Macca

@Tolstoys Nudge Just changing tack a bit in terms of the winning and the losing (forget the media for now) ... Things are a lot different these days with regards to our fighting qualities. We may well have run out of quality forwards in '23 and quality midfielders in '24 but we can't be accused of giving up In either of those years. Nor in '22 and definitely not in '21 In the last 4 years, I could count on one hand the amount of times our heads dropped. And it wouldn't be 5 times But take a trip back in the wayback machine to say 2013, 2012, 2009, 2008 etc etc and we'll remember a stack of times when it looked like we gave up But not these days! When we lose it's often when we're well matched or we're running low on talent We are in games on a constant basis. We definitely need to tweak our game plan in order to become more efficient with regards to scoring and I see that as our major issue The list is still in very good shape (if all the players are fit and firing and in the right headspace) The only way to shut up the detractors is to win. And winning isn't easy. It's hard work, but we've got the talent & coaching to overcome adversity and win

Best to ignore the media, the only way to shut them up is to win games. Personally, they don't bother me as I don't respect the media. It's like water off a ducks back But I did notice that we were the media darlings when we won the flag. They were all over us But as we've discovered, if you don't win when you are seemingly expected to win, we went from media darlings to a vulture feeding frenzy We probably should have seen it coming but a flagless 57 years keeps you out of the loop. Irrelevant to relevant has a price And we're well and truly in the loop right now. Welcome to success/failure! So, we need to get fit and healthy again and then start winning And we've done it before but in the last 2 years a mass of injuries has intervened (midfield in '24 & forward line in '23) Not an excuse, sound reasoning e.g. Merrijig to Mt Buller is about a 5 hour, 30k walk. If you're young, fit and healthy, you should be able to complete the walk without too much fuss But if you tear a calf muscle off the bone, the day before the walk, you won't be able to do it Not an excuse, sound reasoning Just got to get it done and win just like we did in '21

When all is seemingly against you, don't let it bother you and counter attack We get written off because we fell away this year but our midfield was decimated In 2023 our forward line was also decimated to D Grade standard but apparently we 'failed' In life and in sport there are excuses and there are reasons A club like ours isn't allowed to display reasons as they are seen as excuses A few scattered injuries here and there would definitely be an excuse ... but in the last 2 seasons, we've had 2 whole areas of the ground decimated by injuries So we get the list fit and recruit well and we'll be back in business again In other words, we fight back and win

I reckon it's because of his pressers ... he doesn't say much at all and the punters are hungry for info I rarely watch pressers anyway as I've always judged the coach on how the team plays So I'd like to see some more enterprising footy with more attacking flair. Our avenue to goal is too predictable. If you were an opposition backman, you'd often know where to go in advance But we need to keep up our contested ball work and defensive structures etc etc A better mix of defence and attack is required And another proper key forward would make the world of difference (I'd have Petty back) HF Petracca/Kozzie JVR Fritsch F Chandler T-Mac (for now) Melksham/Kolt

@roy11 Man Utd committee meeting in a few hours re the future of Eric ten Hag Is he safe?

You've been in fine form lately with the expansive writings (learnings?) But you know how it works here, Monbon ... It's the battle between the optimists and pessimists (a bit like Bruegel's battle between Carnival & Lent)

@Gorgoroth @Go the Biff @DeeSpencer @titan_uranus @Clintosaurus @Dee Zephyr @Dr. Gonzo @DemonDave @BDA @layzie @Dappa Dan @ElDiablo14 @JV7 NFL Week 6 Power Rankings Leaderboard Tipping Comp (This week's awarded points in brackets) 13 - DemonDave (2) 11 - Clintosaurus (6) 10 - Dr. Gonzo (6) 8 - Go the Biff (2), DeeSpencer (2), layzie (2), Macca (2) 6 - BDA (2) 5 - JV7 (2), Gorgoroth (2) 4 - ElDiablo14 (0), titan_uranus (0), Dee Zephyr (0) This week looks a little easier but there might be one or 2 false favourites

Yes, we might have to sweeten the deal (as you've suggested) for a top 10 pick Reality is that if a club can add 2 or 3 very good players every season, the window always stays open 2 is a very good result, 3 is great and 1 is still better than none We'll probably bring in 7-8 players this off season but how many will be top players? 2 x top 10 picks gives us our best chance of adding 2 very good players (Mids preferred?)

