DeeSpencer

Lynch had 16 pressure acts and 3 tackles, Hawkins 13 and 3, Riewoldt 11 and 3. All are actively engaged with chasing and tackling and great movers (or were, Jack's slowing down a bit).

Kennedy and especially Darling set the bench mark for defensive pressure by key forwards. Brown is one of the worst. I"m not anti tall forwards. I'd have 4 of them in a side if they could pressure like smalls, but if they can't pressure well enough to contribute I don't want them.

There absolute is, my point is Brown isn't one of them. Until our pressure is consistently good I don't think we should bring in guys who aren't improving us in that area. Any gains we make with goal kicking won't be substantial unless we've got the rest of the side right.

Riewoldt was easily replaceable by a half decent taller player. Caddy maybe or Balta playing ruck/forward. Lynch and Hawkins absolutely not, but they are supreme all round players who crash packs, follow up at ground level and stay in the game. But Dusty was the one breaking open the game. When the goals dry up for Brown in big games - and they do for all key forwards - I don't think he does enough else to contribute.

There's no style that beats pressure though, we've seen in various forms since probably Sydney in 2005 that you got to take away time and space. Or at least since the Hawks in 2008 when they cut down a Geelong super team. Every flag since 2013 has been won by Clarko or a disciple. Getting pressure on is everything. The Dogs won it in 2016 without a recognised true key forward. The Tigers only had Riewoldt in 2017. The Pies nearly won it in 2018.

There's no way if 3 clubs were bidding for him that he's not getting a fairly solid contract in terms of dollars as well as years. He's certainly costing us something, including the possibility of a some years where he cost money and provides almost nothing due to age. But yeah, compare a few hundred grand of salary with a rookie, very late pick or delisted free agent who's a gamble to fill the role and the salary alone isn't a huge cost.

He's really not. High ball drop and elaborate action. It's all a bit inside out and so he struggles to kick across his body. Doesn't back himself to hit leads. No real left foot either. He's not bad but he's miles from good.

I know the game was wet but surely people watching tonight or any of the big finals noticed that key forwards kicking multiple goals aren't really a factor in finals. It's contested work, speed, pressure, gut running to create options, tackling, smarts and calm under pressure that matters. Ben Brown - not the kind of player that makes an impact in high pressure footy.

Lack of size and top end speed might be the concern but on a couple of highlight packages I want this kid so much. The baulks, sidesteps, vision, skills on both sides are all on display.

The half back experiment failed spectacularly which I do find odd given Harmes had gone there in games before and done very well. Trying to play to the game plan seemed to make him worse than when he was moved there and played on instinct. Harmes’ skills will never be great but his athleticism and competitiveness is excellent. He should tag the competitions best players and rotate between midfield, forward and wing in other games. Get the whole team playing selfless aggressive footy with rotations and roles and Harmes will be fine. The half back move was well worth trying but it’s clear he’s not worth trying to make in to something he’s not

Yep it’s a blatant rort. The Crows can threaten to match if the compo isn’t pick 2 so it’s in the Saints best interest really. The Saints keep their first round pick. The Crows get pick 2. 16 other clubs get screwed. North must be apoplectic.

I think experienced state league coaches are undervalued. It's one step down from the top stuff and things float down pretty quickly. They routinely beat the hot shot assistants that clubs have take on VFL duties. It's just a matter of knowing and finding a role for them. I still think Choc Williams is one of the best skill coaches in the game but he's not easy to work with so GWS and Richmond moved on, but whether it was 1950 or 2050 I'd have him as a skill development coach. Ayres' time at Port Melbourne indicates to me he's a strong man manager and good culture guy. In the right role that's worth far more than keeping up with game trends that are often changing. I doubt he wants to come back in to the system or if we have the right role but I wouldn't overlook strong state league coaches.

Casey makes a decent training ground but no one wants to head there to watch games. Frankston as the Geelong of the South East really should be more of a city. Especially if it ever got the transport links it needs - electrified rail to Cranbourne/Berwick/Pakenham, Rosebud and Hastings.

If you get to the unbelievable stage I’m not sure you can be a myth! Especially when you back it up with Selwood, Taylor, Duncan etc to keep that list going. Then in recent years add Tim Kelly, Stewart, Menegola, Parfitt, Guthrie (who then brings Blicavs), Miers to get this side to stay up.

Preuss and ANB are contracted, if the club wanted to keep them all they would have to say to anyone interested is it's not happening unless you offer us huge overs. Who knows what T Mc wants, but there's been enough smoke there to suggest the club would be keen on finding him a new home, they can't just boot him and his contract out the door. Crazier things have happened than the club stumping up for 2 years for Hannan if we wanted him. I'm not sure aggression is a huge factor to decide if we turn over 8 or 12 of the guys rated 20-40 on the list. Contracts, who's available for free, strength of the draft etc matters more. The aggressive moves involve trading in or out anyone who gets a game every week.

It's usually more about the salary cap isn't it? Delist him and the pay out has to go in this years cap. Keeping him on the list a portion of it can go in to next years. Plus he can go on the non active list and be replaced by a rookie over summer that doesn't go against the cap.

