Cheesy D. Pun

No problem, mate. It wasn't my intention to sound arrogant or discount your opinion in any way and in fact, I tend to agree that he might need a rest at some stage. I was just expressing the opinion that possessions and goals are secondary for small forwards in the modern game - pressure is everything. We disagree on how the game looks and that's fine. Also, you are correct - on balance, you probably have the support of most posters here for Kozzy's omission. I'm ok with that.

I tend to think they won't go for Rivers and Lockhart in the same side. Jetta is the logical replacement for Hibbo, if needed. I don't mind Bedford as an in but we'll lose a little fwd pressure in that exchange. Agree that Kozzie will need a rest at some stage. I get the feeling the coaches are happy with Kozzie's ability to play that pressure role down there.

Max worked his way into the game and had a great second half. He thrives on playing - unless it's injury management, you keep the momentum.

Agree with this. I also don't think we have gifted him anything, nor will we. If he gets to 300, he'll have earned every one of those games.

I think you're understating the difficulty of playing small forward. We need guys that are working on the very specific running patterns, week in week out. Throwing a midfielder forward every now and then is fine but we will generate very little forward pressure if we have two or three makeshift forwards down there. You don't create that forward pressure by simply having intent - it's a practiced skill to be there when you're needed. Kozzy is our number one pressure player - number 4 in the comp for pressure acts among forwards. Comparing him to a lazy, overweight player from the 90s is totally off the mark, in my view. Does he need a rest? Probably, but you have to replace that pressure. Harmes is unlikely to have worked on that forward craft and be able to generate that sort of pressure. I'd rather take a player with less profile or skill that works on forward craft as his day job. Our entire game plan depends heavily on the level of the forward pressure we can generate. We can and do win games without these small forwards scoring goals and getting touches but we can't function if that pressure is not there.

Agreed. He'll be in and out of the team based on matchups. The criticism of him is mostly one-dimensional opinion with nothing solid to back it up. He's not a great player by any stretch but he's capable of playing a role when he's not left one out.

You pick the team on merit - he wouldn't want it any other way. I think he still sits at 18-26 on our list and I'm happy for him to keep getting a game if he's playing his role. Evaluating whether that's happening on TV is very difficult but they kept him out of the side earlier in the year, so I trust they aren't afraid to pull the trigger if they think he's not pulling his weight.

His contribution offensively has been minimal but his willingness to run up and back and put pressure on is so valuable. I don't mind ANB as an in. Always gives everything. Would like to see him replace one of our mid fwds. The recipe I'd like to see is two bigs (Weid/?), one mid-size (Fritsch) and three pressure smalls (Pickett/Spargo/Bedford or C.Wagner or Chandler or ANB). We haven't tried that extra genuine pressure player and I don't think we'll have the boldness at the selection table to drop Melksham, but gee, I'd love to see us give it a crack.

We can not afford to rest Pickett. We need more pressure players at that end of the field not less. Edit: Would be happy if we had a like for like replacement but I'm not sure we do - Corey Wagner or Bedford?

Hang on. Do we have the worst disposal in the league or did you just say we do? References?

I don't understand this point about passengers. You don't get that defensive structure without everyone on board. We had players that made mistakes with ball in hand and some of those might miss a game next week, but we shut down a very good running team with a stunning 18-man defence. One example I would give is Brayshaw. Had a quiet night but he ran constantly from east to west to combat the Saints spread and switch. That's not a passenger in my view. On a side note, another point I would make is that defensive efforts are not always reflected in tackles or any other stat. Sometimes corralling and forcing a kick to an advantageous position is better than a tackle. Don't get me wrong, this performance was far from perfect and we have plenty of players that need to get better around the ball and with ball in hand, but you don't get a performance like that from May, for example, without everyone pulling their weight, defensively.

That image shows the ball over the line and yet to be touched. Also, he marked it so the result was justified either way.

Genuinely, one of the great goals. I was cursing the play as the ball came in to a 1 on 3 and then what unfolded after that was an example of absolutely freakish skill and strength.

Very enjoyable but also incredibly familiar content. No plan B, get rid of X,Y, Z player, say goodbye to finals etc. Much like Demonland after a loss, not too many cool heads in the house.

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. Our defensive plan was on the money. They generated zero run - it was a thing of beauty from a coaching perspective. The selection issues were a non-event. Wagner was ok after a nervous start. Brown was a slight upgrade on TMac's recent form and OMac struggled a bit but provided the right size matchups for us. I reckon we'll make more significant changes this week - will be very interesting.

We don't have the depth to leave guys like Spargo and Pickett out of the side - we need a couple more of them. Spargo's tackling was a highlight, particularly early on.

Goodwin had everything to do with this win. We overcame some poor foot skills and gifted turnovers to win a game through fantastic defensive structure and planning - a massive tick for Goody.

3 May 2 Petracca 1 Goodwin Fantastic defensive structure. They wanted to pick us apart the way Geelong did and we didn't let them. We had a few that did everything they could to give the ball back to them but our setup was so good it didn't hurt us.

I would argue, they're the only two capable of the required pressure and that is the problem. Two players can't lock the ball in a forward line. Our mids play a massive role in this as well. If they can't put good pressure on around the ball, then our forwards get sucked up to help, then when we win it, we don't have the required numbers at the drop of the ball and they waltz it out.

Yeah, I'm not sure about the selections myself but I'm with you. It does seem as though many here have been calling for these changes and are now shattered that they've actually happened. Fwiw, Lockhart is the only one that I thought was odd. Fritsch is a massive out - he has been very good as a second forward. I was worried they were going to pick Pruess, leaving a ruckman to clog up our forward line for four qtrs. Glad they thought better of it!

Love this from you, Binman.

I understand his kicking woes but I love Joe. Huge talent and a quality person. Would absolutely love to see him in a Dees jumper.

I'm really interested in this idea. The problem with this is that in the two losses we've had in the last 5-6 weeks, they've been effort-based, not structural. Can you plan for a lack of effort? You'll note, Goodwin made a significant change late in the 3rd qtr against the Doggies, bringing the backs up the field to assist the mids. It worked to stem the tide but I can see why he was reticent to use it earlier as it opens up the space behind - an issue that we've been able to somewhat eradicate during Goodwin's tenure. Personally, I think the focus needs to be on getting these guys to maintain a really consistent level of pressure. We get that right and our current structure and gameplan will look a million dollars.

Yeah, I think Gaz was off the mark with his assessment of that one. I could pick out 50 areas of improvement before I get to us being too flashy and besides, it really is one of Trac's strengths, being able to see what's around him and make a creative play rather than a passive one. He missed one and he'll miss again but he's not the kind of player I'd be encouraging to make the safe play.

Both have been good forwards this year. Yes, their goalkicking has been shaky at times but both are technically sound so I'd back them to sort that out.