Adam The God

I get it, I guess where we differ is I think we need to be just as attacking from the back as from the front. Speed and speed of ball movement is vital, right, so I'd be going for balance.

You're right, it's likely they'll go with Turner over AJ, can't see them playing Turner, AJ and JVR, but maybe they will? I would suggest that would be a bad move against a small, fast GWS, on a rainy Melbourne day...

It's out of balance if Bowey isn't in the 22. He's the 7th defender in that team, and Chandler the 7th forward. Henderson would come on at the expense of Chandler or Langford. But you could bring him on for Howes I guess, but the balance is better with Bowey on the bench IMV. I also wouldn't want too many debutants starting. In that team you've already got AJ and Langford forward, and Lindsay wing/half forward/half back as debutants. So my thinking was allow Henderson to have 1 really big quarter where he brings the pressure and busts a gut.

I'd have Spargo in my 23 if he's fit...

I think that back 6 need to play with each other a bit to grow synergy. Windsor will be green through there, but have good leadership around him in Salo, Lever and May. Howes will feature this year, potentially even when McVee is in the team, so he needs some continuity at AFL level IMV.

Of the available players and based on pre season form, my 23 for the GWS game would be: Howes May Lever Salem Petty Windsor Sharp Oliver Billings Sparrow AJ Petracca Fritta JVR Viney Gawn Rivers Langdon Langford Chandler Bowey Lindsay Sub. Henderson

Judd as a Visy Executive. 🤦

One of the interesting things I noted in the Round 1 2018 game against Geelong is that Max would often be used on the wing in usually a 1v1 or 2v2 contest, where our guys knew it was going, and so we were able to get extra numbers to the foot of the contest. The ball would usually go to him quickly, so an entire pack didn't form around him. The result of this would be less arduous for Max and protect him a bit. Slower ball movement would always result in more bashing and crashing into Max, and with our own defensive set up, we've been willing to defend with the help of Max. With the Grundy experiment, I always wondered why we didn't use Max behind the ball when Grundy was rucking, and instead played Max forward. In retrospect, it was probably to protect Max, rather than have forwards fly into the back of his head or stick their knee in his back. So it'll be interesting to see how they try to protect Max this year. Ball movement will be key, and I suspect (and hope) Campbell will get a game here or there.

I think Chaplin is trying to add this and it will be more obvious on big grounds like the MCG. It may also take some time to get working. I just rewatched the 1st and 3rd quarters against Geelong in Round 1 of 2018. Our forward runners and forward handball, our attacking half backs off the back of the centre square, and our quick ball movement from back to front (often aimed at a tall target deliberately spread wide of the corridor with numbers at the foot of the contest) is so exciting to watch. We also leave ourselves a bit vulnerable going the other way, but when Geelong get fast breaks on us, our defenders push back hard, as do our mids, and then slingshot off it. I think with our better defensive personnel (May and Petty), we could afford to play this way in 2025.

We really don't press that high anymore. In 2017-2019, sure, but we have usually five anchors behind the ball. Under Bassett, we may well press higher, but I doubt it. I think it'll be an evolution of the first half of last year, where we actively sat back really deep, so as it allow ourselves space to slingshot back into behind the opposition. This is the 2022-2024 game style. The sides that transition quickly off that slingshot at half back, can hit those kicks and maintain possession can beat pretty much any zone. We need to work out how best to use our stoppage and contest dominance. I'm actually fine with us gambling a lot from centre stoppages and going for pure out the front clearances, and therefore opening ourselves up to losing territory 50% of the time, meaning we play from our back half. But all games are fluid and different, so it'll be about taking our chances when we move the ball inside 50. Where we could get on top is our fitness. Guys like Langdon, Sharp, Spargo, Billings, Sparrow and Windsor are all really good aerobic runners.

No worries. I remember one of the Fox shows talking quite regularly about how we would get the majority of our scores from 30m out in the corridor during 18. I'm hoping with Chaplin back as forward coach we'll revert to this approach.

Thank you mate. I wonder whether you have the stats for 2018 per chance? I'd suspect we were very much corridor and 30m out straight in front team that year.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's our strategy. We traded away out future 1st because we knew we'd be landing White.

I'm talking from now on though. Happy with who we've selected the last two years, I have questions marks over Kolt, but happy to wait. I'm talking from end of 25 onwards, these should be our targets.

Do we actually have stats on this? I think this might be a bit of a furphy. The eye test suggests to me that we still generate more than enough set shots from non acute angles, that we should be putting the opposition away, and don't. @WheeloRatings, do you have anything on this mate?

Agree with much of this mate. I do think getting Kozzy's ball use and decision making into our midfield mix will do wonders (see the North game), as will Langford and Lindsay finding their feet through the midfield and wings, with support from Windsor, and hopefully Salem and McVee pushing high. I think we're a completely different side in and from the contest, and forward of the ball with Kozzy in the side. I also think we've really missed Spargo. His ball use and decision making in the forward half is elite. I'd have him ahead of Chandler every day of the week.

We had Fritta and TMac miss shots from pretty much directly in front, 35m out against Collingwood in the QF in 23. Fritta practically missed his boot in the wet. Our first clear shot on goal against Freo was Fritta 30m out directly in front. Most of the set shots we take are completely gettable, we fluff them. And the games we are untouchable in are the games we convert most of our gettable shots. Think Round 23 against Brisbane 2022, where we scored 18.7.115.

It's been clear for 3-4 seasons that the number one thing holding our list back is our ability to finish in front of goal. On our shopping list should be x factor small forwards who can finish in front of goal with limited chances. The way we generate inside 50s and win territory, we need guys that are dangerous at ground level and take their chances. I'd be loading up on these guys. Hopefully Henderson gives us something. The spot is there for the taking. I hold out hope for K Brown too in this respect. He's a good crumber, is he a reliable finisher?

Chandler doesn't have a weapon IMV.

Would take him back in an instant.

I have no problems with Green's comments except the ones about Clarry in tears. You don't put that in the public domain, it's a private conversation, you can give the headlines, even just leave it at 'he got emotional', but not the specifics. As for the bolded bit, I have to say, I find it pretty patronising. I know you're not meaning to patronise, but it comes off a bit unkind to me.

So Zero Hanger reporting we've signed Jai Culley.

That's a bloody good team. 👏

Derpsy me.

I guess we could have a clear conversation with Culley (if he's the man) and say you're onto the list in the mid season draft. Then we can put him on a program and have him ready to go by mid year. Only problem is playing time. Maybe we sign him for Casey in the meantime, so we get him into the program?