binman

Yep. And in what world is a 9 goal win not a smashing?

Goody said they are 'always happy' to let teams switch and hold onto the ball. Has been a hallmark o his coaching. Paraphrasing, its all about stopping them score. And responding to what the oppo dish up tactically. Another hallmark of goody's coaching. I said to mate leaving the ground that once we got a decent lead they were happy for them to play kick to kick 80 metres from their goals. They are not eating into the margin. And we just wash from side to side which in addition to being bruise free, that sort of half pace running, with occasional sprint is way less taxing that running hard up and down the ground. And if it's about percentage, keeping an oppo to under 40 points and winning by 55 is the way to build it.

Go redlegs. Professional win with some terrific individual efforts and highlights. Goody looks a genius with his selections. Hore replaces may. And Petty goes back to cover Lever. Despite losing our two best key defenders for a half, on a perfect day for footy the oppo can't break 50 points.

Response Peter is Moore: And don't you hate all the socio economic stereotypes you hear from other club's fans. Particularly from demon fans, who really should be renamed the boomers given the demographics of their pitifully small supporter base. I mean, I've never lived in the City of Yarra, but i went hard on property in the late 80s around dights falls and made a fortune. And our greatest ever Prez is my neighbor here in beach road Brighton, so hardly blue collar.

I might call in on SEN - Pies fan Peter from Brighton on the line.

One of the strangest elements of the weird faux culture wars driven by MAGA nuts in the states is the whole liberal tears schtick. That's to say trolling the left and reveling in their supposed outrage. Never got it what people get out of it. Until now. I'm embracing Pies fan's tears. I might even create a fake account on whatever the pies equivalent to Dl is. I'll call myself Peter is Moore, and my first post will be: Long time lurker, first time poster. Frustrating start to the season, but i cant stand all the hate coming our way. Doing my head in. That said, i know this sounds crazy given he won a flag last season, but i'm really starting to wonder if Mcrae is the right coach. I worry he is the classic front runner, who with all his love and cuddles can't give the players a rocket when needed. And i have to say i'm worried about the list, with all our over 30s plodders. its like dad's army. Don't shoot the messenger, but i've heard there is bit of discontent among the younger players that 'stars' are getting games they don't deserve. And then there is the constant drumbeat of whispers about 'cultural' issues. And we know what that is code for (there is one ladder we are always at the top off - i'll let you connect the dots, or lines as the case may be). Is it time for a mini rebuild, play the kids and focus on getting some high draft picks and setting us up for a proper tilt in 2025? Don't jump on me, I'm just asking questions. Good clubs are always open to difficult questions. And thanks for all your insights, Pie land is the perfect antidote to all the rubbish i hear down at the yacht club and the Brighton Beach hotel about how well the dees are travelling and how much more beautiful their jumper is (which of course i push back on, but its hard given the dees jumper is by far the best color and design).

Lloyd might be a flip flopper, but he's got nothing on King. Just on us this season so far King: pumped us up - don't sleep on the dees days later on the season preview of first crack (before a game had been played) he picks us to miss finals he then puts us back in his eight on the next first crack (which was after our round win over the dogs) Don't worry, he's jump off the saints soon enough.

If you plays this backwards you get a one word descriptor of the pies start to the the 2024 season: Unravel

Apologies to Demonstone, but this came to mind:

I just listened to McRae's presser. Rohan Connelly explicitly asked about the shorter preseason and whether they are behind the 8 ball fitness wise. McRae categorically denied that was the case. In fact he went further and said they were the fittest they had been in his time at the club and lauded the high performance team and the work rate of the players. If you take McRae at his word then that points to even bigger issues (their reliance on players over 30 being just one). They simply did not work hard enough last night, you could see it - particularly in terms of all team defensive running and covering the Sant's spread. If that is attitude not fitness they are in big trouble. It was a weird presser. McRae was speaking in metaphors and struggling to maintain his positive vibe schtick. Asked about being the first premier in years to have started 0-3, Mcrae was quick to correctly point out that the cats lost their first 3 games last year. To which the reporter (Connelly?) quickly responded to note the Cats didn't make the finals last year. Nice little drive by from McRae that i'm sure Scott will highlight when the Cats play the Pies. On Connelly, its great he has been gong to the pressers for the last season and a bit, he asks excellent qs and isn't dismissed by the coaches like the less experienced reporters often are.

