Little Goffy

The evidence has come through again and again that top picks aren't the decisive factor for a climb back up the ladder. Quality coaching and development, a bit of stability and confidence at the club, 'culture' and all that, are what counts. If anything, the AFL should be looking at ways to push more of the support resources to the weaker clubs, such as through the soft cap rules. Possibly also an expansion of reserves-style listings to bring in mature players as needed. After all, the goal of any equalisation policy cannot be to have all teams reach the pinnacle - but it can realistcally be to prevent any teams from declining to the point of lasting non-competitiveness. Of course, a sensible policy would also include a massive general injection of professional resouces into the second-tier competitions, greatly enhancing the depth of competant playing stocks, the diversity of pathways for players who lack AFL-level discipline at age 18, and the available depth and quality of coaching, medical and conditioning staff. But that's kind of the 'Carthage must be destroyed' of any AFL debate at the moment.

It is not his 'first position' but I agree that Wines might be of value to us as an extra bit of toughness and hunting inside-50, a little bit like the role Vandenberg is optimal for. So, obviously, Wines becomes more appealing in the event that Vandenberg retires. This is of course on the understanding that Wines would become a valuable addition to our stoppage options as well. Doesn't get us any closer to having the zippy goalsneak and fast-pressure players our forward line could use, though. Hmm, becomes an even more awkard shaped forward line, practically everyone in it except Weideman and McDonald is actually a half-forward or a midfielder-forward. Wines, Petracca, Melksham, Fritsch, Lochkart? Hunt? Hannan? What could be comedy value at least is to end up with a forward line that is basically just another midfield, except up the end of the ground. Centre bounce, mongrel clearance forward, stoppage, clearance, mogrel kick at goal, repeat. And our centres don't even run forward, they just wait across the midfield zones to cover the rebound, and ready on the spot for the next centre bounce if the plan works! Would be the ugliest game style of the modern era... but it could work! Anyway, Wines is signed at Port until 2022 and the article is a beat up - Wines is being given a week at SANFL level to be sure he is fresh and the decision was maybe a little influenced by the sentiment of keeping together the team which hammered Essendon on the weekend. Probably not much to see here.

Gold Coast just dropped Martin and Wright. So, they are either actually tanking or they are proving that no amount of top picks will be the answer to their problem.

Funnily enough, this link to another article has the tip-off. It isn't about the real value of your expertise or even brand, it is about who you can offer links to and arrange the wine nights with. Port Adelaide learning from the Crown Casino model of business networking and PwC wants in on the China creative accounting action. There's barely a veil on this one. At least it isn't HSBC, and there doesn't appear to be any wombat shooting involved.

I know it will annoy the hell out of a few people who will immediately have (valid) trauma flashbacks to missing out on Josh Kelly, but I am convinced that at least as far as late in the first round there are multiple players which would suit us quite well and have really good careers. So I'd be very interested in seeing 2 and 20 turn into, say, 7 and 12. I'm less and less keen on trading for 'pretty good' players on inflated salaries. At some point we're going to need to hit free agents hard if we're going to sustain a position as a contender, and I've dropped away from the idea that the likes of Hill or Langdon would make a difference to us becoming contenders. Cyril Rioli they are not.

Agree absolutely with the running goalkickers and the need for a genuine smart dangerous forward, but have to query the bit about history being against us. After all, we are the yo-yo demons! Our record over almost 30 years in seasons after we have won a final is 11th, 9th, 14th, 11th, 14th, 14th and this season. On the other hand, we've also gone From last with 4 wins, to winning to final (1997-98), From 14th with 6 wins to a Grand final (1999-2000) , 11th to 6th (2001-02), 14th with 5 wins to 5th with 14 wins (2003-2004). Even I don't have the patience to tally up the number of times our percentage has change by more than point up or down from one season to the next. I'd laugh about it except my head is sore from beating it against my desk.

Interestingly, that was alos a chronic problem at Essendon when Goodwin was there. I remember my often 'intemperate' Bomber friend just losing it completely a few times as the ball got passed around in their forward 50 until, inevitably, the turnover. I wont go so far as to blame Goodwin for it, but I do wonder if there's a little bit of carried-over 'learnings' that might be approrpiate to delete.

