DeeSpencer

possibly not this year but even as recently as last year Jack would run rings around him. Viney’s explosive first few steps are a big part of his game (if they still exist)

Disagree on Kentfield. I’m not high on him but he looked ok before Christmas, I’m not sure debilitating pneumonia was on the draft profile. Also willing to give Verrall at least this year. Sestan should’ve been moved to half back at Casey mid last year and then made a decision on. Fullarton was beyond dreadful at Casey last year in terms of doing anything like the basics in the ruck or forward. They’ve now largely given up on him as a ruck but if his forward game improves I hope he gets a chance, he does have the combination of athleticism and actual height we’ve been crying out for. But I’m not blaming our coaches based on what he served up at Casey last year. Fringe talls are always a gamble that you often have to be patient with. It’s recontracting unremarkable fringe mids and flankers where I think we’ve gone badly wrong.

Why? No aerial game, no speed, would be a disaster. Paul Johnson in the back pocket level stuff

Time trial and speed are completely different things. Even Sharp is only moderately quick, although he can sustain the high cruising speed for long distances. Laurie would be our slowest mid or perhaps on par with the big bodies of Langford and Culley, he can just sustain his running over 2km.

Does he dominate or does he do what is expected of a mature age midfielder? We’ve seen Dunstan, Viv Michie and JKH and many more over the years produce 30 and a goal at Casey. I’d like to see him get a real go but it’s hard to argue that our midfield needs another slow mid

FB: Petty May Adams HB: Salem T Mc Bowey C: Langdon Rivers Billings HF: Chandler Turner Tracc FF: Pickett JVR Fritsch Foll: Gawn Oliver Langford Int: Windsor, Sharp, Henderson, Viney S: Sparrow Out: Howes, Melk, Lindsay, AJ In: Adams, Turner, Pickett, Windsor 4 talls down back isn’t ideal, nor do I think Jed is truly ready, but we need someone who’s willing to defend and can’t keep picking Howes.

Geelong have been pushing that as a recruiting tool and once that stuff spreads across an industry it's hard to ignore. I don't think there's a direct relationship with training intensity and standards and more flexible hours around preparation.

That’s pretty much what I think. Coaching is a big factor, you have to use training to get players confident and drilled at making the right decisions. But it also takes time and the right players. Langford played without the same apprehension and with more skill than our experienced mids. Unfortunately his inexperience and lack of speed hurts defensively. Pickett will help. More midfield time for Tracc could help if he cuts down his turnovers. But we need more skills than we’ve got on the list!

If you watch the first half especially against the Suns we didn’t move it fast but we did move it from the backline with width and skill. Very similar to the Brisbane game plan. Make the ground big. Effectively spread all 18 players in to 18 positions. It wasn’t our usual lament of slowly bombing up the boundary and the other team having 3 on 1 or 4 on 2 and us bombing it to an impossible match up. Our mids would often have the ball in space with 6 on 6 ahead of them and plenty of room to work with. Unfortunately unlike Brisbane who know how to find the short or kick long with penetration to a 1 on 1 we panicked and turned it over often with extra handballs as much as kicks. The good news is our players are actively trying to not blindly bomb it. The bad news is that’s actually a worse result short term and I wonder if Viney, Oliver, Sparrow in particular will ever have any vision and poise in their kicking.

No idea if it’s true but there has been talk of Olympic park being keen for us to go for more space for Storm, Victory etc.

Yep, and whilst a future first for pick 9 (which became 11) will draw the headlines especially if we give Essendon a top 5 pick that won’t be the bit that bothers me too much. Especially if XL can become an on baller and not just a flanker/wing. Worthy dice roll. But the extra cost for pick 28 (which became 32 from the ANB trade) and 40 (roughly 46) in the trade (not so worried about 54 and 65) in a really deep draft hurts. We have to take more useful draft picks and develop them up. Constantly trading up rather than letting the draft fall to you is a way to end up with stuff all depth as we have now.

If we hadn’t signed him already I’d offer him a 1 year deal now. Heck, get back in form and I’d give him 2 more. Just madness that we gave him 3 more when not out of contract. And didn’t just do it, but made a big song and dance about how amazing it was.

Serious and correct!

