Macca

The Occam's Razor remark wasn't necessarily attached to what I'd said beforehand. It was said to AF in terms of looking for the most obvious reason why we performed poorly this season. And in my opinion, you don't have to look very far. One could conclude that the reason we performed poorly this year is because we couldn't be stuffed trying. Or one could look for a more complex answer. But in my opinion it's the former argument. We did not turn up. So AF may believe it's a lot more complex than that (I'm presupposing) and he has every right to have that reasoning. At other times I might agree with him but not this time Ralph. Bottom line is that the club failed and we've reverted back to kind. If you don't agree so be it. Look, I get it. People don't want to get too despondant about their team because they want to believe that success is just around the corner. But that's not how I'm wired. I don't need that stuff and prefer realities. So what is your evaluation of the season? And I don't want any excuses. Give me a brutal assessment (if you can) By the way, every team gets injuries and every team has off-season surgeries. So if our list management team, FD & Coaching can't cover for a few injuries, then that's the fault of the club as well. You're supposed to have depth in pro sports.

AVB is constantly injured and we can't be relying on him.being available. Hannan is overated. I don't dislike either player but one doesn't play and the other doesn't play very well. Got any other options? Show me some talent As for fitness, try bone-lazy. The team hardly gave a yelp all season and should be called out for it. Actually, Lewis did call out the playing group with his speech at the B & F. Don't let them off the hook AF. We've let them off the hook in the past by sacking coaches. Look at all the assistants that have departed. What does that tell you? It tells me the message isn't getting through and the players are calling the shots again. Occam's Razor.

What I saw this season is a whole forward line that doesn't apply pressure. Do any of them know how to lay a tackle? For the most part our forward line was dysfunctional. Let's not mince words here AF. Jones is in the forward line to get the ball a dozen times and kick a couple of goals. Which would be a big step up to what we see now. As for forward pressure, he'd be no worse than the ineffective lazy lot that are there now. In fact, Jones is an ideal type. Don't compare him to Eddie Betts and the like. There are a number of different types of small forwards that can be effective. He'd only be a fill-in for a year anyway Anyway, if his midfield days are gone and we're looking for better options in the backline then there's only one area left where he could play. Unless you don't play him at all - and that won't be happening because he's still better than 2/3's of the list (which is filled with C & D graders)

I'm not a Hannan fan AF. He jogs around too much and doesn't play with any urgency. Spargo isn't good enough either but he has a go for a little fella. And Garlett is gone. With Lockhart - who knows? Needs a pre-season. I'd be playing Jones and/or Viney forward as the smalls. Both are good enough and are much better options than the aforementioned. And, they're experienced. Jones is done as a midfielder anyway and Viney goes alright in the midfield but is wasteful with his disposal. Throw them both forward or rotate them forward. We need better options than Jones in the backline too.

I wouldn't have. Tom is a much better player than his brother and has (or had) an uncanny ability to create space for himself. And his kicking issues only ever related to spacial awareness. As a key forward, that spacial awareness issue is not really a factor. Oscar often ends flapping about at ground level. He gets outbodied too easily and everytime I've seen him within range of goal he looks completely lost. A no from me but I like that you're thinking outside the sqaure AF. As for recruiting talls, don't forget that Tim Smith, Keilty & Frost are all as good as gone and they all played as talls So they need to be replaced (at least somewhat)

Oscar has zero goal sense. And he's like Pruess in terms of being able to play as a KPF. At his age (just like Preuss) he's got too much to learn anyway I wouldn't waste my time on such a notion. The chances of it working out are remote. We'll either draft another option (late pick) or trade for a fringe KPF from elsewhere. Well, at least I hope we do.

