binman

"Everything is changeable, everything appears and disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes beyond the agony of life and death."

Compare and contrast Andy's interview with the bison with this interview: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/1745499/harvey-langford-rising-star?videoId=1745499&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1743400800001

We'll in the spirit of constructive criticism it did not come across that way AT ALL. A pro tip - you need to do some work on your apologies.

The defenders who run away from him must be all be gout gout level then.

Can't see them asking kolt to play a defensive forward role. We need his up the ground lead ups, energy and creativity too much. I think fritter plays melk's defensive forwardrole, or if not him, Sparrow (or perhaps a combo).

I take your point about melks ability to change direction off a step and execute either side, but OD argued that we were replacing 2 mobile forwards with two tall slow players. There's no universe that Melksham is more mobile or faster than Jefferson. Petty and JVR are more line ball, but JVR still has Petty covered for speed and mobility, particularly the latter. Leaving that discussion aside I like the selections too. Perfect day for footy - no wind, no rain, and an early arvo start means none of that late arvo/evening dew that can make the G tricky. Great conditions for tall forwards, particularly someone like jeffo who has great hands on the lead. There's an interesting subtext to Jefferson selection and Melksham's non selection. I can't see jeffo playing any other position than lead out from goal square forward - which is the position fritter has played the last two weeks. And with Sicily being such an important player for the hawks in terms of his intercepting we will need someone to play the defensive forward role. Surely that player will be Fritter. With Petty, and perhaps to a lesser extent, Melk to come back in to our best 22 this is a critical game for Jeffo and Fritter. If Jeffo has a strong performance hes a chance of cementing his spot in the ones - in a position that is Fritters best role. Fritter needs to do the job on Sicily and then he's possibly competing with Melk for a position.

OD - do you actually watch us play? Jeffo is not slow - in fact his acceleration off the mark and mobility are probably his standout strengths. Those attributes were certainly highlighted in his drafting notes. I'd argue that a key reason jeffo has been selected this week is because he covers the ground so well. And jvr is also pretty quick for a forward - and like jeffo good below his knees. And what on earth are you talking about when you suggest we are taking out 3 mobile players? Jefferson is a hell of a lot quicker and mobile than the player he is directly replacing - Jake Melksham - whose lack of mobility and leg speed is his biggest weakness Ditto JVR over Petty, whose mobility is just ok. Ironically the player you didn't reference, viney, IS being replaced by a less mobile player. We've all got opinions. And we're all susceptible to confirmation bias. But you are next level in terms of twisting reality to support your relentless negativity about the club you follow.

It was a terrific interview Andy - typically well researched, erudite (as is Langford actually) and above all interesting. My only knock is you didn't ask about the bison as a nickname.

You're not wrong

My tip about the freo pies game - freo wil look a completely different team to the one last week that looked like they had led in their boots such was their appalling defensive running Why? They are set for this game, and will have planned their program accordingly months ago. Part of that planning is a calculated gamble of a performance like last week. And of course pies are coming off a five day break. Another tip. In the wash up analysis this won't be mentioned at all. It will all be freo came to play, mouthguards at training did the trick, look how much better their defensive spread and running was compared to last week, blah, blah, blah. All symptoms, no diagnosis. Final tip - the 2.15 for freo is overs as is even money for more than 163 tmp. Don't mind the 8.50 for fro mote than 39 either.

And koz, who obviously wasn't in the round one and two teams when jvr, jeffo nd fritter last played together.

Jeffo and JVr are both pretty good at ground level.

5 For the same reason the pies didn't chang their plans with managing players after a loss, we aren't with melk. As mcrae noted the program for managing players is months in the planning. And though he didn't say so its also true for the overall conditioning program for each team. Planned to the minute and metre. I really wish the footy media drilled down on the impact of team's high performance programs given how critical it is in terms of influencing the result of each game. My tip about the freo pies game - freo wil look a completely different team to the one last week that looked like they had led in their boors such was their appalling defensive running Why? They are set for this game, and will have planned their program accordingly months ago. Part of that planning is a calculated gamble of of a performance like last week. And of course pies are coming off a five day break. Another tip. In the wash up analysis this won't be mentioned at all. It will all he freo came to play, look how much better their defensive spread and running was compared to last week, blah, blah, blah. All symptoms, no diagnosis.

