Little Goffy

It's all inflation. And a fair bit of this 'shrinkflation' that is becoming popular, too. Like how these days, for not particular reason, you need a Bachelor Degree to do what would have been a Diploma job twenty years ago. Meanwhile... The things you find when you search for 'Too many GOATs'. https://www.themanygoatsproject.com/ A project to coordinate research on goat behaviour across numerous sites because it turns out one of the main features of goat behaviour is that their surroundings can influence their personality in radically unpredictable ways, so it is necessary to simultaneously study goats from a wide range of environments to allow for that situational effect. This is exactly the kind of the research collaboration that the internet was originally created for. https://www.goodgrowth.earth/post/too-many-goats There are too many goats. Not just in sport, but also, Mongolia. Cashmere got cheap, so cashmere goat farmers increased their herd and production to try to still turn a profit, which made cashmere get cheaper, so goat farmers increased their herd and production to try to still turn a profit, which made cashmere get cheaper, so goat farmers increased their herd and production to try to still turn a profit... Who would've thought that the world was in need of a Goat Cartel?

I'm kind of shocked. Something went horribly wrong against Fremantle and I'd like to be alarmist but so many others have hit the panic button before me that the fun has drained out of it. We came into the season seriously behind. I was thinking we'd be lucky to even have a 50/50 win loss record at the mid-season break. After the Alice springs disaster we're now 7w 5l and outside the 8 on percentage alone, and in this wacky season we're still one win short of the top 4. Anyway, the problems are easy enough to identify; Our forward line is an abject disaster. Not a single forward has been in form, and those who have been at least keeping the scoreboard moving or providing contests are the not the ones who can define a structure by contesting over and over - Fritsch and Pickett aren't built for the role, and Van Rooyen is eventually built for it but still too young to be doing it alone. Our mature-age depth recruitment drove off a cliff. From the epic run of Langdon, Hibberd, Melksham and Brown all playing their part to make a team complete (and even Tomlinson had an important run of form before his injury), we've now had Dunstan, Hunter, Grundy, Billings, McAdam, Schache and Fullarton all cost us more than they have been worth to date. And of course the elephant in the room of losing Angus Brayshaw right on the cusp of the season, when also previously losing the depth which would otherwise have come in, James Jordon. The hole in our hearts is matched by the hole in our list. And the other elephant in the room of Oliver's messed up pre-season and 'just another midfielder' form. Simple statistics will say he is down about 20% on the levels he sustained consistently for seven years. That feels about right, but maybe exacerbated in the sense of "getting it 20% less, and then doing 20% less with it." It is pretty clear that the emotional strain of holding it all together under such trying circumstances got the better of us at last, away in Alice Springs and without Lever's reassuring screaming keeping everyone in line. None of this is a surprise or mystery. And yet we're right in the mix after playing through one of the hardest draws of any club in the first half of the season. Congratulations Max Gawn on being an epic captain providing the example of even-tempered grit and excellence the club so desperately has needed during this time.

Wow, you must really hate Robbie Flower.

Completely beaten. So many kicks and handballs falling short of the target it is comical. Turnovers or lost contests everywhere and then holes all over the place for the opposition to come through. I've not seen us that flustered and all-round ineffective in four years. Clearly at the moment we are wildly up and down each week and the up isn't as up as the down is down. For all that the result has been just about decided already, this second half is an important one for the mentality of the club.

25 minute interview with Brayden Maynard's mum on AFL website's vacuous "Mum's with mics" segment. The shaping of the narrative has started early. Talking about the 'media coverage' and how upsetting it was. I've watched it an extracted most of what was said about the incident, so nobody else needs to wade through the rest of the tedium. "It's pretty hurtful stuff. It's pretty hurtful stuff. Because [shrugs and smiles] it's a footy act. It's a footy act." "No one - no one intentionally goes out to do anything like that... and if they did, they shouldn't be playing footy. But it is - it is a contact sport. Like, it is, it is, and, sadly stuff does happen." "I think the fact that a career ended... to be pinpointed on my son, that just breaks my heart because that just - that just is not the case. It's not. No." No, they did not mentioned Angus Brayshaw by name at any point, nor express any condolences or sympathy for him or, for that matter, his mum. For example as you can see in the quotes here, it was 'a career ended'. Time for your periodic reminded that Brayden Maynard has hospitalised an opponent with a head injury every season since Craig McRae became Collingwood coach.

wut? Not even talking about you. 🦃

That's what happens when you hire a Holy Ghost writer.

is it getting weird that we keep taking players from St Kilda? I think we can safely say that Petty has been committed to the transtion to being a forward (whatever you think of Crow rumours) which means we have three currently playing tall defenders over 30yrs old. So the question is; Would Battle be another in the string of 'yeah, okay' players who struggle to find a spot in our best 22? OR Would he be a valuable defensive role-player who finds a place in the system and plays 100 handy games for us?

