Adam The God

I doubt he'll come straight back in, but I've been wrong before. Surely, Petty gets up, but if he doesn't, maybe it's Melky time... that's the only way I can see him coming in.

Don't mind this, but just keep Howes at half back as medium defender.

This response is a very apt mirror for the modern world. If you put an opinion out there, other people are allowed to have their own opinion too, and that opinion might be a critique. Let's get on with it.

But parents are upset why...? If you're going to put accusations out there at least give us something to work with.

And what's the smoke? Why are parents upset?

Demented. "Schwarta, what do you reckon? Would you like to cut off your right foot, but get a right foot from someone else?" "That sounds like a pretty good deal to me!" 🤦

The young players at the MFC are unsettled? Really? They're all getting opportunities and most starting to show their wares. I know some of them were a bit shellshocked after a big post West Coast bake, but I haven't heard anything about being unsettled...

I can only assume the plan itself has been incredibly difficult to navigate because Burgess was always just handing over the 2021 program to Selwyn, with Selwyn being an injury management guy (and TBH, the perfect offsider for a Burgess type). In 2022-2023, the fixture was roughly the same as 2021, so some tweaks could be made that would probably refine the program, but still allow room for some experimentation to improve the program. But in 2024, the fixture has an extra round, plus an extra bye, and then we had a lot of travel in the first half of the season. Lots of parameter shifts. My understanding is that this isn't Selwyn's strength, but I suppose he's working through it in a similar way to every other fitness boss, given we've never had a season fixtured like this.

Yeah, Jake was pick 21, which was first round that year. The pick slid due to academy access. Bowey is one of my favourites so I am biased, but I'd do the deal if it meant King coming our way. Otherwise, nope.

Just to be clear mate, you're saying Bowey and first rounder for Max King or are you saying Bowey for a first rounder? If the latter is the case, I'm not doing that deal. Why would we? Bowser is arguably our best kick and was a first rounder himself.

Are you also saying here, Binners, that we will come out the other side of it this season and that there is a training block being undertaken?

I think it's fair to say there are question marks on Selwyn at this point in time, but we can't really know as outsiders. List profile has changed considerably though, Moonie. In our premiership year, aside from Kozzy as a small forward, Rivers as a half back and Jackson as a second ruck and third tall forward, plus Sparrow as half forward/defensive mid and Bowey as a half back (ie all role players), all of our 22 had at least 3 pre seasons and 3 years under their belts minimum, so a chance to play about 50 games. They were - Spargo, Fritta, Petty 2017 class/4 pre season; Oliver 2015 class/6 pre seasons; Trac, Gus, Lever, ANB, Langdon, Harmes 2014 class/7 pre seasons; and Salem, BB 2013 class/8 pre seasons. Plus, even older bodies in Max, TMac, May, Viney and Hibbo. Only 5 players of the best 22 in 2021 had less experience than that 50 game mark. In the current side, we have JVR and Turner as key talls expected to repeat sprint, bang crash, provide a consistent contest, and in JVR's case provide second ruck chop outs. So young players expected to play key tall, similar in a way I suppose to having two LJs in the one forward line, therefore bound to be some inconsistencies. And although the rest are role players, having 7 other best 23 players under that 50 game threshold (McVee, AMW, Kolt, Windsor, Woey, Chandler, Brown) impacts on their aerobic capacity and is very likely influencing our ability to run games out after a gruelling first half of the fixture. That's a lot of vulnerable parts in your system. It probably tips the scales at this stage of the season.

It was probably always the plan this year though, given we went into the season with question marks over Gus and Clarry.

Salem for Woey IMO, otherwise no change.

JVR the same. We desperately need guys that take their chances in the forward half. Usually Fritta would, but ever since that ankle injury pre finals 2023, his set shots have not been as reliable as previous. Petty the same. I wonder whether those ankles for Fritta and Petty mean they will return to their accuracy once truly through their injuries? Turner is a solid shot at goal too. If Petty can't work through his mental demons in front of goal, move him back in 2025 and play JVR, Turner, Jefferson, Fritta with smalls around them. Kozzy and Trac around them can be a potent forwardline in time.

What has potentially changed since 2021? Think about it. Our fitness boss. We can't know quite how successful Selwyn has been on the fitness front, but we've had quite a few injuries since 2021 and the goalkicking is certainly a concern. Is that a result of the gruelling approach Burgess took in 2021 impacting bodies over 2022-2023 or something else?

The thing about Williams is he also runs development and the DNA program, which you'd have to say has been a raging success. Our development is second to none. It's the goalkicking that needs work and is it a recruitment problem? Again, I'm generally a huge JT fan, so I think we need someone else to focus on goalkicking, because it really has been hugely costly in the last few years.

You're probably right, but some of the transition footy, I suspect, was more a result of trying to exploit Brisbane's inability to defend transition and that if we were playing a better defensive team, we'd rely more on stoppages and forward half turnovers for scores. That handball chaining from half back is very 2022 MFC. Our pressure ratings are also way down consistently these days. We rarely win the quarter for pressure and certainly rarely win the game for pressure.

Our ground ball gets were back. We definitely went back to an old bash and crash contested forward half game. Similar to our 2018 style and Richmond's 2017-2020 formula. I'd much prefer to exploit McQualter's IP in this department. I wonder if this was a function of a more aggressive, higher press? No idea, just wondering. I hadn't noticed coast to coast goals, let alone 3!

Sorry, also Viney was incredible.

The lack of composure from so many of our players was just not good enough. Should have won that by 3 or 4 goals. Langdon and Petty missing regulation shots at goal, 4 times between them. i said to my family we have to take all our chances in the last, miss and we won't win. When Petty missed at the top of the last you could tell it was game over. The result was predictable after that. The only forward who looked like kicking straight was Kozzy. And again, we stopped to a walk in the last. I can only assume it's the combination of too few doing the heavy lifting. AMW a really solid debut I thought. Clarry and JVR early were brilliant, but JVR fell off a cliff in the second half. And finally, May should be told long kicks only from the kick outs or only take the absolute no brainers short. Far too often it's him turning it over from the kick in this season. Such a disappointing result. A brilliant second quarter, some good patches in the other quarters, but our inability to take regulation shots on goal and convert them has cost us one flag and will see us miss the 8 altogether this year.

Ideally we wouldn't have so much youth in the 23 at once, but with Gus, Trac and other injuries, I think it's been inevitable. We don't need 23 stars, we need 5 or 6 stars (Trac, Clarry, May, Lever and Gawn) surrounded by good role players. Trac will be fine in 2025, Clarry will hopefully get a full pre season, Lever will enter 2025 29 years of age (enough time still on his side), it's really just May and Gawn we'll have to replace in the next 2-3 years. And it's possible Max lasts even longer. And JVR is trending in a star direction and Kozzy probably already is. If we can land a star FA like (for example) LDU to add to the midfield or even a Callaghan; and then when Max and May go, address the Max issue by trading in a competent mature aged ruckman (does not have to be a star) and hitting the FA market for a May replacement in 2027-2028, we're not a world away. Would be nice to add the likes of Bowey and McVee's ball use higher up the field, we also need Jefferson to take hold of the second key position spot next to JVR. Whilst it's been a disappointing season, we could bounce back quickly next year.

I'd be going midfielders and looking to FA for KPBs.

This is not a rational post though, Tony. Whatever we got in return for Clarry, would need to match him. Good luck. Then there's the contract, then there's the lack of pre season. It's irrelevant that some of this is self inflicted. It's not happening. As to whether it should, if Clarry gets a full pre season in, he'll sky-rocket back to being one of the best, if not the best mid in the comp.

Good coaching, Saty.