Too risky for me Pates. Both could fail again and then what? The odds aren't great that both will fire. If one fires we might get by with Fritsch, Melksham and Petracca to help out. If we got Elliott it's almost problem solved. May forward? Bit tricky doing that now with the likely departure of Frost. We need to at least recruit a spec key forward. My preference would be to trade for a proven talent but decent KPF's are very hard to acquire. It doesn't seem like it's on the club's radar but you never know. So a late pick in the draft as we did with the McDonald Bros. Or trade in a fringe tall from another club. Petty looks like he's been earmarked to play and develop as a KPD. Again, especially with the likely departure of Frost.

Oscar has 1 year or 2 left on his contract? Martin, Blease & Gysberts were all traded out despite all 3 having 1 year left on their contracts And we've paid out 1 or 2 players in the recent past. The names escape me right now but it's at least 1 player. There are no set rules surrounding contracts ... in overseas sports players are traded despite being on 4 or 5 year deals. Eventually the same thing will happen here. We've seen lots of change even in the last 5 years. Players nominating clubs they wish to be traded to will end up happening mid season. Get ready for it As for Frost, contracts aside, the club has just let him go because they don't want to keep him. And Frost might have indicated he wants out and the club has decided to not stand in his way. A mutual agreement. To me there's no big deal. Business decisions are made and you get on with it. I doubt we'll get much for Frost but we were never going to get much for him regardless of how things went down And how do we know that a deal with the Hawks wasn't made 'In principle' quite a while ago? I wouldn't be surprised My guess is a late 3rd round pick.

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is on tomorrow night at midnight and Enable is going for it's 3rd win on the trot (which would be a record) I'm hoping it does win but at $1.80 it's a bit short. However, 'Sottsass' represents good value at $8.50 and is a good each-way chance. It's a 3yo but horses at that age have a great history of winning the race (18 of the last 25 winners) And Sottsass has been very impressive at it's last 2 starts. Maybe the quinella? Interesting that the Arc still went ahead during the 2nd World War (apart from 1939 & 1940)

I ended up a little way in front with a couple of late collects ... Kolding to win & Surprise Baby with Dealmaker in a double Could have been a bumper day if what I coupled up with Sunlight had have saluted. The crew went 1 from 5 today which surprised me. But I got a bonus double earlier in the day when the race caller on the radio called 'Profit' as running 2nd or 3rd. Ya gotta love a bonus win. I only realised I'd won when I checked my balance an hour later! The punt taketh away and the punt giveth.

Kings Will Dream wins the Turnbull in a remarkable comback ... the horse was pulled up in last year's Cox Plate and there were grave fears that the horse would even survive. And now it comes out and wins the a Group 1 over the classic 2000m. Amazing. Has to be a real chance for the Cox Plate now. Mystic Journey couldn't find a run and Mr Quickie didn't come on till late either. Hartnell game again and gets up for 3rd (again) The old war horse just won't quit. Finche (2nd) looks a real cups horse.

And Bossy gets Kolding over the line in the Epsom in a classic finish ... got Brutal up in the Doncaster in the Autumn so he's done the double now. Brutal won again today so that horse is flying. Golden Eagle next along with Kolding? $7.5Million up for grabs in the race. The Golden Eagle could be anything first time up with Arcadia Queen and maybe Mystic Journey real chances as starters. But I'm not sure Glen will be making his way back to Singapore in a hurry. He is back amongst it and riding really well.

1st & 2nd all class. Sunlight is a champ and the other champ in Santa Ana Lane will be better for the run. Going to be one hell of an Everest. Need a non-bog track though. Maybe they could transfer the race to Flemington! Good weather here.

I got an ok running double at Doomben and had a small wager on Taraayef which got up. Got a few other bets going but mainly exactas and a few win bets Wadda. Will probably break even on the day unless I get lucky. And breaking even often feels like a win!

That is how I read it too AF The reasoning behind it all is debateable though. It's my opinion that Frost wants out and the club isn't standing in his way.

