Macca

Geelong have had any number of years much like the year we had this year (a terrific H & A record and then fall short at the pointy end of the season) But I'd like to think that our strike rate will be better than Geelong's if we can get into contention as much as what they have done in their last 10 years or so And there's no reason why we can't get into contention consistently Keep improving the list, get our fitness right, get our game plan back on track and we can win big again I'm quite confident those outcomes will happen. We've got the right managers in place and we've got plenty of talent But nothing happens automatically, success requires a lot of hard work and a good dose of luck Our biggest areas to improve on is our ability to run out games and our forward line functionality (method & talent) Total defence all over the ground was fantastic in 2021 but not very good in 2022 (I believe our pressure rating went from 1st to 17th in one season) So there's a bit to work on In my view we looked battle weary from earlier in the season. Even in that 10 match winning streak we decided to lock down the last quarter's in nearly all those wins (played the boundary line, didn't play on, didn't use the corridor, worked for stoppages to waste time) Specifically in those last quarter's after we'd set up the wins And if you're trying to save your legs early, there might be trouble ahead (and that's how it panned out) Yet we still won 16 games despite having a few issues. Absolute talent can take you a long way *The above are observations based on hindsight. For the most part, a huge percentage of us (85% plus?) still believed we could win big this season right up until the point when we were knocked out of contention And there were still any number of people who had question marks attached to Geelong right up until their PF win (they just got over the line against the Pies in a QF)

Oh yeah, great film. Top 10 all time For some add-ons ... google 'Harry Lime audio plays' Orson Welles starred in about 70 half hour audio plays based on his Harry Lime character ... available at archive.org They're all very good Anyway, back to Grundy ... Could it be that the end of Max (as Max the main man) is not that far off? And we need a ready made replacement sooner rather than later? He's taken a lot of punishment in the last 5 years and is a bit banged up right now. So no time for another understudy The time is now

Or a Harry Lime scheme in post war Vienna!

Cats have set the standard. Our best from last year would have provided a fierce contest today. But not this year, in the end we weren't good enough to make a PF But we've got to get back to our best to challenge. Or more importantly, achieve a new best. Reinvent As for the Cats and the other decent teams, it could be assumed that they are looking to improve on their best So we have to catch up, then catch up again and then exceed to succeed. Good luck Demons As Selwood said today, GF's are hard to win and he had to wait 15 years in a side that has been very competitive (throughout that hiatus) So it's hard work and you need luck with injuries along with loads of talent (and top level coaching)

Last year we looked really fit and were playing out games full of running. The phrase often used - 'Running on top of the ground' Eapecially in the last 2 games of our year (PF & GF) That was Geelong this year. Today (collectively) they were a metre in front of the Swans all day. And then they outran them constantly Us this year? We looked tired and listless before and after the North game. Full of running we could have beaten North by 20+ goals in that game. We had 74 inside 50 entries that day but couldn't finish. We had the skill & ability but not the legs No legs means 2nd & 3rd efforts dissipate, running hard to position disappears, all over the ground pressure is at a minimum, tackling intent and sticking tackles subsides etc etc So against the best teams, the game plan gets broken down The reasoning (why's & wherefore's) for that has been much debated here however, what our eyes told us is that we often looked and played as if tired (especially in the last quarters of many of the games) Even in the 10 game winning streak in the first half of the season So get the freshness back in the legs and we'll challenge again. We've got loads of talent (which we'll add to) but talent alone isn't enough (as we found out) You've got to have the legs

And that's how it's turned out by the looks of it I'm assuming there's a decent rivalry but have they clashed in big finals before?

Yes, excellent game Penrith could have scored another 12 or so but it's level

That's a great win by the Eels Fabulous game too!

