Adam The God

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.

It's because I have no faith that we'll be able to become less predictable from stoppage and since stoppage is our game, we're stuffed unless we get that right.

Yeah, he's got a waaaay bigger tank that Hunt and has gears that Hunt doesn't seem to have. I still think that's Hunt's go on the other wing to be honest...

Quickly becoming one of my favourites. He's not the most skilled or hardest player, but his gut-running always helps out our mids and defenders. Loving his work and I reckon he's only going to get better. If I'm the opposition, I'm planning on ensuring someone runs with him. Moreso, if he can start putting some scoreboard pressure on like he did at Freo last year.

There's an irony in there somewhere that Max thought he needed to play in the Adelaide game, where he was convincingly beaten by an emerging ruckman. I reckon we would have been better without him in that game, but I get why he played. For me, it was poor leadership, because I think you should realise when you are going to be an impediment on the team if you do play, and sit the game out if that's the case. Viney used to do it all the time and I didn't like it. Anyway, I certainly don't wish injury upon Max and I love him as a player, but I'm far more confident we'll make finals if he's out for 6-8 weeks.

Good on you, Griffo. Thanks for dropping in.