Macca

Reckon trading Petracca and/or Clarrie is just too difficult with too many variables that may not suit (much discussed) Leaning more towards the new coach hopefully getting both players close to their best or back to their best Both showed some signs towards the end of the season and a new broom sweeps clean Weighing it all up, they are both possibly more valuable staying as opposed to what we could get back in trade value (which may not be appealing) But the red herring is if either or both request a trade. If that were to happen, we might have to then try and then get a fair trade done If both are committed, it could be all systems go (with a new coach and a new game plan)

So any clues on when the finals games for week 1 will be played? The top 6 can't move and if it is assumed that the Suns win, they'll finish 7th or 8th. Hawks will also finish 7th or 8th (depending on percentage) Do they kick things off with a Thursday night match as what has happened previously? I'll have a go ... Thursday - Cats vs Lions QF Friday - Freo vs Hawks/GC Suns EF Saturday Arvo - GWS vs Hawks/GC Suns EF Saturday Evening - Crows vs Pies QF

It's also the hang time of the long bombs ... all of our players should should have realised by now that the opposition know where we are going to kick it and therefore defend the hot spot, en masse And the hang time of the long bomb makes it even easier for the defenders It's just dumb football and we often bomb it when not under any pressure at all. Just give it off, it's not rocket science The new coach is going to gave to drill it out of our players. No easy task as old habits die hard However, it was pleasing to see Oliver finally get back to the team-first mantra with his disposals (DE @ 87% is first rate for an inside mid) Viney was better as well but a bit short on possessions. Petracca lifted late but was still too wasteful for a player of his class The better teams have left us behind thus our W/L record and Ladder position

Yeah, there's that but I reckon the main issue are our skills by foot ... if we were constantly hitting up targets and making position for those disposing of the ball, then everything else can fall into place One thing we don't do is seeing players sprinting downfield into space in the forward line to receive those would-be passes But in order for that to work requires fast ball movement and corridor use as well as trusting our skills Instead of that we bomb it long and then turn it over ad nauseum. It's actually quite amueterish to watch It's like our players are trying their best to excel in the metres gained area We're inefficient with our ball movement and until we become efficient, we're going to struggle Using that extra handpass (forward) instead of booting it long is another area where we are deficient. But again, playing that style requires extra running to position We give it off and then jog (instead of sprinting to position)

Putting aside the annoyance of losing on Friday evening, the loss highlights our deficiencies And hopefully, the club learns from the loss The new coach would have seen those deficiencies as well Our lack of a killer instinct in being able to finish off teams stands out and has done for a few seasons now We keep going into cruise mode. The last quarter should have mirrored our 3rd quarter. Good teams go on with it and bury the opposition And the whole list needs a crash-course in how to deliver a 15-35 metre pass by foot. It can't be that hard Making position ties in with those foot passes so we're going to have to get fitter as well The game has always been a form of keepings-off and the best sides do it very well We, on the other hand, often look like novices in that area (long bombs ingrained) From 60-70 metres out from goal we need to dramatically change how we enter the forward line. Starts from further afield in terms of moving the ball quickly to that 60-70 metre area from goal Slow movement effectively allows the opposition to flood back So a big turnaround is required so we'll need to look at the whole FD, not just the head coach So fitness, foot skills, game style and a killer instinct is lacking. We've got a lot of work ahead

