Macca

A hoofed kick that travels 50 metres takes about 4 or 5 seconds Slick movement of the ball through the corridor using a string of handpasses & kicks can take up to 15 seconds (or longer) to cover the same amount of ground So, Demonland, which was our preferred way of attacking in the last 4 seasons? In some ways, it's a rhetorical question because the answer is obvious

Yeah, he actually played the game I'm surprised you and your mate here aren't still prattling on about 'Loading' Shoved it down our throat on a daily basis then nothing And now you've latched on to this quick ball movement stat

@Adam The God Dwayne Russell today on Melboirne's quick ball movement last year "Quick ball movement but long to the boundary" x 2 What our eyes told us as well

Walsh has been in fine form tonight, 31 And you'd have to be happy with Jagga Smith

If we can achieve a consistent fast-paced offense, then our X-Factor forward line can excel I've only got the 2 bigs up forward (Mihocek & JVR) but it's the mediums and smalls that have the X-Factor (Rotating) Fritsch, Latrelle, Melk, Culley, Kozzie & Chandler can wreak havoc Langford, Windsor & Steele can drift forward and score as well

Stats as an aid for the umps is a good idea And not within time ... should have happened years ago But the stats can be misleading For instance, a player like Kozzie doesn't need 25+ disposals to be an absolute standout Latrelle 12 possessions and 4 goals? He's getting votes!!

Bring back Covid! (and the hubs) On a serious note, the silence from the club re Caulfield, is concerning Especially quiet at the AGM I still reckon Caulfield can be a goer, but the movement towards it is treacle-slow

King of the nomads

We were just a really good team 5 x AA with 5 more in contention

Being reduced to a having a D Grade forward line in the 2023 finals series was the hindrance All our first choice forwards were either out injured, out suspended or played injured The replacement forward line couldn't kick straight Not an excuse but a reason By contrast, we had zero excuses in 2022 Won our first 10 then went 6 & 8 Should have won back-to-back flags, we got lazy with a near full list And then the Karma injury bus hits in 2023 You've got to take your chances when the chances appear because you don't get many (chances) Now we're in a rebuild

Zak Butters - 9 or 10 years minimum? $16Million - $20Million? Might even remain at Port with that sort of contract

Might be the result though, so prepare yourself there! Didn't we win a flag as nomads? Richmond won 3 flags training on a tiny ground Talent is the key, and lots of it (talent)

And you? You create a whipping boy and then we hear about it ... 1000's of times (All Caps) Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

In Carlton's eyes, they don't want to lose Walsh Thus, the contract 3, 4 or 5 year deals have been replaced with 5, 6, 7 or even 8 year deals ... that's the market place For instance, 10 years ago McVee would not have been offered a 5 year deal ... 3 years more like it And we let McVee go, in my view

Progressing well is Chandler, gets better every season

Latrelle plays ... we need X-Factor, especially up forward I or 2 bigs will have to miss out If JVR & Mihocek are absolute starters, can we play the Moose, Kentfield or Jefferson?(or 2 of the 3?) We cannot be too top-heavy up forward, not matter how tempting. What happens when the ball hits the deck? So Jefferson not part of the 23 and for mine, it's Moose or Kentfield Moose gets the nod because he's a genuine 2nd ruck and with the new ruck rules, he could excel Kentfield desperately unlucky but we need a more mobile forward line Other forwards ... Latrelle, Melk (if fit), Fritsch, Kozzie (apart from when used as a mid) Culley (if available) Chandler Langford & the other X-Factor (Windsor) can drift forward as well. Even Steele We need our mids kicking goals

I'm happy to admit that there is a bit of bad luck as well ... for instance, no one could possibly foretell what was going to happen with Clarrie. Not in a blue fit With Brayshaw, he would probably still be playing if he wasn't king hit by a thug. His concussions were an issue but he was being managed well, so much so, that he hadn't missed a game since 2020 (played 3 full seasons (2021-2023) But we jumped a bit early with Viney in my view. He was never leaving but did win the B & F in the year that his contract was extended (2024) My argument on this thread is more so that why are we pointing the finger at Carlton & Walsh when all the clubs are handing out long contracts? We got lucky with Petracca ... GC overpaid for him, in my view

