DeeSpencer

Im hardly a Pert fan but this is brain dead stupid: “When Demons’ CEO, Gary Pert declared on radio in October last year that: “Our culture at the club … is the best I’ve seen in 40 years”, that one statement opened the club up to immense scrutiny and a whole host of critics waiting for the club’s downfall. It, in effect, loaded up the club with pressure it couldn’t handle.” Our downfall has mostly been poor list management, perhaps some fitness but also a new game plan and natural playing group turnover and fatigue. It’s hard to be up for more than 3 years. It’s hard to reinvent a side to play a new way. Has anyone written about Richmond’s culture for their collapse in 2022 and this year? Our focus should be addressing any cultural issues for sure, but apart from that we need to keep stressing the culture is overwhelmingly good. Gawn, Viney, Tracc, ANB, Lever, Salem, Langdon, Chandler and so many more make it the best playing group culture we’ve had in decades. And I’d include the coaches in that too. Hard workers with close bonds to the players. The challenge is to fix what needs to be fixed - which might involve a few changes for cultural reasons - but overwhelmingly to ignore whatever point Mick is actually trying to make and stay the course.

Early in the year when Viney and Oliver looked somewhat like themselves and Tracc was covering the ground well sure. But since then we’ve desperately needed ANB on ball, and without him forward Langdon has been our best connective forward in a team desperate for that player. The saints were trash but we controlled that game and eventually put in on the scoreboard and Langdon had the second most score involvements. No doubt the best version of BBB is a good player but we’ve seen for 2.5 years now he starts the year well, cops an injury and each time he comes back after that he’s good for a game or a half at most. With the season all but done I’d much rather keep trying more new things that go back to Brown and players locked in to one set role.

Tholstrup, McAdam/Sestan, AMW should’ve all been picked ahead of Laurie, Billings, Howes and a focus in the offseason has to be finding a couple of mongrels. We miss Vanders, he set the tone.

We don't need Petty and Disco in the backline, we should get either Lever or Hore back and be perfectly well stocked for tall defenders. We can do worse than Petty and Disco, hence why they're getting games. Brown can't move and Fullarton is scared of contact. With ANB required on ball Lagdon's the only winner we have across half forward. We'd love 2 or 3 of him but he's needed forward as much as the wing. Taking the game on at half back and through the corridor requires half forwards with speed and smarts to get to the right spots to keep play flowing. Langdon has been great at that. Sparrow clearly hasn't cut the mustard on ball, it's vital for him and the team that he finds a new role. He's an A grade athlete, culture guy, team mate, he needs to find a spot to get value for the team. There's no personnel answer to suddenly fix everything. We've don't have the cattle in the tall forwards, lack quality in the mid/forward rotation and even before the Petracca injury our midfield was shallow, inflexible and below the required skill, speed and fitness. The best way to get value out of the rest of the season is to try a lot of guys in different roles.

Some of our best form this year - the come back against Carlton, the St Kilda win, has come because Langdon has gone to half forward with ANB going on ball. BBB has played in 6 games for 7 goals, including 2 goals in his last 3 games with an average of 4 touches. Since he was inexplicably picked for the quick back up against the Crows he's been about as useful as a big red witches hat on the field. He can come back in, he'll soon go back out.

Kind of over the footy aspect of this dirty player. But I'm still wondering what the legal ramifications for dangerous driving causing an accident were. https://au.sports.yahoo.com/afl-brayden-maynard-car-crash-details-emerge-collingwood-magpies-accident-211452650.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANeLIwy8JYSO-cBV9v2ZEOrW7LhSq_8yGPKl0BbzBTJvJNGdl_hPQ6B3qkIac92Wb1el-iSY4Kobxxkh2LB4DcSVSuUsr_R2NkbQ0FQ4kD9mtO3MkVzIazSS3CJpDbENZ_139cE7lhjGkTVZywOjyL-4izKbAJ-Zbs8QGN55SlLs#:~:text=Seven's report contained a statement,was injured in the accident.

