Adam The God

Bloody St Kilda inflating wages all over the shop.

Completely agree with the cheaper Derksen (and Aleer), and I'd also hope we're targeting a midfielder with good ball use. We don't need to spend big on a KPF IMO.

This is a huge factor in our performances Rounds 2-5. Against GWS in Round 1 it was wet and windy day, and thus bombing from our mids was less of an issue as interceptors couldn't mark the ball as easily. It got it inside and we put on adequate pressure to lock it in. But from Rounds 2-5, we bombed the ball repeatedly on turnover. We would create numerous turnovers over and over again and hand the ball back to the other side. Think that third quarter against North, where Viney and Trac, but particularly Viney, kept bombing it to the opposition outnumber. We created more than enough turnovers to be ahead at 3/4 time in that game. (it didn't help that we lost Jefferson early as it allowed them a taller extra behind the ball) Against the Suns we were smashed at stoppage and our pressure was nowhere, but when we did get it, it was long and predictable. Aside from some chipping it around at the back, although we stopped pretty quickly doing this in that game. The long bombing continued for this entire period and Jack Viney was a major culprit. Trac and Clarry didn't help in this department either. But when Viney got the defensive role against Freo, we started to think our way through things better and it helped thar we brought pressure and had a lot of space in our forwardline created by pressing our forwards up the ground. This is the thing that cannot be stressed enough. We are going to lose games this season and some of it may not be pretty, but less baby out with the bathwater stuff would be nice.

You said we had a fundamental change in our method in one week, when evidence like aggressive forward handballing and faster transition was evident from Round 1. Let's just admit you [censored] the bed on this one and move on.

The data does support this. We've been one of the top transition sides all year. Now we're better at scoring from transition chains.

I reckon our stars learned to be team players in 2020, and because they got a flag ajd 3 straight top 4 finishes doing it, when Goody asks them to do it again, they nod.

Maybe I am.

I'm not convinced on Laurie's tank. I reckon Demonlanders undervalue Charlie's tank to a massive extent. I think it's a no brainer. If Viney is ready, he comes in. If he's not, save him for KB.

$1 mill, because he's more than a ruckman, but I think you'll find Max has taken unders to keep this group together.

The thing that is almost banned on here is discussion around fitness. Reversing the fitness program as posited by @binman on the podders, is very likely a large factor that is not seemingly taken into account vis a vis our first 5 rounds. In game one, where we were full of new players and exuberance for the new season, we showed our game style that is now a more regular sight. Aggressive forward handball, scores from stoppage, fast transition, mixed with keepings off uncontested chipping at the back. We then ran out of puff in the last, although still should have won in the dying moments. Round 2 against North was the strangest result IMO and points most clearly in retrospect to a heaving load management block. We looked sluggish but still should have been in front at 3/4 and dropped our bundle in the 4th. Rounds 3 and 4 were even more sluggish. Round 5, aside from the 3rd quarter where we lifted our pressure rating and started to score, was another case of lethargy. If you take this into account and add it to the context of trying to implement a new game style, it's got a high degree of difficulty. The next fortnight IMV, will tell us whether Selwyn has got the program right and I need to create a new thread apologising to him.

Congrats to Tom McCarthy who went at #1 in the mid season draft today. A massive Dees fan.

Harry turns 28 at the end of this year. LJ turns 24 in September. If we're going to pay a second ruck $1mill, I'd rather it be LJ who is younger and a better ruck, who will one day be a permanent ruck. That said, I think $1mill is too much to pay for a ruck.

You conspicuously left this out as it didn't suit your narrative...

Not true at all. I don't believe you went to the GWS game. Our brand was clearly on show in that game. Over Rounds 2-5, we showed brief glimpses in otherwise limp performances. Almost like we'd been smashed on the training track...

IMV, this is a ridiculous position. We didn't change our game style after the Essendon loss. We just got better at implementing what we were practising all pre season. Plenty of posters who watched pre season training closely have started to say that our ball movement in game now resembles our ball movement in pre season. The idea that they've changed the game style in one week really just shows a lack of understanding of the modern game.