DeeSpencer

Skills are one factor but I think the bigger thing is transitioning our midfield (perhaps beginning with the periphery around the square then including the centre bounce guys) to include more natural outside runners. Brisbane's midfield aren't particularly great kickers, but Neale is tireless with the way he'll constantly present for those short 15m kicks or run to get involved in handball chains. Dunkley often runs to a down the line position that utilises his nearly key position height. And McCluggage is a gut running machine, and whilst his kicking goes hot and cold his best kicks are beautiful. Viney and peak fitness Oliver do an ok job at filling in the gaps to get short kicks. Tracc is more of a half hearted lead then stand and point where he wants it. But none of them are known as great selfless off ball runners who constantly repeat lead for the footy. Their strengths fit the strengths of our flag year, bomb it down the line and let them go to work cleaning up from a pack spillage. Lindsay and Windsor standout as natural run to receive the ball players as well as good kicks and Kolt has a high work rate too. Plus Langford's running to receive the footy in transition was a standout part of his junior game. But they need time, until then it's a matter for Rivers, Pickett and Langdon to try to supplement the guys we have.

From what I’ve seen at training Chappy is really big on getting at least a couple of forwards deep and in different halves of the field too. Jeffo and JvR were often doing that. In NFL terms, occupy the safeties with a pair of deep wide outs. Exploit the space underneath. But the tricky thing is it places more pressure on the mids and half forwards to break through zones. Got to move the ball side to side and with space to find the soft spots now that teams aren’t cramming all 18 up the ground and in one half.

0-15m: 4 shots, 4 goals 15-30: 7 shots, 4g, 1B, 2ns 30-40: 2 shots, 1b 40-50: 11 shots, 2g, 4b, 5ns 50+: 5 shots, 1g, 4ns We gained expected score inside 30. Lost pretty much all of it on shots outside 40. Shots outside 40 to the Punt road end which were basically attempts at miracles in to a stiff breeze on a wet day. AJ was 50/1 on that last set shot. They aren’t basic shots, that’s a forward line and midfield that can’t link up in dangerous areas. The Windsor run across half forward to find a mark inside 50 and even the Henderson dip and cut back that looked like finding Chandler but sailed on him. Thats what good footy to create real set shots looks like. Bomb it down the line to Max or Temu Max and hope they can convert from 45 or even 55 on the boundary isn’t a genuine plan.

Moving the ball quickly and via the corridor is always the answer when you can! GWS drop multiple forwards deep. Pretty much use them as decoys or for contests at the top of the square (especially when it’s Hogan). Cadman, Brown (when not rucking) Gruzewski and Leake barely touched the footy. Then their half forwards have room to operate. Brisbane, Geelong, Hawks all do similar. Salem, Bowey and Windsor all showed good signs, we have to find a way to get the mids more involved in transition to then get it to the half forwards. Longer kicks and less risk made sense in the wet but we should dial up the risk against North

He reminds me so much of Josh Kelly who’s a heck of an inside midfield but I still think can struggle when the going gets really hot (ie q4 on the weekend when Toby went on ball and Kelly outside)

I’ve never blamed him for lack of goals or possession, just lack of defensive effort and attack at the contest. Some of that is because he’s pushed hardest deep forward, but other times he’s just been very poor. Some are saying hidden injuries which could be partially true. I thought he was up for the contest yesterday, keen to see more.

Correct and nor should they. Teams cover deep forwards so well these days, it’s getting harder for the deep guys to score and the half forwards are proving the danger. Im perhaps Fritsch’s biggest critic but I thought he actually had a dip at the contest and defensively yesterday. He also had a couple of balls spoiled from him by elite defenders in the last quarter when he’d got first hands on and might’ve held on in the dry.

Entirely correct decision and bad manning up by Melbourne. The non deliberate against the Giants player who kicked it straight sideways in the 3rd quarter was a shocker tho. Lucky we got a make up call at the next stoppage

Just wait until we start using the Max Viney jujitsu on our opponents not our team mates

It wasn’t that Toby killed Howes, it was that Howes killed Howes. 2 GWS goals came from his errors like skipping over the footy in the middle of the ground or coughing up a bad handball in the goal square. And generally there were plenty of occasions for him to get a good fist in at the contest or body the ball and he didn’t take it. I don’t like to say it but he’s soft and there’s no reason to tolerate soft players when it’s not their first go at afl footy.