We've all be long suffering from the Age rolling out this guy whenever the Dees hit a rough patch. When the sports editor gets an email from him pitching a story they could simply delete the email.

You probably can’t these days, not as a free agent anyway. But we should be targeting mids and talls with any big cash offers. Stengle’s a class player but paying him top of the line money makes sense for Essendon who have a huge hole there rather than us.

Looked to me like he was trying to encourage the Dees players to be more active in the zone, something we’ve badly needed this year. Either way, he crossed the line. Why they’ve allowed the runners back on the field more often this year I’ll never know, it was fine just after goals

I’d certainly try it, I think he has more of a future there than on a wing.

It was 2 back end first rounders in a [censored] draft, it wasn’t really that valuable unless we on traded them and got lucky with a team moving up. We can still rehab Petty’s value next year or even better, get him signed up long term playing great footy.

If we get a first round pick out of the transaction to use on another mid or tall it’s a win. If this era really is over we need to cash someone with value proactively and there’s not many choices.

Dodoro might have no idea what to do with top picks but he can find a late gem. I prefer the pies model the best, they’ve identified the exact guys they need and made great role players out of them. And they’ve utilised the preseason supplemental period as a time to get guys in to compete for list spots. That strengthens their preseason training numbers and adds intensity. Plus you have flexibility to take the guy you need based on injuries.

We’ve been so bad we’ve missed him. Couldn’t kick or run in more than second gear but he could tackle, accumulate and handball.

First person to go should be Kelly O’Donnell. He’s been the pro-scout for years and aside from obvious high profile targets like May, Lever, Hibberd and Langdon he’s found no one, especially since the flag when we’ve had the chance to offer success. Our delisted/state league talent is non existent yet alone attracting anyone of quality aside from a dice role on Grundy. Time to get someone who isn’t part of the furniture in.

Hore listed as 1 week, Lever 1-2. Either/both should be available after the bye. McAdam might not have the tank to do it for long but his 2nd efforts and tackling have been strong inside 50. Is there evidence AMW was sent back for work rate reasons? It may have been part of it but we'd run out of defenders when he was sent back. He has been a consistent tackling player forward or back the last 2 years at Casey. He's got speed and he attacks the ball in the air or on the deck. We aren't going to suddenly stumble upon a midfield or forward line that is in synch and can kick, so our best option is to get our fastest and best tackling players together and try to hunt some forward 50 turnovers. Kolt, AMW and McAdam are the 3 at Casey who consistently lay tackles. Get them with Kozzie and a couple of talls and keep it simple going inside 50.

Exactly, we tried tweaks in both 2022 and 2023. Tweaks were not enough. Our players couldn't be cajoled in to simply playing a more flowing attacking style from behind the ball. It was time for a fairly substantial shake up. And when you shake something up it usually gets worse before it gets better. This game plan - like any game plan - requires it to be drilled and practiced and it requires the right kind of players. Which is guys who can run with and without the ball and guys who can make decisions. Clayton Oliver who has done a full preseason in this system would be very useful. Clayton Oliver with no preseason not so useful. Gus Brayshaw would've been very well suited as an inside mid who could accumulate the ball and make good decisions when handballing at least. Petracca playing forward more and getting used across half forward by guys streaming through the middle would thrive in that role. We've seen glimpses of it on the days we haven't butchered it across half back on through the middle. The change is right, we aren't beating teams like Sydney and Collingwood going slow and long bomb footy. And not only that but we aren't developing players as any more than role players in that kind of footy.

May was a one may wall late in the first and through the 2nd when we actually had the game on our terms (aside from the no scoring bit). Not at all disinterested or lazy. But he is struggling with trying to cover a man and trying to cover everyone else. It's pretty common stuff in a team which can't get consistent pressure on the ball. Same thing happened with Tom Stewart against Sydney for example. Tim Watson's about as lazy a commentator as it gets so I wouldn't put much notice in to him

In: Kolt, AMW, Hore/Lever, McAdam Out: Howes, Billings, Tracc (inj), Laurie FB: McVee May Lever/Hore HB: Rivers T Mc Salem C: Windsor Viney Langdon HF: AMW Petty Chandler FF: McAdam JVR Pickett Foll: Gawn Oliver ANB Int: Bowie Kolt Sparrow Turner S: Fritsch Some speed, pressure, competitiveness and aggression in the forward line please!

