Macca

As for next season and beyond, you make some good points but we've got a stack of things to get right in the off season The whole FD needs to be looked at thoroughly and the playing list needs a refresh (at least) And if we can turn Clarrie & Trac around, all the better As it stands, if we stand firm, both will either get us good value in trades or they stay and play at their best with us

England need 20 runs and India need 2 wickets! What a finish and Woakes will bat with a busted shoulder!!

Is this season our worst on record? All things considered, with 15 Premiership players available most weeks? And with the improvement of Chin, Melk along with the introduction of Lindsay, Langford & Culley We've had far worse actual results (W/L) but in all those poorly performed seasons we were bereft of talent (especially throughout the 70's, most of the 80's and from 2007 until 2016) What a waste of a year but we can still finish off well and play spoiler (if we're switched on) Get something out of the season

I could relate numerous other stories

Re Petracca's comments re our crowd numbers ... In terms of support, we are a not a big club but we often go close to maximising our crowd numbers It would take decades for us to catch up with the big clubs and we'd also need lots of sustained on field success We just don't have the supporter numbers and that period from 1965 to 1986 killed off any chance of being a big club Same sort of thing happened to South, North, Fitzroy, St Kilda & Bulldogs. All the small clubs are competing in the one City up against the big boys You've got to win and contend consistently through the decades and that's what the big clubs have done We've had too many wilderness years as support is often passed on through the generations So in other words, what did Petracca expect? Collingwood type numbers?

So it's no surprise that once a team loses quality midfielders for whatever reason (Gus, Trac, Clarrie) then being able to compete well becomes problematic It's impossible to replace in a like-for-like manner. Not even close We need to find a way to become a contender again with or without Petracca & Oliver In an ideal world both return to their best and we get on with the business If both go, it's going to take a bit of time to compete properly again (factoring in the loss of Gus as well) How would Gold Coast go without Rowell, Miller & Anderson all down on their best (or unavailable) I used to hate blaming injuries but not when A Grade talent is at play

I vehemently disagree In 2023 our forward line was bereft of talent ... Brown, JVR, Melk & Petty all unavailable. Fritsch was injured and proppy and T-Mac played like an old man (back then) Petracca unavailable to play forward as he had to play on the ball in the absence of Gus Smith was ok but hardly first choice We had Buckley's chance The fact that we got so close irks many, but not to pragmatic thinkers We had 7 starters either not available or incapacitated once the finals got under way in 2023

2022 was the one that got away as we looked very tired and should have been rotating players (as Geelong did in 2022 and as Collingwood have done this season) But in 2023 we ended up with a D Grade forward line in the finals series. How does a team win 3 finals with a makeshift, low-on-talent forward line? Petty, Melksham & Brown out, JVR suspended and Fritsch & T-Mac (who both played in the finals) were both handicapped with chronic injuries And then Brayshaw was thugged out of the game which meant we couldn't use Petracca forward as planned We did remarkably well to get so close So fair enough with regards to 2022 but we were never going to win it all in 2023

Ha ha ha! Bring it!!!

If the players don't give effort, then support will drop off. Reflected in the membership as well as crowd numbers And against the Saints in the last quarter last week, the players didn't give a yelp and didn't care. We gave up I'm mildly surprised that more than 10k turned up yesterday, to be honest. All things considered, 16k is a decent result Especially against a VFL standard team with the match being played at Docklands. It was a nothing match unless we lost the game

It wasn't that long ago where we occupied the same position on the ladder as the Lions & Pies And of course we beat the Lions this season and very nearly beat the Pies But I'm not sure we could have matched the Lions tonight. The Pies? They are quite beatable The way the Lions collectively corralled NIck Daicos and denied him space was great coaching. And great discipline by the Lions players

That was a high pressure, high standard game Lions can win it all if they keep up that sort of form Pies had no answers Wouldn't it be great if we can beat them in the final round and knock them out of the top 4!! They are no guarantee to beat the Hawks or Crows Well played Lions!

The cricket has been fabulous but the footy wins out tonight High class match and could be the GF preview

Good player but turns 33 (early next year?) But haven't we got 5 key forwards on the books and contracted? Ben Brown was 29 when he came to us It's a maybe for me leaning more towards a yes if there is a decent short term plan involved But if we end up with Longmire as coach (pending what the Board does with Goodwin) then maybe 'Horse' can teach our KPF's how to play the position (being a former star forward himself)

What an impressive individual is Jordan Dawson. A top player as well as an excellent leader Might be one of the best acquisitions the Crows have ever made On top of that, acquiring Neil Balme has been a masterstroke. On their Board but more importantly, his position as a football director is all important Crows top of the ladder with 2 home finals beckoning, who'd have thought!

