Macca

We might have to go mid-sized if we run out of talls again With a style of play to match it What we do know is that the f50 entries has been acknowledged but needs to be enacted (both at practice and in the games) There's a fair chance we'll see a new approach in the 2 practice games

They'll have lots of reunions down the track but let's hope we can add another flag or 2 so there can be multiple reunions Local level flags are one thing but at the high professional level? It's their whole life and source of income. There's no other job like it Although many professions outside of sport are extremely rewarding ... they just aren't rewarded with premierships! And then there are the champion players and A graders who never won a flag The last bloke picked in a premiership winning team gets the flag but great players often miss out completely

If T-Mac is good to go then we might have to play him forward Max to carry the greater workload or Schache to be the back up? A tricky decision but I'm not sure that Schache will be the sub again so I've left him out (Max won't have a broken toe for the first game) If Petty is declared fit then he's in for T-Mac ... if T-Mac doesn't come up as well, then maybe Schache) As it stands, one of T-Mac, Schache or JVR will be needed as the 2nd ruck) But I'm hoping that T-Mac (at least) is good to go. Petty doubtful? For the Sydney game HF Fritsch JVR ANB/ Petracca F Chandler T-Mac McAdam or Billings

I see Dwayne has nominated his best 25 forwards Kozzie at 22 but no Fritsch. Bayley missed a big chunk of games, but if the 25 is projecting forward, surely Fritsch gets in the top 15 or 20? When quizzed about Fritsch's omission, Dwayne was a bit sheepish as if he'd overlooked him Dwayne Russell Best 25 Forwards

Is the curse back? (remembering that Norm was a key forward) "Let it go Norm, enough is enough!"

The title of the thread is quite misleading It's not everyone

I'm probably the most bullish this year than any other year. But I was reasonably bullish in 2021, 2022 & 2023 Before that, 2018 & 2019 in terms of finals only 2009 - 2017, not confident at all in terms of contending or finals @old dee went the early crow in 2021 (predicting the flag) and I'd be interested in his thoughts on this year. But old dee is a true realist as a few others are (but most here lean optimistic or pessimistic to varying degrees) But again, I don't take much notice of the scribes. Most are looking for a headline or are grandstanders. But we click away don't we?

In a lot of ways it's a fruitless exercise as no one ever gets if all right so there's no bragging rights Equally, those that get it horribly wrong just end up pointing out all the others who got it wrong Did Caro predict that the Tigers would win the flag last year? If so, what was she thinking?

In my view now is the time to be bullish - but we can agree to disagree My theory on how good a team is how many good to top players a team has And we have about 15-18 And the coaching is good For now, that'll do me

Ha ha! It's you that needs that walk in the sun, you might then lose a bit of that misery that consumes you from time to time 1st to 12th hey? You've just about covered all bases there! What were you like in the Bailey & Neeld years when we really were crud? Or have those years taken their toll?

Do we need 2 journos to confirm that we've got a lot of good players? Didn't we already know that? Seems to me that we haven't lost a good player going into 2024 but we may well have added 2 to 4 good players in the upcoming season (maybe not immediately, but short or long term) In the last 3 seasons we've won 17.5, 16 & 16 games in the season proper and given a decent run with injuries, we'll be thereabouts again. Why? Talent levels. Gone are the days when we only had a handful of good players

Why would anyone take notice of any journo or any ex footballer? When it comes to these sorts of predictions they know about as much as the drunk in the pub And whoever gets it right? No one as far as I can see. They might get a few right but lots wrong = no credibility 2 posters here on this thread have said anywhere between 1st & 12th What sort of a guess is that? They may as well have not posted up anything

What a one-sided affair in NZ! The Kiwis lead the South Africans by 528 runs in the 1st Test but will they bat on and send a message to the SA cricket board? (for sending a 2nd rate touring squad) Mind you, I'm not sure they'll go as far as Bill Lawry when he set the West Indies 735 to win the 5th Test in the 1968/69 series I wonder if that's the highest target ever set? Aust vs WI 5th Test 1968/69 Scorecard

Can people now see why Schache was sub back up ruckman? https://www.google.com/amp/s/7news.com.au/sport/afl/max-gawn-battling-broken-bone-on-eve-of-afl-semi-final-against-carlton-clayton-oliver-also-injured-c-11874677.amp

Most of the game day planning has to happen prior to the games these days. It's a completely different sport to when Sheedy would swing players around back 40+ years ago As for your ongoing questioning of Goodwin, it's tiresome and boring. I'm not sure you know much about the modern game at all All you do is whinge & whine when the team doesn't win. We've got a very good list of players and we're very well coached. The club is well run as well You should be grateful that you've got a club that now does a lot right You've joined the ranks of the resident whiners on this site. Only happy when they've got something to whinge about

Excellent post, wwsw Successfully moved T-Mac & Petty forward and stuck with Melksham And at our best he gets a buy-in from the players on how we zone up and our all-over defence. So we're nearly always a chance to win any game of footy We've got some weaknesses especially with how we advance the ball forward but from all accounts, we're working on that issue at training (at least)

I wonder how Smith is going to be able to handle Bumrah batting as an ageing opener? Bancroft, Renshaw or Pucovski (if available) would be my preference (remembering that Khawaja is turning 38 next summer and can't go on forever) But the selectors have plans for Green at no.4 so I suppose the decision has been made. And it's just the 2 Tests against the Kiwi's coming up before India come here for the 5 test summer Speaking of India, they just defeated the Bazballers in the 2nd test and the match itself moved at high pace. A great test match played on a very good sporting wicket I'm a little surprised that we haven't seen 2 dustbowl wickets but maybe India are concerned about the England spinners?

