Little Goffy

I have a theory that bananas crop up in this thread every time the topic starts to become a problem for mods. It is the safety ramp on a mountain, giving the truck with failed brakes somewhere to go instead of off a cliff.

Rioli (pick 12) and Selwood (pick 7) are the flag-bearers for winning premierships in your first season. Either or both of Windsor (pick 7) and Tholstrupp (pick 13) could get a bit of momentum going by late in the season and be really good contributors in designated roles. It's all speculative but certainly there's a case for raising an appreciative eyebrow!

2025 if very, very interesting. A couple of absolute first-class mature-but-not-yet-old key backs, some relatively young and promising rucks who might be well on the rise by then, potentially an entire all-Australia midfield, and Oscar Allen the cherry on top.

Just going to drop in that JVR is tracking better than JUH so far. Personally I think it is amazing for Van Rooyen to have done so well while taking opposition first defenders most of the time, compared to JUH who had the marking target support of Naughton, Lobb and English. Jamarra's no slouch, but Van Rooyen is an effective primary marking target at 20yrs and that takes some doing! They would partner up very well, too.

Grit your teeth, touch wood, then consider that by type Sam VR would be a more direct replacement for Smith.

I'm holding out hope we can at least find the gem from the league-wide stock of proverbial 'youngish second rucks starved of senior opportunity but on the cusp of breaking out'. If you do a simple sort of 'hitouts per game', you find the likes of Reilly O'Brien, Nankervis, McInerney, Stanley, Rowan Marshall, Ned Reeves, Darcy Cameron, Pittonet, and Tom Hickey. Throw in current 'on the cusp' young rucks like Matt Flynn, Tristan Xerri and Tom De Koning (those last two are both free agents in 2025 by the way) you have quite a collection. That's a wide range of types and of quality but right there you've got about half of the rucks at AFL level last season being late bloomers, or only really producing at their second club, or younger guys clearly about to step up now at about 23-24yrs of age. Ideally we're looking to recreate this moment - "Jarrod Witts is traded to the Gold Coast by Collingwood in exchange for picks 44 and 62 in the national draft. Witts has struggled to break into the Magpies' line-up this year, featuring in just two games and falling behind American import Mason Cox in the club's ruck preferences" But getting Tim English would be okay, too!

I don't mind Hunter, though I think he'd be more suited closer to goal where his habit of looking for tricks and shenanigans to keep the ball alive and bouncing in the right direction would be more likely to produce interesting results. I like a scenario where one of our wings is covered by two players, where one is more defensive and committed to getting right back (think Bowey with permission to push up the ground) and one with more emphasis on going forward and bringing chaos (Hunter, Billings or even the draftees, for example). Hunter would have to be a bit worried about it, certainly more than Goodwin for example, because with the recruits we've brought in he is perhaps the single player in the team with the most 'like for like' replacements available at similar standard.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/news/paul-roos-slams-the-negative-environment-at-melbourne-on-fox-footys-afl-360/news-story/05e0324699b588e790ac5f4cb2cd293e https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/negativity-comes-from-melbourne-fans-not-club-coach-paul-roos-20150825-gj7jt6.html

Something in this thread reminded me of the 'A pair of unlikely heroes embrace' Bruce & Green moment in the 2000 final vs Carlton I can't help but notice the potential similarity with Windsor and Tholstrup, right down to sizes and roles. The main differences being we haven't yet had the wave of retirements, that our depth is already much stronger than we had going into 2000, and Woewodin is only in his second season instead of 4th. Our current team is so much better than the 2000 squad. On the one hand a testament to what youthful enthusiasm, momentum and the inspirational power of Neale Daniher can do, and on the other hand a testament to how much remains possible with out current group and the surprisingly large wave of youngsters already pushing into our 22. I'm starting to look forward to the season and it isn't even Tet yet.

For reference; just from a head count of drafting we turned over 29 players in three years, 2007-2009 - I can't make the effort to check exact list changes and player trades but obviously there are a few more to add there. Roos' credibility bought the club confidence and time to enact a cultural turnaround that even an identically capable coach without the established reputation could not have done. He could make the hard calls firmly and he could look brilliant young draftees and their families in the eye and say 'You are getting the support that will help you grow, and together we are going to rise provided you do as I say.' Niether Bailey nor Neeld had that power and both were tripped up constantly by other 'leaders' at the club enthusiastically second-guessing everything. Plus the intense supporters which the players would have interacted with would have had brought their own atmosphere of uncertainty no matter how much they tried for the stiff upper lip. It is kind of incredible to think that even though Simon Goodwin is our breakthrough premiership coach with a Demon win rate exceeded only by the greats Hughes, Chadwick and Smith, I'd still say he has a way to go before he could be considered an equal to Roos. I think a second premiership would do the trick though. And then a third while managing a changing of the guard just to prove the point.

