bing181

ANB (and Melksham) showing why you back your players rather than dumping them whenever they have an off day.

Understand the sentiment, but we've had a few injuries and disruptions in the back half of the year - OK, not many, but enough to key players to be disruptive, May, Tom Mac and Ben Brown in particular.

Chandler has also had his chances and not been able to hold his place. As for JVR sure, but he's not exactly been consistently tearing it apart at Casey, even since mid-year. (Main goalscorer is still Brown.) Very different from the season that Hogan had at VFL level where he was clearly a class above.

But especially in finals, I feel that changes are about roles, structure and match-ups. Joel Smith for Salem could be one if we want more height and athleticism down back. Tom Mac for someone if we want the two-talls forward so that we can free up Gawn/Jackson to stick to rucking. Wing is another issue, though that's more reorganising who we have out there (though god knows who/how), I can't see us bringing in Baker.

Not sure that any of the changes being suggested here will change the result one iota (or would have changed the result on Friday night). It's about how we play, not who we play. OK, maybe some tinkering at the edges, but if we don't put it together a bit better than we did against the Swans, then we'll set ourselves a task.

Your point was "We’ve actually had a very good year injury-wise." Agree, but the injuries we have had have impacted out ability to reach the same heights as last year and perform as consistently. Not by much, but it doesn't need to be much to start losing matches. Salem may be out there but there's a difference been "not injured" and performing to your fullest ability. By his own admission his form isn't where he wants it to be (interview from a few weeks back), and that's because he missed half the season ... with an injury.

Agree mostly, but two injuries that continue to have a fairly major impact on the team's performance/structure are: - Tom MacDonald. Him being out there makes the forward line function a lot better - Christian Salem: Has been a shadow of himself since he came back from his injury, including last night. Watch the first quarter of the GF, his drive off half-back was the motor for so much of what followed.

Yes, but it's not as if the whole team has been on a roll for 6 weeks and this is just a blip. The players who didn't play well have not been playing consistently well for some time now, so the realistic chance of them "turning it around" are slim in my opinion. Nice to believe in miracles, but in this case ...

Yes they do. Nothing but BS in the context of team sports in-season. You only load out of competition (athletics, olympic sports etc.) or between seasons.

Sydney Geelong GF. We've been off the pace all year, not helped by injuries. Hibberd maybe shouldn't have played tonight, Salem hasn't been the same since he came back. Then there are a few of the 'fringe' players who were really solid last year but just haven't put it together in 2022, ANB being the prime example. For mine, best long term result would be to lose against Brisbane so we can have a decent break, freshen up mentally and physically and be primed to attack next season.

As the father of a son around Luke's age and having watched any number of his friends have their chosen career paths derailed by their parents, I'd question that.

In Paris, it's traditionally only been the GF at Belushi's, near Gare du Nord. But one of the local Australian Football teams, the Antony Blues, have set up shop just south of Paris in Antony and have a tie up with a bar/cafe there called ... wait for it ... Le Café des Sports. That seems to have been the main viewing point last year. No news yet if they're repeating it this year. I went to Belushi's a couple of times in years past, but found it a fairly soulless experience, so prefer to do it my way with WatchAFL.

No change.

Give Melksham a new contract. Kept us in that.

Not really the same since his injury I feel.

Forward line ... not quite happening, chemistry just not there. Playing as a group of (talented) individuals rather than a team. Odd, as they've had plenty of time together. Missing Tom Macdonald to help get the system working again?

My kingdom for a big marking forward. (To be fair, both Max and Jacko have taken some great grabs ... but they can't kick straight.)

Good to see Salem amongst the votes. Still not back to his regular best, but was his best game since returning from injury.

Too early to start a 2022 post mortem thread?

No we haven't and neither have they. But agree with you, staggering how much legs this has gotten for something that never happened.

We are missing Tom Mac. Equally, it's the way that the ball is coming in.

Three goals in a half of footy isn't going to win you much.

No he didn't. Go back and check it out. He was referring to the toll of 2 x 6 day breaks plus travel, and that the players would need a "bit of a rest and then reset".

Don't agree re Langdon. He was clear AA last year, this year not so much. For me, hasn't been the same since the concussion. Only 5 kicks today and 165 metres gained. That's a big drop on what he was producing last year, and one of the (many?) factors in why we're not going as well.

Not overly enthusiastic re Weeds, but was positive enough about him - a bit different to last time when his comment was quite brutal, at least in that context.