binman

Goody has certainly made some perplexing selection decisions this year. Given their form I have no issue them dropping Tmac and Harmes per se, and i'd need to know the circumstances before judging the decision dropping our leading goal scorer. But given Swallow is out injured and Preuss likely makes way for Gawn dropping two players makes (at leas) four changes for this game. Four is a lot given we are a system based team where everyone has to know their role for it to work and synergy is important.

Dr onion, anther psychological questions. I juts listed to Richo interviewed by Ben Gibson on the taking points spot on the dees website. Asked how is that is that so many players could be flat for such an important game he answered that that our system requires effort, energy and pressure and agreed we 'were off a bit'. He then said, that they 'didn't spend too much time on the why Gibbo' and then paraphrasing said instead they 'just addressed what happened, that it is not us' and that we are going to so something about it, and the Saints are the next opportunity. Focus on acknowledging that our effort was not us, showed edits of us working hard and then replicated that effort on the track on edits and 'hopefuly, well not hopefully' we will bring the required effort against the Saints. A couple of questions. The first is that for me logic suggest that understanding the why is pretty important in terms of minimising the risk in the future of happening again. Understanding why is a key part of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) model many organisations use. Does that principle apply in this context? And secondly, is the model they did employ to address the problem a sound one?

WOA RDB31?

A bit long

Lose this game Pollyanna and its time for you to change your posting name again i reckon.... Can i suggest Sisyphus.

We have had so many line in the sand games in the last few years that they start to blur into one another. But that does not change the fact this yet another one. And perhaps unlike other since Goody came on board more is on the line for the team and in particular him than any other game. The Chariman has made it publicly clear making finals is the minimum expectation from the board. Our good run with injury takes any excuse of the table. The COVID situation is one all clubs have to deal with so that's off the table too. Lose this game and finals are close to impossible. Lose and goody's future comes into sharp focus. Lose and there will be a tsunami of fugazi, to stretch the Japanese imagery as the media will be all over goody's future.

No chance they cut nev. For the reasons you note would be crazy. Another is the obvious thing, if he is keen, is for him to transition to a well being role once he retires. Hard to do if you sack him. Only chance of him not playing on is if he calls it a day. And whilst he has seemed off the pace this season i think the whole covid and hub situation has to be factored in. Who knows how it is impacting individual people. Nev has a young family and is leader in his community, a community that is a massive risk of being disproportionately impacted by the covid crisis from both a health and economic perspective. So he as a lot on his plate. Perhaps next season he can get back to his best.

I thought nev was a shoe in to be selected, having grown a leg.

Yep. On both fronts there is an interesting psychological aspect - paging Dr onion: The all team defence model only works when all players do the required work. I suspect if you confidentially asked each player after each game if they expended maximum effort (not did they play well) most would say yes. But two stats posted of late suggest our work rate is not up to scratch week in, week out - our inside 50 tackles and pressure is well behind that of the top teams and the uncontested possession differential in our losses. So there is a psychological disconnected. Relates to the first in so far as for me the key issue is consistency of effort rather than consistency of performance. The fist begets the second. Until such time as the team can consistently bring maximum, or close to maxi mun effort, week in week out we will fail to make top 4. And you don't win flags from outside the top 4. Effort is largely a psychological construct. How to achieve consistent effort is obviously a critical challenge

Footy smarts felt some awareness

Indeed. It was a conscious use of the the word virulent. Though you could also argue refusing to do something as simple as vaccinate yourself against a virus that you may not be worried about contracting but that as the daily numbers in Victoria show can be deadly for some and have a serious impact on many (even if that is having to be off work for two weeks) could be considered an act of hostility.

An no access to the MCG! I don't want to sit right behind or beside some virulent, COVID loving, anti vaxer, conspiracy theorist, Pete Evans wanna be, wack job yelling abuse at a dees player, or worse an umpire for not policing the rules properly.

Love it. Another slogan for a t shirt. Or even better a mask!

Top work CMB. Great point about the revolving door in the forward line. It is has long been accepted that a consistent back six is critical in terms of developing synergy. It is even more important these days with zones. It stands to reason then when start talking about all team defence and tbe critical role forwards play in terms of pressure and spread, that consistency in selection would be very helpful.

Without a word of a lie i read that as a recruiting nightmare!

In a role reversal dogs collar dees. What next - taking us for a walk?

