Skuit

The premise of this thread deserves more love. I'm sure everyone will repeat their standard well-worn rants within, but: What changes would you personally make across the club if you were in charge of every decision during the off-season? It sort of makes you as an anonymous poster accountable. I don't know what I would do. Probably shuffle out some inexperienced assistants (as is being done). Maybe get another old-school head to sit above everything (a la Balme). Explore whatever avenues there are to get the team confident/psyched again. Be clear that we're aiming for the premiership regardless of 2019 results. As per the list: we clearly need outside class and forward crumb as the most pressing areas. I'm probably also shirking the biggest calls right now: I would delist/give away Stretch/JKH/Maynard/J.Wag/Spargo and Omac. It's a better crop than what we've been shedding in the recent past. But I'm obviously one of the optimists/most delusional on this site. What would you do - and would that amount to another rebuild?

What were your feelings regarding North last week SWYL? When they kicked one goal for the entire match? Or regarding Essendon, Port, the Giants and Adelaide and in recent weeks when they've copped heavy losses - teams with something actually on the line? Are they more or less pea-hearted than the MFC?

Haha! This was actually my favourite part. Fritsch put in some ripper if majorly mistimed attempts but this was my genuine highlight of the game. I was hoping someone would complain so I could express that. As far as I can tell they have busted their guts this season (unless you have some clear evidence to the contrary?), the season is over, so why not have some fun? I wish they were all told to go out and have fun.

The point that Carey makes is clear. But to not upset the Demonland censors by quoting large chunks of the Age article, I have exchanged a number of words for suitable alternatives. You can find the key below: Confidence – cajones Pre-season – preparation Injury/off – owies/underdone Football/footy – this brutal death sport Season/year – grueling sprint to the finals Slow or indecisive – like Angus Brayshaw in a manipulated media clip "Cajones in this brutal death sport are often spoken about and come in many forms. In my experience, an owies-free preparation can be one of the biggest factors in building the cajones early in the grueling sprint to the finals." "A strong preparation is the foundation for everything you try to build throughout the grueling sprint to the finals proper. If you don't have the belief that you've done the required work, doubts can quickly snowball and start affecting different parts of your game." "Given how highly structured this modern brutal death sport is, it only takes one or two guys to be a little bit underdone for entire game-plans to break down. If one player is out of position, it can make several others look like Angus Brayshaw in a manipulated media clip. One break in the chain, and it can be detrimental to a team's overall cajones."

This clip perfectly illustrates our primary issue this year . . . injuries, immaturity, and underdone players. Brayshaw isn't on Pendlebury - Melksham is. In his second week back after a three-month injury. Three months, in-season. Although I concede that the footage has been framed to suit a media narrative, that shouldn't be a huge surprise. I also concede that the highlighted issues do exist - but that's not the point: Brayshaw has been called out on national TV and chastised on here for something that simply isn't true. Brayshaw is not on a bloke called Pendlebury, thanks Gerald Healy. Watch closely. Brayshaw enters the fray from the centre-square and Pendles from the forward area. Freeze at 0.11 if you like and you will see Melksham trailing Pendlebury. Gus then puts a check on a loose Pendlebury but is concerned about his own man (I can't work out who it is from my fuzzy screen) setting up in space up-field. You can see the player moving away from the pack and Gus looking back. Melksham has meanwhile been sucked into the contest, not unreasonably but puts in what I do consider a fairly lazy effort (albeit briefly getting his hands on the ball), and can't cover when Pendles later breaks forward - ironically, for those calling out Gus for 'cheating' - before the Pies have clearly won control. The numbers around the contest are actually fairly even (despite one misleading freeze-frame). The biggest issue, besides Melksham losing touch of his opponent and Lewis probably guarding too close, was Jones allowing Sidebottom off the hook due to a lack of leg-speed, or possibly inexperience at half-back (and then Lewis not holding) - granting the Pies an extra number on the unprotected forward-boundary side and then free inbound receivers. If you watch the game-day footage it shows the behind-the-goals angle, and it's crystal-clear that Melksham is following Pendlebury. In fact he gave away a free on him following a stoppage at around the 16 minute mark of the third-quarter countdown (the incident highlighted was at the 14 minute mark). Just prior to the ball-up, Brayshaw, who was at the time next to Pendles, hurriedly runs away (presumably to the interchange bench, or at least under direction), calling someone in. Players can easily be made to look lazy when there's a lack of cohesion, but if you want to lay blame for this single goal, you should look at precisely our three most senior players on the field on the weekend - Jones, Lewis and Melksham - but not Brayshaw. Jones is new to half-back (thanks in part to Jetta's injury absence) and Lewis is about fifteen days from retirement after close to the same number of years in the game. Melksham, meanwhile, has been injured for three months, and I imagine sent to follow Pendles for periods (and subsequently exploited due to a lack of match fitness, getting dragged up and down the field ) just to get his hands on the ball. TLDR: it's the injuries, stupid - and that Angus deserves a serious apology from Healy and co. and many on here, many in turn who I imagine will be too stubborn to concede that they were genuinely unfair, at least on this occasion. I will await such reversals of opinion, and will judge posters accordingly. #freeangusbrayshaw #fightfakenews.

