Adam The God

It does depend on cost, and as long as we're not sacrificing development of genuine AFL mids by selecting someone like Shiel, I'd be for it. I wanted him when he originally went to Essendon.

If he was 28, absolutely. He's 31 with a significant history of injury.

I know.

So 24 goals for Jefferson this year. 9 less than JVR in his first VFL year. He should kick more than JVRs 33, injury permitting.

And talls like Jefferson and Adams usually take longer again.

I thought he looked good at half back against Brisbane at times, but didn't execute as well as he could have. I think it's a pace of the game thing that improves with more exposure. I'm not sold, but we'll see.

Cripps is 6 foot 4 though, so taller than JVR. None of our mids are in that height range and because we can lack speed from the stoppage, it probably is a little dangerous to play without someone who gives us a good contest. JVR does this. But I'd play Fullarton this week.

I agree, although he's listed on the ground, so he's playing in the 22. But to be fair to Woey, we have yo yo'd him in and out for 12 months. Hard to get continuity going with that.

I think Goody knows we need a seasoned body in the front half that is going to help bring the ball to ground and can stop their interceptors from cleaning up back there. Without Petty and given the opposition, I can see why the FD have gone with Melksham, but I think Jefferson is close and will play this year.

Some more midfield depth would be nice, but I'd much rather we target another star for our midfield. They don't have to be a superstar, but someone that can give us output that means we're not losing anything when Clarry, Viney or Trac aren't in the stoppages. Or simply someone that provides us with a point of difference in there like a Callaghan. Even when we added Langdon for a second rounder, he was probably in the top 10 wingers at the time, but there were questions over his disposal. When he came to us, he completely transformed our outside game and strengthened our midfield bulls as a result. Add another piece like that and keep the list healthy, and I think we're not far away.

Until the end of 2025. This would be the year to trade him for maximum comp. Not sure we can do a deal though capital wise.

I feel we would have played Petty in 2022 and probably 2023, likewise we'd have played Bowey last week too. I can't know for sure, but it does seem we won't expect guys to play through injury as they have done previously.

I doubt he'll come straight back in, but I've been wrong before. Surely, Petty gets up, but if he doesn't, maybe it's Melky time... that's the only way I can see him coming in.

Don't mind this, but just keep Howes at half back as medium defender.

This response is a very apt mirror for the modern world. If you put an opinion out there, other people are allowed to have their own opinion too, and that opinion might be a critique. Let's get on with it.

But parents are upset why...? If you're going to put accusations out there at least give us something to work with.

And what's the smoke? Why are parents upset?

Demented. "Schwarta, what do you reckon? Would you like to cut off your right foot, but get a right foot from someone else?" "That sounds like a pretty good deal to me!" 🤦

The young players at the MFC are unsettled? Really? They're all getting opportunities and most starting to show their wares. I know some of them were a bit shellshocked after a big post West Coast bake, but I haven't heard anything about being unsettled...

I can only assume the plan itself has been incredibly difficult to navigate because Burgess was always just handing over the 2021 program to Selwyn, with Selwyn being an injury management guy (and TBH, the perfect offsider for a Burgess type). In 2022-2023, the fixture was roughly the same as 2021, so some tweaks could be made that would probably refine the program, but still allow room for some experimentation to improve the program. But in 2024, the fixture has an extra round, plus an extra bye, and then we had a lot of travel in the first half of the season. Lots of parameter shifts. My understanding is that this isn't Selwyn's strength, but I suppose he's working through it in a similar way to every other fitness boss, given we've never had a season fixtured like this.

Yeah, Jake was pick 21, which was first round that year. The pick slid due to academy access. Bowey is one of my favourites so I am biased, but I'd do the deal if it meant King coming our way. Otherwise, nope.

Just to be clear mate, you're saying Bowey and first rounder for Max King or are you saying Bowey for a first rounder? If the latter is the case, I'm not doing that deal. Why would we? Bowser is arguably our best kick and was a first rounder himself.

Are you also saying here, Binners, that we will come out the other side of it this season and that there is a training block being undertaken?

I think it's fair to say there are question marks on Selwyn at this point in time, but we can't really know as outsiders. List profile has changed considerably though, Moonie. In our premiership year, aside from Kozzy as a small forward, Rivers as a half back and Jackson as a second ruck and third tall forward, plus Sparrow as half forward/defensive mid and Bowey as a half back (ie all role players), all of our 22 had at least 3 pre seasons and 3 years under their belts minimum, so a chance to play about 50 games. They were - Spargo, Fritta, Petty 2017 class/4 pre season; Oliver 2015 class/6 pre seasons; Trac, Gus, Lever, ANB, Langdon, Harmes 2014 class/7 pre seasons; and Salem, BB 2013 class/8 pre seasons. Plus, even older bodies in Max, TMac, May, Viney and Hibbo. Only 5 players of the best 22 in 2021 had less experience than that 50 game mark. In the current side, we have JVR and Turner as key talls expected to repeat sprint, bang crash, provide a consistent contest, and in JVR's case provide second ruck chop outs. So young players expected to play key tall, similar in a way I suppose to having two LJs in the one forward line, therefore bound to be some inconsistencies. And although the rest are role players, having 7 other best 23 players under that 50 game threshold (McVee, AMW, Kolt, Windsor, Woey, Chandler, Brown) impacts on their aerobic capacity and is very likely influencing our ability to run games out after a gruelling first half of the fixture. That's a lot of vulnerable parts in your system. It probably tips the scales at this stage of the season.

It was probably always the plan this year though, given we went into the season with question marks over Gus and Clarry.