Macca

Andy Reid's moustache has iced up!

Steelers @ Bills game has been moved to Tuesday 8.30am (AEDT) Snowstorm issues

And there's a lot of room within the Moonee Valley & Flemington courses as well (both crown land) Not that I'm advocating heading that way But again, what stands out is how all that land inside the various racetracks has not been utilised. With all the grandstands already in place (albeit with bleacher views)

We have to come to terms with the notion that Grundy's cards were clearly marked Once a coach tells you that you are surplus to needs, the relationship is as good as over. Especially for a player who was playing quite well in his role as ruckman It should be remembered that Grundy himself wasn't sprouting his ability as a forward. That was our notion So in Grundy's eyes he's not surplus to needs elsewhere so he's on the move as soon as the axe comes down. We can't ordinarily compare him to a player dropped because their form is poor (and is told that if he performs in the 2's, he can get back in the team) We closed the door once we went in another direction (Gawn to ruck with JVR & T-Mac as back up ruckmen) The ruse was naming Grundy as an emergency a few times. In my view, Grundy wasn't under consideration

Carlton went out in straight sets in 1975 and in 1976 but bounced back to win flags in 1979, 1981 & 1982 And since the early 70's, teams going out in straight sets has happened about 35 times by various teams Carlton have been the biggest culprits transgressing 7 or 8 times but they also won 7 flags in a 20 year stretch I reckon it comes with the territory as the law of averages tells us that these things are going to happen. Unless you are the absolute standout best team and then it's an issue But are we that good, layz? I just see us as 1 of 4 or 5 contenders and we weren't clearly on top at the end of the season proper And sometimes it goes the other way and you get lucky Like us having an injury free season in 2021. We got very lucky in that respect. A lot of things fell our way and quite often, that's what it takes to win the flag We even reversed things with regards to the umpiring in that GF Free kick count was 19-13 in our favour against the #FreeKickBulldogs (conspiracy theory debunked) Footnote: Port Adelaide also went out in straight sets last year, not that the media will highlight that fact #StraightSetsPort (bombed out of the finals 3 years in a row '01, '02 & '03)

Here's how I see it, deevs If we had a way more efficient way with our F50 entries, it wouldn't matter so much about the quality of our forwards But here's the thing, that style wasn't going to suddenly change midstream so once we started losing all our quality forwards, we were on a collision course to losing Collingwood just won a flag without having a top-level forward line. Why? Because they are exceptionally efficient with their F50 entries (and they play counter-attacking football at high speed) They have shown the way but you know what (?), that breakneck counter-attacking style is a throwback to how footy was played prior to 2005 And McRae was a triple premiership player with a highly skilled team that knew how to move the ball quickly So it's nothing new We need to change and adapt and with the acquisition of McQualter, hopefully that adaptability happens

On the surface of it, if you were a neutral observer, you'd be thinking that we are trying to make things deliberately hard for our forwards Of course, that's not true but that's what it might look like. There was a similar argument when Neeld coached us. Our default move was to hug the boundary but with unskilled players, that was a recipe for disaster And make no mistake, the Pies are leading the way with regards to levels of efficiency with F50 entries. McRae himself was a very efficient footballer and his team reflects his style Goodwin on the other hand was an A grade nuts & bolts player. Nothing wrong with that either as fearless football results (remember that mantra?) But the FD needs to adapt and offsetting crowded forward lines requires speedy entries througn the corridor. Precision kicks as well That's not always possible because of the pressure around the midfield but our default moves forward requires a way more scientific approach. It's not like we don't have the personnel to carry out such an approach

So essentially we agree. And it's the major issue (F50 entries) However, it's a complex issue as no one thing is to blame It's on the midfield coach, the forward line coach, the head coach, the midfielders & the forwards I disagree, our energy, enthusiasm, attack on the ball and never-say-die attitude is first rate. Where we fall short is on application & efficiency Having 30 extra F50 entries in the QF final backs up my argument. We got a lot of the ball and we got it forward but it was the way we got it forward that was the issue. Plus, the style we have played requires quality forwards because that style leads to crowded forward lines and a lack of space for our forwards to lead into. And a lack of space for the midfielders to kick to So ordinary forwards with our style have very little chance Collingwood by contrast have an extremely efficient style going into their F50 so their personnel up forward don't have to be that good Average forwards just have to create separation as they've got heaps of space to lead into As for culture issues, we've got 2 players with some issues. It's not the whole club and as far as I can make out, it's no more than just 2 players So let's not tar & feather everyone on the back of 2 players transgressing

@Dr. Gonzo ... I'm surprised you haven't mentioned crowd support and that apparently, we don't make enough noise? After 1 flag, our crowd support should be at Collingwood or Richmond type levels? Laughable And in a close loss, you usually get stuck into the umpires as a default move. Or perhaps we should just sack the coach, that'll do Me, I've just never been a bad loser and would prefer to break down a game of football from a technical point of view. And the sport is very technical Our endeavour, energy and attack on the footy was first rate during the finals last year, we were just short on application

For most of those 69 entries the ball came straight back out ... we didn't enter the f50 with any science attached. Plus, a number of the entries were repeat boundary side entries. And we mostly bombed it in So we need to change our style to a more efficient style plus, we are too slow entering the forward line and we don't use the corridor enough The inside 50 count was almost dead even against Carlton but the same problem stood out - the way we enter the forward line, the speed of those entries and the quality of our forwards If you just want to have a giant whinge without analysis, go right ahead. You'll be joining the ranks of the miserable pessimists that reside here (nothing to offer but whinge, whinge, whinge) So what's your analysis Gonzo? (whinge-free)

Well if he was attempting to throw the ball out of play, his radar was off by about 20 metres!