For everyone else getting excited - we clearly phoned it in today. Next stop, pick #2.

Paging @binman. Now is your time to gloat my friend. Omac's most dedicated performance in the red n' blue. Looked like a man unleashed.

I agree with he OP. Every time I hear him speak I want to ask him if we'd be better off with a school-teacher at the helm. My near favourite player growing up behind Jako and Tingay. Lost all credit points with me. I would be embarrassed enough to the point of refusing to comment on the woes of a club if I nearly helped to personally destroy it.

Then clearly fails the character test regardless. 220 × 144

No-one - until it makes them money. We're supposedly the blue-blooded and Port the lower class - but follow the money. Consultancies like PwC run the world. And stake their bets accordingly. The question is: should we be courting the likes of Deloitte etc. now before others? Esports as an example is going to happen. The consultancies know it. But any AFL team which ignores it will be left behind. Or will possibly become extinct. Are the people running the club business savvy enough to guide us through? As per Koch's quote: “PwC is a big deal. Part of a network of firms in 158 countries with more than 250,000 people, who deliver services to more than 5,000 clients." Most of those Fortune 500s. Dwell on those numbers for a moment. Accenture meanwhile has a workforce of around half a million.

I'm pretty sure my personal inbox is open to anyone. Mods?

Cheers LN. Was probably around two hours of research, but I love my club and current state of denial.

Just to reinforce your point - the Cats, Pies, and West Coast have in order the 5th, 3rd, and 4th oldest lists. We're 13th for age and 14th for games played. The Bulldogs are 12th and 13th. The Tigers are 10th for average age, but are 6th for games played and have 14 players with over 120 games under their belts compared to our eight: five of those who haven't gotten on the field for the bulk of 2019. That leaves Jones, Hibberd and TMac. For the record, Geelong have 15, Collingwood 16, and West Coast 14 players with over 120 games of experience. Without naming the players it's obvious each of these team's core drivers are also older and more experienced compared to ours. Here, I've run some numbers (fairly quickly so there might be minor errors). Going by the top six in last year's best and fairest results, the average games played for each team's best on-field third was as follows: Geelong: 195.8 Collingwood: 181.8 West Coast: 181.8 Richmond: 193 Melbourne: 134 Sure, mean averages can be easily skewed with a small sample, but the only players with less than 120 games from those B&F lists outside of Melbourne are Tom Phillips, Tim Kelly, and Kane Lambert. For the MFC it was Gawn, Oliver, Harmes and Gus. Without having seen much of the other teams this year to make a comparison, our other two top six players from 2018, Jones and TMac, are likely to drop out. Salem and Petracca could feature, bringing our average down to around just 88 games! The numbers tell the tale.