Please. Look at the key forwards, flanker depth and skill level those teams had that we never did. We maximised our best year, chased the same thing in 22 (no team has gone back to back after their first flag since Brisbane) then had some stiff luck in 23. Plenty of other stuff went wrong since of which coaching is a big factor but it’s just mad to suggest any coach would’ve done better. Especially with the way our list has dropped off year on year. The reason we won a flag to begin with was we designed a game plan around our inside mids bullying sides. The reason we stink now is because that same midfield just can’t play this new style.

So for at least the first half our half back movement was hardly rapid but actually pretty solid. But every time we got it to midfield one of our horrendous mids would either bomb it, stop for no reason or do a meaningless sideways handball back in to traffic. The only guy playing with freedom was Langford. He’s hardly a great kick but he makes easy natural decisions and actual looks who he is kicking too. When he got the ball I had confidence he’d give a forward a chance. With anyone else - pure yuck. Gawn, Viney, Oliver, Tracc and Sparrow only know one way and they’re now so scared to bomb it long they aren’t even doing that when we’ve got numbers goal side. Maybe they’ll start to get the hang of it soon but until they get the balance right between the game plan and just natural smart footy they’ll be nowhere and we’ll have constant turnovers.

If Howes doesn’t get dropped the club isn’t serious. Play him whatever position you like just make sure it’s at Casey. You can’t concede 2 goals from throwing the ball because you’re afraid to get tackled and stay in the team. Honestly, the most embarrassing display I’ve ever seen from a Melbourne player.

Out: Howes, Lindsay, AJ, JVR In: Windsor, Pickett, Disco, Lever One last chance for Oliver and Fritsch FB: T MC May Rivers HB: Bowey Lever Salem C: Langdon Tracc Billings HF: Viney Petty Pickett FF: Fritsch Turner Chandler Foll: Gawn Oliver Langford Int: Windsor, Henderson, Sharp, Melk S: Sparrow Laurie in, Sparrow down back if Windsor isn’t ready

Not sure I’ll watch the replay on this one but great bounce back from Disco. Hopefully he returns to the afl side with some confidence that he’s too good for VFL

No mail but I’d be suspecting acl until proven otherwise

That’s not the equivalent deal tho. Casey is fine for its purpose. Our choice is Caulfield. I’m not in love with Caulfield as it’s a rental without extra revenue generation. But it’s also a chance to build something of our own and with 2 ovals One interesting option could be to rent Waverley if there’s a period between now and Caulfield and the Waverley buyers/owners are agreeable. Waverley does have advantages over Gosch’s.

Petty might’ve fetched 2 firsts but the crows could’ve asked for something back and they were late firsts in a really shallow first, personally still rather Petty given the state of the rest of our talls. If we move him this year or next we can get a better pick in a better draft that the stuff the Crows offered. Oliver was flat out untradeable after 2023 and last year Geelong offered us nothing. No picks and we paid plenty of the contract. If we can get his decision making somewhere from the current terrible to ok he’ll have value after this year. The only player who we really missed the window to sell for picks was Fritsch. Top 30 pick in last years draft and see you later.

As for tackling, it looked from the beginning that North had fresh legs and were comfortable in the surface. We looked heavy legged and without any confidence in the Marvel sand pit. Too many players without the power in the legs to finish tackles.

A veteran player just loping along aimlessly in the backline isn’t talk. AFL stadiums are loud, it’s mostly shambolic decision making and lack of cohesion. New game plan and new players are a factor, as is talk. but we have to be more predictable to the other players to get flow in the ball movement. A big problem with our team is our best and most experienced players all love being the heroes.

As long as they’re still best 22 it won’t hurt but I just didn’t like the messaging of it. In general though teams are all paying veterans a lot longer than they used to. North’s desperation for experience and overall shortage of talent seems to have changed the market.

We seem to have lost our ruthlessness of trimming young guys who don’t seem up to it. Verrall, Sestan, 2 years for Laurie after last preseason, sticking with Hore. Hang it on to guys who clearly aren’t up to it. Jack Henderson could be our best (only?) state league pick up in years. And even he’s probably a fairly limited depth player. AJ might be ok too. But we couldn’t find anyone in the last few drafts when we needed depth? Even now we need a good back pocket to free up our talls and flankers.