P-man

Re the quality of the first half, I think it was more the second quarter that was most disappointing. I'm sure the time in forward half, forward 50 tackles etc would stack up well for the first quarter, especially considering the extent of the breeze towards the Suns goal. We just weren't able to convert with kicks falling short and then failed to use the wind to our advantage in the second. Footskills were decidedly poor in the first half, but the workrate around the ball especially in the first quarter was okay. That may be what Goodwin was referring to when he says they were reasonably happy. This is just my recollection in the cold light of day. I have no desire to go back and watch the first half again to confirm.

Someone commented that it could've been a breakout game for ANB. It's an interesting one given he didn't feature highly in the POTY votes, yet I'm half inclined to agree. Granted the opposition was not top 8 calibre, but he is starting to look increasingly comfortable at the level. The biggest slight on him imo was that he often looked rushed in his decisonmaking, but It looks like something has clicked and he now realises he has a more time than he thought and so is looking a lot neater with his disposal as a result. The way he was weaving through traffic on more than one occasion was also pretty exciting to watch. It shouldn't be that surprising given he was highly touted as a draftee and considered by some as a steal at the time. Hopefully it isn't a false dawn and he can continue to build from here.

I can only remember one win that I flat out did not celebrate and that was the game against Brisbane in 2015. That win wasn't ugly. It was circus freak ugly. Generally speaking there is cause for celebration when you grab the 4 points.

FYI we currently have two of the top five tacklers in the league. Oliver 5th and Viney 1st.

What a game he played tonight. Now sitting on 25 goals and leading all small forwards for tackles. As of right now he's well and truly a part of the AA discussion.

I have more confidence in Frost than the two of them combined. Over it. Fair to say we are very much in the market for another quality KPD. And if we aren't, we should be.

Yep. I'd take Bugg over Kent every day of the week atm. Needs to finish though obviously. Needs to back it up now. Was very clean with his ball use and it stood out. No complaints if he can play like that every week. Still a big if at this stage.

6. Jones - almost turned the game himself 5. Garlett 4. Hibberd 3. Harmes 2. Melksham 1. Hannan

Weird stuff. Dire first half. Much better second half albeit with Gold Coast seemingly having decided to stop running. All capped off with the Suns song being played at the end of the game. But it's a 6 goal win and we're in the 8. Can't complain about that.

Jeffy love

Mitch with another 3 goals. What a pick up.

Good boy nibbler

Anyone else just screaming "NO!!" as the seconds ticked down with the ball in their forward 50?

Seriously Oscar? That was a 15 metre kick that went to ground and missed the target.

Harmes. Wow.

Putrid. Please god no more T Mac in the forward line.

T Mac is a complete gumby.

I wasn't throwing it up as an "excuse". Merely adding context to the previous figures quoted which had our average age as 25 yrs. A different picture is painted when looking at the entire squad.

37 and married Wayno. So a live in girlfriend, of sorts. Generally flat white with two so not far off. Office job is a tick. 35 more years of pain not so sure. Probably closer to 25 with what I've put my body through over the years.

Is this true, Andy? Where do I send my resume? @Demonland

That's just for the side being fielded this weekend though. In terms of the average age of the squad we are still very young, and experience wise I think would be only a few spots higher. OLDEST TO YOUNGEST AVERAGE AGE West Coast 24 years, 330 days Greater Western Sydney 24y, 219d Fremantle 24y, 207d Hawthorn 24y, 184d Essendon 24y, 102d Geelong 24y, 18d St Kilda 23y, 350d Richmond 23y, 344d Adelaide 23y, 340d Western Bulldogs 23y, 322d Collingwood 23y, 319d Gold Coast 23y, 305d Port Adelaide 23y, 286d Carlton 23y, 299d Sydney 23y, 265d Melbourne 23y, 233d North Melbourne 23y, 218d Brisbane Lions 22y, 225d

Lobb could become an A grader if his body follows suit. I rate him. I'm with you to a degree but I think you're underrating Kelly. The kid is already a jet and he's going to get a lot better. He's in the Bontempelli category as far as talent goes. Almost certain to be a top 5 player in the league. Again, though, I'm not crying into my pillow over the deal. We have three players who should remain best 22 in a flag contending side for the foreseeable future. And I wouldn't swap Hunt for all the tea in China. Quite possibly the best draft selection we've made in the last ten years.

See my post above. Saying it's 3 for 1 isn't accurate. GWS eventuslly turned our second round pick into Lobb. Is my understanding.

I don't think it's well in their favour. But Hunt definitely saves our bacon. He evens things up a fair bit.

This deal gets misrepresented a fair bit. It wasn't Kelly for Tyson and Salem (and Hunt). The trade also included a pick in the early 20s which to my understanding eventually became pick 29 which was used on Rory Lobb. If it's Kelly and Lobb vs Tyson, Salem and Hunt, it's a more interesting ledger. Most would favour the Kelly side of it. I was more willing to call it break even (or even us being ahead) if Tyson was tracking towards A grade. He should be a fixture in the side in coming years but his ceiling is now looking lower than it once did. B grader, essentially. Kelly would be a handy player to have (exactly what we need tbh), but it's far from a catastrophe.