The Philadelphia Eagles put an end to the Kansas City Chiefs' bid for a third straight championship and enter the 2025 NFL season as co-favorites to win Super Bowl 60 (+650). The Baltimore Ravens also sit at +650. Philadelphia and Kansas City had been tied at the top of the odds at 6-1 earlier in the offseason, but the Chiefs are now the fourth choice at +750, just behind the Buffalo Bills, who are 7-1 to lift the Lombardi Trophy. The Detroit Lions hold down the fifth spot at 10-1. The San Francisco 49ers were 13-1 at one point but are now in a group at 20-1 to win Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California (Feb. 8, 2006). The Bills, Ravens, Chiefs and Eagles each have win total marks set at 11.5 Here are each team's odds for each to win their division, their conference and the Super Bowl, as well as their 2025 win total and odds to make the playoffs. Odds as of publication time. For the latest odds, visit ESPN BET NFL 2025 championship oddsTeam Super Bowl Conference Division Wins (O/U) Playoffs (Y/N) Philadelphia Eagles +650 +300 -160 11.5 (+110 O, -130 U) (-380 | +290) Baltimore Ravens +650 +325 -160 11.5 (-120 O, +100 U) (-500 | +360) Buffalo Bills +700 +325 -300 11.5 (-155 O, +135 U) (-750 | +475) Kansas City Chiefs +750 +350 -120 11.5 (+105 O, -125 U) (-450 | +340) Detroit Lions 10-1 +400 +145 10.5 (+110 O, -130 U) (-190 | +160) Washington Commanders 18-1 +850 +225 9.5 (-120 O, +100 U) (-150 | +130) Cincinnati Bengals 18-1 +850 +260 9.5 (-125 O, +105 U) (-140 | +120) San Francisco 49ers 20-1 +800 +160 10.5 (+105 O, -125 U) (-185 | +155) Los Angeles Rams 20-1 10-1 +175 9.5 (-140 O, +120 U) (-140 | +120) Green Bay Packers 20-1 10-1 +250 9.5 (-110 O, -110 U) (-125 | +105) Minnesota Vikings 25-1 11-1 +350 8.5 (-150 O, +130 U) (-105 | -115) Los Angeles Chargers 25-1 12-1 +325 9.5 (-110 O, -110 U) (-130 | +110) Houston Texans 25-1 12-1 +100 9.5 (+105 O, -125 U) (-145 | +125) Denver Broncos 30-1 14-1 +300 9.5 (+100 O, -120 U) (-130 | +110) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-1 15-1 +100 9.5 (+100 O, -120 U) (-165 | +140) Chicago Bears 30-1 16-1 +450 8.5 (+135 O, -155 U) (+170 | -200) Pittsburgh Steelers 40-1 20-1 +550 8.5 (-120 O, +100 U) (+140 | -165) Arizona Cardinals 50-1 25-1 +425 8.5 (-125 O, +105 U) (+130 | -150) Dallas Cowboys 50-1 25-1 +700 7.5 (-145 O, +125 U) (+210 | -250) Atlanta Falcons 60-1 30-1 +225 7.5 (-135 O, +115 U) (+155 | -185) Seattle Seahawks 75-1 35-1 +550 8.5 (+130 O, -150 U) (+165 | -195) New England Patriots 75-1 35-1 +550 8.5 (+100 O, -120 U) (+145 | -170) Miami Dolphins 75-1 35-1 +800 8.5 (+155 O, -185 U) (+190 | -225) Jacksonville Jaguars 75-1 40-1 +300 7.5 (-120 O, +100 U) (+170 | -200) Indianapolis Colts 100-1 50-1 +350 7.5 (-110 O, -110 U) (+175 | -210) Las Vegas Raiders 100-1 50-1 15-1 6.5 (-145 O, +125 U) (+340 | -450) Carolina Panthers 150-1 60-1 +400 6.5 (-135 O, +115 U) (+250 | -300) New York Jets 200-1 75-1 16-1 5.5 (-140 O, +120 U) (+500 | -800) New York Giants 200-1 75-1 30-1 5.5 (+110 O, -130 U) (+800 | -1600) Cleveland Browns 200-1 100-1 30-1 4.5 (-165 O, +140 U) (+800 | -1600) Tennessee Titans 250-1 150-1 +750 5.5 (-145 O, +125 U) (+425 | -650) New Orleans Saints 300-1 100-1 11-1 5.5 (+130 O, -150 U) (+600 | -1000)

A sneak peek at the Week 1 games (the last week of the pre-season games will be completed on Monday (AEST) All 4 standalone evening games look interesting And there are a number of other good match-ups

Yep, awful scheduling. In such a competitive industry, why give your rivals a leg up? Even GWS vs Saints would have been much better (tonight) Meanwhile, Spurs are now leading 2-nil at Man City!

GWS vs Saints tomorrow might be competitive but it looks 50/50 whether Jesse Hogan will return this season. Fingers crossed he does return But the Eels/Roosters NRL match followed by the Man City/Spurs clash (both live on Ch9) that will get my attention tonight However, the 2 big AFL matches tomorrow are a must-watch! So much to play for!! Brisbane & Doggies to prevail is my tip (so go the opposite as I'm a shocking tipster!) And a shout out to any NFL fans ... we've got a NFL thread on the site that is nearing 500 pages! There's plenty of banter and we run 2 tipping comps that have been operating for 13 years ... and counting! (Regular & Post Season) We could do with a bit more representation from the AFC as most of the participants on the thread follow the NFC teams

Teamwork!! (Finally)

Same old story Mid to forward connection abysmal. Long bombs ingrained

Chain with 'Black and Blue'

You've activated the way-back machine @hardtack !! And it's coming up to 14 years ... time really does fly! Another reason I started up this thread is I dislike it when people argue about music. Back when we were young we just soaked it all in when music was introduced to us So making the thread about the rock genre and more specifically, rock music videos has worked to that degree. Listen, watch and like, or scroll on Was thinking we could do a month (September?) of Aussie rock both contemporary and way back as far as the 50's* (??) Bands such as Chain, Spectrum, Zoot, Madder Lake, Easybeats etc etc could feature Something to occupy our minds in September with the Demons not contending *I don't know of any rock bands in Oz in the 50's but I'm sure there must be a few at least

Ch7 dumped the game from FTA Although, they are broadcasting the 2 marquee games on Sunday (Dogs vs Freo & Lions vs Hawks)

Yes, I agree And with the interviewing process there's every likelihood that a smokey or 2 could win people over

I'd say there'd be approaches made either way It's a $1Million a year job usually with 3 years applied as the contract A big step up from the Assistant coach salary Plus, these blokes are ambitious

There's a fair bit of heresay that he's already got the job but I'm not so sure What if Skipworth or Enright present a compelling case?