Reckon there is more to it than that ET We follow a largely unsuccessful club, face it. You even started a thread seemingly urging others to not renew their memberships. That's how it read anyway. I can understand such a stance though, even though I don't agree. So you were disillusioned same as a number of players who previously have ended up wanting out. Those who stay, keep collecting the coin which is their right (I suppose) I too am disillusioned but I've held off until now ... Goodwin admitting that he didn't coach the fundamentals and Lever questioning the attitude of the playing group re the pre-season is damning. My red & blue goggles are well and truly off. As I said earlier, Frost wanting out after playing every game this season tells a different story to me. The ambit claim is just that, an ambit claim - in my opinion.

Well Frost did improve this year where previously he struggled to get a game. And Goodwin kept picking him. So he could easily improve again. Not saying he will but if the coach played to the blokes strengths, this conversation may not even exist. The long ball is being used effectively by Richmond & Collingwood (and West Coast) where as we're playing a slow keepings-off style with unskilled players And Frost is better suited to hoofing the ball long into our forward line. Just my view and I'm happy to agree to dusagree Gonzo. You may well be right but so might I. It's ok to see things differently.

The 5 picks has a nice look about it Wadda. 2 genuine Group 1 horses as winners with some value added place bests. All researched well by the looks of it too Should add up to a tidy dividend once you've done your usual collating ? Oh, and our thread is up to 150 pages. Bradman-esque type numbers!

As you well know, the better players win you the games. The lesser-lights can't be expected to do the same. What we really need is for May & Lever to have stellar seasons next year. They need to dominate. If that happens the lesser-lights can shine. And if Petty comes on then the issue with the 2nd tall back is addressed. Oscar as pure back-up unless he improves a lot. But then there is our forward line hey? Even bigger problems at that end of the ground. I'm still holding out hope that we recruit a KPF. But we've heard very little.

'Sunlight' might end up having the same sort of glittering career as Sunline but it's a lot harder for sprinter types. She might step it up to 1400m as she gets older and there's a stack of Group races at that distance. It looks a match-race tomorrow with Santa Ana Lane but Sunlight will have the superior fitness and the weight advantage. At the weights it's hard to see anything else getting close. I like BM's choice. Both of them are running in The Everest in 2 weeks time so the Gilgai is an ideal tune-up.

This year we were almost completely unstructured. Right across the board And every one of our good players was either down on form, well down on form, or in some cases injured. Gawn was good but he lacked influence. Oliver had a B- season. Etc etc Our senior players and better players let us down. Again.

There's no way he would be on that sort of money DJ. Not even close in my opinion. A couple of days on and ... I prefer the Occam's Razor explanation. Frost probably just wanted to switch clubs and as for the contract offer we gave him or what he might have been demanding, I'm not sure it's absolutely relevent if he'd made up his mind to go. Frawley, Dunn, Howe, Sylvia (RIP), Stef Martin and a few others were looking for the door (or were getting the nudge) so we did the deals. The loss of Frost shouldn't be looked at in isolation either. It's the sum of all the parts after all the trading and after the draft where we can then make our evaluations. I just hope the club doesn't leave itself too short up forward and too short down back. And we need an injection of pace & skill through the middle and down back. We really need some dash out of defence and none of the likely candidates possess a great deal of pace. Where we've played quick in the past (2018 mainly) is when we've moved the ball quickly with decent skills. Hopefully that aspect returns as well. Time will tell.

We've gone from the 3 Amigo's to the Infamous 5. Or something like that. Wadda - Caulfield Correspondent Binman - Morphettville Marauder DZ - Femington Forecaster Gorgoroth - Randwick Rampager Macca - Hong Kong Wizard

'Enticing Star' has been retired immediately and will not run in the Everest. Must be something wrong with the horse but regardless, the mare will now go to the breeding barn. It was Chris Waller's slot so that probably now opens the door for Nature Strip.

It could be that 'Specky' has often only ever been said and not written in print. That's why it doesn't look right. But 'Specky' it is (I think) A bit like 'Jack Hill the blind miner could see that' ... better said than written.