Yokozuna

Wish my news was of a more positive nature though. Will try and find out more, but I believe Weed will come in and both he and TMac will have stints in the ruck.

Just had a quick read, and think some people want to make changes for the sake of making changes. On some of the points, Gawn is playing more defensive at the moment, helping the back 6 until Petty gets going, or when more cover is required. melksham IS under pressure and will either be dropped this week or needs a big game to hold his spot. TMac won’t go to a wing - he is dominating forward, no need to move him from there. Brayshaw is doing very well, playing his role and is a major reason our defense is so good. He could of course get more touches and for some people be more aggressive, but, don’t get it wrong, a major part of his role is structure. Not to get people too worried, as it isn’t major, but I have heard that Jackson may be out this weekend and the next with a possible short term injury. If that is the case, the Weed is in to play fwd/ruck. Maybe I should have started with this statement ???

Totally agree and I love what LJ is doing. I am not advocating he be dropped at all, I was more looking at how we would get weed and brown in the side, and I was saying if LJ was injured, that weed could play his role.

I am unsure of who will be the emergencies, but May and Fritsch will be in the starting lineup/bench

I would say that melksham and jones know they are under the pump to play well. T Mac is in the same boat. LJ less so as he plays ruck and I do it think the club wants weed or brown in the ruck. although weed could possibly play LJs role, just not with as much athleticism

Yep. Only 2. richmond very good defensively, especially running from their defensive 50. so not optimal to bring in people who have played less than 2 games in prep and also under the heat of that game. also the current forward structure has worked well (except accuracy). have a feeling brown or weed in next week and/or when injuries or poor form warrant it.

Fritsch and May WILL PLAY Petty and M Brown WILL MISS That is all.

Put your money on it, Oliver WILL sign a new 3 or 4 year contract in the coming days. Gawn signing has definitely been a key reason for him to put pen to paper now.

The teams were picked with one team full of the guys who have been training well and those who would most likely have been picked in a game if we had it today against a team of the rest. My source from within the club was talking up the Weed to me as well, really rating how he has trained and become stronger and is looking really impressive, for what it’s worth.

I have also tried to get some info from my source, and was told Brown was our number 1 priority. Pushed my source further and asked about running players and was told the club was having serious discussions around Phillips. Seems that we are quite interested but at the time I spoke to my source, not much contact had been made with the pies or Phillips. This was a few days ago, and I am trying to get more info as we speak.

I am trying to find some. Not anything specific at the moment, other than what we know already in regards to us chasing a key forward and some more outside skill. Doing due diligence on Ben Brown but seem keen (as we know). COVID isnt helping me in finding more news at this stage. I did suggest my source should go and tell the club that we should be chasing Whitfield!

Correct, they don’t tell the whole story, but stats do tell a lot of the story. Watching him play and the impact he had tells the rest. I guess we have had no good players since 64 then, according to your premierships will only make you a good player. i could list the many, many players from all clubs who are out and out stars that haven’t won a flag, but I guess then they are no good either?

Definitely was alive when he was playing, and he was gun for us. Anyone who watched him play in our best years in the late 90s early 2000's knows how good he was for us. You are talking utter rubbish if you think he was a flash in the pan. Look at his stats below from his best years (yes, his last 2 years were crap with injury and not many games, so i dint include them)

Check his stats, dont think he has done much at al. Lucky to be in the team of late to be honest (and yes, i have watched all of their games lately)

How does Hawkins get away with blatantly pushing people in the back in the ruck in the forward line?

Thought they said they would pick players in position! Guthrie on a wing? Played inside mid all year for geelong, and I know he has been very good this year, but it surprises me he is in the team, let alone starting 18.

Byrne Jones has been really good. I know as I have had him in my multibets all the time. He defends really well and gets over 15 touches weekly, and is quick and attacking. A much improved player. But..... unsure if he is really an AA. however I think they would want at least a couple of port players given there season.

Harmes was 4th last year and 3rd the year before if I am correct. so his best football is very good. I want him to stay and play hf/mid, but that is dependent on getting another HBF such as Saad, so they don’t play him down back.

Sounds like you have no idea of who I am and how old I am. I am quite happy to be called young! i am thinking I may have been involved in football a lot more than you think or know, but that’s fine, go ahead and make assumptions of someone from a comment. i agree players play for money, especially as they have a short career, but if you think mates and friendships aren’t a big part of their decision, maybe you are naive. I don’t know though, as I have no idea who you are. and given oliver is one of our best players, the $$ hopefully should be enough for him to stay. and given the $$ being such a driving force, why don’t we have more and more players moving in the AFL for money. We don’t have that many at this stage, as much as you think the AFL is a business. Not like other sports.

I didn’t miss the point, and goody wasn’t given an extension on a whim, he was given an extension after our finals appearance and improvement, wasn’t he? At the time I am sure everyone was on board with that! if you think the players are upset there coach who helped them make a finals series got an extension, you are mad. the fact we have gone backwards afterwards doesn’t mean the extension at the time was wrong, as the club, and us, assumed we wouldn’t continue to improve. i was just stating an opinion about oliver. Personally I don’t see him leaving at all, anytime. However, if he did, I would assume it would be in a few years when he is still old enough to demand big bucks and go to a team heading for success. and I don’t think he will leave as he loves his mates, as I stated in my first comment, and I believe he thinks we have the list potential to get back up to the top (albeit with some improvements this draft and trade oeriod)

I am not sold in him, but, we need outside run and skill, he has both. And he want missing a game at north because he is no good, he was missing a game as they were trying to send a message, playing him in the wrong spot and didn’t give a crap about him playing or them winning. Sounds a bit like Harmes for me this season. Playing poorly in the wrong position, and then people forget what he can actually do. I would take Polec, on a reduced salary and I wouldn’t be giving north much if possible.

While I totally understand everyone’s emotions on the issue, and I would be devastated to lose any of our top players, some people need to take a few breaths. Every player on every team would be thinking about staying or leaving their own clubs multiple times. Leaving a ooor club for success, leaving for more money, more opportunities, family, friends, unhappy with the coach, club etc. There are so many reasons. But, they would also know leaving would not guarantee anything, other than the money. I don’t see Oliver leaving now, possibly in another 2-3 years if things don’t turn around, but not now. I think he and the other top end see our list potential, and from my source, the younger group love playing together. Getting rid of Goodwin might be a solution for some of you, but I would be waiting for one more year if I was in charge. I would give him the chance of another full and hopefully proper season to do something, with some different helpers and Burgess. Only change I would make would be if someone like Clarkson, and probably only Clarkson became available. Other choices of a new young coach or Ross Lyon do nothing for me, and I would think wouldn’t do much for the players who some people think are not happy and want to leave (after a statement from a bottom feeding media type)

Yes, I have used that word before about him, so was wanting to say something else! basically, people think he doesn’t try because of his appearance, which I don’t agree with, although, he does need to get better defensively.

I guess some people, including me, use it to describe a laid back/relaxed demeanor. In English it means to brief and concise in writing, but people also use it in others ways too. I could have maybe used other words, but I was basically trying to talk about his appearance and movement.

But you aren’t saying fritsch for dusty are you? You are saying fritsch for ?? You are happy to get rid of him for a second round pick. we won’t get anything like a star player for him, or an early draft pick for him. Either way, I rate him very highly and would be sceptical to get rid of him for a first rounder anyway! A proven player against an unknown.