We've extended Schache's contract but he's a depth player probably as a 2nd ruck option only ... and he wouldn't be on good money And with Fullarton being injured and not being able to show his worth, Josh therefore comes into calculations A lot will depend on the makeup of our tall forwards and whether any of them can play as the 2nd ruck. If not, Schache will get his opportunities So, as a back up ruckman, he's needed. At least for now. The sub again? It could happen especially if we need a 2nd ruck in reserve for Max* and especially if the MC can't see a spot in the forward line for Schache Is T-Mac's body going to hold up if he's the 2nd ruck (or the main man if Gawn gets injured?) Do we really want to use JVR as an around the ground ruckman? Is there anyone else apart from the 2 youngsters? (both 19yo's) Just a guess but I reckon the MC had Fullarton earmarked as the forward ruck for selected games (not all) ... but he may not be available until April. And we play 4 games in March *Max is now a 32yo and he's now entered the stage where we may need to manage his loads. Back in the day, when a game was in control, a veteran starter might come off the ground early in the last quarter

Even a proppy T-Mac is value in the sense that he plays in front, puts his body on the line and doesn't mind the physical contact ... a prerequisite for a key forward even these days So the coach would probably prefer that to a player who is not a physical player and plays from behind. And in finals, you often need forwards who are physical So given all that, the more logical way to look at it is that Schache was there just in case Max broke down. If Schache was a physical beast, he may well have been in the starting 22 Much like in the 2021 GF, all the rotations and moves were almost certainly based on the starting 22. The sub was just that in both cases, break glass in emergency As previously stated, we ran out of quality forwards who know where the goals are, that's the main reason we lost So in the absence of Fullarton, will Schache get into the 22 as the 2nd ruck? Will he be used as the sub again in the same way? I wouldn't rule it out Remembering that we have had a 2-ruck policy 2020-2023 Interesting times ahead

The main reason we didn't advance in the finals last year was the decimated forward line and we had the goalkicking yips But Melksham & Petty are good kicks for goal as are Fritsch & T-Mac But neither Petty or Melksham played and Fritsch & T-Mac were both proppy. JVR is also a good kick for goal but he missed the Carlton final as well So the makeshift & replacement forward line was not only not good enough, but they had the goalkicking yips as well It's quite amazing that we went so close in both finals As for Schache, he's not that much of a forward but was an adequate 2nd ruck (in Grundy's absence) So there's no elaborate conspiracy theory, Gawn didn't break down so Schache wasn't needed

Well, if you want to beat yourself up about the whole thing, go right ahead I'd rather look to the future and acting like a bad loser isn't going to change anything anyway And here's you castigating others for complaining & moaning Have a look in the mirror

We could have easily faked an injury to get Jordon on the ground in the 2021 GF. But it didn't bother me either way anyway And many of those calling for Schache to go onto the ground are using hindsight to strengthen their argument How many were calling for Schache to go on the ground at half time or at 3/4 time? And since when did Schache become some sort of superstar footballer? He was the sub as the reserve 2nd ruck if Gawn went down. We couldn't use T-Mac as the first ruck in those circumstances as the forward line was already short on talls

We've had a 2 ruck policy for at least the last 4 years but Schache was not deemed to be best 22. And I believe we went with the 22 (and all the rotations) with Schache as the reserve 2nd ruck (if needed) And we've got history as James Jordon didn't get any minutes at all in the 2021 GF Schache wasn't going to make much of a difference anyway if his previous form was any indication But as a reserve ruckman if Gawn broke down, that's a smart play It's one sub, you make it sound like the sub was going to be some sort of difference maker where in actuality, they are not good enough for the best 22 We had our chances to win but with a decimated forward line and the kicking yips, we fell short So get over it, we lost but we live to fight another day

Exactly All the rest of it is just a made up story (conspiracy theory) He might have been cover for T-Mac as well but taking T-Mac off was a risk as even a proppy T-Mac plays in front, competes and is capable of creating separation and kicking a goal or 2 ... once you take him off that's it and then we're left with Schache But again, Schache really was the cover for Gawn and if Gawn had have gone down, we needed cover as T-Mac going into the ruck full time would have left us short in the forward line

Another wicket to India ... 6/172 and in control. Batting last could be problematical for England And I'm streaming it as well but cricket on the radio works better than most other sports. And back close on 100 years ago, the broadcasting was quite sophisticated (all things considered)