Macca

2 things Goodwin played Judd out of position and wasted his talents McVee is a dashing, rebounding half back flanker, not a lockdown back pocket type And Freo have almost certainly offered him a better, long-term deal I don't blame him for wanting out. The behaviour of any number of our senior players wouldn't have helped either I'm surprised that a few other players haven't wanted out, but that could still happen

Turns out the Pats/Bills game was a close one. I listened to the game and New England played very well Not predicting a return to their glory days but they might snag a wild-card spot I reckon the Bills just had an off day in a trap game A lot of us have picked the Chiefs tomorrow but the Jags have a genuine chance of winning and it wouldn't surprise if they salute

Especially if the Coach took him on a tour of Clyde Nth In all seriousness, I'm hoping that we can land him as it's either that or we draft a top end pick youngster (who can play) and who we can develop The fact that 'Barry' is entertaining a move is a positive as is our war chest that has suddenly appeared May, Ollie & Trac leaving creates a $3.5Million hole in the salary cap so we're compelled to spend it up to 100% (?) So there's a chance and money talks

We are low on top level talent 2 x A Graders (Gawn & Kozzie) with a whole host of players who were formerly very good, but have collectively dropped a couple of notches Some good young talent but we need lots more In the premiership year I reckon we had 16+ top level players. We're nowhere near that level now 16 losses in a year where we didn't have a lot of injuries says it all If we're not rebuilding what are we doing? Adjust the list so that we lose another 16 matches? King has his work cut out but if he can get the team to win 10-12 games he'll be doing very well (2026) In the meantime, we need to recruit aggressively and hit the draft hard with Taylor at the helm Face it, unless we recruit ready-made talent, the only other avenue is the draft

Recruiting too many depth players and then giving them 2 or 3 year deals ended up clogging the list with NQR's Of course, Taylor is also responsible as he is the head recruiter but his fortè is the draft And because he's been so successful with drafting talent, we should lean on him to do as you've suggested ... pluck out some talent in the late 2nd round and in the 3rd round Have a go at least Both in this post season and in the 2026 post season (pre Tassie) Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, losing May, Trac & Ollie means that we are in a rebuild phase. The list without those 3 is not going to contend for the flag So it's the additions that can take us back to contending So what are we good at? Drafting talent and swapping draft picks for proven, top 12-15 talent (Formerly players such as May, Lever, Hibberd, Langdon, Brown, Melksham and 1 or 2 others) The good news is that we got a bit of a head start with the acquisition of Windsor, Kolt, Lindsay & Langford Windsor is a wingman and Kolt is an onballer. Hopefully King gives them both a chance to show their worth Lindsay will probably end up on a HBF (as a distributor/rebounder) whilst Langford is an onballer in the making It's not rocket science but it seemingly was for the previous FD & MC

Week 5 kicks off at 12.30am with the London game (Vikes/Browns) And there's at least 6 good match-ups this week culminating in the MNF clash ... Chiefs @ Jags Here's the Week 5 Preview from NBC

A fast and furious first half! Broncos not out of it but if the Storm score the first try in the 2nd half that might be it

Tips, @Dr. Gonzo Here are mine Vikes Detroit Chiefs

I was never a Goodwin fan but he was never the only major issue. Back in April on the Goodwin thread I was calling for a cleanout in FD and an overhaul of the list We are well on the way to doing so but I'd like to see Lamb & Richardson exited as well. Ironically, they are both contracted, so we're stuck with them (for now) As for the MC, they lost their way which calls into question all of the assistants Our teamwork within the midfield and the disposal and decision making from the midfielders was substandard ... albeit with some very talented players at our disposal

The only absolute question mark is Jefferson and with almost all the other top 20 draftees, it's too early to have a definitive opinion All this with a dysfunctional and obsolete game plan that wasn't working anyway Let's see how all these youngsters go with.a different plan and a new coach

We don't know what we're going to get for Petracca yet But one thing is for sure, we will need picks & players and that has to happen now We can't rebuild unless we have the assets The one thing up our sleeve is that we're prepared to burn $$$$'s in the cap. So picks (or players) appear if we're happy to subsidise Cash for picks

So what? It's not the same We wasted Kolt's time plonking him into a dysfunctional forward line with rubbish delivery into the forward line What a baptism of fire ... especially when Kolt is not a natural forward Our MC was clueless when it came to player positions. It's as if they were trying to sabotage our season

Taylor is no good? He's been nothing short of fantastic, if being 85% plus right with regards to drafting, is an outstanding percentage You think it's easy, predicting champion status for a teenager? The revised draft order for every single draft always looks vastly different to the original ... that stat alone should make everyone a sceptic Again, don't believe everything you're told. Footy is full of lies, always has been As for believing any comments re drafting players, I take it all with a grain of salt Everyone keeps their cards close to their chests. i.e. feed 'em the BS But again, Taylor defies the pattern and I'm sure he'd love having 5 or 6 picks in this year's draft (top 30 picks) However, I'd trade picks for A Grade or B+ proven players, but they have to be available to trade for. And they can't be too expensive either And we have to also get hold of the picks My bet is that we'll be busy come draft day