Well, North have done everything they can to hold onto Tarryn Thomas so either Hester must be really wild or the Kangaroos just might have some very subtle cultural issues. Just reflecting some more on Brown's contribution to the MFC, because I don't like that a few people are playing it down; After returning froma long injury layoff, Brown kicked 20 goals from round 18 through to the Grand Final in 2021. In that period Fritsch also added an entire goal per game to his tally compared to the rest of the season. Pickett also overcame a mid-season slump in exact coincidence with Brown coming back. Fact is, Ben Brown provided a crucial piece of structure that completed our forward line and he played a vital part in the premiership run.

No details yet about the other vehicle. Could it have been the karma bus? Just having a laugh - obviously karma isn't a thing. We're going to have to sort him out ourselves.

Better not. The area is famous for its natural salt production and impenetrable hedges.

Having a terrible time finding a reliable supplier of leaded petrol, too! I get mine flown in from Cambodia.

Billings, McAdam, Tholstrup and Windsor all come in with pretty good height (185/186) and styles to match, which makes for interesting times for how we use our shorter players. As others note, Bowey isn't the type to truly shut down an opposition small forward and he makes his best contribution as the calm head probing for cracks as we move the ball forward. If his fitness continues to build I'd love to see him moving up the ground a bit while retaining responsibility for getting back hard to defence and providing that lovely kick out of chaos and into a safe mark that settles things down. I'm still left a little concerned about our ability to truly shut down fast, agile small forwards. Maybe Kynan Brown over time? By all reports he would have the mobility, tenacity and aggression for it.

They're celebrating by having a national day of telling Muslims they don't belong. I wish I was kidding.

Ugh. Even regular spas accumulate a layer of white fat residue on the sides just like stewpots do if you don't clean them out right away. Knew a guy who had to drain out and scrape the sides of the AIS heated spas once a fortnight. You wouldn't think all those athletes would leave behind so much fat. I... respect the necessity of very dark humour. #ganzersyndrome

The student association motto is 'Brest is best'. Also, what is going on with the departments there? sports and exercise science - okay science and technology - yep medicine and health - mm-hmm dentistry and law - WHAT?

On the bright side... No, I can't quite find a bright side. The most positive I can be is that he might be available and fresh late in the season, OR he will call it a day and we can pick up someone in the mid-season draft or even the pre-season supplementary which runs until mid Feb. Does anyone have some clarity about the latest changes to the 'inactive list' because if Brown is out for 6 to 8 weeks we may actually be eligible to put him on the inactive list right away without him retiring, which would let us snap a SSP selection. Perhaps the junior Van Rooyen can be ours after all?

Who is Zac Sharpe and why is he getting money to do what we would and could all cheerfully do better for free?

Highlights an old point about how young players need the 'protection' of an established core to help them develop and to be effective. Many players on that list we would happily say are AFL-level, but if you forced them into match ups on the opposition's very best with no counter-balance of our stars, they would get ground down and eventually destroyed. You could put together a list of the last 22 season's Rising Star winners and it would be mind-blowing viewed from a whole-career quality perspective (except for being a little thin for tall defenders) but if you had to play them all as if it was their first couple of seasons, you wouldn't necessarily have the ultimate team right away. In fact, you could even break them badly. And just for fun: B: Mills D Talia Sheezel HB: Rich Rivers Heppell C: Daicos O'meara Deledio HF: Serong Riewoldt Stephenson F: L Taylor Hogan Ko****knee FOLL: Jackson Selwood Walsh Interchange: McGrath, Palmer, Haselby, Hannebery

It is only when I look at these current training galleries that I really grasp the inadequacy shown in the training gallery shared from 2013. Even our skinny guys have clear definition. Like our team has upgraded to high resolution.

I love Jake Lever but I'm not sure he's a good choice as captain. It's a strange paradox - one of the smartest players on our list, but has also had some of the most spectacular brain farts I've ever seen on a football field! Another factor is that his effectiveness relies a bit much on others doing their job properly. In his role there's not a lot he can do to turn things around and lift morale and intensity if we are faltering. All that said, definitely a leader and definitely a super valuable player. Our next captain is going to be a whopper of a decision. Right now just about every candidate on our list is either almost as old as Gawn or in a dedicated role and persona that isn't quite captain-ish. It could be very interesting to see what happens if Brayshaw is given a more central game-defining role rather than the game-saving role he has often been in.

Generally abbreviated to SOB, DH or FW in preference over BM.

One core player 'almost leaves' - also known as... 'stays'. One fringe player dumb enough to be caught allegedly powdering during the season. One superstar player with personal issues related to ADHD and side effects of the related medications. I mean, throw in 'one of the shortest and mildest injury lists in the competition' and it doesn't seem so bad. Certainly better than any of Richmond's premiership year pre-seasons. This train of thought made me look back. I know we don't comment at all about Oliver's personal situation but my memory has been jogged; Lance Franklin, a player almost as good as Oliver, took indefinite leave from playing right at the start of the 2015 finals series citing mental health issues overwhelming him. Always worth remembering that these things happen and that players do recover and return to their absolute best. Franklin played every game and kicked 81 goals in 2016. Oliver, still just 26, remains on target for the ultimate records of most disposals, most tackles and most clearances in the history of the game. I plan to celebrate every Oliver milestone a little more knowing that he has had to get past some obstacles on the way.