What do you call it when you get the yoyo and just throw it as far away as you physically can? Howes has no place jn an AFL team until he shows he's willing to stand under a high ball. We looked much sounder defensively from the moment they gave Howes the vest and moved Rivers back. It's a shame to rob Peter to pay Paul but I think that's the logical result. Happy to live with Billings on a wing especially at Marvel and use Langdon mid and forward against North.

The best way to score a goal out of a centre bounce is to burst out the front with speed followed by a handball over the top to a half forward who then goes bang. Ie. the Sparrow play I’d have kept Tracc in but I get the set play they were going for.

The painful thing about that one tho is Salem is backtracking as the kick comes, when it gets to him it’s probably over 15, but the ump has signalled no 15 as it’s in the air so Toby has a free hit on the tackle. The big lesson in GWS vs us be it kicks or handballs is to make sure every player receiving the ball is on the move. Too many stationary targets, especially by hand. One thing I love about Lindsay and also Windsor, they’re always calling for the ball out in space.

Sharp player the lowest amount of game time too. Indicative of the coaches not loving his game. Doesn’t seem to find the footy and doesn’t have cosistrnt defensive game Thought Chandler was fine, some good and bad. I like his back up wing minutes. Not a huge fan of Kynan Brown but no doubt everyone should be considered for the role.

Agree with that, don’t agree swapping Jeffo for a slow player just because they’re shorter would’ve made a big impact. Need Pickett, Spargo and Kolt back, just hard to fill gaps down 3 guys in one role

I don’t agree, I thought there was very little about Langford’s game that indicated we would’ve been better off with him playing from the start. The game got wetter than expected in the 3rd but otherwise wasn’t all that wet for large stints. We needed someone with speed, forward craft and pressure, ideally not a tall but I thought Jeffo did better than a shorter player for the sake of it. They were right not to rush Spargo again but hopefully he’s available soon. All the rest of the one paced options - Langford, Laurie, Billings wouldn’t have helped us. If there was anyone to pick it was probably Kynan Brown, at least as sub.

Yep, the challenge is knowing when to do that and when you have to take away the option to begin with. But I liked the look of his speed. There’s an afl player in there, just got to keep developing it

Throw much more than handball from Jones too

Where do you think their opponent will go if they ran away? If it were Melbourne then Jake Lever would ignore his opponent and go be 3rd man up. The only way to stop having mutiple talls contesting for the same footy is to move it fast.

The McAdam injury is so underrated because he was the path to playing just 2 talls. But I thought Jeffo’s defensive pressure was really solid for a young tall and has come along way. I think we’ll persist with him and 2 others but I think Turner will come back for AJ sooner than later. Contest wise I thought Jeffo exceeded expectations. The big challenge for him (and all our forwards) is to draw the footy in good spots by upping his work rate to lead and present. I really liked AJ’s game until the last quarter ruck spell where he was caught doing a long stint when he was knackered. My takeaway is he should be good depth this year but could be more than this with a full preseason.

Out: Howes In: Billings (Could be Adams, Sestan, Hore but doubt they’re ready. So Rivers back. Billings wing, Langdon mid/forward) Out: Langford In: Laurie (no point having the kid as sub, he needs full games in the VFL). Disco and Spargo should both be in contention to get forward spots but it mighttake another week unless AJ is suspended

Can’t remember the Chandler one, but AJ was a good hard tackle with only a bit of slam in it. Once the gws player was done milking their free they were fine, would be surprised if it’s more than a fine

Pickett will help, Disco has plenty to offer. But if we do anything in September it will be with a good backline and good inside and outside midfield with a forward line that does the job. Backline took a big step forward today I think. Midfield had dominant patches on the inside and tried more than last year but Langdon on the wing and Riv to half back after Howes subbed suggest we aren’t going to get different results.

11.8 in the wet against perhaps the leagues best backline. With Fritsch held goalless by the best back pocket in the league and Picket out. AJ a useful work horse. Jeffo plenty of promise. Henderson decent depth. For the talent available that’s about the best we can do.

Many of their best being Hogan and Briggs. Meanwhile we had Pickett and May and didn’t get to have a hit out last week. Plenty of promise in today’s performance. But the reality is we’ve got a stale midfield and added 6 debutants (5 afl debutants). Crazy to expect drastic changes until we make them to our midfield and give the new guys time to settle