old55

Versatile mature depth player who could ruck if Max gets an injury - I like it. With B.Brown and Weid out, Jackson and TMac have become 1st choice KPFs and have weakened ruck depth. Daw addresses this.

When it's something over which you have no control - optimism is the only rational position.

I don't think the injuries to B.Brown and Weid mean we should be looking for more key forwards but it might mean we should look for some mature ruck depth now. I was OK going into the season with Jackson, Bradtke and probably some combination of TMac and M.Brown as back-up depth to Max. But now it's pretty clear that Jackson, TMac and M.Brown are required to fill the KPF roles. So I think some mature ruck depth is warranted.

Yep we're doomed - no doubt.

I don't think "needs" is the accepted wisdom on early picks e.g. 1st rounders, it's the best player at that point and as @DeeSpencer says - they should have a list in order and they should just put a line through the names that are picked and take the next one at their turn. Later on in the draft is the time to speculate or go for needs -like Rosman.

I hope and expect we did draft the best 2 available players with our first 2 picks and one of the reasons they are the best players is because of the reasons given - they are the best kicks and they love the game. At the 3rd pick I think it's fine to start to look at needs and possible upside and take a risk based on who has already been selected. I think this is pretty much standard accepted wisdom isn't it?

Yes I agree. Best 22 / Next 22 should consider all players available except confirmed LTE like Hore IMO. As for R1 - well it's premature, as B.Brown's injury has shown.

Don't forget Brayshaw and Oliver with post-season operations - start panicking now so you can beat the rush.

I'm not alarmed. Brown came to the club right before Christmas and has resumed training through January. It's very reasonable to see how his knee goes over this period with load ramping up as a test before taking action. Now there's an issue to examine and deal with one way or another - let's wait and see what the path is. It seems to me that the club has approached this reasonably.

Eddie digs deeper: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/i-got-it-wrong-mcguire-apologises-for-comments-on-racism-report-20210202-p56yvz.html “Under the pressure of the day, the use of the word proud was wrong. “I did not, I did not mean we were proud of past incidents of racism and the hurt that had caused. “It’s been interpreted widely that way and I regret that deeply.” No Eddie that's not what was interpreted, it was that you tried to spin Collingwood's addressing of the issue as the main story, not the issue itself. Here's the essence: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/eddie-still-doesn-t-get-it-pies-can-t-rebuild-from-a-position-of-denial-20210202-p56ytt.html He simply does not get it and has to go.

Even if Lynch is a better player than Brown, your argument is that Brown is the wrong TYPE of player and he is the same type of player that Lynch is. Lynch is a better player than Brown but the difference is not huge, Brown is still a very good player: https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_compare?playerStatus1=A&tid1=12&playerStatus2=A&tid2=15&type=A&pid1=3964&pid2=3457&fid1=C&fid2=C

What? Like Tom Lynch at Richmond you mean?

It's going to be interesting. Is it mandatory to have someone on the mark who has to stand there? I'm guessing for this to work it is, otherwise you can have that player 5m back from the mark (i.e. not "on the mark") and free to move laterally.

You can see an example of the effect of this rule change in the video from training at 1:00 - Hunt kicking inside at an angle with May stuck static on the mark.

Dogs won a flag with it.

No it's not, it's holding them to account for their baseless posting.

This poster has claimed that he is a list management expert who can see things that others cannot see. I am simply calling him on his claim.

So that's it from the self- proclaimed great sooth-sayer? Jones to retire - oh boy wowee! TMac to be traded - yeah great revelation! Jetta traded - or will that be retired Bedford a 2 gamer to be delisted Jordon and Bradtke who haven't played a game to be delisted M.Brown a fringe depth rookie to be delisted Goodwin to be sacked R8 Way to go out on a limb with some radical unthought of predictions!

From the training reports we've got 13 in the defensive group. Hore is out injured; Petty, Hibberd and Smith are in rehab. That means we need to find a starting 7 from these 9: May, Lever, Tomlinson, Salem, Rivers, Hunt, Lockhart, Bowey and Jetta. A re-inforcement could be handy It is possible that TMac and M.Brown could fill in.

Kelly, Merrett, Billings, Sheed all of interest.

I think we need a leader in each part of the ground. Finding one in the forward line isn't easy unless it's Ben Brown.

"matey" - oh that's nice! Keen for you to quote any gratuitous off-topic optimism that I've posted ...

As many have posted - the coach has to train and select the "right" players, but once the game starts it's mostly up to the selected players to deliver the result. I think we've lacked on-field in game leadership over the years. Jones and Viney seem to be introverts and focus on their own game rather than directing the traffic - sure they may think they "lead by example" but it's not enough. I think the sometimes maligned Jordan Lewis probably gave us a lot in this area - I note we were 12-7 in 2017 and 16-8 in 2018 when he played. I think his contribution may have been undervalued in those years - including by me - because he wasn't the player he once was and didn't always go. Now I think the backline is well placed with May and Lever. I think Max is a respected and very capable leader at providing team social cohesion but I'm not confident about his ability to be the general in the midfield and direct traffic. Petracca and Oliver are tremendous players but are they going to co-ordinate the action? I think probably Brayshaw is the man most likely in this area to have the required qualities - hopefully with full length games he can return to his best position as part of the midfield rotation and be in a position to direct. I think part of the FD love for AVB are his leadership attributes but can he command a best 22 spot on output? Melksham was the leader of a very inexperienced forward line in 2020 (as evidenced by his role as stand-in team captain) and that's possibly why he retained his position despite some very ordinary form. For all his playing limitations ANB is possibly the man most likely to have the personality and intelligence lead in this area, but again can he command a best 22 spot on output? Maybe Ben Brown can bring a major contribution down there. Until these on field leaders emerge and direct I think we will continue to struggle with consistency.

@Lucifer's Hero said she might go out and try to peer through the cyclone wire fence. That would be great if she can ...

There's clear value to me in the training reports particularly for example: Who's in the rehab group - Brayshaw and Oliver both had off season operations - what's their status? Who is training with which area backs, mids, fwds - e.g. Harmes, Petty, Melksham, TMac? Who of the young players looks to have had a big off-season and could therefore be capable of significant improvement Who of the recruits is showing something in match simulation and may press for a game - we haven't been shy to select 1st year players in the past