Little Goffy

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.

Wow. A full implosion. Getting in now so I've spat my dummy already and am not tempted to join in the post-game misery w---. Stars were flat, and the tail was loooooong. Passenger culture creeping in.

Just quietly, I think Luke Davies-Uniacke is going to be a terrific part of our 2026-2028 three-peat.

So there's a physicist, a chemist and an economist stranded on an island with nothing but a carton of chupa-chups to eat and no way to open them...

Joking, yes?

Brisbane have a draw! Also Essendon and the Crows, but Brisbane is my top candidate, especially with them playing the Magpies in the second-last round just for added drama.

Maybe use a VPN with region unlock and a temporary Kayo subscription?

So many clubs I just wish would let go of the raft and sink into oblivion. Did I use up all my credits cursing West Coast and Hawthorn? Divine favour well spent to be sure, but still, what animal do I need to sacrifice to make Collingwood falter and finish outside the 8 on percentage? Realistically they could lose their last 4 games (Blues, Swans, Lions and finally to us) and in the process give up their spot to a late-surging Lions who also have a draw.

Seems unwise for a near-30-yr-old player out of contract and not getting much done playing at VFL level.

We did it. We broke Geelong. Watching other teams feast on the corpse is a bit like being the leopard which has been harassed off a kill by hyenas, but we did get our meal and the hunt was excellent, too. Geelong likely to be in sixth by the end of the round and out of the 8 by their round 14 bye.

If Netflix had the full coverage of AFL games, I would never need to switch on regular TV again. I mean, sure, I'll miss out on the ads telling me the latest from Farmer Wants a Root and I won't be able to flick over to watch a 2017 rerun of 8 out of 10 Cats does countdown, but all in all, I think I can just about some gaffa tape over the 'TV' button and never regret it. Plus, the movie where they put together the commentary team would be awesome.

A Malthouse to Carlton scenario, you reckon? Or Neeld to Melbourne? As for Martin, I'd argue that our list needs are of the meat and three veg healthy core rather than premium chocolates. Sigh. In a fantasy world if I could steal a rival veteran who might be jack of it at their current club, I'd be looking at the St Kilda Captain. Can you imagine Steele and Viney going in side by side, denying all opponents even a moment of comfort and each doing 120% of the workload of a normal person. The opposition could field a Balrog and still would not be able to pass. I guess that brings me back to the Martin point - we have many young players who are capable of dynamic things but who are still developing the maturity needed for the relentless grind and the composure needed to halt runs of goals. What we need most of all is the reliable core of maturity who can enable those younger guys to really explore their abilities without too much anxiety over inevitable mistakes.

Personally I think Lever is the more natural forward, but for both of them there is the problem that they clearly have a team rule that they aren't allowed to enter the forward 50 even to take a shot on goal.

Sconnes with cream and jam, oh, scohnes with jam and cream?