Cowboys/Eels tonight & Panthers/Rabbitohs tomorrow night Couple of classic prelims coming up Would like to see an Eels/Bunnies GF but hopefully we get 2 close PF's

Not sure how the preseason draft works these days but can't he price himself quite high? Say $1.5Million? For one year only? Surely North can't just grab him and then pay him peanuts. And for how long? Or does the AFL have a say? But a deal will be done before it gets to that scenario and it will almost certainly be with Freo. I'm still of the opinion that a very big offer came early (the money) so all the rest of it is working out what he's worth in a trade Others may be convinced that it's all about the go-home factor but I'm reckoning that's the secondary reason Buddy, Ablett & Scully all went for money. Dusty held out and as soon as North offered the big money, the Tigers came to the party with the fat contract. Martin then signed on the dotted line and the rest is history

@Dee Zephyr @Wadda We Sing @JV7 @Gorgoroth 3 big Group 1 races this week at different courses on 3 different days! Good luck to you blokes if you're having a few bets Moir Stakes (Friday) Racenet Form Golden Rose (Saturday) Racenet Form Underwood Stakes (Sunday) Racenet Form

@Gorgoroth@layzie@Dee Zephyr@Go the Biff@Clintosaurus @JV7@DeeSpencer@Dappa Dan@titan_uranus@DemonDave @BDA Some good games this week - especially the evening matches & the late Sunday games Tipping a bit easier this week but be aware of a trap game or 2 2 points up for grabs this week plus a bonus point on offer if you go it alone

Bucs win well at the Saints (held them to 10 points) ... Tampa look the team to beat in the NFC Jags shut out the Colts! Clint can tell us what happened as I've only seen brief highlights Rams win against a fast finishing Atlanta Former Ram, Jared Goff threw 4 TD's to get Detroit up over the Washington Commanders! 49ers get it done against the Seahawks. The NFC West could be a 3 horse race although the Rams still favs Bills look the team to beat in the AFC although KC will be thereabouts Giants win again but the Eagles loom large in the NFC East. Dallas win an important game with the QB (Cooper Rush) having a big game. Cowboys aren't out of it Miami win a barnburner at the Ravens. Dolphins are 2 & 0 and only 6 of the 32 teams are undefeated after week 2 As for the tipping comp ... we are all still in the barriers!!

Bills smash the Titans and the Eagles dominate the Vikings (Where's Dappa?) Packers win but we've got holes to fill. Jones was good but he needs to shine against a team like Tampa (good luck!) Dillon ok as well so the running game looks better a year on Run defence still wobbly (allowed 180 yards) Pass defence better but we're at the Bucs next Sunday (late game) Brady vs Rodgers Don't know what to make of the Bears. Their D just allowed too many yards but the passing game wasn't there. Still, Fields can get better with more games under his belt

The medal has very rarely been awarded to a key forward or a key back Templeton, Quinlan, Collis, Howell, Glendinning & Lockett the only ones in the last 60+ years. And not one representative from those ranks in the last 35 years But key forwards and key backs are often the most important players. Steven May is arguably our most important player but zero votes in the Brownlow this year It's time they changed the voting system & criteria. Backmen & forwards need to have a chance of winning the award. Not zero chance B & F's often go the same way. In a poor team the best finish for Gary Hardeman was 3rd. Not just a top player, Hardeman was pure A grade in my view With the coaches votes, backmen & forwards are often overlooked too. So it's not an umpire issue. They manage to sort out who the best midfielder is much like most of the awards do We had forwards regularly kick over 100 goals (57 times) a season for a good amount of time (40 years or so) but Lockett is the only FF to win a Brownlow (Templeton & Quinlan won their Brownlow's playing at CHF) How did Bob Pratt not win the Brownlow when he kicked 150 goals in an 18 game season back in 1934? 138 goals in the H & A games (that's close on 8 goals a game - on muddy grounds) He received 13 votes Did he back-chat too much?

