Macca

Here's the next 2 weeks* for the aforementioned 4 teams (Total season-to-date points in brackets) Leeds (33) @ Man Utd (55) Hammers (29) vs Wolves (17) Spurs (30) @ Sunderland (43) Forest (32) vs Aston Villa (54) Leeds vs Wolves (17) Hammers @ Palace (39) Spurs vs Brighton (43) Forest vs Burnley (20) *This upcoming weekend is reserved for the internationals

Courtesy of 'AI' ... (sad to see Willis go but the Packers obviously couldn't stand in his way - I rated the bloke highly) "As of late March 2026, following the opening of free agency, the NFL is buzzing with major veteran quarterback relocations, surprise trades, and the fallout from the 2025 postseason. Here are the top 10 talking points in the NFL today: Kyler Murray to the Vikings: In a move considered one of the best value signings of the offseason, Kyler Murray signed a one-year deal with Minnesota for the veteran minimum ($1.3M) after being released by the Cardinals. Malik Willis Lands in Miami: The Dolphins bet on high-upside, signing Malik Willis to a three-year deal with $45M guaranteed, expecting him to be their new franchise quarterback after releasing Tua Tagovailoa. Tua Tagovailoa Resurfaces in Atlanta: The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year deal, setting up a potential competition and a fresh start for the veteran quarterback under coach Kevin Stefanski. The Failed Maxx Crosby Trade Fallout: The Ravens "gutted" themselves after pulling out of a massive trade for Raiders star Maxx Crosby due to medical concerns, subsequently signing edge rusher Trey Hendrickson instead. Chiefs Land RB Kenneth Walker III: In a move to fix their underwhelming run game, Kansas City signed former Seahawks star Kenneth Walker III, bringing a needed explosive element to their backfield. Rams Revamp Secondary with Trent McDuffie: The Rams made the biggest blockbuster trade of the offseason by acquiring All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs, aiming to secure their defensive backfield for a championship push. Mike Evans Joins the 49ers: Veteran WR Mike Evans left Tampa Bay to join San Francisco on a three-year deal, providing a needed vertical threat to complement the 49ers' offensive weapons. Raiders Aggressively Rebuild Defense: Following the failed Crosby trade, the Raiders spent heavily to improve their defense, adding key players like center Tyler Linderbaum, linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean, and defensive end Kwity Paye. Panthers Build around Bryce Young: Carolina had a strong free agency, locking up edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd to high-value contracts, significantly strengthening their front seven. 2026 NFL Draft QB Questions: With the Raiders expected to draft QB Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, many teams are analyzing a 2026 draft class deemed relatively weak at quarterback, highlighting the heavy reliance on veteran"

Ha! Dare I say it but the Hammers can survive ... 3 or 4 winnable games in the last 7 But Spurs have a similar run home Forest & Leeds somewhat similar as well 4 points separates the 4 teams so luck will play a part. Needless to say, it could well go down to the wire, GV

You have to wonder about Pucovski and the like, in cricket

Yes, if this class action is successful then not only will it cost the League (and therefore the clubs) a small fortune, then there is the aftermath A new batch of players could take another class action and then there is the game itself and how it is played Tackle-free footy like Gaelic football? And what about all the 10's of 1000's of suburban & country footballers (both past and present) It's noticeable that with American football, there are very few leagues below the NFL (apart from College)

Baker wouldn't make much difference to our current list anyway (if at all) He's no better or worse than Sharp Where we are lacking are proper A Graders (and lots of them) Difference makers In terms of putting together a list that can contend, we are on a genuine rebuild We might win 10 games this season but any more than that will be a real surprise

We're a team situated around the 9th - 13th mark and Freo are a top 6 team And we were playing the Dockers away from home. They were favoured for a reason Before the game, the biggest predicted mismatch was in the midfield, and that's how it played out Plus, we've got a revamped team with a new game plan that has no resemblance to the old game plan. We need time and games under our belt, regardless of the results But if we were to predict which games were winnable, a punchers chance, or difficult to win, it might look a bit like this (in the first 10 games) Saints (MCG) ✔️ Freo (WA) ❌️ Blues (MCG) Suns (MCG) Bombers (SA) Lions(MCG) Tigers (MCG) Swans (SCG) Eagles (Docklands) Hawks (MCG) *Green - Quite winnable (60/40) *Blue - A 35/65 chance *Red - A difficult assignment So instead of 0 & 2 we are 1 & 1 (and we could be 3 & 2 after 5 games) But we all know that results never go as predicted in the AFL, so the above is only a guide

Yep, miles better than congested footy After quarter time we got end to end footy with the defences on top That's old school But both teams bombed it forward a bit too much ... Sydney more so

