DeeSpencer

AFL players can go between club and family with little to no contact with anyone else in between. VFL players have day jobs mingling with the community. But if there's enough community spread to endanger the average VFL player in regular day to day jobs and life then by that stage I can't see how the AFL players won't be impacted. The AFL are trying to thread the needle here and there's so little margin for error.

Unless we charter a plane and stay in a professionally cleaned and double checked hotel I wouldn't send a team to Perth. Airports, planes, hotels - that's too much movement.

Happy to write off the very elderly stuck in nursing homes with poor quality of life, they've had a good run. But would rather my parents be around for a while yet. And the sick includes a whole bunch of people who have long and productive lives in front of them. We should all do what we can to stop the spread. A casey practice match isn't much to give up.

The rumours are circulating that the Eagles are leaning towards Bailey Williams as the 2nd ruck. Big forward/ruck who has a huge leap but probably isn't very refined in the position. So the ruck minutes might not be the biggest concern. Even at less that peak fitness Gawn should do close to 80% in there. If we look to send Melksham in a tagging role to McGovern as we have done to interceptors before will it work? Does that mean Fritsch to Sheppard? T Mc on Barrass? So then we've got Hurn or Nelson on the other tall. Do we need the hope of Weid's marking or do we want Jackson on the hope he can provide something in the air and on the ground?

I think good coaching is always aggressive, proactive and looking to use skills to dictate to opponents. But at the same time you have to play the percentages, reckless risk doesn't usually work out. One of the clearest positives in the move to 16 from 18 would be getting rid of 2 bad players a week. I'd go to 3 and a sub so it would be more like 2.5 from the team. Looking at projected round 1 teams today there's a fair bit of talent spread across the league but it's clear from recent seasons (none more so than ours last year) that the depth falls away really quickly with injuries.

Teams like Richmond and Hawthorn have bought in great offensive systems. The Hawthorn kicking game. The Richmond run and gun handballing. But they've also been built on the back of really strong defensive systems. The Hawks pioneered the full ground press and then added a zone system. Richmond's pressure is stronger than any side and they always get defenders free behind the ball waiting for the dump kicks. Their success in 2017 started with reshaping their forwards to be far more defensive and their mids applying pressure rather than chasing kicks. The greatest similarity is that both sides aren't about directly attacking by winning stoppages and contests and forcing the game that way. They are happy to concede clearances and force bad turnovers and take the game on from there. Adelaide might be the closest we've come to a primarily attacking team in the last decade or so and they were stomped by the Tigers pressure in the grand final. I just can't see it switching to favour a team that uses skill and attacking flair without a great defensive system.

3 and a sub is probably right bench number. I think the current rotation level is about right. Too many becomes a track meet, too few and coaches will create an on ground rotation system that will have players out of positions to keep running

Happy to start with 16 as the game will still require some positions. If the game gets to 14 it will be all elite runners. One good tall at each end maybe. I think those against 16 are failing to realise how messy and impossible stoppages are now. They are the games predominant defensive measure. We need to thin the game out to an extent that stoppages don’t occur. Which means more space and more incentives to get the ball running in to space. Richmond have worked it out with 18, but even they are often hemmed in for a half until there relentless running opens games up.

Max needs to find a balance between being himself and dialing back the sarcasm and jokes. The Fritsch stuff is fun, but pumping up Jacko is a bit dangerous and he shouldn’t be talking up potential structures.

Is centre or ruck part of the spine? Is Petracca destined to be more of the classic centremen when he’s in the midfield? Is Lever our CHB or is it May and Oscar at full back? Is Fritsch our FF? Why do I care about these ratings?

Teams will try. But The alternative is they swap opponents in play. We keep our defenders in place and they’ve got forwards in the wrong positions.

The Eagles are likely to have Kennedy, Darling and a second ruck in round 1. Oscar will take the resting ruck, which means Lever will get Darling for a decent chunk of the game and is going to have to win or halve a number of contests. He doesn’t have to be an imposing stopper and the zone system should provide help to him inside 50 but he has to be stronger and more confident when one on one.

There’s an updated list on the AFL website. Weid is a test so should be right to go. Vanders was always going to be TBC. Any injury to his bad foot - even stubbing his toe - is going to be treated very conservatively. 6-8 weeks is the suggestion. Salem - well at least corona virus fears should make sure our players aren’t stupid enough to share water bottles. I swear I’ve seen some put their lips around the spray bottle openings. Not sure he makes it to Perth but hopefully not too long after. The biggest disappointments right now are Hannan and Petty not making any progress up from TBC with groin injuries. And the Joel Smith mystery.

