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That last quarter puts to bed the idea that we aren't fit enough and can't run out games. So much of all this is between the ears.

As much as anything, losing Melksham for the 23 finals cost us dear. Not the only factor, but a major one.

Lock thread.

Perhaps because Oliver is a bit lost and it gives him a role.

Not sure how we achieve that without trading out a player or two for good returns. We spent all on Langford and Lindsay.

I doubt he's not "fit" enough. Even with a foot injury you can keep loads up and continue to build or maintain cardio fitness. He's just missed a lot of footy and match practice - no way through that now except to get games into him.

According to the article, keeping Jackson is more of a priority for Freo than getting Kozzie.

According to the article, he was sold the idea of ruck/forward/on-ball time, i.e. do everything. But now it's all about being no.1 ruck. Surprised also that they haven't tried him as a mid when Darcy's rucking.

Something's not right. When you look at his VFL performances from last year he was regularly getting 20+ possessions, laying tackles, etc. though he has never been one to hit the scoreboard often. Could be a wasted year unfortunately, he really needed a full pre-season.

Doesn't quite work like that, and you'd have to presume that he's hitting his targets in terms of overall cardio fitness and running ability. But yes, it's a long way back from a long period on the sidelines. You only have to look at the difference between this year's Bowey vs last year's where he missed a couple of months with the shoulder.

Unfortunately with AJ, aggro is about all we've been getting at AFL level. Hopefully, with a bit more time to grow and develop under his belt he'll be able to turn that around. Fingers crossed.

Which is but one factor in determining form. The players are at the club all week, neither you nor I have any idea what else might be going on that could lead to them being picked or not. But your Tholstrup vs Laurie argument holds little water in any case as they play different positions. If you wanted to do Tholstrup vs Brown or Henderson you might have a point.

Yes we do, and our previous forwards coach was there when we won a premiership, which makes your point somewhat moot. Collingwood's forward coach is an ex mid-fielder. The Lions won the flag last year with someone who had never played AFL and had been their backline coach for 10 years. Adelaide's forward coach is an ex-defender as is the Bulldog's, Hawthorn's a "utility" who spent most of his coaching career coaching backs etc. etc. Across the AFL, forward coaches who spent their playing careers as forwards are the exception rather than the rule. This assumption re forward coaches comes from a misunderstanding of what coaches and assistant coachs actually do and the skillsets required.

Injuries to Petty and Jefferson forced that recall. Though hard to see that in the context of Playing an AFL match isn't giving him a chance to regain form?

No it hasn't. You're seeing what you want to see.

If we're talking about other clubs, Jack Gunston. Only lasted one miserable season with Brisbane.

Not helped by the revolving door of other forwards - not particularly anyone's fault either (injuries to Jeffo and Petty, suspension to Johnson etc.) If we could have a settled forward line for a month with either Turner or Petty alongside JVR, we might all be able to see where this is heading.

Second rounder and something future. No-one's going to be playing hardball here, if players want to leave they generally get to where they want to go. (Wade Derkson excepted).

Winning flags isn't an "opportunity", it's a herculean task where you need everything, every little thing, to go right. Geelong and Swans (in particular) have been "up" or thereabouts for a decade or more, and have 1 flag to show for it (Geelong 2022). This "we should have won 2 or 3 flags" is just entitled self-indulgence. (Though I can tell you in two words why we didn't win in 2023: Angus Brayshaw. We were never coming back from that. It was a hammer blow to the players and club that we still haven't really recovered from.)

All of them. Though you describing them as "social outings" only reinforces how out of touch you are with the realities and demands of high-level professional sport. It's not 1950 anymore.

Turner had 11 marks for the day. In the last quarter after he was moved ... 1. Hawthorn managed 7 goals in 3 quarters with Turner in the back line. And then 6 in a quarter after he was moved. You don't move players who are winning their positions.

Posts like this astonish me, though I don't why I'm still surprised to see them. The gulf between your average fan's understanding of what happens in elite sport and what actually happens remains as wide as it ever was.

You do realise that most training sessions are closed and/or indoor?

NSW Rugby League team. Recovery session. Surfing (indoor). Also smiling.

Also applies to Adams.