Little Goffy

I am convinced it is a pattern. 'Normal' progress can get a team into contention and build a great list, but the extra push to Premierships, and obviously dynasties, needs to come from a burst of kids brought into that 'contending' environment and attitude. Obvious singular examples are Selwood and Rioli, while the biggest would have to be the double-surge Richmond got from simultaneously trading very well and nailing a couple of drafts. Richmond went from a bit of a joke where only 15 players total had shared any spots in the B&f for seven seasons and their position had hovered between okay and insignificant... to a historically notable run of dominance. Quick tangent - aside from Martin, Richmond didn't do all that well in the early draft rounds for almost a decade prior to their premiershi. The 2014 draft which changed their whole game plan with Butler, Short, Castagna and Lambert only started striking gold (or at least a lot of good silver) by round 3 and later. See also Jackson, Pickett, Rivers, of course. Without making too much of a fuss of it, this is also why the excessive academy perks are such a problem. The chances of a "nepo baby" club getting a big extra boost when already a contender is far out of proportion to other clubs.

Seven disposals, 2 marks, 10 hitouts and 1 clearance a game at just 34 years and 6 months. He's like the reverse Luke Jackson. We should take him if someone offers us two first rounders to do so.

The cruel and entirely appropriate response would be to point out that their most pressing need is a consistent gun midfielder with great leadership who can unite the team. Besides, pretty sure Zac Bailey is coming to us as a free agent at the end of next season.

Unless we move a genuine big fish and place ourselves in the very top handful of picks, surely this draft is mostly about White, Sinnema, and the Cat B rookie whose name I've forgotten. Possibly even Yze Jr at the very back end. Eight(?) players out already, being a mix of young players who never quite got there, and recycled players who never quite got there. May would make it nine and be a variation on the theme. Couple of 'AFL grade but depth' players coming into the recycled churn, though these seem more based on evidence than the mere hope of some of our recent acquisitions, and perhaps Flanders at a much higher price. How is this a McVee post? Hmm, I guess I'm just mentally mixing his apparent departure with a bigger picture of a major list turnover. Who knows, it could all boil down to being reduced to depth behind Salem, Flanders, Rivers, Lindsay and Windsor, with the prospect of 2026 free agents like Butters and Walsh making the 'tall running midfield and halfback' even more crowded. If King wants to make that our A-grade aspect, McVee isn't good enough at that, and if McVee doesn't want to be boxed into the mid-sized hard defender role, yep, he'd want to move. Put another way, perhaps McVee wants to be 2017 all-Australian Micheal Hibberd, but the club wants him to be 2021 premiership Michael Hibberd.

Given every advantage short of the nepo-baby academies, on and off the books, and have an unmistakably exceptional list, but have fallen short so many times. Geelong's motto should be The Spirit of 2008!

Starting to look like a discount brand Tom Scully situation. Miserable experience and disruptive to the club, but in the end he is not a crucial player. I'd still be happy if it turned out Cal Twomey had it wrong. I suspect a Jeremy Howe style mirage would strike him, where he thinks he is going to fill Fyfe's role, but actually replaces Aish.

The 'inside bulls who feed it to the users' conception is a trap. The lesson of Terry Wallace's Tigers struck me deep - his 'types' became pigeon holes and the moment any cog in the machine wasn't in its exact place, the whole thing [censored] up. Neither Petracca nor Oliver nor Viney are excellent users outside of the clearance chaos, but we've seen the power that can come even from a 'clumsy' but direct and dominant set of clearances. Also worth noting that our big run to glory rode a wave where Petracca and Oliver both had significantly good form on their disposal efficiency - whether because the team systems worked or because they just had their eye in for that time, I won't say. But, putting it all together - Petracca is a powerful inside midfield extractor who also drives the ball forward effectively, whether or not it looks pretty every time. That is tactically invaluable for any team, and any coach.

So, I got home as they were getting ready to come out from half time, so I take full credit. It's not like I'm a Lions fan, but if this is the cats finally going over the cliff then I am willing to turn a blind eye to those who gave the push. Awwww... aren't the cuts to Scott in the box so saaaaaad. Sad sad saddy sad sad. And next season he won't even have King, who is clearly the brains and charisma of the outfit.

Walked past a pub during lunch and the game was on, so annoyed I can't call Friday done. Is it real that Hore is going at a clearance every second disposal? And 550m gained by early in the 4th for Maeve Chaplin seems like a lot. Does that seem like a lot to you? It seems like a lot to me. To also have half a dozen tackles makes me think we've got something special here.

