Macca

My eyes tell me otherwise Meanwhile, our sorry lot can't hit the side of a barn. Unless they are kicking it sideways or backwards to retain possession And that's the point of my argument The better teams take chances, have better disposal skills and use the corridor Our better players waste the ball

Neal-Bullens disposals have been more dynamic at the Crows And he hits more targets in positions on the field (often the corridor) where his team looks more dangerous At the Demons, whilst still very good, he played a similar role but our style of play was (and is) stodgy and stop/start

I wasn't referencing his role, I fully understand that he is playing the same role (or very similar) I have referenced his confidence, poise and disposal skills (twice now) So he's improved from being a very good player for us to an even better player for the Crows (in my view) My point is that our current players also need to improve in those areas, instead of just blazing away when they have possession Going from Goodwin to the new coach isn't going to make us a contender again I recognise that's it's the off-season and many will be full of hope, but we've got issues that need to be fixed

Ha! Some here may as well be posting up in Hieroglyphics style It's lazy so I just skim past, most of the time. As do many others, I suspect

Nonsense

You don't read posts properly and are prone to the red mist So no, you're just wrong with your appraisal Did you read the bit where I said Neal-Bullen was a very good player for us? Not sure you watch the games properly. Neal-Bullen has improved his game And can you use proper grammar and capital letters when applicable. You're not 12 years old are you?

It's a small sample size but nonetheless, a good example of a freed up mind So those who pointed the finger at Goodwin are only partly right. The players are also accountable and are free to think for themselves out on the field As for the FD, we needed to make a number of changes but it looks like only Williams & Goodwin have borne the brunt

Yeah sure, we know that It's how he is going about it. Taking a lot of chances with his disposals but with more confidence, suriy and poise Did you actually read my post?

All those close losses can tell a story. The optimists might look at the losses and imagine that if we reversed the results, we'd be vying for a finals spot But to me it reflects the players mindset ... we've forgotten how to win or more importantly, we're not hungry for success Self satisfied, sitting back and expecting others to lead the way. And once that type of thinking happens regularly, it's hard to reverse the process So alternatively, those close losses can be one step away from losing those same games by bigger margins. The opposition will know that we wilt and will put their foot down accordingly The new coach will need to turn the mindset around as well as employing a modern style. So it's a big job not solved with a magic wand Our biggest issues are above the shoulders as we are prone to choking in front of goal and choking when we're in a position to win games An example is Neal-Bullen. He was a very good player for us but he looks an even better player at the Crows. He looks really confident and there is a surity and poise with his disposals

We're officially a bottom club and to be perfectly frank, trading out deadwood would improve the list As would bringing in young talent improve the list My view was that Goodwin wasn't necessarily the biggest problem at the club. It's true that he couldn't get the players to play a modern style but that can't be an entirely coach issue The players have to take the blame as well So my onus is squarely on the shoulders of the players. They let themselves down, the jumper and the coach And still got paid handsomely. Lazy, unmotivated, soft with a give-up mentality And I'm not letting them off the hook A new coach can obviously improve things but the new coach needs a clean slate as well Clear the decks, we've got nothing to lose

The key to any sort of good recruiting is having the draft capital and/or playing talent that are tradeable Right now, our first pick in the draft is a 2nd round pick. But if we managed to get hold of a couple of 1st rounders and a few 2nd & 3rd rounders, then we can (at least in part) rebuild the list The glaring weaknesses are marking power up forward along with goal kicking ability from our forwards & mids And our skills right across the board are not AFL finals standard. We've got plenty who can get the ball but we are terribly wasteful with the ball in hand At the contest we are good but that's where the trouble starts. There's a lack of surety, confidence, poise and execution That's why we finished 7 & 16 and if we don't act, we could easily stagnate where we are right now I'm an advocate for change as I feel we've got nothing to lose. It's not as if we're still in contention. We're not The club needs to let go of 2021, 2022 & 2023 ... that's not who we are anymore What we are is 2024 & 2025 and that picture isn't pretty and it's clouded

Any forward that is 1st or 2nd tier would be worth looking at Currently our best KPF forward is 4th tier and the rest are not worth persevering with (and that includes Petty) Kentfield is very young and might make it. But it's a big maybe AJ & Jeffo are list cloggers and if we could get a pick in the mid 2nd round for JVR, I'd take it. The list needs an overhaul and it needs to happen now If we do nothing or only make cosmetic changes, we'll be having the same conversation this time next year (Imv) Before Blight started at the Crows, McDermott, McGuiness, Anderson & Jarman were cleared out. We need to do something similar I'd clear the decks for the new coach or perhaps the new coach will want the decks cleared anyway. Any prospective new coach will know who he wants to keep (and vice-versa) What would you do? Do you believe we've got issues? If so, what are those weaknesses and how do we address those issues?