Hawks dominated possession later in the game ... Swans couldn't keep hold of the ball

Keep working on our skills and if we keep improving as a result, there will be less turnovers It looks like we're committed to this new breakneck style but from the last line of defence, I'm not sure that we should be attacking through the CHB region ... maybe later on when we're much more adept at hitting targets There's a time and a place to kick it down the line. But from half-back, speed, skills and corridor use will make us a dangerous opponent

It's important to note that Kolt re-signed (an extension) on July 26 2024 This thread has been re-booted from that time. So it hasn't happened (the extension) as a result from Sunday's game

If this was round 4, 5 or 6 we could expect to rest a 34yo Max (or, at least, lessen his load) The last thing we need is him getting a soft tissue injury that is fatigue related. And at his age, he's now in that zone I'd lighten his load this week, bring in the Moose and rotate them both with the 2 key forwards and if the tall backs need a spell, for a short time there as well Here's a possible breakdown (if not against Freo, but at another time) Gawn 60% Ruck 15% Forward 10% Down back 15% Bench Heath 40% Ruck 25% Forward 10% Down Back 25% Bench JVR 80% Forward 20% Bench Mihocek 80% Forward 20% Bench The MC would know best though so we could expect an unchanged side We're playing against 3 types of teams this season Teams we should beat Teams that we could beat Teams that we will struggle to beat (being realistic) So where does Freo (away) sit and when is the best time to play a 2nd ruck? If at all?

If Kolt tags in all the H & A games (plus finals?) he will potentially be matched up on 23 A Grade players He's not going to break even or win every battle. Success rate? Who knows? A 50/50 result would be a big win (from an overall perspective)

Of the 8 players who polled votes 5 x Experienced players (2 of whom are new to the club - Steele & Mihocek) 2 x Unproven types - 22-23yo's (Culley joined the club last season as well as the re-emergence of the re-born JVR) 1 x Youngster (who is now a tagger/run with type) A far cry from the Gawn, Ollie, Trac, Viney dominance

'Agree with either' Can't help but feel that his new role could be the making of him as a footballer Gets taken to the ball and can learn how the very best go about it. And he's going to get cut-up occasionally Pre-season, the debate here was what his position in the team was And to hear that King had Kolt earmarked 3 weeks out to tag Nas makes you think that it won't be a one-off

Definitely So who does Kolt tag/run with next up? Those who watch a lot of footy would know Petracca? (When we play the Suns)

As great as Max was today we still need to manage his game time and not overwork him And playing interstate is where the opportunity to give him some decent help works best Coach King being a ex top-notch ruckman will have a good idea on what to do Heath comes in if it's one of those games where we want to lessen the work-load with Max But it might be a bit early in the season so probably 'No Change'

We still kicked long a little bit today but they were often rapid, low trajectory kicks to 1 on 1's or to space for our players to run on to (not to packs) The rushed kick forward was nowhere to be seen Overall, we were very efficient as compared to the opposition, who had 60 extra possessions It was refreshing to see our players sprinting to position to receive the ball by hand or foot Our teamwork was as good as we've seen it for quite some time We didn't have too many non-contributors. A few had off-days but that's going to happen

The concern that the Saints (with a game under their belts) might run over us, didn't come to fruition In fact, we ran the game out well and we were clearly the better side on the day We need to defend the corridor better but the whole game plan is a work in progress with this new way of playing 20 marks in the forward line was a standout feature along with 9 goals from our 2 key forwards. Suddenly, our forward line is no longer dysfunctional The use of Sharp off the bench was a masterstroke as was the tagging of Nas by Kolt Well done coach King, you had a real good day King-ball!

There's been a few here not liking the new, helter skelter style of footy we're witnessing but they'll soon get used to it But it's nothing new, footy was primarily played like this, prior to 2005 Could be a generational thing or more so, what we get used to And you're right about the teamwork, the extra handpass or players sprinting to position was a sight to behold 2nd efforts, a functioning forward line and no boundary hugging were also standout features More of that please and there's no reason that we can't reproduce that style on a weekly basis

People here were questioning what Kolt's role going forward might be Tagger? Looks like it after today's performance As for Sharp? He can be a real weapon in the Ricky Jackson mould. A perfect injection of speed off the bench. The extra interchange allows that to happen

And as a tagger Kolt got it 17 times at 77% DE and set up a few goals Restricting Nas to 18 possessions was quite noteworthy. 2 clangers each but the match contained 107 turnovers Backed into a few packs today as well. I thought he played a fine game

Ultra important win! Great game to watch too. Can't take your eyes of it

Sharp coming of age! Really important role today

We've found some legs! Sharpie!!