A basic, simple, hypothetical ... So Sam Walsh 'was' out of contract at the end of 2027 2 clubs offer 7 - 8 year deals but Carlton only want to offer 5 years Sam's agent fronts the Blues and says unless you offer him 8 years, he'll request a trade at the end of 2027 Blues buckle and offer the 8 year extension to Walsh Walsh signs

BoBo, I keep going back to the current environment of these long contracts and why all the clubs are offering them (long term deals) The top players are getting what they want as the clubs just don't have a hold of the top players anymore. If you don't secure them, they'll walk. And even if you have them secured, they can still walk (Petracca) Player agents are probably going to the clubs with info that 'Such & such' a club are offering this, and another club is offering this Before you know it, it's a virtual auction (wittin the 4 walls) As @Bring-Back-Powell remarked above, it looks like Walsh (or his agent) were fielding offers from other clubs (with long term deals)* As Gerard Healy said today, you need to keep players around the club that are 'the club'. It can't be all rookies, draftees and low-on-experience types *The Viney extension happened soon after when North were making overtures for his services

If Casey wins out, we'll keep AAMI/Gosch's and the Admin will, in my view, stay where they are (MCG & AAMI (?) Which is the set-up right now And I'm not sure that we train at Casey more than once a week anyway As far as I can make out we use the facilities at AAMI (whenever) and train at Gosch's twice a week So one off-peak drive to Casey for training and use of the facilities per week? How is that an imposition? Those thinking it's 5 days a week, it's not. Not even close It's once a week, maybe twice a week (sometimes) We have 2 training venues and the player contact hours are set at 15 or 16 (hours) But I sincerely hope that Caulfield ends up being a goer but even if it is a goer, we may not get there until 2029 or 2030 In the meantime, it's business as usual

Junction Oval had the best surface to train or play on in Melbourne The surface was like carpet with no mud or slush (sand based?) Sure, the buildings, stands and underneath the stands were ramshackle and decrepid but that's what the money could have been spent on. Would have been refurbished and paid for, years ago I could never understand the undue criticisms of the Junction Oval. Players learn how to play footy on an oval with an excellent surface and the Junction Oval was universally regarded as the best (by the old-schoolers) Would have loved to have played footy or cricket on it but did venture out to the middle on numerous occasions (and the kick to kick after the games)

In the end it all comes down to value for money Oliver - Massive failure. Epic. And we got nothing for him as well As previously stated, it's the biggest contract failure I've ever seen Walsh - Risky yes but not that risky. All contracts are risky If Oliver plays well at the Giants it won't count. He needed to do it at the Demons Walsh is a future captain and highly regarded. The back complaint is the risk but we'll know more by seasons end Luke Jackson got an 8 or 9 year deal and even McVee got 5 years at Freo (after a forgettable year in 2025) There are numerous long term deals being handed out. We did it with Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Brayshaw & Kozzie. In 2024 we extended JVR's contract until the end of 2029 Warranted? In today's environment, probably

Walsh has averaged 19 games per season since he stated playing ... so he's missed 4 or 5 games per year (when factoring in finals) When Cornes critiques anything to do with football or footballers he argues in a completely one-sided way ... that's what shock-jocks do. They are like politicians in that sense Never balanced, never fair but highly influential for those that want to buy-in. Well, I'm arguing outcomes (Oliver) and potential outcomes (Walsh) Yes, it's true that Oliver was at the top of his game but if things go pear-shaped, it's still an accountable outcome I can't imagine the Walsh contract heading the same way. Even if he only has 1 top year that will exceed the Oliver contract (not one top year) On outcomes, the Blues are likely to be miles ahead of where we ended up We're up for $3.5Million for the next 5 years (for diddly-squat) Carlton? Who knows but will it involve $Millions in subsidies? Highly doubtful

The other thing is that only just over 20% of members attend games So the money is often just a donation. And the clubs know that too thus, the cheap memberships on offer Memberships for pets as well (can you take a cat to the footy?)

What about the Viney extension? 4 extra years and he might already be cooked* We can hardly point point the finger when we're not very flash ourselves The Brayshaw payout hurts as well in terms of cap space** But thankfully, the Petracca contract was taken up by the Coasters (as well as gifting us 3 first rounders) *I really hope he gets back to his best **That lack of cap space could cost us the chance at a decent free agent