Fromgotowoewodin

20 goals from Rd18 to GF in 2021 was a fair cameo (incl 2 in the Prelim and 3 in Flag) 30 goals in 2022 (behind only Fritta and Kozzie) 11 in 6 games this year - admittedly 8 in the first 2 games skews that a bit, he got dumped by Rampe after the half time siren in Rd3 and hurt his back which I think set him back for a long time but I think reports of his imminent demise are a little exaggerated to paraphrase.

Used to be (circa mid-2010s) and google tells me there still is, an Aussie bar called Boomerang Bistro. Eating there is probably a waste of your calorie intake given everything else you can eat in Singas but will have the footy on. https://maps.app.goo.gl/GnCYwKGM3tAroLYD6?g_st=ic My take on team selection: Petty out for Tomlinson, surely has a week off at least after getting subbed twice with injury. Would expect given past experience that Petty comes back in when fit (hopefully not before). Spargo v Chandler - can see this going each way, you’d think on pure form Chandler gets a go (good vfl praccy apparently, Spargo not doing much) but Spargo is clearly marked best 22 so I can see them giving him another week or two to get back into form. McVee/Rivers into mids, Bowey fwd? Don’t see any of these happening, I think the FD is pretty settled on the back half and won’t be moving the pieces around too much barring Hibberd coming back and someone making way. Mids - one of Sparrow/Jordan will have to make way for Clarry at some point but probably not this week. Sparrow might become a permanent fwd and Spargo/Chin both miss when that happens. Jordan is vulnerable to going back to sub though given past history, they probably do that. Edit: Forgot my namesake- Taj might be the obvious miss and the other two stay, this got more complicated than I expected when I started.. Fwds - I think apart from the Spargo/Chin shootout the rest stays the same, bar Grundy maybe coming in for JVR (vulnerable due to still learning, BBB still ahead of him in smarts and impact imo). I don’t think all 3 fit in one fwd line or that we can go Gawndy without clogging the fwd 50 too much.

Keeping Petty on was weird but I don’t think Melksham is best as a sub. The only one you’d drop him out of the 22 for now is Fritsch imo, his body work last night was great, plays tall and can kick. Smith worked well as a sub although it was making me nervous ahead of time. Grundy may take either of JVR or BBBs spots, but I’d have those two ahead of him as pure forwards. Although BBB wasn’t as prominent after a good first quarter he still leads and makes space for the others. Chandler or Spargo competing for the same spot, I don’t think ANB or Kozzie are droppable. Forward line continues to improve which has been my big worry, and the Lions game was the biggest pre-finals test. Should just roll the rest of the teams we play pretty comfortably now, hopefully avoid further injuries, get Clarry back with 3-4 games before finals and see how we go.

Not sure how Petty played if we’re trying to avoid the balls up of 2022 - subbed off hurt last week, picked again, subbed off again with what looks like the same problem.. mental stuff

Well this quarter hasn’t been as much fun as the first, a few looking tired

BBB having an outstanding start, Melksham would be too if he took his chances

Well that’s put me back in my box, here’s hoping it works!

Winning form is good form, would you rather finish first and have a home final, or scrape into fourth and potentially play Port in Adelaide? You might say it doesn’t matter but I would much prefer to play at home. I don’t think he’s being managed I think we’re still trying to make the forward line work. Why manage a best 22 player against a fellow top 4 side? Manage players against Norf or Hawthorn.. plus he didn’t look unfit or slow to me last week, but Gawn did - manage Max if anyone.

My point is they rested players and kept winning, I don’t think they would’ve rested anyone prior to a top 4 clash had they needed to win to keep a buffer on their top 4 spot. I know your theories and I’m open to them, but I’ll believe it when I see the results, until then it feels a little copey

Cats did go on a 16-0 run including the GF while resting players, we are.. not quite in the midst of a 16-0 run

I think this underrates JVR a bit, he’s no lumbering dinosaur. Smith isn’t the answer either, he’s kicked 4 goals in 33 games over 6 seasons, admittedly he’s been a defender for a lot of those games but he’s played forward too and he’s not going to morph into Russell Robertson between now and GF day. Its BBB & JVR for mine, Fritsch hopefully back for finals, TMac can fight for a spot if his ankle comes good too but Smith & Schache are only injury coverage from now on for me.