From Bontempelli's goal, start aging the extended intro version of 'the only thing they fear is you'. Actually I can just about do that and watch the highlights in my head. Pretty sure the last 45 minutes of that game do not conform to conventionsl space-time. Several things feel like they happen over and over, like going back to the chorus.

Well, he was Casey coach, not development coach. I've got no problem with the reassignment, except I'd seen all the recent hype about super-developer Nigel Lappin at Geelong and had thought he might be a chance. Or maybe Lappin is ready for a return to midfield?

Does he get a podcast invite? He's certainly had an interesting career and might have plenty to reflect on.

I love these stories. Just a joy to see the threads of a community weave in and out over the course decades... almost a century in this case! My grandad always claimed he played some kind of reserves grade for the Demons 'between the wars' but he never supplied evidence and nobody actually believed as they nodded.

Putting these two thoughts together; Brisbane 6, Geelong 6, so just shy of 50% of grand finals this century have included one of these teams. In fact 2025 tips it over the half. Didn't expect that parity of appearances, actually. Brisbane had something like 15 years of struggling in there. I enjoy knowing that overall Chris Scott really has underperformed in finals.

A side note on the McAdam trade, if I recall correctly it was for a future (2024) second round draft pick, and it would already have been known that draft was going to be wildly compromised (first pick for round 2 was pick 29!) and wasn't looking very strong either. In itself I think it was another very low cost trade for a player we had reasonabke hopes for as we tried to find that 'bottom 6 but AFL grade' depth we needed, and the attacking diversity we desperately needed. But when it sits side by side with the Nibbler trade you just have to feel screwed. The only way that works in our favour would be if Nibbler's contract was -massively- back ended, and enabled us to front-end a couple of other contracts which now might make it possible to get a good trade value for them. Regardless, it's not McAdam's fault and there's only upside to him having a great 2026 and pressing on to only retire after our 2028 premiership.

Ist ein fleishenwundin?

Kind of an optimal result, really. Credit to us for crushing an opponent so decisively, and also credit to coach Daisy for being able to convince a thrashed team to come out and give something substantial in the final quarter.

PisaYES.

So I sez, I sez, "I can't wait for the moment our whole forward line stands up on the same day.' Wuz wut I sez. Just waiting for Bannan to bring her fitness to bear and dominate the late game, then we've got pretty much a full set. McNamara had been everywhere, would only be fair for her to snag at least one goal.

At this stage the only thing that would make this thread worth the trouble is the creation of a new perfume brand featuring scents inspired here. Sideline hugs body mist; for when it's time to hit the showers Grosse oeuf; eau de visage L'attendree Juddot; a signature scent inspired by Beckett

I never really thought of it before, but I wonder if his last thoughts were "Well, that's just shoddy workmanship."

That or Mylanta ads.

Who wants to watch football when you can watch a man's slightly urgent expression for three seconds before moving on to another one? "I'm ready for my close up now, Mr Spielberg." Hadn't heard Bailey Sniff before and do appreciate it. And BDA, no, no no no no, us not getting Jack Martin is the defining failure of our list management strategy since 2022, don'tcha know it?

A bit more seriously, just to illustrate the diversity of sources and consistency of ideas, a couple of comments about how a commander (or coach, or anyone, really) should seek counsel. Each has their own context and style. The most consistent theme through all the authors on this topic is that the leader must be energetic in seeking counsel to ensure that they are always the one taking initiative, rather than other people feeling they can be the ones to drive these conversations. Machiavelli's The Prince (15th century, Italy) The only way to safeguard yourself against flatterers is by letting people understand that you are not offended by the truth; but if everyone can speak the truth to you then you lose respect. A shrewd prince should adopt a middle way, choosing wise men for his government and allowing those the freedom to speak the truth to him… he should question them thoroughly and listen to what they say. Then he should make up his own mind, by himself. A prince must, therefore, always seek advice. But he must do so when he wants to, not when others want him to. Kautilya's Arthahastra (~3rd century BC, India) No deliberation made by a single person will be successful. He shall consult three or four ministers. Consultation with a single minister may not lead to any definite conclusion in cases of complicated issues. A single minister proceeds wilfully and without restraint. In deliberating with two ministers, the king may be overpowered by their combined action or imperilled by their mutual dissuasion. But with three or four ministers he will not come to any serious grief, but will arrive at satisfactory results. With ministers more than four in number he will have to come to a decision after a good deal of trouble; nor will secrecy of council be maintained without much trouble. Maurice's Strategikon (6th Century, Byzantium) For what should be done seek the advice of many; for what you will actually do take council with only a few trustworthy people; then off by yourself alone decide on the best and most helpful plan to follow, and stick to it.