buck_nekkid

Perhaps we are too wedded to the midfield group. If Viney and Oliver were half forwards, and Brayshaw, Harmes, Salem, Bennell, Sparrow were the guts players, maybe our midfield’s ‘hidden’ woes would start solving themselves?

The problem with the one big and some mediums is that we are putting the wrong mediums up there. Look at the Pies group - all are dangerous around the goals, can kick from 50 and put on heaps of pressure. Suggest our group should be Petracca, Kozzie, Oliver, Hunt and Bennell With TMAC and maybe a second tall. In fact, Mason Cox is just a big lump rather than a TMAC type who has mobility. Fritter and Melk delivering in. Our midfield could be Brayshaw, Viney, Salem, Harmes (not a bad unit, really) with the others rotating through. These guys are where the defensive problem starts - lack of two way running. They gun forward but one mistake (the usual dees outcome) and turnover means they are out of position. The fact that the cats just chipped and possessed rather than kicking to a contest (over 100 times!) suggests the midfield did not close down the open players at all - just cruised back to cover grass. Our zone hooked reasonably well from 50 out, but it needs to work from 80 out. Changes: Not many, more positional and attitudinal. Guys need to bust a gut to break opposition chains and need to bust a brain cell delivering inside 50.

Wow, Rusty. That is a terrible indictment on the club. The inability to close off the kick to kick keepings off was poor. The scores above are appalling, and the follow on stats Paint the real picture.

We played poorly. Geelong just sweated on our mistakes, which we continuously made for them. Even still, we had a kick to win it! Some things to like, but our system especially forward was terrible.

Cats being patient and waiting for us to stuff up. Not letting them down.

A few things to ponder: We have to select off the intraclub thanks to the scenario we were put in. Not ideal, but 40 players got the chance to show where they were at. Bennell would be managed by Burgo. I imagine they have load goals that he would have hit regardless of the ‘glorified circle work’, and then he was due for de-loading. If there was not intraclub, he would have done it doing run throughs. There are bigger goals than one game in mind for this bloke.

Suggest he plays a role locking down the midfielder resting forward, which he is ideally suited to. He can also push off and deliver forward. He also can rotate into the midfield. I think people are overstating the loss of playing him back. I can see real value in this concept.

It will be a game of structures. We need to win the clearance (or at least slow it down for Cats) to allow the defensive setup to work. The idea of winning the contest and fast delivery to disrupt their Defensive structure makes sense. The. Defense must be resolute the kick before it gets to the key forwards for this to work. We dont need to change the squad, just need the squad to deliver....

Except Covid is now the biggest global killer this year. Please feel free to lick people’s faces or whatever freedom looks like to you.

A contrary view: We put on a brave face (knowing that we will get ZERO from the AFL). We use it to show what we are made of, that we can handle what comes our way, and show the team that we are not sooks like the WEAGLES. The season is screwed like a pig in an Arkansas barn, so why damage our internal build for the sake of this? The AFL will always prioritise the big clubs, so we get scraps. If we had a great hit out on Sunday, and the guys are all ‘in it together’ we can do more good for our culture for the long term than getting a hollow benefit from GIll and the braincell-allergic dunderheads at AFL house. Pick your battles. Choose the sexiest pig.

Wow, popped over to bomber blitz. Biggest crucifixion complex since Jesus. They want to be let off everything, delist a McKenna, and move games so they play with a full squad. They are still sore from being drug cheats, too. (I had to use hand sanitizer on my eyeballs after that....)

The umpires gave everything against the Demons. We cant take a trick!

Real umpires, too!

They are moving things around to maximise TV coverage thanks to the whacky antics of COVID McKenna.

I think the scratch game today plus matchups will be important at selection. I suspect the crash plus speed philosophy will hold, and not too many changes from the non-team from r3 will be made.

There is an incubation period of 5 to 8+ days on average before people test positive and are infectious. Two days ago would not be long enough time for incubation. It’s why they look 2 weeks after the protest marches for spikes in rates.

My interest has now gone to ZERO. Thanks bum holes.

Source? This puts the whole competition in jeopardy

Tomlinson

Look across the game and big forwards are not kicking the bags they used to. Seems like the Pies model of one big plus lots of mediums seems to be effective with the way the game is being played. So tough for the kid Weid - hopefully he knows what needs to be shown to get back into the firsts. TMAC should be feeling under pressure to perform, and Brown was a ‘nice to have’ as insurance for both. I think the gameplan may have changed a bit after the recruiting, with the smaller and speedier demons emerging in response to the COVID stuff. Add wet weather and he has no chance. Jackson is supposedly a freak, I look forward to seeing that. Many players dont make it. Lets see if Weid can prove his worth and make it back in.

This team can win this - we have to win the contest and hold our defensive structures. That is all the Hawks did. Nothing fancy. If the conditions are wet, then winning the grunt ball will be even more important. With the wingers holding their width and our inside mids, we should have the structure to do this. I Would put Bennell and Fritsch high and play TMac and kozzie deep. It looks like Goody wants crash + speed as his mantra (looking at q1 last week). That will either lead to a success or a car crash!

Wrong. Video shows him marking on the ruck bag in the training thread. He may not be fit, but he trained.

Jobe Watson - what a terrible commentator and complete [censored]

First time anyone has called this guy smart. I think he is as dumb as biscuits

We should set up outside for the big smash forward, like Jeff White used to. Give us a variation that will be hard to counter if Gawn has dominance.