Binmans PA

We'd probably be fine with keeping him, but he was never going to break into our midfield permanently. An AFL level footballer no doubt, but not in a top 4 team. I've never seen an elite trait that would enable him to make a position in our starting 22 his own.

Thanks for the service, JJ. This is best for both parties.

He's a very solid ground ball player too.

We only need Lynch for two years. I've posited Lynch before, but would probably prefer a younger forward like JUH, Naughton, King ahead of him.

Yep, exactly. Agreed mate.

I'd take Watson and O'Sullivan, but Richmond will want picks this year, not futures. I'd also go Lynch and think they'll want a late first or early second for him, plus us taking the whole contract.

Me too. Gun already.

Yep, time to invest a bit more in the forward half for our list.

Gryan Miers is the guy he needs to try to emulate next year. Miers is 24, and statistically very similar. Spargo a better user, but Miers had more score assists (best ever in fact) and score involvements. Charlie needs to get his score involvements and assists up. Then he and Trac rolling through there with more dangerous ground level players like McAdam and hopefully a Watson to go with Kozzy, with Fritta's goal sense and Petty's contested marking, that's a dangerous forwardline that allows JVR to grow too.

The strangest thing for me is that we never tried Grundy in the ruck and Max behind the ball. Just like we never tried Gawn in the ruck and Jackson as a mid. I find it odd that we recruited a second ruck, saw that the forward / ruck thing wasn't working, but never tried the back / ruck alternative. Even just for one or two plays.

No doubt he's struggled over the past 24 months, but his performance against Carlton is where it needs to be. Still only 23. Charlie would be in my side.

Good decision for 2024. I hope by the back half of the season, May is playing the Tomlinson lockdown role and someone like O'Sullivan is playing the second tall (Petty role) that frees up Lever and May to intercept. It gives us options with Turner too, depending on who we're playing. We probably need a lock strong lockdown option for a player like Dusty (ie a Hibbo replacement), so it doesn't all fall on McVee.

This. ❤️

Your description of O'Sullivan sounds like Darcy Moore. 😉 Be interesting to see where JT rates he and Read

Rivers, Bowey and Salem moving through there?

And if it's kicked to a 1v1 where Kozzy is the small on a tall interceptor, he should just let them intercept it in the air, uncontested? Righto.

Moves like Harris Andrews IMV.

Adams is taller than Tomlinsom, just doesn't have his strength. Yet. But that's why I want O'Sullivan and then Watson, thank you very much.

His wiki page says he's contracted until 2024. Does this mean he's pushing for an exit?

The opposition constantly sharks his taps. Max is a brilliant mark around the ground, with an amazing tank, but he's often not on the same page as his mids (tapping to really dangerous areas or to outnumbers for us) and his taps are often sharked by the opposition.

I think we even conceded that in the last 4 or 5 games too, having our mids take multiple inside 50 ruck contests. Maybe Goody and co are finally in Bevo's corner. I've posted about this in the past, but the ruck position is the most overrated and easy to exploit position in the game IMO.

Wasn't that nuff the bloke who sat out the game for a year because he didn't wanna play for Melbourne in Darren Jarman? [censored].

Somehow O'Sullivan, Watson and Naughton or Lynch. Forwardline then looks like: ANB Naughton/Lynch Fritta Kozzy Petty Watson With JVR, McAdam, Spargo, Chandler and Trac resting. Backline looks like: McVee May (Tomlinson lockdown role) Lever Salem O'Sullivan Bowey With stints from Rivers when not running through the midfield and Howes. We need more elite talent in the forward half that turn half chances into goals and can convert the contest wins from further up the ground and players like Petty who can draw the ball on the lead. An elite ball user in the midfield will be nice, but not a priority. We need better forward half players and a defensive tall that will allow Lever and May to play to their strengths. We have the 1st or 2nd best contest team in the league in the midfield, so it's about being able to maximise our midfield dominance inside 50.

A pathetic and insipid ending. You can't kick 9.17 and expect to win too many games of footy, let alone finals. I know we were cobbling together a forwardline minus Petty, Melksham and JVR, but we had more than enough chances to win the game, and botched them. I also felt our A grade midfielders didn't influence the games enough, when we desperately need them to boss games. The mantra leading into the finals campaign was win the big moments. We constantly [censored] the bed in pivotel moments. Shattered by two chokes in two weeks. Nothing more at this time, but numb is a good word for it.

Jesus sure is weeping a lot on this thread. It's quite incredible.