Collingwood play a different style which allows them to keep their forward line open (they are a counter-attacking team) Their delivery forward is miles better than most as well (and that includes us) With our style of bombing it in, we really need quality forwards who can win their own ball. And that style did deliver a flag But no longer in my view, we need to change our style but we still need quality forwards as why wouldn't you want quality forwards (?) My main concern are forwards creating separation and the delivery forward plus, I'd prefer a quality forward line So I don't make excuses, blaming umpires is an excuse

Flacco should have thrown that one away to the sidelines. Very costly and it's probably game over

I can't say I blame you! But we'll be making some changes to the comp next year to make it easier to score points and as for the Bears, they can come good on the back of some savvy recruiting etc etc. You've got the no.1 pick acquired from Carolina so that's a good starting point I had the Packers written off for a couple of years but things can turn around very quickly for teams in the NFL. It's that sort of league

Hard to believe he's still only 22 years old An enormous future on the back of really stepping it up last season Agree with others, he needs midfield time Rivers, Sparrow & McVee are the future and all 3 are capable of being creative and dynamic. If Bowey, Salem & Langdon get their mojo back as well, lookout

Socceroos @ India in a world cup qualifier on the Ch10 main channel now (game starts at 10.30pm) Martin Boyle is back and starting

Not one road winner! Is it payback time for the regular season comp JV? haha I'm warming up for a big Sunday of TV sport (mainly NFL) with the Socceroos @ India in a World cup qualifier (Ch10 main channel now - game starts at 10.30pm)

7Mate are covering all the playoff games Bill Barnwell's Bracket Prediction & Previews NFL Wild Card Weekend Game Picks (43 minutes)

Yep, same Even the games involving Pittsburgh & Green Bay could be close because as we know, a punt or kick return, fumble or interception can lead to 7 or 8 points in rapid time That's what makes the sport so interesting and why we see so many underdog victories And we grow accustomed to the pace of the game with all the time-outs & other breaks in the games. An acquired taste but the sport can be quite addictive

Who is to say they were ever giving us the correct weight anyway(?) Paul Callery was a terrific footballer who gave his all but he was 5'4" (162cm) Did they tell us the truth back in the day? Height doesn't make any difference if you're good enough but some of the heights given out these days are highly questionable

@titan_uranus @Go the Biff @DeeSpencer @JV7 @Clintosaurus @DemonDave @BDA @layzie If partaking in the post-season tipping comp, the games start tomorrow from 8.00am We've got 4 starters so far so it should be a goer. A post towards the top of this thread explains how it all works

The first game of senior cricket I ever played was at Yarra Park no.1 oval (the same area floated as a training venue for the MFC) And there was a large tree on the ground at wide mid-on. So fielding under the tree was a prized spot (shade) Needless to say, the cricket ball ended up hitting that tree on countless occasions. Go figure

Or a shot of brandy at 3/4 time (especially on cold days) When I played cricket we put forward the tea break so we could listen to the Caulfield Cup Those were the days

We would probably match a certain amount but we'd have limits And Adelaide's limit might be a great deal higher Besides which, I'm not convinced that Petty is going anywhere anyway. A lot has to happen (or not happen) for him to go The Crows could go cold on the idea, there's injuries to factor in and Petty might re-sign and/or extend soon enough anyway My argument centres on the 'go home factor' and how it's overrated and overplayed So if Harrison strikes his best form I'd pay him the big bucks but not an exorbitant amount An example of that is Scully. We were never going to give him $6Million over 6 years and we certainly weren't going to give him $2Million in his first year of a new contract Ironically, we turned Scully into Hogan and later on we turned Hogan into May & Sparrow (and both those 2 helped us win a flag)

To me it's often about the money when a player wants to go. Not always but when we hear about the size of a contract on offer, you can't help but think it is about the money And it's not just about the overall contract, the big enticer is the first year amount on those sorts of deals. A signing on bonus per se Life changing amounts of money and we shouldn't be thinking that Adelaide haven't offered Harrison a big amount in his first year. Let's face it, if you want to secure a player that you believe is a game-changing player, it's what you would do (big, upfront $$$'s) So there are a stack of players who we know left for the big bucks (Judd, Buddy, Ablett, Scully the list goes on) With standout players, the go-home factor is used as bait but it's not the big bait. The money is