Is Kolt supposed to be A grade at pick 13? You've got high hopes And Kolt should have been used as a midfielder once the season was shot (post round 5) He was drafted as a mid/forward so where were the mid minutes? We wasted him this year but he's still a youngster The MC played a whole host of players out of position For instance, Windsor is a dashing wingman and McVee is a rebounding, attacking half back. Blind Freddy could see that Goodwin was not the only issue at the club (as we're finding out) but the selection criteria and positional moves were amatuerish

What would Twomey know? Has he got a crystal ball? They are just 'educated' guesses and nothing more than that Some of the nonsense talked about re drafting never ceases to amaze In 5 years time will anyone even bring up the 2025 draft evaluation as being correct or not. Doubt it Again, the draftees are just kids and miles off being the finished product Believe what you want to believe but I'd rather remain a sceptic. The draft is hit and miss at the best of times But Taylor defies the pattern and is a great asset. So we need to trust him to find the diamonds in the rough If it was still Barry, forget it. Trade the picks

I reckon the fine-print with the $3.5Million giveaway to another club (for Oliver's services) is that we require draft picks in return i. e. Cash for picks (there's always a catch) Oddly enough, Oliver's best game all season came in the final game of the year ... 30 possessions against a top 4 team and he hardly wasted a possession (DE of 87% which is very high for an under pressure mid) But it all came too late

Yep, we need to start again but I don't agree that we were ever going to start again post the 2023 season (which many have suggested - in hindsight) 4 years later seems about right especially with Tassie hastening the thinking We'll need to rebuild and if so, we could at least push for finals in 2027. Next year is a year of the reset and consolidate But we may well need another busy off-season after the 2026 season

3 x first rounders would be a terrific result, all things considered (and hopefully a number of 2nd & 3rd rounders as add-ons) With trading, it's the sum of all the parts that is important. So we might lose a bit on 1 or 2 trades but win out on 1 or 2 other trades And a clean slate with the new coach cannot be underestimated. King has been in the system for close on 15 years and he will know all about clear air There's a real transparency to what is going on so at least we know were we stand At some stage, post the premiership, we were always going to need to overhaul the list (we're not the sort of club that can contend year after year like the Cats) Even Hawthorn & Richmond hit rock bottom after winning multiple flags ... Hawks have bounced back and who's to say the Tigers won't bounce back (they've got picks 2 & 3 in this year's draft)

I agree and why people fall for that type of thinking is baffling The draft is full of surprises every single season and there are plenty of decent players past the first round of picks We're drafting these kids way before they are the finished product so to have a defined evaluation is just wrong Suddenly, many are moving away from being rapt with early draft picks to not wanting picks at all? If that's the case, we should abandon the draft for the foreseeable future as Tassie will dominate the draft in 2027 & 2028 I'm sticking to my thinking that we'll end up with a whole host of draft picks (for May, Oliver, Petracca, McVee, Spargo ... and maybe even 1 or 2 more departures could bring more picks) Rebuild through the draft as our best asset is Taylor (without him, I'd be more inclined to swap picks for established talent (Lever, Langdon, Hibberd, Brown types) And rebuild to get back in the window - long term (we are not seriously contending next season, despite any sort of false hope that abounds) We couldn't even win games with Petracca, Oliver & May And I know what Lamb and co. are saying about draft picks but I don't believe them. Ist and 2nd round draft picks will do us just fine

If the Rams had have tried for the field goal there would have been around 2:15 left on the clock for the 49ers to get within field goal range So it was a bit of a no-brainer to go for it on 4th down. Should have been left in Stafford's hands though. Play calling error, Gorg But the NFC West is still wide open, all the same

Mac Jones had another very good game and his numbers reflected that appraisal 49ers just keep winning with a back-up QB, along with a whole host of injured personnel

Keep draining the Swamp We're overhauling the list and now is the right time to do it If we waited another year or 2 it would be a year or 2, too late We're going to have a whole bunch of new players added but we'll need 2 off-seasons to make all the necessary changes And there's a few in the FD who'll need to shape up, otherwise next year will be their last year (notably Lamb & Richardson)

800 posts since 7.00am this morning I think I might have taught myself how to speed read As for the mini exodus, will there be 1 or 2 more? Wouldn't surprise Rivers, JVR & Fritsch all might be 'Approached' Anyway, if the club is happy to burn $$$$'s in the cap, the trade off might be that we get picks (or players) coming back instead (for the partial rebuild) May could garner a late 2nd round pick if we're prepared to pay part of his salary (Est @ $800k?) McVee maybe an early 2nd rounder Not sure we'll get anything for Oliver, but if we're paying half his salary for 5 years then a 2nd round pick might be an appropriate trade. Maybe even a late 1st round pick Not too much to ask considering we might be up for $3.5Million, all-up. That's a lot of money to be given to a rival club, and that amount of money should come at some sort of price Petracca is the most valuable and if he ends up at the Gold Coast we could get a 1st & 2nd round pick ... it's a bit of an ask but we can't give him away for nothing, considering he's the one who is seeking greener pastures Spargo 2nd round pick? (compo) And with all the picks* (1 x 1st Round, 6 x 2nd Round & 2 x 3rd Round approximately), I'd like to see the club let Jason Taylor have a real go with the 2nd & 3rd round picks, and see if he can unearth some gems (instead of recruiting any more experienced NQR's) We could also package up some picks in order to obtain better placed picks (depending on whether we get hold of X amount of picks in the trade period) Not all the best draftees are in the top 10 or 20 picked Losing all these players forces the club into a rebuild of sorts ... and with Tassie coming into the draft in 2027, the time to rebuild is right now *It should be remembered that we've already committed the salaries of May, Petracca & Oliver into next years cap. And that amounts to about $3.5Million

