Macca

We're not a big club and we don't have the pulling power As for the Storm & Victory, they may well be happy with their lot and may not want to rock the boat. And both those clubs play their actual games at AAMI

Not necessarily if funding has become the major issue You know, all the great plans of mice and men Good intentions but we're talking close to $100Million in funding that is needed. And we don't possess that sort of coin without Govt. & Council funding

We were always going to feel the squeeze at AAMI ... the juggernaut of the tennis and the pulling power of the Pies So get out if the alternate suits. Waverley is a huge upgrade in more ways than one The training ground upgrade is like chalk & cheese Gosch's right next to Punt Rd with no viewing areas or protection Waverley is an enclosed arena with loads of viewing areas and a great surface & size Anyway, it's best to embrace if we may not have other viable choices

Sure, but if Caulfield is a definite goer, why bother making the move to Waverley in such a rushed manner? Seems a bit rushed to move 'in-season' anyway Either way, I reckon it's a win/win

My gut feeling is that we've grabbed hold of Waverley because we've hit a hurdle with Caulfield (funding) We would be relying on the State Govt. to cough up the tens of $Millions and that may or may not be forthcoming The AFL might have even stepped in and told us to grab Waverley while it's still available Again, just an opinion

There's nothing at all wrong with Waverley as a base and as a training venue. In fact, if we ignore the Hawks moving away, it will be far and away the best training venue we've ever had And everyone under the one roof which will satisfy those who have had their concerns in that area A great big ground with a fantastic surface with plenty of viewing areas. What's not to like? Parking is a bit of an issue but that's sweating the small stuff

Did you say that at the time? Hindsight tells us that but Grundy came relatively cheap and we had gone with a 2 Ruck combo in 2020, 2021 & 2022 So the pattern had been set Like most here I agreed with the decision at the time as we had visions of a type of Max/LJ combo It didn't work but it was worth a try The far bigger issue was losing all our forward line to injury or suspension. That cost us a premiership and there was nothing we could do about it The fact that we got so close in both finals backs up that argument D Grade forward lines don't win premierships

When we dumped Grundy to the 2nds that was it, as we had decided to go with just the one ruckman The experiment was over and everyone at the club knew it The fact that we needed him back because of all the injuries and suspensions to our talls (Petty, JVR, Brown & T-Mac) was irrelevant (unfortunately) Other 3rd tall marking targets like Melksham & Fritsch were both injured (Melk out and Fritsch proppy) In the end, we had a D Grade forward line and that's the big reason why we didn't advance in 2023 Not an excuse, but a reason A fit and firing forward line and we win the flag in 2023 However, 2022 was a different story. We really did blow that chance - the one that got away

In my view, him (Grundy) risking injury was also a big factor as he had all but signed with the Swans He'd checked out and the club had no real hold on him as we'd dumped him down to Casey without a promise of him being picked for the seniors again He was surplus to needs and both him and the MC would have known that. So the Swans come knocking (in season) Let's not forget that Grundy wasn't playing badly when he got dropped. It's just that we went in a different direction (One Ruckman only) Having a rash of injuries to most of our forwards didn't change anything either (obviously) Schashe was on the bench to cover for Gawn (who played with an injured big toe) Hardly ideal but that's my take on it Watching T-Mac struggle to get into a jog in that SF against Carlton kind of summed things up

Yeah, but we were a bomb-it-long team (territory team) so Goodwin's ability to get the team to change tack just wasn't bought into (that's according to the eye test) We did it for a few games but from an overall perspective, we wasted a lot of hard-earned possessions A different voice for Petracca (Hardwick & co. and his new teammates) and hey presto, it's all about hitting targets Whether King has the ability to re-educate our players away from the long kicking game remains to be seen - but it's more a senior players issue with the Demons Our W/L record this season will largely depend on whether we can share the ball (at speed) and not turn the ball over. And corridor use is paramount as well High risk football = long bombs & boundary hugging football. Do that and we'll be lucky to win 6 games

He was brilliant but the Cats midfield was bog average ... had a virtual free reign, centre-forward With Rowell slotting back in, it's a star-studded midfield. Matching up very difficult, to say the least

