buck_nekkid

18 months ago this would have been us. What we paid for lever and May? Mitch Clarke? Lumumba? TMac a multi year deal? Etc. it is all a gamble. Each time you hope to improve your list. No guarantees. Dockers May have improved their list moving hogan on, if he didn’t fit the culture. Look at how important system and culture are to us now. Hard to judge. ps- Collingwood would also be serious contenders by your metrics

Stay close to the cats and run past them at the end. Gonna happen repeatedly this year.

A strange year, with erratic performances (up and down) happening week to week. Sides down 5% get cut up, and few teams have a system that works. Teams have looked champagne or boiled lollies with little apparent change. Stands us in good stead with a solid system. We have seen off several solid efforts (including the two grand finalists) and it seems more than the sugar rush offered up randomly by others. Defence wins flags. Not impressed by many others 7 weeks in. Dees are looking well set up in comparison.

Weids is pressing up. Milky and others need to play to their best. Think that milky is next in the gun (rests and injuries aside).

So they are 3x as likely to win against melb than bullies or Wc and 5x vs Richmond? Shows we have not yet earned any trust in what we are doing.

Tonight’s game is the interesting one: Are the Dogs going to put a marker into the Tigers, or will the Tigers show they are still in the main group of contenders. Both sides with injuries. Never seen a demons team at $1.01.

You would have to be a muppet to go to the pies. Coach on death row, deep cultural issues, board changes likely to be ongoing, no cap room, poor drafting and trading, probably heading for a serious rebuild.

All this talk about Sam Weidmann is perhaps overblown. We are one injury away from needing him for immediate call up. TMAc, Jackson, Brown or even Gawn go down and Sam is next most likely (Maybe Majak an outside chance if its Gawn). It is a long season, Dogga is only in his second year, so I’m sure Sam’s time will come. He also is being developed as a CHF type (to BBB full forward). There is a spot in the team for him with the other talls if Jackson plays a slightly different role and TMac plays link-up HFF/Wing. A forward setup of weids, BBB and Frittata with Kossie and ANB/Spargo would be a challenge if the ball is coming in properly. I cannot see us wanting to let him go - if someone come calling, they are going to offer a fair bit for an AFL-ready forward. Media will beat it up, but Sam is in a good place in a good team. Hope he kicks the door down by playing the ‘system’ so well we can’t leave him out. Also, Given the team is 6-0, making one change to the forward structure at a time makes sense. Sam might already be on a path to get back to the firsts, just one that suits the team rather than him.

And are looking like a big deficit to get Daicos...

Fair question, suggest the future has to be discussed with him so he stays and plays his role. We will lose players due to the logjam, hopefully Weid isn’t one of them....

Would suggest you are answering your own question? TMac replaced over time by Weid, when it is the right time. Weid will definitely be the Future, TMac is doing a Great job for now.

I don’t feel sorry for them. I’m thankful we are finally strong enough to force players to earn spots. They all get paid. Previous years of deck chairs being shuffled gladly behind us...

Had (has?) a good engine so would be suited to the new rule sets. Good luck Jesse.

I would play bbb and weids for a half each- excellent training run given the big game is Sunday. Allows another look and match sim, but keeps one or both fit enough for selection. Same for the medical sub.

How I would love to take this thread through a wormhole and back 8 weeks. Just been kicked by the dogs in the preseason game. Imagine suggesting a fit and firing Ben Brown could even be considered as not up for selection. And t-Mac keeping him out? Or the only players we could think of dropping are milkshake and Jones - when we have so many whipping boys? a lot has changed in 6 weeks.....

Have us as favourites. How far depends on the midfield battle and if they pull us down to their level. Ziebell getting so much ball because it is always in their back half. Would like to see less than 30 points kicked against us (2 scoreless quarters would be grand) and us over 100 points. That would mean 70+ point win. Moderate this by the conditions at Hobart and if there is any scrap in the Roos.

This is not a danger game. Every player knows if they don't play well there is a raft of quality players looking to get their spots from Casey. This pressure alone should stop any complacency.

Dazzle, Covid restrictions suggested the Roos might be locked out of tassie because they were in Perth. Reschedule potentially at Marvel. Seems to have been dealt with (Roos back in mini bubble) and we will play in Antarctica as planned.

When we have 70,000 members who turn up every week, play good footy and matter.

A lovely set of numbers. You have nicely identified that Hibbard’s statistical score had little correlation to how we judge his performance. Jackson in the top 6! A couple of Christians at the top, separated by a Clayton. Salem could have easily won the Checker Medal.

I am so pleased we are 6-0. I hope the ‘barrackers’ who are appearing from the woodwork with their year 2000 scarves hop on board and become members. We need to convert onfield success into building our base so that we gain relevance and power amongst others. I think some of the comments of the Richmond supporters carries true to a group of ‘barrackers’. I would like to think those of us that have lived through the [censored] times are simply revelling in the moment, but not getting ‘arrogant’. I’m enjoying what WE are doing to need to rub the noses of others in their own stink.

Best bit: watch the team at the end of the 3/4 time break. Huddle with goody, laying down the law. Complete buy in, complete commitment. something special has begun....

I feel bad for the people that have stumped up the cash and committed themselves to supporting the Dees in such a sh1thole of a footy ground. Hobart is a nice place to visit, though. It might be better for us at Marvel. covid sucks.

His two handed tap to Trac for a goal was sublime. Whilst he does this work of contesting and being a linking midfield type as well as chopping out max, he is worth his weight in gold. LJ is not judged on goals, but he will get a bag at some point soon.

This is the litmus test game so far (as was the Geelong and hawks games at the time...) Think our defence is solid, and provided we apply it well in the midfield we can hold the [censored] head forwards in Lynch and Riewoldt. Their small forwards may get involved, but we can and should ensure that they get no easy possessions. They dont like their own medicine so this will be the basis of success. Next, we need to win the midfield. Allowing the ball too often to be in their half is a recipe for disaster - the more we can create and win contests the better off we will be. In addition, stopping half back run through intense pressure will stifle their ability to move the ball. Gotta be hard at it here. A great contest, with us finding enough avenues to goal and responding to repeated efforts of the Tigers (and their mates the maggots) to take a 24 point win.