Adam The God

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.

Bowey and McVee practically had identical games. 13 for Bowey at 62%, 4 intercept possessions, 4 score involvements, 3 rebound 50s, 9 pressure acts and 208m gained. 14 for Judd at 64%, 6 intercept possessions, 2 score involvements, 3 rebound 50s, 6 pressure acts and 209m gained. The only difference is Bowey had 4 turnovers and Judd had 0, but still went at 64%. I thought both were handy on the night. And one of Bowey's score involvements, where he won possession in a stoppage under extreme heat and hit a target inside 50 that pretty much no one else in our team could hit is precisely why we need to find ways to push him up to stoppages or even have him off the back of stoppages ala Salem in 2021. I think they're both developing well. Bowser has had some average moments this year, but he hasn't been alone there. Sure, that intercepted handball that led to a North behind early in the game was poor, but otherwise he was solid. I love both of these two guys, they both have pace, composure and are beautiful kicks at 21 and 20.

In the meantime though, we need more senior body cover, specifically in the form of Petty and probably Melksham.

What's this nonsense about dropping Bowey? I'd like us to try Bowey or McVee in the middle and then slot AMW into half back when Lever returns.

A midfield of 2016-2023 Clarry, Trac and Butters is gorgeous. Would still need more reinforcements obviously.

I like the idea, but the only problem is there is not an A grade midfielder in that group IMO. Rivers and McVee could be it, but I reckon we'd need to completely revamp the midfield if we were building around the younger brigade at this point. A bit like the Richmond strategy of bringing in Taranto and Hopper in the one trade period. We'd need to manage that. Ideally, we could just have a draft period like Port did at the end of 2018, and bring in 2-3 young guys that immediately make us better, but you're really only going to get midfielders like that from the very top echelon of the draft (ie top 3 picks). But it'll be interesting to see what we do.

Does Tomlinson want out? I don't rate him as best 23, but I like him as a solid back up. I'd be giving him a two year deal if one doesn't cut it. But I guess it depends on how the club view the development of Turner and Adams, as well as what happens to Petty.

I'd be building around Trac, Lever, Clarry - not May and Max. We need to get an experienced body to partner with JVR. Is that Taylor Walker? Probably not, so who? And we need to rebuild our midfield. LDU, Callaghan, who else? I also think Bowey and McVee should be part of the midfield rotation next year. Which means we need to see if someone like AMW can play half back to release one of them through there. I'd be up for Moyle too, but I reckon until Max has retired, we won't be able to attract someone like this.

A very good job interview this evening. He bossed the game.