binman

Did he review the 2018 prelim?

By the proverbial county mile too. In fact he seemed to have improved his ball handling and an ability to gather off the ground. Some of his work in that regard against the tigers was super impressive. A key role for Weed is to block and screen for BB because opposition teams look to double and triple team him all the time. Which, by the by, is further evidence of how far ahead is of Weed and Tmac, as with all due respect to both, neither get doubled teamed.

Totally agree. The super high kick is a really noticeable strategy isn't it. Langdon is the master at it, perhaps because he gets so many of possession hard up up the boundary and ahead of the play (ie he is often on the end of the outlet kick and has to wait for teammates to get set ahead of him), meaning if we don't mark it, which is often the case, if not crumbed by us it smashed over the boundary line. Which means we don't turnover the ball often, if we do it is not in a dangerous spot and if it goes over the line we can reset. But other players do that kick too. A variation on the same theme is deliberately scrappy long mongrel kicks forward when we don't have a clear target that are all but impossible to mark - deliberately so. Some go t packs, others just not space. Tracc is the mater of these kicks I feel like this latter kick is more the tigers go to - we have added the high kick (though they do them too, just not as often)

That is a really good point. In addition to the benefits you note of looking to go forward, another benefit is we can control the tempo of the game AND take territory. Other teams try and control the tempo, for example when wanting to slow opposition momentum, by kicking it side to side in their back half. Under pressure, Geelong reverted to type and did exactly that in the last quarter in their loss to the hawks. And got marooned in their back half. You can't score when the ball is in your opponents 50 metre arc. And if you turn it over there you get scored against in quick time.

Agree. There has definitely been a change to the option we take when we get a mark or free - and even when a player is running with ball in hand. The rule appears to be go quick and take the first option, but only if tbat option is the best one. But if there is not a good option, then hold onto it and wait until either a good option appears (eg a player leads up for a short hit up) or until the players ahead of the ball, and behind, can get into their structure (eg tall marking targets an crumbers to a specific spot). It works well for a number of reasons. It supports our tactic of controlling the tempo of the game. It helps us keep our shape offensively, but more importantly defensively as players who have pushed forward or back can reset. It means we are not always going flat chat, so when we need to go we have the energy to do so. It supports the option of giving a handball to a player running from behind. It reduces the opportunity for opposition teams to bounce it off half back and slingshot because we are not kicking it to a one on one or outnumber. Which is important because some teams rely on doing so to generate scoring, for example the hawks and dogs. And it reduces turnovers. A lot of the turnovers we win are on the back of opposition teams going fast and taking the first option. Freo have implemented a lot of our key tactics and that includes not taking the first option all the time.

And that is bound to happen when we load up around the bye period, as occurred last season.

He is a star. Easy to forget he's super young for a key position defende. Agree he's gone up a level. He's stronger and even though he was always hard at, is even more so now. He hits to hurt.

I can assure you I wasn't comparing weed and robbie skill wise. My point was that to perform well, to get into a flow state, players have to work out what mindset and energy works best for them to get in that state. And then make sure they can get into that state every game. For some, like may it will be all hype and controlled energy. Others might need to go internal or relaxed, because otherwise they get too worked up. Know thyself.

Robbie Flower played chilled. Seemed to work for him ok. Same goes for Fritter and Langdon. Different strokes for different folks.

The talls under a clear instruction to go up as one in aerial contests up forward - it an important element of our system. It makes perfect sense. Multiple bigs going for the same mark is the key reason why we concede the fewest intercept marks inside our 50 of any team in the AFL. When we don't mark it it comes to ground in a predictable spot and fashion and we either crumb it and score or create a stoppage. And the congestion makes it very hard for opposition teams to move it out of our 50 - if we spread more, as say the dogs do, and is the traditional model, there is more space at around the contest and it is easier for the opposition defenders to win ground balls and get it out of their back half - as the dogs have discovered when we play them. But we also clunk more contested marks inside 50 than any team over the last season and a bit, so the system works in this regard too. So be prepared to get frustrated.

Goody, in my opinion, has always been an underrated coach - even by dees fans. That of course changed with a premiership, but I still think he has skills that get overlooked. We all know the players love him, but I don't think he gets the credit he deserves for his emotional intelligence and how this informs how he helps individual players to improve. Some players would respond to being fired up, and no doubt Goody would pull that rein when needed. But Weed seems to be the sort of person who puts heaps of pressure on himself, so doesn't need more. He plays his best footy when he is relaxed. And I suspect his least best when he is on edge. Goody will be telling weed the exact opposite of fire up or else, because it won't get the best out of him. He'll be saying just do what you did last week - compete, second efforts and gut run. Don't worry about anything else. The goals and marks will take care of themselves.

Line ball with Williams. Great recruiting blues.

And Darcy calls one wing the commentator side and the other wing the far side. Really painting a picture. For those who know where he is sitting.

I don't think that is an issue they will need to grapple with tonight.

It was all a bad dream.......

I got it wrong about Tmac. Well done to those that got it right. I'm not convinced by Weed - but i am convinced that there is no way he gets selected this week if he was not meeting the coaches' expectations re: work rate and intensity. Well done Weed - i hope he grabs his opportunity with both hands.

Agree Bedford is ahead of him, as evidenced by the fact he is the go to medi sub. But you'd have to think he is ahead of Laurie and Chandler as evidenced by the fact he was in the emergencies two weeks ago and will also be an emergency this week. As far as I recall neither Laurie or Chandler have been emergencies. No way goody names him on the extended bench this week if he has been playing as badly as you make out.

Melksham had a pretty good game actually. These were his numbers (thanks KC): Jake Melksham: 1 behind 12 kicks 9 handballs 21 disposals 8 marks 4 tackles 80 dream team points They are pretty good numbers, and the coaching staff would be rapt with 4 tackles as the defensive stuff is his big weakness. For comparison purposes here are Dunstan's numbers: Luke Dunstan 1 goal 11 kicks 10 handballs 21 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 81 dream team points I only really watched the first quarter (and bits an pieces of other qs) and thought he played really well in that quarter. He was our leading possession winner at the end of it, with 8 possessions, his intensity was pretty good, he was very team orientated, and his skills in super windy conditions were sublime. he looked a class above VFL level. It's why i predicted, accurately as it turns out, he would be on the extended interchange list this week - though i very much doubt he will be selected. The fact he has been selected on on the extended interchange list this week should be read as affirmation by Goody that he is well and truly on the right track. I think there is a pretty good chance, if he keeps on that track, he'll get call up to the seniors at some point.

Agree, West Coke is cringeworthy. It's Wet Coke.

Weed has been handed a gilt edged opportunity. If he has a big game, where his intensity and contest is elite he can make dropping him that bit harder. Ball in his court.

Smith plays half back. Tmac takes lever's role. Gus goes to the wing. Jordon and Sparrow rotate through the midfield, replacing viney. So final team has two changes: Viney and Lever out. Smith and Brown in Bedford medi sub.

We are in a parallel universe when this decision is causing the most debate on dl. He'll, when I first started posting on 2011 we were already debating who to delist, draft needs and which free agents we should chase. Oh, and Jack Watts (hi pro dee - I might have won the battle, but you well and truly won the war).

Spoiler alert - gil is a small man behind a big curtain

Spoiler alert - the book ends with his mysterious disappearance at quarter time down Casey way last weekend. Can't wait to the sequel.

Unfortunately tge afl dropped the only bloody thing I liked about their stats - AFL StatsPro, the video program that counts stats and shows (showed) every involvement of every player for every game. Spewing.