binman

Superstar? I mean, Laird is a really good player and has had a terrific career. But a Superstar? Next, Crouch will be an A grader.

Danger game for sure. A five day break is crazy. Hard to get up physically and mentally. I'd be happy with a low quality, scrappy 7 point win that has fans bagging us for not being able to demolish a team in struggle town.

I did too (pick them to rise), but not because of their list as much as the fact that nicks had implemented a game plan and system that reflect what successful teams have put in place - fast effective transition from the back half. And they appeared to be super fit. Together this made them offensively strong - they scored more points than any other team last year which is pretty remarkable given they didn't make the 8. My query was their defensive system, but i assumed nicks was sorting offence first before sorting the defensive system. And perhaps that's what they have been focusing on as they have really slowed their ball movement (of course that could be a result of opposition coaches implementing tactics to negate their strengths - or a bit of both). They may come good. But they don’t look as fit as last year and i don't agree their group of younger players are that talented. We have a more talented group of 22 and unders. And I'd add that they relied a lot on Walker last year, and he looks like a crock thus far, and Fogerty is one dimensional and like Walker zero help in terms of contributing to all team defence. Two plodders. Thilthorpe looks a player, but he'll be lucky to play this season with the time frame for his knee injury still 4-5 months.

Apparently training in Melbourne, so can't see him coming in. But who knows? Goody might still be in his experimental phase.

Disco only a week away helps with our flexibility down back.

This. I think it's safe to assume that most of time koz flys for a low chance mark inside 50 it is under instruction. Play tall and bring the ball to ground.

Total gun. Believe the hype. I still think we're a real chance of getting him. West Coast is a disaster zone. I honestly can't see them making finals for at least 5 years. Their list is terrible. Just one example - paying gaff 800k a year to play in the WAFL. They need a rebuild just to get to the stage they can do a rebuild. Will Reid a Melbourne boy, really want to spend 6 or 7 years playing in a rubbish team in Perth?

It is literal points I assume. That's to say we average 125 points per 100 clearnces, so 1.25 points per clearance.

A strangely beautiful and poetic image.

Those fans could live for a thousand years and still not see another flag.

We did not watch the same game.

Nah, that's not how I saw it. Or what the numbers say, the most significant of which being points from defensive half: Points from defensive half For Against Match Season Match Season * 32 26.8 19 22.8 We played our new back half game and beat port at their own game, who ironically tried to beat us with our 2021-23 straight line, forward half, territory game.

Agree. But I will not be surprised at all if they pick him. I'm giving up trying to guess their selections!

Do you reckon they tagged him? I couldn't tell, but he was so important last week, and so quiet this week I wondered if they targeted him.

Exactly. But the difference between us and port's loss is that the same can't be said of Port last night.

No. The ban on dees bets remained in place unfortunately. But i hope someone took my advice to put the super on the +14 point linevand whatever they had in their bank account on the $2.66.

That's right, so I'm not sure how it can be a reversal given it was basically still live because Rivers didn't realise it had stopped. I'd understand if he say punched him off ball or similar. And it was only borderline a sling tackle and absolutely not unduly rough play.

Yep, that was a soft free. I would've been annoyed if that was paid against us. Crucial time too as we went into the quarter time break with the momentum and full of energy. I thought soldo was really good. He worked super hard.

As they were last night. They couldn't have got a faster or drier deck. Ground is in great nick, and with no wind, or obvious humidity, it was perfect conditions for football. Pity we don't get to play in those conditions every game.

Indeed. The quality of the game should not be lost in the wash up. It was a cracking game. High quality from start fom end and a finals like intensity. Port were fantastic. I was impressed by their defence (something they have to adress) and their midfield, and ability to link up by hands and go forward is elite. I've watched the replay once, but it might get another this arvo. Top game.Top win. The Crows is a danger game. Hard to get up for on a five day break after the intensity of this game. If we can tough out a win we'll go into the Lions game as favourites and 4-1. Win and we go 5-1 into the bye, with almost a two week break till our Anzac eve game against the tigers. Beyond how good the game was in of itself, beating Port was huge in terms of increasimg our chances of finishing top 4 - the goal of the home and away season. We get the 4 points, an opportunity to build momentum, bank early season wins and get to 6-2, which would set up our season. And Port, a competitor for a top 4 slot, don't get the 4 points at home, which given they started 1.45 favourites has to hurt. Too early for an 8 point game, but it may well end up being a factor in shaping the top four.

That's not accurate. In fact the opposite is true. It's nor theoretical, it's a calculation based on reality. So, for example since 2013 (when the data started getting collected), let's say there have been 2000 set shots from where maxy kicked his goal. And for the sake of argument only 30% of those shots resulted in a goal. It's therefore not theoretical that most AFL footballers miss that shot, or that it was super impressive maxy didn't. And whilst the model doesn't take into account all variables, most notably the record or skill of the person kicking, it does take into account quite a few key variables. The model estimates the likelihood of a player scoring a goal, taking into account the shot type - such as set shots, snaps, and on the run - location on the field, and critically the pressure being applied on the player having the shot. The last point helps explain why ports x score was only 11 points higher than their actual score. Many of their snaps on goal were under huge pressure.

For me, one of the most impressive parts of the win was I thought we had a number of players that had average games, particularly from some of our younger players. It was our leaders who stood up and willed us over the line. From @WheeloRatings stats in the stats file, compulsory post game reading for me, our top 5 pressure players tells the tale: Player Pressure Acts Pressure Points Season Average Jack Viney 39 80 59.8 Alex Neal-Bullen 30 66 51.0 Christian Petracca 26 57 43.5 Clayton Oliver 20 45 42.5 Max Gawn 18 41 30.8 Hard to argue those 5 weren't our best five players.

Don't we all.

Are you sure? The other head is not called jane01?

I thought so too. The free against rivers was a pretty big clanger though given the potential impact on the result. I'm pretty sure that free was an error because he paid a sling tackle, not say something like a reversal for unduly rough play. A free had already been paid, so the game was in time on, ie the ball was no longer 'live'. Rivers obviously didn't know that, so tackled rozee. He wouldn't have been awarded a free kick if rozee had dropped the ball - so how could he pinged for one (other than something like a reversal from say unduly rough play)?