Dr. Gonzo

Because we drank it?

That's the crux of the matter and the thing that sends us supporters batty

Lockhart has been OK since the Cats/Tigers games. I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon. Smith is a bust, the guy is useless. I'd rather have Tomlinson out there as bad as he has been.

Melksham should be dropped for that contested mark he shirked in the 2nd quarter if nothing else

And pace and skill

Preuss

Liabilities - TMac, Hannan, Brayshaw, Tomlinson, Pickett (though has time on his side) Vandenberg, Harmes, Lever

Petracca wtf?

Brayshaw [censored] off

Pretenders

And May

He has to hit the scoreboard when the opportunities come up. He had two chances early and muffed them both

Would probably end up at the Hawks with our other castoffs (Frawley, Scully, Frost). They love collecting former junior prodigies with unfulfilled talent due to injuries or other issues.

Dermie respectfully disagrees

That completely disregards the foot injuries he's had to deal with since 2018.

I wonder whether coaches are getting much of a chance to go and watch opposition teams play live this year. As in the OP one of the premises of the thread is that you can't really understand the modern game just from watching on TV. If coaches are being prohibited from watching their opposition live this year it may provide an opportunity for some teams/tactics/structures to slip under the radar.

This is something that did my head in for years. You'd watch Melbourne forwards just standing around stagnant I assume because they either didn't have the inclination or tank to work hard or, more likely, they were only thinking about how THEY could win the ball - if there was no clear path ahead of them to lead into they wouldn't bother because their teammate was not going to kick it to them amongst multiple opposition players. What I wanted to see was forwards and mids leading up to their kicking teammate particularly when they knew they WOULDN'T win the ball in order to create space behind them for their teammates to work in. It requires a high level of workrate, I guess it's the attacking version of "running both ways".

It's interesting, while forward half turnovers can be great as it keeps the ball in your half and hopefully catches defenses off guard allowing you to easily pick off through the zone it also means your forward line is extremely crowded generally with anywhere between 28-36 players in there. This makes it exceptionally difficult to score especially for teams like us who are not highly skilled. Back half turnovers allow you to spread the opposition defence before slingshotting as well as catching them off guard running forward meaning you can generally get over the zone quicker and have greater space in your forward line.

Yeah this is exactly what I was going to say. Being good at scoring in different situations shows that the overall gameplan in all three phases (defensive structure/pressure, ball movement and stoppages) holds up against different opposition. This is generally due to a well drilled team who also has key players with individual brilliance.

Love the enthusiasm binman but I reckon you're overestimating our ability based on 3 games against mediocre opposition. The potential is certainly there for this team to explode but until they do it against the better sides and do it consistently I think it's incorrect to compare us favourably to the Tigers who have won 2 of 3 and are challenging for a 3rd in 4.

Great thread thanks to all the contributors and all the links to read/watch Just picking up on this part of the discussion and a post prior to this that mentioned clubs do not have plan B's and players train all off season practising to implement their game plan. If a coach does start throwing things around when the team is losing and changing the message about how the team is to play it would send a message to the players that the ciach has lost belief that the system they have been drilled with is strong enough to overcome. Either the system is strong enough and the players just need to implement it better or the players are good enough but the system can't beat the opposition. It may result in a one off win if the players play with a bit more freedom and flair but it is likely to be a dead cat bounce similar to when a coach is sacked. Footy has changed since the 80s/early 90s when Sheedy could swing the magnets around and rely on individual skill and brilliance to win a game. Players are so well drilled now and so well structured and coached in their own groups (mids, fwds, backs) I think it would be difficult to really make too many changes in game without completely disrupting the balance of the team.

Preuss - 2nd (if we're lucky) or 3rd rounder No one is giving you anything for ANB, Smith or Hunt, maybe a 4th rounder for ANB if you're lucky

Past: Lyon, Jakovich, Schwarz and the Wiz Jeff Farmer Current: PETRACCAAAAAAA followed by the WEEEEEED, Viney and May

Classic, you would have been just above me - I would have been in the Richmond members area on ground level in the blue seats if memory serves!

Yep me too, helps with getting through the game quicker as well as the benefit of watching uninterrupted after the kids have gone to bed. Skip through goals and quarter time/half time and the game goes really quick. Just have to avoid the msgs on the phone in case the extended family is watching and decides to give away the result in a group chat.