Macca

So we did remarkably well, all things considered. I challenge any coach to win 3 finals with a makeshift forward line Disappointment aside, the facts need to be addressed. To win big you need talent and without a functioning forward line, you can get close but ultimately, you'll get exposed Win 3 finals with a makeshift, C- forward line? That's a big ask and I doubt whether it's ever been done

Goodwin is not responsible for nearly our total forward line being injured and as for the kicking at goal, that's on the players

Kuldeep is some sort of bowler for India. More than a handful for Pakistan. Rarely bowls a bad ball and has a very good googly

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Sailing? Olympics maybe and when Bondy ruled (albeit with his own unique style) Melksham this year only and I've given the reasoning on the others. We might have banked on either Brown or T-Mac being ok at the pointy end Fact is that we went into the SF against Carlton with a C- forward line Harsh but we were threadbare Reminded me of the horror years of '07 - '15 (forward line) So what do we do from here? What if we're injury free as in 2021? Do we recruit a big forward? Another small forward? Another Melksham type?

Petty, Melksham, Fritsch, JVR, T-Mac & Brown were all unavailable when we needed them (injuries mainly) Even if only half of them were fit & firing in the finals it would have made a huge difference (Fritsch was proppy on his return) And we couldn't play Petracca forward as much as we would have liked because Brayshaw was taken out You can't lose that many forwards and expect to win the flag ... so we did extremely well to get as far as we did 2022 we had no such reasons. And in 2019 we fell away far too much

Didn't see any of our innings but the next 7 games for the team could be painful ... especially if we lose another one shortly As it stands, we might have to win all 7 of our group games just to make the SF's! An extremely tall order to say the least

It's not incredible at all as Schache was a standout junior. That's how drafting works because drafting is (somewhat) flawed Projecting greatness on unproven but standout teenagers is hit & miss ... more hit than miss, but nevertheless, busts are a part of drafting Mind you, Jason Taylor has the midas touch so we're in good hands

Pertaining to the SF If Grundy was available (?) then Gawn could have been played forward (Grundy rucks) A logical move considering our only key forward was on 1 leg (played the whole game??) and that was it Yeah sure, we abandoned the Grundy project towards the end of the season with Gawn as the main man but once we were down to 1 KF (on 1 leg) we had to re-evaluate But of course if Grundy wasn't actually available then you probably go with what we went with (the C- forward line)

Look elsewhere as the coach isn't the issue ... injuries to our forwards cruelled us plus we need to sharpen up our goal kicking. Practice under pressure a good remedy But how do you win a flag with a makeshift forward line? Rated no higher than C-? If all our forwards were fit & firing we're a B+ up forward And if it's any consolation the new clause in coach's contracts means that a coach can be let go with only 6 month severance money owed (regardless of the length of time of contract) Related to KPI's That clause came in during covid and has stayed Same as the slashing of the small cap (coaching dept. overall) has stayed on post covid

Nearly all our forwards were incapacitated but we very nearly won 2 finals ... not an excuse but sound reasoning We therefore went into the finals with forward line more attune to a bottom 4 team If our injuries had have been spread around the team instead, this conversation would probably not exist In a nutshell, 1 or 2 injuries to our backline, midfield & forward line and we could have covered those losses But losing Brown, T-Mac, Petty, Melksham, Fritsch & JVR at vital moments really hurt our chances. Along with Brayshaw being king hit And with all that happening, if we'd kicked straighter we win anyway It was indeed the one that got away. In 10-20 years time we may still be bemoaning 2023 Mind you, the Cats & Pies have had any number of 'nearly' moments. Swans as well ... it comes with the territory We just have to remain in contention year by year

The coach is doing alright. He can't kick the goals himself Our way of playing (brand) is based on defence and contested ball. Often not pretty but I'll take our team and the way we play over anthing we witnessed from '07 to '15. Ugly and we lost a lot '65 to '86 wasn't all that flash either, IRW

Schache doesn't get to enough contests so what are the options? So the break-glass-in-an-emergency bloke can't get a game when nearly all our forwards fall over? But he's only 26 so there's still time for him to stamp his mark on the game. And I hope he can do just that As for Brodie ... it could be that we didn't play Grundy because we didn't want him to get injured ... a $3Milion liability?