He's got his money (guaranteed) so now it's more a matter of who he wants to play for It's quite probable that he can't see much future success at the MFC Happens in the NBA and other big sports on a constant basis

@Dee Zephyr @titan_uranus @Go the Biff @Clintosaurus @Gorgoroth @layzie @BDA @ElDiablo14 @Dr. Gonzo Leaderboard Tipping Comp 10 - Macca 9 - Gorgoroth, Clintosaurus 8 - BDA, Go the Biff, layzie 7 - Dee Zephyr, Dr. Gonzo, titan_uranus 6 - ElDiablo14 We play for double points this week (we also play for double points in weeks 9, 13, 17 & 18 Clint was the only person to pick up a point in week 4, but it could turn out to be a valuable point by seasons end The Pick' em against the spread odds sheet not up as yet, so tried a different listings (below) Vikes/Browns is the London game with Minnesota being the road team Big game Thursday night, SNF could be a close one with MNF the same San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams -4.5 Thursday, 8:15 p.m., Prime Video Money Line: 49ers (+190); Rams (-225) Total: 47.5; Opened: 46.5 FPI favorite: Rams by 2.6 with a 57.2% probability to win the game outright Minnesota Vikings -3.5 vs. Cleveland Browns Sunday, 9:30 a.m., NFL Net, NFL+ Money Line: Vikings (-185); Browns (+155) Total: 36.5; Opened: 37.5 FPI favorite: Vikings by 5.5 with a 63.73% probability to win the game outright Las Vegas Raiders vs. Indianapolis Colts -6.5 Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX Money Line: Raiders (+260); Colts (-320) Total: 47.5; Opened: 48.5 FPI favorite: Colts by 5.2 with a 63.8% probability to win the game outright Dallas Cowboys -2.5 vs. New York Jets Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX Money Line: Cowboys (-145); Jets (+125) Total: 45.5; Opened: 44.5 FPI favorite: Cowboys by 3.5 with a 59.16% probability to win the game outright Denver Broncos vs. Philadelphia Eagles -5.5 Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS Money Line: Broncos (+195); Eagles (-230) Total: 44.5; Opened: 44.5 FPI favorite: Eagles by 5.2 with a 64.32% probability to win the game outright Miami Dolphins -1.5 vs. Carolina Panthers Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX Money Line: Dolphins (-130); Panthers (+110) Total: 44.5; Opened: 44.5 FPI favorite: Panthers by 0.7 with a 51.83% probability to win the game outright Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, CBS Money Line: Texans (NL); Ravens (NL) Total: NL; Opened: NL FPI favorite: Ravens by 6.7 with a 66.13% probability to win the game outright New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints -1.5 Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS Line movement: Opened Giants -2.5 Money Line: Giants (+100); Saints (-120) Total: 41.5; Opened: 42.5 FPI favorite: Saints by 1.5 with a 53.33% probability to win the game outright Tennessee Titans vs. Arizona Cardinals -9.5 Sunday, 4:05 p.m., CBS Line movement: Opened Cardinals -7.5 Money Line: Titans (+380); Cardinals (-550) Total: 41.5; Opened: 42.5 FPI favorite: Cardinals by 9.8 with a 74.73% probability to win the game outright Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Seattle Seahawks -3.5 Sunday, 4:05 p.m., CBS Money Line: Buccaneers (+155); Seahawks (-185) Total: 44.5; Opened: 44.5 FPI favorite: Seahawks by 1.1 with a 51.87% probability to win the game outright Washington Commanders vs. Los Angeles Chargers -2.5 Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX Money Line: Commanders (+125); Chargers (-145) Total: 47.5; Opened: 49.5 FPI favorite: Chargers by 3.4 with a 59.5% probability to win the game outright Detroit Lions -9.5 vs. Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX Money Line: Lions (-500); Bengals (+360) Total: 49.5; Opened: 48.5 FPI favorite: Lions by 10.4 with a 74.93% probability to win the game outright New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills -7.5 Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC Money Line: Patriots (+300); Bills (-400) Total: 49.5; Opened: 49.5 FPI favorite: Bills by 7.3 with a 68.8% probability to win the game outright Kansas City Chiefs -3.5 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Monday, 8:15 p.m., ABC, ESPN Money Line: Chiefs (-195); Jaguars (+165) Total: 45.5; Opened: 45.5 FPI favorite: Chiefs by 5 with a 62.33% probability to win the game outright