Fair call, his impact on the whole functioning of the forward line was huge. Like Tom Hawkins but not annoying.

Max Gawn forgot he was a 'only' a ruck again. Led the game for clearances and score involvements, at 88% disposal efficiency. Nod to Nibbler who continues to turn his workrate into real effect. Nod to Viney who held the sludge-wave under control during the grotty second quarter when our midfield was well under expectations. And a smile and a nod to Salem who has probably done himself a world of good by having such a busy and effective day. Most importantly, a much shorter 'tail' this week compared to a number of recent games.

Heh, junk time goals like it is the early 2000s again.

Which is technically 3rd when adjusted for Essendon's inevitable failure. In the end, the elephant always falls out of the tree.

I bet we'd know if we were coached by a Scott brother. I'm sure it was just a little typhus outbreak and everyone moping that they couldn't all go to Ed's' sister's wedding.

Gawn is just a bit better than whatever challenge is put in front of him, and also makes a point of putting himself up against more challenges than anyone else.

Is that Brisbane out of the finals race or does their draw keep them just barely clinging on? They would need to pick up a game on the Dogs, two games on Freo and Gold Coast, and also three games on one of the current top 7.

Poor Jefferson, I feel like he's going to spend his career being compared to increments of disappointment, no matter how much progress he makes. He's the next Lucas Cook. He's the next Sam Weideman. He's the next John Butcher. He's the next Justin Koschitzche. He's the next Peter Wright. Hes the next Darcy Fogarty. He's the next Eric Hipwood. etc Until eventually we will be saying 'I mean, yeah, he's good but really he's just the Roughead to Van Rooyen's Franklin'. 🤪

Tomlinson has clearly decided this stretch without Lever is has last chance to prove his AFL credentials. At half time leads all on the ground for; Intercepts, metres gained, 1%ers, disposals, conteseted posessions, and contested marks. Not pitching a shut-out defensively but has been very effective. Where does he fit when Lever is available again? Competing with McDonald or competing for a Hibberd-style role with a few of the younger and shorter guys?

Seems we have decided on a team rule to take the option if there's one just barely inside or on the 50, and accept the difficulty of shots from that distance rather than blast it in and risk the rapid turnover. I suppose even if the long-range set shot is a behind, there's plenty of time to set up to stifle the counter-attack. 8 marks inside 50 in one quarter seems like a lot. Touch wood we keep controlling territory the way we have been. Very few clanger-level turnovers. Also, is it just me or have Oliver and Petracca been pretty in the first quarter? Hmm, quick odd stat - Sparrow, Nibbler, Oliver and Petracca have less than 100m gained between them. Fritsch's work rate seems to be back up.

Oh really? That was going to far? On this thread?

My main concern for the game is how well Max recovers from watching the Giro D'Italia final competitive stage last night. Plus there's the let-down of commuting through the dreary 'sameness without theme' of an Australian city after watching the landscape of Northern Italy go past for five hours. Hopefully it manifests in anger. A real 'I will create something beautiful today and nothing will stop me' moment.

All we need is a game played as Narrm, on a thursday or friday night, in the rain. Statisically the chances of a win would round to zero.

Found the old draft profile. Crucially, there's no sign that he is related or connected in any way with Lawrence Angwin https://central.rookieme.com/afl/player/ryan-angwin/ I wonder how much the 'soft' impression is a product of simply not being strong enough yet? Treated as taking him with a late round draft pick, he might be a reasonable acquisition as we search for a future Langdon replacement who won't take any salary cap space until he's proven himself. We're going to have a truckload of list spots open at the end of this season and also likely to be pursuing a high value player or two to keep the shine on, so cap space matters.

Meh, all good. Freshening him up for the second half of the season where we make our heroic charge. 😬

I'm going to say.... merge thread.

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your bingo cards. I've already got "Crunch Time", "Line-in-the-sand", "What do we stand for", "hit the wall" and a capitalised "at The Crossroads". Plus "Play the kids" from another thread title.