I'm reckoning we'll trade our F1 pick for a first rounder in this year's draft. We might have to sweeten the deal to get a top 10 pick (do we throw in a 2nd round pick?) So 2 picks in the top 10 could net us 2 plug-in and play midfielders?? The Guru in Jason Taylor to identify There will be a club or 2 who may think we'll finish bottom 8 next year as that is how a deal might get done Can you imagine how we'll feel if we snag 2 mids who turn out to be very good players in addition to Petracca, Viney, Oliver, Rivers, Sparrow, Kozzie, Langdon, Windsor & Tholstrup? Make it happen, Demons!!

And the Yanks are so fastidious with their stats too A lot of those tipped throws can be caught too. And some of the dropped catches make you shake your head

How time flies! Andy Reid is in hid 12th year at KC and in each of those years the Chiefs have gone on a minimum 5 game winning streak

Yes, I agree I was reluctant to criticise McCarthy in his reign at Green Bay mainly because he won a Super Bowl and the team was nearly always in contention But in the last 5 years it was obvious that McCarthy had handed over the keys to the QB And at Dallas, even though the other areas of your game are quite reasonable, it's a lot to put on Prescott as he isn't that good a player (nor was Rodgers ever that good that he could overcome a deficient running game and an average defence) So in effect, because a lot rests with Prescott, he always cops the blame, not McCarthy Where as at New England, Belichick was in charge and Brady was smart enough to just play his role

Further to the above I've always thought that a tipped interception is not necessarily the fault of the QB. To always blame the QB is poor analysis Many times a WR can make a half-hearted effort or not put their body on the line thus creating a tipped ball situation As an aside, the long throw Prescott interception yesterday was more of a circumstances interception rather than Dak's fault As the play unfolded it turned out that the WR was outnumbered in a medium risk play. But who called the play?

Not every interception is the fault of the QB I often look upon WR's as I do forwards in footy. Often the ball is thrown to a WR who in turn doesn't fight for separation and is thus outpointed. And sometimes that WR is the QB's only choice especially in a 3rd down situation It's make something happen or punt the ball away Same in footy. A midfielder may be under extreme pressure but has no choice but to kick long for territory gain. So if a forward can't read the situation it's likely that the opposition will gain possession. So who's fault is the turnover? So there are often a number of variable factors with regards to interceptions Brady for instance wasn't asked or required to be a gunslinger QB. A lot of the times Brady threw the ball 4 or 5 yards to Gronk Where as QB's like Rodgers & Prescott are required to be risk takers by a coach like MaCarthy Prescott should be used in a more conservative fashion but McCarthy won't manage him that way

The Bills are at the Jets next MNF If the Jets win, they will lead the division! That's the beauty of divisional football, it throws up quirky scenarios As for tomorrow, is this the game that the Chiefs drop? (against the Saints) The Chiefs haven't beaten another team this season by more than one score Or it might be the game where they put their foot down. They've got injury concerns but which team doesn't?

Excellent post If it was just one player and not the other it would be a difficult thing to manage given the level of talent (a way lesser player might or would be dispensed with) But both? And both are arguably our best 2 players. Very difficult and the coach would need masterful man management skills to get both back on track ... as well as managing the rest of the list Both are on huge contracts to a point that makes both almost untradeable. Goodwin has the job ahead of him and I wish him well. I just hope he gets the right support in terms of managing the situation So those wanting Goodwin out are going to replace him with who? That new coach would inherit the same, said issue ... it would be like walking into a minefield

I agree old dee Turner might be a handy 3rd or 4th forward but sooner or later we are going to need Petty to go the backline you'd reckon In an ideal world we bring in a decent KPF to complement JVR ... but I see Van Rooyen as more of a CHF type, roaming about. He has a lot more versatility than a stay at home, FF But here's the problem ... how do we get hold of a KPF who can play deep forward? (with real presence like a Ben Brown) As a stop-gap measure, could we use T-Mac deep forward? (if Petty goes back) As for replacing Gus, that's a toughie Versatile with a physical presence and decent in the air across the back of the midfield As well as a prolific ball winner who used the ball reasonably well A big bodied high impact midfielder in the draft? Do we need to move up from pick 5 to get such a player? One thing is for sure, we need to strengthen our midfield as there are more than a couple of question marks in that area As for Goodwin, he needs a stronger list and he needs to tweak our game style with a more attacking mindset. Back ourselves like Brisbane has into using the corridor to good effect ... not always, but we need to mix things up and change things up

