BORNADO

That was weird. Similar to how the Pies tried to control the narrative about Maynard visiting Gus.

I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. But I'd fine if Morris was doing this to set up an opportunity for Trac to come out and publicly declare his intention to stay at the dees.

This is probably a fair assessment of Zane Duursma. He's 190cm but is still lightly built and likes being able to play with some space (space that really isn't afforded to most players at AFL level). I think with some solid strength and conditioning he could become a real asset. I really hope that during this coach search we also look for a new fitness guru. Losing Darren Burgess was a massive loss. But maybe with Bucks (who still seems firm favourite) we will have a coach who also reinforces the need to take fitness seriously.

I think it's also important to consider that in the AFL's hubris, trying to stamp out homophobia and discrimination by dishing out significant penalties to players, they have accidentally provoked more discrimination from fans. Some of the comments on social media are outright disgusting. And volume of those comments is far bigger than anything said on field. There is value in having a proportionate response to issues. A week or a fine would probably suffice. Practically all players would hate to have even a week off. Giving them four weeks doesn't send a stronger message, it just frustrates fans to a point where many of them start to take it out on the LGBTQI community, which is really something we want to avoid.

He's got a great build. And he's got some impressive attributes. But at VFL level his stats probably don't wow any other teams. He's kicked 5.3 in his five games, but he's never had more than 9 disposals in a game. I think most AFL sides would like someone who racks it up a bit more. So with all that said, even without F/S assistance we should be fine to pick up if we want him.

With the way we normally play, he's got little to no value at the dees. With a flooded stationary forward line and his slight frame, it won't matter how we bomb it in, he's going to look useless. We could put Jamara UH in there, and the result would pretty much the same. If we're going to make the most of him, we need better deliveries, a more open fwd line, and clear movement from our forwards. It's noticeable when Melksham is playing, that our forwards stop being flat footed, and we start entertaining using the fat side. If we can adjust so that we can make the most of his leads and he can use his big outstretched arms, he'll start to look good.

Was there any particular drill in juniors that you thought really improved your game?

I thought the discussion around Clayton Oliver by Tom Morris, James Hird and Jimmy Bartel was actually really respectful. It was great that it was re-established that Clarry's got nothing against the dees, loves the club, but just feels like he might need a new start. I'm optimistic that he can get there. The comparison that others have made with JUH is way off. Clarry's still turning up to training and working hard. He's not taking the [censored], changing his IG profile pic to taunt the media. One point that was made was about the quality of his disposal. So far this year, I've been really impressed with Bowey, Salem, even Langford use of the ball, but Clarry's is still a bit off. It'd be much better for him to focus on ensuring the handballs he gives are more effective, than simply trying to rack up as many disposals as possible. And tbh, if his disposals get better, the pressure on our players will reduce, and he will likely see himself collect the ball a second time in a lot of a stoppages.

I was really disappointed with Spargo's first game back as he was often too slow to dispose the ball and was getting caught under pressure. However, upon reflection, I think he's actually done the hard bit right. He's getting to where he needs to be. His positioning is good. And he's able to link up the play. His ability to work quickly with the ball has already started to return. So personally, I think the combination of Spargo, Salem, Bowey and Windsor (when his form returns) gives us a collection of really good ball users. I think Sharp will continue to be in and out of the side, which is probably frustrating for players like Woewodin. Culley, however, I think needs to put on a clinic at Casey before he's in contention.

My bad. Didn't see that!

Really happy with our draft. JT has delivered yet again. However, if there's one player I would have loved us to draft, it would be Murphy Reid. His stats don't do him justice (probably why he slid to pick 17), but the kid's disposals are so clever and takes freo from being under pressure to suddenly having plenty of time or space. Really surprised he hasn't received a rising star nomination yet.

Looks like Callum Brown's head is leant forward the whole time. Surely a player trying to protect his own head tries to lift it up or move it to the side

Shorter more frequent games would really diminish the significance of each game. Not a fan either.

I agree. At least at the start of his career, Langford's versatility will mean he should be able to get a game anywhere. Pure mids can struggle early on if they're not quite at the level needed. Jagga by all accounts is a gun and will be fine. But even strong well-built mids like Ryley Sanders struggled early on, and averaged 16.5 disposals for the year. And unfortunately he's a bit useless if he's not playing thru the middle.

I know it would be annoying for supercoach and tipping competitions, but having footy matches spread right out across the week would be huge for free to air TV and pubs. MLB and NBA have games across 6 or 7 days a week and works really well for them. It would also help a lot to support less popular teams like North Melbourne whose game is often overshadowed by another game playing at the same time.