Macca

I've been playing Devil's advocate a bit on this thread, just to try to even the score. But nothing I said I didn't mean ... more so speaking out loud about the player deficiencies (on various other threads, many others were saying the same sort of thing) I've even backed that up to a point where I've openly admitted that I am not a huge fan of Goodwin But I'm also not a fan of taxes! But I am a fan of fairness. Especially when fairness can be applied So we're not politicians where the other side of the argument is ignored The argument has been so ridiculously one-sided against Goodwin on this thread So there are numerous factors at play and that includes selection, our forward line set-up, our offense and other factors that are not directly player issues And then there is the player buy-in to a new game plan ... that's the biggie from my point of view Others can disagree

Well hang on, TR-A'B Doesn't an 18 & 5 record guarantee a top 4 spot? haha

The other aspect was we still had a fair bit of energy in the last quarter even though we went into a slight-lockdown mode (the better teams often do that as well) So I'm wondering if this new style that we saw is less taxing on the legs? (or the opposite) It's a genuine question because I don't know. We haven't played this style before as our previous game plan involved a lot of long kicks (for territory)

I can see both Fritsch & JVR being able to fit in with a new offense at senior level But they are both going to have to adapt to the new game plan and do all the team things required With JVR, youth is on his side and Fritsch just needs to lift his game otherwise he'll stay in the reserves Barring injury, both will have to re-prove themselves at 2nds level. Which isn't an easy thing to do as often the delivery forward a level down can be sloppy They'll have to win their own ball, tackle hard, share the ball around and play a selfless role. That's what the MC will be looking for

Kozzie is heading towards being a top 10 player in the league ... especially if he is used for the bounce downs and then forward (need to isolate him) And if that happens he's irreplaceable so we'd need a King's Ransom So he's an obvious keeper unless we got an offer too good to refuse So in terms of long(ish) contracts, we were very smart in re-securing him in April 2023 (otherwise Kozzie would have been out of contract at the end of 2023) Phew!

There's 3 games to go in this round but we lead all the other teams with the most Disposals (392), Disposal Effiency (78%) and Tackles Inside 50 (27) Do that every week and we'll win plenty of games

Especially if we want to persevere with a proper 2nd ruck ... Tom stays in the side And it wasn't so much Tom's contribution yesterday, it was more about being able to manage Max in terms of Max being at his max when we needed him most Previously, this season, there's have been comments that Gawn was looking a bit tired and listless. Yesterday, he dominated and looked fresh throughout But Tom held his ground when rucking and when up forward. And you'd reckon he'll get better at it too

Well, technically, we've got him for at least another 72 games (that includes 9 finals games 😁)

Ha! Yeah, he made a few errors (Rusty adjusting back to how he once played?) But we need Clarrie back to that point where he bursts into a contest and then gives off the handpass in a flash That's his 1 Wood

You will be correct if our players strengths are to share the ball the way we did (at speed) Along with corridor use, bringing their teammates into the game*, less boundary hugging and very few long bombs to packs. And selfless teamwork** I'm convinced that we finally got a buy-in from the players to play the modern style But regardless of the why's & wherefore's, the question is, can we keep it up, old dee? *Clarrie was a great example yesterday of how he was back to his best in terms of bring his teammates into the game (the little give handpass to advantage a player streaming forward) **The selfless teamwork was something that was noted and talked about in 2021 (so that's a real positive)

We've finally adhered to the new game plan and we can do it again and again ... but old habits die hard But if we can keep it up, there's exciting times ahead and lots of wins in store Getting back to that point where we can beat any team, anywhere is also on the agenda There's enough base talent for that to happen and yesterday was a huge turning point, in my view I'm prefer to be optimistic rather than circumspect

Kozzie is contracted to the club until the end of 2027 We either hold him to his contract (preferred option) or another club will have to offer a King's ransom for his services It's a win/win although I'd hate to lose him as he's a genuine matchwinner

If we play like we did yesterday, we'll win Tigers are plucky but they have their weaknesses Our best beats their best

Because our players finally threw off all the old habits of an antiquated game style A question for anyone here ... When was the last time we won a game playing a game style like we saw yesterday? Fast paced offense Use of the corridor Sharing of the ball as a first option Always looking for teammates Minimal boundary line hugging Very few long bombs to the forward pockets Playing as a team Handpassing forward as a weapon Yesterday was a revelation in some ways but of course, we need to continue on the same course We're also playing catch-up so whether we may revert to old habits remains to be seen One pointer ... Oliver 5 kicks and 20 handpasses

