Adam The God

Really worried about whether Preuss can run out a game though. I know Grundy is coming off a four day break and has been smashed, but those kms in the legs can sometimes help push through the lactic acid. On the other hand, Preuss is cherry ripe, but how quickly does he start to become impacted by the lactic acid build up he's not used to? This is where it could be lost IMV. If Preuss demonstrates that he can't keep up with Grundy, we'll have to rest him forward and play Tom or Sam in the ruck, or maybe even Tomlinson and that will pull at our structure at either end of the ground. Collingwood then rebounds off Preuss when the ball hits the deck.

Fair enough. So who would you bring in to provide that same intensity or better? I'd have Melksham, Spargo and Fritsch easily ahead of his for connection. All three get really involved in scoring chains and connect half back to half forward, to deep forward when in form. Yeah, Spargo's only done it once this season, but he did it consistently in 2018. I expect he'll continue to be involved in scoring chains. We've then got Weideman, McDonald and then Petracca and hopefully Viney resting forward. He misses out because there's too many ahead of him. He, Melksham, Bennell and Fritsch need to bring much more pressure at the drop of the ball and in the contest.

Can't disagree with any of this. Let's hope we prove them wrong.

I should just say on this, I'm watching for how Vanders adds to our system. I've been constantly critical of his disposal, decision making, goal kicking etc, but I've watched him closely this season and I cannot deny that he brings a different intensity. Our system relies on intensity and when he's been out of the team, the intensity is noticeably different. I think he's a bit of a barometre, which is a strange thing to say, because I don't think I've seen an AFL player handball as poorly as he does, but he brings 110% intensity to that one pressure act that cannot be compared with one pressure act of Hannan's. FWIW, I don't think Hannan particularly adds to our forward connection.

VDB and Hannan are bringing different things to the team though. Hannan has to bring pressure and goals. VDB has to bring pressure. The latter isn't a clean footballer, but I don't think you can count it in pressure numbers necessarily, because for me, it's about the intensity that VDB always brings. VDB can set the tone of a quarter with one pressure act. Hannan needs to focus on putting four quarters together and then we can talk about his place in the team. You can't have a pressure forward not hit the scoreboard regularly or fail to lay tackles and continue to keep his position. Maybe it's unfair, but they bring different things and therefore I really don't think it's a case of Goodwin playing favourites.

Hannan played one quarter last week and then disappeared. Vandenberg, who I haven't been the biggest fan of over the journey, constantly brings pressure at the contest. I'd have consistent pressure versus flakiness every day of the week, particularly as our game is reliant on pressure.

I still think he'll feature heavily in the middle tomorrow. As @Lucifer's Hero says, there's nothing to say Gus won't play major midfield minutes tomorrow. The press are expecting he won't, because they've enjoyed putting that question to Goodwin all year. I'm surprised they didn't bring it up in the presser today. Anyway, completely agree with your post. He's an elite onballer, not a winger and gets the ball for fun, just as Oliver and Petracca do, but he knows how to get it on the in and outside. Let's wait and see what they do tomorrow, but if he has significantly reduced minutes in place of Viney and/or Sparrow, I'll be furious, because we won't be exploiting our list to its truest extent IMO.

What are you talking about? He's barely played in the middle all season. This is a shocker.

Come on. Give our club a bit of credit. As if.

The ruck position is overrated and this is backed by every premiership team in the modern era. Max is great around the ground, but as a marking intercept defender. I don't think it's arrogance. It's asking a difficult question. No one's saying they don't love Max, but the question is does his exclusion make us more unpredictable. I'd say it absolutely does. We should be looking at ways to maximise what he can bring that is an absolute weapon, which is that marking and the taps to advantage. I like @Pates post a lot. We've been far too one dimensional with Max. That's on the coaches, Max and the mids.

If this happens and we lose Gus, I'll be furious with Goodwin. I mooted trading Viney or Gus last off season, but I was wrong about Gus. He gives us something different. Either we learn to balance our midfield properly, or I know who I'd be letting go first.

We're stuffed then. We're hopeless in the wet.

Yep, fair call mate. Just as we were close to finding the right mix, let's hold our nerve and play as much of the same team to keep that structure and system together. I take it that's Viney and Preuss in for Jackson and Jones?

I don't trust Preuss (fitness wise), but if the club does, I'll back them until I have evidence to the contrary. In the case of Preuss coming in, I'd keep Tomlinson back.

Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, I'd say. If Jackson did his hamstring during the game, I reckon the club has kept that under wraps pretty well for quite a few days.

Yeah, but the club doesn't need to rush out and report what the situation is, just so you can settle your anxiety.

If Oscar comes in, Tomlinson should go into the ruck IMV. That way we keep our forward structure with Weid and McDonald.

Ah true. Let's hope. ?

You should have been highlighting the part of TU's post that said "He doesn't get sucked into the contest and helps stretch our opponents' defence". It's definitely the same thing and a pretty common sporting term. EPL uses it all the time.

Well done, Kozzie. I wonder if Sparrow and someone like Jordon might get a go too. It's a rubbish award, but shows we're still adding young talent to the pool of developed.

Agreed, though I'm sure they're going to have to tell them in the next 3 months or so. So I reckon they'll have to be conservative in who they keep on.

Interesting that Egan mentioned Brown as a defensive option in Talking Points. I wonder if he could play back and shift Tomlinson into the ruck? He also mentioned that Jordon and Sparrow were training 1v1 with the midfield group over the pre season and I forget sometimes, given how strong our first group is, that must be really good the development of these guys. Particularly, if they can get a look in early, like Sparrow has. Jordon is a great kid by all reports, so looking forward to seeing him play. Sounds like he's going to play inside mid too, which surprises me as one of his former coaches told me they used him as a half back. I should say also that I didn't realise Egan had been "Head of Development" since 2016. I thought that was McCartney's role, at least for a time. Anyway, Egan is super impressive. He has a certain aura about him. I'd play for him, so seems like we're lucky to have him.

Disaster. There goes the forwardline structure and the ability to pinch hit in the ruck. The flow on effects are massive. Now if Tom rucks, we'll be down to 1 KPF, which we know doesn't work. Is Preuss ready/fit enough? He has to come in now and unfortunately Tom will have to take KPF spot. Already a far weaker team. Hoping Tom Browne is wrong. Also hoping it's a short term hammy.

I'd be getting Melky. Trac's ball drop is too high. It's not that dissimilar from Langdon's, but Trac kicks it much flatter. Langdon kicks them up and under. Melksham's ball drop is low and less can go wrong.

Convincingly beaten is probably unfair. He was convincingly beaten in the first half and levelled things up in the second.