Little Goffy

As they say in the classics... "It's time to write your book, Brendan".

In my mind, for a long time all stadiums in Perth are Subiaco. No matter how many times they rename it. It would appear this prevented me from remembering that there is actually a new stadium. Well, after sunday it will be renamed The Sam Weideman Picnic Ground...

I had a really nice coffee the other day and it was only $3.50, I couldn't believe it, I was expecting $3.80 or even $4, it is in Sydney after all. Does anyone know why the barista had it so low?

People forget that having really smooth skin and a nice tan make you look a bit skinnier than you are. Weideman is being brought in to fill a role, rather than be a star, and if he focuses on doing the team things then the he'll do fine and get a couple of opportunities by weight of numbers in that big wide Subiaco spaces. 3 goals, no behinds, and a couple of occasions of keeping the ball trapped in the forward line that ultimately results in a goal, is my tip. I just have a good feeling.

We've not yet eliminated the 20-minute nap from our game. We got a glimpse of what it looks like, during that extraordinary surge of form early-mid season. Maybe that surge came from a kind of perfect storm of factors peaking together. On the one hand physically we had match-fitness but not yet the tiredness of a long season, and mentally we were settled to the task but not yet losing concentration. Over the season, young bodies and minds got worn out and a few veterans have clearly been feeling the pinch too. Snatch that all-important one more win, and the pre-finals bye could prove to be massively important.

The real comedy for me is that there is the possibility of missing finals by the smallest margin of percentage ever in 2017, and then improving our percentage dramtically with the same number of wins, but still missing finals. Oooh, a draw (of no value at all given our percentage) would just make it true poetry. No. I can't accept it. We will win a game. We just will.

Can't help noticing that with each stat there is a true bottom-level club in the top few. That'd be the 'with a grain of salt' reminder. But to be so strong on multiple important stats and still failing... If we are playing with stats, worth also mentioning that are third (as in third worst) for clangers per game, 17th for rebound 50s, and 18th (as in worst) for 'least opponent rebound 50s'. We also have the most tackles against us, so the truth of that stat is sumply that we have games with an awful lot of tackles by both sides. Long statistical story short, our games are mostly mad scrambles and when we get the upper hand we can rapidly blow teams away, and when we are overwhelmed we get smashed. It's like two bulls fighting, balanced on a pole. I'm kind of heartened by the thought of what will happen when we get the upper hand just that little bit more, and that little bit more often. This also makes sense of our problem battling the other quality teams. Hell, we could end up climbing the ladder almost directly according to the the list of teams we are better than.

Alistair Clarkson.

Looks like someone is trying a different brand of bathwater. Is it an omen that in Sydney this week I've had multiple sightings of other Demon supporters in team gear? There's clearly some pride and determination still to be found. Possibly stung by the irritation of being around Swans supporters.

Anything to raise the tone here. I swear there are some fingers around here that I genuinely doubt could ever be pointed again, after the things they've done. As for 'if we beat Wet Toast'... hmm... I may just let loose and become mildy inebriated. Though I'm trying to think of something I haven't done since 2006, surely that is a worthy theme.

Bring someone back with you, ok.

No contact between the senior coach and a star player, while the star player is in crisis, and you're planning to include the player in coaching duties... Either it is just not the truth (a West Coast coach lying? Shock!) or Gaff is surely gone.

Definitely, and I'm sure a few other clubs (North, for example) would jump at any chance to get him. But we can offer him 'the dream' as well as the cash! The more I think about it, the more I drool at the prospect of our half-back flanks being Hibberd and Lloyd, with Lever in between.

