Lord Travis

The increasing number of rules changes are to blame for the poor watchability of the game. There were far less rule changes in decades gone by, but over the past decade the AFL has introduced all sorts of new rules purely in an attempt to counteract coaching tactics and what is perceived as less watchable. Low scoring doesn't mean low quality e.g. Sydney vs West Coast matches. Basically all these rules changes made by the AFL have backfired, as it's a coaches job to maximize everything they can to win within the rules. If they stopped changing the rules to combat the coaches tactics, the coaches themselves would find ways to combat each other and gamestyles would naturally evolve as they did in previous decades. The AFL need to stop trying to interfere with the game and let it evolve naturally. On a side note, we were a strong team in 2018 and super high scoring. Rules changes to enforce 6-6-6 crippled us with our extra men pushing up from behind the ball and into space. Our coaches still haven't adapted to those rules changes.

I expect the Saints to get up tonight in a close contest. There's a few potentially good games this round!

It's truly baffling. Player management and development at the club is poor at the moment. AvB clearly wasn't up to AFL level either and had 10 less disposals than Bennell and less impact too. Does the same thing happen to him now? Gets dropped and given the message you were only picked because others weren't available and you're not actually up to it. Knowing our luck Harley will build fitness and be fully fit finally and then walk at the end of the year to a Hawthorn or the like. *MFCSS kicking in* I hope we see Harley at AFL level again soon. He just needs gametime into his legs and will contribute even when not at full fitness as we saw in round 2. Be interesting to see what the selections are for this weeks match...

Team has worst forward line in history.... bloke kicks 4 goals in reserves... "Yeah look Harley we need you to tackle more and worry less about scoring goals. Try to take on four opposition players at once and create more congestion, that's what we really want to see. Goals aren't the aim of the game, we need congestion and repeated entries into 50 amounting to nothing" Great coach we've got...

I'm guessing they want him to lay a tackle. He looked clean at AFL level but definitely avoided contests, ran around on his own and offered zero defensive intent. First game in years though so not phased.

His ruck impact has definitely diminished the past 18 months. In 2018 he had the most hit outs and was 100 hitouts clear of second place. In 2019 he dropped to third and was over 200 hitouts behind the leaders, dropping off by over 300 hitouts off his 2018 season. The same thing happened with his hitout to advantage stats. Gawn actually attend more ruck contests in 2019 and yet his number dropped off. It seems opposition ruckmen have worked out better ways to combat him. Hopefully we see big Max rise back to being the dominant ruckman we know he can be. That said, it's proof that the ruckman position has little bearing on games. We've had the leagues best ruckman for 5 years, and we've made finals once from five and lose the majority of games. The coaches haven't been able to find a way to take advantage of his dominance. Either it's an indictment on them, or the position is somewhat redundant. Back on this game, I expect the Tigers to beat us. I think we'll give them a fair shake, but even with their poor form and injuries they have too many stars and experience not to get over the line. I expect a big game from Martin who has had a few down weeks since returning from injury.

They've got the best young list in the league and have now added more mature bodies around the kids. They've managed to hold onto the kids and start building. They've implemented a fast running gameplan. They win enough ball in tight and spread better than most from the congestion. They might slow up like they have in previous years, but you can clearly see their gamestyle and young talent maturing. I'm happy to see them coming good. Their creation was rubbish, but that aside it would've been bloody hard to build a team up their without much support. It's always good to see struggling teams come good and knock off the Hawthorns and Geelongs. Hope they go a fair way this year. And yes, Rowell is a genuine star. Wish any of our plethora of high draft picks were as good as him! Would give my left nut to get Ben King into our forward line too!

This. When he didn't get the CEO gig, he should've moved on. Instead he's overseen what's proving to be a failed rebuild of the football department with conflict between coaches and cliques forming within the club again. We've also developed leaks to the outside again. Under P Jackson we were watertight. Since he left, we leak to the media and elsewhere. I've experienced it first hand late last year. We're essentially back to where we were in the early 2010s pre-Roos & P. Jackson. We're a bottom team with boys club mentality, internal conflicts and leaking. Mahoney has overseen that regression and needs to go IMO.

I admire your optimism, but respectfully I disagree. Unfortunately the results/facts show we're not in a great spot.

Fair point. It's why for years now we've been forced to pay overs in both salary and draft picks to attract quality players. Lets hope something changes soon. We need forwards who can actually score!

He was good on the weekend and was second best player on the ground according to both coaches. It was his best game in a while IMO. Ran harder both ways and hit the scoreboard. Promising signs. We're bottom four for the second year running and the sixth time in a decade. We've played finals once in nearly 15 years. Over the past 18 months we are the worst team in the league again - even Gold Cost and Carlton have won more matches than us. Our core players in their prime are struggling to hold their position in the senior team over speculative late draft picks...and this is the best we've been since 1987?! If our best in over 30 years is repeated bottom four finishes, then we are truly doomed.

