rpfc

I think the insight one can glean from us chasing a top 5 ruck is that Max can’t take much more of being flogged from pillar to post in the ruck anymore. And that we see his last few years as a FF who can ruck forward and go into the middle when needed. What an amazing career he has had as the premier ruck for more than half a decade. Now we try to fashion a forward line around him.

It’s enough to get a couple of decent professionals in without sending your own picks. We should have got similar; remember how good Bernie Vince was? Second round pick IIRC.

They also have kids or players past their prime so they should have some flexibility. But yes, I would wager they are banking on GrunDee and the spike in the cap (~$600k I heard).

Yeah, that’s a forward line that has to have it delivered well to; otherwise the transition will kill it.

We have to find forwards with speed and decent skills to jump into the middle and not the other way around. That will completely change our fortunes in my view. Petracca and Oliver are bulls, they don’t need more bulls in there. Especially now that Viney and Brayshaw are there. They need skill to distribute to on the outside. Preferably skill that is at home in the F50 as they will be there for most of the time.

Not only that but Fagan doesn’t bother himself with the game plan and how they want to move the footy - on 360 early in the season he was asked about why some teams don’t man the mark with the Stand Rule and he said yeah, he’s not sure and made up some nonsense - the very next package showed the Lions not manning the mark. He is the old style British Manager. I just hope he brings in an assistant who cares about defence - because they are nowhere far too often.

Rumour.

I don’t think the half a dozen games is enough of a sample size to know how it will go. But I do know that they are going ahead with that foursome as our primary mids into 2023. Which means that we have to find complimentary players to take the rest of the minutes in the midfield. And I think that would mean quicker players with precise skills that play outside would be desirable. Added to that, these 2 or 3 players also have to be forwards first IMO as that is where they will play predominantly. This is to make our forward line more dangerous than it is now. The above doesn’t describe Swallow, Jordan, and Harmes in my view. You can get away with 1 non-factor in the fwd line, but more than that??

We were beaten by over 6 goals?! Could have fooled me if we had one of the top three performers that night.

We carry far too many ‘non-forwards’ in that forward line.

Sparrow is super dynamic? He is strong mid with a possible future to become a power mid that pushes out of stoppages. Sparrow a forward with elite pressure? Not from what I have seen. He is lost in the forward line, and plays his best footy when he is on the ball. Elite pressure around the footy maybe, but that’s because he is a mid. He rarely gets ball from forward craft or knowing where the ball will fall. I would definitely look to trade him if we don’t see an opening soon. Brayshaw into the middle now has to have shoved the door shut on someone - maybe it is Tom.

There was no poll question about a preferred natural disaster or biblical event…

There’s always divorce. … I’m not joking.

Sometimes you are so reductive with your arguments that I struggle to take it seriously. 2+2 = 10 if you keep going and don’t stop counting… Roffey did the Julius Caesar on The Faux Demon and that was as consequential in our flag as any kick to the fat side, or goal followed by ‘BANG!’ I have criticised Roffey for the ridiculous amount of pious reference to our ‘unique’ organisational culture. But we don’t know how the club is going internally, but neither do you or the ‘other’ President that isn’t impressed. And as for the opinion that our time at the top is over, and these long term contracts will be an albatross - only time will tell because with a recent flag, surges in memberships and attendances, and half a dozen stars of the game locked up for the foreseeable future - the facts on the ground don’t support this opinion.

I believe The Charlatan mentioned this in between moaning about being victimised or some nonsense.

Yes, this comes back to my Forwards Only theme for us next year. If you can’t find the footy in the forward half with forward craft or good forward instincts - I am sorry, you can compete for a spot on the other wing to Ed. ANB is not a forward and never has been, his overlap running and amazing aerobic capacity has been a point of difference recently but as the best teams have caught up with that ‘slingshot’ he has been found out because he can’t get the ball and/or can’t execute in the F50. Kozzie is a fwd, Fritsch is a fwd, Brown and TMac have other problems but they are forwards, Spargo is a big conundrum for me as I really struggle with whether he is ‘too slow mid’ out of position, or can actually find footy at the contest in the F50. He gets a great deal on the overlap and maybe he should be competing with ANB for the non-Ed wing… And don’t get me started on Sparrow or Harmes through there when resting - they are absolute liabilities. Petracca can play forward, Brayshaw is smart, Oliver is a natural in any contest. They can rest there. But the rest… Forwards Only pls.

When he played in the Prelim for Casey after our season was done, I thought to myself ‘why?’ It may be a sign of the respect between clubs and the playing group but the risk did not outweigh that benefit. And here we are.

We might want to play him then. I would have leaned into a small quick line up after the three losses as it became obvious that we were playing on fumes. Is he a part of the forward line next year? Because if he isn’t in the 7 then he will be off this October.

Or instead of.

This should be us getting flogged…

So more than ‘goal kicking’ coaching… Youre describing what a forward coach should drive. Stafford needs help or needs to go.

Nothing that holds much Weightman.

Your case being that umpires and misses were the difference and we don’t need to make any changes?

Yes, and he was high when he said it. ‘You can finish second, third, fourth, heck even fifth!’ Quite apt. Quite apt.