bing181

No, it's a "not training with your team mates" thing.

Not sure what the point is here, or even where this comes from. No-one's been saying that the list is "compromised". Goodwin just confirms what many have been saying, that we need to "start playing better as a group and a team and start helping each other." If anything has been "compromised", it's the time we've had together as a team over the summer. Which has already been commented on here by training-watchers prior to the season, and reflected in comments from coaches that it's been hard to work on drills with players unavailable.

There's a name for that: recency bias (which is in itself a subset of the availability heuristic).

Speculation.

There are no givens in sport, and much of what happens is beyond anyone's control (e.g. injuries/luck, your opponent's injuries/luck). Acceptable or not doesn't come into it. If as a club we do everything we need to to get to the finals, and we still don't, then so be it. Though I still think many here are seriously underestimating the impact of our non-preseason. Not in terms of player match fitness (though that's certainly a factor), but in terms of team play. If training together as a team wasn't important, players could just train their fitness individually then meet up at the club before each match. What we're currently seeing is exactly what you'd expect for a team that has had limited time *together*.

What would be most welcome would be that structure and gameplay are (more) effectively executed.

Maintaining possession our biggest current issue. Too many turnovers, and as Goodwin said, not connecting forward of the ball. Almost impossible for the moment to string together chains of possessions the way we were doing last year. Rusty as.

Suspect that the FD realised that. You don't send all those players in for (elective) surgery, thus compromising the pre-season for the whole team, if you're in a premiership year. I get the feeling that they realised that we still have some developing to do, so took the chance to sort out any potential longer term injuries so that they wouldn't impact the seasons ahead - when hopefully we really are premiership contenders. Short term pain, long term gain?

Agree with much of what you say, but I don't know that it is. That "outnumbered 3 to 1" situation that we saw time and time again in the forward line should have left Melbourne players to swoop in and get the ball once it hit the deck - after all, it nearly always WAS being brought to ground. But we don't seem to have any small, running forwards to do the damage and finish off. For the moment.

Not a question of lack of effort - teams (in any domain) have to train and play together, and that's what we're missing. We're not a well-oiled machine at the moment, we're hardly even a machine.

I don't see anyone here question us being Top 4 material. But that's Top 4 at the end of the season, not at the beginning where many of our key players are just cranking up after a reduced/non-existent pre-season.

Can't see us winning this, still too early, too many players underdone, and most importantly, too little time spent playing/training together. Still think we're going to have a rough few weeks, could easily start the season 1-4. I could be wrong.

He has a name: Esava Ratugolea

Predictable.

Of course it's not true. Fantasyland.

Yes indeed, the much-maligned RER B. As for bobo, yes, but I don't know that the 10e has a monopoly on a changing demographic.

We all do, they're compulsory in-car equipment. But like most of the locals, I only wear it in emergencies. Right-wing populism isn't really my thing.

Palaiseau (near Massy). 30 mins out, but we have house, garden, dog, (kids!) and easy access to open fields and forest. Helps to retain sanity. Nice area up in the 10e, must have been a buzz.

Paris

Would be great if he could get back to his 40-goals-a-year self.

The draw is a [censored]. Given our opponents, if we finish in the 8 we'll already have improved on this year. Let's not forget that in most of the home and away season this year, we'd hardly beaten anyone in the 8.

who currently has a serious foot injury, who didn't want to play for us anymore, and who's OOC next year.

Just made the mistake of watching some Hogan highlights. Weep.

Think that either Port or Adelaide will be tied up here, both have lower first round picks that they want to move higher.

10 and 14 to Adelaide for Lever plus a second round pick? A steal, and great work by Mahoney, Viney and co.