I have a bucketload of respect for Hannebery but surely he is not the role we need filled, when we already can't fit all our midfielders into our midfield, even with Viney out? If I were looking at grabbing a Swan surely a dependable hard-working team-oriented half-back who reads the play well and rebounds effectively, is 24 years old with 100 games under their belt and who is unhappy with their most recent contract offer and is originally from Victoria would be the prime choice? Not to mention, he was probably the proverbial 'difference' on Sunday, picking off our wayward inside-50s and calmy using the disposal. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-05-11/im-in-no-rush-swans-gun-puts-off-contract-talks#/ https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pg-sydney-swans--jake-lloyd

I could deal with him being slow, on the grounds that he was providing leadership, maturity and a bit of grit. But now there is a real question mark on those contributions, and I've found myself wishing he wasn't contracted for next year. Along with Garlett, who unfortunately seems to have returned to his old Carlton career path of getting new contracts of surges of form and then fading away for a couple of years, with maybe one game in 5 actually being worth mentioning. Garlett I can actually see us paying out the contract early to clear the decks. Lewis is a bit more awkward, as a respected true champion of the game and all that. I wonder, if the writing were on the wall that he would spend most of 2019 at Casey, would he prefer to retire?

Wow, that stat of he goal accuracy falling away against top opponents, particularly that the set shot accuracy collapses, is just mind-melting. Wait, is it mind-melting, or is it just evidence of our forward's minds melting? I'm sure part of it is that the better teams do a better job of closing up our quick slice into the forward line so our shots are from less ideal spots, but really... can there be any more clear evidence of a problem between the ears?

Actually, I'd argue that Gaff in would probably make Nibbler more effective as his role would become a little more focused and we wouldn't be worrying so much about Nibbler's clangers. Oi vez, I just for a moment pictured our inside-50s being dominated by Melksham (the most effective inside-50/goal assist player in the game at the moment), Gaff (the best 'true' winger in the game at the moment) and Brayshaw with a bit more space from clearances once Viney is back in. I may have just had a 'moment' where I swing to the yes vote on getting Gaff. Lots of people like to point to Richmond as the target to match, well, their triumph was built on a core of really excellent and experienced players who'd been together for as much as a decade, supported by a swarm of hard-working but only really 'good-average' players who provided the pressure and created steady opportunities. Nibbler is not a star or part of the 'core of really excellent players' but he is most certainly in that layer of 'good-average hard workers' that fill out a team and, importantly, don't take up a whole lot of salary cap space while they do it.

Well, if we win either game in the next two rounds then we will have beaten a top-4 team, and thus be 'deserving' of a finals spot by 'not default'. Coincientally, if we win either of our final two games, we will definitely be in the 8. So, one way or another, it is not something we have to think about during the finals. Wow, we're really taking the 'you're only as good as your last game' expression to the limits!

He's just in a good mood because he knows he doesn't have to tag Gaff next week.

I expect by then we'll be widely seen as the custodians of the deeper soul of football, using our extreme ability to play a graceful and tough style and using our overwhelming footy-political influence to prevent idiot rule changes and to drive support for the lower tier competitions. Hmm, I guess that's pretty arrogant too, but at least we wont be spoiling it for others, because they'll feel good just knowing they've put up a good showing against the greatest team of all time. And we'll still clap their good play, because that's the proper way, ol' chap.

I'm glad it wasn't just me who sat near some absolute smug git swans. That said, I was in Sydney. The combination of cluelessness and entitelment is particularly galling.

Yeah, bugger it, we're no good, trade veryone with currency, time for a rebuild.

50/50 chance of being there for the day we secure a finals spot. I'd go if I had the option. Enjoy!

Well, now it is all very simple. Win at least one game of the remainign two, we play finals, guaranteed. Lose both, we miss finals, guaranteed. If it is any comfort, I've been running the squiggle auto-tip over and over and so far none of the results have shown us dropping both games... on balance of probability, of course. The simulator doesn't account for Melbourne being Melbourne, though. I had really hoped we wouldn't have to think about rushing players back in, but right now it is every possible player 'in', which specifically means Melksham and Hibberd who between them can transform our half-forward and half-back lines. One win. Just one win.

It was Nibbler's turn at the bathwater, with the extra praise and publicity recently. He'll learn from it. He'd bloody better.