So this came across my desk, courtesy of my excited Dutch boss who had no idea that Port have been a life-long nemesis growing up as a Norwood supporter in Radelaide. I write about the consulting industry (I know there's at least one consultant on our boards) and tried but failed to be objective in this instance. Forget the prose and latent snark for a second - I phoned this one in - but consider the content. Port have signed PwC. Port have [censored] [censored] sponsors, and we have sexy Jaguar and now Zurich, the latter probably helpful for all our suicidal members. The question is though, should we also be pursuing a big professional services firm as a sponsor to help transform us from the inside-out? Article below; The Port Adelaide Football Club has snared PwC as a long-term sponsor in what the parties describe as a landmark deal. While its 2019 AFL season hangs in the balance, the Port Adelaide Football Club has at least scored a longer-term coup through a landmark sponsorship agreement with global professional services firm PwC. According to the club, the agreement sees the Big Four firm become of its most significant sponsors, tying the two organisations together for an extended period. “Port Adelaide Football Club is proud to be sponsored by this significant global brand,” said media personality David Koch, who took over as Port Adelaide Chairman in 2013. “PwC is a big deal. They are rated as one of the top 50 brands worldwide, part of a network of firms in 158 countries with more than 250,000 people, who deliver services to more than 5,000 clients.” “It is a great endorsement for our club because PwC has historically only sponsored big global sporting brands and events such as the America’s Cup, PGA and Irish Rugby,” continued Koch, although PwC last year entered into a partnership agreement with Victoria-based rugby union team the Melbourne Rebels. The firm has also been sponsoring the Australian ESports League. PHOTO: David Koch/Jason Briggs https://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/news/2019-07-26/port-adelaide-and-pwc-announce-landmark-sponsorship Despite Port Adelaide being one of the lesser lights of the league by membership, its recent home-and-away foray into China is seen as major draw-card. “PwC and the Port Adelaide Football Club are philosophically aligned – both are innovative businesses, driving commercial activity in key growth markets, such as China,” said PwC Adelaide Managing Partner Jamie Briggs. “PwC works with businesses, Government and the community to help Australia continue to thrive and grow,” added Briggs, the former Federal Minister for Cities and the Built Environment who joined PwC after losing his seat in 2016. Recently, the Liberal Government committed a further three years of considerable funding to the Port Adelaide/AFL joint venture in China. “This sponsorship will assist Port Adelaide on field, but will also help improve our practices off field. In short, PwC’s sponsorship will help Port Adelaide better serve our 60,000 members, which is our core business,” concluded Koch. According to the AFL’s latest figures, Port Adelaide has a shade over 50,000 members, having lost 4.5 percent of its base this year. As part of its ‘City Pulse’ series, PwC ranks the suburb of Port Adelaide as well below average on its ‘live’ and ‘play’ metrics, yet foresees incredible growth opportunities in the area courtesy of the federal government’s $90 billion naval shipbuilding programme – with the Big Four firm recommending that Adelaide pursue a “City Deal” focused on defence industry growth. Related: Christopher Pyne joins EY Australia to help grow Defence practice https://www.consultancy.com.au/news/892/christopher-pyne-joins-ey-australia-to-help-grow-defence-practice

I rarely criticise the current MFC but if I was to choose one beef it would our drafting of supposedly flexible players - I think a hangover from the necessity of the Roos era. JKH is a prime example. A forward/mid who isn't much chop in either part of the ground. I'm sure he was drafted as a forward who could run through, yet in his entire time with the MFC he's managed a grand total of 12 goals from 36 games. Not cool. Also not cool, draft revisionism, but Ben Brown and Orazio Fantasia were selected after JHK as specialists. They've kicked a combined 375 goals since. I like multi-positional players but banking on Melk, Fritter and CP5 to run through the middle or on the wing is in my opinion a poor strategy (outside or bursts). Especially in respect to finding a place for AVB.

For what it's worth I'm in team yay Harley Bennell. The irony is that successful teams can take a punt on outsiders (see Stack, Ryan etc.) while bottom-dwellers need to be super-cautious about this concept called culture. [censored] it. Let's take some risks.