He's definitely better forward than back. His kicking is a real worry - currently bottom 5 in the AFL for goal kicking accuracy. He used to be a beautiful kick, but for some reason has become a legitimately poor kick. Needs to sort it out. He's being played in the wrong position due to poor coaching and structural issues. He's built like a twig. He's a wiry half forward flanker being made to play FF against blokes 10-20kgs bigger than him. He will never win marking contests against them with the ball dumped on his head. We need to play a tall forward at FF, and use Fritsch where he's best suited out on a HFF.

Can't afford to pay him $700,000 a season. Don't have any high drafts picks left to trade for him. No chance. We need a key forward more anyway. Get in Jeremy Camerons ear or start looking for other key forward options.

Out of form basically with a few key players underdone or injured. Dustin Martin missed injured and then looked cooked on weekend upon return. Astbury out injured now too. Houli missed earlier matches also, but that's the extent of it. They're mostly out of form. Jack Reiwoldt has gone from superstar forward to worse than TMac. He looks about ready to retire. Others like Cotchin, Edwards, Prestia, Lambert, Rioli, Stack etc you can see they're trying hard but it's just not working for them at the moment. I think Tigers are past their peak now and on the slide, but should still account for us quite easily. They've got enough experience and star power to beat us despite being in poor form.

I admire the supporters who can be so positively and hopefully, but I struggle with it. It's been over 55 years since we won a flag and after countless rebuilds we look as far away as ever. I struggle to be positive because reality gets in the way. We were bottom four in 2019. We are bottom four in 2020. We are the worst team this century alongside Carlton (excluding expansion clubs). We have big issues with game style. We have big issues with mental maturity. We have big issues structurally. We need to find a new game style that works for us. Our current game style does not work and structural issues with our playing list magnify this further. Our backline is ok, but the midfield and forward line both need to be overhauled. We have too many see ball get ball inside mids and it's become a cycle of dominating clearances and inside 50s for no tangible advantage. We need to offload and re-balance the midfield. A good player in Viney or Brayshaw likely needs to go. Supporters won't be happy with that idea due to emotions, but the balance has been proven to be wrong. You need to give up quality to get quality. It's no good dominating inside 50s if they're rubbish quality entries and aren't to the advantage of our forwards. We need more rounded midfielders and less bull at the gate insiders. Our forwards are all at sea. We lack quality tall targets and consistent goal kickers. Our highest goal kicker in 2019 was Petracca with 22 goals. That's an average of one a game from a player who is now a midfielder. That's abysmal. It's energy sapping to see players like Fritsch repeatedly miss set shots and be amongst the worst in the league for accuracy. Pickett aside, I don't think we have a single natural forward in our forward line. Yes the forward line received poor entries coming in from the midfield, but they also fail to convert the opportunities they do receive. Over the past 12 months, our inside 50 conversion to scores is the worst ever statistically recorded. Our game style is broken.

Bennell looking good with his stoppage goals. He won't get that much space at AFL level, but good to see he's still capable of those types of goals. We rarely score goals from stoppages, and really lack players with that ability to find the space in forward congestion and snap goals.

Tigers have been poor this year. Have watched all their games, and they've lacked cohesion going forward, similar to us. That said, we've been bottom four 18 months at this point, so with the stars they have in Martin and Lynch, I'd expect them to get themselves up to beat us.

He raises a fair point and BT was going on about it during the channel 7 commentary also. Either they limit his time due to his previous concussion issues, or they've not worked out how to best utilize him yet. With Langdon and Tomlinson owning the wings, when Gus is not in the guts he can't be pushed out onto the wing like last season. They obviously don't like him up forward and instead just get him sitting on the bench. Strange player management, but then again this coaching group does some very odd things at the moment.

Salem was shocking today. Barely got his hands on the ball, but worse he showed zero intensity and skirted a few contests. Really disappointing as he should be coming into his prime and performing consistently by now, but instead he’s still hit and miss 7 years into his career and about to turn 25 years old.

Groin injury and gone for the year. Out of contract at the end of the year and with list reductions due to COVID-19 he may be an unlucky delisting.

It’s scary that we have basically a full list to choose from and this is the best we can serve up. Not sure any changes will have much effect. Maybe Weid or Brown in as a forward target.

Believe he was a part time coach last year but is no longer involved at the club. Spent majority of his career at Adelaide, grew up a Crows support and is an SA boy. His best mates and family are in SA. Hardly surprising he represents Crows now he’s no longer involved at our club. Still love him as a larakin type bloke who just loves footy.

Have said all along two first rounders was overs. He was out of contract and wanted to leave. We had them bent over a barrel and somehow still coughed up overs. I don’t think he’s been as bad as made out on here though. He fluffed a few things today, but he also showed courage in the air and some great rebounding skills. Not our worst, but definitely not worth what we paid for him pick-wise. The trades done now though so we should just back him to build form.

We’re now the worst team in the league over 2019-2020. Even Gold Coast and Carlton have more wins than us! We need drastic change. Those who believe we can continue on our current path and find success are delusional. We need to acquire some natural forwards, no more in between flanker mid types. Pickett is about the only natural forward we have and it shows.

Horrendous game of football. Let’s hope we can bank four points and move on.