Adam The God

LH's gender has nothing to do with her posting.

I thought it was a deep dive in comparison to what we get from the HUN / Fox Footy.

I like Christian, but he's not tough enough to play midfield IMO. That's why we play him behind the ball and use his kicking.

I presume Mathews is as he was the stoppage coach. Plapp didn't mention the midfield. Given the photos on the Melbourne website correspond with different positions, I can only assume they've had another unofficial reshuffle after the Richmond game.

I love your posting mate, but I feel like a single (potential) injury to Gawn is a cop out for our ordinary showing. Okay, the Port game may not be emblematic of the rest of our season, I certainly hope not, but at the moment, we haven't got the job done this year and it has less to do with fixturing and more to do with coaching and decision making IMO.

Absolutely, good point. Ratings, given the TV deal. We usually deliver absolute tripe in prime time, even in our stronger years.

It's funny how quickly you can look structured when your mids and forwards bring pressure and you can move the ball quickly.

Good post. As a supporter, for what that's worth (very little), I'm prepared to give Goodwin at least the next month. But if within the next month there is another display like the Port game, it will be very hard to give him much longer. Many said last year that by the middle of the 2020 campaign we'd know whether Goodwin had turned the ship. As you point out here, we've had one of the stranger and tougher hands dealt us (draw and circumstances), so maybe a little bit of patience is required, however I don't hold much hope.

I'd bring in Tomlinson to play it with Jackson. Weideman needs to stay forward, so we retain our forward structure IMO.

At the start of Before the Bounce, the new web series on the MFC website, Plapp was interviewed and introduced as the forward coach prior to the Port game. I have a feeling they might have changed things up with coaching personnel since the Richmond loss.

Plapp is the forward coach.

I think the next three games will be telling as a whole. Just coming out and beating a pathetic Adelaide and very ordinary North will not tell us enough. You could actually argue that the next three are a bit classic MFC lose/lose situations given we should win all of them, but Collingwood will at least probably play finals, so are more of a test, even being injury-impacted. Win them all comfortably and then we can reassess IMV.

Disagree about the list comment. It's pretty well known that our list is highly rated amongst AFL circles. I'll back the industry's perception over fans. Agree that it's extremely unlikely he turns it around from here.

IMO, they won't be merging clubs when there's still a TV deal in place. I think they'll put strict conditions on the money, which is usually how money works in most places anyway. I think they'll want a say on future contracts and roles within the club, but if it goes this way, they can't afford not to support the club.

What's done is done. Let's accept we made mistakes and move forward properly. Review the FD now, so that we know how to act come the end of the season. If we end up turning it around, great, if not, we know which triggers need to be pulled.

The game's economics are based on membership and winning, brand value etc. If we finish outside the 8, the board would argue to the AFL that results under Goodwin are untenable and that if change is not made, the economic repercussions are far worse. We're talking about a multi-billion dollar industry that has the security of two big banks that it can leverage loans and funds from. In this situation, the AFL will cough up the cash under certain conditions.

Great post as usual mate. The Hardwick example in particular was the administrative arm taking action and changing things up and four years on they could have 3 flags in the bag. Obviously, the Collingwood review was pushed by the administrative arm too, but hasn't reaped the reward yet / may not. Clearly the club backed Goodwin and Mahoney's internal review last season, and I'd argued have already stuck by the coach when they could have flicked him at the end of last year given the horrendous nature of the season. Instead, it backed him with a new fitness boss and said let's see you give it your best shot. So far, it would be an understatement to say our performance hasn't been up to standard in 2020.

Interesting. Didn't realise he was a former poster or that he was Melbourne. No wonder he was so balanced. I think a bottom 2 finish and another season where we miss finals altogether is untenable, from where we were two years ago. It's completely unacceptable and I think the board would be well within its rights to sack, unless there is a significant turnaround in performance and coaching.

Great post. Our midfield doesn't work as one. They don't block enough for each other. I think this is because they've been trained to be contested, see ball, get ball and the fact that Viney's style is robust and unpredictable. I think some posters are getting me wrong here and the thesis in terms of not rating Viney. I rate Jack, I just think our midfield as a whole would function better without him, and there's a significant body of evidence that supports this theory.

This is why Goodwin will be gone at the end of the season, particularly if we don't look like making finals. Backing in the system is fine if it's worked consistently and if selections are correct. It's very rare we get both of those right. I'm surprised how balanced it is and IMO it shows how highly rated our list is externally. It's a matter of getting structures and coaching right now. And obviously intensity and effort (see the Port game).

Moving Jack forward would be akin to Hodge moving from the midfield to half back for Hawthorn. I tend to think Jack could play the AVB role, particularly as AVB has worse disposal than Jack, but can at least find the goals. If you had a midfield of Oliver, Petracca, Gus with Harmes as tagger. If you had a forwardline of Weideman, Jackson, Pickett, Fritsch, Melksham with Hannan/Viney/AVB rotating for that last pressure forward spot, I think that's actually not a bad mix and would enable us to lock the ball in the forwardline and play territory, which Goodwin seemingly doesn't want to stop playing.

This is the way we played in 2018 with the half backs. I agree, we go forward every time, almost as if territory gain is all that matters.

I don't mind this idea. The point is I believe we have the players, it's just a matter of utilising them in the most potent way.

Let's see. It might be pie in the sky, the main point is let's see how the midfield operates without Jack. I wonder how tight Jack is with Goodwin and why Todd's retirement fits in with all of this.

Don't get me wrong on Jack either. I think he's a good player and would do well at another club. I'd also agree he's developed his game to lower the eyes more, but there was a passage of play that stuck out for me against Brisbane. Jack and Petracca both went for the same ball, Jack ended up trying to run away with it but looked up and our players were all out of position. I know it's unfair to give one example, but his instinct is always to go for the ball, never wait on the outside for the handball, whereas Oliver has this decision making in his game. I think it'll be a win win for all concerned if Jack moves on, although tough for us supporters.