DeeSpencer

Last year it was a steak dinner, didn't go well. This year it was a golf day last week. I'm sure they'll have plans for after the Geelong game too. Spread the mental refresh over 3 weeks. Hope for the best outcome of the physical refresh. Really I'm hoping the result is the boys get to enjoy their bye like every other club, but they now have a short week in to the Geelong game. That might be an advantage. Usually trainings are sloppy during bye weeks as you have a lot of time and not a lot of focus. No one wants to train hard when you've had a holiday and there's 10 days out to a game, you want to still be on holiday and feeling fresh for the only time of the season. With a shorter break the focus should be right on this week.

I’d use Hibbo and Rivers on Cameron interchangeably. Hibbo when close to goal, Rivers when he goes up. Just need some talk and handovers. The half backs on Miers have to play him tight that’s for sure and our deeper defenders have to be aware that he’s consistently looking for the around the body short. Don’t sag off your man, force him to kick longer. I suspect they’ll try to get him and Close losing Lever up the ground and turning him around. Lever hopefully is moving better than he was at the end of the Pies game where we had 2022 hobbly Jake make a comeback. The Cats forwards are so smart, well coaches, cohesive and organised. They can be getting out played but keep scoring

We also need to block better for Max. Every long bomb kick out to Max should start with a small sitting between Max and his opponent to buy him space.

Port used Bergman on Cameron, an inspired choice. Matching his speed is probably more important than his height. We’ve got some tricky choices down back: Tomlinson - Hawkins May - Cameron Hibbo - Rohan Lever - Henry/intercepting and not get turned around by crafty smalls? Or do we go: May - Hawkins Hibbo/Rivers - Cameron/Rohan Tomlinson - Henry Lever - smalls The Cats showed in the first quarter their crumbers are deadly and Rohan is super dangerous if he gets one on ones out of stoppages. The midfield and forwards have to get pressure or we’ll be in trouble with a bigger slower backline. Which means we also have to move the ball well enough to get in position to pressure. You can’t pressure bad turnovers, especially with the way the Cats go in to their uncontested kicking game. Port are so good at switching and using the corridor and it opened the cats backline right up. We don’t have the same run and skills so we’ll have to muscle them at the contest and make smart decisions under pressure. Would be nice to have peak Clarry, I’m worried he’ll be rusty and wasteful.

Watson I can understand, once you're set up at a private school in the footy bubble why would you want to leave. Reid is funny, he's not even from Melbourne, how can he not leave? One of the big worries with selling the farm for one of these absolute top line prospects is you've got clubs and managers blowing smoke about JHF style contracts. He didn't just leave North, he left in to the sweet embrace of a 6 year deal. We're having a run with Daicos, JHF, Ashcroft playing great footy from year 1 or year 2, but there's every chance some of these guys are going to be more like Rayner or Petracca and be slow burns. You fork out the draft capital, you deal with the pressure and hype and you have to pay the kid crazy money from year 3.

Can close this thread with the Chandler contract signing. Well done to everyone who bought the shares at a low price. And particularly well done to Kade who has delivered some excellent games and consistent level of pressure and attack at the contest.

In 1858 did player just stand around in position after the had a disposal? Do they do that now? Even the best half forward flankers are going to get the ball at most about 15 times a game. Those contests and disposals do matter, but the defensive running when the other side has the ball matters far more. In every position but especially at half forward where you have to run off an opponent to make space then close down those same opponents. You can value it differently, that’s fair enough, but if you don’t even understand it then you do need to watch and think about games differently.

Their next 4 weeks are Sydney (H), St Kilda (A), Rich (H) and WC (H). They should win 3 out of 4 and they have a repeat match up with the saints in round 23. If they take care of the Swans this week it won’t be a story and they’ll be well positioned for their tricky last 6 weeks. My concern would be managing the guys who are gritting through injuries to play each week and the guys who could invariably get dropped.

Dangerfield took a mid year preseason last year and really this year too. We did the same with BBB in 2021. For someone like Rich who’s had a very disjointed season it makes sense to get some work in to the legs. Gunston might be more of a mental toll of a forward in poor form. But no doubt his body is crying out for a freshen up too. I could certainly see it becoming a trend for teams that are up the ladder but in patchy form. Obviously you risk missing the top 4 but if you can dip down a little over the next month you’ve still got 6 weeks to catch up. As we showed last year, there’s really no point limping in to a top 4 spot and hoping you can get hot. You need to carry some form in to finals for the last month or so of the home and away season.

The way I saw the Cerra one was he really should’ve got a week for the action, but there was at least some argument that the force just wasn’t at the level worthy a suspension. Joel Smith and Jack Viney haven’t even been assessed by the MRP for tackles with some sling in them because they clearly weren’t all that dangerous. The only valid defence for Cerra was that it really looked worse because Hickey’s a big galoot.