And can you remember the last time we played with that sort of game plan, Gorg? The answer might be never It must be remembered that for the last 5 years at least, we've often played the boundary with long bombs to the pockets Trying to gain territory and then lock it in What we saw yesterday was a revelation and there's no reason why we can't continue playing in the same way Nearly all the other teams have a similar game plan to what we saw from us yesterday ... fast paced offense with the use of the corridor whilst sharing the ball always looking for teammate On a side not it was pleasing to see Oliver's ratio of kicks & handballs (5/20) ... more of that please as Oliver is not a great kick to position player But his handpassing is top notch

Yes, there was an element of that but the win yesterday wasn't based on motivation alone I'd rather look at it from a technical point of view We played the game yesterday adhering to the new game plan. Many were questioning where the new game plan was and they saw it yesterday (we also trained at that new game plan all Summer) We looked a different team in the way we played ... vastly different Suddenly we played as a team with a fast offense, sharing the ball and looking for teammates. Long bombs at a minimum When was the last time we played like that? (remembering that our M.O was to bomb it long to the pockets for at least the last 5 years) But if you and others want to believe we just played well because we were embarrassed, that's fine The sport has moved on from that way of thinking. It's very technical and a solid game plan is required these days And all the players need to be on board Teamwork has obviously always been a factor in footy but the sharing of the ball these days is a real step up from the past

So Goodwin didn't suddenly learn how to coach again overnight, same as he didn't learn how to not coach previously What happened is that the message finally got through and the players finally listened So the players got the same message, not a different message They listened and then adhered to the new game plan and hey presto, we play well and win But if you want to flip/flop on a week to week basis, go right ahead. Do that, and you'll just come across as a reactionary fool

Injuries or if a player or 2 didn't play their role (not everyone always plays well in a victory) You've also got players like May or McVee becoming available. Who are starting 18 players Also, a squad mentality is becoming more apt especially with 5 day breaks that can occur. It's a gruelling sport to play these days so rotations are sometimes necessary The notion of 'Don't change a winning team' is old hat

I heard the other day that $1Million is the base salary (per annum) for any head coach these days (even the rookies) I stand corrected though as I just caught the end of the conversation ... might have been via SEN Someone here will know As for the coaching today, I'm more inclined to give credit to the players today for adhering to the new game plan (about time) They did what we've all been expecting them to do ... if that plan was to share the ball at speed and play as a team and look for teammates as a default mode. And minimum long bombs

Yes, I agree And a number of teams are occasionally kicking long, low and bouncy entries to the 50 instead of bombing it long through the air It's an interesting ploy and can panic defences as those types of kicks can't be marked But you need good crumbers to make the most of those chaos type kicks We didn't kick too many long bombs today but when we did, we didn't look as dangerous Interesting that we only took 7 marks inside 50 but from an overall point of view, that low number didn't seem to matter much at all, as we got a lot of entries with handballing alone The contrast in how our offense was deployed this week as apposed to the previous 4 games was quite stark We clicked into gear and now that we've got a taste, we should become more and more adaptable to a changing game plan

Tom played his role to a nicety, all things considered Playing the proper 2nd ruck allowed us to save Max's legs for the last quarter And Tom led well on occasions when forward. At some stage, JVR will return but not necessarily at the expense of Fullarton We should give Tom a block of 4 games in order to make a better evaluation (from a MC point of view)

Yeah, Salem made a few errors but I thought he played quite well, otherwise 23 possessions at 83% DE and was involved in a lot of chained plays. 3 clangers not great though, especially for a backman However, from an overall perspective we turned it over 58 times (not too bad) but our overall DE ran at 78% (which is quite acceptable) I'd give Salem 6.5 or 7 out of 10 today. Solid enough but just needs to cut out the clangers

You are nothing but tenacious, bub Kudos 😁

Just a word on the selected team The MC took a huge risk in not selecting JVR & Fritsch as it did look like a threadbare forward line, pre-game But it worked and kudos to the selection committee for pulling the trigger The connection between the mids and forwards was very good (all things considered) Every time we got it forward we looked dangerous and the opposition's intercept marks seemed to be well down on previous games We outnumbered Freo in marks 110 to 80 which was another pointer on how well we shared the ball around As someone else noted above, we looked like a different team

I've seen enough We can absolutely go on a run now. Starting Thursday The performance was a breath of fresh air and what's more, all our players looked like they were really enjoying themselves It was like the shackles were released but really, it was always going to be about teamwork at speed and we had it in spades today We still turned the ball over a bit too much and our team defence needs to get better at defending the counter attack but that's the price you pay when you change things up Gawn was supreme and him dishing off handpasses and kicking passes sideways and sometimes back was a real sight He was a genuine midfielder today (28 possessions)... and with Fullarton giving him a chopout, he had plenty in reserve for the last quarter when we needed him