The question is pretty obvious and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this thought creeping around in the back of my mind. What would it take to push the Demons back into the top ranks in 2020? I'm trying to think of specific things which can be identified and realistically hoped for, things that might each be worth one extra goal for or one less goal against, per game. I'll knock off some of the obvious ones but I'm keen to hear what specific other things people think could be added to create the rebound. 1. Lever & May get full pre-seasons and play a stable year together as our main talls in defence. 2. Tom McDonald regains form. 3. Burgess successfully implements a fitness program that has us running out final quarters at least on break-even terms with our opponents. 4. Melksham, Fritsch and Petracca get organised into a consistently effective half-forward group. 5. Our core midfielders work out better spacing, shepherding, and other 'fundamentals' at stoppages which allows for smarter, calmer ball movement. Damn that's a lot of obvious things to start with!

Good read, and damn I wish I could spent a few days tucked in a cave with nothing but the premium data to distract me. Just want to note that there's a bit of a question mark on saying that Richmond's depth is stronger than ours, based on how well they covered the players missing from their best 22 . Depth players and players on the fringe have been the really disproportionate part of our injury list (as opposed to our best 22 which has experienced merely the most serious depletion in the league). Even right now, Richmond are missing 2 maybe 3 from what might be considered their best 22 for statistical markers (Rance, Cotchin, Higgins), but then only three other players. In contrast, Melbourne are missing May, McDonald, and Weideman from what might be the 22 as assessed at the start of this season, based on 2019. But in addition to that we are missing Smith, Vandernberg, Garlett, Kolodjashnij, Hannan, Spargo and four others. And that 3+10 is as short as our injury list has been all season. Picking a random ealier round, round 10, Richmond were pretty much at their peak of injures with ten while we were limping around with seventeen. Again, the actual number of 'best 22' missing was much closer. It would be fair to say our depth hasn't been 'tested' so much as mutiliated this season. Spinal fluid biopsy might be accurate.

Headline says he has skill in his blood. So he'd better hope he doesn't get drafted by Essendon or they'll have him plugged into one of those extraction baths from the Matrix.

That Jeff White moment. A bit emotional that one.

We'll have Richardson, Ratten and Bolton all on our coaching panel by mid October in time to draw in Coniglio as a free agent. Yep yep yep.

Fair enough, and definitely can agree your OP was raising a question without pushing an agenda. Be assured my irritation is at the evolution of the thread with a few layers of odium, and I am not such a mad fool as to blame the person who starts a discussion thread for the contents several pages later!

Honestly, I'm just annoyed by this thread. In form, Angus Brayshaw is a top quality midfielder with calm vision and initiative to make things happening. Our of form, not so much. But also, crap trade value. Trading him because of his poor form this year, when half the team has had a poor year, would be blatant and unreasonable scapegoating and foolish from a list development level as well as a team solidarity level. Some people need to find healthier ways to manage their emotions.

Jordan Lewis seems to have responded to his own decision to retire the same way that clubs respond to having a new coach. Freeeeeeedom! Aaaaargh! Charge!

If anyone happens to be looking over the stats at half time and notices that our 'clangers' count is the only stat where we are well off the Tigers, please remember that free kicks against count as clangers...

Oh terrific, Geelong getting their traditional late-season staggers is reminding me that Richmond will be looking at the ladder thinking top-2 is a very realistic shot and all they need is a good boost to their percentage. I don't normally get negative pre-game, but I have a bad feeling about this.

Unfortunately we passed into the sad realms of "Mathematical Impossibility" last round. Our maximum possible number of wins is 9. Crows, Port and Bulldogs all currently on nine must win no more games. Crows play the Bulldogs. Oops, yeah, what he said. Right on the money, actually, we could, conceivably, make 9th. All it would take is for two teams to win no more games and a further five teams to only win one game each at most, including of course the issue of games against others int he same group. I would be, hmm, satisfied isn't the word... if we were able to pass Sydney and also finish with our perfomance after the bye round being ahead of Collingwood. Come to think of it, we could have a shot at injury-pillaged Magpies, Sydney on a bad day, and Kangaroos for an end of season laugh. Do that and we could even slip ahead of St Kilda on percentage, provided they win no more games. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE SEASON IS OVER THIS IS ALL JUST PRESEASON FOR 2020.

