and our best forward. He was obviously playing with a foot injury that then gave way so his form was down on previous output. I wonder if Fritsch can come in at the expense of someone other than Melksham but if Bayley is ready to go - we have to find a spot for him.

That’s fair. And he may be down to work on things that circumstances dictate he may never get to redeem because of various things that Goodwin may not have foreseen; the form of others and a new structure that highlights ‘medium’ forwards more predominantly. Which means you could be right but never validated. Another one of those felines from Schrödinger.

Re: spargo - I think your belief is going to be shaken. All the Speed Forwards (as they are known to Staffords setup) have different attributes; Spargo would not play like Chandler because he won’t be able to. As you say, Spargo’s value is in his delivery into the forward line, Chandlers is his pressure presence and instincts in the forward line. Melksham, ANB, Pickett, Chandler, and Spargo would have some consistent KPIs in the team (pressure acts, discipline in zone, kms, contests attended etc) but then they would be judged on the other parts of their game and what they bring (Melksham shut down role or decoy, ANB on stoppage effectiveness assisting CP5 and defensive side contests attended, etc). With Spargo it would be involvement in scoring chains, maybe defensive contests attended, turnover scoring chains involvement, etc I just don’t think his form with the footy, and when we have the footy, has been good enough this year. And I honestly don’t know who he removes from the team if Oliver and Fritsch are right for finals.

I don’t care as long as win our last game of the year.

That would make a lot of sense.

That might keep us winning games that scoreboard watching… I want ND4. I also want to finish 2nd, but that is entirely within our grasp - If we win our remaining games- which we should - we will finish 2nd. Regardless what Freo does. So go the Lions and Power when they are in Perth!

NM pick for Logue and Tucker from memory

I neither agree nor disagree.

Short answer no, long answer yes.

No one is ‘lathering up’ okay??

Yeah, not certain Spargo comes back. Also they have to bring back Sparrow and keep someone to drop for Oliver…

He is neither in nor out. He’s Schrödinger’s Brodie…

The Pies literally leave their line at the smell of a turnover to crowd the footy and win it. That’s what I mean as the swarm - you can it’s a ‘high HB’ but it’s a massive gamble at the point of the possible turnover to win it. We, and other teams, wait for the turnover and then commit numbers to the counter. I see it as very different. And my read is it is a real tactic to avoid 1-1 contests where possible because they don’t have there cattle to win them. With us - I see the last few weeks with just a loosening of the shackles on turnover and commitment to forward movement and the corridor on turnover and stoppage play. It’s hurt us defensively but who cares because it has got us going and given some confidence that we can score to a new forming forward line. I agree we are more balanced (hard not to be), and that we can fall back on our defensive press and front half pressure should our minds be right.

Personally I think we will drop one where we get jumped by momentum at some point. Maybe the Blues.

I don’t think that the general confidence in beating NM, a depleted Carlton, lowly Hawthorn or a Sydney who’s season might be over really deserves a ‘wowsy’… Especially, when you are criticising ‘Demonland’ of being optimistic… And no one deserves a ‘wowsy’

I’m fine to rest him. I just don’t think he will want it, I also think that Max and the FD may have different expectations on the dual ruck role heading into these last 4 weeks. I think Max would see an ‘in game’ rest with Brodie to continue the experiment, whereas if I was the FD I would lean towards the status quo (Petty and JVR) with Grundy getting a game at the expense of Gawn.

This is why it is legitimately such an open season; the Pies are a very good team but they have their flaws. Same with the others in the top 4. Our problems were fixable but not inevitably redeemed. The pies play an exciting brand of ‘contest swarm’ to pounce on turnover that when it doesn’t come off - they can get cut apart. That is core gameplan; they can’t go toe to toe talent wise with us or the Lions. They know this. But it is all about putting it together across 3 weekends in September, 4 if your nasty.

Didn’t he have a chunk of the season off with injury? I am all for resting blokes the next few weeks heading in but Max seems like he is running on top of the ground atm. Viney and Petracca would be the ones I look at first. Viney because he is like Rusty Crowe in the 3rd act of Gladiator and Petracca because he is The Best Player In The Game right now. Maybe Grundy can come in but I would be reticent to do that unless we are really willing to go in with three talls or willing to drop JVR. False hope otherwise.

Thanks for that. Glad the union clarified for people.

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.