You sir wins today's internet. 220 × 220

In an ideal world where does Vanders fit within our forward/centre mix? If we're to bounce back next year we need our core players playing to their best level or living up to potential. That means TMac and Weid at one and two up front, or a replacement/reshuffling of one of those (not AVB). Plus Petracca. Still waiting but probably ahead of AVB nonetheless. And Garlett. Likely on the way out but we need to find a replacement genuine small with a similar skill-set (not AVB). Fritsch we all agree is back where he belongs. Melksham: one of our most important and missed play-makers this year. That makes six. Then: resting mid/ruck. And the raft of other mediums. Smith, Smith, Hannan (most of us I imagine would see potential in at least one those as greater than AVB). And the Hunt question. We've tended toward a fleet of mediums in recent years, but I think we need to move back to specialists and a 2/2/2 mix. So two keys, two mediums that can play tall/small, and two genuine smalls. See West Coast. That equals (with some personnel replaceable) Tmac & Weid - Melksham/Petracca/Fritsch - Garlett & x up front. In the middle - Oliver, Viney, Brayshaw & Harmes - plus an new outsider, wings and running half-backs (not AVB). I've mentioned plenty of times that I saw huge potential after AVB dominated as a CHF in one preseason game, but where does Aaron fit now? It would have to be at the expense of one of Petracca, Milkshake or Fritter in my mind, and then be ahead of the Smiths and Hannan. Is he good enough?

Here are my workings: The Fremantle Football Club is the most delusional of all.

This is the injury thread so I don't want to diverge too much, but most of us are willing to accept that one thing leads to/impacts another in our own lives or what we see in those around us. For a number of reasons the jury was still out for me re. Simon's game-plan last year, but due to all the factors of this year I still don't feel I'm in a place to judge yay or nay. Mental and cultural issues are still going to be a part of the problem until we are mature and consistently winning. Our high-press was exposed numerous times last year - but it was still evident and we had the requisite intensity. This year, there has been no obvious intensity - i.e the game-plan being at plain fault.

I'll keep saying the same every year until I run out of breath: Nathan Basset. Port defensive coach. Joined in 2016. Since 2017, Port have had the second-least points against (2017), the third-least points against while finishing 10th in 2018, and currently sit within two goals of third-best defensive standings for 2019 while in 9th place. Also: Basset coached Norwood to back-to-back flags from nowhere in 2010 - before joining Craig and Goodie at Essendon in 2014 - and spent the bulk of his 200-game career alongside Simon Goodwin, earning All Oz honours next to Goodie in 2006.

Cameron Ling of all folk induced a mini-insight this week. He was banging on about how we would have no excuses next year regarding a later start to the pre-season, tsk tsk. Richmong recently backed a flag up with a prelim appearance you see. No mention of the Tiger's three elimination finals and bottoming out for a year leading up to that though. And definitely no mention of the Cats reaching a prelim and semi before dropping out of finals for a year prior to their 2007 premiership - teams which Ling was a member of. We certainly had an interrupted preseason with a huge number of surgeries, aggravated by the later start and then a massive knock in confidence once 2019 was underway. Most of our midfield didn't train together until well after Xmas, and the injuries to our offensive and defensive lines have been coming consistently ever since. Yet, three months later with no sign of improvement and that nagging feeling starts to creep in - why can other teams seemingly manage with injuries and back up in the finals year after year with later pre-season starts? The insight is this: while a few on here acknowledge the above injuries and late start as a significant factor in our horrible slide this year (with many of those losing patience over recent weeks), little has been said of the combination of those factors with the age/inexperience of our list. Only one member on our team has ever had to back up from finals - an elimination final at that. Meanwhile (without running the numbers), most of those going in for post-season surgery were likely under 24, possibly experiencing their first major clean-ups. I'm not an elite sportsperson - and I definitely wasn't one in my early twenties. I have no idea what it's like returning as a young footballer from dual shoulder surgery (taking Oliver as an example) and the trying to develop confidence in those limbs/body parts again in a limited time-frame knowing I'm coming up against ruthless competitors. Forget the age spread, the primary drivers of our team are kids; they're experiencing something entirely new this season, and I'll be backing them in to learn something valuable from this year.

I'm predicting a 40 point win.

#metoo

I think I'd rather channel my sense of injustice in taking you to the sack everyone thread.