Adam The God

Yep, another really solid game from Harry. Love how he knows when to go for marks and when to spoil. His judgement is excellent. He's going to be a great defender in a year or two.

I did call it pre game that I expected Fritsch to get amongst it today, because he does enjoy beating up on weaker sides. I expect @Webber's comedy is directed at me, as I suggested last week that if he wasn't going to kick goals, what else was he bringing. 😜 His accuracy this season has greatly improved in the second half of the year and there's no doubt he's a dangerous element to our forwardline. Frankly, his offensive game is elite. It's his defensive game that I've had a problem with. As others have said, what was most impressive about his game today was his defensive side, so either he finally got that side of his game right or the coaches got into him about it. I'm quite happy to admit I dislike non combative players, but there are always those offensive players that provide enough to compensate for their defensive weaknesses, even in a side whose entire system is built around defence. Dustin Martin doesn't defend either, but he influences in other ways, so Richmond compensate for that side of his game. If Bayley can bring the tackling intensity he brought for most of today to finals, he'll be a vital part of our set up in what will be a more contested environment of finals football.

This could have gone in a few of the threads, but I notice David King has finally relented and pegged us as his flag favourite on FIRST CRACK, jumping off the Dogs. He talked about us in the last 6 weeks being #1 in a list of categories vis a vis defending without the ball and a mile better than any other team (ridiculously so), so defending ball movement, forward half intercepts etc. He basically said, if it continues, you can't not back us. I think the real x factor that I've completely underestimated this season going into finals is Luke Jackson. He's not as damaging or as involved for as long as Jake Stringer (who I'd say is the best player in the comp over the last 3 or 4 weeks), but given where the rest of our game sits, I thought for the first time today, this kid could actually tear the 2021 finals series up. The fact he's started marking the ball and adding goals to his game from the contest, to add to his ability to get it on the outside, is a massive, massive development for our forward half. I worry slightly that McDonald coming back will disrupt this, but we'll have to wait and see. It worked okay against the Suns. The other tantalising aspect to LJ's game was again on display today from stoppage. He's a freak in that not only can he rove his own tapwork ala NikNat, he's an elite user by foot at 200cm. Wowee. So can we win it? We just need a bit more luck and I think barring a horror out of the box performance, it's ours to lose now. We're still vulnerable when Oliver or Petracca are slightly off, but fortunately they're rarely off and then we have Viney as a finals wild card as well.

It was clear from Petty's under 18 form that he was a natural reader of the play and would likely make a great interceptor at AFL level. Many of us were saying that earlier in the year and in previous years since he was drafted Whereas, many of us have been saying Smith is an athlete not a footballer since his first game. You can tell by the way the two read the game they're vastly different footballing talents. This is fair.

How many times did he run under the ball? He's done that whenever he's played back. Frost 2.0. Can take a good intercept mark, and explodes off half back, but if he doesn't mark it or kill the ball, he puts all his team mates out of position by his aggressive press towards where he thinks the ball is going to go. Genuinely staggered by Healy's continual pump ups. I assume he, like some others, are swayed by his athletic attributes, rather than safe, disciplined defence.

Couple of things can come from this game. 1. Take back top spot and go into next week with more confidence, with 3 on the trot. 2. More touch for our forward half connection. I expect Fritsch to get on the end of a few today. 3. Oliver's game vis a vis the Coaches Votes/Brownlow.

I'd be very surprised if there are any late withdrawals. I also think they want to find a way to get Melksham's ball use into the side, even when McDonald is fit again. I'd say Sparrow will come out for him, but in the meantime, Tom will get another game and see if he can stake a claim for JJs position.

One thing all this talk of a new franchise makes me think of is how important it is to not be in the wilderness during COVID/post COVID. There is a small chance a club that we don't expect, could fold or be merged or relocated due to the strange time we live in, and what it has meant for finances. I'd love it to be Hawthorn. 😉

That's very true.

You/we don't know what's going on behind the scenes. Maybe Weideman has already requested a trade and we'd prefer not to play him as his head could be elsewhere, or maybe we simply don't see him in our best forward set up, even in a final.

Liam Jones is a footballer. Joel is an athlete.

Tom Stewart out for the season. Wowee. I don't think Geelong or the Bulldogs can win it this year. He is key to their defensive intercept game. They have to be all out attack now. HUGE!

I wonder if Dunkley is gettable for us. I'd take him.

Again, take clearance away from the Bulldogs and they can't win. You beauty. You've also got to wonder whether injuries to Dunkley and Treloar has lulled them into a false sense of security about their midfield strength. So many of their mids can be exposed going the other way.

Where are all those muppets that said we should have kept Frost? Still an absolute liability. Bulldogs haven't looked like kicking a goal, except for the two times Frost has turned it over.

I wonder if this means Hore will be gone. I have high hopes for Turner, but probably not until 2023. So given our defensive system, it might be clever/safe list strategy to have May, Lever, Petty, Tomlinson, Smith, Hore and Turner to choose from.

Richmond are hopeless, but I reckon GWS could win it this year. For the simple reason being I think they could beat us.

Taranto. 😍 He can be my next Dion Prestia.

He wanted to go...

And before anyone says our midfield is the finished product in terms of contested ball players, let's look at a side on the up like Essendon. They have Merrett, Parish, Shiel, Stringer, Caldwell, Langford and McGrath who is probably more outside. Compare that will Oliver, Petracca, Harmes, Jordon, Viney, Brayshaw and Langdon on the outside. I reckon we still need at least one more maybe two contested players. One could be Rivers. I'd be importing another.

Unless he wants to go, it's not a great look shipping off your captain.

It's interesting. I'd absolutely pillage GWS. Their talent is amazing. Whereas, the Suns, not so much. I'd only be interested in Miller or King, and maybe Greenwood at a pinch.

Yeah, don't get me wrong about Rivers. He could well be an absolute gun in the midfield and provide us with a good kicking decision maker who is a bit more outside, but can win the contested ball when required. I'd prefer Hopper over Taranto, but I wouldn't sneeze at Taranto if he wanted to move to his spiritual home. ;)

Hopper and Taranto, and to a lesser extent Green have all shown they can win clearances and run the midfield. I think Rivers will be a star, but we're not sure if that'll be in the back half or in the midfield. The aforementioned players have looked contested beasts from just about the moment they stepped into the league.

If their price was affordable, I'd target Hopper and Taranto too. If Clarry or Petracca goes down, our midfield will really struggle. Need to add more here and both are 24 and 23 respectively. A good age for the demographic of our list.