'Hawks and Dees are very similar in the ruck and clearance stats this season. Both among the top few for centre clearances, both among the bottom few for stoppage clearances. But we tend to setup with a spare behind the play at stoppages with the intent to win a lost clearance back and rebound from it.' I thought these comments were interesting. We also setup with a spare behind the play. Or at least we did in previous seasons - I think we have done so in the last few weeks but I reckon we were bringing extras to stoppages at different times before that.

The real icing would be Hogan and Bedford also both coming home.

Exactly. Choosing to raise this when the club has said he's taking a well being break is pathetic. Leaving that aside, the reporting is lazy. Claz is clearly not yet fit enough- which is why he's not getting the minutes he was in 2021. I mean, der. Another solid preseason like the one he just had and he'll be closer to his optimal condition. He'll get more game time, be quicker and play at a higher level

Thanks luci - great stuff

Kolt is a lock in our best 22, even with his middling numbers. He leads up hard has good hands is good on the ground and brings great energy. He has an X factor and just seems the sort of player who if he gets his end up he can do a lot of damage. Break out games are a bit of myth I reckon, or least rare, but I could see kolt having a massive breakout game - lots of quality score involvements and a bunch of goals.

That makes zero sense.

Total bollocks. The data over many games absolutely 100% contradicts your opinion on JVR. Have you even looked at the data? Laving aside his poor form.this season, his first two full seasons are the equal of the very best key forwards in the last 30 years, including any playing now (not to mention bestingevery other young key forward playing now). You can do the research on thst - you'll find a post on mine from last year going thru the data in forensic detail. Opinions are great - but claiming you have data that supports that view is so on point these days

Because it's an infringement to kick or hit the ball into the stands after a whistle had stopped play. Melk got pinged fir it in 2021.

I watched the last 10 minutes on 7 and saw that chsnge in decision - couldn't believe the commentators got that so wrong, particularly cornes who was up in arms about something he got 180 degrees wrong. So much for expert comments. A split second after play had stopped a roos player booted the ball into the stands. A free kick should have been paid against him for time wasting. The umpire clearly thought it was a bombers player who kicked the ball and so was going to give the roos a free kick. Bomber's players immediately started yelling at him that a roos player kicked it. Someone told the umpire the call was wrong Technically the free should have been reversed, but instead he changed the decision to a ball up - which was the prudent call. Good use of technology and good umpiring- not that viewers would know that based on cornes ridiculous, wrong comments (his reflexive instinct to be 'controversial' and editorialise is annoying at the best of times but just flat out stupid in the context of calling games)

Only having two key defenders (Turner and Tmac) as our key defenders would be no different to last week when they ran with only May and Tmac.

Sure, but that logic didn't apply for fritter who came back into the seniors on the back of one, at best, average game at Casey - a game in which he didn't sem to address his issues with defensive intensity. And that decision has a cascading effect - he comes in, kicks two goals and who knows perhaps gets somewhere close to the defensive kpis they no doubt gave him. So they don't want to drop him after one game back in (hopefully fritter repays the faith, has a blinder, gets back to his best and is once again a best 22 lock). As fans we don't have all the information that feeds into selection. For that reason I don't get too worked up about them. But that doesn't preclude me being perplexed about some decisions. I don't mind melk's selection - most teams run with a defensive forward who have a focus on negating the opppo's best intercepting tall defender, and he'll likely go to McGovern who is a critical player for them. He is arguably the best kick in the team and provides important leadership in our forward half. Bur the non selection of JVR, particularly given they dropped fullarton and didn't select a back up ruck, is flat our strange imo. JVR has had two games now at Casey, the second of which was a cracking five goal game where he was hard at it and was back to leading up to ball carrier. And now Casey have a bye. As a fan I'd love it goody is asked about the logic behind his non selection. By the by, I'm tipping JVR will end up coming into the team - perhaps as someone has suggested in place of May.

PSD - what's the talk on Reid over in the west? If I was an Eagles fan I'd be very unimpressed. Doesn't look fit, unsurprising given he cake back from his break in [censored] condition. And his head seems all over the shop. I have a feeling JVR will end up playing