No exposed form for this year and only NEAFL form before that but Wooler might be worth looking at as key forward depth if we need some. Good endurance runner and neat skills, maybe not the quickest or most explosive but could be useful across half forward. Mitch Hinge a good size left footed half back flanker who still doesn't have a deal for the Lions and obviously is stuck behind some good players in Brisbane's backline. Could be worth grabbing

There’s no incentive to put your hand up if it’s clear there won’t be elections. The board reviews themselves and decides who to add, so they better be making good self evaluations. Richmond copped a lot of grief for the group of guys who tried a takeover in 2016. The sitting board crushed them but the whole club rallied together. The challenges did strongly propose Balmey take over the footy department and that was a big success. I don’t think we need a takeover, but even if these are the only 2 names on the ballot let us vote for them. Make the club a club. The process alone will make more people engage with the club.

I can’t get passed the paywall but if it’s about the Geelong Falcons it’s clear the Cats have a wonderful advantage. I’ve often thought a club like the Saints should’ve been super bold and moved to Frankston (with a stadium and not Seaford) and set up as the Mornington Peninsula team with guys like Nath Jones, Weitering, Hunter Clark, Hibberd, Tom Lynch etc. Footballers get married and have kids earlier than most people these days. They can’t go clubbing. They settle down. Regional life and family is a huge appeal.

Good. Hopefully he puts a couple of players who played like him in the midfield mix. Ie. Players who can receive handballs and kick

Skillset is important but surely culture is more important. The AFL thinks boards should fill their own vacancies and avoid drama. Personally I wouldn’t mind an election every now and then to actual get a competition of ideas. Maybe even some every day folk who give voice to the fans. They won’t win the board seat but they might give the directors a taste of what members value

I feel for Plapp, I liked him. Did a good job at Casey, did the best he could with our non stoppage mid game and I thought he improved the forwards a lot this year. Just a young bunch of forwards with an inconsistent midfield made it hard for consistent results. The midfield coach had to change. Whether that’s shuffling the existing coaches or bringing someone new. We waste Gawn. We’re lazy to set up. Players crowd the footy. There’s no creative handballing. Oliver’s refused to use his legs and plays hot potato with 1m nothing handballs. Joel Corey I believe is out at the dogs. He was the dogs stoppages coach and they are brilliant with how they use the ball. And an unselfish player (as was Matthews) who dealt with a lot of prima-donnas at Geelong

The Tom and Sam combination rolled us in to finals - beating top 8 sides for the first time all season - and then winning 2 finals, and the pressure was too much? Inadequate depth I'll grant you - because we kept battlers like Keilty and the very unlucky Tim Smith on the list rather than drafting and developing depth. Poor medical management for sure - no forwards would've done anything with that midfield in 2019 being so underdone. Awful coaching - the lack of run and skill in our side meant we had no game plan besides plan A, which also is overly physical and not an encouraging way to play. But apart from the fact we manage to make players worse over summer all the time those guys were ready to be the guys with the right team around them. Weideman is even more ready now and showed it this year. Tom has managed to completely break his own body, spirit and confidence and so should be replaced. Brown would give us depth, but not the kind of cheap, young, hungry and developing depth we need across all positions that you get by taking the right draft picks and the right mature age or delisted pick ups.

They don't have to do it alone. Petracca should spend more time forward next year and when the games demand it he should be the match up inside 50 like he was against the Saints. Fritsch will be there as a goal kicker. And there's room for a 4th marking option (tall or medium) as long as they contribute in other ways - a Petty, Melksham, Hunt or Harmes. Even get creative and put Kozzie at full forward and kick it over the top or out to space. Jackson should ruck more when the match up presents and allow Gawn to play more forward. If we're having days where a team drops back and clogs the 50m arc there's no better solution than a 208cm monster who rarely gets out marked. No individual draft pick - especially one in the mid 20's is a sure thing, but we have to keep having tickets in the lottery that is the draft each year. We went a few years loading up at top end picks but missing on late ones and just not taking enough in the top 40 or so and we've created a hole in the list. Same kind of thinking for the salary. It's incredibly expensive to bring star players in and even just to hold on to your own stars. Brown shouldn't be one of those super expensive deals, but he takes up enough cash to restrict you from even having the opportunity.

There's not a coach in the AFL that can make that combination work whilst maintaining the defensive pressure and work rate required to support a backline. Richmond have flirted with playing Mabior Chol alongside their 2 key forwards but he just gets in the way and Lynch and Riewoldt are both solid at ground level, whenever they play 2 rucks they sit one on the bench the entire game. They don't even play Josh Caddy who would make a very nice 3rd tall goal kicker, they are happy to move Dusty forward when needed. Brisbane play 2 rucks and 2 talls but both of their key forwards are incredibly mobile and very sound defensively (they just aren't good enough at being key forwards). Geelong I'm sure would love to play Esava or Jenkins instead of Gary Rohan or one of their midgets and let Dangerfield play more midfield time that he has been in these finals. But they don't because they can get enough out of Stanley when he's not rucking and don't want to crowd their forward line or lose anything defensively. Port play 2 rucks and 2 key forwards. Dixon is a great tackler when he's healthy and Todd Marshall is an incredible athlete but really he's just 198cm of flanker. No doubt they'd love to have Georgiades in their best 22 but they know until he increases his defensive work they are better off without him. West Coast are the one team that routinely plays 3 key forwards but Josh Kennedy would run laps around Ben Brown, Darling is in another league than Weideman as a half forward and defensive player and Oscar Allen compares favourably to Jacko as a ground level forward.