rpfc

He’s a smart bloke. To some degree - there are cheat sheet pointers BUT and it is a big BUT - you need consistent roles to structure your game around (ie BBB). I often say to flanks and pockets, which are effectively the same role nowadays with the running up the ground to come back at the 50, that you have to tether yourself to the predicted targets; where is the CHF? Can I lead into and out of his space and draw a man and can I then get to his feet or beyond? With Brodie, I would honestly say to him, you are the next target, you are deeper than BBB and you can set his movement as your weathervane - when he leads, you move up - if he is ignored you are the longer target, and when BBB is honoured - stop, prop, and move back and then do a V lead or an ankle breaker lead and use the space you just created. Those cues can provide a bit of a clift notes for him to be effective in a deeper role. I would not bother with him at CHF, he would only gum up the works up there - he can’t be the fulcrum ever I don’t think.

This is not about him taking contested marks and kicking the odd goal - this is about him leading to the right spots, exploiting spaces, being in the right places to contest and bring the ball down - that is the forward craft we have missed recently. It is selfless moving and leading, and mids and rucks struggle because they want to be where the ball either is or will be rather than move to where the ball may not go just to open up the ground for teammates. Its not easy to learn and it takes discipline to be consistent.

Same. Unless BBB just can’t get into a trot.

@deanox AF touches on a bit of why we haven’t tried the two towers on each arc idea - it would work in specific situations but at stoppages it creates an issue around where the outnumber is. If Grundy is at HB and Gawn at the stoppage - where is Grundy’s direct opponent? At the footy? Ahead of Grundy? Creating loose player behind the footy can be powerful against dumb teams - but dangerous against good teams. And @A F - it has been fantastic to see Sparrow and Gus do what they have done, and really helpful if CO13 gets targeted in the finals. I am really keen to see what these three natural forwards can do in September if we move it quick - Petracca, Fritsch, and Pickett. And not to belabour the point - I would trust BBB to lead his player out of their way more than Grundy and JVR.

That first ten minutes was so heartening. If he can keep getting back up each week - he doesn’t come out of the side IMV.

Interesting tidbit from TMac on 3AW was the group have been going through vision of their entries into the forward line so amongst the myriad of issues we have been dealing with we can confirm that connection forward was one of them.

It’s a good point about BBB’s body just bringing his capabilities down in the pack there. I guess I am hoping for our best possible forward line and that is with a healthier Brown getting to better spots than I can see JVR or BG getting to. As an aside, TMac said on 3AW that his timetable is the last two rounds of the AFL season.

Of ‘forward craft’ is what he is learning - then he has no hope of replicating what BBB gives us. If Gawn wants to make this work, great. But he is the one who has to spend more time forward and be better leading up at the footy, and leading in the right spots. As a forward myself, a former forward coach - I don’t think there is a enough placed on having actual forwards who know what they are doing down there. Hopefully this changes that

I only internally scream watching games on the TV. And I am a Melksham apologist so I am glad he did that. Makes me smug. And I like that…

If the Cats take our place in the 4, they can have it and we can all think about 2024 - because we would have been terrible in the last 6 weeks if that happens.

Essendon might play finals by default. They are going to get flogged in the first week - looking forward to it!

This is why Andy keeps paying those server bills - to highlight heroic efforts like this. Demonland to @BrisbaneDemon

This bloke unites the football world, doesn’t he?

Congrats! If that’s your first, well done and stop there!! No need for another. If it’s your second… Congrats!

I don’t see it happening with this FD. They believe they can get it going, and also ‘sunk cost’ is more than just picks and TPP it’s relationships and promises made. Grundy should look at replacing JVR this season because their forward craft are at similar capabilities. But forget about next year - JVR will street past him.

How can you say that it’s a ‘nothing burger’? I literally said at the time of the trade that we would be better off getting a fwd who can ruck and help solve our gaping tall fwd problems moving into next year. And here we are 6 weeks out from finals and Grundy is playing VFL. The hopes of the coaching staff aside - they are a part of the MC that dropped him and abandoned the ruck duality. The media may beat this up to within an inch of our lives but it’s not nothing whenever you have $650k playing in the VFL.

It’s not unforeseen. It’s why they wanted to get him help - he is 31 and if he has to do that consistently he will be out of the game in 2 years max. Remains to be seen how we go forward with this.

And the thing to add is that the back up ruck role is ‘a forward first’ and I think the FD has finally conceded that.

I thought he was fine, he’s just not as good a forward than Brown - which is fine - he’s a kid. I just would want your no 1 tall in the forward line getting to good spots which I felt BBB did in the first and the last. JVR and Grundy I don’t feel can learn that in 6 weeks… TMac a wildcard at this point.

Spargo is a very smart player but jeez he can frustrate when he is screaming for the ball and ignores hands so he can then try to bite off a kick or a shot that he literally is incapable of kicking. He needs to tighten up his decision making around his limitations. I would bring in Chandler.

To me, it is JVR or Grundy if Brown’s knee holds up

Yes, he needs to be able to perform at 85% of that playing forward for 40 mins a game.

Good point. And not to get to into the weeds with what Macca and DS were arguing about but we don’t use the corridor much with run because we bring all our forwards up the ground, we don’t have many ‘stay home’ forwards like the Pies do. So the ground is smaller and more compact which doesn’t help moving the ball into the middle but also once we run into there quickly, you have no one to kick to. I saw in the last that we made the ground bigger and having Melksham lead from deeper made that more pronounced.

The last quarter ball movement was inspired and what we need to encourage. Jake M was huge defensively and then was huge when we needed to compete. Gawn was amazing and as much as he thinks he ‘wants to make it work’ - this performance will stick with MC… Goodwin and co. are infuriatingly stubborn but they have done a number of things to get us out of our slumber; CP5 forward, Grundy out to allow Gawn to recover form, Rivers into the middle with a licence to kill or be killed through the middle, etc With Brown back and Petracca and Melksham we look better IF we move it quickly. Now spend the next 6 weeks doing that and we are back in business.

Of course not, mate. Like I care about that. We should have known that Gawn would struggle to become a forward and that this was a gamble that would fail - we should have an extra $650k for a forward this October but we don’t. We didn’t even really get Gawn to play forward properly and we barely gave this a go and we are off it . That is why I am banging on about this.