Nasher

I also reckon if I’d been in a job in a cut-throat industry for 11 years, including during a pandemic when clubs had to slash numbers, without knowing what I was doing, somebody probably would have noticed before and moved me on.

Lever’s interview put my mind at ease about Trac. Our leaders signed contracts that will see them through to career close. We’ve got premiership players to farewell in ANB and BBB. Despite one of the most emotionally wild seasons in a long time and a lot of bitter disappointment, I’m feeling good right now. It feels like it has all come to a head. Get the job done against the Pies and I’ll end the season feeling content.

Oh no. There might be a year at the end of the contract of one of our best players ever where he doesn’t play much. Really happy with this news and loved the touch of the letter.

ThE cLuB iS fAlLiNG aPaRt

Yes to a farewell game. Gawn wins the tap. Viney on the deck, scoops the ball out to Neal-Bullen. Sizes up his options, hits the charging Rivers with the handpass. Long kick deep from the 50 - BROWN TAKES THE MARK AT FULL STRETCH! Winding back the clock! Brown from 30 out, slight angle. Takes his trademark run up… Goal umpire doesn’t move! The crowd are on their feet AND LOOK AT THE PLAYERS GET AROUND HIM! The premiership full forward! This game is a dead rubber. It's a glorified exhibition match. Let’s make it a feel good celebration. Surely we deserve that after this emotional whirlwind of a year.

The two longest consecutively serving coaches in the AFL, Chris Scott and John Longmire, have two and one flag to their names respectively. Clarko and Hardwick have three apiece but they’re nowhere near it this year. Flags are a ridiculously tough metric to measure a coach on. Literally every single coach there’s ever been has been a dud if that’s the metric. We’ve only had one year under Goodwin where we’ve been uncompetitive, which was 2019. We’ve had four seasons (2018, 21, 22 and 23) where we’ve had a flag shot. He is 7 from 8 on competitiveness, 4 from 8 on flag shots, and 1 from 4 on flag conversions. That is comparable with the best in the business.

That’s what the good lord made gifs for.

I think Jesse will stay.

As if Viney will leave. Please. We’re letting the media toy with us while we’re stressed.

I was not mentally prepared for such a limp performance. Help!

Range of plausible ladder possible outcomes today is 4-10. Likely outcomes: 6th (we win, we don’t claw back enough percentage to bump Power or Cats, Brisbane lose to Sydney) or 10th (we lose). This is so crucial, especially given how badly the Dockers humiliated us last time we played. So much to atone for. Added bonus: if we win, we guarantee pushing Essendon out of the 8.

GWS are a direct ladder competitor. So, all in brawl with GWS going down it is.

Agree. Reminded me of the surge of confidence I get when Petracca is in the frame of a moment that matters. As a Crows fan on loan I was constantly looking for him.

He was unbelievable all game. Absolute gun. That was easily one of the most enjoyable Non-MFC games I’ve seen in ages. I’d say I was a “neutral” supporter but that would be a lie. I turn in to such a spiteful bugger when Essendon are involved.

Anyone else think Ben Keays looks a lot like Fritta?

I was 37 when we won the flag. I’m 40 now. Goodwin is the only coach in my lifetime to build a list that won one, and has kept enough talent flowing through that we’re far from being done at having a shot at another one. It’s very plausible that this is the best we’ll be in my lifetime. I’m not going to pot the coach that delivered it.

The most amazing thing about McVee is the flick-of-a-switch manner in which he came on. He spent his first year in 2022 kicking around in the VFL and never got close to being picked. Has a massive ‘23 pre-season, gets picked in round 1, makes immediate impact and never looks back. It’s hard to imagine him not being there now.

Can someone explain to me how this Darcy/Jackson super-combo works that makes picking a ruckman crucial in a way that it wasn’t this week? Even when we had Jackson and Gawn, it was rare that they both fired in the same game. Which one fired depended on the day, but the vast majority of the time we had one of them barely pulling their weight in the forward line while the other strutted their stuff. If we’re that worried about it, pick an extra tall defender. They’re not both going to be rucking at the same time.

I can’t see West Coast beating Brisbane unless they pluck out the old play out of their skin now the coach is gone trick. They looked mentally and physically out of juice against us week. For some reason I’m more optimistic about Richmond beating GWS, although I should probably remind myself that the ladder is the way it is for good reason.

So long as GCS get the job done here, we will finish the week in the 8. At the moment the mathematical range of possibilities for our finishing position next week is 4-11. At round 18, that’s insane. I honestly can’t remember a more interesting year.

I’ve been ignoring you until now - but I laughed out loud at this. Mate, your opinion is not so important that it contributes to a successful club. The crew who make all the decisions obviously need to analyse the performance for the club to be successful. Our job as supporters is to buy memberships to keep the club healthy, and to make a racket at games to pump the players up. That’s it. We do this for our own amusement, and that’s it. Nobody of any importance cares about your, my, or anyone else’s opinion on here about how Petty played. And fine, Petty didn’t have a great game. We get it and don’t necessarily disagree, but the walls of text on the topic are annoying for people who want to just enjoy a good win.

What do you expect him to say? Goodwin has more respect for his players than to say “we don’t think Fullarton is up to the job”, which is the unspoken implication of his non-selection.

My take was the opposite - Petty is Cam Pedersen in this scenario, albeit a better player to begin with. If Gawn wasn’t injured, Petty would have still been selected and it would have been Disco Turner dropped. So think of it is Petty replacing Gawn and Turner replacing Petty.

Essendon fans hated him. Nothing would please me more than a big win with Melky BOG.

Lots of thoughts ran through my head watching that! Isn’t privilege such a tiered thing - Kozzy had a disadvantaged upbringing compared to Oliver or Goodwin, but compared to Nan he might as well have been raised in a palace. It’s so hard to fathom the idea of having to be out of town by 6pm or getting locked up. That was THIS lifetime, not some ancient history. Far out. Love that Goody, Clarrie and Shano took the time to head there with Kozzy and connect. The bond will run just that bit deeper with every step like that.