@Slartibartfast If Schache had any attributes as some sort of forward, surely the MC could have found a spot for him after Petty, Melksham, Fritsch, T-Mac, Brown & JVR were all injured or unavailable? In the end we went with 1 KPF who was on 1 leg ... an indictment on Schache don't you think? But we've extended his contract so go figure

They are about as good as each other in any position ... not very good But Grundy will put his body on the line more and can ruck I'm not sure why we've even got Schache on the list ... but if he turns things around I'll be the first to say well done But on what we've seen so far, there's not much there

I also heard Harmes say on radio that he and Brodie were on the outer and had thus formed some sort of bond Again, no biggie because that's what can happen at any sporting club But they're both gone now and I wish them well

At local level I've seen falling out's on numerous occasions By the same token, clubs I played for picked up any number of dusgruntled players ... nearly always for the same reason Dropped from the senior side with not much hope for a recall I backed the Grundy acquisition but it didn't work out so you move on You win some you lose some ... as an example, the BBB acquisition was viewed by many as a risk because of the state of his knees But he helped us win a flag Can people here imagine what it would be like if it was 60+ years and counting You've got to take risks

No I don't believe he has any strengths at AFL level. And we've never seen it either (at our club at least) Schache wasn't picked before Grundy in terms of capabilities - in my view

There are some that are buying it

It all started once Grundy was dropped ... chances are that he was told why and what chances he had of being recalled I reckon that part of it is true and then the rest of it is speculation & opinions The bit about forward craft so late in the season at Casey (for a veteran player) is highly questionable as well (in terms of arriving at a successful outcome) So if told that his chances were limited then it's time to move on and if he had checked out (at least mentally) then there was little chance of a recall So I'm not blaming Grundy or the club for the falling out. It takes 2 to tango These things happen in pro sports But I'm not buying Schache over Grundy on form or overall ability

Grundy played well as a ruckman and dominated the hitouts (for Casey) And it's called an opinion ... we've all got them. The fact that Grundy wasn't picked promotes discussion Schache is a player without any strengths at AFL level ... at least we know that Grundy can ruck Having our only key forward (T-Mac) as the back-up ruckman in the SF was also highly questionable But no big deal, going out in straight sets is par for the course these days. The club can do no wrong. All good Grundy should have been the sub in the SF but I believe the reason why he wasn't picked is because he was already packing his bags ... and that's not a problem if he has been told that his chances were limited

As for the trade value we received for Grundy, assuming the Swans are thereabouts next season, somewhere between 28 & 38 when considering academy players and the like Pick 46 for points value or for upgrades Not great but to be expected for many here. He's worth more than what we received but he was surplus to our needs and when trading, that is a factor So is the fact that the Swans really needed him but ... 4 more years at $700k per year might be a year too long And we won't be paying any of his salary. He's off the books So ends a rather strange relationship

And if Schache was first ruck in those early games in the season proper? Early in the season I believe we went 5 & 1 with Grundy at the helm Now, I believe the relationship was beyond repair and that's why I believe he wasn't picked But we can agree to disagree

@old55 Schache was supposedly the back up ruckman to Gawn (in the SF) but Grundy was doing all the ruck work for Casey Whichever way you slice it the selection of Schache over Grundy was questionable

It's highly questionable that the selection committee could ever believe that Schache was ever a better option than Grundy in a final Schache lead up form for Casey was bog average whilst Grundy was doing quite well Simply saying that they simply didn't pick Grundy is quintessential fence sitting You're allowed to question club decisions you know? Rhetoric and the company line is boring and uninteresting