I can't see hore being sub. Not flexible enough. Was thinking petty, swapping out for bbb, but perhaps you're right and he starts. Thinking about it, petts could play the melksham role and run with Sicily to negate his influence. We have missed such a player. Stretches the hawks defence and means fritter, who had the dogs best defender for company, and/or bbb get the next best key defender. Might free up fritter too to play his own game. Leaving Windsor as sub to come on in the third to inject some run and dash, with petts coming off if need be. Good management of a young player. If petts did come off, the forward line would then be the same group as against the Dogs. Goody said before the season last year they planned to use the sub in two ways - tactically or as part of their load management strategy. That jags with their use of it thus far. Playing the longer game for sure, and there is no doubt it is a calculated risk. But it's all about winning the war not the battles. The game has undergone a massive transformation in the last 10 years. It is so much more aerobically challenging for the whole list its crazy. And every team now needs 10 plus elite runners of the nibbla ilk. It's why Lyon loaded up on athletes and runners (by the by, seems crazy to have let billings walk given he is also a great kick, which Lyon has also targeted). Leaving aside injuries, the fittest of the real contenders (IMV dees, giants, swans, lions, pies) come finals will win the flag.

I'm considering lifting my media ban for the next little while to revel in what's sure to be 'what's going on with the pies' tsunami. What goes up, must come down.

There was also a bit of chat about BBB's selection. Fair enough too as it was left field selection given he had surgery only a few weeks ago, had been in rehab before that and he had only one VFL practice game (maybe 2?) under his belt. But it was a good selection. Hore wasn't as left field, but his selection was still somewhat unexpected given he was replacing bowser, with many thinkng Laurie might come in and/or salo goes back. And his selection meant three players new to our baclkine - hore, tmac and howes. So I"s argue tmac was not the only selection questioned.

Totally agree. It is so clear they are not fit enough, that's the story. Yes, the month less preseason has an impact but they look miles off being fit. The cats struggled too last year but didn't look anywhere near a unfit. Culture? The way the game is now played, if teams can't cover the ground they're toast. It's particularly true of the pies because they press up so high that need to be super fit, and quick, to get back on defence when they turn the ball over. The can't atm and are getting walk in goals against them. It's why I picked the saints and the swans.

I thought so, just wasn't sure Fits with the idea they might be managing him? Starting as a sub, or coming off for the sub, would support that theory. Would be smart given he is only playing his third game in his first season of afl footy.

Who got subbed off against the Dogs?

Pies struggling to cover the spread.

I tipped the swans last week, and the saints this week. It's just so crazy it might work.

Like jazz, when you're experimenting , ya gonna hit some bum notes man.

Might be fairer to grade his management after the game. As BDA notes his selections last week, much ridiculed on here, turned out to be very good decisions.

Maybe Goody is going through an experimental phase.

Agree. Brown starts, swaps mid way through the third with Petts. Good management of both players. The risk is if we get a ln injury to a small or a runner, but if petty is fit enough to be a sub he's fit enough to come on when needed. He can play back or forward, so they can shuffle players. And if a medium or tall, at either end, has to come off he's the perfect sub. Good call, worth the risk of being down a runner, to get him up to AFL speed. And goody was good to his word about petts coming back round 2. But, who knows goody might start him and say have windsor as the sub as part of managing his program and making sure we don't burn him out (he's played all of the 4 games thus far).

Yep, I can see what your brother means about a Healy, a good comparison. I was gutted when Healy left, a star who like Windsor was a terrific runner, though Healy was perhaps not as quick. Great kick too. The comparison will be even more apt when Windsor is 24-25 and bigger and stronger.

Great post. Total agreement on all points DD. Agree on the likely impact of the Swans press on our struggles to transition and be clean. I'd add that the SCG would have helped that cause considerably. One of the things written on the message board for the players at the quarte time breaks on Sunday was 'defensive density'. I presume that is reminder to for players to get back and clog up our defensive area - something we did to great effect i thought. But it might also refer to density though the middle of the ground to hinder the dogs' transition. The Swans press, combined with the ridiculous dimensions of the SCG, would have created density further up the ground that made it hard for us to get through. Its worth noting that they also struggled with transition too, with lots of turnovers. The scores were level at three quarter time after all. We looked gassed in tjhe last quarter which would have mad it hard for us to maintain that density and all team defence, which is probably a big factor in why the Swans improved their transition in the last quarter - that and the brilliant kicks they have.