New coach and a new start for the list My reckoning is that all the players will get their opportunities and we could easily see some talent emerge With the 3 players you mentioned, they all need to get a step ahead instead of a step behind. If that doesn't happen, they won't make it It's such a fast game these days and the players need lighting quick skills For whatever reason, I still vividly remember Lindsay's first disposal last season. Gained possession and then hit a target 25-30 metres away without blinking. A great sign But the talent up North is going to be hard to match

No, of course not but the comment was more about what you said (D's fans) He was fantastic tonight and because we don't care for Geelong, him dining out on them tonight was good to watch I found myself wanting him to keep up his dominance. Really strange but I feel that way about Hogan all the time. And Neal-Bullen It's hard to hate premiership players

We're lucky we've got Jason Taylor Even if he just drafts enough talent for us to stay relevant (as a minimum) But ultimately, you need lots of Stars to win big 2021 we had 5 AA's and another 4 or 5 who went close to AA honours The perfect storm and most here watched the GF at home

Cats will probably play finals but they're not a threat for the flag (they've got 10 home games at Kardinia Park) The 2 Queensland teams have talent to burn as do Sydney. Absolute midfield dominance and their mids kick goals

Ha ha! Swans & Suns will take some beating but the Blues & Cats aren't much chop We might make a run from 9th or 10th 1988 is best remembered for the heavy GF loss but I remember that year for the run we went on from round 22 onwards (we had to beat 2nd placed Carlton just to make the finals and then won 3 finals from 5th spot to make the GF) We weren't a great team but we still made the GF

Yeah Gonzo, I thought we might have traded the pick to get another 1st rounder for the 2025 Draft But, apparently, next year's draft has a deeper talent pool than the 2025 draft But at pick 25 or so, there's a good dose of luck attached in unearthing a top player. But you never know (Stevie J was pick 24) 😃

We needed a cleanout and we got it But to win more games than we lose we'll need at least 8-10 standout players week to week ... and we're a ways off that standard Need match-winners too. Gawn, Kozzie, Langford and .... maybe Steele, Windsor, Rivers, Turner?? Time and patience with the youngsters along with the senior players lifting their standards will see 8-10 wins? Maybe a few more

Yeah, understood So he wanted out and on top of that, he's now rubbing our nose in it (a kind of justification for moving clubs per se) Back to his best, it must be said Anyway, we'll be ok without him. We just need to get 60 to 70 games into all our young players (and that includes the upcoming 2026 draftees) All up, we'll have a dozen or so players aged 23 or younger who will, hopefully, all turn into good players (or, at least a good percentage of the dozen or so prospects) Reality is that at some stage we were going to have to move on from Oliver, May, Petracca, Gawn, Viney, Brayshaw, ANB et al. It's just happening a bit sooner than we thought

He's rubbing our nose in it UGH

This must have been what it was like watching Barassi play for the Blues in '65 (Petracca this time) It's hard to stomach but we did get 3 first rounders for him XT, Latrelle & ????? ... just need one to be A grade (2 would be immense)

Pick 17 or 18 coming our way (yippee) They will be thereabouts if they listen to Hardwick intently. Petracca is already making a big difference Cats are cactus by the looks of it

I agree re a proper home ... much needed But it's not the main reason for success or failure I've got recruiting & therefore, talent, right at the top of the tree. Everything else runs a long 2nd, even coaching And it's not a bad thing to do it tough whilst pampering can sometimes be counter-productive Another huge issue is when the players rule-the-roost. If a club has that problem (as we have done in the last few years imv), then the best training facilities in the world won't make an ounce of difference

Although there is this (Oct 2023) Essendon & Adelaide expressed interest ... https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/melbourne-demons/afl-trade-news-2023-clayton-oliver-deal-explained-problems-with-melbourne-demons-handling-of-injury-rehab-offfield-concerns-contenders-to-trade-for-him-essendon-adelaide/news-story/e3943b5bcf82d4230637f9787273d9b2

Yes bing, and that's why Goodwin was kept out of it But regardless of what people thought about Pert (or Goodwin) I can't imagine Pert not consulting with Goodwin & the FD re shopping Oliver around At the time, Goodwin said nothing either way, and there's your answer, right there 'No comment' can mean a lot