Dee*ceiving

Thanks for sharing that WCW. Doesn't help with the sadness of it all but it does give us a greater insight to the injustice of it all and how it's left not just Angus but the whole playing group/club feeling.

I was joking, he'd pick 18 backmen at a maximum 😉 Being serious, I love Goody as our coach. He has a philosophy and he sticks to it and continuously tries to make it better. He's also a bloody hard worker, a diplomat and incredibly resilient.

I think you're right. Though I also think goody would pick 23 Backmen of he could 😓

Forward and back up ruck...

Ouch, that Roo injury is a real low blow...😉

I can see 4 definite outs We are already two players down, Brayshaw (retired) (1) and Smith (highly unlikely to return) (2). Brown will retire (3); Scache will be delisted (4) Likely outs Agree, Tommo will seek other options (5) Petty will try again to get to Adelaide, especially if his form perists the way it has and we continue to play him forward. Crows will play the 'number one defender role' card (6) AMW, Verrall and Sestan are all second year rookies. Can they be rookied for a third year? My guess would be two would go, AMW the likely one unless he gets a taste in the second half of the season seeing he's been the most consistent of the 3 at casey (2) With McVee due to be promoted to the main list that looks like 6 main list exits (Brayshaw, Smith, Brown, Schache, Tomlinson, Petty), one promotion (McVee), net -5 3 rookie list exits (2 of AMW/Sestan/Verrall and McVee) Not sure we could afford to lose TMac.

Agree. At his best, Melksham will marshall the forward line, disarm the oppositions best key defender and hit the scoreboard.

It will be fascinating to see how Melks fares when he returns. He's been running and training for some time now so should have the tank (in theory). Question is does he come back with steely grit and determination or wanting for motivation. My guess with Jake is steely grit and determination, which would be an amazing addition for our last 6-10 games!

Agree wholeheartedly. Purely bizarre. I am glad we're playing on Sunday as hopefully it's bedded in better by then after the umpires completely eradicate the notion of prior opportunity Thursday to Saturday

I'll say it again. If a forward won his position as as often as Steve may does as a defender that forward would probably be the highest paid player in the comp. Backman don't get anywhere near enough respect.

Ok, coming around to be more optimistic about Smacca, plus if it's really his brithday what better time than to send positive energy his way. In the realm of extreme optimism how good would it be if Pickett and McAdam could forge a Sean Charles/Jeff Farmer esque tag team? Not sure the combination won us a heap of games in the 90s but they sure were exciting and did look for eachother (as it seems Kozzy has been doing).

I think that makes sense Jaded. We won't lose much in terms of pace with Woey Jnr, plus he gets rewarded for good form, plus we manage Leb's minutes. Leb could be a real impact player if injected at the 20 minute mark of the 3rd qtr.

Petty will remain forward in the 1s until he's out of the team injured or we're no longer in realistic contention. At which point we'll see TF, MJ and WV...hopefully not an outcome we see this year. If Tommo plays well the next two weeks it will be interesting to see what we do with him when Lever returns. I am not sure we can have all of May, TMac, Lever and Tommo in the backline. Tommo could potentially play the role Howe filled until last week, but he and TMac are both slow and having four talls back there means a small or medium (who is much faster) would need to move out.

I think it's fair to say that our high performance strategy does not utilise: resting/managing players utilising the VFL as a means for players to find form, whether returning from injury or just not playing well Re: Hunter, I thought he was very good. Found himself in good places, defenisvely often, offensively some and had some deft touches, slight handballs and knock ons that opened up play. He's a smart player and probably didn't (and didn't need to) extend himself too much in the VFL).

I think with Petty there's still a chance he'll find form and make a considerable difference. It looks a long way off but the FD is taking a gamble that it will click and with any luck it does at the right time. Like it or not, my guess is they'll stick with this until Petty is legitimately injured to the extent he can't play, or it's evident we're not a genuine chance to win the flag. Whichever comes soonest (hopefully neither)!

That's sad Fork! As we get older, lamenting the current to be as not as good as the past is a fact of life. If you once loved something that you don't love anymore you should let it go. You will probably feel better afterwards. Unless it's your life partner, in which case you should check your superannuation and enquire thoughtfully about the financial implications elsewise it's possible you'll feel much worse! Was there a long time ago Clint...At least the WWE have the decency to admit it.

I agree, no change. But the clock is ticking for Petty and McAdam. Petty looked to have turned the corner in the second half v Geelong but has barely touched the footy since. He clunked one about 5 minutes in yesterday and I thought he might be on, sadly not. Re McAdam I agree he needs a block of games but it's a big ask to carry two forwards who not only don't hit the scoreboard but barely touch the leather.

Definitely feels like a trend. Though in 2022 we'd do the opposite. Jump out of the blocks, lead at half time and then try to grind out the second half. Of course it all grinded to a halt eventually

Can someone ask the Saints to trial him at CHF for the rest of the season please?

Looking at the stats and highlights of the Casey v Sandy game, we should bring in Mitch White...oh wait!

Cam Pedersen, 10 years too soon, where are you when we need you most? Only 37 and working for a university. Bring him back too! 😇

Clarrie is improving slowly but I completely agree with your observation regarding metres gained and 'not using his legs'. Although not overly quick, a key aspect of Clayton's game has always been very powerful first 3-4 steps to burst away from a would be tackler and clear his arms for an attacking handball or driving kick. I don't feel like we've seen that sudden burst and drive from his legs as yet this year.

Umpires umpiring Max properly vs Saints, a game we're likely to win anyway, to minimise derision when he get's no sympathy vs Freo and Pies 😏

6. Gawn 5. Neal-Bullen 4. McDonald 3. May 2. Salem 1. Viney