I am hating watching every game on TV. You just miss so, so much. And one thing is the work rate of players who don't have the ball. Teams switch to the 'fat side all the time. It is usually the most reliable and relatively risk free way to break a zone. Sometimes team give their opposition that option, but deep. And cover and force rhe bsll to be switched back. But more often than not the dees try to not even give the switch option and force a kick down the line But it is not tbe first switch kick that is the problem, it is the next disposal, be that a kick or handball. If that disposal can be immediate and under little or no pressure you get what happens to us in the third. Easy transition from the back half to their inside 50. So even though it looks routine it is just so critical that a player gets accross hard when the ball is switched to man rhe mark and hold up the next disposal. And if your team is working hard enough and prepared to gut run and sprint the time the ball is in the air on a 40-50 metre kick gives them time to cover. This is where langdon has been so important for us. Live you can see who is working hard and who has decided not to sprint and cover. On tv you are guessing. But if we were collectively working hard enough in that third quarter there us no way tbey transition rhe ball so ridiculously easily. And it has to be said the most likely culprits not covering off in thst game are the forwards as rhey are the first line of defence stopping easy transition.

You seem a pretty compassionate bloke, so i assume your son will be a hawks fan?

Great minds. Was just thinking the same thing (about not making many changes). I reckon Jones will be out injured, sparrow obviously too and i can't see them playing preuss and maxy. So that's three. And i very much doubt they will want want to make anymore. That said there a few players who better take the chance to atone this week. Kozzie being one. I wish melk was one but he reminds me of the old joke about council workers - stands all day leaning on his shovel, but aint no way he's getting sacked (now of course they have sacked his entire department and spend three times as much on contractors to not dig the hole).

Agree DZ. Some questions i am curious about (not trying to be smart [censored], i promise, just curious because I've noted an inside mail vibe about your posts): Do you think he should be? Do you think his performances this year have been at the required level? How do you rate his on field leadership this year?

I can't see how Tmac can play with his lack of mobility. The saints will torch him. I know opinion is divided on Smith but for me now that Jackson is out i'd swap him for Tmac. Let him loose down forward. Be manic. Don't think. Do Encourage him to be aggressive in the air and fly for everything. Bring the ball to ground and any mark is bonus. He is an excellent tackle, is quick and spread and cover the switch in away that Tmac simply can't.

Great post 3183. Won't get an opposing view from me. Spot on. A couple of responses to the points above Agree, particularly may who gave Naughton a toweling - and it think it is an important point in terms of the discussion we could have got close if we had kicked straight. That may be true but really we were lucky to not get beaten by a lot more Agree defending against our system (assuming of course we are actually implementing it) is mentally and physically exhausting for an opposition - but i would also say it is mentally and physically exhausting to play. It is built for finals and is hard to sustain in the home and away season. And for me a key question i have started to ponder is the mental side of this equation - surely coming out after the half time break and not working hard enough is mental not physical. It tells me we have a way to go to get to the next level and that Goody has work to do on his ability to get his players fully switched on and motivated Agree, i think, but only we have the players with the mental fortitude to dig deep week, week out - we are a relatively young side but so is Port and a number of times, this week included, i have seen them come out very flat but dig deep after half time to win games they easily could have lost 1000% agree - this week losing Jackson really showed because he works super hard in our front half. To be fair so did tmac but he is simply too slow and lacks agility and mobility. And like the roos, the dogs took full advantage of these issues. One thing i'd say though is i don't give kozzie a pass mark. Not only did he miss goals he is in the side to kick his pressure was way, way off what it has been. Bonus points Axis for the use of the word bifurcate

Great post DP. I agree with all of it and pretty much your suggested changes. I think Hibberd has to stay. Didn't have great game but has been terrific for weeks now. As is so often the case it is the medium forwards who cause us problems. They play Wallis almost as a traditional out of the square full forward. And we just could not get the match up right. Wallis was too strong and smart for for Lockhart and we ended up having to play Hibberd. Hibberd is not brilliant one on one, and Wallis is and playing him deep negated his strengths (rebounding off HB). A big win for Bevo Goodwin's hands were tied a bit because he couldn't use May (who would have both the nous and speed to beat Wallis) because neither Tomlinson or Lever could take Naughton. I'd move Tomlinson to the wing to take Jones' role (who will come out you'd think) and bring Omac back in for that deep defenders role. Sparrow is out obviously and like you i'd bring in Rivers. Not sure about the other in. Maybe Hunt for some run?

Suggested he should be dropped. And I'm one. Noone suggesting he will be dropped. He won't.

I meant in the roos game. Though didn't make that clear obviously