Little Goffy

Wow, Geelong really delivering on Scott's 'Brilliant' 'new' 'strategy' of 'getting inside the heads of opponents' by 'announcing themselves as contenders'.

Maybe I should move that particular breath of sarcasm to the Damien Barrett thread, but wow, Geelong must have had yet another bout of the whole team being sick the night before.

4 minutes ago, Deebauched said:

Hawthorn doesnt lay down especially against the MFC. Why do people think Hawthorn will tank????

Theyre a proud successful club.  

Proud and successful except for when they tanked to set up their dynasty, yes!

Meanwhile, they are going all right against Richmond, to keep our dream alive of Freo slipping to third last.

Fremantle have all of Swans, Cats, Lions and Power to deal with, with only the Eagles a should-win.

Unfortunately Hawthorn also have a bit of a tough run. If they fail today against the Tigers, there's no realistic prospect of them moving up.

But then, in round 24, Hawks and Freo face off directly.

The death ride may yet come down to the wire! It may even be percentage against the direct opponent in the last game of the season!

8 hours ago, BDA said:

Petty has been injury prone this year and his form has been patchy. If tommo takes his opportunity this weekend I doubt he’ll get dropped again.

You never know how things will play out. Tommo’s injury in 21 opened the door for petty who took his opportunity brilliantly. Who’s to say tommo won’t do the same thing now? 

Being a premiership fullback would help Tomlinson's trade value for sure! 🤪

2 hours ago, Demonland said:

Laird Out! Massive.

 

So, who is this Likely and what position does he play?

I'd love an update on how Crows fans are going now that Rory Laird's shoulder has become too worn out from carrying the team.

So many 'ifs' went against Tomlinson.

If he hadn't been injured, obviously. If Petty hadn't lifted so well in response to the opportunity. If the experiment this year with Petty forward had been a success.

I think he's been very unlucky and has good AFL level football to play, but it is hard to see him waiting for his luck to turn at Melbourne when there must surely be other clubs looking for a mature, proven defender at a comparatively low price in trade and salary space.

Meanwhile, I'm still keen on Curtin in the draft as the premium-tier successor to May and future defensive partner to Petty, which is a scenario that would basically put a line through Tomlinson's medium term opportunities as well.

Also, surely there's no way Ben McKay is going to get inflated to a start-of-first-round selection? Comparison to James Frawley just reinforces the point - Frawley was an established All-Australian key defender with 100+ games to his name. Ben McKay has managed just one season without major interruptions, for his highest B&F result of 6th in 2021. Pick 3? Joking.

North are surely in fantasyland, like so much of their list strategy the last five years or so.

On 7/8/2023 at 12:19 PM, adonski said:

 

At 0:21 I was triggered horribly. Can't even remember exactly what game it was, but Doggy Brown was just about our only player actually trying to take the game on and turn things our way. Unfortunately with so little support or options to feed off to, he kept getting cornered or run down.

I remember one instance he was actually shepherded/coralled by accident by a flat-footed Daniel Ward and as he lost momentum got absolutely slammed from the blind side. That's what the 0:21 footage brought back - at least this time it wasn't a teammate in the way!

Overall, really interesting video. Some moments of really good vision and some moments of zero vision or thought at all. Lots of running to get the handball receive from a mark, but also some good aggression and tenacity when hunting. Has a bit of speed and chooses to use it.

On that package, I wouldn't expect him to instantly break into AFL level but he could develop into a very handy player with some non-boring attributes!

8 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

Absolutely nothing like James MacDonald.

JM was the captain, B&F winner & AA.

James McDonald also spent his first nine seasons as a respectable and steadily improving part of the best 22, never a star before his triumphant flourishing when given responsibility in the midfield and as a leader, from 2006 on.

Jordon now is the age McDonald was in 1999.

I love James McDonald and the story of perseverance and growth which he adds to our club's history. He contributed well for almost a decade before finally becoming a truly outstanding player at his peak.

I'd argue there is no better analogy to refer to when we talk about losing James Jordon.

