speed demon

Loading is a hypothesis that better explains the observation (i.e. great, high-intensity footy the previous weeks and rubbish, low-intensity the next) than the alternatives put forward (weak, soft, drinking bathwater etc). However, seems indulgent to be loading into the Saints game given our ladder situation. I note the points you raise above and, if loading did occur, maybe these are the reasons why. Even so, I think this is flawed. A high performance program that is rigidly set at the beginning of the season and not recalibrated as the season unfolds seems high risk of imploding. I think this is particularly true for MFC in 2025. Coming off 14th place in 2024, it would be foolish to assume we could roll into the middle of the season with 10 wins. Especially when pre-season we had injuries (and suspension) to key ball users in the new game plan (McVee, Windsor, Melksham, Kozzie). Six debutants in round 1 was both exciting AND worrying. I think we will be more competitive against Collingwood but even at our best a win will be hard. Come the end of the season, I worry that the Saints game will be game that we couldn't afford to drop.

The coaches disagree; Lever has received 59 coaches votes between 2022-2025. I wouldn't write Lever off yet though I think Turner is going past him (similarly good intercept mark but better one-on-one, better disposal, faster and more agile).

My recollection was that McKay's kicking yips reached a peak in 2023 when he was kicking snaps for set shots directly in front but resolved in 2024 when he returned to more conventional approach to set shots. His goals/behinds for 2023 (29.29) and 2024 (49.21) would seem to support that. Was also in the All-Australian squad in 2024. A genuine forward / 2nd ruck who would allow JVR to be full-time forward and Petty to shift back in the post TMac / May / Lever years seems worth considering.

Loved Max rag-dolling Grundy to take it out of the ruck and snap truly. Perfect start and set the tone for the day. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/1790882/gawn-v-grundy-max-banks-early-win?videoId=1790882&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1748152740001

I liked the look of our midfield yesterday, especially the extra dynamism Kozzie and Rivers bring. I'd bring back Viney to play Spargo's role. Viney similarly fit, disciplined and tackles hard and his disposal is better when he has more time and space.

Agree with the above. Seems like we are incorporating the best of 2021-23 (i.e. contest and defence) with a more dynamic midfield (e.g. Kozzie and Rivers) and faster / more precise ball movement (e.g. Bowey, Langford, Lindsay)

That just shows the limitation of the player rating system. There are qualitative elements that are difficult to quantify into a scoring metric. Another example is Petty (player rating 3.9) who played an effective role in nullifying McCartin. I agree AJ's not highly skilled but contributing in ways others have already posted.

👍🏻😂🙏🏻❤️ A solitary emoticon was insufficient

While I would have respected a premiership player's dignity and called it "managed", I don't mind TMac's non-selection. TMac has been our most consistent key position player (forward or back) for the past two seasons. Select him and we know what we are getting. Given where we are currently at, I'm more interested in getting some consistency into Petty (forward), Turner (back), the May/Lever combo and seeing what AJ can offer.

Thx for this. I thought Bowey was good against the Lions but honestly I didn't appreciate how good. He's so quick and clean it's easy to miss. In his earlier years, I thought we was strong offensively but vulnerable defensively. Not any more.

I think some posters are being uncharitable to AJ. People are writing about him like he’s reached his ceiling. However, he’s only 25, played just 3 games and been in the AFL system for all of 6 months. Last year was only his second in the VFL and he was working full time on the tools. He’s been on a rapid upwards trajectory and with his attitude there’s every chance it continues. If he can hold his own in the ruck, kick 1-2 goals and scare the bejesus out of the opposition, he’ll earn his keep. Find a way to give him a stint of 4 games. Love to see him run out against Collingwood on King’s Birthday after swallowing the whole bottle of Fritsch’s angry pills!

Totally agree @beelzebub . Focusing on “wins and finals” as a benchmark for Goody’s ongoing tenure reminds me of Goodhart’s Law: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure". The target should be a flag and the measure a flag-winning game plan and players able to execute it. When we focus on convenient objective measures like wins and finals, a coach is incentivised to play it safe (stick to the game, play the old brigade) and achieve short term goals rather than take risks and incur failures in pursuit of longer term loftier goals.

This is a good point. I admired Goody earlier this year for criticising himself for not holding his nerve last year when the team floundered with the new game plan and he reverted to the old game plan. Great as it was, the old game plan is not winning another flag. "Better to dare mighty things and fail than live in the grey twilight where there is neither victory nor defeat".

I found this article surprisingly moving. Far more substantive than the usual stage managed “I love the club and want to stay” unconvincing reassurances. The description of Kozzie being both homesick and wanting to stay was illuminating. This complexity is usually ignored by the media in pursuit of a simplistic and dramatic narrative. Kudus to the journalist, Kozzie, his dad and the club.