Apart from all the FD positions that need to be looked at, we need to trade aggressively to improve the list The thing that stands out to me is that we don't play as a team like we once did Players have an obligation to bring their teammates into the game. It's a non-negotiable even at suburban level. But it's something we don't do (aside from 3 or 4 games in the first half of this season) In 2021 and for the most part of 2022 & 2023 (Finals losses aside) we played team football and our team defence was excellent. Selfless football for the most part Our record over that 3 year stretch was 52/21/1. Lots of joy but that ship has sailed Since the 2023 finals we have lost our way John Longmire* is the man to chase. He's just what we need. Down the track maybe even a succession plan *If the Board makes a move on Goodwin

Exit, stage left (Hawks)

Crows have got stagefright Still, there's a fair bit left in the match

I'm thinking of the new coach as we need to surround him with the best possible FD ... a new team And I'm not baying for blood re Goodwin, but it's hard to see him surviving into next season now, unless we finish off the year with a flourish (unlikely) And those who will know the above to be true are none other than the players themselves. They are quite literally playing for the coach's future What's been forgotten is that we played very well in the first 3 quarters against the Saints. And there's been another half a dozen games this season where we could have won if we possessed some killer instinct* *Another factor sadly missing from our team this season (and last year as well) Another error of judgement that stems back to early 2022 has been our inability to crush teams when in a commanding position at 3/4 time We've often gone into cruise mode and then it became a habit (in my view)

Tomorrow night's Pies/Lions clash is shaping as the match of the season Their rivalry stems back to the start of the 20th century*! And even further back if the 19th Century VFA days are factored in *In the first 34 years of the VFL, the Lions & Pies shared 16 Premierships. Side by side suburbs Smith St would have been a fascinating sight way back when. One side of the road Fitzroy, the other side Collingwood

I'm not sure that the Board will make many changes sp it's a bit academic. What should happen comes down to what could happen then what might happen then ... It's about the Board recognising where we sit with an accurate appraisal. I don't have a lot of faith Goodwin will probably go first you'd imagine, but if we go with an experienced coach like Longmire for instance, then he'll need the right support staff A rookie coach? Good luck with that

The Board is now talking tough but let's see if they're fair dinkum There's is nothing wrong with a cleanout and an overhaul and we've seen that happen with PJ from early 2013 onwards The difference between then and now is that the current list of players (although underperforming) are a lot better than the list of players in 2013 What we need to accept is that there is short-term pain involved when you go down the track of overhauling all the positions (player personnel as well) ... but is that any different to what is happening now anyway? We're not in flag contention anytime soon so we need a decent plan that will see the team prosper, down the track And there are any number of would-be candidates to fill the other roles within the FD I just hope that the existing positions aren't tied to people on long term contracts

Drain the Swamp!! All those involved in the FD need to be looked at! Probably the worst is Jones as our midfield schemes are non-existent. Worse than Brian Royal's 4 years of nothing I can't remember the last time we had a clean clearance (with all that talent) Richardson overseas it all ... massive Fail What does Williams do apart from pat players on the back? Development? Develop what? He's a Cheerleader Lamb's list management is a complete disaster. Lengthy contracts everywhere with very little wriggle room Handed out the $$$$'s like confetti Our defence leaks goals - Bassett is a failure Our offense stinks to high heaven. Chaplin has failed The team is unfit and can't run out games. Selwyn Griffiths is responsible The Board overseas all of the above. Fail Jobs for the boys!!! What about the list? Issues everywhere! I'd bring in Longmire as coach and ask him to hand pick his own team (as it's looking like the club will probably move on Goodwin sooner or later) Jason Taylor - Keeper PJ? Forget Smith, PJ for President! (Smith can be a Board member) Do we have a skills coach? If so, sack him!! If we haven't got a skills coach, why not? Our skills are woeful Drain the Swamp!!!

Yeah, it's always really difficult to put a value on a player when there are so many variables But you may be right especially if a club has cap space and there's some competition for his services. And a club could over-pay or believe that he'd be a better player in a different environment And another factor is if Oliver has been a standout player against a would-be suiter

What if Clarrie doesn't want go because he wants all the money? We gave him the contract It's going to be really difficult to move him on without it still costing us a lot of $$$'s or as you said, giving the club he goes to some sort of pick. Fire Sale I'm wavering constantly on this one but if we end up with a new coach we might have to hope like hell that a new coach can get him playing match-winning footy again