OUTS Most of the outs speak for themselves with the older guys but in terms of strategy: Sparrow - doubt he goes anywhere, he's purely a defensive half forward with some occasional mid and maybe wing based on the last few weeks but no one will want him and he's a hard worker, good culture guy. Petty - no point trading him at an all time low value wise unless we sign a ready to go key forward AND key back. He's either going to be CHF or CHB next year unless we do that and it's better to hope for free agent compo for what will still be a valued tall rather than selling him away now. McDonald - required depth, the challenge is the contract here, does he stay for 1 when a side like North might offer 2+ We need to give someone of value to get someone of value if we wish to really turn the list over. Oliver - if the deal is right and we get off 80% or so of his contract it probably has to happen. Fritsch - he's cream on a list with no cake. Would be a great fit for a side like Freo who have a stack of first round picks. Sure, it would be trading our best goal kicker but the reality is when you're forward line is Fritsch then daylight and you don't have a midfield you're nowhere. Maybe McAdam has a preseason, maybe Sestan comes on, maybe we go out and get Zurhaar as a free agent. There's ways to cover a medium forward who's a non structural player and a defensive liability.

INS: We have 6 really vital needs that if we don't address we won't be going anywhere and funnily enough they aren't even our biggest problem. 1. A genuine 2nd ruck, even if they are at Casey most of the time. Can it be Verrall or Fullarton next year - I doubt it. 2. A key forward 3. A key back 4. A winger. Hunter's surely gone, Billings hasn't worked. We need someone capable of filling that role so we have the options to move Langdon and Windsor around. Woey? Maybe? 5. A back pocket. McVee needs to move up a role and Howes isn't it. Can try AMW but I doubt he's it either. 6. A genuine express pace small forward so we can keep pressure on with Kozzie on ball Aside from the ruck which is a bit of a take what you can get we need guys under 27 with genuine athleticism and hunger for the contest. Whilst it would be nice they don't have to be skilled but we need to get proper competitors in not recruiting guys we know don't like the contest and don't have appetite for it. That's 6 changes without addressing the number 1 failing which is the on ball brigade. Tracc, Oliver, Viney, Pickett, ANB, Sparrow. It needs reinforcement with numbers and quality. Tholstrup has to be considered as a genuine option from next year (should be playing from next week). Rivers and Salem if we can find more than 1 backline reinforcement - possibly. Our first round pick will most likely be a mid in this draft given the way it's shaping. Let's hope JT nails it and ideally they're ready to go.

Kreuger and Frampton aren’t much although they do have real size and athleticism. Hill and WHE were a big point of difference in genuine pace and Schulz, McCreery and Harrison are very solid role players. But you’re right the far bigger gap in performance was their VFL midfield smacking around our so called A graders and just their overall run, spread and skill level. You could tell in the warm up that they are much faster and sharper than we were. If you measured the speed of the kicks in a simple warm up drill there’s were faster than ours by a good 50%.

It’s what they’re doing they just can’t execute the skills. Obviously after last week they slowed it up a touch but generally we are going full tilt more often than not

It’s not all they have to go on. They have the vision and medical examination. But there’s probably no way to diagnose small spleen lacs or a small lung puncture without imaging, in a guy who’s very sore and not breathing comfortably due to you know, the broken ribs! And whilst they sound bad now it’s not necessarily all that worrying. So really, it’s a guy with very painful ribs and you’re trying to examine if they’re fractured or not, how badly and quantify risk of further injury. In hindsight you can say Tracc stayed down for so long and was so sore when he came back on that it was likely more than just damaged rib cartilage. But it’s easy in hindsight. And it’s not like he played out the game, they gave it a go then got him out of there.

I hope he can get a few kicks in the Bermuda Triangle but I suspect you’re right. There’s only so much he’ll be able to do in at most 9 VFL games.