Very Jaded

He was hot garbage last night. I wouldn’t have him in my votes.

Apparently it was mentioned on the telecast but I sure didn’t hear it and the way Richardson and Goodwin sounded doesn’t fill me with confidence that it was said. Richardson did say that the doctors are saying “he feels reasonable”. I don’t know what that means.

Honestly if Gawn hasn’t done his ACL and it’s just a minor injury, I think we can bury that game in a deep dark hole and just move on without giving it a second thought as it won’t have an ounce of impact on the rest of our season. It was a putrid uncharacteristic display that we know is very un-Melbourne like. It’s about as likely to happen again as the lights being on fire. Happy for the team to walk away ashamed of that effort and move on to next week knowing we are a hell of a lot better than what we showed last night. We just need Gawn to be ok. Right now that is the only thing that truly matters.

I reckon it was the worst game he’s ever played.

Oh I think I should be clear that I don’t rate Schache and I have no doubt that he would not be an adequate ruck replacement to Max (nobody will be). I just think that if we think TMac is a big important key to our structure, then the quickest way to destroy that and whatever is left of his foot, is to make him ruck. You wouldn’t ruck BB because his knee is busted, so I’m not sure why you’d ruck Tmac (outside of forward stoppages) when his foot is even more busted.

Grundy is not Gawn. Nobody is. Collingwood also has a plethora of very good contested marking players. We don’t. Can we win a flag without him? Yes Can we stop comparing him to random players who’ve done a season ending injury that had no impact on their team’s performance? Also yes Gawn is such a special player. 6 times AA, and our captain. He isn’t just another player, just like he isn’t the only player that can win us a flag. I think the real worry is that he’s 31 and has two recos already under his belt. He’s not 20 with a whole career ahead of him and he’s a key part of our premiership window that we waited 57 years to reopen.

I think Tmac’s busted foot disagrees. He looks cooked. He says himself he’s playing with pain and needing management. Rucking is literally the last thing I think his body can handle.

Can I ask how you know the test you mentioned was negative? Also what does it look like for a 31 year old giant with 2 previous recos to not undergo a surgical ACL repair? What is the alternative?

My concern with losing Max isn’t around the ruck itself. Our midfield will adjust to playing under Grundy who is no slouch, just like they adjusted to play with Jackson. Gawn is so vital to our down the ground structure and takes contested marks. We have nobody who can replicate that and it does absolutely stuff up an entire pre- season of planning around two key ruckmen with Gawn playing deep forward. It isn’t something you can just fine tune in a week of training. We don’t have anyone who can replace Gawn’s work around the ground, and Grundy having missed a year of footy is just not going to be able to shoulder his enormous work rate either. We need to very very quickly make some structural changes if we want to keep our flag chances going. It also doesn’t help that TMac seems to be cooked.

Harmes and Tmac on extremely thin ground. Not sure how you drop Tmac without Gawn though.

Correct. Deep down I think everyone knows he’s done his ACL which is why the entire playing teams and coaching staff looked so rattled last night.

Surely he will be straight at the nearest MRI tomorrow. Hopefully we can get news sooner rather than later.

Gawn isn’t just one guy. He is a contested marking machine and a 6 time AA ruckman and our captain. We planned all summer for him to play forward and team up with Grundy. He is our down the line get out kick. You don’t just “ohh well” a season ending injury to him and think we can just revert to a different game plan. It’s going to take weeks and weeks for us to adjust and it’s very very possible that if he’s out for the season, so are we. He brings so much to the table it’s hard to see how we fill the giant hole he’s going to leave behind.

What could be better for an old dude with a bung foot than playing second ruck… I give him 2 games before he breaks down. Can’t possibly be doing centre ruck work for half a game.

Agreed. Straight out when Kosi is back.

Grand final and finals I assume would be replayed.

1000% They should and will be embarrassed with that showing. Viney clearly underdone, Trac a fumbling mess and Oliver inexplicably soft. The footy gods woke up today and chose violence. I just pray Gawn hasn’t done his ACL. His face tells me he has.

0 stars. Would not watch again.

INTERFERENCE FREE 😡

At least we are taking advantage of Brisbane having gone for a nap

I said pre fire he was BOG

There is nothing to lose at this point. Rivers and Langdon needed to go for goal. Nobody was marking their kicks inside 50.

Found out how? One bad game and suddenly he isn’t a top player?

Harmes possible WOG. Tomlison can absolutely hold his head up. Two good games.

Brisbane expert duckers