That makes a lot of sense and playing a team role is a great way of (re)earning the respect of his teammates

A few comments, some against the grain: Oliver: tasked with tagging Newcombe and did his job. JVR: covered a lot of ground, competed fiercely in the air, laid 4 tackles and did well in the ruck (9 hit outs, 3 to advantage). Jefferson: I'm more critical of him being selected than on Jefferson himself. He played according to his form and this will have only depleted his confidence. Forward line: Main issue - apart from goal kicking - was the lack of another tall forward to compete in the air and split the defence. Too much to expect JVR to do it on his own. Sharp: went when he had to, tackled well, using his running power to get in great position for his goal and to save another (i.e. the spoil on Watson). Improving. Langford: Most complete first year player I've seen at the Dees. Chef's kiss

Really liked the use of Viney in a run with role against the opposition's best over the past two weeks. Just as an explosive game by Reid will lift WC and the crowd, multiple additions of Harley Reid to the "Jack Viney made me cry" thread will lift the Dees and deflate WC. With Oliver out and Viney (perhaps) playing a defensive role, this is the game for Petracca - whose form has been solid - to get back to his gaming-winning best.

Interesting question. I'm skeptical that Oliver will get back to his 2021/2022 best but nor does he need to in order to be valuable. I think Oliver is someone for whom aerobic fitness is hard to acquire. That he continued to improve from his debut season in 2016 to 2021/2022 may have in large part being due to steadily improving aerobic fitness and thus allowing him to get to more contests (acknowledging he also improved his strength allowing him to break away from contests). He was remarkably consistent during this period, only missing a single game between 2017 and 2022 inclusive. Those that have to work hard to acquire aerobic fitness also tend to lose it faster. Thus, I suspect Oliver lost a lot more fitness between mid-2023 and the start of 2024 than a different type of athlete (e.g. Langdon) would have. Contrary to popular perception, players don't tend to improve their aerobic fitness across the season (although Oliver may have slightly as he was starting a very low base). One preseason (ie 2024-5) was never going to be enough to get back to his pre-hamstring level of fitness built over several consistent years. At just 27, he still has time to regain aerobic fitness. Plenty of runners reach peak aerobic fitness in their late 30's and even 40's. Though I think it is going to be hard for him and he seems to have made less progress than I would have expected. Moreover, I think we need to re-adjust expectations. If Oliver simply gets back to his contested ball winning best and fires out handballs into the path of outside runners with excellent kicks, that's enough. We don't need Oliver to win the ball, break three tackles and kick high and long down the line. Better for the team to play to his strengths and mitigate his weaknesses by utilising the strengths of others (eg Windor, Langford, Lindsay kicking skills).

Agree. Best consecutive games I've seen Sparrow play. Strong marking on the lead last week and crunching tackles this week. (thought Oliver was good in the 3rd)

Is this a parody account? The ten seconds the politician spent responding to the journalist's question has no bearing on the state's finances.

Cost is always a consideration. I would rather Balta did something productive like cleaning up my local creek instead of hanging with criminals in jail. I'm unconvinced that jail is the effective deterrent it is often assumed to be.

I can see why you say this VoR and I think he'll take longer to establish himself than the other names you've listed. I also think Kolt's destined to be more highly valued internally than externally. There's similarities to Neal-Bullen; leadership qualities, great attitude and willing and able to do the team acts that tend to go unrewarded and unnoticed (e.g. harassing, two way running). That Kolt was selected straight into the AFL after a long injury lay off speaks to how he's valued internally. Although he didn't get a lot of the ball he played with the intensity we've been lacking.

If a 16yo can learn to do this... professional AFL footballers should be able to reliably convert set shots. I don't think the AFL is as professional as it likes to believe.

I've been a Goodwin supporter but I'm coming around to this way of thinking. Ten years is a long time to lead an organisation. I've read about a theory in organisational psychology that I think applies to our current predicament. Leaders can become personally invested in 'projects' they oversee. If a project the leader is invested in is underperforming, a leader may continue to support the project trying to make it a success rather than acknowledge failure. The more that has already been invested - and the more the success of the project is linked to the leader and their reputation - the more the leader continues to invest ('sunken cost' fallacy). Whereas, a new leader can view the organisation more objectively and be free to cease projects or cut staff when needed ("failures of the previous administration"). I wonder if the above explains Goodwin's slowness in previous seasons to adapting our once supreme game plan despite evidence we needed to. Also, while acknowledging Goodwin's relationship with the players has been a strength, I wonder what decisions a new coach - without close connection to the players - may make regarding senior players and would this be in our better interest? I think he's got this year but without recognisable player buy-in and effective execution of a new game plan, I think there's an increasingly strong argument for a fresh face to be our next premiership coach.

I went to one of the open training sessions over summer. A dozen or so players were doing ~150m sprints along the boundary while most players were doing match simulation. I'm from an athletics background and thus quite interested in the players running technique and ability so I watched closely (I'm rather dull like that). Looked like they'd been instructed to run hard but not all out. The player who impressed me most was Jefferson. Not only was he fast but - unlike most the others - he was nicely balanced and moved very smoothly. I imagine that translates to being better able to mark on a fast lead. If he can build a good aerobic base he could be a very effective high forward by getting away from his opponent on long leads or out sprinting them when running back to goal. With his height, he could become a difficult match up. There are a few "ifs" with Jefferson but plenty of potential there too.