praha

This is going to get ugly. Petracca is just waiting for the end of the season. Viney is here, there, everywhere, and yet no where. Oliver is just a lost puppy. This is lazy, lazy football. They should be embarrassed.

Turner on Dunstan now.

Pretty much. They would need to lose the next two games by 100+ points. To be honest I am okay with them making it and Freo not. For one the Pies will make for a better overall Finals series. And Freo also needs to be smacked back to reality. I hate their weird sense of self-worth. They are shockingly irrelevant in the football landscape but yet have this weird sense of confidence. GWS has achieved more in 17 fewer seasons.

Yes I'm sure Zurich will be reeling from the loss...

I almost feel sorry for Essendon. Almost.

$1.2 million payout + you'd imagine at least 350k-400k as an assistant with the increase in soft cap. Nice little pay packet for 2026.

He is doing a good job of selling the list and club at the moment on 360. Hasn't put a foot wrong. Very positive and accepting. Seems to have accepted that lack of forward connection and gameplan cost him his job. Has said multiple times that things will change for the better and that the list is in good shape, that the future coach is walking into a good environment. Also seems set to be at GWS next year.

Heritier was good I thought in his 20 or so games. He also sealed that win against GC in Round 1 2015 which was our first Round 1 in like a decade. The crowd sounded like 80k when he kicked that goal. Great memory.

That was embarrassing for Caro.

He has already said he doesn't want the gig.

Yes Petracca gets a bit of a pass.

They had way more high performers than we did and ultimately that got them over the line. Liba, Bont, Richards, English, Kennedy... Gawn was our standout and the drop off is significant after that but we held our own. BUT you just knew that was always going to be the outcome. Petracca Viney and Oliver were just all astonishing average and uninspiring as they have mostly been all year. Pretty proud of the effort today. But it does sadden me how quickly our best players have dropped off. Petracca in particular. I really hope a new coach brings new energy and identity for these three. Super proud of McDonald, Disco, Culley, Pickett, Gawn, Fritsch and even Petty today. They all played a role in keeping us in touch.

Young superstars of both teams really turning it up in this one.

Almost identical scoreline to 8 mins remaining, third quarter, 2021 Grand Final...

This has got a Brisbane-at-the-GABBA vibe about it.

Fritsch's turn around in the second half of the season has been really encouraging. He is a great player.

I knew today would bank entirely on how well Disco, Rivers and Salem played. Their closing and defensive awareness so far has been great. We have lost it so far with our turnovers in the middle of the ground. Viney, Petracca, Oliver all with zero impact. It really is anyone's guess how we have even managed to win games with these three stinking it up so badly, so consistently. Good contest so far though.

(Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it, don't say it...) ... I really hope Goodwin changes things up today.

Gee with Sydney winning it will ups the pressure on every top 8 team. We could really cause some havoc if we had it in us.

Watch them get pumped next week and need to beat us to make top 4. We all know how that story goes. But if the roles were reversed...

You mean the rebuild that led to a GF and Prelim? Yes he never won a flag but got bloody close, coached in more finals appearances and never finished lower than 12th. We played in a Prelim and then finishing 17th. And backed up a flag with four straight losses at the MCG (never been done before) and two likely 14th placed finishes. On the flip side you have Goodwin who says we have a great culture and close to a flag in what would be a contract year. He was delusional.

Do you have more context here? Also I doubt he "threw him under the bus". He'd have likely been consulted by the board during the process.

Interesting article. In my view the board doesn't make the call about the list needing a revamp without doing its due diligence. Which suggests to me that either some leaders within the playing group, or some in the coaching group felt, or both, felt we were heading in the wrong direction. Interesting that Goodwin felt we would be contending again next year. Of course he would say that though: final year of his contract with no extension in sight. Which then begs ANOTHER question: had Goodwin presented to the board that we need a list revamp and rebuild, would he have been kept? Just fascinating that one of the triggers for his sacking was that he felt we'd be contending in 12 months. I think we have the pieces to play finals and should be playing finals. It just really does seem like a big delusion somewhere.

For anyone in the know, if Caulfield doesn't happen, what are our options?

You really want to go there? Comparing underperforming lists?