In the meantime, any of the assistants need to be told 'yay or nay' by the end of August (according to the AFL) So those deadlines makes it difficult for the new coach to pick his own team (FD) Let's say it is Buckley ... wouldn't it be best if he brings his own crew with him? At least in part?

Frank Ponissi was interviewed on SEN today and he hinted that the appointment of the new MFC coach may not happen until late September Ponissi is the GM of football at the Melbourne Storm and is on the panel formed to find the new coach For those who don't know, other members of the panel include Brad Green, Steven Smith, Paul Guerra, Alan Richardson, Jobe Watson & Meahan Callaghan I don't believe that it's a lay down misère that Buckley is a shoe-in Buckley might be the most likely but there's a process in place which could take a bit of time

He and others are doing the culling. Richardson was part of the posse of 4 that delivered the news at Goodwin's house (before being tossed out) So first Goodwin, then Williams ... who's next? This reminds me of when Bailey was sacked along with Schwab getting an extension (as CEO) Same weekend I much preferred the PJ way of dealing with these matters. But alas, we don't have him anymore. More's the pity Our new CEO isn't on board for another month whilst the incumbent President (Smith) is corresponding via video conferences You couldn't make this stuff up

According to Google holding-in means attending practice but only training on the side or with injured players ... apparently it's done this way to avoid fines (?) Obviously with the contracts at play in the background Btw, the Bears beat the Bills 38 - 0 (!!) but Josh Allen and the other Bills starters didn't participate in the pre-season game

Fair enough, EH. Good points In my view, our biggest weakness is that we don't have any players (apart from Gawn) who can impose themselves on the game When crunch time arrives, we go missing ... and that trend started midway through 2024 To win games you need impact players and lots of them Even though the make-up of the current team isn't all that different to the 2021 Premiership team, the differences are quite stark For starters, the game has moved on sharply and our players either can't adapt or won't adapt And then there's the hunger for success which just isn't there It will take more than a simple reset. We need a whole lot of new players if we're to seriously challenge again 2 off seasons might do the trick in terms of being a finals contender as the list isn't bereft of talent like we were when Roos took the helm But to get what we want, we're going to have to give up a bit (in terms of ultimately strengthening the list) And if a few players end up requesting trades or if we facilitate a few players into moving, then we'll get the chance to revamp the list with draft picks (or players) coming back our way In a nutshell, the current list will be lucky to even compete for a finals spot next year (or beyond) Moving Goodwin on is only the first move (if we're being serious)

Yes we were pathetic and the loss also highlights that our issues run much deeper than just Goodwin Time might have been up for SG but what about everyone else? Every position in the FD needs to be looked at and as for the current list of players, there are holes everywhere ... especially in the area of difference makers or matchwinners We're down to one only - Gawn Whether we put players up for trade (strategically) or whether certain players ask to be traded is the question One thing is for sure, this current list is taking us nowhere. We lack basic skills, we're not motivated, the teamwork is poor and we give up too easily On Saturday, we were beaten in the first 5 minutes of the game The concern for me is if the Board and the current FD genuinely believe we're not far away, we're in all sorts of trouble We need a cleanout and an overhaul, Gonzo

The 'Review' that didn't review properly? It can't be assumed that any review is going to be accurate Any number of people telling other people what they want to hear. I'm a sceptic on that stuff, bub We actually need another review but will another review reveal anything? What we need is a board that knows precisely where the club is at (in all areas) Couldn't the sacking have been conducted within the confines of the club? Why did we feel compelled to have 4 individuals visit the coach's house in the evening to deliver the news? Couldn't it have waited for first thing in the morning in a professional environment? It's any wonder that Goodwin tossed them out. Amateur hour

Right now we are but is the board and the club thinking we are a contender with the individuals we have now? It seems to me that the Board was expecting success this season and when that didn't happen, they blamed the coach and then sacked him That's usually how it works but reality bites. Yesterday was living proof that the playing list has issues, left, right and centre Not only is there a distinct lack of talent but there's a complete disconnect on the field and our players look lost. We're clearly not good enough I watched the Crows/Pies game last night and there's no way we can compete at that level. We're a long way off Bringing in a new coach (alone) isn't going to fix our issues. An overhaul is needed and we need to surround the new coach with the right people And go hard at the trade table as we need some future stars. Our existing stars are now no better than B or B+ and even then it's inconsistent performances (or outcomes) They are on the wane It used to be that our stars would stand up in the last quarter (or 2nd halves) but now they are not noticable. We either keep losing the close ones or are outclassed We can't be expecting the 'messiah' coach