Hindsight is 20/20 We can now see where we went wrong but at 10 & 0 there weren't many (if any) detractors Even when we lost a few (after that unbeaten run) the inbetween wins saw the hope & faith return. One minute we're back on track and next minute ... It was only at the very end when the penny dropped As for our issues, they've all been pointed out but that is only happening after the revision. i.e. Once all the details are exposed So looking ahead, our issues aren't too hard to overcome (or are they?) A less taxing game plan (working for stoppages around the boundary line is energy sapping) Bombing the ball to the left forward pocket only as a last choice (not first choice) We need better forwards and a few ruckman (Jackson leaving leaves us with Gawn only) An injection of pace through the middle and half back is needed too Our disposal skills needs a real do-over. Is that Williams area? Midfielders kicking into the forward line need to kick with precision (that's all of the midfielders) Need a new forward line coach but if Stafford stays, he needs to do a hell of a lot better We need to get our fitness right but a more direct approach to goal actually saves the legs (not the opposite) More science required from our kick ins (after a behind is scored) All over the ground pressure? Did we not go from 1st to 17th ... that might be our biggest issue right there Forward line pressure ... back to the bad old days (virtually non existent as it was prior to 2021)

Got a Pie mate who reckons that Darcy Moore moved himself forward in the last 90 seconds of the game against the Swans And left Franklin all on his own Game on the line and if you lose, there's no tomorrow

I don't quite see it the same way, dazzle So not so much going against the coach more so just trying to win a game with an executive decision It doesn't mean that May is even disrespecting Goodwin either. He just made a decision and Petty could have said no (as well) I've spoken to about a dozen people about the May move ... those who were shocked didn't play much footy but those who played a bit weren't shocked at all I'm glad JG put it out there first though. I wasn't going solo on this one haha

I had a mate who was at ground level who also said that May sent Petty forward. An executive decision is sometimes needed in crisis time Seen it happen at local level hundreds of times. Often blokes just moving themselves forward or back (usually back) I did it myself once or twice We are 2 or 3 scores down with a few minutes to go. It wouldn't have surprised me to see May move himself forward however, the words to Petty included 'I've got them covered' (as in, I'll cover for you) Or words to that effect

@Dappa Dan @DemonDave @DeeSpencer Don't forget your tips, fellas

Colts, Bengals, Pats

The game was well umpired last night (all things considered) Remembering that the sport itself is impossible to umpire correctly anyway so an error rate has to be factored in A Demon mate of mine was with a group of Pie supporters (watching in a pub) and he was saying that the Pie fans were screaming that they were being crucified by the umpires. All game Yet many here and elsewhere tthought that the Swans were crucified by the umpires So which opinion is right? In my view, neither The answer is somewhere in the middle so we could come to the conclusion that neither team was hard done by

I was sent some photos of the VAFA Premier B, GF between Uni Blacks & Old Haileybury (2.5 to 2.9) and the ground was completely covered in water with not a blade of grass to be seen! Elsternwick Park I believe

When you don't win you change things up ... it's a case of have to. You don't get a choice Within the club the ambition would be quite prevalent. And the motivation But I can't say I blame the FD for trying to repeat what had previously worked. Other teams repeated (like Richmond) and it did work Big difference this year is that teams are attacking through the corridor ... clubs aren't worried about turning the ball over and even if that happens, they back themselves to defend against the counter/turnover Cats & Pies especially but the Swans as well when it suits. And as we witnessed, that style took the Pies a long way Down the line, working for a stoppage and then winning the stoppage is energy sapping. Shelf life isn't forever We could have done the same (corridor footy) but preferred chaos footy with a heavy accent on relying on forward line pressure once we entered the forward line (often with the long bomb) Didn't work so you make it work by tweaking a few areas, or change things up I'm looking forward to what we come up with next year. We've got the base talent but we need to add some talent (especially in the forward line) and the game plan needs to be addressed

Well the Pies first half was fairly ordinary Swans went off the boil after half time. Cats slight favourites next week but there's not much between the 2 sides Best 2 sides in the GF though For us, a case of what could have been but we went with the same team and same game plan and it didn't work However, it was worth a shot. Just didn't work Next year, I'm reckoning we'll see a number of new players, a new system and new approach