I've likened Jordon to James McDonald in the past - I think he'll be a genuinely excellent midfielder without every being flashy or dominating.

Trouble is, we've got Petracca, Oliver and Viney, all three of whom are in the very top rank of AFL midfielders.

Brayshaw, when playing in the midfield, is also very similar to Jordon in the sense that he is a good contributor without ever really seeming dominant or imposing. Complicating things, our wings and half-back positions are now so loaded with quality options Brayshaw almost has too play midfield now.

Then of course there's the direct competition with Sparrow, who has a noticeably better haircut.

You could have a long debate about whether Sparrow's better form than Jordon's is driven by the fact that he's been given a sustained run at AFL level and in a stable position, while Jordon has been subbed in and out and moved around at both AFL and VFL level. Pygmalion effect in action.

Part of a bigger issue - what do we do with the whole set of Harmes, Dunstan and Jordon, who could all be getting midfield games somewhere else?

I think Geelong are masking their true situation a bit thanks to their potent home ground advantage.

Geelong when not playing at Goomba Stadium;

4 wins, 1 Draw, 6 losses.

The wins include the early season Hawks and West Coast at, um, Adelaide Oval because [reasons].

I'm not especially afraid of them and the beat-up is, of course a beat-up.

28 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

Who remembers when Gawn had a serious knee injury at the start of the season and we thought he would be out for a year?

No on in the media was questioning the Grundy trade then.

Grundy being available made it easy to resist the temptation to rush Gawn back in from injury, and also eased the load on him when he did return, allowing Gawn to train fully and rebuild his fitness base. Very little chance Gawn could have had the game he just had against Brisbane without that.

Getting Grundy has definitely helped the club and if he can just improve a few basics and we can learn to zone the two rucks so they aren't interfering with each other's games too much, the pay-off can still be huge.

I mean, it is quite realistic that we are freshening Grundy now to make sure he's good for finals. 

Flashback to Ben Brown 2021!

Is there an option for '[Censored] No'?

The only advantage of Geelong playing finals is the prospect of Essendon going into an elimination final already knowing they're doomed.

The 'Essendon to be immediately knocked out of finals for a seventh time' death ride is almost as tantalising as the Freo death ride, but more pure because it is a strictly spiritual calling.

I'm still on the Curtin wagon for our first pick but it seems a near certainty that multiple very suitable very capable players will be available in the first half of the first round. 

Duursma particularly suits my craving for a player capable of doing some attacking damage, mixing into our midfield and half-forward groups and being different and difficult everywhere he goes. Seems like there is not even a hint of consensus about where he'll get picked; I've seen anywhere from top 3 to barely inside the top 10.

That seems true for a lot of players, and driven by a glut of competing quality. What a great draft to have a big say in!

I'm trying to avoid facing the awkward fact that there's going to be some players just inside or on the edge of the 22 who will be moving on at season's end, but that's also clearly in our favour.

3 hours ago, Demonstone said:

One of the grounds I played on in junior footy was literally a paddock with goal posts at each end.

We had to shoo the sheep off the ground before we could start the game, but evidence of their existence was obvious wherever you looked.

The coach didn't need to remind us to keep our feet when we played there.

Wet grass and copious duck droppings produced the slipperiest surface I've ever played any sport on. Made particularly hilarious by it being lunch time inter-departmental competitions between public servants within sight of OPH.

The surfaces all looked absolutely flawless; lush, neatly trimmed and tree-lined. But they were definitely maintained as ornamental lawns, not playing fields.

Duckcrap smears all ranks alike.

Okay, so, out of curiosity, when was the last time Melbourne played Collingwood in a final?

I'm thinking maybe a couple of times at the end of the 80s, yes?

Sam Weideman was a strong contributer to winning finals.

No Essendon player has done that since before this year's draft crop was born.

3 hours ago, Redleg said:

Speaking of anti Dees bias, a perennial favourite BT sounded like our Number 1 member on Friday. He was cheering us home, praising every bit of play late in the game and willing us to win. At the same time, Richo kept saying one more goal to Lions will win this for them.

