Adam The God

Okay, cool, the "drop off" confused me. So we've got better at winning contests after the bye. I guess that tracks.

Except we tend to play our subs for 15 minutes anyway. I think the thinking is probably that Billings will cover the large expanses of Optus better than Laurie.

Just so I'm clear, the lower the percentage, the more you've lost contests 1v1? In other words, it could explain a more aggressive set up at stoppage? We have might have less that ends in a defensive 1v1 contest, but we lose more contests. Is that it or have I got it back to front?

Not to press this point too much, but they'd just list him as "season" and start him as "indefinite" next year, plus there'll be multiple videos over pre season with him if he doesn't make it back for 2024. I don't think fans will have a meltdown if this is the media strategy we have (and should have).

They'd then call it "Season" surely?

So I've been thinking about how we're pushing our half forwards more aggressively into the stoppages in the last few weeks. The old term for a half back or half forward pushed into the stoppage was an "inside slider". It got me thinking about our early season set ups. We'd either win a clean clearance that would lead to a good scoring chance (lots of scores directly from stoppage) or we'd lose clearance very easily with seeming (to my eye) very little post pressure on the opposition ball carrier. Yet we weren't overly hurt by these clearances against. Does anyone have a take on why that was? I don't recall us pushing half backs or half forwards up to the contest to pressure the ball carrier, but we were still often able to generate an intercept behind the ball or to neutralise the contest and reset for a stoppage. My take in the first half of the year was that we were happy to get the most potent clearance, but if we lost clearance, we'd lose territory, giving us space to slingshot back into. Did we rely more on our defenders winning 1v1s earlier in the year and do the stats support this? I'm not sure if @WheeloRatings has access to specific 1v1 win percentages, but it'd be fascinating to know whether this has shifted post bye? If we relied more on 1v1 wins behind the ball earlier in the year, having gone 1v1 at stoppages recently, it means our defence is more exposed to 1v1 contests, but it hasn't stopped our interceptors from intercepting because those inside sliders that we're pushing up to the stoppages apply enough pressure to rush the opposition out of stoppage. Anyway, keen to hear the thoughts of Demonlanders.

If you don't win contested possessions, post clearance pressure is essential to cause enough turnovers/intercepts to go back the other way. Clarkson and Chris Scott played this game for years. And this was part of our plan obviously in 2021-2023.

Tyson, yes. He went to Chelt Sec with Bowser,but a few years ahead.

Smith, Schache and BB will be done after this year. TMac may hang up the boots too, but given his year, I'd love him to play on. This'll leave 3 or 4 spots. I think we'd prefer 3 list spots.

Which end of the ground does Petty want to play at? Forward or back? Because if we see him as a forward and the Crows see him as a back, that may have a say in things. I think he'll move back next year whoever he plays for and JVR, Turner and Jefferson will be our KPFs.

You little ripper! Now for Sydney to beat Brisbane.

This is like Groundhog Day...

Only problem is one of the guys in it is playing against us.

Adding Kalani White to that back half in 2026 or 2027 post May will be handy too.

Perhaps they'd take Howes' role in the back half, but I'd like to see him play wing and then we can push Windsor into the midfield. Probably not next year but in 2-3 years. And Bowey's current role. I really think we should look at Bowey as a mid.

This is the go. I hope we're sniffing around Butters. If Hinkley goes, he may well ask to be traded. Allegedly, he waited for Hinkley to re-sign before he recommitted most recently, so it might be time. If Port miss again, surely Hinkley gets the boot...

That's what I thought, just like Watts.

That's fair.

A bloke called Jesse Hogan...

No, I'm saying the opposite. We need to stop whinging about every little thing that doesn't go our way, stop playing the victims and get on with it. Fortunately, Goody doesn't play victim, he gets on with it, and tries to plan as best as possible. I think we're a good travelling side, and extra money is extra money. That said, the way our club tries to fundraise is pretty poor.

The last two times we've played them at the G, they've beaten us.

He's also been clearly playing a different role in many games he's played this year. He often sacrifices his game so that someone can get off the leash. For a guy that had pretty much no pre season and has been hampered by his busted finger, he's been pretty damn solid, just not to elite heights. But good luck without a full pre season. Elite Clarry will be back.

Given the Hunter experience, I think we'll steer clear of any other troubled former Bulldogs. 😉

Dazzle has some enemies. 🤣

Righto, maybe that can be my new display name when I'm allowed to change it again...