BBB isn’t there to chase or tackle, and he’s no contested marking beast. But he had 1 goal last week, had a free 25m out that Sparrow kicked under advantage and hit the post so could easily have had 3 last week. He also leads which is vital to making space for the others. Bring JVR in to play with him, and combined they’ll have Andrews dropping his head as he is wont to do when getting beat.. Schache can’t be picked ahead of either BBB, JVR, TMac in a moon boot, Joel Smith etc etc, he’s not AFL standard

Far out that is sickening

Exactly. Lots of reasons why people can’t get to games (family commitments, work commitments, distance, health, lack of cash etc) but if we can’t all get on the internet and go off about footy then what is the internet even for?

This is clearly just making stuff up in your own head - he got rubbed out in round 1 and as per the OP his output is at or above his career average since then - so how exactly is he a shadow of the player he was? His shadow is outperforming the player he was!

I get the hype and the expectation but he’s 22, playing the hardest position on the ground to impact consistently because you’re reliant on luck much of the time. Effort is there, it’ll turn for him

Three tackles, 2 i50 - tackle in the champion data definition being “using physical contact to prevent an opponent in possession of the ball from getting an effective disposal” Unfortunate timing on this post as I’d agree this was about his worst game but the logic of it stands up. The scrutiny on him is bordering hysterical.

Are we in premiership form? No. But we kicked straight, we had space and movement in the forward line, we found some easier goals than we have in a long 5-6 weeks. Trac forward worked, but without Clarry leaves us exposed in the midfield so Saints got some clearances they shouldn’t. Gawndy still worries me, Brodie isn’t a contested marking forward and Max isn’t 100% fit for mine. Kozzie quiet, doesn’t worry me. Effort is there. ANB did some good things, ain’t the problem either. edit: BBB good for mine, he’s past chasing half backs up the ground but he leads and creates space, good disposal and should’ve had 2 goals.

We know the ball is going to be in our forward line >50 times, so there will be chances. Pies again showed what you can do if you move the ball in quickly and have your forwards on the move creating space, that’s what I would like to see today. Happy for the team plan to still be contested ball but you’ve got to be able to switch modes and move it quick. Time to start hitting the score board and lock in that double chance.

Yep, our best 22 has May, Lever & Petty back, Tomlinson is a backup. JVR should be up front instead of Melk imo, leave Petty where he is

He can, but he’s averaging 6 kicks in 2023. Jordan has to get 41 in the VFL to get a gig, Spargo gets in on trust. I’d prefer to see him get 20 & 2 in the VFL and then bring him in.

This. Subbed off against the pies with 6 touches, subbed on against the cats and got 2 - not sure how he got to the front of the queue.

Spargo in but JVR not?? Did Spargo even play VFL last week? Am I taking crazy pills? Outs all make sense at least

He probably doesn’t have TMac’s tank, but TMac is a pretty elite runner. I think JVR has enough of a tank to get up onto the wings and back. The problem is 2021 we had TMac and BBB leading to the wings and then kicking it into an open forward line, now our full backs are at the centre and everyone else is pushed inside 50, no space, no leads, scrappy entries, lotsa points.

I back JVR to do the TMac role, he’s young but he’s shown enough imo. TMac 2021 33 goals in 22 games, 1.43 goals per game. JVR 2023 17 goals in 12, 1.41 goals per game. TMac 2021 5.3 marks per game is where JVR needs to lift, currently getting 3.2. More space in the forward line and a bit more roaming onto the wings gets him more marks. Our best 23 imo would have JVR, BBB and Fritsch and Petty would go back pushing Tomlinson out, given the Fritta injury I think Petty forward, Tomlinson in down back, Smith out. Rucks playing as forwards hasn’t worked imo. It works when you can outwork your opponent and push forward on your own, or somehow sneak a mismatch on a smaller defender. Teams are playing a tall on them both when they go in and so they aren’t taking marks, just blocking up space that the other forwards could work in.