I am not knocking Richo as I like his comments btw.

Wonder what turned BT. Maybe just wanting a great finish for the TV audience. 

 

I noticed that, too. Very strange in those last few minutes how he kept announcing that Brisbane were cooked. Best reason I can think of is that he had the thought bubble that he thought was clever and then, in the BT way, just kept on repeating it loudly. The vanity of an Australian sports commentator is one of the most powerful human forces in the world!

Tell you what, if anyone sitting near me said 'Melbourne have won this' with 30 seconds left as Brisbane got a clearance from their defensive fifty, I'd select my share and sharpest couple of [censored] for them. It was a 50/50 contest from being a Brisbane shot after the siren to decide the game!

5 minutes ago, layzie said:

Carlton fans to be up and about again.

Carlton equivalent of MFCSS is the eternal lament 'Great too late, where was this in April to June?'.

They'll be having very mixed feelings at the moment, especially with the Harry McKay injury.

Personally I hope they make finals by percentage over Geelong and then knock Essendon out in the elimination final, just because that would be the most possible pain for Cats and Bombers.

I'm just going to whisper this quietly, but we are halfway through the round and so far every single result has fallen in our favour to absolute perfection.

We are now at minimum a game and good percentage clear of 5th, which can be only one team, with the rest of the top-8 chasing from at least two games behind.

At the other end, Gold Coast and the Swans have both pulled ahead of the Dockers.

Carlton as I type this are going into the final quarter 5 goals up against Port, which would put them a win and a draw ahead of Freo while also... just maybe... cracking the dome at Port.

On 7/6/2023 at 1:09 PM, BangBnagBang said:

There is a difference between bid and nominate. Ashcroft nominated Brisbane and was bid on by North.

White can nominate Melbourne but there is nothing stopping GCS bidding on him.  its up to Melbourne to match the bid.

I never understand why people post stuff which is just plain wrong and shows they don't know what they are talking about. Still school holidays isnt it.

So you're saying that 'under the academy process' Gold Coast 'can bid'... with exactly no additional priority or access at all compared to any other club, and you thought this was an important point to share.

One of my pet peeves is people who make a nonsensical claim, get pulled up on it and then change their story and act like other people are foolish for not understanding what they didn't say to begin with.

You claimed Gold Coast had a right to bid on F/S nominees through the academy process. This is an entirely incorrect claim which you presented as fact. The claim could both confuse and anger people who believed it.

Own your mistake, move on, and perhaps 'embrace the learnings' of the experience.

Is it too early to crack open the old threads from July 2021?

The strategy of replacing Grundy with an additional Max Gawn worked wonders.

Another two Brownlow votes for Petracca.

We saw a Full Melksham tonight. The ultimate football compliment is when you out-body your opponent so well the umpire just assumes you've pushed illegally and pays a free.

Also, a full evening of Joe Daniher doing Joe Daniher things is always entertaining in a 'never again, please' way.

And I swear, if they ever put Jake Lever into one of those kids football ads, they won't need to get a kid in, they can just use tonight's footage of him bouncing around yelling 'Did you see me, Mum?' after the siren. 😁

It is not a small coincidence that when Rivers was up we were up and when Rivers was stagnant we were stagnant.

Ah, yes, the nosey vicar.

How does he hold he position when he doesn't even understand how an 'If/then' statement is supposed to work?

Sometimes he is annoying for a particular reason, but mostly he is annoying just because his seat on panels, his column space and his media bandwidth in general could all be occupied by something more interesting than the slowly deflating camp mattress that he offers.

7 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Totally! I mean, it’s not like those security guards are gonna catch you.

Incidentally, re the guy who did the bare-chested pitch invasion a few weeks ago, the media reported that he was caught and fined. Yeah nah, he was on a tram home before those guards even made it to the boundary fence. 😆

Unless of course Jonny’s out in the middle…

"Bairstow's Eshay Removal Service".

Good that he has a post-cricket career ready, and one that really gives back to the community.