Binmans PA

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.

You may be right, but you can't do this in finals.

I've never minded Dougal Howard too much, but never watched him closely. My Saints mates think he's a deadset liability. Haha.

Remember in the direct post siren flurry on King's Birthday it was Maynard breaking up Cox from Trac? I can therefore assume it was Max that left the room...?

Well, Jack has his hand around Maynard's throat in response, so I'm not sure we want to be dredging that headbutt moment up too much.

I said immediately after it happened that we have to introduce a red card for acts like this. If one player is lost for the other team, then it's only fair that the team with the player who commits the red cardable offence be down a player too.

Agreed. Our midfield hasn't been good enough in first quarters the last 6 weeks. Ir all starts there.

I think the media are legit scared about the personal backlash they'll receive if they go against Collingwood supporters. Seriously. Who's one guy that could speak his mind and not get ravaged? A bloke who won them one of their two premierships in the last multiple decades.

Agreed. It can't happen again this year if we want to win anything. Six weeks in a row we've lost 5 of 6 first quarters and the one win we did have was against a wayward Sydney. We need to come out with intent, hardness and aggression. Put goals on the board early and everything else will flow from there.

Psychology is a big part of footy and the modern game relies on an ability to work through your emotions. As Goody often claims, you need to be able to 're-set' both in game and from week to week. I think we'll take care of Carlton, but the main variable, if you like, is the psychological fall out from the QF. It can go one of two ways. Trac said the players were obviously flat after the game, which was certainly mirrored by the supporter sentiment and my own emotions. Now, if we use that hurt and flatness, the second chance that we have, it could be the re-set that we need to kick start our way to a 14th flag. Backs against the wall, have to go the toughest route now, like the Bulldogs in 2021, and missing Petty, Melksham, JVR and now Gus (possibly forever). But unlike the Bulldogs in 2021, who IMV we had the measure of that year, if we can get to a Granny against Collingwood, I reckon our guys would be supremely confident and want to make amends. The alternative, of course, is we are rocked by Gus' likely retirement, we're a little bit banged up ourselves after a bruising QF and Carlton running on emotion like we were in 2018, with the crowd on their side, gets it over us. IMO, we start the first quarter well, get a small lead and convert all our gettable opportunities, and we won't be beaten. However, how much do you guys think the psychology of losing the QF and losing Gus will play into the result this week?