Jaded No More

Why not?

We are already down two first choice inside mids and we want Trac forward. Too risky asking Rivers and Kosi to fill in those midfield minutes. And Petty is a better forward option than Grundy.

This is last chance saloon for Harmes. He’s on the precipice of being a Casey regular. Finals and another flag is on the line. He surely knows that. If he doesn’t stand up and perform I reckon his papers will be stamped unless injuries really take a hold.

Instead of Petty and McVee?

I think Gawn is on track to play his 200th vs Hawks at home in round 23, so I don’t think they’ll rest him. Not sure he wants to share his milestone with a Buddy wankfest.

Could be sub in case Dusty goes off the rails?

It’s a bit risky. Rivers has never done more than a few minute cameos playing midfield, let alone whole games as an inside mid. With 5 rounds left and top 2 up for grabs, it’s definitely all about risk mitigation.

The worst choice ever 😭

On that we definitely agree. Silver linings and all that. But I think we always planned to give Kosi and Rivers more midfield minutes. Kosi played midfield in round 1 while Clarry was there. And we were rotating the mids far more this year than any other. Even before the Clarry injury, Goody said that is a tactic we want to use more to ensure our best mids aren’t burnt out come finals. The Clarry injury definitely exacerbated that even more. We also saw Gus in the middle for parts of last year. Again, the rise of Bowey, McVee, Rivers and the return to form of Salem has meant Gus is surplus in the backline. I think he played there out of pure necessity in 2022, like when he played wing in 2021 out of necessity. We are just lucky he’s good enough to cover so many roles. IMO inside mid has always been his best role tho. He came third in the Brownlow playing that role after all. I would suggest that with Clarry back, JJ will make way but we will continue to play Gus in the guts, and give Kosi and Rivers more time through there, while Trac spends 80% of his game up forward. Not a bad outcome that 👌

I’d take Butters, or shove it up you Port! 😂

We know what Petty can do. What benefit is VFL time going to have? He has been thrown around even more than Gus this season. He’s taken it in his stride and performed well between all the injuries he’s had to deal with. He is best 22, and is underrated. The selection integrity would be even worse if we dropped Tomlinson yet again, when he’s come in and proven he can still perform multiple times, while we scream for a key forward. I understand the frustration for Dunstan, but as you say, Gus took over that role, and has performed it very well. I think if Viney was injured Dunstan would play. Simple as that. But Sparrow and Dunstan are very different players, as is Clarry and Dunstan. They’re both far more dynamic, they have better acceleration, use the ball better and Sparrow often spends time forward of the contest. Harmes is far more like for like in that regard, even tho Harmes has had an ordinary season, and I would argue is unlikely to be at the club next year. Top 2 is on the line. Now isn’t the time to reward players we feel bad for. Now is the time to play best available and win as many games as possible. I expect Woewodin to make way fairly soon after a taste, likewise Harmes and Melksham. When Clarry, Sparrow and Fritta are available, they’ll get picked even if others are performing well. It’s not always fair, but that’s the downside of being a good team.

Been waiting for an update from you. Thanks 😃

Harmes is going to need to start delivering some seriously good games if he wants to play in September. With Sparrow and Clarry a lock, he’s really on the very edge of best 23. It’ll be Harmes and Petty in for Brown and Sparrow. 50/50 line ball between McVee and Hibbo. I would go Hibbo personally.

He would have been getting more game time at Essendon right now. But they were a rabble so I understand why he chose us. Still a risky move, when you can’t get a game for a bottom side so you decide to come to a premiership winning midfield full of players in their prime. I doubt he thought he’d be a walk up start, and I doubt we gave him that impression. If we did, then that’s poor from us.

Tomlinson has continued to deliver. There’s no need to keep pushing him back to the VFL when we have a desperate need for another tall forward and Petty can fill that role. It’s a win win.

I don’t necessarily disagree, but I think the FD clearly doesn’t rate him and they like that Harmes, like Sparrow, can play mid and half forward. I think we are a little too one dimensional with Viney, JJ, Dunstan and Gus playing inside. Harmes is a bit more explosive, even tho I don’t rate his season at all. Dunstan is clearly only rated by the coaches as a clearance player. He’s only ever played when Viney was injured if my memory serves me.

Harmes is still a better player and more versatile. But yes Dunstan is stiff. Was a poor decision from him to come to us.

Brown omitted and both Grundy and Petty named on the extended bench with Tomlinson keeping his spot! So either Petty goes forward or Grundy replaces Brown and Petty misses out. Seems very unlikely Petty doesn’t play, but you can’t play him, Tomlinson, May and Lever down back so… forward it is. Shame about Sparrow. Hopefully a minor calf issue only. Knowing our luck this year it’ll be a 9 year injury 🙄

If you think our midfield is more balanced without Clarry then wouldn’t it be a reasonable assumption to make that you wouldn’t mind if he didn’t come back for finals? Or do you think that when the heat of finals is on and the game becomes more contested, we need the best clearance player in the game? Your entire argument that our midfield has done ok without him, doesn’t take into consideration that in his absence we’ve had to play an extra player in stoppages which has really impacted our ability to defend on turnover. We’ve also gone from being comfortably inside the top 4 in the competition for clearances, to sitting in 8th spot currently. There is no argument that we’ve done well to cover his loss, and very few teams could do as well as us if they lost their star midfielder for as long as we have. But your dismissal of Oliver as just a clearance player who wastes disposal is plain wrong. You said you don’t want him back at the expense of other players who have stepped up in his absence. So you think Gus, Viney, Kosi, Sparrow and Rivers will be lesser players with Oliver copping the attention each week instead?

Why do you barrack for Melbourne? I don't think I have read a single positive thought about our club from you. On one thread you say we have a talented list. On another thread you say Clarry and Trac are ball butchers and that we are better without Clarry. What joy do you actually get from supporting a team that has been far more successful than Collingwood over the past 3 seasons? It seems none. I am really sad that we have supporters who have clearly lived through some horrific times with the club, and yet are still so negative all the time about where the list and club is currently at. What a waste of a good era for you! No team or list is perfect. We have flaws, and we have room to improve. So does Collingwood. If you think McRae is sitting back smoking a cigar and thinking his work is done and they got the flag in the bag, I have news for you. He'd be looking at their contested ball numbers, their clearance numbers, their ability to defend on turnover, and he will be looking at ways to improve that because he is a great coach. And any great coach knows how different finals are. A team that is not consistently winning the contested ball, rarely wins the premiership. The Pies play a really fun game to watch, I completely agree. They are very entertaining, because chaos is entertaining. It means they are almost always risking losing thanks to high turnover numbers, it is a very risky game style, and they pull it off better than anyone. The real test will come in finals. Last year this game style did not stack up against the sides who beat you in contest and defence (Geelong and Sydney). Will it fare differently this season? Maybe. Maybe not.

So I assume you’d both be fine to go into finals without him then? @dazzledavey36 @JimmyGadson I can’t believe how underrated Clarry is. Even by our own supporters. Btw, is there a player on our list you actually rate Jimmy? Because you reckon Oliver and Trac are ball butchers. Is Gawn a dud too?

Poor North. Can’t win anything.

Probably the second worse away game to attend at the G after Collingwood. Their supporters are vile morons.

I reckon Fritsch might be back for the last game of the season. Listed as 4-5 so it is possible.

Could also be because JT doesn’t think there is any better key position forward we are likely to draft in the next 2 years, so it’s a no brainer to keep developing Jefferson. His position on the list is not going to become surplus in other words.