Just watching the last quarter now. The game had everything just listening to the audio on tunein today (live) Packers were very good today, especially on defense. A big scalp even though it was at Lambeau

You have to chase hard Been done before and money talks (you have to pay overs) Or leave it as it is and continue to lose The new coach won't have a magic wand

I'd like to see the strike rate of tall forwards with regards to drafting (in terms of success) With us, it hasn't been great but our needs right now are immediate. So trading is a real option The downside is we'd have to shake up the list but Imv, we need to do that anyway The KF with the biggest upside is JVR but he has regressed. I'd go after a proven KF and then we wouldn't need to be so reliant on JVR (and the others)

Personally, I was quite happy for the club to go after JVR & Jeffo in the draft (back then) So far, it hasn't worked but it was worth the gamble (remembering that JT's strike rate in the draft is very good) Time to change things up and shake up the list

Brown succumbing to injuries along with T-Mac losing his impact was the main reason our forward line became dysfunctional And we have tried to remedy things with JVR, Jeffo, Smith, AJ, Petty, McAdam etc etc Hindsight tells us we should have gone after a proven key forward at some stage and we may well go down that path in the upcoming off-season I hope we do as our current batch of KPF's just keep failing to measure up. Aside from the delivery forward, our KPF's don't win their own ball enough anyway. Low impact and once the ball hits the ground, it's the oppositions ball I'd go after one proven KPF this year and then go again in 2026 We'd have to give up a bit but that's the price you have to pay for a quality forward Our delivery forward needs an obvious fix. That's a job for the new coach

I agree, well said, dc But others are allowed to be bitterly disappointed with the 2022 & 2023 seasons. That's their right and it's just opinions when it's all boiled down Just because you're in contention doesn't mean you're going to win big. Just ask Sydney, Geelong or the Pies Either the Cats or Pies (or both) are not going to win the flag this year. Let's hope it's both!! haha Top 4 might mean you've got a 1 in 4 chance. We got 3 x top 4 and won once We certainly weren't a tearaway favourite to win the flag in 2022 or 2023. In contention, yes But the club did act after the 2023 season anyway, endeavouring to add skills and running ability from the 2023 off-seasons onwards ... and that's coming from a point where we already had a more than decent midfield But I'm expecting more quality additions in the upcoming off-season (but how we do that is anyone's guess) Anyway, we secured Windsor, Kolt, Langford & Lindsay. In fact, we traded up or manoeuvred our way up in the draft in order to secure all 4 Whether any or all 4 players end up being top players remains to be seen. It's too early to judge (properly) ... we'll know a lot more in 2 or 3 years time

Well, there weren't many (if any) people questioning our method of attack in the 2022 or 2023 seasons Both years we won 16 games in the season proper and what we were doing was actually working I'll take a 16 & 6 or a 16 & 7 record any day of the week. Of course, we ran out of legs in 2022 and that was an issue. And in 2023 we ended up with a D Grade forward line once the finals started So sound reasoning for falling short in 2023 but no excuses in 2022 (Imv) But gradually, the long bomb started becoming obsolete culminating with a lot of questions in 2024 & 2025 The argument against not bombing it in back in 2022 & 2023 was that we were effectively stopping the opposition from scoring when we did bomb it in (average score against in both years - 65 points) For proof, go back and read the relevant threads in 2022 & 2023. Hardly anyone here was questioning our method of attack. Many of us thought we were heading for another flag especially with a 10 & 0 start to the 2022 season In hindsight, it's a different take. But that's hindsight. Bit like the draft ... shouda, couda, wouda As for the forward line, we need at least a couple of new additions as the personnel we have right now keeps falling short The midfield? Our existing mids need to share the ball in an attacking way with long bombs being a thing of the past. The extra handpass instead with our mids running into space up forward to receive 20 metre passes

Tampa Cinci Steelers

In a lot of ways we're not that far off The biggest issues are our disposal skills and decision making with the ball. (we win our fair share of contested ball and hard ball gets) And dumping the long bomb almost permanently. Effectively, that tactic just turns the ball over. Especially when targeting the hot spot. But the low, rapid kick forward can work. Backmen can panic in that scenario but if you give them 5 seconds of hang time, the intercept mark or spoil will eventuate (especially if we telegraph the ball to the hot spot) The better teams don't resort to bombing it long under pressure ... they'll look for the extra handpass or the low, fast, skimming kick As a percentage play that fast rocket kick can pay off if our forwards play in front most of the time Hopefully Kentfield comes on and JVR delivers on the promise he showed early in his career. Or if can somehow recruit a KPF In the meantime, we can win with a medium/tall forward line (Fritsch, Melk, Kozzie, Petracca, Chandler et al with 1 or 2 key bigs for structure) And our mids need to start hitting the scoreboard as well. It's a glaring weakness with regards to our overall scoring opportunities The other standout out feature of the finals is how the corridor is in constant use. Another area where we are sadly lacking But it's not rocket science ... just share the ball at pace and go direct. To do that properly, a team needs to be highly skilled We need a coach with an attacking mindset (when we have the ball) and a total-team defence mindset when the other team has the ball A bit like 2021 except the long bomb we employed back then is now obsolete

Well look at that! ... 500 pages up! Anyway, the Chiefs go down in an upset! Early doors but the Chargers could get on a roll with Jim Harbaugh in his 2nd year at the helm You'll have to click on the 'Watch on YouTube' link to watch the highlights @JV7 @DemonDave @DeeSpencer

Stan Alves - fleet of foot And Robbie had a bit of toe as well Rhino Richards once he was wound up

Cris Collinsworth was calling on Prescott to run with the ball to break things up (or change things up) 1 carry for 3 yards was all we saw Anyway, we get a game from Brazil tomorrow morning 10.00am (Chiefs/Chargers) ... I'm tipping a close one!

Jalen Hurts running ability is immense. The difference between the 2 sides as he gained a lot of yards in the red zone