Adam The God

It drives clicks. That's your answer. Unfortunately.

It's frustrating and pathetic, but it's interesting and handy that we're going under the radar at the moment. We're in a better position than Geelong last year and have a fully fit list to choose from. Meanwhile, going into the weekend, Collingwood were only top 4 (2nd) for scores from stoppage because of their +2 advantage at contest, and nowhere to be seen on scores from kick outs and scores from turnover. This to me says they haven't been exposed by a team that either beats them or matches them in the contest, nor a team that scores big from turnovers. The team set up to do both, sitting in the top 4 for both of those scoring paths, is us. Sorry, back to death riding Freo

I've used data to try to back up what I've noticed in game. You've used feel that isn't backed up by anything.

Disagree. Reckon his ball use and decision making has improved. He lowered his eyes a couple of times nicely yesterday, and even though it's a rubbish stat, he has improved his DE in 2022 and again this year. For a guy of his position, he's going at 76.9% and is considered elite.

Doubt that'll be happening any time soon mate. He's injured.

This was absolutely the case yesterday, but this horse has been flogged and taken to IKEA already.

You need to look closer mate. Is doing a lot of great, tough defensive work, but is now also occasionally playing the attacker through the centre stoppage from the defensive side of the contest through the front. He is also a goal kicking mid. Each to their own though.

Clearly the forwardline isn't working. Let's bring in BB and get rebounded against.

And then you get rebounded on. Our biggest weakness and vulnerability is ground ball. There's a reason we are going smaller ourselves at the back. We want to be able to rebound off teams ourselves. The modern game with slingshot turnover footy is not at all conducive to having tall forwards all over the shop. If they don't get it done in the air, it's usually a rebound.

The FD can't really win with some supporters. Last year, many bemoaned that there wasn't more rotation of the squad. This year, we're clearly rotating in game and still winning comfortably, and now supporters aren't happy that we're only just winning clearance and only winning by 9 goals at round 9. Look at Geelong last year. They were 5 wins, 4 losses to the same point in the year. They had a softer draw in the second half of the year, with majority of games down at their funny shaped ground. By the end of Round 10, we'll have travelled interstate 5 times in 10 games. Whatever happens next week, we'll have a better record than Geelong last year. Patience is a virtue. It doesn't always pay off in footy, but the FD are on the right track IMO.

We're not just continuing to score. We're leading scores. How do you know what sort of planning is or isn't going into stoppage work? Game play is the ultimate way to test and practice stoppage connectivity. So that's the path we've decided to go down in the first 9 weeks.

We also win from scores at stoppages. We were 4th for scores from stoppages heading into the weekend. We also won stoppages by +3, so not really sure why some people keep bringing up this idea of needing to do better from stoppage. Not only are we doing well in this department, when every side in the comp knows this is our strength, but we are experimenting with personnel and clearly resting/protecting our prime movers.

No one has said they are mutually exclusive. The point is we don't have to rely on them and we're still in the top 4 for scores from clearances. And the GF is in September. We're in Round 9. Plenty of time to experiment and still win by 9 goals.

Geelong, Hawthorn, Essendon and Carlton losing, with us on top overnight. It doesn't get any better than that, other than if we added Collingwood to the losers list tomorrow.

Weitering almost gave that one up like his bank account.

I thought the Dogs post clearance pressure was elite, and their pressure gauge just showed the elite territory. Interesting that they're playing that way. That's our model.

I reckon internally they'll be roasting a number of his half hearted chases today. It'll be a tough balance, because he's clearly low on confidence too, but no doubt it'll be framed something like get back to doing the simple things well.

How do you figure that? We won CP +14. We've turned ourselves into a team that can win multiple ways. We win on turnover. Check out the thread on it.

Hasn't aged well this one.

And a final series. I see they're watering down that sort of pressure already...

Disagree. He's a horrible decision maker and ordinary disposer. Those media pundits are like those MFC supporters that loved Frost. He looks exciting and flashy sprinting off half back, but he does it at the wrong times, misses targets and unlike Frost, is pretty ordinary 1v1. He's the guy that I'd be playing through if I were Melbourne. The turnover game we now play, should score heavily off his sort of speculative nuffiness.

Yep, he's a real weakness in their system, but they don't have elite kickers or particularly good decision makers off half back, plus they're paying him a mint, so may as well use him. If Carlton wins a flag with Saad in their backline, I'll be staggered.

The other AFL player that sprints off half back with no idea where they're going and undermines their defensive set up is Adam Saad. The way Goodwin plays the percentages, I'm staggered Frost lasted as long as he did at Melbourne.

You can't play a solid defensive system with that sort of incompetence and unpredictability.

Harmes offered very little last week on fresh legs, when everyone else was tiring. As for JJ, I like him as a player, but won't ever break B grade and we can afford to lose him.