Fat Tony

In 2021, Salem received coaches votes in 10/25 games and had an average player rating of 9.7 per game. Since 2021 he has played 43 games and had coaches votes in just 3/43 games, with an average player rating of 7.0 per game. If we get Houston, he will become the loose defender behind the ball and I am not sure if Salem can play another role. With Salem going on 30, I think we are better giving games to younger, more dynamic players.

I think Salem is 'cooked'. He has lost pace and penetration in his kicking. He cannot kick more than 45 metres anymore and the speed of his kicks is also much slower. He is still a smart player, but his loss of strength and pace also means he is not as good as he was in the contest. Plus he is getting more soft tissue injuries.

Obviously great news. Tasmania will be the main threat next time.

I know it will draw a lot of ire, but Mason Cox could be an option to be a backup ruck/forward. Click here for vomit emoji

Yes, but he would likely go back to WA for squillions if he leaves.

I don't see the big issue with going uninsured. If Max gets injured for long stretch, we are not going to win the flag anyway. It is challenging to recruit a decent back up ruck because we have Gawn. And we managed to get through Gawn's injury with a 1-1 record, with both games against top 8 sides. (I don't think we would have beaten Freo in Perth even if we still had Grundy as our back up.) Hopefully Verrell becomes an AFL level player as he gets stronger.

I am pretty confident we will win this week. We will have the edge in the air and our zone will suffocate the Giants.

Not only is effort a non negotiable but it can't be taught. Still think Jefferson was a strange Jason Taylor pick. He does some nice things in a game, but he shows no desperation. He is a less skilful Fritsch with less intensity.

I expect Salem to miss due to his hamstring. I think Howes coming in as his replacement makes sense. I am not sure who goes out for Gawn? Possibly Melksham or Tholstrup plays as the sub. Kynan Brown was best for Casey and could come in. I expect we will beat GWS. The Suns were actually +20 on X Score last match and the Tigers +5 on X Score the week before.

I think Goodwin is ruthless and would trade him in a heartbeat if he could get a deal that puts us in a much better position. He knows that Oliver is not a good example or influence on the younger players, is a media distraction and that he is being paid 10% of our cap.

Those stats are average volume for a centre square midfielder, but they don’t take into account the poor effectiveness of his disposal. Oliver has been an elite volume midfielder but a relatively poorly skilled ball user. Without elite pace, he is now getting only average stat numbers (for a centre square midfielder) and he can no longer breakaway from congestion, which means he is not getting the same depth and penetration from his disposals. His drop off in explosiveness has reduced both his volume and the effectiveness of his possessions. The latter is the main issue with his game and he is a liability unless this is fixed. The way I see it, he will either go back to being a top line midfielder (with elite breakaway pace) or a C-Grade midfield plodder for the rest of his career. (He is not able to play any other position.) We don’t know if he will get his acceleration and power back to an elite level, but this is the only way he becomes an asset again. I have my doubts. What I do know is that no AFL team can be a premiership team with a C-Grade inside midfielder taking home 10% of our salary cap.

Oliver was told to become more professional or leave when the trade window was open in October last year. He then was sent home for our pre-season camp in January for being unprofessional and he was not allowed to start preseason with the team until late February. The club has the right to revisit things at the end of the year IMO.

I think you’re cherry picking stats. Oliver has polled Coaches Votes in just one game this season.

Oliver is a liability. He can’t stick a tackle and gives panic handballs. Unfortunately we have no one else and he needs to play to stay on the rails. Salem is almost finished as an AFL player. No drive and getting soft tissue injuries. Goodwin needs to show less loyalty here. Viney is getting found out against the better midfields. I haven’t given up on the year. Still think we will beat GWS next week. Our whole game is built around Max, so to split the last two games is a reasonable result.