binman

It's not a question of needing to find a forward per se to get dropped Both petty and spargo will come in. Who will get dropped? I think there is a good chance a regular 22 will be managed or some such. If so that would be one. But if not I'm guessing harmes comes out. And jordon is the sub. That's one. And unless they want to give him another run (which id like to see), schache comes out too.

Spargo will not be at Casey next week This is a general comment - - and im not having a go at you - but i contiued to be amazed that so many posters don't seem to get how important spargo, and Nibbler for that matter, is to our team and our system, as evidenced by the regular suggestion he is going to be, or should be, dropped. Which is flat out bizzare, because as is the case with Nibbler such calls never get answered. I mean, surely the fact there is NO evidence his place as a regular best 22 is under threat would give people pause before suggesting Spargo is in the gun. Spargs played EVERY game in 2022 and in 2021, a premiership year. Played every game this year too until injured. There is zero chance he is not selected in the ones next week if fit. And if you want further evidence, have a listen to Goody's post match presser. Right at the end he is talking about who we will 'get back next week'. Spargs is the only player he mentions. And by the by, he plays different role to Chandler so it's not one or the other.

Yeah. Only the dees. Sheesh.

That's what i'm talkin' about!!!!!

Their best and most important player. Massive out.

That collision was huge. Three players smashed into each other. I was amazed watching live that they all got up. That's [censored] for petty.

Yep, that's exactly how I see hom being used - this year and beyond.

I won't be booing him either. But i'm sure as heck not going to be applauding him. I'm happy to applaud Sauce Baker (and did so when we played the dogs), Bedford and Weed. But not Jackson. We used a lot of trade capital on Jackson, invested time and resources into him and made him a decent offer to stay by all accounts. And he bailed on us. It would be different if, like Hogan and the Wiz (who was, and remains, right up there in all my time fav player rankings), he requested a trade on compassionate grounds - but he didn't. I'm not knocking him for making the decision to go to Freo, after all it's a cutthroat industry as evidenced by the fact clubs cut players (and coaches for that matter) that don't want to leave all the time (eg Hunty). And as a professional athlete he has a relatively small window to maximize his earnings. If he can wrangle it and play for the team he barracked for as a kid, in the city where he wants to live, on huge coin then all power to him. But that's where my generosity of spirt ends.

Yesterday i made joke at my own expense to my wife. She laughed and followed up with a (gentle) joke of her own about me. Red card - as i said to her, i can make a joke about me but others can't!

No, i don't. I will be super surprised if, in our finals set up, he is not playing as key defender. It is no coincidence our defensive worries and less effective defensive intercepts have coincided with Petty going forward.

Thanks viper. I watched Tuesday's 360 last night and Goody was one of the coaches (scott the other). He was asked specifically what his preferred forward set up was. He said resting rusting ruck and two talls. There was no equivocation, so i'm even more confident that come finals that will be the set up. Fingers crossed one of those talls is Van Ruin (because that would mean he has maintained his form and earned his spot, which is exciting). That would leave Tmac, BB and perhaps as wildcard, Schache fighting for the other tall spot. Another interesting comment from Goody was that JVR was still building his capacity to do the sort of up and down the ground running and being a marking option in the back half that Tmac does.

100% agree. His athleticism, and as you say ability to won his own ball when rucking, are his key strengths and exactly what makes him such a unique talent On the flip side, he has some weaknesses on his game atm. He is not a natural forward so his forward craft is average. He is not a one grab mark and not brilliant one on one if he can't run and leap to mark. He will improve all that stuff in tome - assuming their development program is effective. Part of the art of coaching is utilusing the strengths of each players and allowing them to lean into those to strengths. Nibbler is a good example. Not much point making g him a crumbing forward. Better to take advantage of his running power and fitness. Well, freo have risked unbalancing their side and their salary cap not to mention the risk of disharmony, to bring in a young player on huge coin and a long term deal, who is at least three years from his peak. And playing in him roles that do not take full advantage of strengths and expose his weaknesses. Crazy.

Yep. And doesn’t get a do over on this phase of his development. And worse for his development is the fact he has to play out of position. He is not a forward, he is a ruck. And more the point, that is where he wants to play I heard him say mutiple times when at the dees his preference was to ruck because he likes 'to be where the ball is'. As I wrote a few times last year, the smart play, family stuff notwithstanding, was to extend for two years, learn his craft under the best ruck of the modern era, maybe snag a flag, and head home. By which time he could maybe cross over with nik nat, a player he modelled himself on, and take his mantle as number one ruck. Unless freo and Darcy part ways, he will remain the number on ruck at the dockers. Leaving what for Jackson? 60% forward with a little midfield experimentation thrown in? How does that work for him?

Ugh - seeimg the jeez roos schedule like that gave me a heeby jeeby flashback of being a team down the bottom with low membership numbers.

After not being Van ruin turned it up to 11 in the last

I reckon the bombers are a real show. I suspect they will look to go even more high octane than the pies. Dangerous because fast is in the pies' wheelhouse. But they are coming off two very physical games, including having to travel to the gabba and play in humidity. And their game last week against the saints was brutal. Added to that they have some big outs, including their best two rucks - giving the bombers an edge for talls.

Easy. Quite like all three teams - particularly the suns and giants.

That's gold. Opens up a whole new bunch of games to have an interst in - any game of a team just above them on the ladder.

Perhaps a bit last night. But he played high half forward in the bombers and swans games too from memory. And he doesn't seem, though I might be wrong, to be down in our d as much as Charlie is. It puts him near any contest we win from centre clearances and when on he is brilliant field kick, so any ball he wins just outside 50 should result in a scoring opportunity. On Charlie, we really missed him. I reckon it was a factor in our defensive problems and we missed his gut running and smart use of the footy. And of course we missed his role in the system. Kozzie might have covered it, perhaps in combo with others (eg sparrow), but they're not the real deal. Under rated player in terms of his importance.

I really try not to let poor umpiring get to me at the footy. Remind myself that it usually evens up. But it was flat out appalling last night. And we copped the really bad ones. None worse than the non 50 to nibbler. That scenario was EXACTLY the reason the 50 was brought in - ie player wants to release straight away (kick or handball) and his opponent stops him from doing so. If nibbler was able to give to langdon immediately we were away with mutiple free players ahead of the ball. You'd could argue that cost us two goals. Given a 50, nibbler kicked from 20 out dead in front. Yes, the handball to lamgers was sloppy, but he was just trying to do what rioli stopped him from doing. And then they score on the turnover. And ok, let's say the blocks they paid against us were there. W ell how the hell doesn't maxy get 5 such frees a game given the Amount of blatant scagging and blocking he cops EVERY marking contest. And don't get me started on the hits to the head he cops week I'm week out. So much for the head being sacrosanct. The conspiracy theory stuff with umpires is ridiculous. The issue is we have well paid amatuers, not tbe afl is engineering results. Thought experiment. Why is the grand final usually umpired super well? Because the best umpires are selected for the match. Its a multi billion dollar industry- EVERY game should umpired to that standard. We won that game. But could have lost because of umpiring error. Too much is at stake for such an important part of the game to be so hopeless.

Agree. I didn't think he had a great game tonight- not enough ground ball contests. But they seem to be playing him higher up the ground - almost a true half forward flanker rather than a crumbing forward pocket

May has not looked right in the last. few games.

It has been our Achilles heel down back since jetts' brilliant 2018. I tgought bowey was poor in the first half, after two average games. But terrific in the second half, and much better contest.

Oath.

Always rated him.