bing181

We're just not. Having to put Petty forward to shore up our KPF stocks has only unbalanced our backline - neither Lever nor May will be AA this year. Now with Petty out we're losing at both ends - undermanned backline and forward line without a reliable KPF target.

We already have a very good third tall defender - Lever. What we've lost is the second tall defender, ex. Petty, and Turner has shown that for the moment at least, he's not big enough for that role. Rather Tomlinson for 2nd tall, and yes I know.

Amongst everything else, missed Petty tonight - at either end.

Would have thought that there's enough in the other sections here under 18.5.2. to give the AFL what it wants in protecting players re. unreasonable contact in marking/spoiling.

Just needs another pre-season and some time in the gym. Still young.

I think that's the point here. As I said in my earlier post, perhaps there's other vision which would help clear him. If the club appeals, we could perhaps presume that that's the case.

It's one of the factors that the tribunal takes into account when considering whether a hit was deliberate or not. i.e., playing the man or the ball. Not complicated.

As has been mentioned in a few places, in (large?) part because we're resting/rotating our big 3 clearance specialists: Oliver, Viney, Petracca, the latter 2 in particular. If you look at the stats for this year, Petracca and Viney are only attending just over 60% of centre bounces. Of course, there are other stoppages ...

Will turn on whether or not he took his eyes off the ball. From the footage that they're showing (from behind) it looks like he did, and that's why there's the penalty. If the club can show otherwise I'd imagine that they'd appeal.

Petty down back. Apart from anything else, May seems to play better when he’s down there, and frees up Lever to be an interceptor. Turner will get his chance.

Our much vaunted backline not doing much vaunting. May carrying something? Need Petty back there, Turner being rag-dolled by Casboult.

Perhaps, but might be worth trying to get him to 100 games. He has kids and you never know.

Perhaps, but seemed to have worked in our favour the previous year. Problem was though that in 2022 we'd come off a long, gruelling 2021 with not much turnaround. In 2021 we'd come off the shortened 2020 season (and shorter games). We carried a level of fatigue into 2022 that we just didn't have in 2021, and when you add niggles and minor injuries on top of that ...

Lever wasn't referring to resting players, but to injury management: "It was something that we addressed last year. We thought that we let ourselves down and we let our injuries get too much of us. By the back half of the year we were all running on the spot basically. Lever said injury management had "absolutely" been a key focus heading into 2023 ... https://www.sheppnews.com.au/afl/lever-tips-demons-to-reap-rewards-from-new-injury-plan/

Schache ahead of Brown/McDonald is a bit of a statement re the latter two. Beginning of the end for them?

Something not right with May I feel. So far off his normal self. Lever rusty but better that term. Petty not really a forward, doesn't have the craft, and with JVR outpointed by someone bigger/stronger/more experienced, forward line is only just functioning.

If McDonald can't hold down a spot with BBB out he must just about be heading for the exit. Not sure of his contract status, 1 year?

Disappointing. One of those days when it just didn't come together. Hopefully they take "learnings" from it and move on, hard to imagine them playing as badly 2 weeks in a row. Missed BBB and Lever (badly ...) but the loss was bigger than just those 2 players out.

Tomlinson being found out against big forwards/rucks, Petty just really down on form/confidence (not to mention, having hardly played back this year), Lever missing and Grundy doesn't really know how to play as a defender. Always going to struggle, need Gawn and Lever badly, maybe Turner in for Petty for a while.

He's injured - doesn't mean he can't do at least some sort of training. Gawn trained as well, but it's the rehab group ... who also train.

One of the results of playing Petty up forward for most of the year?

They're different kinds of players and play different roles. Not really an either/or.

Not surprised by the change, difficult though it is to make changes to a winning team. Pickett in gives us more outside run around the ball, so no surprise that they've kept Sparrow who's more of an insider. Jordan unlucky but will get his chances, we're not going to get through the season without midfield injuries and he's next cab off the rank.

Kozzie for Hibberd (injured), Petty back.

Petty returns to defence, Hibberd for Kozzie. Petty played a handy defensive forward game, necessary given the potency of the McCartin's, not to mention taking the 3rd tall role that Max often plays. Up the other end we got away with only one real KPD, but can't see it being a long-term positional change for Petty. Also wonder whether or not the Petty move wasn't to help get him back into a bit after two pretty torrid weeks as the main man down back with May's absence. But glad it's not me having to make the selections. Apart from Kozzie coming back, Tomlinson and Tom Mac both played well in the two's. And then there's Blake Howes ... 33 possessions and 16 marks today. Knock knock knock.