damienjr

If you go to WheeloRatings/Team Stats/2021/Difference/Score Sources/Turnover you will find that we were #1 in 2021, #4 in 2022 and #3 in 2023. Yes I read that article and it was quite compelling.

We were ranked #1 for Score from Turnover Differential in 2021. We were #4 in 2022 and #3 in 2023. This season, we have plummeted to #15, just ahead of North, Richmond and WC. Do you have any ideas as to why, in relation to this stat, we have fallen off the cliff this season? I think this stat fairly depicts our ladder position.

I recall that they have form in this area. Didn't they fail to show up in a GF a few years ago? Who was the coach?

They were going to sack Thompson years before after a bad year but decided not to and he went on to coach them to 2 premierships. Same with Hardwick. Richmond had a couple of bad years and they were going to sack him but did not. He did pretty well. Clarkson's performance in the early years was heavily questioned by the club, and they were also on the verge of making a change but did not. He did pretty well himself after that as well. There are many more examples. With your logic, you would have sacked Chris Scott after Geelong failed to make the eight after their premiership year, and it looks like you would be dropping the hammer on Craig McRae shortly. So what does that all say? We can go down the path of a St. Kilda or Essendon and change coaches every 5 minutes, panic, throw out everything that has been set up, and start again because we have had a bad year, or stick with the process that has been maturing and successful since 2019. There will be reviews and changes post-season. More than likely, there will be changes in the support coaching personnel and possibly in the football department as well. But don't expect a review that will have a scorched-earth outcome. Successful clubs don't do that.

Err Trac says hello. Lever missed 5 weeks. May had broken ribs. Spargo, and Bowey missed a heap of weeks. Salem also. Clarry missed a preseason and has played with a broken hand. Petty also had no preseason. Turner missed weeks. Oh, and also Smith for the year, and now Windsor. Besides these, what else have the Romans done for us.

True, but getting the muscle back is what is going to take months.

Not as bad as what I thought . Has lost muscle over the shoulder/arms but his thighs look ok.

Really? Please expand. Who would replace who?

Petty was rated 5th in pressure acts/points, ahead of Viney and Oliver. That's why he was selected and will continue to be selected.

Well said, but I believe you understand what I mean.

I think its time to introduce a male impact protection vest, similar to the vest already used in the AFLW to great effect. Link https://zenasport.com.au/. If Trac wore a male version of one of these vests it might have absorbed a lot of the impact. Instead making rule changes, make it compulsory for all players to wear these vests.

Tried? He was tripped. Therefore, was it a free to ANB? Probably not. Legs got tangled up.

I thought you weren't going to post anymore? You can't help yourself from writing [censored] post after post. You have a problem for every solution.

I totally agree. It is so sad to lose a player / teammate of that calibre in the prime of his career. As you have said, he was an integral part of not only our midfield but also our overall game plan. I feel certain that Gus would have been earmarked for that key midfield defensive role that Max spoke about.

Good explanation. It also highlights how much we miss Gus and his role.

And what would we have to give up to make it a win win? 2 first rounds, which at present we don't have, plus Clarry, which we will not trade. Maybe we get a first round if we are lucky for Petty. That's a hell of a lot to give up for a 30 yo culture-challenged player.

So you wanted the club to turn our skipper, arguably the best ruckman of all time next to Dean Cox and Simon Madden, into a part time player who would only play occasionally? That makes sense. I love the mayonnaise you heap on just to reinforce your point. There goes an hour, maybe two, of your life spent writing this nonsense that you will never get back.

If you loathe the club that much, then give us all a break, leave, and follow another club. No one will miss you.

Gee, this place has gone mad. Everyone wants to burn the place down. It was only 3 weeks ago that we were sitting fourth. Yes, we have had a bad month, just like the previous three years at this time of year, although admittedly, not as severe. It happens with every club at some stage during the season. Look at Geelong. 7 zip and have lost 5 of the last 6. GWS were 6 and 1 after 7 rounds and were co-premiership favourites. They have lost 5 of their last 6 as well. Look at Carlton last year, they were sitting 15th after round 13 and ended up in the Prelim final. The only real downer for me was Petracca getting injured. I will throw you all some more red meat. I thought Goody's presser was encouraging. There, I said it.

Thank god.

I wonder if the high performance team will design a specific programme for Luker that resembles an extended pre-season in order to be AFL ready by March of next year. After 9 months of aerobic training and dedicated gym days to build up muscle strength, he will look quite formidable. With that said, I assume he can play football.

I note with interest that Judd is still on the rookie list and his contract is up at the end of this season. Can someone confirm. If true why hasn't he signed?

What could go wrong?????

Yeah I will tone down the dial a bit: best 23.

I totally agree. I thought Taj made a huge impact in the last quarter. He is definitely in our best 22. He is getting better and better. Billings played the link-man/transition role very well.