I wouldn't put him on TV and I just about refuse to watch him on tv these days, but ranking the player the coaches had as the best in the game last year as the best in the game is not at all radical. In fact the most radical part of his list is Buddy Franklin at 33 give his injury history and decline. Pretty much every other player is reasonable.

‘Up on his toes’ interests me. Did Freo limit him to jogging and landing on his heels to prevent injury and somehow that didn’t help him? Sprinting on the front of his feet might just be less risky for his body than Freo thought. We certainly can’t do the same thing Freo did and hope it works. I’m a believer that there has to be some biometric changes

Explain how

Bont gets 4.5 more kicks and 200m gained more each week. Clearance dominance is nice but it doesn’t correlate with winning. All Bont has to do is stop missing easy goals and he’ll push Dusty for number 1. That said, if Cripps takes another step with his marking and kicking he’ll tighten the gap with Danger and Fyfe for 3 and 4.

Pretty much my exact thoughts. Although I also think if you stick with Lockhart through some up and downs he’d cut out some of those mistakes. Lockhart’s lack of tank might count against him as well. In the early rounds you want guys who will run all day.

Obviously heavily edited so you never know the full story but just a couple of things I would’ve preffered to see: Instead of Goodwin saying Viney needs your feedback I would’ve liked him to say Viney needs your love. He needs players to rally around him. And instead of Gawn being praised as an on field leader I’d like to see him praised for what he does off the field. One man can only do so much in the 2 hours on field. Building the culture off the field is far more important. The feedback after the North game was the best bit of the episode. Great positive reinforcement. I wasn’t too worried about that stuff with Kozzie. Good teams are always defensively organised and communicating. Get everyone in the right spots and it becomes second nature and guys can then still play on instinct.

Surgery he had in July...he doesn’t even have to jump at the center bounces, just be a follower around the ground to get some easy touches and have some marking contests where he doesn’t have a key defender all over him. The forward structure isn’t perfect but Melksham and Fritsch both took opportunities. Tom didn’t look as likely. If he’s barely touched it by half time against the Eagles then he’s pretty much asking for a run in the ruck.

9 intercept possessions is good. 7 clangers is bad. Think he has to play to his limitations with the ball more now that he's lost a yard of pace. No longer can he attempt to out run every opponent and launch a 60m dart. He'll have to be smarter with the ball.

Didn't touch it for a half against the Crows before some cheap goals late.

Really not sure if we go with 2 or 3 talls. Tom McDonald has to be in the side but he's looked very rusty. Does putting him the ruck help his game? I'm far from a Brown fan but he does at least lead up and draw the ball towards him. Doubt he can or will want to do anything in the ruck. Weideman doesn't get his hand on many hit outs but he can be useful at ground level and around the ground he's at least getting hands to the marks which means he's not being out marked! The biggest worry I have with Jackson is he doesn't look at all comfortable in around the ground marking contests. Sometimes he'll end up in the right spot and then will have a nice jump at it but far too often he's either way under the ball or unable to get to it - either caught behind or off to the side. We've been so spoilt having Gawn dominate the air but really competing in the air and not getting destroyed when you're at the long down the line contests is almost a rucks most important job these days. You can lose all the hit outs but still be of value at stoppages, but you can't let teams take advantage of you when you're under the long kicks.

Only the 3 score involvements and 1 goal assist but didn't have a clanger, had good pressure numbers and I thought he was getting to the right spots around half forward and using the ball very cleanly. Goals would be nice but I don't think that's what he's in the team for. It's more likely we have Pickett in the side if we want a dangerous crumber, but there's room for Pickett closer to goal and for someone like Spargo around half forward. ANB had better numbers but his fumbles and poor approach to tackling will always cost us, where as Spargo did the same kind of role in a more efficient way.

Signs of a game plan with the ball - use the wings and the diagonal switch to the half forward. Signs of a better game plan without the ball - those same wingers covering off and a nicely balanced zone. Signs of individual player improvement - Viney fit, Langdon/Tomlinson on the wings, Jones with more freedom, Petracca, Lockhart at half back, Spargo around half forward. That's about all you can hope for. There's a few personnel concerns I have but they are mostly the ones we know well. In terms of game plan concerns the biggest bug bear from last year that I'm not convinced we've fixed yet is the multiple demons flying at the same ball. At both ends of the ground but particularly in the forward line.