I don't know exactly when it started, it seems to be an incremental thing that has developed over the last 15 years or so, but I really, really dislike the Crows. So the prospect of them slipping and slipping and slipping, out of finals and with continuous damage done to their trade with Carlton is really a joy for me. Oh wait, I just realised - Adelaide are flat-track bullies who sulk as soon as things aren't going their way, and are still carrying on like they are top-4 locks despite two seasons of being basically average. I'd happily watch Carlton claw their way ahead of the Swans just to be able to laugh harder at the Crows, who made that trade based entirely on the assumption they would be top-4 in 2019. Port's big percentage boost and Essendon's big percentage hit make it just that little bit possible that BOTH Adelaide and Essendon could miss the finals by tiny margins. Come ooooooon Doggies!

Dung beetles are amazing. Did you know that they were carefully selected and introduced to Australia under a several-years-long CSIRO program? They store cattle dung under the ground faster than the life-cycle of flies, meaning that the fly larvae don't have time to hatch and develop. This has greatly increased the productivity of cattle and dairy farms because, literally, there is significantly more actual grass not covered in dung. It was a real problem, measured in double-figure percentages of total land in many regions. Also, any time you are eating outside or just doing anything at all outside, take the number of flies you are being annoyed by and multiply it by at least 5. That is what you'd be dealing with if not for the intellectual might of some very humble dung-beetle researchers at the CSIRO! It is not a coincidence that Australia's outdoor cafes and the like only really took off after the dung beetle program was implemented. Anyway, I don't actually know much about dung beetle mating. I think it involves a fair amount of pushing and shoving with hind legs. Don't tell AFLHQ or they'd introduce free kicks for in the back, and we'd all be eating inside again within a year.

I stated that McDonald's 2018, his first season full time as a forward, was at least as good as any season that Ben Brown has had, and therefore there is a case to persevere with McDonald despite his disasterous 2019. I supported that statement with the available, quite conclusive, data, which is also backed by a truckload of 2018 general opinion and commentary as to McDonald's qualities, most particularly his fitness, professionalism and workrate. I don't feel a need to be dragged into your pattern of near-random bipolar fixations on players.

Oh dear, yes, how could I not have noticed, Brown did indeed kick as many as 0.3 goals a game more than McDonald. I guess I must have been blinded by mere details like McDonald having Brown well covered for * Disposals, and Disposal Efficiency, and (lower) clangers * Marks * Tackles, and Tackles inside 50. * Inside 50s, Score Involvements and Goal Assists * Clearances * One percenters, intercepts * Metres gained The rest is pretty even. There's only one area where Brown comes out ahead, and that, to nobody's surprise, is free kicks.

While people are tossing away Petracca it might be worth mentioning that since his form turnaround starting in round 8 this season, Petracca has managed: 16 goals (1.5), 22 tackles (2.0), 42 inside 50s (3.8), and 27 clearances (2.5), with a tick over 20 disposals a game. When it comes to that kind of combination of goalkicking as well as effective involvement in general play, you are talking about a very short list. Jordan De Goey, Michael Walters, Toby Green, Robbie Gray, Gary Ablett Jr, Isaac Heeney, and Christian Petracca. Petracca is right in that mix of priceless players and we'd be mad to trade him just as he's getting it together. Also... Tom McDonald's 2018 season as a forward was better than any season of Ben Brown's. Just saying. Maybe persevere with that rather than go for the panic-buy of a disgraceful stager.

I've not checked exactly, but I beleive Collingwood have actually named their entire available playing list in selection, once you include the extended bench for sunday (which will become the emergencies of course). Officially 20 names on the injury list, though some are test. Given that Collingwood's performance since the bye has been worse than the Demons maybe Gold Coast are in with a shot. Or would be, except they are tanking. Meanwhile, Brisbane are down to 4 injuries, with three of those being '1-2 weeks', and West Coast and Richmond are a week away from having injury lists just as low.

Let us say that, when available and in form, we might look to Nathan Jones, Tom McDonald, Max Gawn, Jack Viney, Jake Lever and Stephen May as conveivable captains, and Jetta, Hibberd, Brayshaw and Lewis as other leaders. Unfortunately only one of those players has had an actually good season. Most have had a terrible time through career-worst form or just plain old injury mess. Jones, Brayshaw and Viney could all be argued to be in that twilight zone where they keep plugging along being ok, but not much resembling what they'd want to be and are capable of. What I find interesting is that all of those nine unfulfilled players have had poor years for mostly individual reasons of injury, age and form. 2019 Demons - a test case of what happens to a football club when 90% of its leaders are significantly under their best.