Adam The God

How has it taken this long for someone to think up this thread? Werridee's perpetuate time to shine.

I think Chaplin would have unique insight into how to blend our offence and our defence, without sacrificing too much back the other way. We tended to play a much more aggressive forward press in those days, and, yes, we played a strong territory game based on contest and winning CP and clearance. One of the big shifts tactically between Goodwin era 1 (2017-2019) and Goodwin era 2 (2020-2023) was the emphasis on defence in the second era and how we achieved this. Era 2 used numbers behind the ball and relied on our superior midfield (Clarry, Trac and Viney with Max) to win enough ball without an extra mid or flanker up at the stoppage. This enabled us to generate an extra behind the ball, to bring our intercept game into play. Era 1 used extra numbers at the contest, so our superior midfield would overawe the opposition most of the time and keep it inside our 50. We'd press up our defence and lock it inside, making it at times difficult to score for ourselves, and also making us vulnerable out the back on counter. This is where Frost's pace was really important as the defensive anchor. Rawlings tinkered with the anchor, positioning it deeper and then higher depending on the stage of the game. Era 2 has tended to sit our defence deeper to counter against the counter. That is Chaplin's influence. I think he's a brilliant defensive line coach. He's aided by having great leaders in May and Lever, but when new players come into that system they fit in straight away. They understand their positioning and have trust in their team mates that enables them to zone off or press at the right time. But as you can see, my view is both eras start at the contest, but the more attacking system relies on more aggressive positioning at the stoppage, with extra numbers. I'm hoping we go back to a version of this, because that trend became the norm in late 2022 and 2023. It's how Collingwood generated their scoring power. Adding 1 or 2 extras at the stoppages, which left them vulnerable back the other way, but they are blessed with Daicos x2, Sidebottom and Pendles who rarely miss targets ( @binman wrote about how Collingwood moved the ball regularly last year), their starting positions were usually from behind the ball, N Daicos in particular playing a quarterback role. And when you have that fast risky ball movement, you get movement ahead of you too, making the kicks easier, as they're usually into space. With our ability to win the stoppage and pummel teams in the contest when Clarry, Trac, Viney and Max are fit, we would be very hard to beat now that those guys are more mature than 2018 and we have more reliable defenders in May and Lever behind the ball. We can rise quickly again next year if we get this right.

I'd forgotten Chaplin was our forward coach in 2017-2018. The ball movement was very quick mind you, but entries were very much central to 30m out. Would love Chaplin as forwards coach. And Bassett did oversee a pretty attacking defensive set up at Port... Again, I like posting this. The majority of our goals come from kicks to the hot spot 30m out. Highlights: Melbourne v GWS (R23, 2018) https://www.afl.com.au/video/82285

Yeah, I'm excited by this prospect.

Balta would be amazing. 24, perfect age, swingman. But I think we have other priorities in terms of trade capital and TPP.

Wow, are would be draftees really calling the shots pre draft these days? So much entitlement.

Absolute nonsense. And had we not held Trac to his contract you would have had egg all over your face...

I'd much rather bank on the ceiling of an upcoming draftee like Cooper Hynes at pick 20-25, than Peatling for five years, but will back the FD.

Well, it depends what our other needs were. I don't think tying up a reasonable amount of TPP in a winger was the best port of call. Neither did the FD. They were trying to lure a KPF and/or a genuine mid with that TPP.

But you're not really listening to posters arguments here. Amon would have cost significant TPP...

Because they were brought in to fill a need. Hunter was a genuine winger who enabled Gus to move to half back. Billings was brought in to allow more flexibility with Lingers, who played between wing and half forward in the first half of the year. We needed someone with the running capacity to cover those wing minutes, and we weren't expecting Windsor to play as many games as he did, nor to the level that he delivered on. So they're not random salary dumps. That's irrelevant. They are strategically and cheaply acquired assets.

Agreed, but it was his calf wasn't it?

Yep, I reckon he can.

Derksen is another potential cult hero that the MFC media team can get around, @Jaded No More...

Which by the way, isn't a mile off Port's 2018 draft and could transform our midfield depth, bring even more youthful exuberance to the forward half.

If we get three top 25 picks, we can afford to take a risk like this if we think he's good enough.

I'd absolutely be trading our future 1st and banking on other clubs believing that we'll have a repeat of this year in 2025.

Guess who owns most of the the Victorian debt? The RBA. It could be written off tomorrow.

If we can manage 3 picks in the top 25, you could in theory land Jagga Smith at 5, Taj Hotton at 14 and Cooper Hynes 20.

Hope so. Jagga Smith and Cooper Hynes with Rivers, Kozzy, McVee and Kolt would transform our midfield.

I'm not suggesting we'd have finance locked in, I'm suggesting we should have a finance plan in place. ie. we think we could get x amount from the AFL, x from MCC, etc etc. And in order to have a good idea of how much, you'd need to have preliminary conversations based on an idea. ie, if we get the go ahead with Caulfield, how much support could we hope to get from you, AFL? etc etc

So who do you think was our preferred target last year?

Two very unlikeable sides, but at least it doesn't involve Geelong or a Victorian side.

Again, surely you'd have a finance plan at this stage.

That's fine. Believe what you want. A poster I trust already confirmed what I've said on the same pages of Demonland a few days ago.