Jaded No More

More like it’s played at Olympic stadium while Victorians are in lockdown. Gawn and Oliver do their knees in the first 5 minutes. We lose by 1 point.

I think Rivers ahead of Lockhart purely to give him a rest. From what I understand the AFL is planning on cramming a lot of games into the next 4 weeks with 4-5 day breaks between games. Which means we need to look after the younger players. We all know Melksham is Goodwin’s bestie. How he still gets a game in his current form is mind boggling. AVB is on thin ice too, but given how little continuity he’s had I think he deserves a bit more time. I would like to see him playing as a defensive forward.

Hallelujah! A second tall forward. A player who can kick the footy. Jetta. And a far more reliable tall defender in Omac who will make Lever more able to zone off. It’s like the coaches finally caught up to 2020 ?

Lockdown was a lot less painful when I didn’t have to watch Melbourne lose while stuck at home. Round 2 is going to require a LOT of wine.

If this headline said “Jaded is the best kick going inside forward 50 for Dees” I doubt anyone would be surprised either. Our ball use is horrendous.

Definitely there with his wife and two kids.

Hahaha autocorrect at its finest. To be fair, the IDF would have done a far better job in those hotels. Although Israel is back in lockdowns too, so they mustn’t be that great.

I’m so jealous. Never have I hated living in this state more than right now. What an absolute [censored] we find ourselves in. I wonder if Andrews will take any responsibility for employing an incompetent private security company to manage hotel quarantine (instead of the IDF!) which has started this second wave.

Goodwin won 2018 on the back of having a player coming off the back of the square. Once 6-6-6 was introduced his one playbook move was done and he has been lost ever since. Our gamestyle does not suit our players. Simple.

This play on at all costs fast ball movement game plan, is so poorly executed and does not suit our players. We are a contested ball machine. We have loads of excellent ball winners and one of, if not the best ruckman in the league. Instead of winning clearances and using them to our advantage by having a clear system forward of the centre, our players are told to move it on as quickly as possible in this 'chaos ball' method. This method is great for teams with lots of foot speed, good kicking skills and a couple of very good contested marking tall forwards, eg- Richmond or West Coast. This method is NOT successful for teams with poor kicking skills, not great foot speed, and no key forwards eg- Melbourne. We went and recruited Langdon (poor kicking skills, but tick on the speed and spread) and Tomlinson (poor kicking skills, average speed, but a tick on marking and ability to cover the ground). However these two have not fixed our issues forward of the centre where we still refuse to play a single in-form tall forward. I appreciate that Tmac has been getting more and more involved the last 2 weeks, but he gets double teamed and yesterday his opponent took 8 intercept marks. EIGHT! For someone who used to be a defender himself, that is pretty pathetic handling of an opponent. Our problems are so obvious and were so obvious last year, that given we had a full pre-season with minimal injuries, I do not understand why the coaches did not work on tweaking the game plan, as it looks exactly the same as 2019. Even Goodwin said post match that the stats read the same every week, and so does the result. And yet, here we are, 3 wins since our humiliating prelim loss in 2018, and nothing has been done to change the outcome. I don't believe that our players are so poorly skilled. I believe that they are confused, lacking a genuine forward option to kick to, and most importantly they are rushed to move the ball at all costs to the determent of their decision making and execution.

You don’t need wholesale changes. Those two changes alone will change the entire dynamic of our half forward play. I never was in favor of the wild axe swinging. How we made 5 changes after the non Essendon game is beyond me. But equally how we persevered with a team that got badly outplayed and could not score to save itself last week is just as baffling. We have to give ourselves opportunities to score because we win enough of the ball but we just waste it. We constantly kick to outnumbered forwards or directly to the opposition. Get some class kicking in Bennell and a second forward target that, at the very least can contest the aerial contest and bring ball to ground, and the long high slow bombs could even work once in a while.

Viney is going. If he wasn’t we would have heard by now given he’s our vice captain. You maybe right re: older players not being senior like Wagner or Preuss. Although we would need Preuss for insurance if Gawn gets injured. Jones is the one who may have decided to stay back. Can’t blame him. He should be playing. If he can’t crack the team in our current horrid form why bother wasting time in the hub away from the family?

I’m sure players who won’t be playing would rather stay home with loved ones than be stuck in a hotel for 5 weeks. Players cannot leave the hotel except to train or play. It’s not a holiday.

Completely disagree. Some of the players left behind are injured so what’s the point to bring them? And some are unlikely to get a game. Plenty of guys with young babies who should have the opportunity to bring their families along. Viney bringing his wife and one week old baby is more important than us bringing KK or Hore who can’t play. Don’t you agree? This is a big ask for players. If we can make it easier on them, they will be happier and play better. No point bringing along guys who will never get a game anyway.

He said it was a combination of older and younger players. I’m interested on who the senior players being left behind are. I know Jetta is going. Anyone know if Jones is?

Post match Goodwin said we are taking 33 players to the hub. Combination of a few younger and older players staying behind. Anyone have any inside word on who isn’t going?

Jones and Jetta provide a bit of leadership. They might be “over the hill” but I rather Jones kicking the ball inside 50 than Viney or Oliver. At least he can hit a target. Jetta can defend. Our back line is currently stacked with loose show ponies trying to attack. Nobody remembers to defend except May. Omac is a spud. Ah that old chestnut. He’s a better defender one on one than Smith and Lever.

Another player to have declined under Goodwin.

If the 132 coaches we have can’t between them put a brain cell together and bring in a second tall forward, I give up. And anyone who can justify the position of Melksham or Lockhart or Smith ahead of Jones, Jetta or OMac, I would love your explanation.

Goodwin is either an idiot or a bad communicator. How can the game plan be “handball at all costs and kick it quickly and long into the forwardline” while at the same time not have a single contested marking forward in form up forward?

The final score flattered us and once again is masking the true awful picture. They had 3 down in the last quarter and still ran circles around us. Our skills are atrocious. We have no urgency at all. We have no idea what to do with the footy. No forward targets. Another horrible day in the office for the guys in the box. Bad selection going in. Bad game plan.

The lack of urgency from our players. That kick from Oliver. What a disgrace. He has gone completely backwards. 4 down on the bench. They are running all over us.

Oscar can defend one on one. For all his flaws he can defend. Joel Smith is running to contests because he’s losing his opponent in the pace of the game.

Yep. You’d hate to play Weideman.

Can we please agree that Smith needs to go and Oscar deserves a game as we need an actual defender?