Mansell is a fault in the system. Even if you think it was avoidable and claiming you were contesting and bracing is no longer a valid excuse (similar to Hunter) it’s just not right he gets 3 even with Aish concussed. Needs to be 1-2 with some allowance for the genuine lack of intent. Sicily, I don’t see the outrage. Yes there wasn’t huge intent, so you could give a discount, but it’s a dreadful tackle that slings, rolls, and dumps down pulling on the left arm. Slam a head in to the ground and result in a concussion and you’re getting a holiday Watch the additional angles:

No De Goey and Sidebottom impacted the Pies ball movement more than I had predicted. We managed to win the corridor battle by defensively owning it despite rarely using it ourselves. The first quarter looked like a train wreck but we slowly ground them in to a contested fight. We Ross Lyon’ed them to death and the constant point kicking allowed us to neutralise their run and keep the game in tight and in our forward half. Brilliant tactics from Goody and execution from Choco to get the boys to consistently miss goals. The aerial impact of our rucks and tall forwards might be the Pies only worry. We did a great job stopping Moore taking over the game by throwing big numbers at the aerial contests. They’ll get some stars back and get their attacking game going and be far better. We’ll have to do a lot more than just kick straight to beat them again.

My guess is Tracc was sick of Cox’s antics, he seemed to point the to spot on the ground where Cox celebrated his barely contested mark against Judd McVee with ridiculous taunting. He might’ve said something or refused to shake his hand. Sometimes you can do the wrong thing for the right reason. A token fake apology to stop it being a bigger story maybe. But no remorse.

If Smith plays it will be as a tall, not alongside 2 talls, a ruck and a Fritsch. As well as he moves for a tall he doesn’t have the skills, the anticipation, the contest to contest work rate or the creativity of a small.

I think we use him as the 7th mid playing a mix of wing and on ball. Sparrow, Petracca, Viney, Langdon all take stints on a forward flank and we go in with one less small forward. Especially if we play Smith as the second tall. But there’s an argument he could even be the sub which would be a luxury. The sub is really growing in importance. JJ was very impactful when he came on. The reality is teams are never full strength for long in the AFL. Sling tackles alone are ruling out a few players a week across the competition. And regardless of whether you think the current backline structure should stay exactly as is I’d be surprised if there’s not resting the veterans (we already know Hibbo will be) and possibly Juddy.

Salem is borderline but not quite, lacks penetration for a half back. 20-30m out of congestion he’s amazing but he’s not a weapon. Fritsch is very close, I’d say an elite kick for goal but I don’t want to curse him in to another slump. Did you see Hunter’s first 2 shocking kicks yesterday? Or him struggle any time he has to kick more than 30? He’s barely an average kick these days. Bowey and McVee, nope, not yet.

Goodwin and Longmuir were asked a lot of questions on 360 about dangerous tackles. Both suggested players should be careful not to milk free kicks. I had the distinct feeling Longmuir was indirectly referencing Sprago. I had the distinct feeling Goodwin was doing the same with Murphy. He felt the spin and face planted.

Jack Viney an elite kick and Choo Choo that's Oliver yeah? Literally the second worst kick in the comp of the early rounds this year. If Oliver could even get himself to an average kick he'd be the undisputed best player in the comp, that's how far off it he is.

That change would allow Brayshaw to play part time on the wing and give us more height if needed. Or even Gus full time wing and use Hunter and Langdon across half forward.

They are at times, but Bowey is a much stronger aerial player than Hunter at this stage of his career no matter the height difference.

In terms of half backs: Rich, Tom Stewart, Darcy Moore, N Daicos, Hayden Young, Sicily, Bailey Dale, Jake Lloyd, Jayden Short, Tuohy Mids: Bont, Jordan Dawson, J Daicos, Z Merrett, Pendles, Sidebottom, JHF Forwards: Jezza, Hawkins (field kicking), Tex, Gryan, Larkey

Geez Robbo looks well. The hair plugs have done him wonders

From what I remember seeing of Bowey as a junior he wasn’t really a natural at making play when he was at half forward or at pressuring. Looked better on the wing I wouldn’t mind seeing him as the 3rd winger and a very high half forward coming up to stoppages and even as a midfielder post centre bounce. More of the role Nibbler But I’d have to trial it at Casey first.

Happened twice. Against Murphy for the Fritsch off ball free and another one in the 3rd where he replaced Moore

You can drop one of these for an extra mid. You can’t drop all 3. Nibbler had an absolutely Nibbler of a first quarter but geez he was pretty good after that. Chandler hit the post twice. Pickett was quiet but pretty close. Small forward struggles in a high pressure game, wow, there’s a surprise. I suspect Spargo might have a week in the 2’s but that will be it. The others aren’t getting dropped for Moniz-Wakefield or Sestan.