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Since 2013 I can list 17 players that Geelong have recruited after the second draft round that did not play a game. That is out of a total of 24. Only 7 have played more than one game. All clubs have a list like you have quoted above that make you think their club has recruited poorly after R2. As Luci has said its been a strategy to since 2018 that we trade late picks to get higher draft picks. You need to do a little more homework before you start making your signature grandiose statements.

If you think Jason Taylor has a poor track record beyond the first two rounds, you'll also think Stephen Wells, the other recruitment guru from Geelong, is a complete failure. Since 2013 Wells has had 24 picks after round 2 of which only 7 have managed to play a senior game. There are 2 standouts in that group, Menegola and Kolodjashnij. Taylor on the other hand has had only 14 picks of which 8 have played a senior game. Notables are Hunt, OMac, Hannan and Stretch. After the second round, chances of a player good enough to play even one senior game is very low.

The Brownlow Medal needs to be substantially redesigned, in my opinion. Since its inception, the medal voting system hasn't altered, save for a few years when they double the votes. It is biassed in favour of midfielders who are under the constant eye of the umpires. Here, the system is at fault rather than the umpires. The voting system does not honour or recognise key position or role players who might be as, if not more, crucial to their team's success than the midfielders. The AFL need to design a voting system that captures the complexities of the modern game. The current system belongs back in the 70's and 80's where the game relied more on individual performances rather than team performances (ie zoning). Maybe the Coaches award might be a worthy alternative as only the coaches truly understand the importance that each player brings to the game each week.

Did anyone follow Howes' performance today? Did he show anything to suggest that even though his stats were ordinary, he was able to apply some pressure to the opposition?

Boy you hopped off our band wagon pretty quick. It was only 4 months ago they were saying we were unbeatable with our game plan. What changed….injuries.

If we weren't banged up like we were then I believe our gameplan and list would have delivered us another grand final. Yes I understand the excitement of using the corridor but boy it's risky.

I feel ashamed that we lost to this bunch last week.

Not sure Goody would agree with this.

Are we saying that if Gunston come to Melb is he the alternative for another key forward? If not, how does he fit into our forward line? Does he take the place of Spargo? If so what are his defensive skills and gut running like these days? Not sure.

What's it like having a conversation with yourself?

I never said he was on $600 - $700 a year. We don't know, and neither do you. Back in August, all I was speculating on was the price MFC would pay to buy out Grundy's contract in order to acquire a high draft pick from Collingwood. I think we do have some leverage if the contract is back ended. The argument that the four remaining teams don't have a second ruckman and therefore we are wrong having two elite ruckmen is silly. It was only last year that we won the premiership thanks to this point of difference. And it will be again when we have a fit and healthy list and a redefined forward structure.

I understand what you are saying and you make good points but our premiership window is now and bringing in a 28 year old player like Grundy at the right price would be a good investment. My point from back in August was that if the bulk of his contract has already been paid and he is only receiving $600 - $700k a year going forward then the club might consider taking over his full contract if Collingwood handed over their first / second round pick. Its pure conjecture. We don't know the structure of his contract. I would be surprised if its linear. Perhaps it is backended, in which case Collingwood has a problem.

Gee I was told it was a 3.67% increase in fitness levels.

Weideman? Just a stab in the dark.

A fourth round draft pick??? I think you mean a first round pick don't you? That would make it a little more interesting.

I have a strong feeling that LJ might stay given comments by Gerard Healy and word coming out of Perth. That said, Goodwindees believes its a done deal that he is going.

This thread will end soon if what Gerard Healy said on SEN is true. He said that he will not be surprised if LJ re-signs. He heard this from inside the club.

Yes, the Swans did prevent us moving the ball quickly and creating territory. The Metres Gained stat showed this perfectly. We only gained 5444m, our lowest of the season by some margin. They strangled us which is what we normally do to teams. Curiously MG for the Swans was a very modest 5887m which is their season's average. MG for all other finals teams was north of 6000m.

Why would you bother postering when you are abused like this.

If you believe we are still struggling to run out games, particularly against the Blues and Pies, you will find that we had the same issue at the same time last year. We were nearly run over in the fourth quarter of both the WC and Crows games. The Meters Gained stat is very interesting. It demonstrates which teams are the most effective at moving the ball with run and carry and breaking lines from their defensive zone. To be best requires high levels of fitness. This year, we are #2 (avg 6128m per game) to Richmond (6167m). Last year, we were #1 with 6083m. Our MG against the Blues and Pies was 5672 and 5682, respectively. Last year against WC and Crows our MG's were 5998 and 5708 respectively. When we are firing and running on top of the ground our MG is well north of 6000. We move the ball forward at all costs in order to gain territory. At the same time, we put the opposition under extreme pressure, forcing turnovers, and their MG drops significantly as a result. Our MG over last year's finals were insane - QF 6840; PF - 6545; GF - 6499. On Friday night we were moving into that territory with 6450.And it looked like that.

I agree. Also Tmac is a slow starter after injuries.

If that is a genuine question then you know sweet FA about how we play. I don't know why you even bother postering.

Get a grip.

I understand what you're saying, especially since our midfield is stronger this year with the addition of Gus. I don't believe the clearance metric is more important than last year. When you compare this year's clearance stat to last year's, you'll notice that they're very similar. Interestingly, the Cats, Demons, and Swans are all mid table at present (7,8&9). We were ranked fifth last year. In terms of pressure, if you accept that contested possessions are a good indicator of whether a team is mentally switched on, you'll find that we've been ranked #1 both years, with only one point higher last year. You are correct that pressure causes opposition errors and intercepts. Once again, the stats are comparable to last year. This year we are ranked second behind the Pies for intercepts. We were ranked #1 last year. I'm not sure if you'd call that a drop-off. These figures will surprise some people who believe we are doing much worse than last year, despite the fact that the metrics are very similar. I agree that we have connection problems, but if you agree that loading is a factor in the team's inability to run and overlap, then hopefully this will not be an issue in the future. Fingers crossed.

I stated in my thread that we do have forward connection issues, as we did at this time last year. In that context we are tracking similar to 2021. In terms of pressure, you're saying that you haven't been impressed with our pressure over the last three weeks. Those matches were played at a frantic finals pace. You then assume that because we had three wins in a row coming into the final round last year, we are far better prepared. So, who did we play against? 3 bottom sides, Suns, Eagles and Crows. We almost lost the Eagles game. This year we have played 3 finals teams and won 2 out of 3 with Collingwood just getting over the line against us. I will argue that this is a far better preparation than last year. The clearance stat is meaningless. Last year we lost the clearance count against the Crows and broke even against the Eagles.