But here's the problem, when the new rulings were enacted, they have erred on the side of zero tolerance in order to make sure they don't miss anything (in my view) Make no mistake, the NFL is facing a massive class action re concussions (much like the AFL) so they can't be seen to be complicit So what we then see as spectators are a lot of perceived soft decisions protecting the QB It's a lot like the soft high contact free kicks in the footy. The ball player often gets overprotected. Which leads to numerous players milking high contact The law of unintended consequences The same thing happened with player dissent. Zero tolerance and then they relaxed the ruling. Now? Players either don't backchat as much or the umpires turn a blind eye. Who knows But it works both ways and I'm not sure that players like Mahomes gets preferential treatment. It might just look that way because he is one of the best QB's and we don't like seeing the top dog getting it their way Same as the whole Brady thing. The Pats were just a class above for 20 years Remember the whole deflategate furore? Weeks later we found out that a lot of the top QB's were playing around with different ball pressures!! With Rodgers front & centre haha But it was all Brady & Belichick's fault! (apparently) Talent wins, all the rest of it are add-ons to help that talent. But without talent, you can't win (big)

Rodgers had a bit of a day. The older (formerly very good) QB's tend to be like the talented rookie QB's Inconsistent because of the age factor but both will win X amount of games with a playoff spot in near sight So the Jets with Rodgers aren't out of it and Washington with Daniels aren't assured of a spot either The Jets might end up with Devante Adams soon enough and that's probably what Rodgers needs (looking from afar) As for the Commanders, Daniels is not only more than handy with his throwing accuracy, the guy can run with it posting 82 yards (Ave 7.5) against Cleveland The new kid on the block vs the veteran Rodgers. I'd like to see both teams make the playoffs but the Jets need to get a move on

Well be consistent then What Maynard did was what used to happen to QB's before the protection came in. Cheap shots is an apt description so no need to get all precious about it The balance was lopsided in the NFL now there is more balance The old school mentality is for old men. It's dead It's time you moved with the times Cry me a river You won a tough match. Be grateful you didn't get smashed You're like this on the footy boards Miserable when we win and even more miserable when we lose You'd clear a room in 5 minutes! Haha As for the playoffs, you've got to get there first

And by the way @ElDiablo14 Taking out a QB's knee using the helmet as a weapon is a gutless act. And you reckon that's ok? As for helmet to helmet with the perpetrator attacking an unsuspecting player using their helmet as a weapon is also a gutless act. And weak I'm glad they outlawed that sort of stuff and the game is better off now because of the new ruling. The NFL haven't lost one customer with the new rulings and is as popular as ever. Perhaps even more popular So was the Maybard hit on Brayshaw ok as well? Took out an unsuspecting player. A gutless act That is what you are advocating with your old school thinking

Do you take misery pills of a morning? You want perfection? Most QB's make the odd error but nearly everything Prescott did today was very good He's not going to be Tom Brady ... is that what you want? If so, you're dreaming You won the game against a tough opponent. Why be so miserable about a win?

Major development in the tipping comp! Clint & Gonzo have made their move picking up 6 points each whilst Dave stays in the lead scoring points again The rest of us are within striking distance especially with 4 bonus weeks (9, 13, 16 & 17) still to come The new scoring method has added more interest as well with most regularly picking up points week to week Leaderboard Tipping Comp (This week's awarded points in brackets) 13 - DemonDave (2) 11 - Clintosaurus (6) 10 - Dr. Gonzo (6) 8 - Go the Biff (2), DeeSpencer (2), layzie (2), Macca (2) 6 - BDA (2) 5 - JV7 (2), Gorgoroth (2) 4 - ElDiablo14 (0), titan_uranus (0), Dee Zephyr (0)

Regardless of how you might go in the playoffs, you've still got to win 10+ games to get there Lose today and you'd be 2 and 3 with a really tough couple of months coming up And Pittsburgh have been very solid this season so that's a good win for Dallas. In fact, any win on the road is often hard earned In your division, Washington continue to impress with Jayden Daniels improving game to game. They might be the team to get past as their next 2 months isn't too tough (especially their next month)

Prescott won the game for the Cowboys. Those 2 big drives he was in complete control He cops it a lot but deserves full credit today